The Death Bridge

Raven slashed with her sword and the female Shadow Beast that still had its teeth buried in her leg. But the beast kept dragging her by her leg, and Raven saw the big male still biding its time. Turning her attention back to the female beast, she tried to lash at it with her whip but in vain. The beast finally let go of her leg and went for her throat. That was all the chance Raven needed. Holding her sword in front of her throat she let go of her whip and reached for an arrow. And while the beast tried to get past her sword to her throat, Raven plunged the arrow into the beast's eye. The beast's dead body fell beside her and she quickly got up. She looked around for the big male but…it was nowhere in sight.

"{Not a good sign…}", Raven thought as her eyes scanned the area. She started to limp towards the dead beast with her dagger still inside its skull. She looped her whip back through the quiver's belt and pulled the dagger free from the dead beast's skull. The blade was stained with black blood. She wiped the blood with her fingers and placed it back in its leather scabbard. She sheathed her sword and removed her bow. Stringing her bow, she started to limp from beast to beast, checking if they are truly dead... "{Can't afford to take chances…That big one is still around…I just know it…}" she thought.

She bent down to look at her wounded calf. She saw four identical holes on each side of her leg with red blood seeping through the holes in the leather. "{I need to take care of this soon…}", she thought, unaware of shadowy presence stalking her from behind. Raven straightened her back and lifted the hem of her shirt. She tore a piece of cloth from her shirt and bent back down to wrap it around her calf, wincing at the pain."{This should slow the bleeding a little…}", she thought. She suddenly felt an eerie sensation. She turned around, readying an arrow. But it was too late. The beast was on top of her before she could draw the string fully.

Its teeth sank into her left shoulder. She cried out in pain. She stabbed the arrow that was still in her right hand into the beast with all her might. The beast let go of her and roared in pain. Wasting no time, Raven pulled an arrow from her quiver. In one smooth movement, she drew her bow and without taking any time to aim properly, she loosed the arrow. It pierced the beast's side. The beast stumbled at the force of Raven's shot. Raven quickly knocked another arrow and drew her bow once more. She felt the pulsating pain in her shoulder.

The beast quickly recovered and attacked. "{Wait…}", Raven thought as she aimed the arrow at the beast's head. "{Wait…}", she thought as she took a deep breath. "{Just a little closer…loose!}". She exhaled and loosed her arrow. The arrow entered the beast's skull and it fell headfirst into the ground. She dropped her bow and clutched her shoulder, rolling around. The pain was nearly unbearable. After a while, the pain dulled a little. She reached for her bow and slowly got up. She felt shaky and weak.

"{Pressure…need to put…pressure…on my wound…}" she thought as she limped back to her shack, clutching her shoulder with her right hand. Raven could feel her strength leaving her body with each drop of blood. " {C.h.e.s.t…near table…linen…}", she thought, trying to remember where everything was that she needed. She staggered."{Not far…come on Raven…}" she thought as she neared the shack.

Reaching the door of her shack, she struggled to open the door and dropped her bow to open it with both of her hands."{Come on…stupid door!}". she thought as she slammed her right shoulder into the door. The door flew open and she fell inside. "Oof" she grunted as she fell on the floor. She kicked the door closed. By this time, Mili had awakened to the loud noise and was staring at Raven.

Raven stood up and stumbled to the table. She kneeled beside a c.h.e.s.t and opened it. Once she found what she needed, she stood back up and stumbled towards a rack against the wall. "I need those herbs…where are they…aah!" Raven had overlooked the basket full of crystals and stones that stood near the rack and knocked it over. Its contents spilt across the floor as Raven tripped and fell. She found herself lying on top of the crystals and stones.

Suddenly a searing pain ripped through her body and she felt her wounds sting. Soon the sting turned into an agonising burn. She screamed and clutched her shoulder. Then she felt an excruciating sensation in her calf and shoulder and she could no longer keep still. She felt the darkness calling her. Everything became blurred and distant. She tried to fight it. "{I must…stay…awake…}"

And then the darkness surrounded her.

_________A few hours later__________

Raven slowly opened her eyes. She looked around. "{It's morning? What happened?}", she thought confused. She sat upright and winced at the pain in her shoulder. The memories flooded back. "{Shadow Beasts attacked me…I was wounded, came here…fell to the ground…and…and…and then what?}", she thought. She felt something wet against her hand. She jerked her hand away and squealed. Looking to her side, she saw Mili standing near the bed, startled by Raven's sudden movements. "Damn it, Mili! You nearly gave me a heart attack!", she said to the doe. She slowly got up. "{I wonder how long I was unconscious}"

She limped towards her bed. As soon as she sat down, the doe stood in front of her, placing her head in Raven's l.a.p and looking up at her. A soft smile played on Raven's lips. "I can never be mad at you", she said to the doe as she c.a.r.e.s.sed its head.

After a while, she decided to get up. "Come on girl, I need to go clean my wounds by the stream." She grabbed a fresh set of clothes and the few necessities she needed to clean herself up. She collected some herbs along with some linen bandages on the way out. She and Mili left the shack. Raven saw her bow she had dropped previously and picked it up. They slowly made their way towards the stream. The morning breeze was cold and fresh.

They reached the stream. After making sure their surroundings were safe, Raven sat down on a rock beside the stream. She looked at her leather boot with the four holes in it. "{I might be able to fix it somehow…but my shirt…I don't think even magic could fix it…}", she thought as she tried to carefully remove her boots and shirt as to not hurt herself. She started to clean her wounds gingerly."{Woah…They healed a lot since…well…since last night, I suppose…I wonder how they could've healed so quickly…}", she thought as she finished cleaning her wounds."{They've healed a lot, but they're still a long way from being fully healed…Well, with the severity of the wounds I'd say, two months more before I could use my arm completely, I hope…}"