A Self Called Nowhere

Glass in hand, lying up in bed
That’s the time to sing this cowardly lullaby
And you ought to know why...

Underneath a shady tree a shadow sitting next to me
And we stare at the sun

Lullaby to nightmares, whispered low in the night...


--They Might Be Giants

On the morning of the third day, it became apparent that Miroku and Sango probably wouldn't be coming back. There was a storm ahead and even if they were on schedule, it'd no doubt impede their progress. It worried Kagome deeply but she didn't let it show. Kaede and Shippou had done their best to allay her fears and she had firmly tried to put it all behind her. The dreams might continue, but she had convinced herself without a doubt, that...nothing at all would happen. Besides, dreams were only dreams, they couldn't hurt you, just disturb you very deeply. She had stayed clear of Sesshoumaru, which meant there was little chance for the ritual's completion. And even if it did, Kaede and Shippou had been particularly vigilant. They wouldn't let anything happen to her if she suddenly lost her senses. They'd done it before, after all.

On the evening of the third night, she'd managed to put her fears to rest and closed her eyes without regret. Something about the day had chased away the itching underneath her skin. She didn't feel as if she was waiting anymore and she could only guess that was because her friends were close. The evening's rain had delayed them, but they must be close. Why else would she feel so calm?

If she had remembered her meteorology, she should have known that there was always a calm right before a storm. Regrettably, all she was thinking about was the "imminent" arrival of her friends with the cure and the eventual healing and departure of the troublesome youkai who'd started all this.

Until then, all she could do is shake her fist at the sky and continue to curse the darkness, which wasn't nearly as funny as it sounded. Still, nothing had happened and her nervousness had faded a bit. She was still scared stiff, because the unknown was always scary. Thankfully, the unknown had apparently gone away for a long weekend, and hopefully it had taken the stupid curse or whatever with it.

Impending doom was hard to take seriously without the impending part. So, it was logical to let her guard down.

Besides, she had actually slept well that night. A long, uninterrupted sleep that was completely dreamless. And if she did have dreams, they were either one hundred percent Sesshoumaru free or else she just didn't remember them. One way or the other it was the kind of event that warranted some kind of crazy celebratory dance.

Because to her mind it meant that there was no curse and therefore if there was no curse there was no danger to her.

Her mind had jumped mid-thought and she'd wondered if the curse had been the dreams. If so, that curse was particularly stupid and pointless. She figured that perhaps Sesshoumaru would have to write a rather angry note to the curse-makers when this was all over...or perhaps a thank you, depending on whatever it was the curse was supposed to do. One way or the other, she was free of it, which led to a mini-dance party in her head, complete with disco ball.

In the early part of the morning, she woke up. She'd always been a bit of an early waker as morning was her favorite time of day. This particular morning, she'd woken much earlier than she ever had before. Not that she minded much. Yawning fiercely, she stretched. Her awareness was muzzy and she could have happily continued to lie where she was, which was somewhere halfway between waking and sleeping. Her sleeping bag was insanely comfortable this morning. She burrowed further in after another good stretch just to prove her own point. Warm, comfortable and well rested, Kagome smiled sleepily as for one shining moment all was right with the world.

Time caught up and she wasn't able to deny that she was awake any longer. The sun was streaming in, the birds were chirping. Morning beckoned. Wrinkling her nose, she yawned a second time, stretched a third time and opened her eyes. She blinked slowly as she tried to focus on her surroundings, inwardly lamenting that her vision hadn't been the same since she caught pink eye the year before. It always took her an extra few minutes to clear her eyes in the morning, or so she thought. Eventually the bleary film over her vision cleared but it didn't spur any desire on her part to move from her spot. She gazed at the ceiling for at least ten minutes, then the fuzzy interior of her sleeping bag. Then at Shippou's head, which lay next to her own. He was hogging the pillow again. She exhaled halfheartedly. Her gaze moved to the slatted windows.

The first rays of dawn had brushed against the sky, though the sun itself hadn't peeked above the horizon. Morning had just barely begun and soon it would gather momentum. But for now it was content to take it slow. Chasing away the night wasn't a duty one rushed.

Kagome chuckled tiredly and with a wry little grin, she thought to herself, "Besides, Amaterasu-o-mi-kami was always rather shy."

She shifted in her sleeping bag, trying to find a comfortable position. When none was forthcoming, she chose to lie on her back and stare at the ceiling some more. It was waaaaaaay to early to be awake. She should go back to sleep. The ceiling agreed but her stubborn eyes remained open.

"Stupid eyes," She grumbled inwardly. "Always seeing things when all I want is sweet, sweet sleep."

Mumbling quietly to herself, she reluctantly sat up and gazed at her companions in the hut. There was a small stab of jealousy that they were still asleep and she was not. The urge to wake them up rudely entered her mind, but left just as quickly. Mostly because they both looked so comfortable that she'd feel too bad if she woke them up now. Kaede was fast asleep and being older she probably needed the rest. She was also snoring rather loudly, which brought a small, amused smile to Kagome's face. Shippou was still cuddled closely to her, even though she'd shifted position. He was just as deeply asleep as Kaede was, only less noisily.

The kit protested a little when she untangled herself from his grasp. He made a very cute, very disgruntled whine, his little forehead wrinkling in displeasure as her comfortable warmth left him. She bit her lip to contain the "AW!" that rose in her throat. He was sometimes so cute it bordered on evil. Or just guilt trip worthy. She tucked him back into the sleeping bag which he snuggled into. The unhappy frown on his face disappeared as he fell back into safe slumber. Her eyes softened slightly as she patted his head tenderly. He made a happy little 'mrrrf' sound before burrowing more deeply into the sleeping bag until she couldn't even see a tuft of red hair. Kagome laughed quietly at the Shippou sized lump in her sleeping bag. Shaking her head, she went to gather the extra clothes and hygiene essentials she kept in her backpack. An early morning bath sounded like just the thing to get the day started.

The river would be deadly cold this time of year but the whole process would go a lot faster without having to worry about who might "accidentally" stumble in on her. She half thought about making a trek over the well so that she could have an actual warm shower. Gods above, that'd be nice. Ah. But fate was fickle. She was rid of her number one and number two bath time stalkers but she was also lacking anyone to protect her on the way to the well. Not that she was worried about being attacked. And not that she couldn't defend herself, it was just...the walk to the well was damned creepy and she hated going it alone.

Souta would laugh so hard if he knew. It was really his fault. Making her watch Ringu that one time and now whenever she went near her well, she was reminded of the other, creepy movie well. She bet he was over on the other side right now cackling about it. He knew those kind of movies weren't her cup of tea. And with all her time traveling...through a well, she might add...showing her a movie with a nasty well demon in it was just cruel. He HAD to know what he was starting up. Stupid well was creepy enough without his help. Now it was doubly so.

It just gave her the wiggins and all sorts of other icky, blecchy feelings when she even looked at the thing now. The next time she went home, she was going to sock him in the arm and hopefully give him some kind of awful muscle cramp. Or maybe she'd threaten to use the shikon no tama to wish herself into being an only child again.

A small, devious smile crossed her face before it faded.

It was a funny thought, anyway.

Sighing tiredly, she rejected the going home plan for the quicker, but much colder sponge bath plan. She wouldn't get as clean but she was prepared to deal with that. Going to the feudal era was sort of like camping. There were some discomforts you just had to put up with but over all it was worth it for the experience.

With a wistful smile, she stepped out of the hut, supplies in hand, ready to start the day. A sharp pain slammed against her chest the minute her foot met the ground. The gravel crunched and skittered beneath her sandals as she tried to keep herself upright. Her hand lifted to her head as she fought her ever wavering vision. Another jolt of agony hit her so forcefully that it knocked the breath right out of her. She gasped shrilly as she staggered back. Her fingers lost their ability to grip and her things tumbled from her grasp, landing haphazardly on the ground.

What the...

It slammed into her a third time. Her eyes fluttered as she fought for breath. One hand at her temple, the other clutched to her heart as she fought the wrenching, source-less agony. The pain passed and faded briefly, only to flare with renewed vigor. It attacked every sense and she found herself struck deaf, dumb and blind to anything but the dancing lights behind her eyes. Gasping raggedly for air, it abruptly brought her to her knees. Her belongings scattered around her, she dug her fingers into the earth just to ground herself in something other than pain. Shaking like a leaf, eyes wide and staring into nothingness, Kagome knew something had gone wrong. And not with her. This was not her pain. It was his. There was no question in her mind. Something had happened to Sesshoumaru.

A thought entered her mind, dark, swift and definitely unwelcome.

...is this it? Is this what it was supposed to do? This can't be happening... can'tbehappening can'tbehappening can'tbehappening...not happening...

Swallowing hard, she summoned her own power to push back the clenching waves of agony. Once she was herself again, she reacted as she always had, acting before thinking things through thoroughly. One thought pervaded her senses, she had to get to him, she had to stop this...whatever it might be. She sprinted back into the hut and grabbed her bow and arrows. Her footsteps were thunderous in the small and quiet space. The sound woke Shippou up and he groggily followed her fleeting figure as she flew out the door.

She didn't hear his softly spoken query or the indignant invective hurled at her as she left. She didn't hear much at all really and she couldn't have been bothered to care. There were more important things going on right now and her panic had begun to take hold of her common sense. She ran towards the cemetery, not noticing that she'd forgotten to put her sandals back on when she exited the hut. Her bare feet hit the dirt, the gravel digging itself deeply into the soft flesh but she didn't feel it. No physical pain could penetrate the raw cloud of emotion that overshadowed everything.

Heart thudding in her chest, she skidded to an ungraceful stop once she reached the cemetery. She gulped for air, her breaths coming in and out in harsh, labored gasps. He wasn't here. The cemetery was completely empty, as it always had been before he came. For a nanosecond, she doubted her sanity because there was no evidence that anyone had been here at all. No evidence to suggest why he wasn't here. It was like he just disappeared off the face of the earth.

Deeply confused, she blinked twice as if that'd help in some way. Her mind was weary and just not just prepared to process mystery. The static beating of fear still tore at her as well as the lingering pain that occasionally lanced through her chest. It made it very hard to think. The best she could do is gaze in befuddlement at the empty cemetery. Then she noticed the small droplets of blood near Rin's grave. She knelt down and dipped her fingers in it. Rubbing it between thumb and forefinger, her eyes narrowed. The blood was still fluid...liquid-y. It wasn't gooey or viscous. Meaning it was fresh. She looked up and then around, her mind going from tiredly inquisitive to full alert in less than a second.

Her eyes followed the small droplets near Rin's grave. There were more that led away. She followed the trail like a bloodhound, mildly noting with some worry as the droplets became larger and more concentrated. Soon she wasn't following just droplets. It was a full on gory blood trail. Said trail led away from the cemetery and deep into the woods. She darted forward heedlessly, her concern becoming more and more evident as she followed a trail that splashed the forest floor. The dark crimson stains were everywhere, smeared on the trees and the bushes, across leaf, bark and bough.

She thought as her eyes trailed over the forest, "Why me? Why is it always me with the death and the horror?"

It was everywhere she looked. Panic was too subtle a word for what she felt. Even fear wasn't an adequate enough explanation for her current emotional state. She was following a blood trail that led to god knows what. And there was a constant warning tug on her heart. The thin line of his youki that had wrapped itself imperceptibly around her aura constricted and loosened. She hadn't even noticed it was there until now. It was where the pain had stemmed from. The implications were terror inducing and not welcome. Perhaps it was this Sango was worried about. Kagome's knowledge of curses and rituals was squat, but this did seem to fit a pattern. If only she could see the larger picture...

"What the hell kind of curse is this anyway?"

But the fact remained that she could feel him now. Not just in a vague, amorphous 'AH! AH! THE PAIN! THE PAIN!' way like before. But she could really feel the weariness in his limbs as if it were her own. He was tired. He was weakening. And she ran that much faster, towards what, she didn't even want to begin to guess.

The forest whisked past her in a blur of green and gold, until all movement abruptly stopped. She stumbled directly into a battle. Watching youkai fight had always seemed to her like watching Souta playing video games. Everything was too fast for the eye to perceive, so she could never tell who was winning until it was all over with. Except with youkai there was no triumphant 'YOU WIN' screen, nor was there that aggravating 'You Lose' screen or the almost derisive 'You Died' screen. There was just the youkai that walked away alive and whatever pieces were left of its enemy littering the battlefield.

Her eyes darted at the clashing figures before her, drawn to them with a morbid kind of curiosity. Black, white and bright gold flashed against the deep, echoing confines of the forest. It was unnaturally quiet, except for the sounds of battle which seemed to resonate loudly. Strange, that silence could be so loud.

Sesshoumaru's youki whip flashed out in the half-light, cutting down his formless enemies with grace that came far too easily. Even when he was sick and near out of his mind he was perfect. If the situation had been less serious, Kagome could have been tempted to be very annoyed with him.

Dark shapes surrounded him, slashing at him. They circled around the dog demon like snakes waiting to strike. For a moment they stopped their seemingly ceaseless movement and she could see them for what they were.

Kamaitachi...

She'd seen them before but something seemed off about these ones. Kamaitachi were a kind of demonic weasel that would attack travelers who traipsed unknowingly into their territory. They were mostly harmless, to demons anyway, and though they'd been known to attack human travelers, there had never been a fatality associated with their attacks. Usually, they just attacked you till you left their territory but these kamaitachi seemed to be attacking out of the blue. Besides the fact that she would have known if a nest of kamaitachi were lurking around Inuyasha's forest.

She would have known because Inuyasha would have known. He was never one to let other demons impinge on his territory. So, these kamaitachi must have been sent. If they'd been sent, then there was only one soul in the known universe that'd do it. This all stunk of manipulation, his manipulation. She narrowed her eyes, gauging the aura of the attacking kamaitachi. Yes, there was something off about them.

They never attacked this viciously or this powerfully.

And then she could see it. A slight glow emanated from their foreheads.

"Shikon shards..."

She watched the kamaitachi as they let the daiyoukai catch up to them. His chest was heaving in exhaustion and though he had no visible wounds, his clothes were tattered and bloodied. They waited, gazing at the dog demon as if they'd found a glaring weak spot. Then they began again, swiping at him with wide, dark arcs. He held his own against them, lashing out with his whip and claws. But they were too fast and he was far too weak. They swarmed over him like leeches, and he fought back as well as could, until he was free of them. To her eyes, they seemed as if they were just playing with him and she was sure he knew this. If he'd been more rational, it probably would have annoyed him. In the dimmest part of his mind, he'd regrettably surrendered. He was too tired to fight off another wave, and he just couldn't summon the power to resist any longer. But outwardly, he hadn't given an inch.

The kamaitachi stopped again, circling him like a band of hungry sharks. He stood defiantly against them. Watching them with his reddened eyes as they surrounded him menacingly and even in his degraded condition he looked the part of a formidable enemy. Still as imposingly cold as he was when at full strength. The kamaitachi prepared to launch another attack on the beleaguered Western Lord. They began whirling in the air, the circle of their spinning forms coming closer and closer to the ever silent Sesshoumaru.

She couldn't continue to just watch. It was the utmost of foolishness to pick a fight with a group of strong youkai when she was alone. She was only a human girl with very unstable holy powers that only occasionally worked the way she wanted them to. But she couldn't just let them do it. She couldn't let a bunch of lower youkai kill Sesshoumaru. Not like this, with the odds stacked so unfairly against him.

He wasn't a friend.

He wasn't an ally.

But he wasn't really her enemy either.

Whatever he was to her, she couldn't allow this to happen. It was inexcusable and it would stop, so help her god. Even if he had cursed her, the arrogant ass.

"For Rin..." She whispered to the wind and anyone else who might hear it.

With a focusing sigh, she simultaneously raised and strung her bow. She tensed a bit, steadying her shot as she narrowed her eyes and aimed. Hesitating for a moment, she waited for a clear shot and when she found one, she let the arrow fly. It screamed across the clearing trailing brilliant violet light behind it. The arrow missed by a mile, but it did succeed in getting the kamaitachi's attention. At the very least, she served as a rather reasonable diversion for the kamaitachi, and perhaps it'd give Sesshoumaru a few crucial minutes of recovery time. And she could be proud of that for the few seconds of her life she had left.

"Don't be so negative, Kagome." She grumbled inwardly at herself, as she drew her bow back for another shot.

She aimed, her eyes gazing down the arrow's shaft. Dragging her teeth over her lower lip, she squinted. Her fingers tensed a moment before she breathed in deeply and with a soft exhalation, she let the arrow fly. This time it was on target, hitting one of the kamaitachi straight in the chest. It was engulfed in a light so violently bright that she could barely see her target as it disintegrated into pieces. Luckily, her lack of control worked in her favor this time as her overly-powerful blast had also consumed a second kamaitachi as it flew behind its brother. However, the lead kamaitachi remained unscathed. And it hadn't slowed its pace. Grimacing, Kagome desperately fumbled for an arrow, which she dropped. She cursed and dipped down to retrieve it. Curling her fingers around it, she looked up. Her eyes widened and with numb fingers she drew her bow. "Too close. Too close," she thought with a vague kind of apprehension. The hollow sounds of the arrow being released reached her ears. It sailed through the air, a pure holy light slowly searing the wind that screamed past it.

Her eyes widened as it neared its mark.

The kamaitachi cleverly veered to the right, evading the deadly power behind her arrow. Evading its death and hastening hers.

She closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable. But whatever inevitability she was waiting for never came. Instead, the time she was taking to make peace with the gods was broken by the sound of a whip-crack. The whole world seemed to stop on a yen as her eyes flew open. The last kamaitachi hovered above her, its sickle like arm drawn back and ready to strike. But it didn't strike; it just hovered there as if frozen. She blinked. And the kamaitachi twitched. It twitched again. Then a third time before its body was torn into three neat pieces, which stayed airborne for just a moment before exploding like a rather spectacular geyser.

Her eyes bulged in surprise and fear as she tried to comprehend what had happened. The only thing that came to mind at the moment was that she was most likely going to get dirty again. Looking down at her arms, she realized with dissatisfaction that she was covered in weasel blood and guts. Damn it. Kagome mentally shook her fist and cursed the darkness for the second time.

Her eyes strayed from her outstretched hands to the dead weasel, the vacant look on her face seeming to ask its corpse what the hell had happened. It didn't answer, which, to Kagome's mind, was extremely rude. The damn thing had exploded all over her, and the least it could do was be decent enough to explain why.

Uncomprehendingly, she stared dumbly into space as the mental dust cleared. When it did, there was only her and Sesshoumaru in the little clearing.

"Oh.." She said, feeling a bit of surprised fear as realization broke the horizon.

The world was still, as still and unmovable as he was. He stood like an imposing sentinel in the middle of the glade. His chest heaved from exhaustion and his lips had curled into a silent snarl.

Kagome froze solid when his gaze was turned on her.

The battle had been short, too quick really. She thought she had saved him. She thought she was in time. She was very wrong. His eyes were an almost soulless black. They were thick and dull, covered over completely in darkness. She couldn't even see the pin-prick of his pupil anymore. And she realized then that the shark was him and not the kamaitachi that had hunted him. The Shikon shards she thought about retrieving were forgotten, as was any other thought that might come to mind. A cold shiver of pure, unadulterated fear ran through her.

This isn't happening...It is...No, it isn't...why...

Whatever rationality he had was gone and all that was left was animal. The bestial snarl on his face hadn't faded and the silence that had hung so loosely over the glade was broken. He growled low in his throat, and suddenly the snarl on his face wasn't so silent anymore. His muscles were tense, taut, as if he were about to spring into action. He was on the edge of something and whatever that something was...it didn't bode well for her, being that she was what currently held his not-so-friendly attention. A sudden and very unwelcome realization crashed into her brain.

There would be no more special exceptions for her. She was just like everyone else to him now. His mind would boil things down to enemy and friend. It had no room for anything that wasn't black and white. There were no grays.

She wasn't his ally.

She wasn't his friend.

She wasn't anything to him.

Not when the beast within him had taken over. It was a monster of black and white decisions.

He moved suddenly, walking forward with a relentless stride that was terrifying in its calmness, its pure grace. It was like watching a predator stalk and corner its prey, and she would have been fascinated had she not been the prey in question. He was deadly and inscrutable; every move he made was calculated to provoke a response in her. Even uncontrolled, he was in control and his control of her was absolute. He moved, to make her move, to drive her where he wanted her to go. To herd her into making that life threatening mistake she was trying so hard not to make. It was a classic predator's tactic and she recognized it, and she refused to be caught so simply. She wouldn't go gently into...early morning as it were. Kagome inhaled shakily, raising her bow with trembling hands.

"S-s-s-stay buh-b-back...Duh-don't move!"

Clumsily, she notched an arrow and slowly drew the bow back as she was taught. He didn't follow her suggestion. If anything, he moved a bit more languorously but he certainly didn't stop. Her fingers trembled badly and she had a hard time keeping her grip firm but loose. It was as if he was daring her to shoot him, providing her with an easy target to show her how unafraid of her he was. Licking her lips, she tried to control her breathing. To focus on the routine as Kaede had taught. To feel the earth beneath her feet, she shifted her stance. She adjusted her grip, and made sure that her hand was at eye level. Taking several more calming breaths, she gazed down the arrow shaft, following it and her finger as she aimed at the daiyoukai. He was so close now.

"S-s-stay back." She said, as sternly and as calmly as she could.

He didn't. In fact, he barely moved at all now, walking so slowly it as if to mock her.

"I said, stay back..." She choked, her fear getting the best of her as he came closer, "I'll shoot...I'll shoot if you don't..."

Those shark-like eyes narrowed menacingly. The same low, horrible growl emanated from his chest and it was even worse now that she could hear it better. Now that it was closer than she liked because he was closer than she liked.

"I mean it." She whispered fearfully.

The tension had gotten to her fingers and she could see her bow visibly shake. Even this close she'd miss at this rate. She tried to replace her calm, but the fact that he hadn't stopped and she didn't want to shoot him prevented it from happening. There was no way to reclaim it. She didn't want to...she didn't think she could...it wasn't her right...she'd tried to save him...she'd failed...thoughts of curses and rituals seemed so silly now faced with death incarnate. This was life and death. This was the end of a game she hadn't even known she was playing, and no matter how it ended, everyone lost.

"I'm sorry, Rin," she gasped harshly at the thought, feeling a sob crawl up the back of her throat.

He was coming closer. His lone hand was opening and closing in anticipation of the blow he was sure to land if he came any closer. The anticipation of the kill. The anticipation of her death.

"STAY BACK!" She shouted as he closed in, coming within feet of her, "I'LL SHOOT! I SWEAR TO GOD, I WILL!"

He apparently didn't care, growling at her to get his point across. It almost sounded like a derisive sneer. For a single second she faltered, she hesitated in her resolve and he saw it. She knew he saw it. Her entire body was trembling with fear, which was becoming harder and harder to control. She licked her lips again, swallowing hard as she found herself feeling quite thirsty. A thick wall of cotton had formed inside her mouth and she'd do anything to be rid of it.

Damned fear. Her eyes didn't leave Sesshoumaru. They stared at him with a sick kind of fascination. The kind reserved for something that caused so much fear that you didn't want to lose track of it. Her palms were sweaty and she worried that she might drop the bow or fudge the shot because of it. The temptation to find away to wipe her hands off was mind numbing and hard to resist. She gritted her teeth, her face pinching with concentration. Kagome reached within and tried to summon her holy powers. She tried to funnel that energy into her arrows as she always had. It had never been easy, except in a situation like this when her life was on the line; her power had never failed her. But she was having trouble with it...her power, her aura. It just wasn't there.

It would flare to life and then die. Flare and then die. Flare and then die. Flare and then die. Flare and then die. Flickering like a flame in the wind. Or a car engine that had stalled in the middle of a busy intersection and she was stuck in traffic now and a truck was barreling towards her and she just wanted the GOD DAMNED CAR TO START!

Bright purple surround the arrow with a tang of pure, holy power. Without a thought, she let it go while she could. She didn't even aim, trusting the arrow to do its work on its own as it had with the kamaitachi. It sailed towards her target full of deadly intent and at amazing speed. She had fired wildly like this before but her skill had always been lacking. If it had been Kikyo, well, she could fire wild and not worry about it hitting. She was that good. But not Kagome. She had to trust to luck even when she aimed. So it was with a bit of surprise that her arrow looked like it'd hit its mark.

Even if she didn't want it to.

It flew straight and true, right at where his heart should be and she held her breath. Just before it hit, he caught it as easily as he had once before. He waved the power off the arrow like it was an annoying pest, effectively neutralizing it without even breaking stride. Sound dulled into near nothingness, and all she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears, the wind through the grass and his soft steps.

This deafening silence was broken by a loud crack as he broke the arrow in two between his fingers. He cast it away like it was nothing, his head tipping downward as he neared her. Numbly, one of her feet began to shift backwards. He was so close. Too close. And her sense of self preservation kicked in. She let go of her bow, dropped her quiver to the ground as her brain began its complex machinations to determine its next move.

Fight.

Or flight.

Something inside her snapped like that arrow and she did the only thing her brain screamed at her. The only thing that made sense in that moment.

She ran like hell.