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As Elián moved quickly along the path through the woods, it became increasingly clear to him that an encounter with other people, either outlaw or otherwise, was likely if not inevitable. The path was a veritable hodge-podge of footprints, both human and canine, coming and going, trampling back and forth across each other so much so that it was impossible to tell how many sets of prints were involved, much less which set of prints belonged to outlaws and which to the other folks. Elián paused, staring down at the confusion of tracks. He was considering his options, unsure which he would rather meet – the outlaws or the forces of law and order, if that was in fact who the other folks involved in the skirmish were. There were advantages and disadvantages to both. If he could decide which was which and choose his side accordingly, that would be one thing… but, he decided, unable to make heads or tails of the multiple sets of prints, it’s a throw of the dice now. He would just have to wait and see who he encountered first and try to run with it.
Elián was just straightening with the intent of continuing on his way when he heard the distinct snap of a twig. His senses suddenly on edge, he turned his head sharply in the direction of the sound and peered into the leafy undergrowth. He thought he saw movement but whatever it was was subtle and stopped at once. For all Elián knew, it could have been a rabbit or a squirrel – after all squirrels around these parts were as big as the housecats back home – but with all the people scampering about the woods that day, he figured that it would be prudent to check it out. Lowering his drawn sword and dropping it slightly behind him into what his old weapons master used to call the sucker’s stance, he moved cautiously in the direction of the thicket. He knew full well that the position of his sword was only called the sucker’s stance, because it looked deceptively harmless and defensive. Given enough space, however, it could turn lethal very, very quickly, and Elián was a very quick young man. Nonetheless, he eyed the trees on either side of him with a growing sense of doubt. He might not have enough room to swing a sword, should it come to that. With that thought in mind, he reached back and, with his left hand, pulled the dagger from its sheath at the small of his back. He could fight just as well with either hand and might as well be braced for anything.
Holding the dagger at the ready in front of him, Elián stopped in front of the suspect thicket. Instantly, he felt the sensation of being watched. It was almost as though the very bushes held their breath. He knew then that there had to be someone hiding within.
But who?
Boldly, Elián reached out and flicked the topmost leaves of the nearest bush with the point of his dagger. “Ahoy, there, Master Bunny-Rabbit,” he said pleasantly into the bracken. “You might as well show yourself. I’m not much in the mood for a game of Hide-and-Go-Seek.”
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