Aramina yawned. It had been a long day, and it was getting late. The sun would set in another hour or so. She decided to set up camp for the night right where she was, dropping her bag. Looking around, it wasn't a bad place to stop. The trees were gradually thinning as she neared the edges of the Greatwood Forest, and she heard a stream gurgling a ways off to one side.

She cleared a small area of grass and undergrowth, setting a ring of stones in the middle to serve as a fire pit, and pulled a pot from her bag, setting it to the side. Grabbing her tinderbox, she started the fire, feeding it with some of the undergrowth she'd cleared, until she was confident it wouldn't go out if she set the pot on top of it. She filled the pot with the last of the water from her waterskin, adding a bit of salt she kept in a jar in her bag, before setting it on the fire to boil.

After a hot meal of stew, Aramina headed for the river, taking her waterskin and some extra clothes with her. Upon arriving at the river, she stripped off her clothes, dropping them on a rock, and stepped into the water. She shivered as the cold water washed over her bare feet, but soon grew used to it and waded in deeper, fully intending to get clean and be rid of the grime of the road. She scrubbed at her light skin and silver hair, the dirt and dust floating down the river.

Once satisfied that she was clean, she headed back up to the bank, shivering in the chilly air. After a few minutes of drip-drying, she pulled on the extra clothes she'd brought along, a green tunic and matching pants, and her regular, brown leather boots. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, which immediately soaked through the back of her tunic, and filled the waterskin before heading back towards the camp, looking forward to sleeping. As soon as she arrived, she laid out her sleeping bag and crawled inside, planning on getting an early start the next day.

*~*~*~*~*

Aramina jolted awake. There was someone nearby. She'd distinctly heard the snap of a twig, and few animals dared venture near a fire, even a smoldering one, and Aramina's was still burning. She tried to even her breathing, as if she were still sleeping, hoping that whoever it was would leave her alone.

Another twig broke, even closer this time. The hope of them leaving her alone was rapidly shrinking. Her breathing quickened ever so slightly.

Then she heard the crunch of boots on grass behind her. The boots stopped behind her head. Her brain screamed to turn around, or get up, or grab her weapons, to do something! So she did. She rolled at the feet behind her, hoping to trip them up. The owner cried out in surprise, and she distinctly identified it as a male voice.

She scrambled to free herself of the sleeping bag before the man made it back to his feet. As she stood, so too did the man. She watched him cautiously. His back was to the fire, so she couldn't see his features clearly.

As she watched, he drew a dagger. Her eyes widened as he did so, and she looked to see if she could get to her own weapons, a pair of twin blades and a bow with a quiver of arrows, finding them to be behind the man. Her eyes widened even further, full of fear. The man took a step forward. She took a step back. He took another step forward, and once again, she stepped back. Then again. And again. This felt scarily familiar. Images flashed through her mind.

*~*~*~*~*

Someone stood protectively over her, their sword forcing back that of another figure… Then, her protector jumped out of the way of another enemy's attack, and the gap between them was quickly filled. One of the men who had filled the gap came at her, sword raised. She screamed… And electricity filled the air, striking just in front of her tiny feet. The rock on which she cowered crumbled beneath her, sending her tumbling downward…

*~*~*~*~*

Aramina was brought back to reality when her back hit a tree and her legs went numb. She was in a bad spot. Her weapons were useless, back by the fire. The man a few feet in front of her had a dagger, one which he seemed all too prepared to use. She spun, trying to get around the tree, trying to get behind some sort of cover, any type of cover. Her movement was jerked to a sharp halt, then quickly reversed, as the man grabbed her arm and yanked her back toward him. Aramina barely had time to register what was happening before the dagger drove home.

Her memory was a bit hazy as to what happened next, but she remembered what she'd been doing fairly clearly. It was the surroundings she had the most trouble remembering. Someone had bowled over her assailant, forcing him to drop her, and she assumed they'd brawled, but she wasn't sure. Aramina had fallen heavily against the tree behind her, staring dully at the weapon embedded in her abdomen. She remembered blood, soaking her clothes, coating the hand she tried to grab the slippery hilt with. Her fingers wouldn't work, they were too clumsy. She was scared, knowing that injuries like hers were often fatal if not treated immediately. I don't want to die… Please…

I know… Just hold on.

Everything faded into blackness.