*Third Person POV*
The tree branch bent slightly under the weight of the man, who was scouting the grounds of the lavish castle for any signs of danger. His hazel cat-like eyes swept across the open hallways, the tops of the buildings and over the forest in the distance. Sighing, he stood up and stretched, the branch holding his weight creaking ever so slightly. When Master was inside completing royal paperwork, the days dragged along for what seemed like forever. Unlike his previous job, which kept him moving from place to place, the scenery never changed within the castle. The cool spring air ruffled his black spiky hair, and he closed his eyes in enjoyment. He couldn't imagine being inside on a beautiful day like today anyway. Miss was in the middle of writing a lengthy report for her apprenticeship and had asked to not be disturbed. If Mitsuhide and Kiki were more entertaining, he could probably bear sticking with them for a few hours. Occasionally, for a fleeting moment he thought a partner would be nice, but after his last job he couldn't imagine ever trusting someone he worked alongside again.
Deciding to complete a loop of the castle wall to ease his cramped limbs, the lithe man leapt into the air. Sticking to the shadows, he hurdled from treetop to treetop at a terrifying speed. As he crouched on the branch of one of the tallest trees on the grounds, his sharp eyes located his next target. His legs straightened and he pushed off, arm already raised to grip the next branch. The ground guards watching him shook their heads in amazement as they watched his retreating figure.
"How can someone travel like that and be faster than someone on horseback?" One guard exclaimed.
"There's only one explanation as to how he can," his partner replied, smiling slightly. "Because he's Obi."
*time skip*
Obi ran lightly across the giant wall encasing the castle of Clarines, jumping over the spaces where spikes jutted up and landing on the squares of each pillar. The endless view of trees comforted him, and he felt himself relax his stoic guard just a little. When he approached the wall facing the village, he slowed down and watched the townspeople, his eyes alert. Noting that nothing was out of the ordinary, he continued his path along the castle exterior. As the forest began swallowing the village up, he began running again. Maybe he could withstand the boring chatter with Mitsuhide and Kiki for a while. However, when he heard the presence of a human in the nearby forest, he paused. Silently jumping into a nearby tree, he watched the figure that was hunched over near the water.
The bedraggled girl crouched beside the stream, staring off into the distance. The chatter and bubble of the street was hushed, the wall of green trees deadening any human noises. The only sound was the music of the wind and wildlife, which seemed to have a calming effect as it wound its way through her body and soul. This was where she belonged. When she was around busy areas with other people, she seemed to either shut down, or escape. These actions had landed her in trouble before, but for now she was safe as long as she stayed within the trees.
Deciding to clean herself up, she rolled the sleeves of her black shirt and splashed water across her bare skin. The patchwork of scars contrasted against her tanned skin, stark white against a golden brown. Some of the water dripped back into the stream, and she stared, mesmerised, at her reflection. Her deep brown eyes returned her gaze, and she noticed some of her unwashed blonde hair had escaped from the beanie she always wore. She sighed, and began loosening the straps tying her few prized possessions to her back. Her four ragged arrows dropped to the ground, and she stared at the dark red blood that glistened on the tip of one. The rabbit she had killed in the early hours of that morning wasn't enough to sustain her for the day, and her stomach grumbled in agreement. Closing her eyes for a moment, she began to pick up her arrows to clean them. When a stick to her left snapped, shattering the peacefulness, she leapt to her feet, bow already in hand.
Two men who had been creeping up from behind her burst into the clearing, wielding daggers and yelling insults. Without aiming, she shot one arrow, which embedded itself in the thigh of the closest man. He staggered, swearing, before collapsing on the ground in pain. The second man, who had emerged from her side, threw his dagger straight for her face. She turned, and, upon seeing the spinning knife, raised her bow to defend herself. The handle caught the worn wood, spinning off course and into the bushes behind her. Still, she felt the nick of the sharp blade catch her cheek, and she swore, aiming a second arrow for a millisecond before shooting it into the middle of his chest. The man's eyes opened wide and he fell to the ground, twitching, before he stilled, and the forest regained its tranquillity once more.
Obi stared at the girl, who paused for a moment after shooting that fatal arrow. She was breathing hard from shock, and as her body started to relax, she slumped to her hands and knees, her bow and remaining arrows strewn in front of her. A drop of blood fell from her face, further tainting the reddening carpet of the forest with death. Short tendrils of blonde hair curled around her face, and she pressed her hands to her face, gasping in short, quick breaths. Obi shifted in the branch he was perched in, ready to descend and ask if she was okay, but the slight squeak of his shoes twisting on the wood alerted the girl once more. Her head jerked up in his direction, and Obi took in the sight of her face smudged with blood and dirt, framed with the short wisps of blonde hair. Her eyes were wide in shock and fear, and the man barely caught the warm brown that glinted within them before she swore and sprung to her feet, barely grasping her weapon before she sprinted in the opposite direction.
"Hey!" Obi shouted, dropping from the tree to the ground in pursuit. But in the time it had taken to complete his descent, the girl had disappeared into the darkening forest.