The Yaoguai suddenly lifted its head in the air, its ears rotating listening around the forest. Suddenly, it grumbled a low growl as it leapt to a nearby rock still listening on. Hook tried to scoot closer to the blonde, but mistakenly stepped onto a branch. For how silent the forest was, the crack of the branch screamed out and as quick as it sounded the beast's head whipped around toward them immediately seeing them.
"Run," Emma huffed scrambling away from the Yaoguai's lunge toward them. "Run!" She yelled heaving Hook up as they ran toward the roadway, thinking nothing of where to go. "I'm sorry, Swan." Hook heavily let's out as they try to away from the beast, but as Hook glanced behind he saw the Yaoguai easily gaining on them.
Suddenly, Emma noticed a large shadow above them, and saw it was the Yaoguai jumping for them. But then, as fast as the shadow came over them, a sound of something shot through the air and hit the beast.
"Swan!" Hook grabbed Emma's shirt collar with his hook and pulled her back, making both of them fall back as the beast crashed into the spot they were just in.
"What the hell?!" Emma asks out, more from fright than actual curiosity. Then, a helmeted figure comes charging up on horseback arrows shooting toward the Yaoguai. The beast snarled snapping its powerful jaws in the air before running off back into the forest in full speed. Emma and Hook stood holding each other in amazement, their mouths wide open.
The rider came beside them on horse telling them in a annoyed tone, "You've ruined my hunt."
Emma looks at the rider appalled by their attitude and snaps back with attitude, "I'm sorry that we inconvenienced your hunt."
The rider dismounts the horse easily and fluidly unsheathing their sword pointing it at Emma with a low growl, "I will not tolerate smart remarks from peasants." The rider scoffs with a chuckle. Emma outraged now by this person's horrendous attitude just wanted to punch them, but she felt Hook's hand gently squeeze her shoulder indicating whatever she was smartly going to reply with, to not even speak it.
"We are sorry, we should be grateful for your rescue. If it were not in time, we would have been dead." Hook tells the rider addressing them now.
After a second or two, the rider sheaths their sword and asks, "What were you both doing out here? Especially, when the sun is about to set."
"We were-"
"Enjoying a night's stroll." Hook speaks out trying to keep his innocence with a gentle smile. The rider shakes their head slightly, having the chain mesh covering the whole front rattle.
"I'm sorry to ask, but who are you?" Emma asks trying to sound more gentle now, not wanting this rider to kill her here. The rider proceeds to take the helmet off, as they did long black locks fell from where they sat on the head. Revealing that this rider, was a woman. And not just any woman, it was Mulan. Emma couldn't help her surprise, and coincidence and blurted out, "Mulan?"
Mulan looked at Emma a bit alerted with her word and asked with suspicion, "Do I know you?" Emma gulped a bit trying to think of something, anything to keep Mulan's rising suspicion from getting any further.