Bishop poked at the fire, wondering where that damn woman had gotten off to. It was a simple errand, less than five minutes' worth of work. He'd even sent Karnwyr with her. Mumbling under his breath, he left the campfire where it was and headed off into the woods. "She's probably wandered off a cliff by now," he muttered to himself, checking the tracks on the ground to make sure he was headed in the right direction. Had it not been nighttime, he'd have called out for her.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as a long, harrowing howl split the air, silencing the crickets and owls that had otherwise broken the silence with their songs. "Trouble," he said to himself, drawing the bow from his back. "Always in trouble! Why do I always have to save your ass?!" His slow trek turned to a sprint, the ranger now uncaring about any noise he might make. Not only was his wolf likely in danger, but so was Alessia.
In a clearing up ahead, he recognized two slumped forms on the ground, one of his wolf and the other his lady. "Hey, fuckers!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the three men surrounding them. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"
"It's another one!" the tallest of the three called out. "Get him!" They abandoned the unconscious wolf and Imperial and rushed Bishop, but his extensive experience allowed him to roll out of the way and sling an arrow into the throats of two. He faced the final enemy, at least half a foot taller than he was. The ranger's ensuing attempt to fire an arrow into the forehead of the enemy failed, thick steel armor covering nearly every inch of the man's body. Gritting his teeth, Bishop re-evalued the trajectory of his arrow, sending it instead directly into the man's eye. With a howl of pain, the enemy staggered back, yanking out the bolt and clutching the wound. "I'll have you killed for that!"
Bishop leaned in with a smirk and drew his bow, ready to end the man's life. "Oh, yeah? You and what army?" Just as he finished the sentence, he befell the same fate as his companions, a harsh hit at the base of his neck throwing him into the void of unconsciousness.
The man stood up, holding a ripped cloth to his blinded, bloody eye. "The Imperial army, Stormcloak filth." He nodded to the second man that had managed to sneak up behind the distracted ranger. "Good work, Hadvar. Throw them into the cart and move out."