Arja stood rooted in place as the much taller woman prowled closer. After years and years of living with the humans, she should have been used to looking up to see someone's face. But when it was lined with anger... it still had her heart hammering. Not to mention that the woman's horse could easily have stomped all over her and turned her into Arja paste.
Reasons and excuses set on the tip of her tongue but couldn't fall. 'Nobody likes excuses Arja,' her mother's voice echoed in her ears, 'own up to your actions like a real dwarf.' But really she hadn't seen that it was horse. Maybe she hadn't been paying enough attention but she'd never meant to put them in danger.
"Sorry," the apology was murmured quietly, "I'm really sorry. I would never... I..." Arja looked down and away from the stranger's livid face. "I made a mistake, I would never fire on someone or their horse on purpose." There wasn't much more she could say, embarrassment was already tinting her face red.