Jaden Tahal; Dalish Elf and Grey Warden (tahal) wrote in thedas,
It had taken some time for Jaden to get used to his current assignment. Scouting he could do, likely like no other in his group. He'd spent his entire life in the forest, tracking prey and making out new maps. He knew the subtle art of being damn near silent as he walked through the trees, regardless of what rubbish lie on the forest floor. He knew how to blend into the foliage to avoid being seen if necessary. And he knew how to climb up a tree if that were needed for whatever reason. He wasn't used to having people with him, people who...well, weren't really accustomed to the subtle ways of going through the forest without making a lot of noise. Granted, they weren't making that much noise. But every twig they stepped on, every rock they kick, or every sneeze or cough they couldn't hold back made the elf cringe. Yeah, they were Darkspawn bait for sure.
He did his best to instruct them, especially the dwarf who seemed to be quite out of place on the surface. He actually enjoyed teaching people the art of tracking, of making as little noise as possible in the forest. He just didn't know if this was the absolute best time for it. At the very least, he had some backup if he did run into some of the Darkspawn. He was supposed to be able to sense them coming, he knew. But what did that feel like? He had not a clue.
As it were, it was not Darkspawn that caught his attention, breaking the monotony of the forest. And quite simply, his ears, rather than some mystical Darkspawn sense. He could hear shouts up ahead, as well as the ringing of weapons smashing together. He whispered a warning back to his companions before breaking out into a careful run towards the source of the noise. When he reached the outskirts of a small clearing, he ducked to his knees behind a large bush, watching the action.
There were men, armed men, about twelve of them. All attacking what appeared to be a single woman. It seemed to be that way, as Jaden saw no one appearing to help her. The young elf felt his stomach give a turn; it was all-too familiar. Just replace the girl with two elves and the bandits – were they bandits? - with Templars and you had his own situation just barely a week ago. It might have been that connection that struck him most. Then again, he hated to see anyone so hopelessly involved in a situation. The girl might have deserved some sort of justice, he supposed. But surely, were a crime committed, there would be a better way of going about it than attacking a dozen to one?
He turned back to his companions then, his eyes focusing on Dee. “Go back to the group. Tell them there is a woman being attacked.” He then looked to Nivak. “I hope you're as handy with a bow as you claim to be. Now go,” he said, pulling his sword from its sheath. He hoped the Wardens and the rest didn't take too long. He was a good warrior, for certain, but two (and an archer) against twelve was still horrible odds. But he knew if he did nothing, the woman wouldn't last long at all, and they'd never know the source of her quarrel with the men.
When Dee had gone off to find the rest of the group, Jaden gave a quick nod to Nivak. And then he was off, closing the distance between himself and the nearest thug in quick time. The man suspected nothing, knew nothing, of Jaden's approach. That is, until the elf threw his shoulder into the man's as he was raising his sword to attack. The momentum of the unexpected blow was plenty enough to send the man off-balance, tumbling quite ungracefully to the ground. A swift kick to the head made certain that that man, at least for a while, would not be rejoining the fight.