Artemis had drawn her own arrow back, prepared to loose it if Marian's went astray, but it wasn't necessary. Marian's aim was impeccable and the shaft flew straight and true. The deer's body tensed down, front legs kicking out – and then came the flailing back-legged mule kick, a fair indication of a double-lung shot. Artemis lowered her bow as the beast sprang away and bolted into the undergrowth. Adrenaline sent it into flight mode, but it wouldn't get far. The blood would already be flooding into its punctured lungs; in a matter of seconds, it would drop.
She looked across at Marian, still poised with her own bow, a loose wisp of a curl falling free to brush her cheek. Gorgeous, a hunter, and she could shoot? Hot.
"Nice," she said. Her voice was mild, but the frank appreciation in her eyes revealed it for the high praise that it was. "Clean kill, from the looks. Shall we?" She replaced her unspent arrow in its quiver and made a small 'after you' gesture, grinning. Time to find out where their kill had fallen.