Rude awakening

The sound of stomping hooves and snorts woke her even out of a rather deep sleep. Something had her stallion riled, and that was typically signaled the appearance of a stranger. Zenzi was out of bed in a second, stance low and creeping soft-footed to the side of her front-facing window. Against the seal leaned her bow, which she grabbed and strung an arrow even before peaking out. Early daylight and a soft breeze drifted into the small abode.
A shrill whinny from her horse, Balius, had her quickly looking out and it showed her four men outside her home, one with his own bow ready to fire on Balius. The war-minded horse stomped and shoved his chest against the fence, attention trained on the man.

Little thought involved she turned her own arrow on the other man, aiming through the open window, curtains flowing against her. Another one of the group saw her and voiced an alert, the bowman then quickly attempting to turn her way. He wasn’t fast enough though, and she had an arrow buried in the right side of his chest before he ever had a chance. He writhed, and she knew he wouldn’t die right away. She’d only hit one lung.

Stringing another arrow as she did so, she spun around and kicked open her own door. Each word out of her mouth was emphasized, “[i]Don’t touch my horse.[/i]” There was an almost eerie calm about her as she assessed the situation. A command was spoken to her horse, “kuach.” Which she repeated more firmly when he hesitated. Snorting, he eventually headed the demand and trotted to the far side of the pasture.
“Who sent you?” she addressed the men again who were quite sufficiently armed. Zenzi was also keenly aware of a fifth man creeping towards her from around the side of the house. “You know.. She said you would,” one of the men told her, stepping forward. “She told us to bring you bloody if we had to.” The brute gave her a slimy grin.

Of course it would be her mother. The devil of a woman wouldn’t worry about any injuries incurred to her daughter.. She could just heal her in her own time after all. “I wonder if she told you that you’d also be coming back bloody..” she mused out loud. Not that the men seemed deterred. All came forward slowly, and now it was a matter of who she’d set another arrow into before they drew too close. If they were to take her to another world they’d have to sufficiently weaken her so she’d be unable to fight it. A fact she was sure they knew.
 Zenzi slowly shook her head. “And she only sent five..”  A pill was slipped into her mouth and tucked under her tongue.. Just incase. 

The one sneaking up around the house lunged then, knowing she was aware of his location. Turning her body she set her drawn arrow lose to land square in his chest. It was at the cost of two of the other men running up on her, too close for another arrow to fly. The bow was quickly dropped before she turned to face the others. She barely had time to brace before one man slammed into her at an attempt to tackle her. Still in sleeping clothes, the woman only had a single dagger which she fought to get ahold of. A knee to the groin gave her space to do so, and it was swiftly buried deep into the man’s stomach before being ripped out. Another man was on her now, this one with his own knife drawn.
Before she could stop it, the knife stabbed into her side between two ribs. This man jerked it towards him then, slicing skin and muscle. Zenzi was nearly brought to her knees as her vision blurred with pain. Her bloody dagger swung towards that attacker, but a heavy fist to her face ruined her aim and she only nicked skin. A kick to the knee and a shove was given to her in an attempt to down her, but she stood fast. Finally, downing the first man with another stab, to the chest this time.
She struggled against the other man for some time, weakened, the knife left in her side. They fought blow for blow until she managed to get him off his feet, then quickly dispatched him with a slit to the throat. One man was still unaccounted for, and now she saw through blurred eyes that one had taken up the bow of the first man she’d shot.