Kuchiha slid down the small cliff [bank thing--like a canyon around the road] onto the road, splattering mud everywhere. On the other side, crashed into the cliff, was a single-car coach, the Sheemah and leather-covered wood [whatever that is] stuck like pincushions with white-feathered arrows. Several masked figures surrounding the coach were trying to hack it open, but the apparent toughness of the wood wasn't giving way very easily, and the swinging machettes [small axes, right?] only made progress in areas already splintered from the crash. Something like a hand flashed out and just as quickly retreated in a widening crack from the inside of the coach, unsuccessfully trying to mend the wood, and a faint smell of human blood wafted into Kuchiha's face. Runo was ahead of her, and the figures scattered up the cliff and into the thick forest at the sight of him.
"What was that!!?" Runo didn't answer her question as he sniffed the air again, placing his hand on the wood. She trotted towards him, raging at having been ignored, then stopped and retreated back to her side of the road. Her instinct told her it was dangerous to be out in the open. The masked figures were probably behind it; but according to the remnants of the coach they were archers, and how were they going to use long-distance attacks in such stormy weather?
The answer came like they had read her mind. Something bright shot towards her, and completely by automatic reaction, she wrenched her head backwards, just barely dodging a silver-tipped arrow.
"Ku--Gah!!? What!!?"
Runo leaped on top of the splintered wood and lashed out his whip threateningly, deflecting another perfectly aimed arrow. "You idiot, don't just stand there! Go do something!!"
"Like what!!!??"
"I don't know, get the other four or something! Stop the ambush!"
"Four!!? What four!?" [ruru counts animals!! XD]
"Kake and company!?"
She ducked a streak of silver, and drawing her katana, leaped backwards into her side of the forest. The arrows were shot with wide intervals between them, meaning the archers were few in number--at least the seven that were attacking the coach--and needed time to aim. But they were impossibly accurate in the wild wind, and it was difficult to predict and avoid their arrows. Was it magic? It definitely wasn't Northern technology. She landed safely in front of the trees, two sliced arrowheads lost in the mud beneath her feet. This would be fun.
"And don't kill anyone!!" yelled Runo as she retreated into the forest. His voice was drowned in the wind.
"Jay!!?"
Kuchiha stared into the damp vegetation, rain and wind the only sounds. Just how slow were those four--("Curse that Ruru, making me count animals, too!" she thought)--two? "Kake!?...Violet!!?" A whinnie answered in the distance. She hurried towards the sound. "Did you die yet!!?"
"Eh!? What!? Who!?" cried a regrettably familiar voice. A little off track--they were more to the right. She sliced some obscuring branches in her way.
A great brown horse loomed in front of her, reared up and kicking. Kuchiha let out a half-suppressed yell and dived to the side to avoid getting trampled by Violet.
"K-Kuchiha!?" Jay laid a gentle hand on Violet's flank, and she immediately stopped panicking. He backed her to where Kuchiha still lay in the muddy tree leaves, glaring dejectedly at him and Kake [sitting in front]. "S-sorry about that, you surprised her when you used your sword..."
Kake burst out laughing. Kuchiha slowly rose, and very deliberately sheathed her sword. The menace efficiently silenced him. "While you're here acting like bigheaded idiots, on the other side of the road there's an ambush going on, and if you don't quit that and move it, these arrow freaks're gonna wipe Ruru and probably some random people out."
"Eh? Arrow freaks? Rndom people? Who're the random people?"
Kuchiha's ill-managed attempt to contain herself was trashed. "How should I know, that's why I said they're random!!! For all I know they might as well be dead. Now come on, what took you so long in the first place!!?"
"S-sorry, it's hard for Violet to go through thick forests..."
"Then walk!!! There's no time!!"
She strode ahead of them, wiping the mud off her clothes. And just after she'd washed them, too. She emerged into open air again, evaluating the scene for a brief moment. Runo was still on top of the coach remains, looking impatient as he flicked away arrow after arrow, but was now crouched down and seemed to be talking to the wood. There was a distance of about one and a half Murals between her cliff edge and the other side's edge. It wasn't so bad.
"Wait, who're the sharpshooters!? An ambush using arrows...but it's so windy! Kuchiha!?" Jay finally yanked out of the ensnaring branches, still on his horse with Kake, just in time to witness Kuchiha spring across the wide chasm like she'd just sprouted wings. He gawked after her as she disappeared into the opposite canopy, then blinked and uttered a cry of dismay at the sight of Runo.
"Ehh, the information fee only covers for one hour!" Kake hopped off the horse and bounced down the cliff. "Your time's almost up, better hurry."
Runo stared at him with a mixture of shock and annoyance. "What the heck're you doing!? Can't you see--No, get back! Not you too! Get back in the trees!!" Jay glanced up as his horse did a sort of step-slide combination down the cliff. "The Navi'll shoot you!!"