Into the night the princess fled, hoping against hope that no one would discover her gone til dawn's meal, perhaps. The forest was thick this time of year and well stocked with game. She regretted being unable to bring a mount with her, but a warg or a horse would have made too much noise and were always heavily guarded. Mount thievery was considered a crime worthy of death in her tribe.<br/><br/>As she had put a good bit of distance between herself and the Castle of Grond, Helen finally stopped her running to rest, allowing her body to sink down against a tree with heavy breathing. Bit by bit, Helen began to remove the pieces of gold from her tusks and neck. It would only draw attention to her from bandits and the like to try and rob her. While she caught her breath, her stomach made a loud growl, and the woman grumbled in contempt. It had been quite some time since her last meal.<br/><br/>Taking up her bow, Helen slowly began to slink through the trees, sniffing the air and looking for broken brambles and bushes, bent twigs and the like for game. She didn't have time to set traps, as she would need to eat and then flee. As she walked, she pulled handfuls of berries from the bushes, noticing then a set of hoofed game tracks. Perfect. They were fresh, only an hour or so old by the looks of it.<br/><br/>Through the darkness she stalked, yellow eyes agleam as she followed the tracks down through the sloping forests. It wasn't long before she heard the snorting of an elk. A large male. His massive antlers could be seen even in the cloak of night. Downwind of the beast, Helen crouched, readying her bow and aiming for its heart beneath its foreleg. Its pelt would make a fine blanket as well... WHOOSH, her arrow flew through the air, piercing deep into the soft flesh of her target. The beast let out a shuddering cry of agony before it fell where it stood, labored in its breathing momentarily before the life drained from his eyes.<br/><br/>Helen could have cheered herself! Normally such a shot would have made the creature bolt in adrenaline and she'd have to track it! Emerging from the bush, she hastened over to the creature, reaching to grasp a hold of one of its antlers with the plan of dragging it off to a more sheltered place.