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It just didn't seem to leave her mind though. For a time the barking had quieted as if the dogs had gotten bored of whatever game they had been playing. But then it seemed to pick up again just as wildly as before - possibly even louder this time. She couldn't help but, every so often, look to the side and into the blackness in the direction the sound was coming from.

Something wasn't right.

There was barely any time to register Micheal's presence in front of her, her center of balance shifting backward as she instinctively leaned back - overriding her memory for a split moment that she was up in a tree.

Wildly the ranger's hands let loose what they were holding as they flung out to her sides to reach for something - anything that would halt the backwards imbalance, only catching loose bark as she began a downward decent.

Not only that, the dogs were closing in on the base of the tree from a distance as well...

Fortunately for the ranger, Micheal had caught hold of her good arm before tossing her on her stomach across the tree limb.

Hanging there trying to regain the breath knocked from her lungs while half upside down, the ranger had an awkward view of the scene below of one dead or dazed dog and maybe two others surrounding Micheal who was backed up against the trunk while her bow and unshot arrow had come to a rest not far away. She wasn't sure who was making more noise, Micheal or the dogs at this point. Either way, Micheal wasn't acting the way he did back when he faced the hunter from the other day. This seemed more... desperate, more forced.

Jay had been around animals long enough to tell when something was injured and this wasn't far from it. Had Kiru taken a shot at Michael as well? She couldn't imagine anything else that could bring him to this point in such short of time unless there was another hunter out there that was better skilled than the last.

There was a slight 'urf' from the ranger as she tried to maneuver her feet over the branch, but she couldn't bend her bad arm enough to help her up. One arm wasn't going to do it here, unlike with the bow where she didn't have to bend it any.

Well, if she couldn't go up, she began to plot in her head, there was still another direction.

She dropped from the branch and landed in a crouch just arm's length behind and to Micheal's right, pulling the longsword from its sheath as she quickly took turned and held a low stance to face the remaining dogs circling in front of him.

Just as Micheal looked, Jay had already braced the butt of her sword against her hip as she dropped to near-kneeling position. In a blink, a growling bark switched to a weak whine. The ranger stumbled back a few paces as the charging dog's weight slammed into her, a low pitch noise slipping from her own mouth as the hilt kicked into her side.

Breathing hard but pacing each breath, she lowered her blade to let the silent mutt slide off to the grass before her eying the movement of the other dogs. She gave Micheal no answer as she had not heard any question. She had also missed seeing a light go on the farmer's house until now. She only hoped that the farmer had taken her advice and would stay in his house no matter what he heard should he wake. It had originally been a precaution to keep a bystander away from Micheal should he have turned on her, but now it was a completely different matter.

She only hoped these dogs were strays. She didn't need anyone else running in. If there was someone though, the dogs would have had them outpaced some distance the way they were moving.

"Grab one! I can't take both!" she almost ordered, unknowingly answering the vampire's inquiry. Luck had given her only one charging dog upon landing - Luck was usually not kind enough to do a second favor.

The ranger then went from stationary to a sprint toward the dog closest to her with blade drawn. Even if she did not rely on luck, Micheal taking the other hound was something she did hope she could rely on.

Quickly the ranger stopped charging for the dog when it began to run... or more so what it began to run from. The snap of a body against the trunk of the tree now had her attention instead and she watched as Micheal did his work.

She registered Micheal's words while the fire in her blood was still making its pace. "Almost did it on it's own," she commented while moving back to the first dog, wondering if he just wanted the dog out of it's misery or if he just wanted an easier meal. She kneeled and did as Micheal asked before standing back up, pulling out a cloth to wipe down her blade.

"Hold up," Jay said with a slight twinge as turned toward Micheal. "Do we want to play this off as random dogs getting at the chickens or do we want to play this off as the wolf getting a hold of the mutts who got too nosy? Because if it's going to be the latter, we're better off dragging these mutts' bodies to the woods. After a few days scavengers will make it look like a wolf's work for what these people know."

"Yeah, you've had a bad night. Got it. Make it two," she said in her own unhappy tone as she slid the sword back in it's sheath and went to gather the bow and arrow on the ground behind her. "If you need to go find somewhere to hide before light or whatever it is that you have to do this time, then go. I've dragged a carcass before. Usually they're taller and eat grass, but little difference. I'll get them out far enough into the wood that commonfolk won't cross 'em unless their looking and by that time it won't matter."

She moved back toward the dog that she had dealt with. Awkwardly she slipped off her backpack to retrieve a length of coiled rope from within it. She forced her mind on her project to avoid bringing up other unpleasant topics she wanted to come forth with.