"Stop, stop it!"
Fiona had always hated the maidens in stories who stood by or swooned while menfolk scuffled. But now that she was in the middle of it, she realized there wasn't anything she could do. They were all moving too fast--she was just as like to hurt Jack as help him if she tried to insert herself.
But when she saw one of the men draw a knife, she reacted on instinct. She slammed her shoulder into his, shoving him back with more force than a woman her size should have been able to muster.
"Bitch," someone spat behind her, which was all the warning she got before someone grabbed her hair and threw her backward onto the ground. She cried out, catching herself awkwardly with one hand and whipping her head around to try to find her attacker.
The man was just staring at her. Fiona blinked, unable to process what he was looking at for a long moment. At least, until she realized how far her skirts had ridden up, revealing the last few inches of her tail twitching nervously back and forth.
She blanched, trying to scramble back to her feet and get some distance. "St-stay away from me!"