She had presumed the battle was over by the swordsman’s assault at the viper's head. They should stay at the distance and wait for it to die, perhaps give a last merciful strike to spare it from agony. She was about to fly at Shirou's side when, in her lapse, she made the mistake to underestimate not the dying animal, but the boy’s lack of self-preservation by throwing himself into the snake’s path so needlessly. Because of her mistake, she could only stare in horror at the sight of the pierced body of her Master falling to the ground with a gaping hole in his abdomen.

"MASTER!"

Was this enough dramatic build-up, but the sheer fury at a fallen companion? Wind raged from the hilt of her invisible weapon, sharpening the hood made of compressed air that concealed Excalibur timeless glow. Saber did not need to flap her wings to dive down, but they aided to her speed. She did not mind to burn her prana off to reach for Shirou before he hit the ground, but the snake was on the way, about to expire its last breath, but still potentially dangerous to the unconscious boy. She brandished her Noble Phantasm and pushed forward through the snake, her arms were engulfed by a violent typhoon, cleaving most of its neck with that vicious charge. She did not turn to stop and finish the decapitation, Saber had another target. The squirming and writhing beast whose life was expiring ceased to be her main concern. Her gaze was fixed only on the redhead boy who was about to hit the ground, she clenched her teeth and fell faster.

Guh—! Her silver armor was gone, scattered in thousands of silver fragments, her sword had also disappeared to increase her speed; her arms stretched to catch Shirou… She drew closer and closer… Arturia extended hands until she grasped him and brought him close to her as they hit the ground together. Her landing was not graceful because she had no time to stop and steer around; the spot they had fallen had opened a small fissure on the earth, testament of the speed she had employed. During the fall, she embraced the boy and rolled him over, utilizing her own body as cushion to absorb the impact. She did not have time to catch her breath after this, her priority to corroborate if Shirou lived. She placed him gently on the ground to check the damage done. She was disheveled, covered in dirt and blood, and breathing heavenly, but there were no bruises in her body. She was a Servant, the mundane did not injure her. Had the snake been a magical creature, it would have been a different tale, but it was a snake. Large and monstrous, yet still an animal.

"Shirou!" shouted Saber again in desperation, placing an ear on the left side of his chest to corroborate his heart still beat. It did. He was breathing too. He was alive and this filled her with relief. She had to stop the bleeding, but how—