Rangers Apprentice #13

Chapter 2

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Also this pic ^ is just something I doodled when I was bored, tell me if u like it.
xx

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I wake up with a groan, judging by the sunlight streaming through my window it's about 7 o'clock, a quick glance over at my water clock tells me I was almost correct it's 6:52 am, time to get up. I quickly run a brush through my sleep disheveled hair and change into my trousers and my most prised soft dear skin boots. As I run down the stairs I am greeted with a disapproving glance from my mother "A lady shouldn't run down the stairs, but glide" she says while making completely pointless although mildly amusing hand gestures. I great her with a quick kiss on the cheek. "Yes mother" I call back as I head into the larder and grab two apples. "I'm going to see Charlie" I call to my mother as I exit the larder
"Just make sure you stick to the trails and be back before the lunch time trade comes in" mother calls as I walk out the door.
Calling greetings to the people on the main road I head towards Charlie's cabin. Charlie is the main stable hand and he lives near the communal stables and a paddock designed for the keeping of the knights and noble men's horses.
As I round the corner Charlie's small rickety cabin comes into view. "Charlie? Hello?!" I call as I run up the stairs, when I am met with silence I decide to cheek the paddocks out back. I see Charlie almost immediately as I round the corner. As I walk towards him I see that he is face to face with Ricky, one of the more troublesome horses. As I walk closer I can hear snippets if their conversation " All of the grain..... I trusted you to..... do you know how much that will cost!" " What's going on?" I ask as I come closer, without looking at me Charlie replys " this little cheeky bugger somehow managed to jump the fence from the paddock, unlock the barn door, open the lids on the feed bins and eat half of the winters supply!" he exclaims while still looking into Ricky's eyes. I have to laugh because I know that Charlie's exaggerating, he never locks' the barn door properly and almost never puts the lids on the feed bins back on tightly "and now" he continues "he is flatly denying it!" he says with an exasperated sigh.
I continue to chuckle at Charlie's words "you wouldn't be laughing if you had a horse who is going behind your back eating most of the grain, then having the nerve to complain that he is hungry!" Charlie exclaims while bending down and peering into Ricky's eyes. Ricky lets out a snort then trots away. Charlie throughs his hands in the air in exasperation. He is a strange man, claiming that he can talk to horses and says that they talk back, manny people think he's mad but I think he's funny.
I help Charlie exercise all of the horse, we go for trail rides through forest on trails made by wild boars. I saddle up Mindi, an beautiful flea bitten grey owned by one of the knights in the castle guard "Usual trail?" I call over to Charlie " sure" Charlie calls back while saddling up the troublesome Ricky.

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The sunlight streamed through the leafy canopy as we ride the horses along the trail. All around us life could be seen and herd, a flash of the white tail of a rabbit, birds flitting through the trees and even a young doe grazing before being startled and running of its heals flicking tup grass in its hurry. "Beautiful day" Charlie says breaking the silence "Hmmmm" I hum in agreement.
As we round the corner a man suddenly appears as of he came out of the ground. I sit back in my saddle urging Mindi to come to a halt, Charlie keeps riding a good few paces before he lets out a surprised yelp and scrambles to bring Ricky to a halt. The man starts to rise, he flicks back the cowl of his cloak revealing a grizzled face. It was just who I expected it to be, Martin, Sea cliffs on duty ranger, no one else could have just appeared out of the road like that. Martins horse is a small shaggy thing, it has thick fur and and a long, thick, tangled mane.
Martin starts to head over towards us as I urge Mindi up towards Ricky and Charlie, I feel my stomach clinch with nerves and one quick look at Charlie tells me he is feeling the same. I try to hide my fear as Martin raises a hand in greeting.
" This is a private trail, what are you doing here?" Martin queries as he walks towards us. His is only a small man, with slim shoulders, long, gangly legs but only a short body, he is shorter then the average male, but there is muscle in those legs and shoulders. His blue eyes pierce into mine and I have to resist the urge not to look a way. Realising that he had still not received an answer I glance over to Charlie, he looks as scared as I feel, realising that he is not capable of answering, " My Lord Regonald has given us permission to exercise the horses here" I say trying not to let my fear show in my voice. Martin nods in understanding. " Well, I would stick to the trails if I were you, there have been sightings of a wild dog in the area" It's not uncommon for there to be wild dogs in this area, a few years back a dog went wild then mated with a domestic one, ever since there has been constant sightings of them. " Ok sir, thank you for the warning" I say nodding my head.
He briskly turns around and let's out a perching whistle, his horse raises its head and pricks his ears forward before briskly trotting towards us. Martin mounts up with ease and passes us, after a few minutes we are left in silence. "Come on" is say flicking my reins to urge Mindy back into a walk " lets give them a run".