The Rogue Tribe - Ranger's Apprentice

Chapter 3: The Gathering

As the three Rangers rode into the Gathering Ground, which was a large clearing with flat, soft grass, the other Rangers already there turned and waved, greeting them all as old friends. Will and Gilan both waved cheerfully to them, but Halt nodded grimly to most of the well-wishers, who were mostly younger Rangers. He raised his hand to Berrigan, an old friend, who was a retired undercover Ranger and had worked with Will on a past mission and himself with lots of other jobs. He also nodded to a few of his older friends, but, as he passed another group of younger Rangers, he thought, I don't know any of these young ones, so why should I wave to them? As Will and Gilan edged toward their usual spot, he noticed a very young looking Ranger openly gaping at them. His face was still round and chubby, so he must have been barely fifteen, and his clothes were still more than a little too loose for his gangly frame. No, Halt thought, stringy. This boy is stringy. His cowl was pulled back and his mouth hung open, his eyes wide. Halt tried not to make eye contact with him as he rode by in front of Will and Gilan, but he couldn't ignore the boy's awestruck tone as he said, "Ranger Halt? Ranger Will? Are you... Really you?"

Halt couldn't stop his shoulders from slumping forward in irritation as he heard the boy's hesitant words. He halted Abelard and turned in the saddle, staring straight at him. "Yes, it's us."

He kneed Abelard to start moving again, but the small boy took a few steps forward so that he stood in the middle of the path, blocking their horses. Abelard stopped, but shook his mane. Should I trample him?

Halt shook his head almost imperceptibly, and the little horse shook his mane again, turning back towards the boy, who had now walked right up to Halt. "I just wanted to say... I never thought I would meet you, but it's happening. I just... I want to be just like you when I become a Ranger in five years." He spoke softly with a slight stutter, wringing his hands in front of him nervously.

So he is fifteen. Halt leaned forward in the saddle to answer him, but paused as he heard Gilan whisper to Will, "I'm going to go set up camp. You two come over once you get rid of him." Will nodded, and Gilan rode off towards their camp site, leaving Will and Halt alone with the boy, who watched Gilan as he rode away with huge eyes.

Halt glanced back at Will, who raised an eyebrow unsympathetically at him, glanced at the boy, and then back at Halt. Halt rolled his a little, and then slowly dismounted Abelard. He walked up to the boy and said, "Believe me, you really don't want to be like me. If you became exactly like me, you'd have a murderous brother, a lot of near death experiences and injuries, and two bloody apprentices. I really don't think you want all that, especially the apprentices." He jerked his head up at Will, who just smiled cheerfully in response.

But the boy just looked puzzled, acting as though he hadn't heard anything Halt said. Then he shook his head, his brows furrowed. "No, no, I was talking about you, Ranger Will." He stepped around Abelard so that he was face-to-face with Tug, looking up at Will.

Tug narrowed his eyes at the little stranger and Will felt a little rumble go through the little horse's body. Should I trample him now? He's delaying my oats, and I'm starving.

Will nudged him with his knee. You can wait a little longer. He leaned over Tug's neck and got a proper look at the young boy in front of him. "Well... Uhm, hello there. What's your name?"

His huge eyes sparkled as he heard Will's voice. "I'm Trevor, sir. Trevor Montag." His chests puffed up and he grinned widely.

Will raised an eyebrow, but pushed on. "So... Where are you from, Trevor?"

His chest came out further, so much so that he looked like a rooster. A bantam-rooster, as Erak would say, thought Will. "I'm from Mackindaw! I lived in Malcom's community! I was only a wee baby when you were there, but Malcolm tells all the young ones about you and what you did! That's why I know you! You saved our fief from an invasion and defeated Sir Kerric and saved the Baron and also there were some Skandians and - "