I was up early the next morning with my things all packed. I had acquired a very small inventory over the course of my six months of rangers trials. It was pretty easy to pack. The rangers were very practical people. They had to be, in order to survive. Now it was my turn to apply their age-old knowledge. I was to become the wolf. The predator. If I were older I would be participating in the war, hunting down Andoan officers or launching raids and ambushes on vital supply lines. But Degamux didn’t think any of us were. He had said that none of us had combat experience. Even Ryke, who killed a couple of Andoans who managed to get near the camp, was not deemed ready.
It made me all the more nervous if people like him weren’t ready. How was I supposed to be ready for taking another man’s life? I had practiced with animals, under the conditions of staying fed and warding off predators. But this was a completely different level.
Lloyd was waiting nearby for me. He was usually fairly quick in getting his things ready. I was usually the slowest one, still being somewhat new to the whole ranger schedule and rhythm. It had been the cause of some of my previous hiccups during training. Luckily, Lloyd was there to have my back and get me back into line. I don’t know how I would survive without him.
“I really hope our tutor isn’t hungover,” Lloyd greeted in the early morning. The canopy of the forest overhead cut off most of the little sunlight, making it seem like the night.
I was wondering about Mr. Crane. Where was he from? What did he look like? Why did he want to set up a school in Sleepy Hollow of all places? Maybe I would get the opportunity to find out, but that was only if Valen would get a move on.
Just then, a ranger pulled up on his horse. His face was concealed by his cloak and hood, but I could tell from the stench of alcohol that it was Valen. There was a bottle visible in one of the pouches of his saddle. Great. Now he would riding drunk.
There wasn’t a whole lot I could do. Valen, as much I hated saying it, was my superior and tutor. Tradition prevented me from denying him his vices.
“You two aren’t getting anywhere on foot,” our mentor said. He pointed to a nearby corral. “Go tell the handler that you’re borrowing two horses for the assignment. And hurry up, I’m getting sleepy.”
“Right away,” I said sarcastically as Lloyd and I went off to get some horses. We came back as soon as we were able. “Great, now lets get going.”
Valen led us at a rickety pace. He looked like he was going to fall off of his horse, as did Lloyd. Apparently he was inexperienced with riding. Valen was just a drunk.
“Never really had to learn how to ride one before,” Lloyd struggled to say as his mare galloped. Luckily, my years as a stablehand had prepared me for handling horses in the real world. Maybe this assignment wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
We went through the exterior of the forest that hid the camp. This was as far as my training days had let me go. Now I went right through as sentries went about their duties. If I had tried this six months ago, they had shot my horse or me. There aren’t really any stories of people being imprisoned by rangers. Then again, that’s probably because none of the people that had been possibly captured were able to live to tell about the experience.
At last, after six months of fighting to survive, I was outside of the range camp. I felt a sigh of relief go through me as I met the sky, full and not inhibited by the thick woodland canopy. I looked over to see Lloyd, who was in awe.
“I had forgotten how many stars there really were up there,” he said, his head stuck in an upward position. “Its been years since I’ve last been outside of the camp.”
We kept taking the public roads through the less-dense woods that were nearby. I could still see the multitude of stars in the early morning sky, though. So all was still well. So far. Getting from the ranger woods to Ravensfell was a relatively short journey on a map, but the winding and unmarked roads, which were used to confuse outsiders, made it seem longer than it actually was.
It wasn’t long before I could see the walls of Ravensfell on the horizon. The city, which was protected by a lake, made itself less visible at night by keeping their lights out for as long as possible. The watch over there only had to worry about invaders from one side, unless they were to enter through the lake.
But we weren’t actually going into the city, even though rangers were somewhat praised in the Durovian League territories. People of the region looked up to the rangers. Some made silent prayers that if they were to attacked by bandits or highwaymen, that a ranger would happen to be nearby to help. The same went for when a traveler was cornered by a wild animal. Now they were a much desired war icon. Military officers coordinated with some of the clan leaders, sometimes Chief Arwulf himself. He and Lord Durall were old friends, after all.
We stopped up at a tavern on the other side of the lake. It was called the Lakeview Inn. Fitting. The sky was becoming a cross between purple and orange now, which reflected beautifully on Lake Lowell. Valen dismounted and had his horse tied to a post. I did the same, while Lloyd simply fell off his horse. I was about to follow, but Valen had other ideas.
“Wait here,” he said. He went in by himself. I was beginning to think that maybe he had come for just a drink and not for the actual assignment. Great. Maybe this wasn’t a real assignment after all. Maybe Valen had just made it up to get more booze. Maybe-
Valen came back out from inn. Another man followed right after. I couldn’t see his face, but he wore a black coat and matching tricorne hat. Actually, his entire outfit was black. The style of clothing, colors aside, reminded me of what Orin Daunderfell would wear when he was going to Mentings for a couple of weeks.
“Oh, you have children along with you, master ranger?” the man asked Valen about us with a very squeaky voice. Lloyd and I exchanged a look between one another. Who was this?
“No, Mr. Crane, I’m just babysitting them,” Valen groaned.
“Valen is our tutor,” Lloyd corrected. “A teacher, in some cases.”
“What a coincidence!” the man in black exclaimed. “I am also a teacher! Pardon my outbursts, I am Mister Ichabod Crane. I used to be a doctor in education, but with this petty war going on... ”
“I’m sure you’re aware of what’s at stake,” Lloyd reminded, like he was about to get into an argument with Mr. Crane. We had just met! “The nation is on the brink of falling apart. Rashoki could take the country if they wanted to.”
“Its too early for political squabbles,” Valen said. He got up on his horse. “Crane, get on the runt’s horse. You two will be riding together.”
“The runt?” Mr. Crane asked, looking around. I stared at him the whole time. It took him awhile to figure out that Valen was referring to me. “Oh, the boy! Nonsense, master ranger! I have my own noble steed.”
Mr. Crane let out a big whistle. We waited until we saw a clumsy creature of a horse come around from the other side of the tavern. It looked so stupid with its teeth showing so visibly all the time. It looked like it was trying to smile, but was caught in lockjaw. The horse whinnied and neighed in a joking manner.
“Yes, rangers, this is Gunpowder, my reliable horse,” the teacher said as he clumsily mounted his animal. He went around in a circle a couple of times. For what, I didn’t even know. Finally, he stood, waiting for the next instruction. “Well then, shall we be off? Sleepy Hollow is a good day’s travel!”
I got back up on my horse, as did Valen and Lloyd. Lloyd, however, had to attempt getting back up a couple of times before he was able to get back up.
After we were already, Lloyd rode up next to me. He leaned in to whisper something to me.
“When we’re done with this assignment, I won’t put the blame on you when he’s dead,” Lloyd said sarcastically. “Just as long as you help dispose of the body.”
Oh, Lloyd.
