Daughter of a Ranger

Chapter 8

Jemma looked up at the men and angrily ran up to them, yelling, "WHERE WERE YOU! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HELP!", at Horace and Gilan.

Gilan quickly explained their intentions and she nodded. Maddie returned and the group turned and ran. As they neared the forest, Jemma turned around and saw the castle go up in flames. She smiled.

They walked to the campsite, where Alyss was waiting, with the readily saddled horses. She smiled and engulfed Jemma in a hug.

The group climbed onto their respective horses and rode off, following the road they had travelled on before. But this time, they were able to ride in the open.

There mission had been accomplished.

...

As the afternoon came, Jemma was on high alert. She sensed something and spoke to her father and Halt. They all stopped their horses, because something wasn't right.

Jemma got off her horse, ignoring her friend's protests. She eased her sword out of the scabbard and waited for the danger to come.

The bushes rustled and Jemma looked down, just in time to see a baby wolf limp onto the road.

Jemma smiled and looked around for it's mother. She couldn't see it.

She kneeled down and stroked the baby's head. The little wolf yapped playfully and pushed it's head against Jemma's hand.

Jemma gently picked it up in her arms and walked through the bush to see what became of it's mother.

She saw the wolf, lying against a tree, with a chunk missing from it's stomach, in a pool of blood. Dead. The baby wolf whimpered.

But then Jemma saw the most large, vicious dog she had ever seen, turning from it's feast and turning toward Jemma. She shrieked, grabbed her sword and swung to defend herself.

The sword came in contact with the dog's head and Jemma sighed in relief when the dog sagged to the ground.

She looked down once more at the wolf and walked back out to the road, where the group waited, anxiously. She quickly reassured them she was fine, despite the blood on her sword and explained to them what had happened.

"You have to let the wolf learn to live in the wild, Jemma," Alyss spoke gently, "You're going to have to leave it here."

Jemma swung her leg over the horse and settled into the saddle. She looked at her mother and said, "I can't. I'm the wolf's new guardian."

She guided the horse to trot off down the road and Will turned to his wife, shrugging. Maddie giggled and Halt had to hide a small smile, before they all followed her lead.

...

That night, the group were sitting around the fire, eating a stew that Halt had made.

When Alyss had finished, she stood up, hiding the package Gilan had passed her behind her back and walked over to Jemma, who was cuddling the wolf, feeding it small strips of meat.

She sat next to her and gave her the package, saying, "I know it is a bit late, but Happy Birthday." Jemma hugged her and opened the package, eagerly.

Inside was some strange sort of clothing, before Alyss explained.

"You know when you were little, you would always talk about a design for some clothing, so the top would be hardened, like armour, and the bottom would still be soft, like normal cloth, but spacious to fight in. Well, a few weeks ago, the other ladies and I got together, we even had some of the nobles behind us and we made the design for you. We made it blue because we knew it is your favourite colour."

Jemma gasped and looked at the clothing in her hands with delight. She was incredibly surprised that some of the nobles helped, but it was probably to thank her for her "hard work".

She quickly made her way to the tent, closing the door and changed into it.

She stepped out of the tent, slipping her sword into the scabbard that was built into the dress, or top with a skirt. She was able to hang her quiver with arrows over her back and she loved the outfit.

The group gasped when they saw her. The dress really suited her.

Jemma ran up to her mother and gave her the biggest hug she had ever given someone. Alyss smiled and she beckoned Will to join in on the hug. Will did, wrapping his cloak around his family.

The rest of the group smiled at the happy family, before Jemma beckoned them as well, and what started as a family hug, turned into a giant group hug.