Will slunk through the bushes, perfectly hidden from sight by his mottled Ranger cloak. Halt, his mentor, crept next to him. Will shifted his grip on the bow in his hand, fingers wrapped around the arrow. They were off hunting a wolf that had been causing a lot of trouble lately. Hope we don’t find anything else out here, Will thought. The woods were dangerous this time of night. Something stumbled around up ahead, snapping many twigs and branches. Halt and Will exchanged amused glances. Wolves were usually stealthy, masters of the wood. Apparently this one was not. Halt and Will maneuvered their way on either side of the wolf, keeping their reflexes ready. Suddenly, something snapped and the dark figure of the wolf disappeared for a second. It tripped.
Will pulled his bowstring back to his cheek, holding it steady. He looked over at Halt for permission and the grizzled old Ranger nodded. Will kept his eyes trained on the wolf’s left hind leg, ready to shoot once it moved. It stayed still for a few minutes before leaping up and preparing to run. Will’s aim was true, and he hit the creature dead in the leg. It fell, but it didn’t yelp or growl or anything. It just…fell. Halt was instantly out of the bushes and, with his saxe knife in hand, on top of the creature with its throat at knife point. Will jumped out of the bushes to look at their prey. It wasn’t a wolf.
It was a boy.
~ ~ ~
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Halt asked harshly, keeping the boy pinned. The boy, who looked somewhat like a girl with his long blonde hair and his slightly too big robes, didn’t respond out loud. He glared at Halt with malice, seemingly ignoring the fact there was a knife held to his throat and he just got shot in the leg.
Halt held the knife closer to his throat. “I’m going to ask you one more time before your blood stains my knife. Who are you and what are you doing in the forest?” The boy glared defiantly at Halt, unmoving. He didn’t talk at all, or even make noise. Will felt sort of sorry for the boy. He only seemed to be about his age. Then he noticed the boy’s hands pointed directly at Halt’s chest, white light rapidly building up.
“Halt, move!!” Will yelled and flung himself at his master. Halt crashed to the side just as the boy unleashed the light, hitting Will directly in the chest. Excruciating pain rocketed through him and he screamed, feeling himself flying before everything went black.
“Will!” Halt yelled, instantly on his feet, even though no one could hear him over the roar of the light. The apprentice Ranger was thrown into a sturdy tree by the short burst of energy. He fell onto the ground and lay still. Halt ran to his side and yelled his name. The Ranger gently rolled Will onto his back and whirled around to see if the boy was still there. He was. He was standing there, face stained with horror and fear. He obviously still didn’t notice his leg was impaled by an arrow.
Halt grabbed his knife off the ground and stood up, advancing on the boy. The boy backed up as Halt advanced. He turned and ran, Halt throwing his knife after him. Halt’s throw was wide, and it slammed with a mighty thunk into a tree not even a foot away from the boy. Tears stung Halt’s eyes, but he forced them back. He had to keep himself together. He jerked his knife out of the tree, sheathed it, and walked back over to Will.
