Ranger's Apprentice: The Enchanted World

Chapter 1 A Cat or a Kotta?

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice!

Will wasn't happy with his predicament. He was so close to victory, a spell away from it! The fight would have been his if he hadn't accidentally cast the spell on himself.

Of all the times I could have mess up it just had to be this time. He thought glumly.

Flashback

Will entered the little cabin silently, watching his target as he moved closer in the shadows.

This is the infamous Halt? He thought to himself incredulously. No way! He started to doubt himself. Was he in the right place? After all, this tiny man couldn't possibly be the great and all powerful Halt! That thought was his first mistake of the day. The Criminal Corps' number one was after all, to never underestimate your enemy.

Dark thunderous eyes turned on him. It was then that he realized his mistake.

Will had just enough time to draw out his knife and a thin white stick when Halt attacked. The saxe knife was met with a long dagger and a metallic CLANG pierced the air. The force of Halt's blow was unbelievably strong. It shook him to his bones and he could barely muster the strength to keep his dagger up. The unexpectedly strong man pressed on with his knife and Will realized that he had to move or he would soon be one dead boy.

Think Will, think! He thought to himself. As a result, he came up with an insanely stupid idea. But it was all he had.

Taking the risk, he dropped his dagger. Before Halt could strike him down, he quickly stepped to the side causing Halt to stumble from his momentum. Will swept his leg around and the Ranger fell. He then raised his stick which happened to be a wand and green mist started to swirl around them. Halt shot to his feet and threw his throwing knife at Will's hand. As expected, he dropped his wand and the green mist dissipated. Halt lunged forward and tried to slice his arm, knowing that a single cut could cause his magic to stop working. Will leaped to the side and tried to kick Halt again, but the man managed to duck under it. Halt then sprang back to his feet, immeadiately pinning Will to the wall.

A chanted spell, that's my only chance. Will thought. He was reluctant to try it since it was one of the subjects that he was less skilled in but he had been practicing a lot. Maybe he could pull off a simple spell.

He closed his eyes and focused on the creature he had in mind. When he opened his eyes again, they were green and glowing.

"As dark as night, as quick as light, with evil eyes of promised misfortune. Cross its path, then walk its path. Kotta!" A flash of green blinded the people in the room.

Will opened his eyes. Halt had remained unchanged. He squinted. No wait, when had he gotten so tall? When had the cabin been so big? It was as if the world had grown larger or... he had gotten smaller! He looked down at himself. Instead of seeing his usual attire and cloak, he saw silky black fur and a pair of paws.

Halt studied the shocked and furious kitten with a critical eye.

"We have plenty to discuss, don't we?" He asked as he picked it up by the scruff of its neck.

~~~

Will had refused to say a word until Halt had offered him a bowl of coffee. Now he was curled up in a corner with a fortress of pillows, licking the dark liquid contentedly.

Halt was, to put it mildly, very shocked at how easily this stubborn kitten gave in when he offered it coffee. He of course, had no right to judge him since he too would have done the same thing. Still... it was shocking.

Will noticed that Halt had been staring at him with an odd look for a solid five minutes. He sighed and gave the man an irritated glare.

"Well old man, aren't you going to start interrogating me? If not, stop wasting my time and let me go already." Will found his new, very squeaky voice, annoying. Nobody would take him seriously with a voice like this! Halt however, seemed to twitch at the "old man" comment.

"You think it's a good idea to walk out of here as a cat?" Halt growled. It was Will's turn to twitch.

"Kotta!" He hissed, as he waved his two tails around and showed Halt his clawless paws. "I'm a Kotta! What makes you think that I'd try to turn you into a thing with claws and sharp teeth?" As he said it, Will bared his flat teeth. Just to annoy the man, he added another biting remark. "You're brain must be as small as you are!" Halt immediately snapped.

"I'm small? Your one to talk you dirty little cat!"

"I'm a kotta! Cousin cats the cats, but more peaceful and agile. The twin tailed felines, ever heard of that?" Halt gave him a look. Will growled. "I suppose not. Your old age must be giving you short term memory." Halt couldn't believe that such a little creature could have such a loud mouth.

"How old do you think I am?" He demanded angrily.

Will snorted "At least sixty years old judging by the massive amount of gray hair I see on your head."

"I'm thirty years old you furry little nitwit!" Halt bellowed. A fuzzy little paw pushed against his face.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd talk more and spit less, micro-man. Now, can you get on with the interrogation already? I'm bored."

Halt had no idea how he should respond. He was steaming over the micro-man comment but this was also the first time he had somebody ask him to interrogate them. He decided to let the matter go.

"What's you're name?" He demanded harshly, wanting to know who this bold little cat was.

"Will the Nameless!" The cat said cheerily. Halt frowned at this, buy decided to move on. They had more important matters to discuss.

"Who sent you here?"

"My superiors from the Criminal Corps." He said it so casually that Halt nearly didn't process the significance of this piece of information. He started asking his next question when he finally seemed to realize what Will had just said. He stared at the little creature in shock.

Will promptly ignored him.

He finished his bowl of coffee then licked his whiskers and paws. Minutes passed and nobody spoke. Then, Will looked out the window, a look of relief spreading over his furry face.

"Finally! It's almost sunset!" Halt snapped out of his trance like state.

"What are you smiling about?" He growled suspiciously.

"Why, my spell is about to wear off soon." Will said with an innocent look in his eyes. "But don't worry, I'll leave peacefully. After all, I owe you for that bowl of coffee!"

"Don't even think about leaving." Halt said in a dangerously low voice that seemed to have no effect on Will.

"What are you going to do if I do leave?" He taunted the Ranger. Halt had to think about his next course of action. Deciding that there was no other way, he picked up Will by the scruff of his neck again and walked outside.

"Hey! Where are you taking me?" Will demanded as he struggled to get down. "Let me down!" Halt smirked at the creature's futile attempts to get free.

"We're going to Redmont castle." He said with grim humor. "I'm not done with you yet." He arrived at the stable where his trusty winged steed rested.

He saddled the horse then hopped on. They took flight, soaring into the sky. Will looked at the castle ahead of them, silhouetted by the sun that was nearly touching the horizon. So close to freedom, and yet...

So impossibly far away.

A/N: Sorry if any of the character's are OOC (Out of Character). I'm trying my best, but Will may be a bit different since he was raised by criminals. Thank you to any one who reviews or comments, it really motivates me to go on. As always, I hope you enjoyed!

-Tigerwriter