Rangers Apprentice: Return of the Dead

Recruitment

Select draw release

THUMP

Select draw release

THUMP

Select draw release

THUMP

Select draw release

THUMP

For hours Daniel had been practising his shooting in a clearing not far from Gilan's cabin.

After their conversation in his room Alyss had told him that Crowley, Halt and Gilan wanted to talk to him about something and that he should meet them in this clearing.

Well I'm here, now where are they?

He retrieved his arrows and trudged through the thick blanket of snow to where he was shooting from. Just as he was about to re-start the process, he got the feeling of being watched.

Pretending he didn't notice, he drew back an arrow and did the first shot of the next round of practice volleys. "Not bad, might have a few bad habits but those can be replaced with good ones."

Staying calm and collected, Daniel turned around to face the speaker and smiled. "Morning Crowley," as the Commandant seemed to materialize out of thin air and stand right behind him along with Halt and Gilan.

"What, how come we don't get a greeting?" Gilan mocked complaint. Daniel frowned, "Might have something to do with the fact that your not worth my attention." As he was saying it, Gilan was throwing a snowball at his face which he swiftly bent down to avoid and get his own.

Just as he was about to throw his missile square into Gilan's chest, he caught sight of Halts dis-approving look and stopped himself and just let it fall to the ground. "Guess you didn't ask me to come here for a snowball fight-" "Which will be continued later." Gilan interrupted.

"No, something much more important." Crowley said, and when no one said anything for several seconds Daniel asked the inevitable, "Well what is it?"

All three exchanged a look before Crowley answered his question, "Halt has agreed to take you as his apprentice, if that is you would like to train as a Ranger."(A/N- Uh, I would totally say yes cuz Rangers are freaking amazing) Daniel was speechless with mixed emotions, then in a matter of seconds he found which one he wanted to express.

"YES! Oh yesyesyesyesyes! I can't believe you had to ask, wait is Mom ok with this?" Gilan was smiling at the boys enthusiasm while Halt looked as grim as ever and Crowley might have been suppressing a grin. "She does and she has agreed to it. Now I don't know about any of you, but I think it would be better to discuss the details in the cabin were it's warm."

Still grinning, Daniel quickly collected his arrows and walked beside them before a question came to mind, "There's going to be coffee during this discussion right?"

"And so it begins," Halt sighed.

>>>-------->

The night was young, the moon out and dancing among the millions of stars, and Daniel was stuck inside trying to fall asleep. As a part of him becoming a Rangers apprentice, Crowley specifically told him no more night wanderings, it was just to dangerous.

But to resist the urge was unbearable! It was whispering in his ear for him to come out and discover what it was hiding in the forest at night, but he promised Crowley!

Yes...no....yes....NO!...I'm technically not an apprentice yet, my training hasn't started...

He got up, quickly dressed and grabbed his bow and quiver, putting on his soft leather boots and skillfully walked out of his room, the hallway, the tower, the courtyard, and finally the castle itself, making it into the woods.

He walked among it's twisting paths and decided to go to the clearing by the river where Halt had shown him how to fish when he was little. It was also the same place where his parents had gotten married.

Reaching it he sat down by the river and watched it run by. For the millionth time he dreamed of what it would have been like to have known his father, for him to be around.

Daniel threw a pebble into the river and watched it sink to the bottom swiftly, deep in thought.

Suddenly, he wasn't deep in thought anymore. If anyone asked what it was that alerted him he never would have been able to give an answer, he didn't even know it himself. In one movement he was up on his feet with a arrow notched and drawn back aimed into the trees.

Only it wasn't aimed at the trees, it was aimed at the Nightrider in them.