➶
3rd POV
The trio rode slowly through the trailing light, leaning sideways in their saddles to follow the rough trail left by the boar.
They had no trouble tracking him. The huge body had left a deep trench in the thick snow. Even without the thick snow, Will thought, it would've been easy.
The boar was obviously in a very bad temper. It had slashed at the surrounding trees and shrubs with its tusks as it went, leaving a clear-cut path of destruction through the forest.
"Halt?" He said tentatively, when they had gone a kilometre or so into the dense trees.
Halt hummed in response, a little absently.
"Why bother the Baron? Couldn't we simply kill the boar with our bows?"
Halt shook his head.
"He's a big one, Will. You can see the size of the trail he's left. We could take half a dozen arrows to kill him, and then he'd take time to die. With a brute like this, it's better to make sure."
Y/n quirks her brow up in thought, "How do we do that?"
Halt looked up at the teens for a second, "I suppose neither of you have ever seen a boar hunt?"
The two apprentices glances at eachother and slowly shook their heads. Halt reined in for a few seconds to explain and Will and Y/n brought Tug and Alenya to a stop beside him.
"Well, first," said the Ranger, "we'll need dogs. That's another reason why we can't finish him off with our own bows. When we find him, he'll have most likely gone to ground in a thicket or in dense bushes where we can't get at him. The dogs will drive him out and we'll have a ring of men around the lair with boar spears."
"And they throw them at him?" Will asked. Halt shook his head.
"Not if they have any brains," he said. "The boar spear is more than two metres long, with a double-sided blade and a crosspiece set behind the blade. The idea is to make the boar-"
"Charge at the spearman," y/n finished for Halt, slowly nodding her head in realisation. Halt nods.
"The idea is to make the boar charge at the spearman. Then he sets the butt of the spear in the ground and lets the boar run onto it. The crosspiece stops the boar running right down the shaft and getting the spearman."
Will and Y/n exchange doubtful glances, "That sounds dangerous.." Will said.
The Ranger nodded. "It is. But men, like the Baron and Sir Rodney and the other knights, love it. They wouldn't miss the chance of a boar hunt for worlds.
"Well," Y/n collected her thoughts, "What about you? Will you have a boar spear?"
Halt shook his head. "I'll be sitting right here on Abelard," he said, "And you two will be on your horses, in case of the boar breaks through the ring of men around him. Or in case he's just wounded and gets away."
"What do we do if that happens?" Will asked.
"We run him down before he can go to ground again," said Halt grimly. "And then we kill him with our bows."
➶
3rd POV
The following day was Saturday and, after breakfast, the Battleschool students were free to spend the day as they pleased. In Horace's case, this usually meant trying to stay out of sight whenever Alda, Bryn and Jerome came looking for him. But lately, they'd realised he was avoiding them and had taken to waiting for him outside the mess hall. As he came out onto the parade ground this morning, he saw them waiting, smiling at him. He hesitated. It was too late to turn back. With a sinking heart, he continued on towards them.
YOU ARE READING
Rangers Apprentice
FanfictionY/n, the daughter of Halt, knows more about young Will than he does himself. But she has sworn to her father, the mysterious Ranger, that she will not give away that information until the time is right. After Will is denied of his apprenticeship for...
