Rangers Apprentice

•[13] Three Hearty Cheers

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3rd POV

The other hunters crowded round the young knight who had made the kill, congratulating him and patting his back. Baron Arald started across towards him, but paused beside Tug, looking up to Will as he spoke.

"You won't see another that size in a long time, Will," he said gruffly. "Pity he didn't come our way. I would have liked a trophy for myself." He continued his walk towards Sir Rodney, who was already with the group of warriors around the dead boar. Y/n saw the exchange and trotted over on Alenya, stopping beside Will. They didn't say anything for a moment, still in shock of the events.
Consequently, Will and Y/n found themselves for the first time in some weeks, face to face with Horace. There was an awkward pause, neither one of them wanted to make the first move.

Horace, excited by the events of the morning, his heart still pounding with the thrill of fear he'd felt when the boar first appeared, wanted to share the moment with Will and Y/n. In the light of what they had just seen, their childish squabble seemed unimportant, and now he felt badly about his behaviour on that day six weeks ago. But he couldn't find the words to express his feelings and he saw no encouragement to do so in Will's set features or Y/n's, so with a slight shrug, he started to step past Tug and Alenya to go and congratulate the young hunter.

As he did so, both ponies stiffened and pricked their ears, giving a warning neigh. Will looked back at the thicket and her blood seemed to freeze in his veins. There, standing just outside the shelter of the bushes, was another boar – even larger than the one which now lay dead in the snow.
'Y/n!' He hissed, earning her to turn and look in the same direction.
"Look out!" She cried, as the huge beast slashed at the earth with its tusks. It was a bad situation. The line of hunters had broken up, most of them having moved over to marvel at the size of the dead boar and to praise its killer. Only Will, Y/n and Horace remained in the path of the second boar – mainly, Will realised, because Horace had hesitated for those few vital seconds.
Horace spun round at y/n's shout. He looked at Will, then swung to look at the new danger. The boar lowered his head, tore at the ground again and charged. It all happened with terrifying speed. One moment the huge animal was ripping the ground with its tusks. The next, it was hurtling towards them. Placing himself between Will and the boar, Horace turned without hesitation to face it, setting his spear as Sir Rodney and the Baron had showed him. But, as he did so, his foot slipped on an icy patch in the snow and he sprawled helplessly onto his side, the long spear falling from his grasp. There was not a second to lose. Horace lay helpless before those murderous tusks.
Will kicked his feet clear of the stirrups and dropped to the ground, sighting and drawing back the bowstring even as he did so. Y/n followed in suit, a couple of metres from Will.
They knew their small bows would have no chance of stopping the boar's maddened rush. All he could hope to do was to distract the maddened animal, to turn it away from the helpless boy on the ground.
He fired and instantly ran to one side, away from the fallen apprentice. Y/n fired next while Will yelled at the top of his lungs. The arrows stuck out of the boar's thick hide like needles in a pin cushion. They did it no serious harm, but the pain of them burnt through the animal like a hot knife.

Its red, angry eyes fastened on the small, capering figure to one side and, furiously, it swung after Y/n. There was no time to fire again. Horace was safe for the moment. Now Y/n herself was in danger. She sprinted for the shelter of a tree and ducked behind it, just in time!
The boar's enraged charge carried it straight into the trunk of the tree. Its huge body crashed against the trunk, shaking it to its roots, sending showers of snow cascading out of its upper branches. Amazingly, the boar seemed unaffected by the crash. It backed up a few paces and charged at Y/n again. The girl darted round the tree trunk again, narrowly avoiding the slashing tusks as the boar thundered by. Screaming in fury, the huge animal spun in its tracks, skidding in the snow, and came at her again. This time, it came more slowly, giving Y/n no chance to dart to one side at the last moment. The boar came at a trot, fury in its red eyes, tusks slashing from side to side, its hot breath steaming in the freezing winter air. Behind her, Y/n could hear the shouts of the hunters and Will telling them to help, but she knew they'd arrive too late to help her. She nocked another arrow, knowing that she had no chance of hitting a vital spot as the pig came at her head on.
Then there was a thud of muffled hooves on the snow and a small, shaggy shape was driving towards the furious monster. 'No, Alenya!' Y/n screamed, in an agony of fear for her horse. But the pony charged at the huge boar, spinning in his tracks and lashing out with his rear hooves as he came within range. Alenya s rear hooves caught the pig in the ribs and, with all the force of the pony's upper legs behind it, sent the boar rolling sideways in the snow. The boar was up in an instant, even more furious than before. The pony had caught him off balance but the kick had done no serious damage. Now, the boar slashed and cut at Alenya as the little pony neighed in fear and danced sideways out of the reach of those razor-sharp tusks. 'Alenya! Get clear!' Y/n screamed again. Her heart was in her throat. If those tusks caught the vulnerable tendons in the horse's lower legs, Alenya would be crippled for life. She couldn't stand by and watch her horse put himself in such peril for his master. She drew and fired again and, dragging the long Ranger knife from her belt, charged across the snow at the huge, furious beast. The third arrow struck the pig in the side. Again, she had missed a vulnerable spot and only wounded the monster. She yelled at it as she ran, screaming for Alenya to get clear.
The boar saw him coming, recognising the small figure that had first driven it to such fury. Its red, hate-filled eyes fastened upon him and its head lowered for a final, killing charge. Y/n saw the muscles bunch in the massive hindquarters. She was too far from cover to run. She'd have to face the charge here in the open. She dropped to one knee and, hopelessly, held out the keen-bladed Ranger knife in front of her as the boar charged. Dimly, she heard Horace's hoarse cry as the apprentice warrior charged forward to help her, his spear at the ready, and Will's as he nocked an arrow and kneeled next to her.

Then a deep, whistling hiss cut across the sound of the boar's hooves, followed by a solid, meaty SMACK! The boar reared up in mid-stride, twisting in sudden agony, and fell, dead as a stone, in the snow. Halt's long, heavy-shafted arrow was almost buried in its side, driven there by the full power of the Ranger's mighty longbow. He'd struck the charging monster right behind the left shoulder, driving the head of the arrow into and through the pig's massive heart. A perfect shot.

Halt reined in Abelard in a shower of snow and hurled himself to the ground, throwing his arms around his shaking daughter. Y/n, overcome with relief, buried her face into the rough cloth of the Ranger's cloak. She felt another body press against her back. She assumed it was Will.

She didn't want anyone to see the tears that were streaming down her face. Gently, Halt took the knife from her hand.
"What on earth were you hoping to do with this?" he asked.
Y/n stifled our a laugh. Then, she began to laugh historically.

Then it was all noise and confusion as the hunters gathered around, marvelling at the size of the second boar and slapping Y/n, Will and Horace on the back for their courage. She stood among them, a small figure, ashamed still of the tears that slid down her cheeks, no matter how hard she tried to stop them.

"They're cunning brutes," said Sir Rodney, nudging the dead boar with his boot. "We all assumed there was only one because they never left the lair together."

Y/n felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find she was looking into Horace's eyes – and the apprentice warrior was shaking his head slowly in admiration and disbelief. 'You saved my life,' he said.
"It was Will. He saw it and brought it to my attention and got into action first..." she shrugged and looked at Will. His cheeks heated up and he scratched his neck.
"That was the bravest thing I've ever seen, both of you," he said.
Will tried to shrug the other boy's thanks aside but Horace pressed on. He remembered all the times in the past when he'd teased Will, when he'd bullied him. Now, acting instinctively, the smaller boy and girl had saved him from those murderous, slashing tusks. It said something for Horace's growing maturity that he had forgotten his own instinctive action, when he had placed himself between the charging boar and the apprentice Ranger.
"But why, Will? Y/n?After all, we ..."He couldn't bring himself to finish the statement, but Will somehow knew what was in his mind.
"Horace, we may have fought in the past," he said. "But I don't hate you. I never hated you."

"Me, on the other hand..." seeing Horace's disappointed face, Y/n smirked, "I'm only joking, big guy. Never hated you either. I still don't hate you," Y/n said meaningfully.

Horace nodded once, a look of understanding coming over his face. Then he seemed to come to a decision.
"I owe you two my life,' he said in a determined voice. "I'll never forget that debt. If ever you need a friend, if ever you need help, you can call on me." The three friends faced each other for a moment, then Horace thrust out his hand and Will took it. Y/n slung an arm over both boys, squishing her way in between them.
The circle of knights around them was silent, witnessing, but not wanting to interrupt, this important moment for the three friends, but most importantly, the two boys. Then Baron Arald stepped forward and put his arms on each of the boys shoulder.

"Well said the three of you!" he said heartily and the knights chorused their assent. The Baron grinned delightedly. It had been a perfect morning, all told. A bit of excitement. Two huge boars killed. And now two of his wards forging the sort of special bond that only came from shared danger. "We've got two fine young men here!' he said to the group at large, and heard Y/n's fake cough, "And a mighty young woman!" again, there was that hearty chorus of assent. "Halt, Rodney, you can both be proud of your apprentices!'"
"Indeed we are, my lord," Sir Rodney replied. He nodded approvingly at Horace. He'd seen the way the boy had turned without hesitation to face the charge. And he approved of Horace's open offer of friendship to Will and Y/n.
He remembered all too well seeing them fighting on Harvest Day. It seemed such childish squabbles were behind them now and he felt a deep satisfaction that he had chosen Horace for Battleschool.

Halt, for his part, said nothing. But when Will and Y/n turned to look at his mentor, the grizzled Ranger met his eye, and simply nodded. And that, they knew, was the equivalent of three hearty cheers from Halt.