The New Apprentice

Chapter Four: Vicious Horses

So, this is it, I guess.

The day I finally get my Ranger horse- except it's completely different from what I thought it would be. Instead of being nice and solid, the walls are rotting pieces of wood; and the man (Old Bob) isn't the strong man I was expecting because- let's face it- these aren't ordinary horses we're talking about. How does this rickety man train Ranger horses?

As we come up closer to the small hut Bob had emerged from, I see more things, both good and bad. First of all, Bob is very bent. Second, he has a long, dirty beard. Third? He smells like a stable, which, I suppose, is no wonder. I bite my lip and steal a glance at Will, our gaze meeting. For the first time I'm thinking the same thing as Will. I look back at Bob. The good part is that I can see the horses, and that itself brightens my day.

My gaze locks on an ordinary brown mare with a single black spot on the bridge of its nose.

I hear Bob, Will, and Halt talking to each other in my subconscious, but I don't intend on joining. Instead, pointing at the horses, I ask Bob, "D'you mind if I look at them?"

He shrugs, "Sure, if you'd like, young 'un." As I walk away, I hear him ask, "He's not much for talkin', is 'e?" I glance back long enough to see the old geezer looking squarely at Halt when he says, "Unlike someone else I know."

I look back a second time, this time from confusion- We have yet to see the day Halt becomes talkative. 

I choose to ignore the rest of the conversation, giving my full attention to the mare.

"Oh, um, Bob?" I ask, giving my voice only the slightest touch of masculinity to avoid overdoing it. "Is it a girl or a boy?"

"Unlike most Ranger horses, that one's a girl."

I mentally sigh. Of course.

Well, I suppose we have something in common... Slowly and calmly, I rest my hand on the bridge of her nose, trying not to take my hand out of her line of sight. She backs up a little, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Whoah, whoah," I say soothingly, but that seems to frustrate her. Irritated, I say, "Girl! Calm. Down. Okay?"

To my surprise, she settles down.

"Good girl," I say proudly.

After a few minutes, I notice that her reactions are more positive when I use my real voice than my 'man voice'. Well, that and she's no daisy.

I'm snapped out of my captivation for the horse when I hear my fake name mentioned: Arin. That's also what brings me to notice that Will is standing next to me, frowning at the horses.

Okay, I think, this is getting really repetitive, but I suppose I'll have to tell him.

"Will?" I'm treading on light ground.

"Hm?" His focus is on the horses.

"These are not battle horses," I say slowly and clearly, making sure I get this through his skull. "Rangers," I say in the same fashion, "are not like warriors. In fact, they're polar opposites except for the fact that we like to bonk peoples' heads. So please, do not compare the horses, because they are as different as you and Horace."

It's almost like I can finally see the gears turning in his head; he's really thinking about what I sai-

"Oh, sorry, did you say something? I was thinking about what Alyss is doing at her apprenticeship."

I blink.

Oh. Okay.

"Never mind, then." I say with a smile on my face, "I thought you were about to go off about the horses and how-"