Ranger's Apprentice I: Arising Danger

| Chapter X

I looked around the site. It was early morning and I was stretching my muscles. I was just about to do my daily warming up when a wet nose touched my elbow. I turned around and saw Shimmer looking at me with his intelligent eyes.
     "Hey, my boy!" I greeted. "Also woken up so early?"
     Shimmer lowered his head and searched my pockets, certainly looking for apples.
     "I don't have one with me," I sadly announced. "But I guess I can get one for you."
     I looked around me and tried to find the apple barrel, which had suddenly disappeared of course. I sighed as I realized that I had to take one from the kitchen. As silent as I could, I sneaked inside the kitchen and took one apple. Then I sneaked outside and just when I was about to give Shimmer his apple, I heard a clear cough behind me, which I associated with Will. I turned around and smiled nervously. "Yes Will?" Then I started wondering why Heidi hadn't warned me.
     "And you think it's a good idea to make Shimmer fat?" Will asked, stepping out of the shadows of the house.
     "Eh, no," I said with some sort of challenging tone in my voice. "Can I ride Shimmer?" I asked, just to change subject. Within waiting for his response, I said: "Okay, thanks!"
     Will sighed, then nodded at the saddle and rope bindles on the fences. "Saddle him up and I'll get Old Bob."
     I nodded and motioned Shimmer to follow me. I put my arm around his neck and led the way to the paddock we were in yesterday. I grabbed the saddle and hefted it across Shimmer's back. I then bent down to fasten the girth straps of the saddle.
     "Pull them good and tight!" Old Bob said from behind me.
     I nodded and made sure it was fastened tight. Then I stood straight and looked at Will, asking: "Can I now?"
     "If you feel that's a good idea, go ahead," Will said.
     I recognized that sentence. Will had said that when I asked him if I could try shooting with the bow. And that had turned out me being in pain. And if I was correct, the following things — what could possibly go wrong? — would be quite painful. So, I raised an eyebrow and slowly asked: "It's safe to ride Shimmer, right?"
     Will looked at Old Bob and he said: "Try it! You're smart enough!"
     I had this feeling that this would go ridiculously wrong. A bark stopped me and I looked back to see Heidi running towards me. I hugged her for a few seconds and told her to wait like a good girl. As she sat there, I felt like I could try mounting Shimmer now. I swung my legs across Shimmer's back and looked down at Shimmer, who turned his head to me. It seemed like he wanted me to do something, so with a voice crack, I said: "Well, let's go on a ride?"
     I couldn't even finish my sentence. A small tremor of movement went through Shimmer's body and then, all of sudden, he arched his back and threw all his legs upwards. Shimmer landed back on his four legs but then threw his rear legs upwards high in the sky, causing me to be throw off Shimmer's back.
     With a smack I fell down on my back, after having made a complete somersault. My chest went up and down as I slowly got up. I grimaced in pain and watched Shimmer coming towards me. He bent his head, ears straight up. Why did you go and do a silly thing like that? he seemed to ask.
     "Well, you begun!" I answered. Then I suddenly realized I had answered Tug. Frowning, I lay my hand on Tug and begged: "Please, never do that again, would you?" Then I turned to Will and groaned: "I did do something wrong, didn't I?"
     Will shook his head. "Nope, nothing. Shimmer is trained to throw you off." Then he added: "He is a trained Ranger horse which means that he has to be asked before a rider mounts him for the first time."
     "So?" I asked, a little impatient now. I gave Shimmer the death stare. Shimmer didn't notice my death stare and just touched my hand with his nose. You'll see what I can do, he said.
     "So, they're trained to throw everyone off so they cannot be stolen," Will finished.
     "Never heard of that," I confessed.
     "True! That's why they're never stolen," Old Bob said. He leaned closer and said: "You'll need to have the password to mount him."
     Will stepped forward and said: "Tug responds to the words 'Do you mind?' So, after you've used the password, you have infinite permission to mount it. Every new rider needs to know the password before mounting a Ranger horse. The passwords vary from horse to horse and each one responds to a different request," he explained. He looked at Old Bob and asked: "And, what is Shimmer's request?"
     Old Bob seemed to rethink about it for a moment before he told me: "Shimmer's request is 'Use your brain'."
     "Use your brain," I repeated.
     "Don't say it to me!" Old Bob cackled. "Say it in Shimmer's ear!"
     I felt a little bit stupid, so I turned around Shimmer. With red cheeks, I awkwardly whispered in his ear the password.
     Shimmer snorted and seemed to scoff, as if he said "Finally! Was that so difficult?" and after that, I put my foot in the stirrups. With rightful hesitation I looked at Will and Old Bob. I looked into Will's eyes and saw his honest. I looked down at Shimmer and tried to relax, but my body didn't want to and just tensed up more. I sat there, on the saddle, without moving a muscle.
     Shimmer turned to me and looked with patient eyes. Are you gonna give me a signal or are you waiting until I get older? he seemed to ask.
     If I may admit, my hands were shaking, and the leashes were shaking along. I took a deep breath and saw Will coming towards me.
     "Are you okay?" he asked me. "You look like you're having a panic attack."
     I smiled nervously and said: "I sometimes do get panic attacks, sir."
     "Calm down," Will softly said. He placed his hand on my hand and added a little pressure. "Shimmer won't harm you. He never would do that to you."
     I took another deep breath, closed my eyes for a moment and calmed myself down. "I'm going to have traumas after this," I muttered under my breath. I pulled myself together and managed to maintain myself. Then I remembered something Will once told me. Just as Will told me on our second meeting, I focused on one sand grain. It was hard in the beginning, but soon I felt my body relaxing. I opened my eyes and nodded several times.
     "Are you ready?" Will asked with a smile.
     "I am born ready," I replied, and I then tapped my heels gently into Shimmer's ribs.