Ranger's Apprentice Quick Stories

Better

"Halt?"

Halt sighed heavily, gazing ahead with an look of exasperation.

"Again with the questions," he muttered. Will frowned. He was beginning to wonder if Halt really meant what he said when he muttered these phrases, or if it was just a habit at this point. Either way, Halt hadn't hushed Will, so the young apprentice took that as his cue to continue.

"Where are we going?"

Halt turned in his saddle to regard Will carefully. Will squirmed in his own saddle a bit.

"You'll see when we get there," Halt finally told the boy. Will took note of Halt's closed tone and promptly shut his mouth.

They rode for the better part of an hour. Finally, Halt reined Abelard in, and Will followed suit with Tug. He glanced around him. There was nothing but open field. Will couldn't help but feel a bit excited.

"Are we going to practice my unseen movement?" he asked, an obvious edge of hopefulness in his young voice. Halt turned his dark eyes to the apprentice, raising a single eyebrow.

As the silence stretched on, Will swallowed thickly. He hated when Halt did this, watching him closely without a word. It made him feel as if he'd said or done something wrong. Eventually, thought, Halt sighed again, dismounted as he did. Will eagerly slid from his own saddle.

The two Rangers made their way into the thick, tall grass of the field. Will waited patiently and expectantly. At least, he thought he was being patient. When Halt turned to him with another raised eyebrow, he frowned.

"Do you need the privy?" the grizzled Ranger asked bluntly. Will's eyebrows twitched together in confusion.

"No," he replied slowly. "Why?"

Halt watched him for another moment before replying.

"I just thought you might, since you are bouncing around like that."

Will's frown deepened. He was sure he hadn't been bouncing. Still, the look on Halt's face made him second guess himself. Maybe he had been bouncing with excitement. But he couldn't help it. He loved this part of his training.

"Alright," Halt said, gesturing to the field. "Get to it. To that tree and back. If I spot you, you start over."

Will pursed his lips, nodding. So far, he hadn't been able to make it to the tree yet. Surprisingly, Halt had been patient with him, correcting his technique and giving him pointers and tips. The last time they had practiced, a few days ago, Will had nearly made it to the tree before Halt had thrown a small pebble. The rock had landed centimetres away from Will's head, and the boy had stood up in defeat.

 Something seemed different about today, though. There was a resolve in Halt's voice that told Will he should be able to make it to the tree and back by now without Halt detecting him. That gave Will a new determination. He would make it. Today would be the day.

He set off at a constant, slow pace, moving between the blades of grass in a low crouch. He didn't pause, knowing any break in his movement would make him noticeable.

A whiz sounded just beside his left ear. He flinched, winced, and stood, turning to stare dejectedly at his mentor.

"What did I do that time?" he asked in a mildly depressed tone. Halt was shaking his head.

"Look underneath your feet," he said as a reply. Slowly, Will glanced beneath him, lifting his right boot. Underneath was a tiny leaf. He pouted, glaring at Halt.

"There's no way you heard that," he commented. Although he hadn't made it nearly halfway to the tree, he was still several meters away, and he was confident that Halt was bluffing. But his mentor's next words dashed away Will's confident suspicions.

"I have trained ears," Halt told him plainly. "I might look old, but I can still hear you blundering around on fallen leaves."

Will crossed his arms.

"Well whoever I'm sneaking up on won't be a Ranger," he pointed out. Halt raised an eyebrow.

"No," he admitted. "But there's nothing to say he won't have trained ears."

Slowly, Will dropped his arms. Halt made an excellent point there. Begrudgingly, he trudged back to Halt's side.

"Again," Halt said. "And this time, please at least try a little. Don't waste our time."

Will frowned, wishing he could tell Halt that he had been trying without sounding disrespectful. Instead, he crouched down once more. This time, with his determination still burning in his stomach, he carefully remembered every single pointer that Halt had ever given him.

Watch where you put your feet, the older Ranger's voice said in Will's mind. Keep yourself low. Move steadily, slowly, and constantly. Don't get in a rush. Trust the cloak.

Will had to repeat the last two phrases over and over again as he saw the tree in front of him. Fighting desperately to keep his excitement at bay, he continued to sneak back. Will his cowl hiding the whites of his eyes, he glanced up. Halt was only a few paces away.

"Better," Halt suddenly called out, "but you'll have to do better. There's no way that I would ever mistake you for a rock, so you might as well-"

"What rock?"

Will stood up straight, directly behind Halt to ask the question. Halt practically leapt out of his own clothes with fright, swerving around to face his apprentice with wide eyes. Will, rather than smirking, only stared back in shock.

"I'm sorry!" he cried, afraid Halt would be angry with him. He really hadn't meant to frighten the man, simply to ask what rock Halt had been referring to.

Halt took several seconds to stare at Will before finally drawing a slow breath.

"Never mind," he said, with a strange look in his eyes. Will couldn't place it, but it was a look he'd rarely seen before, if ever. He swallowed nervously.

"So, did I do it right this time?" he asked slowly. Halt regarded him carefully, renewed interest on his face.

"Yes," he said decisively. "I would say you did much better. Well done."