Silence

Chapter One

It was a beautiful summer morning in Redmond; the best of the year so far, in Will's opinion. It was a cool day, the grass was covered in dew and the birds were chirping away, creating a sense of calmness. The Apprentice would like to say that it was his choice to go hunting in the woods surrounding his mentor's cabin, and that Halt hadn't ordered him to, but that would be a lie, and Halt had told him many times not to be dishonest, unless of course it was required for a mission. Then it was ok.

Like they said, a Ranger's life was complicated.

Tug, Will's ever loyal Ranger horse followed his partner through the dense forest, silently enjoying the warmth of the sun's rays. They continued on in silence, searching for signs of game.

Suddenly, a twig snapped off in the distance. A deep rumbling sound came from Tug's chest and Will signaled to the pony that he heard it. He knew it wasn't a greeting. No, it was a warning. Ranger horses were trained to warn Rangers when a stranger, or creature of some sort, was present.

Will scanned the area around the two of them, searching for signs of movement. He never kept his eyes locked on one position. Like Halt always reminded him, it was best to keep his eyes moving. If he kept them focused on one area he might miss something essential.

"I heard," Will whispered when Tug nudged his shoulder with his head. His pony nodded his head. Rangers were positive their horses could understand them, some, well most, Rangers found themselves actually engaging in conversation with them. Will was often a victim of this.

There! a flicker of movement behind a nearby bush only a mere twelve meters away.

"King's Ranger. Step out from behind the bush and I won't harm you," Will said, nocking an arrow. Of course, that wasn't an exact promise. If the visitor posed any threat to the Ranger then he would be forced to shoot. A young man, perhaps in his early twenties, stepped out of the cover the bush gave him. He dropped his hand to the sword at his waist. Perhaps a battle school apprentice, Will thought.

"And your friends, too," Will said calmly, gesturing to a large ditch where two other boys hid.

"Aw, look. Baby found you guys. Jerome, Bryn, come out now," the first boy taunted. Two boys, both seeming to be very fit and muscular, climbed out of the ditch. They too had swords at their waists and Will noticed how both their hands dropped down to them. Warning bells went off in Will's brain, and not from the weapons. No, he'd dealt with swords before. But the names…

"Now, if I may ask, which I have the right to do, why are you attempting to hide from a King's Ranger?" Will asked.

"Poor baby. He's already forgotten us," the first one said.

"Oh well, we'll just have to make him remember," Jerome said, advancing towards the Ranger. The other two boys, Jerome and Bryn, quickly followed the action. Will aimed an arrow at the boy's chest. Baby, Will thought, where had he heard that? Then, like water rushing through the river, it all came back to him. The battle school apprentices who had beat Horace, his childhood enemy but current best friend. Jerome, Bryn, and…Alda! They had been expelled from the school.

Alda saw the flicker of recognition in the Ranger's eyes and smirked. "Baby remembers!" he exclaimed, swinging his sword at Will. He dodged it fairly easy, but didn't expect the next move. Like I've mentioned, these were ex-battle school apprentices. They had expert training, even if they had been expelled. Alda performed an uppercut aimed at the Ranger's head, but at the last moment readjusted his position so the sword sliced into his shoulder. Will groaned; his shirt already wet with blood. He drew his saxe knife, unable to shoot with his new injury. They continued their fight, steel clanging against steel. Will managed to cut Alda across the chest, but it wasn't anything serious. Jerome stepped in, Will now occupied with two swordsmen, failed to notice Bryn climbing a nearby tree, clutching a small dart.

Will cut Alda's calf, then smashed the hilt of his sword against his skull, rendering him unconscious. Only seconds later, Jerome had a knife embedded in his right shoulder.

The Ranger then noticed the third boy, Bryn, was missing. He quickly scanned the trees and easily spotted him perched on a branch. Honestly, he was a bit surprised the ex-apprentice could even make it that far. In a blink of an eye, a throwing knife was sent flying towards Bryn, but it wasn't fast enough.

The dart was released and found itself buried into Will's chest. Bryn yelped as the knife hit his shoulder, causing him to fall from the branch and hit his head, resulting in him passing out. Pain erupted from the small dart throughout Will's body. Sure, he wasn't the tallest boy around, in fact he was quite small, but it hurt. Already darkness was trying to claim him. Tug raced towards his master, knowing something wasn't right. Will swung himself over Tug, his body sprawled out across the saddle.

"Find Halt," he whispered into his pony's ear. Those two words, Will knew, could be the difference between life and death for him. Tug shook his head, as if he were nodding, and began running towards the log cabin they both called home. Will groaned, clutching the dart that was still embedded in his chest. The groan was really the only sound he could make at this point. The dart was affecting him, and very quickly at that. Already he was losing feeling in his lower body and slowly the same feeling came over his torso. It was strange, he thought. How could he be numb but still in so much pain? The pain he was experiencing was extreme and harsh, seeming to be too much for just a single knife wound and dart. His shoulder continued to bleed, but Will didn't care. He just needed Halt.

Hey, how was that? Reviews would be appreciated. I already have the second chapter of this written and I can't wait to post it. That is, if you guys want me to...