How To Train Your Apprentice

Halt's features arranged themselves into a frown of concentration and he crept down the corridor, making no sound as he went. He knew his quarry was expecting him, which made the situation less than ideal, but he shrugged philosophically as he realised that the situation was never particularly ideal for a Ranger. This job had to be done tonight and Crowley was expecting his report. Even Halt occasionally had to respect authority and go slightly out of his way to please those in power.

As he approached the end of the corridor, Halt noticed a noise coming from behind one of the closed doors. He knew his quarry was behind that one, and apparently he was fast asleep. That made Halt's job far easier.

Except… maybe he should give him a chance. Halt was, after all, a master of silent movement, only bested by Crowley. His quarry was young and inexperienced and really didn't stand a chance.

He reached the door, so far having not made any detectable noise, and after only a second of hesitation where he internally fought against his years of training, he intentionally stepped on what he knew to be a particularly creaky floorboard. A loud creeeeeeeeeeeak shattered the silence. And if the noise from the floorboard didn't, then the loud inhale from his apprentice inside the room did. And if, by some miracle, that didn't, then the deep, exaggerated snoring that followed certainly did.

Halt shook his head fondly, amused by Will's attempts to feign sleep. At least he woke up this time, he mused. The first night he had tried to train Will to wake up at the slightest noise, the boy had slept until Halt was literally standing over him, even after Halt had been increasingly careless with his silent movement as he approached. Although Will hadn't yet mastered the art of sleeping lightly, he had remembered the part of his training that involved attacking a potentially hostile presence and had managed to land a punch or two on the unsuspecting Halt before he woke up fully and realised who he was attacking.

Halt wasn't particularly worried about Will's current lack of skill in this area. It was very uncommon for first year apprentices to pass this unit, and Will was far ahead in most other areas of Ranger training. His report to Crowley would reflect that, and he doubted it would have any repercussions on Will's future as a Ranger. However, there was a lesson to be taught to the boy here. Or, he thought ruefully, a lesson to be taught again.

"Will, what did I tell you last night?" He asked the loudly snoring boy on the other side of the door, "Don't make any noise. Keep your breathing even and the same as it was before you woke up."

"It is," came the disgruntled reply from inside the room, interrupting the snoring for a glorious second. Then it resumed again. "See, I could be asleep!"