I don't own the Ranger's Apprentice series.

Kind Sorcerers

The cracking and splintering of wood may well have been the worst thing Will had ever heard in the nine years of his life. His heart stop and dread filled him from the bottoms of his boots to the top of his shaggy brown head. He only had a second to scrabble for a hold on the tree he was climbing, and then he was air borne. Falling and falling, through branches and leaves, Will still tried to grab hold of something before he made painful contact with the ground.

WHAM.

Will's efforts to slow or halt his fall ended when he made painful contact with one of the lower branches. It didn't stop him falling, but it did send fire through his shoulder almost to the point that he didn't notice hitting the leafy ground a second later. He lay still after landing, trying desperately to draw air into lungs that didn't want to work.

Finally, when he could breathe again, Will still didn't move. Now that his lungs were satisfied, he realized everything else was complaining. All over, he could feel the prickle of scrapes and cuts from the many braches and grasping twigs he'd broken through. If the tree had been trying to catch him on his way down all it managed to do was rake its claws over his body. Will knew he would be sore, probably one giant bruise thanks to the larger tree limbs he'd hit, not to mention the ground.

Then, through the shock the real pain hit. Will moaned.

The cuts still bleeding and the bruises already forming were nothing compared to the pain roaring in his left arm. There, he could tell, something was drastically wrong. The pain seemed unnatural it was so intense. It made him nauseous, but he swallowed it back. He didn't want to even think of rolling over to be sick. The world faded in and out, sliding from focused and clear to blurred and darkening as he listened to a roaring in his ears.

After a few moments, Will had a better grip on the pain. It hadn't diminished, not at all, but he seemed to be able to stand it a little better and that's when something else hit him. No one knew where he was, the realization shot through him with a jolt. Though, the feeling that filled him seemed pale in comparison to the dread just before his fall and the pain of his arm after the fall. Laying there with his arm on fire, staring up into the leafy hole he had created in the tree, he reflected on the fact with an almost curious dismay. He'd snuck out after escaping Horace's teasing and had gone to climb trees in the forest. He hadn't told anyone, just slipped out before they could stop him.

With almost detached clarity, Will knew this meant he would have to find his own way back or wait for someone to notice he was missing. It was still hours till dinner and they would check the castle first. After that…Well, the forest was a big place. He would definitely be there for hours, maybe all night, maybe for days.

The only way Will could think of getting help, and feeling the painful throbbing in his arm he knew he needed help, would be to get up and get it himself. Moving his arm was the last thing he wanted to do at that moment, but laying there and just waiting for someone to find him wasn't any good either. What if he was really hurt? What if he died?

So, gritting his teeth, Will prepared himself to sit up. He moved his shoulder an inch off the ground before he gasped in pain and fell back again. Dropping his injured limb, even from only a few inches off the ground, almost sent the breath out of him again. For several minutes, Will closed his eyes and just focused on drawing air in and out of his lungs.

Time dwindled down to breathes, in and out, one at a time. Will didn't know how long he lay there, concentrating on breathing and fighting the urge to cry, but when a shadow fell over him he opened his eyes. Half of him expected to find a wolf, ready for an afternoon snack standing above him. That would be just his luck to fall out of a tree and then get eaten by some rogue wolf passing by, but no, what he found was something much worse.

It was the Ranger. Halt. The black sorcerer. Or, at least, that's what people said.

Will stared at Halt with wide eyes. The ranger was bent over him, face hidden by the cowl of his cloak and the shadow of the bright sky behind him. Will honestly couldn't decide which was worse, being left alone all night in the forest or being found by Halt.

Everyone said the Rangers used black magic. They could make themselves invisible, appear out of nowhere, know what was happening even if they weren't there, and any number of other powers. Will himself didn't know much about the subject, but he did know Halt could seem to disappear, coming and going as silently as he wanted. Halt was so mysterious and not just a little frightening. It would make sense if the man used magic. Will just hoped the Ranger wouldn't use any dark magic on him.

Will tensed as Halt bent closer, reaching out a hand from his mottled cloak. Will's eyes were as big as they could get and his breathing had sped up, making him light headed and a little dizzy.

"Calm down, boy," Halt said in a gruff voice, quiet and steady. He reached down and gently prodded Will's arm and shoulder, running his hands along the length of it and feeling the bones.

Will whimpered, biting his lip as the examination made the pain flare. He could tell the Ranger wasn't trying to hurt him, so that was at least something. He was pretty sure if the man was going to use black magic on him then Halt wouldn't be so concerned about a simple hurt arm. Still the movement hurt. Anything that disturbed his arm hurt and there was no getting around that except biting his lip and pushing back any tears that tried to leak down his face.

"Shoulder's dislocated," Halt said, "Wrist's probably broken too, but the physician will be able to tell better than myself."

Oh, so that was why his arm hurt so much, Will thought to himself.

Halt continued, "I could put the shoulder back in place, but it would be better for the physician to do it, instead. Less chance of damaging it worse that way. Do you think you can walk?" He grabbed a nearby stick, probably one of the ones Will broke free during his fall, snapped it to length and checked it against Will's wrist.

Will thought of his earlier attempt to stand and the pain that had resulted. He closed his eyes and shook his head, a quick frantic gesture that stopped as soon as it jostled his arm.

Halt sighed. "I'll have to carry you then." There was the sound of ripping cloth, then Halt was tying the stick to Will's arm where the break must have been.

Eyes popping open, Will looked at the Ranger and opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off.

The man stepped to Will's other side. "The only other option is leaving you out here, and that won't be happening so keep quiet." Halt moved Will's injured arm so it rested over his stomach. "This is going to hurt a little," he advised.

Will clamped down on his lip and clenched his uninjured fist. Halt reached under his knees and shoulder, lifting him up in one smooth motion. Will gasped, his shoulder shooting with pain again but it subsided a little after he was up and resting against Halt's chest. The Ranger's stride was even and smooth, jostling Will as little as possible.

"Don't you know better than to climb trees infested with termites?" Halt asked.

Will had noticed some bugs crawling over parts of the tree and several limbs he passed had been dead. He just hadn't stopped to think about it. "Yes, sir," he said in a small voice.

Halt snorted softly. "Well, if you didn't before I'd say you do now."

Will had to agree. This was one experience he never wanted to live through again. Closing his eyes, he let his head drop against the Ranger's shoulder suddenly tired. It wasn't even over yet. Will fought back a groan as he thought what waited for him at Castle Redmont. First, the physician then the unavoidable scolding he would get for sneaking off. Thinking of his ward mates, he grimaced. Horace would never let this go when he found out. Yes, Will thought, he'd definitely learned his lesson this time.

It suddenly struck Will as odd. Everyone in the village and all the castle staff said Halt was a sorcerer. They said that he used dark magic to spy on people and get them in trouble. They talked like having magic automatically made the Rangers dark, but Will was starting to wonder. Maybe Halt was a kind sorcerer instead.

THE END

A/N: I'm working on my ability to write short stories and not monumentally long sagas that take forever and a day to finish. Please let me know how I did in this story. Constructive criticism about anything is more than welcome so please leave a review!