Ranger's Apprentice: The Tantalizing Tales

The coffee was cold. But the honey was as sweet as ever.

Stealthily he began to move forward. Slowly, consciously placing one foot in front of the other, carefully shoving leaves and twigs to the side so as to not make a sound, he made his way through the forest. When he'd found his spot, Will turned around and lowered onto one knee. Two eyes, a brown and a blue one, looked up at him in anticipation and he patted Ebony on her head. His other hand pulled some fabric from his pocket and held it in front of her. She snuffed at it.

"Alright girl," Will spoke softly, making sure he got her attention. He moved the little cloth to make sure she would understand.

"Find. Hunt." Ebony barked softly to let him know she understood. He smiled and rubbed her fur. Then, she spun away. He watched until she was no longer visible to him, getting up and looking around. The trees around him rose high up, like clouds of green. Choosing one, he put the cloth away and hung his bow over his shoulders. He grabbed a branch and pulled himself up, repeating the movement and finding solid branches to place his weight onto. Until he found the perfect spot with the perfect view and perfect room to move and yet stay invisible.

Will reached over his shoulder and grabbed an arrow, laying it against the string of his bow, pulling them both backward until his fingers brushed his cheek.

Every single Ranger in the Corps was a dead shot and never missed their target. At the same time, each and everyone of them had been shot at more than once in their lives, during life-threatening situations, and they all knew exactly how to avoid an arrow being fired at their bodies. It was a dangerous combination, placing opponents against each other if they all knew how to never miss and how to never be targeted. To avoid serious accidents, Crowley had therefore forbidden the use of real arrows. Instead, they all carried a quiver filled with pointless arrows, soft cushions fastened at the tip to prevent the arrow from seriously damaging the skin. It would merely create bruises.

Holding his position, bow drawn, Will skimmed the forest. His eyes moved quickly, never focusing on one spot for too long. They could be here any minute.

Any minute now.

Listening intensely, Will heard the barking, followed by muffled cursing. Only then did he see the movement of leaves a few meters away. The barking intensified, resulting in more careless movement, which Will followed. He grinned, satisfied with the results of training that he'd given Ebony. She just had to push him a little further...

There was an unexpected movement away from him, and his instinct told him that he had to aim a little further if he intended to knock the flag out of Gilan's hand.

Will stepped forward, momentarily forgetting that he had been hiding in the top of a tree. He released the arrow and instantly knew that his aim was successful. The surprised scream that confirmed his success muffled the crack of the branches underneath his feet and Will barely got the time to grin before he came tumbling down, finding himself under the tree instead of in it a few moments later. A snicker came from the bushes behind him.

"Oh shut up Simon," he yelled at him, groaning as he tried to get up but his legs were momentarily numb. He massaged them, until instinct told him there were other people approaching and he had to roll to the side in order not to be walked over. Will recognised one of the Rangers running as Ralf, of the other team and he quite literally pulled his leg, sending him to the ground as well.

"Fu-" But there was no time to finish curse words because another group of Rangers came running past. Pulling himself up against the tree, Will quickly grabbed another arrow and sent it flying after them. Sensing movement to the right of him, he spun around, sending another arrow to what turned out to be Gilan, forcing him to step aside, losing his balance. Ebony jumped on top of him and enthusiastically started licking his face. Hugh, who was on Will's team, saw the piece of red cloth that Gilan was holding and pulled at it. But the tall Ranger refused to let go, sending them both to the ground. Will took a dive for it but was pulled down by the person he had taken down a few moments earlier.