Ranger's Apprentice One Shots

Trekking Troubles (Part One?)

The rocks were extremely precarious. If one wasn't careful, one false step and they could fall and injure themselves.

That was all Will had in mind as he was trekking down the mountain.

Daylight was fading quickly and he was still stuck at the top of the mountain. The hike up had taken close to an hour and Will had run out of water near the top. As much as the hike burned his thighs, he knew he had to continue up, for that was his mission. Third year Ranger assessment. He only had twenty minutes left to get down, and he didn't think he would make it.

He looked sideways, through the trees and got slight vertigo. The trees were slanted downwards, and when he pushed a rock down the hill, it tumbled out of sight. Will never liked it up here. Don't get it wrong, he loved the forest and all the silence, but up here, on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, it wasn't very peaceful. If something happened to him, no one would know.

With that merry thought, he continued to walk down. He kept his eyes on his footing, but that didn't help much. He was dizzy from lack of water, and desperately hot and hungry. All this for an assessment, he thought annoyed.

He focused on the end goal: passing his test. He knew he'd feel great after, seeing Halt–

His foot slipped and Will grabbed onto the nearest rock hanging on. Below him was the steep hill. Nearly vertical. If he let go, he'd probably break several bones.

Careful, he hoisted himself up, digging his toes into the dirt and scrambling to find footholds. Very slowly, he regained his footing on the path.

By now, his legs were shaking. He looked at the sky. Only about fifteen minutes left. His instinct told him to hurry up, but for once, he had to ignore them. He couldn't go fast on this hike.

He continued, watching every step. Listening to every noise. Sans of twigs came from every direction. He was nervous of bears, which were in these woods, and knew that his bow wouldn't protect him much.

With ten minutes left, Will got in trouble. A mountain lion jumped out from the bushes, eyes locked on Will. Will stopped. Not only was the lion about to pounce, but it was blocking Will's way.

Is this good? Should I do a part two? Comment for part two!