Rangers Apprentice: Return of the Dead

To the Capitol

Present time.

"This is taking to long. By now the others probably think that we've all been murdered or something," Maddie said as she glared an accusing look at the horse behind her. "It's better than rushing it and having the chance of loosing the horse along with everything else. Best to keep it slow and cautious to lessen the risk of that," Glian commented from his position in front of her.

After the Nightrider had died, Daniel and Halt had buried her while Maddie and Gilan searched through her belongings. The horse was a completely different matter altogether. It had refused to leave its masters side and nearly trampled Halt to a pulp when he had started to move her body to the hole Daniel had dug. Once they were finally able to bury the body and mark it with a large, smooth stone, the horse then refused to leave the grave.

Being weary of its hooves and teeth, Gilan had snatched the horses reins and quickly re-enforced them with strips of rope so it would be harder to break. Both Halt and Gilan had to tie the rope to the pommel of their saddle so that when the horse reared and bucked it had to compete with the strength of not only the Rangers themselves, but their horses as well.

That had been a few days ago. Now they were close to their destination after what seemed to be a very long couple of days and itching to pick up the pace. As time went on the horse had quieted down to were it was safe for Daniel and Maddie to also hold onto its make-shift lead. It would test them now and then towards the beginning, but now it just quietly walks behind them with its head high and ears pricked. Currently Maddie was the one to hold onto its reins as the four of them and the horse road the main highway to Castle Araluen.

Halt was in the front with Gilan beside him, then it was Maddie with the horse to her right and slightly behind her. Bringing up the rear was Daniel, constant scanning the surrounding area for anything out of the ordinary. They had been riding in the forced Rangers march, walking for a few hours, then riding at a steady trot for several more hours, then repeating the process.

From what Halt could tell, they were only five or six hours away from their destination, yet by the position of the sun, they wouldn't make it before sunset. Making a signal to the rest of the group, the four weary Rangers dismounted their horses. Doing his best to smother his groan of pain as his leg and back muscles yelled at him for doing such an act, he loosened the girth so that Rain could relax for the next few hours of walking. Daniel was rewarded with a soft nicker and a head butt against the shoulder. Smiling slightly, he scratched behind her ears before beginning the long stretch of walking.

Six hours later

The stars in the night burned brightly against the black sky. A soft breeze was blowing barely enough to move the many turrets and buttresses of Castle Araluen. Torches cast a warm, flickering glow against the smooth walls of the castles. The guards were at the end of their watch and were -to put it plainly- tired.

Most were slouched against their spears and the walls of the castle, doing their best not to fall asleep. That's when the two guards at the drawbridge heard it. Hoof beats. Of course during the day the bridge was up, but their was a smaller bridge the night travellers could cross on. Standing taller and more alert, the two guards peered into the dark night, searching for the source of the slow sound.

Then out of nowhere, five shapes suddenly seemed to just rise up out of the ground, only meters from the bridge. The guards barley even stifled their shouts of alarm before they recognized the figures heading in their direction. Rangers. Four of them to be exact. They were in range of the torches light and the guards could see more detail. The horses they rode were shaggy and dust covered from their long journey. Their heads drooping low and their ears low to their heads in exhaustion.

Their riders were in no better condition. They were slouched in their saddles and everything from their body position said that they were worn out. With some confusion, both of the guards noticed a fifth horse trailing behind on a lead of one of the Rangers. It was nothing like the horses that the Rangers rode. It was tall and graceful in its movements. It also wore armour, dented and parts of it stained with what looked to be dried blood.

The Rangers rode past them and into the castle courtyard, dismounted and then everything went wild.

Three hours after sunrise

Daniel leaned against the rough wood of the stall door, sighing in relief. Halt had tasked him and Maddie with taking care of the horses. As much as he and Gilan would have liked to look after their own horses, there was the matter of having to tell someone of their arrival. Not to mention explain why they were late.

So the job had fallen to the two apprentices. First they had untacked, rubbed down, brushed, fed an watered the four Ranger horses and possibly have fed them an apple or two while they were at it. Then came the matter of the Nightrider horse. Just while they were thinking of a way to get its armour off without getting trampled in the process, Gilan had showed up and told two of them that they might as well take their time. Apparently, things were so out of control at the castle that both of the senior Rangers were having a hard time finding anyone with knowledge of how to reach the assembly, much less the king and Commandant Crowley.

Daniel and Maddie watched him leave with a bit of jealousy. Both apprentices would rather be helping their mentors instead of being stuck with a delinquent horse that seemed as if it were out for blood. Yet, they knew that they could help Halt and Gilan by taking care of the horse so that two things could be accomplished at the same time.

So, after many failed attempts and getting a gash on his head from banging it on the corner of the stall door as he tried to escape the horses thrashing hooves, Daniel managed to coax the horse into staying still just long enough for he and Maddie to take its armour off. Now that the horse was free of its equipment, Daniel could see that it's coat was dark with sweat, dirt and dried blood, along with many shallow cuts in its skin were there was no armour to protect it.

Seeing all of this, they decided to wash the horse themselves, doubting that it would let a stable hand near it anyway. With very slow and cautious movements, Maddie clipped a lead and halter onto the horse and lead it out of its stall, out of the stables and into the cool morning air where Daniel had set up a small area for it to be washed.

They both carefully sponged around the wounds and rubbed vigorously on the patches of dirt. When When the two were almost done, Daniel noticed with some surprise that the sun had risen, casting the castle in a soft light, bathing the castle walls until they shined a honey-gold.

Drying off the horse, Maddie lead her- they found out her gender while freeing her of her armour- back into her stall while Daniel set about the task of cleaning her armour and tack. While scrubbing the bridle down, he had noticed a faint inscription in the leather. Peering more closely he saw the word Kaze.

Looking at it thoughtfully for a few moments, he shrugged and went back to cleaning. He would ask Halt about it later.

Now that they were done with everything, they leaned against one of the stall doors, catching thier breath for a few moments. Those moments where cut short when suddenly there was a loud commotion outside the barn.

•Ok so this really is just a filler chapter and the music block of marching band is about to start so I had to cut it short with a cliffhanger, sorry bout that. Good bye for now guys•

~SO