Modern Ranger

Chapter 4:

Will was a little worried.

Where was Halt? Why hadn't he gotten back yet?

Halt had left a couple of weeks ago, leaving a note which said;

Will,

I have gone to find a possible Ranger Corps recruit to assist us with the issue of Scrato. I expect to be back within a week.

Halt.

Will was puzzled. He knew that Scrato was the name that they had given to a rumoured country way over east that was an apparent threat.

But why would Halt be gone for so long just to find a Ranger recruit? And how could he help with such an issue? Or she, Will corrected. Girls were being trained as Rangers too these days. After all, Will had trained the first female Ranger, Maddy. Maddy had received her Silver Oakleaf by now.

With Maddy and Halt gone, Will was starting to get lonely again. It'd be fine if Alyss was here, he thought miserably. But no, Alyss was gone. Forever.

Will was clean shaven now. After getting over his grief with Alyss, he had shaved it. It made him look younger.

But back to the issue at hand. Halt had been gone a week and a half longer than he should have. Will knew that his mentor could look after himself. But Halt was almost never wrong, even with dates. Almost.

But Will had learnt to be patient. So he waited.

****

Halt gave Bree a leaf from out of his pocket.

Bree stared at him, confused.

"What's with the leaf?" she asked.

"Well," Halt said, "We need to get to Araluan somehow."

Halt was trying to leave her in the dark a little longer. Time was strange. And hard to explain.

What a slut time is. She screws everybody.

-The Fault in our Stars

And it was going to be awkward...

Bree's eyebrows came together in a frown. "And Halt," she said, "Can I ask you a..never mind."

Halt raised an eyebrow. He knew that she had stopped herself from finishing that question because she knew what he'd say.

"Halt, you said that Maddy is a Ranger now, right? And that's past the end of the, uh, book series that I read. So how are you so...well..." Bree made a useless gesture with her hands.

"Not old?" Halt said gently. Bree nodded, her mouth dry.

Halt sighed inwardly. Darn curiosity.

"When I went into your world, your time, things...changed. Time is strange. When we go back, you'll probably get older. And Will? He'll probably get younger," Halt said.

Bree's mouth, if possible, grew dryer. Halt never said 'probably.' He was always so sure of himself, so confident.

"What age will I be?" Bree asked Halt.

"The age Will was on his first solo mission," Halt replied. Bree nodded thoughtfully. "Macindaw," Bree muttered.

Bree then nodded to the leaf in her hands. "So...what is the leaf for?"

"To go back in time, you need something from that time."

"So that means that this is from Araluan?"

"Correct."

They waited in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Alright. Now's the time. Are you holding onto that leaf? Good," Halt said suddenly.

Halt grabbed his own leaf, and, at midnight, both of them disappeared with a flash of green light.

Hi!

What do you think time travelling is like?

I would just like to recommend Anna_Schout, she's a really good writer. One of her books, 'A Ranger's Apprentice fanfic,' is my favourite.

Ta Da,

Bree.