A for apprentice

Every ranger must take on an apprentice eventually. Apprentices are trained in ranger skills for 5 years before qualifying as a fully fledged ranger with a silver oak leaf. After their training a strong bond is formed between master and apprentice. They never turn down a chance to see each other.

Here's a story of how Pritchard became Ranger Dalaigh's (daw-lee) new apprentice:

The old ranger with unkempt hair peered intently at the young man standing before him with an determined look in his eyes. The young man was about thirteen to fourteen, Dalaigh decided.

"And what do you want?" The ranger questioned abruptly. He stepped forward but Pritchard seemed unintimidated.

"To be your apprentice." The boy said simply.

"Hmm, perhaps." The ranger stroked his beard. "But I am rather occupied this month, I've got a lot on my hands already, and I don't need an bothersome apprentice at my heels."

The boy's eyebrows furrowed in dissatisfaction, "But, sir, I promise, I won't cause any trouble, I'll help you with anything."

"Sorry, lad." Dalaigh turned away and began stalking into the forest to where his horse was tethered.

Pritchard was not about to give up so easily. He followed carefully and quietly in pursuit of the ranger. As he stepped, he wiggled his foot under twigs that could snap and alert a nearby ear. The boy kept by the shadows and followed the trail of the ranger. He entered a clearing where a cabin stood at the side adjacent to a couple of painted targets.

"Ahem." Came a voice behind Pritchard, who spun around to face a towering, but not by much, vexed ranger.

"Umm," Pritchard stuttered.

"Umm indeed. What are you doing?"

"I said I want to be a ranger."

"And I thought I said no. Come on, off you go." Dalaigh picked up the boy and carried him back into the forest.

The next day Dalaigh woke to the sound of birds singing and decided a cup of coffee would make his day. He took out a cup in the cupboard and bristled when he saw the note residing within. It read Please, I want to be a ranger.

He groaned and tucked the note in his pockets. The ranger went over to the jar of coffee beans next. Inside, he saw paper slips of the same content he grabbed a handful of notes out and started brewing his coffee. Then he headed for the honey jar and was startled to find a ball of honey soaked parchment. He did not bother to read them.

"How did he-" He began and caught sight of a still figure in the trees at the edge of the clearing through a window. To an untrained eye, the figure was completely concealed but to a ranger, it stuck out like a sore thumb.

A furious ranger Dalaigh marched out into the clearing with a bucket of water grabbed on the way out and strode towards the tree. The figure was sleeping peacefully on a thick branch about three meters high. The ranger was almost rueful to disturb the peaceful slumber when he threw the contents of the bucket up at the figure who jerked awake instantly, took a moment to realize what was happening and stared down at the forbidding ranger down below.

"What was that for?" Pritchard grumbled.

Dalaigh answered with a question, "Do you still want to be my apprentice?" An eager nod was the response. "Right, you can start by going to the village and getting me more honey, since you polluted the supply with ink."

"Woohoo!" Came a cry from above and Pritchard swiftly slid down the tree. He abandoned the tough and resolute manner and adopted a boyish one with much cheering. He ran into the woods in search of more honey. He's practically skipping. The rueful ranger thought.

Pritchard returned to the cabin in the afternoon with a jar of honey tucked beneath an arm. He entered the cabin to see his new mentor sitting by his desk with a report in hand. He looked up to see the youth coming in.

"Ahh, good, you're back. The floor needs scrubbing." Dalaigh muttered and gestured to the floor.

"But, Dalaigh, when are you going to start my training?" Pritchard asked impatiently.

"It has already started, now get to it." With that, he turned back to his report.

Pitchard sighed and went in the bathroom to look for a cloth.

After he finished Dalaigh suggested that the stables need mucking out. Pritchard complied, then after he said that the table could do with a good wipe. This went on for four days until Pritchard said for the a millionth time, "Dalaigh, when are you going to teach me ranger skills? I'm bored out of my mind. Do you know how tedious doing chores all day is?"

"I'm quite busy right now, Pritchard, go talk to yourself in your own room."

"That's it, I'm not telling you where I've hidden the rest of the paper notes, and I can tell you there's a lot, I just hope you don't swallow one by accident 'cause I've hid some in your food supply."

Dalaigh was paying more attention now. "What, where?"

"Not telling you." Pritchard teased.

At lunch, Dalaigh regarded his food with suspicion before tentatively taking a bite. Pritchard watched with an amused expression.

"You're devious enough to be a ranger." His mentor commented and Pritchard beamed apparently taking it as a compliment.

After lunch, Dalaigh looked around the house looking for the notes but found none. He looked again and again but still they were nowhere to be seen. The ranger didn't think that a few notes would bother him at all but it was just the feeling that something was hidden from him in his own cabin that nagged him.

Finally he led Pritchard out into the clearing bringing with him a bag.

He took out the saxe knife first much to the delight of his apprentice. Pritchard grovelled at it. Then out came the throwing knife and at last the bow and arrows.

"Ooooh." The eager youth cried and picked up the bow before Dalaigh could stop him. He ran out of his mentor's grasp and picked up and arrow. He nocked it and drew. The draw weight was surprisingly heavy but he managed to full draw.

Pritchard had not planned to release the arrow but his fingers gave away. He released and watched in a second of horror as the arrow steamed towards the cabin and buried it self in the door. The string hit his arm with a whack but he was wearing a long-sleeved tunic.

"Whoops." He managed to say.

"Great, now I've got a hole in my door." Dalaigh said sarcastically with surprising calmness, "You can patch it up later. Just tell me where the notes are."

"Well, umm, you've already found all of them, I umm mean to say, there were only three, the three um you found. There were never anymore." Pritchard said sheepishly.

"What!? In that case, you can fill in the hole right after you clean out the stables." Dalaigh turned to leave before he lost the last of his sanity.

The next chapter is B for bow, so reviews and suggestions please if you've got a better word starting with b you're welcome to share it. I'll try to update within the next couple of days. Just saying, Pritchard was Halt's mentor so you can see where some of his ideas came from...

-Lyra