I do not own Ranger's Apprentice, the series that I bow down to for it's awesomeness
The bandit leader looked up from his roughly drawn map
"The town should be some where round here." He said, "Start looking." The thirty rough-looking men started gazing around the forest. The ancient trees were as wide as houses and far taller. The forest floor was carpeted in small wildflowers and grass. There was no sign of habitation.
"Are you sure?" one of the men asked tentatively. Their leader wasn't known for his even temper and if they'd come this far for nothing…
"Of course I'm sure!"
"He's right." The newest addition to the band, Jermino a former huntsman, touched the trees thoughtfully "They're up there." He pointed up to the canopy, far, far above. The others all squinted upwards. Just visible, seeming to shimmer like an illusion; ropes went from tree to tree. "That must be why people can't track them, they don't touch the ground often enough to make trail."
"How are we supposed to get up there?" another man whined. Jermino looked at him
"You think I brought this rope here for fun? I had an inkling this might be the case." He prepared to cast the grapnel on the end of the line.
"I wouldn't do that." The quiet voice came from behind the bandits. The all spun around. Three people stood with green capes billowing slightly. There was a uniform look about them; in the way they carried themselves. But the most unnerving things about them were their masks. They were all different, one looked like fire crawling up her face, another looked like a lion's maw. The man in the middle's mask was a wolf's head. Green eyes stared out from under it.
"Who are you?" The bandit leader demanded. The man in the middle answered him.
"We are the protectors of this country. We are the ones who will throw you out of it." He drew his sword. "This is the only warning we will give. You cannot best us. Leave."
"We are the Guard."
