Hey peeps, this my first fanfic for Ranger's Apprentice! Or anything for that matter... Tell me how I do? BTWS, Avina is pronounced "Aa-vin-uh". Starts like Gavin and ends with uh. Please review! I'm new here!(kinda)

Avina moved silently through the trees, so as not to disturb anything that lurked in its seclusion. Her eyes darted across the area, searching for any abnormality. She sensed none. Suddenly, she stopped within a tree's shadow, head cocked slightly to the right. She was being watched. She relaxed when she realized that her visitor meant no harm, but was only curious as to what a thirteen year old girl was doing, creeping about in the forest. She glanced at the sky and guessed that she had at least a half hour before it became difficult to see. Finally, her destination was in sight. The Ward in Redmont fief. No one was about on the street, which was a bit suspicious. Avina wondered if the visitor that had watched her in the woods had anything to do with it. She quickly made her way across the streets and stopped at the Ward. She slipped behind the building and looked up at her window on the second floor. With great ease, she began to climb up the wall. She was about to slip into her room, when a voice stopped her.

"Hey, Avina!" Avina sighed and sat on the windowsill, turning to the voice.

"Hello, Braxton." She greeted her friend politely. She inwardly cursed as her accent messed with the words. Braxton was a healthy boy of fifteen with a muscle build that would make most people cower. His dusty brown hair and kind blue eyes however, contradicted his look. He was like a huge teddy bear.

"Coming back from the woods again?" He asked cheerfully. She gave a slight smile and nodded.

"Was I noticed?" She asked nonchalantly, already knowing the answer. He snorted.

"You never get caught," He grumbled. "But when I try to sneak out, it's like an alarm was sound."

"Someone was following me." Her voice was impassive. Braxton stared in shock.

"Really? How do you know?"

"I could hear him. In the forest."

He shook his head. "Wow, I didn't think anything could creep up on-" Avina immediately slipped into her room.

"Braxton! What in heaven's sakes are you doing, child?" The caretaker yelled from behind him. Braxton groaned.

"It's not healthy to talk to yourself! You don't want people calling your crazy! Get inside before I teach you a lesson!"

Avina rolled her eyes as she heard him mutter curses too soft for the caretaker to hear.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, defeated, and his footsteps to the door were well within Avina's hearing range. She waited for a few moments, knowing that Braxton would trek up the stairs to her room and start ranting on about how everyone always found him wherever he was. She positioned herself on the bed, legs crossed indian style. Her prediction was correct.

"That is so not fair!" He yelled as soon as he opened her door. She quirked an eyebrow and hid a smile. So predictable, she thought. "You see what I mean? I think she woke everyone up by how loud she was! You would think that Skandians were invading!"

"Why would everybody be asleep this early in the evening?"

He stopped and glared. "You and your smart tongue." He grumbled again.

"Nervous?" She suddenly asked.

"Not on your life!"

She was silent.

"Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it!"

She chuckled. Tomorrow was the Choosing Day and Braxton was clearly nervous. However, Avina thought that he had no reason too. After all, he would be accepted, no doubt, into his desired school. Battleschool. Avina probably would ask for this as well, despite her gender and small stature. Scribeschool was not for her. Her calligraphy was excellent, but she simply found it boring to sit around, do paperwork, and learn about writing. Horseschool was out of the question as well. She loved horses, but the Battlehorses were huge and once again, she doubted that she would be accepted because of her gender and figure. The Diplomatic Service was a reasonable choice. She would make a great Diplomat, a popular choice for the ladies for they were known to have more wit than a boy would have. But once again, it was boring to her. Cooking? She liked to cook. Would she like it as a job? No. She sighed and found a small pit of nervousness in her stomach, which was very unusual for her. She glanced at Braxton and saw that he was looking at her dumbly.

"You weren't listening, were you?"

She gave him an apologetic look. "You were talking about Battleschool?"

He looked happy. "Oh, Avina, I really want to get in! I just think that maybe one day, I'll be a famous knight, a hero in Araluen!" His eyes gleamed and she gave a soft smile. It was nice to see that he was so optimistic.

The look left his eyes abruptly and was replaced with a curious gaze. She looked at him warily.

"What do you want to be?"

She thought about it and then sighed. "I really don't know." She said simply. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted.

"Time for bed, or else none of you will be going to see the Baron and your future Craftsmasters!"

Braxton sighed and then looked at Avina with that cheerful look. "See you tomorrow!" With that, he ran out of her room and into his own.

"Night." She whispered, even though he was gone. Avina looked out the window and was mildly surprised to see that it was dark already. She sighed as her stomach grumbled. She quietly crept off of her bed and sat on the windowsill again, looking out into the sky and at the dimly lit stars. It had been a night like this one when Avina first arrived at Araluen. At the Ward. She didn't remember where she was from or who her parents were. She didn't even know who she really was. She was just Avina. The dagger-wielding, enemy-maker Avina. For a moment, she considered going into the forest again. The memory of the man watching her came back and she became reluctant. But there was an even stronger sense of curiosity that led to Avina slipping out the window and jumping to the ground. Most people would've hurt something in the fall, but Avina landed silently and gracefully. Practice makes perfect, she thought.