Note: I don't own any of the characters from Ranger's Apprentice!

Deadly Choice Chapter 1

Will watched in horror from where he crouched in the bushes. Forty feet away was a scene of nightmares. Halt was wounded and unconscious. Baron Arald was in a daze of pain, bleeding from scratches in his back. Sir Rodney was frozen, paralyzed by fear. Screaming its victory to the world was a nightmare, a monster …

… the last Kalkara.

Its head was thrown back, its jaws wide open as it screamed. Fangs glistened in the firelight created by Halt's signal fire. Slowly its paw rose into the air, ready to bring down Sir Rodney. However, its desire for victory was not complete, not yet at least.

Will glanced around. Fire. Fire was the Kalkara's enemy. He had seen what happened to the other one when Arald and Rodney's charge carried it into the flames. In a matter of seconds the beast was turned to ash. It had to do with whatever matted the Kalkara's fur. If only Will could use something with fire. He knew that he could not close to it with a naked flame. The monster would see him coming. No, he needed something else…

Looking down, Will spotted his arrowhead. Maybe, with the right amount of pitch, he could make a flame catch on his arrow. Then he could shoot it, right? He could shoot it at the Kalkara and have the flame catch on the coat. Instantly Will was seeking the torches. Both the Baron and Sir Rodney had carried a torch into the fray. There was pitch on those, as well as fire. But where were they.

The dark shape of the Baron's torch caught his eye. Slipping carefully to it, Will hoped beyond hope that the flame was still alive. Reaching it, Will's heart sank. The flame had died, smothered by the wet grass and flying dirt kicked up by the battle horse's hooves. His eyes darted around again. He still Rodney's torch around. Then the memory returned. Rodney had dropped his torch a lot sooner than the Baron. Since he could not see the flame or smell the smoke, Will knew that the flame was dead as well.

The Kalkara's screeches reached a pitch. Will looked over at it and started with horror. The paw was high in the air, preparing to descend. In a few minutes, the Kalkara would satisfy its victory. What could be done? Sir Karel was behind them. He would not be able to reach them in time. Gilan was alone out there, following the tracks without a horse. He most defiantly would not be able to reach them in time. There was only one person who could save them: Will.

Relying on his silent movement skills, Will crept forward. As he past Tug, he worked quickly, tying his horse to the bushes. Then he sprinted. All his energy he poured into his legs, forcing them to move faster. The Kalkara screeched one last time and prepared to lower its paw in a death blow. Then it sensed something, something was not right. Slowly it turned towards the trees, its paw still raised. However, its blind eye refused to let it see the oncoming figure. Will lowered his head, averting his gaze from the Kalkara's eye, and turned his shoulder.

The Kalkara screeched in shock as the small form collided with its side and stumbled to one side. Will rolled, putting himself behind the Kalkara. Quickly he leaped to his feet and charged again. He jumped and wrapped his bow around the Kalkara's thick neck. His knees rammed deep in its back, knocking out the air from its lungs. The monster stumbled backwards, thrown completely off balance. Will held on as the Kalkara started twisting and turning, attempting to throw him off. With a screech, the Kalkara backed up, crushing Will up against a rock. With a gasp, Will collapsed to the ground. At once the Kalkara knocked the bow away from its neck, having trouble with the string at the back of its head. Turning, it tried to find its new attacker. Will, however, moved with it, staying on its blind side. The creature turned, Will followed, managing to regain his bow.

"Will!" shouted Rodney.

The knight was charging across the grass towards them. His battle-axe twirled in his grasp. He had awoken from his paralyzed state and tried to figure out what had happened. He had quickly seen the Kalkara struggling against a small form, a person who should not be in the fight.

The Kalkara looked towards Rodney and recognized him as one of the original attackers. Will watched as it slowly bunched up the muscles in its legs. Rodney could not see that it was preparing to leap at him, to meet his charge. Looking around, Will spotted a part of the earth that had collapsed, indicating an old dungeon or cellar that had given in. It was slightly to his left, a few feet behind the Kalkara. He would need to pull it away from Rodney in order to send it over the edge.

With a powerful leap, Will seized hold of the Kalkara's neck. It roared angrily as it tried unsuccessfully to shake its attacker loose. Seeing that they were nearing the edge, Will released his grip and fell to the ground with a grunt. Quickly he leaped to his feet and slammed into the Kalkara's chest. The monster stepped backwards. The ground gave out and it fell…

Its claws sank into Will's cloak…

With a gasp, Will plummeted after it into the darkness.