AN: Here is the second chapter of our story. Again, we do not own Ranger's Apprentice. We hope you enjoy the second publication but first chapter of our Ranger's Apprentice story!

Chapter One: The Fall of Leander

One week later

Dacton Fief

The Ranger Leander strode through the forest, limping slightly. His leg still ailed him even though he had received the wound many years ago. The wound itself had forced him to retire from the Ranger Corps and take up his gold oakleaf. He, however, still was an active member of the Corps and helped out as a retiree in examinations at the Gatherings. But now, instead of running after bandits and vagabonds he tended to take strolls through the calm forests of his former fief, Dacton. He enjoyed catching fish in the rivers that he had grown to love.

As Leander walked, he slowly become aware of a slight patter of footsteps behind him. Not knowing if his follower was friend or foe he glanced back behind him discreetly when he went along a bend in the tail. All he was able to catch though was a wisp of a grey cloak. Finally becoming exasperated, he abandoned his Ranger training and whipped around to see who was following him. Seeing only an empty trail he relaxed and was about to turn around when a knife was pressed to his back. A thick, rough, menacing voice whispered in his ear, "Turn around and this knife will go through you." Leander froze, stiffening in fear. "Now tell me, what is the size of King Duncan's standing army." Said the man.

"I would never betray my king," Leander said, trying to sound more confident than he was.

"I was afraid you would say that," the man said, "But I know I'll never get information from you. Oh, how unfortunate. At least I can tell Lord Pierre that I tried to get information from you before I killed you."

And with that the man plunged the dagger into Leander's back. Leander yelped and sunk to his knees. The man stabbed him again several times in the side, drawing spurts of angry crimson blood with each lunge. Wheezing, Leander fell to the ground desperately trying to get a look at the man who had attacked him but his efforts were all for naught. Leander saw his vision start to go dark as he slowly slipped from life.

Three weeks later

Thorntree Forest

They had to be close now. Halt and Will walked their horses along the path. The forest seemed abandoned, but they knew better. No Ranger Gathering would be left unguarded.

A tree rustled, and both Halt's and Will's eyes flickered to the spot. "Do you see him?" Halt murmured. "It's Gilan."

Will squinted, scanning the foliage. "To the right of the maple tree?"

"Yes." The Ranger and his apprentice both kept their voices soft, barely audible; that way, the guard would be unaware that he had been spotted. "Now, you remember my plan."

Will nodded imperceptibly. Then, in a marvelous feat of overblown acting, he looked at Halt and said with tremendous enthusiasm: "Please, may I go on ahead? I'm just so excited to see everyone again!" It was fortunate that his back was to the guard, so the hidden Ranger couldn't see the conspiratorial grin on Will's face.

"Sure," Halt grunted. "But you'd better have your tent sent up and dinner cooking by the time I get there." Will's grin broadened; Halt was glad the guard couldn't see that, or he would know something was afoot. It was highly unprofessional, in Halt's opinion, to sit there grinning like a loon as you undertake a stealth mission.

"Thank you!" Will exclaimed, and without further ado, he galloped down the path.

Halt took one more covert look at the guard, who was nearly, but not entirely, hidden in the foliage. Above him, the maple branches stretched, providing cover from above. And, Halt thought, a hiding place for sneaky apprentices.

When he was a kilometer past the guard, Will brought Tug to a stop, dismounted, and led the horse into the forest a few yards off the trail. He wouldn't be spotted there, and Will could continue with his plan.

He set off back along the trail, retracing his steps back until he could almost see the guard. The Ranger's back was turned; he was more interested in traffic coming towards the Gathering than traffic leaving it. Will used this to his advantage; he slipped into the woods with hardly a sound. He pulled himself into the branches of an oak tree, one that adjoined the maple Gilan was seated under. Slowly, so as not to rustle any branches, Will crawled from the oak into the maple, inching his way forward until he was right above Gilan.

Will perched in the tree for a moment, savoring the glory of sneaking up on one of the Ranger Corps' most talented members. But eventually Gilan would look up; so he knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.

Will dropped from the tree, landing in front of Gilan with a crash. Gilan stared at him in disbelief, an arrow already knocked on his bowstring in alarm. "How did you do that?"

Will grinned. "You have to look up."

AN: Thank you for reading! We hope that you will review so that we can know what to work on to make the following chapters better. No platypi this time. :)

(Well, maybe...)