A/N so I was in my English class and the teacher says "read it out loud." I'm like "…" and he gets mad and angry. And finally a friend of mine stopped laughing to say. "she lost her voice sir so she can't." then he had to read it. So now I'm happy to write!

Crowley: why me?

Me: just say it!

Crowley: no I'm a commander I've got better things to do!

Me: Fine I don't own anything from the ranger's apprentice except my OC.

Chapter 12

The stone flutes

Gilan:

Around noon the next day we reached the solitary plains. it was a vast, depressing place. The featureless ground stretched out before them for kilometer after kilometer, covered in tall, gray grass, made rank and dry by the constant wind. The wind itself almost seemed to be a living presence. It rubbed on their nerves, blowing constantly and unvaryingly from the west, bending the tall grass before it as it swept across the flat ground of the Solitary Plain.

" Now you can see why they call it the Solitary Plain," Halt said to the three of them. " When you ride out into this damned wind, you feel as if you're the only person left alive on earth. " I wouldn't mind as long as I'm among friends. Even just May… I really have to stop thinking like that.

"Gilan if you would be so kind to start thinking out loud. We can almost hear you." Halt says sarcastically. "No my thoughts are fine being thoughts." I reply. From the corner of my eye I see May cover her ears. "what's the matter. The flutes aren't too loud now. I can barely hear them." Will asks. If only he knew I thought to myself. "I have sensitive ears." Is all she replies after a doubtful silence.

"If you two are done with your chatter party and if our philosopher," Halt points at me. "is done thinking can we please go on before the kalkara are gone." I nod and we're on our way once again.

"we'll rest here for the night." Halt says. "It's almost impossible to maintain a constant course in the dark, Without any significant land features to set a course by, we could easily wind up going around in circles. " Gratefully, everyone dismounted.

Will began scouting around the few stunted bushes that grew on the Plain,

searching for firewood. Halt, realizing what was in his mind, shook his head.

"No fire," he says. " We'd be visible for miles and we have no idea who might be watching. " Will paused, letting the small bundle he had gathered fall to the ground. " You mean the Kalkara?" he said. Halt shrugs."Them, or Plainspeople. We can't be sure that some of them aren't in league with the Kalkara. After all, living cheek by jowl with creatures like that, you might well end up cooperating with them, just to ensure your own safety. And we don't want them getting word that there are strangers on the Plain. "

May and I are unsaddling our horses and I take this chance to talk to her. "are you alright? I mean those stone flutes aren't exactly easy on the ears I can't imagine on yours." She nods. "I got used to it a while ago." We were riding the solitary plains until it started to get dark.

"No fire means no hot food." She says. I nod. "And even worse no coffee." I say.

I turn around and nearly bump against May in the process. I'm so close to her. I can almost kiss her. Almost just a few inches. I look into her eyes and I see her looking back. It seemed like we were standing there forever.

But it was only a short moment before Halt ruined it. "Do you two love-birds need some privacy?" as always he sounds grim but there is a slight bright side to his voice.

May:

Gilan turns around and nearly crashes into me. He doesn't say anything he only looks into my eyes. He's so close. So very close… No you can't. I say to myself. He's your mentor you shouldn't like think that. Sadly or luckily, I'm not sure about that, Halt interrupts. "Do you two love-birds need some privacy?" I'm happy I am wearing my hood up or else he would see me blush. A lot.

Gilan apologizes and walks to Halt. I follow him silently. Halt says to his apprentice. "you'll take the first watch. When the moon." He points at the moon. "reaches that angle you'll wake Gilan for the next one. May's after that and I'll take the last one." Will nodded, rousing himself and standing to stretch his stiff muscles. He picks up his bow and quiver and walks to the bush Halt had selected as a vantage point. Rangers on watch never stay in the open by the campsite but always move away ten or twenty meters, and find a place of concealment. That way, strangers coming upon the campsite would be less likely to see them. I walk to the place where I dropped Hunter's saddle and use it as a pillow. Soon I fall asleep wrapped in my cloak.

"May…May wake up." I hear Gilan say. I open my eyes. And see his face. Again he's so close. When he sees my open eyes he smiles.

"Your turn." He says. I yawn and he helps me up. He keeps close though. I just want to… "Do you remember where you have to watch." I shake my head. "I-I'm sorry I f-f-forgot." I stuttered. I never stutter. He lets out a soft chuckle. "you stutter, that's new." I blush.

"I'll show you where it is." He says and he wraps his arms around me to lead me the way. "Are you still alright? I can see you didn't sleep very well." I look at him. "No I'm okay. The noise is just hurting my ears a bit." He nods. "good then."

We get to the spot where I have to stay until I can wake Halt up. "It won't be long before you can wake Halt. I would have woken you sooner but you looked like you needed some more sleep." He says. "thank you I did need it." I say softly.

What happened next took me completely by surprise. I never would have thought this would happen and of all times now…

A/N hehehe Did I mention that when I lose my voice I can be a bit mean with cliffhangers? Well I am. I just had to do it! Please leave in your reviews what you think would happen? Oh yeah and I'm trying to lead more to the Gilan/OC thing. Is it working? If it is then YES! Tomorrow I've got the results of the school play… and I'm very, very nervous. I'm not sure I will sleep at all tonight… anyway.

Moniquebowman: thank you! I try to follow the book most of the time. And for the new dialogue on a new paragraph thing. I want to but I don't know how… oops

Angie the ranger: well thank you. And I'm considered good at my school. Really I can almost kill my classmates when they speak in a weird dutch/English/boeren maas en waals mixture. The last on is a dialect from somewhere in the Netherlands.

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Just2aw3s0me.

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