p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"strongDisclaimer: I don't own anything! It's all john Flanagan!/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"strong /strongHorace strode into the previously agreed upon campsite. He was alone now, but soon will and halt should be arriving as well. In line with rangers' usual tight lips, Horace didn't know why they were being called together but based on halts grim instructions, it was something important. "Although halt was always grim. " Horace thought as he rubbed down his loyal horse and made him comfortable for the evening./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;" After setting up camp and waiting impatiently for his friend's arrival he stood and walked underneath a large maple tree that stood on the nearby ridge. Horace could see into the shallow valley but under the tree he wouldn't be quite so silhouetted against the setting sun. "Halt and Will really need to work on their tardiness" he mumbled but was cut short as someone in the maple tree jumped down onto his shoulders. The familiar laugh Will couldn't suppress told Horace who his attacker was. It didn't seem to make him any less annoyed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;""Will! You're late! What are you doing?! How long where you in that tree?! Get off me!" will just kept laughing as he reached down to take Horace's sword before leaping back onto his branch in the maple tree. Now Horace stopped dancing around, trying to remove his friends and looked up at will with a huff. Will knew him well enough to know that Horace was faking his annoyance and was barely holding back his laughter./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;""C'mon Will gimme my sword." Horace said, the smile creeping onto his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"Will just smiled back and threw a leaf at is sword less friend. Horace visually brightened as he thought of a fool-proof plan to attain his stolen weapon. He went back to the campfire and, back turned to will began making coffee, some the rich aromas floated to will in the nearby tree and Horace heard the slight thump as the thieving ranger jumped down. As will reached the small fire, Horace handed him a cup, with the other had gesturing for his sword. Will had left the sword in the tree. A smirk practically smothered his face as Horace stomped to the position beneath the tree and now he could see below his sword. Will could just hear him grumbling something about mean little rangers and he took the first sip of his coffee. Sadly he missed the small smirk of his own that Horace was hiding with his grumbling. Will spat out his coffee doubling over as he got the rancid stuff from his mouth. Horace had put enough salt in the coffee to salt a whole side of beef! "He really has been spending too much time with us" will thought as he attempted to clear the stinging saltiness from his throat. Meanwhile Horace had brought kicker over and was trying to make him hold still as the poor horses master stood on top of him trying to reach his sword. Of course this is the moment that halt chose to arrive. Only to find Horace crouching on his dancing horse and will who had emptied his canteen had resorted to thrusting his whole face in the stream nearby. Halts eyebrow raised./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"strong /strongHorace strode into the previously agreed upon campsite. He was alone now, but soon will and halt should be arriving as well. In line with rangers' usual tight lips, Horace didn't know why they were being called together but based on halts grim instructions, it was something important. "Although halt was always grim. " Horace thought as he rubbed down his loyal horse and made him comfortable for the evening./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;" After setting up camp and waiting impatiently for his friend's arrival he stood and walked underneath a large maple tree that stood on the nearby ridge. Horace could see into the shallow valley but under the tree he wouldn't be quite so silhouetted against the setting sun. "Halt and Will really need to work on their tardiness" he mumbled but was cut short as someone in the maple tree jumped down onto his shoulders. The familiar laugh Will couldn't suppress told Horace who his attacker was. It didn't seem to make him any less annoyed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;""Will! You're late! What are you doing?! How long where you in that tree?! Get off me!" will just kept laughing as he reached down to take Horace's sword before leaping back onto his branch in the maple tree. Now Horace stopped dancing around, trying to remove his friends and looked up at will with a huff. Will knew him well enough to know that Horace was faking his annoyance and was barely holding back his laughter./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;""C'mon Will gimme my sword." Horace said, the smile creeping onto his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"Will just smiled back and threw a leaf at is sword less friend. Horace visually brightened as he thought of a fool-proof plan to attain his stolen weapon. He went back to the campfire and, back turned to will began making coffee, some the rich aromas floated to will in the nearby tree and Horace heard the slight thump as the thieving ranger jumped down. As will reached the small fire, Horace handed him a cup, with the other had gesturing for his sword. Will had left the sword in the tree. A smirk practically smothered his face as Horace stomped to the position beneath the tree and now he could see below his sword. Will could just hear him grumbling something about mean little rangers and he took the first sip of his coffee. Sadly he missed the small smirk of his own that Horace was hiding with his grumbling. Will spat out his coffee doubling over as he got the rancid stuff from his mouth. Horace had put enough salt in the coffee to salt a whole side of beef! "He really has been spending too much time with us" will thought as he attempted to clear the stinging saltiness from his throat. Meanwhile Horace had brought kicker over and was trying to make him hold still as the poor horses master stood on top of him trying to reach his sword. Of course this is the moment that halt chose to arrive. Only to find Horace crouching on his dancing horse and will who had emptied his canteen had resorted to thrusting his whole face in the stream nearby. Halts eyebrow raised./p