The man stepped out of the shadows coming into view but strangely seeming to blend into the backround, the gang of boys gasped in fear as they caught sight of the him. Will wondered why they hadn't seen him before? But he also knew that he had developed exellent night vision from all the times he'd had work to do at night.

"Let him go", the man spoke with a comanding air but had not raised his voice.

The gang cowered back in fear. "It's the ranger", the boy holding Will's hair whispered.

"Who are you", Alda blustered, trying to suppress his fear.

"That is of none of your concern", the man said cooly."Now, I'm not in habit of repeating myself, so let him go", he said again.

The gang wavered, but Alda stayed firm."Don't listen to him",he snarled. "We're all bigger than him anyways, ranger or not", he spoke foolishly. This was true, the man was small of stature and slim of build, but he carried himself with a confidence that only comes with years of experience. Will noticed the dangerous gleam in the ranger's eyes. This man might be smaller of stature, but he had no doubt that the ranger would be able to dispatch of the gang with ease.

Suddenly the man moved seeming to glide across the ground, covering the distance between himself and Alda in one swift movement. Alda had no time to react before his knife was knocked out of his grip, and he was sent sprawling in a heap in the ground, blood pouring from his nose. Alda wailed pitifully, but the man ignored him and turned to the boy still holding Will's hair. The ranger seized the boy's arm in a painful iron-like grip. The boy looked scared but didn't release Will.

"You can make this easy, or you can make it harder for yourself", the Ranger said threateningly, tightening his grip on the boy's arm. The boy whimpered, dropping his hold on Will's hair.

Will slid to the cold stones of the ground with a groan of pain, not able to support himself. He was barely conscious with exhaustion and pain, and the edges of his vision were darkening. The ranger turned to the group of bullies,who were cowering away while trying to help their still wailing leader.

"If I ever see you again, I'll make sure your afraid to sleep in your beds at night", he growled, showing them only a glimpse of his anger.

This was enough for the gang, and they dispersed quickly, dragging their pitiful excuse for a leader away. The dark alley was left deserted, but for the Ranger and the injured boy slumped against the wall. The ranger knelt next to Will, looking into his bleary, half-closed eyes.

"It's alright", he said, sliding a calloused hand behind Will's head.

He lifted Will into a bridal carry with ease, shielding the broken boy's body from the cold chill in the air. "Your safe now", he said softly.

Will's eyes closed and before he drifted away into unconsciousness, he felt himself being carried by strong arms and enveloped in the warm folds of the mans cloak.


Halt gently carried the injured boy through the village, trying not to jostle him and cause him more pain. He decided he would not take him to an infirmary, as people were likely to ask questions about the boy's condition and why his hands were chained.

Of course, Halt himself did not have the answers to any of those questions. The boy looked half starved and there was blood soaking the back of his shirt. Halt didn't think the blood had come from just the beating the gang of thugs had given him. The boy had probably been wounded earlier and his wounds had opened up again. Halt decided he'd take the boy to his cabin and care for him there, and then find out the answers to his questions later.

Reaching the edge of the village, Halt let out a piercing whistle, and after a little while a shaggy grey pony trotted out of the forest. Halt placed the boy carefully on the pony, and then mounted himself, holding the boy against his chest. The boy's breaths were becoming shallower and Halt held him so that his airway was cleared. Sqeezing the horses sides with his heels, Halt signaled it to move foreward and it trotted away towards the cabin.

Reaching the cabin, Halt dismounted and carried the boy inside, setting him on the bed in the smaller of the two rooms in the cabin. Halt first reach for his saxe knife, and used it to pry open one of the links in the chain binding the boy's wrists. By doing this he was able to remove the shackles completely, freeing the boy's raw wrists.

He'd no doubt be more comfortable this way and it would make it easier for halt to clean his wounds. Carefully removing the boy's coat and tunic, Halt surveyed the damage to his front.

The boy's chest was bruised and Halt guessed he had a few cracked ribs. His forehead was marred by a large gash.

Turning the boy over gently onto his stomach, Halt suppressed a gasp as he caught sight of the boy's back. It was covered in blood and long thin whip lashes. Halt cursed under his breath as he surveyed the injuries.

Useing a damp cloth, he cleaned the wounds thoroughly and then wound a bandage around the boy's whole torso to keep the wounds clean, and to prevent the cracked ribs from moving. He also bandaged the gash on his head, and cleaned the boys bruised face of blood.

Then he adjusted the boy's position so he'd be able to breath better, and covered him with a blanket ,Halt surveyed his work with satisfaction, and then went to change his own shirt which was covered with the boy's blood.