A/N: OLAF! It's me, IFYOUCOULDFLY! Wow. I'm such a procrastinator. I promised myself I would sit down and write, cuz I wanted to upload today (which is Monday, which is not the today you will be thinking of as you read this. That is, if you care enough to…heck, I wouldn't!), but I waited till the last moment as usual. Sigh. Alright, go ahead and read…

-Chapter Six: Boar Hunting-

"Yes, sir?" Horace asked quickly, stepping into the Battlemaster's office. It was as he expected it to be; more like a homely cabin than an office. The young apprentice had never been here before, and his stomach was churning. Did this have to do with the fight? Was he going to be punished? Or worse, expelled? Horace shuddered, and Rodney spoke up.

"How do you feel about a boar hunt, Horace?" Sir Rodney asked, and Horace perked up. "F-fantastic!...sir!" The apprentice answered cheerily, and his mentor smiled. "Good. I take it you've never been on one, so just stick close to the group. You'll be there more to observe than anything else, but it will be good experience."

Horace nodded eagerly and walked happily back to his room. A boar hunt! "Just wait till those buffoons Alda, Bryn, and Jerome hear!" Horace thought, then sighed as he rounded the corner. "Speak of the devil…or devils, rather." He muttered. The three were already waiting for him, grinning maliciously.

HEY, IT'S PAGEBREAK! OH, AND I LOVE U TO, HALT-FINATIC378! I'VE NEVER HAD A FAN BEFORE…I'M SO FAMOUS NOW (me: oh great, see what you've done? You've given Pagebreak a big head *sigh…)

Will swayed atop Tug, keeping perfectly in time with the pony's smooth gait. He was practically exploding with excitement (and to Halt's dismay, questions). As he and Halt approached the larger group they were to join, his mood darkened. As if he wasn't nervous enough, Horace was here to torment him.

Horace's gaze met his, and both pairs of eyes narrowed. Noticing Will's changed expression, Halt grunted. "Don't do anything stupid." He muttered, then nudged Abelard into a steady canter, Will at his heels (or hooves, rather).

The group rode on for some time, deeper and deeper into the forest. During this time, Will and Horace tried to ignore each other as much as possible. Suddenly, this became very difficult.

A loud squeal came from ahead of them, and a wild boar, presumably the one that chased Elena, cut directly through the line of hunters. Fortunately, each one of the men steered to either the left or right just in time, escaping the boar's tusks. Unfortunately, this caused a moment of utter chaos in which horses flew in all directions, some nearly falling off a nearby ledge.

Once the group settled and reformed, Baron Arald's dogs were released to do their job. The ferocious canines growled menacingly at the boar, who squealed in response. While the boar was distracted, one Battleschool apprentice, a fourth-year, leaped into action, promptly slicing the boar's stomach.

The wounded beast grunted loudly in agony, moving to kill the apprentice, but never reached him. A swift slice in the boar's neck ended the hunt.

There was much cheering in response, and the apprentice beamed proudly. "Good work, boy!" Rodney called, and the apprentice ducked his head, blushing madly, grin still on his face. The congratulations and back-patting continued for some time until one of the Battlemasters frowned.

"Wait a minute, where's Horace? And that little Ranger kid?" He asked, and the group fell silent. Halt's heart nearly stopped when he remembered the ledge. It was only a ten foot drop, but that was enough to seriously injure a horse.

Just then, a quick, frantic snort came from over by the ledge. The men turned toward the noise, and there stood both Will and Horace's horses, looking completely confused and a little shaken.

*Will/Horace*

Will groaned softly as Horace rode up next to him. "What's your problem?" Horace asked accusingly, snorting quietly. Will glared at him.

"Will you please forget about it, just for now?" The apprentice Ranger muttered, and Horace shrugged. "Fine. But just for now. Because afterwards, I'll personally-"

A loud squeal cut them off, and they looked forward to see the group splitting down the middle, revealing an incredibly unhappy looking boar charging straight for them. Unfortunately for the both of them, the horse Horace was borrowing was quite inexperienced, and so when it saw the boar, it tuned in to its natural instinct: run.

The horse veered to the side, straight into Tug, taking both riders by surprise. Horace rammed against Will as he flew from the saddle, knocking them both off of the nearby ledge.

Will screamed in pain as the massive boy landed directly on top him, completely knocking the wind out of him and splitting open a few of his half-healed injuries. He gasped for breath, smacking Horace rapidly in hopes of getting him to move.

Horace climbed up awkwardly, massaging his aching back and glaring at Will. Once Will had regained his breath, he looked back at Horace incredulously. "What are you glaring at me for?! It was your stupid horse's fault!" Will coughed, tenderly holding one particular scar his father had given him on his fourteenth, one that was bleeding madly at the moment.

"Whatever! How're we getting back up? How come they haven't hear us yet?!" Horace rambled, and Will rolled his eyes. "How could they over all that racket?" Will shouted back, wincing, and Horace frowned, realizing his old ward mate was right. The dogs' barking and the boar's squealing, not to mention the shouts and whinnies of the horses, was almost deafening.

The boys sat down, glaring at each other silently, waiting for the battle to end. Finally, the voices dropped away, and they heard a man ask: "Wait a minute, where's Horace? And that little Ranger kid?"

The pair glanced at each other, before Horace asked loudly, "Are you gonna say something, or do I have to?" Will glared at Horace. "I would, had you not CRUSHED MY RIBS." Will retorted, and Horace rolled his eyes, mimicking Will.

"How is that my fault? I didn't exactly PLAN for this!" Horace cried, and Will scoffed. "Maybe you should keep your horse in control, then." Will sneered, and Horace glared. "And you as well! That overgrown sheepdog was just as bad!" It was Will's turn to glare now. "Excuse me?" Will cried. "I can't quite hear you! It must be my lightheadedness…which I wouldn't have if I hadn't just lost half my blood thanks to you!"

Suddenly, a cough came from overhead, and they looked up to see the boar hunters (including Baron Arald, Sir Rodney, and Halt) peering over the ledge. Embarrassed, the pair shut their mouths. After a few moments of awkward silence, Horace spoke up.

"Um-hi. I g-guess that we weren't much help, but…" Horace kept talking, but Will wasn't listening. He instead tuned into the sounds of the forest. The softly rustling leaves. A slight, but all the same heavy, breath from the undergrowth. The rustling leaves beginning to crunch just barely louder. That was enough for Will.

He interrupted Horace mid-explanation. "Move, Horace." He said quickly, fear in his voice. The apprentice looked at him, confused. "Excuse m-?" "I SAID MOVE, DAMNIT!" Will shouted, launching himself at his former ward mate.

Just then, a boar, much larger than the massive one the hunters above had faced, burst through the trees, squealing madly. Fortunately for Horace, Will's quick reaction saved him from a gruesome injury. Unfortunately for Will, as he shoved Horace to the ground, the boar's tusk, originally aimed for Horace's chest, managed to cut into Will's ankle.

The apprentice screamed in agony as he fell to the ground, and immediately Horace was on his feet, sword drawn.

He stepped forward and slashed at the boar's chest, landing the blow perfectly. The boar squealed and retaliated, moving for Horace's right leg. The boy twisted around like an expert, carefully avoiding the attack and landing another perfect strike to the boar's backside.

Just when the fight seemed to be going his way, the boar suddenly spun around, surprising Horace. The boy took a step back, and tripped in the process. He fell to the ground, exposing every part of himself. It was over.

The boar, sensing his chance, charged. Horace shut his eyes, ready for his death. At least he had fought.

A second passed…then another…how was he not dead yet? Carefully, Horace pried his eyes open and nearly gasped. The boar was lying in front of him, dead. A long arrow was protruding from its chest. A perfect shot, right in its heart.

He looked up to see Will limping awkwardly toward him, wincing with every step. The Ranger apprentice smiled awkwardly when he reached Horace. "You 'll righ'?" He mumbled, and Horace laughed incredulously.

"Am I all right?You're the one that had your damn leg impaled!" Horace cried, and climbed slowly to his feet. Will nodded slowly. "Yeah…I gue' your righ'..." He mumbled, then looked up to the spectators. "Well, I gue' tha' wa' dramatic." He laughed, then abruptly stopped.

"Aw, damnit…." He sighed, and promptly fainted. Halt was already there to catch him.

A/N: Boar hunts! Hehe…I was considering writing a different way where Horace and Will didn't become friends like FarmersDaughter suggested, but I decided it seemed more natural this way :). Anyways, thanks to all of you guys! You really do make a huge difference, even by just READING this! Keep reading/reviewing/being awesome!-FLY