A/N: OLAF! It's me, IFYOUCOULDFLY! So…I'm sorry if I uploaded this kinda late, but a horse at our barn that had a foal a couple weeks ago died and I'm trying to figure some stuff out. And to end that depressing moment…HOLY FREAKING MOTHER OF HALT. I unlocked my phone to see 18 alerts…ALL FROM FANFICTION! I love you guys so much… :)

-Chapter Eight: Runaway Ranger-

A hand touched Will's shoulder, wrenching him from his dreamless slumber. Immediately, he jerked upward, and screamed in agony as his bruised skin responded, reminding him of the previous night.

He whipped his head around to see Halt, who had one eyebrow raised, hand still hovering in the air. Will gulped, embarrassed. "…sorry. Just…a bad dream." He mumbled, and Halt frowned, clearly skeptical, but decided to settle it later.

"Right. Well, get ready for some target practice. There's an extra quiver in the tents. I'll see you at the range in ten minutes." Halt said, then turned and walked away, casting Gilan a look as he walked. It seemed like a, "See what I mean" look.

Will frowned and slowly climbed to his feet, wincing and grunting as he did so. He wasn't aware that Halt and Gilan were watching as he did this. As Will limped towards the tents, Halt frowned. Finally, he and Gilan turned around and headed towards the target range.

When Will was certain he was alone, he changed his course from the tents to the stables, limping as fast as he could, gritting his teeth with every step.

He arrived at the stables with no trouble, but now came the hard part. Two Rangers were at the entryway on the opposite side of the barn, and Will would have to find a way to climb onto Tug and ride away without alerting them.

Slowly, Will shuffled towards Tug's stall, trying to make as little noise as possible. He glanced up warily and was relieved to see that neither Ranger had noticed him yet. He continued, a little more confidently this time.

He arrived at Tug's stall and placed a finger to his lips, motioning for him to be silent. The pony glanced at him curiously as Will began to attempt climbing the stall door, and immediately regretted it.

His newly formed bruises screamed out in pain, and a gasp nearly escaped his lips. Panicked, he spun his head around. The Rangers were still in deep conversation, totally oblivious to Will, and he rolled his eyes. "They must be new." Will thought.

Will glanced around, thinking. Even if he managed to climb Tug's stall, he'd still have to open the stall door, which had a creaky hinge. The Rangers would certainly hear that. But maybe the other stalls weren't as noisy….

An idea was forming in Will's mind, and he decided to test it. With barely a sound, Will crept towards Abelard's stall. He arrived without alerting the Rangers, and smiled to himself. He grasped the lever and pulled, the door swinging open soundlessly.

Abelard stared at him quizzically. Will approached the horse and whispered in its ear, "I need you to find Halt."

Abelard stood still, looking into Will's eyes. He recognized a look of pleading urgency. The horse was tempted to run to Halt, just for the boy's sake, but remained rooted to the ground. As a seasoned Ranger horse, he could tell that Will was up to something, and knew it was something that Halt wouldn't be pleased with. But he looked so desperate…

"Please." Will whispered, tears beginning to form in his eyes. That was enough for the horse. Abelard, with a loud whinny, burst out of the stall, flying down the hall. The Rangers at the entryway stared in shock, then took off after the horse.

Will smiled softly. "Thank you." He thought, as if sending a message to Abelard, then limped quickly towards Tug's stall. He flew open the door and quickly threw on Tug's saddle and bridle. "We're leaving, boy." He announced, then (with great difficulty) managed to hoist himself up onto his pony's back.

(Well, well, well. What happened to that American Idol fiasco of yours?) I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT.

The target range was in chaos. Rangers frantically tried to calm down Abelard, who leading them on quite the chase. Not even Halt could convince his normally level-headed horse to settle down.

After a full minute of Abelard being nothing short of psychotic, the horse suddenly calmed and stared at something off in the distance. Halt immediately snatched Abelard's reins. "What's with you?" Halt asked. "Um…Halt?" Gilan muttered, and Halt directed his attention to the direction Gilan was pointing.

The sight was certainly a shocking one. A grey streak was tearing across the clearing, approaching the woods faster than one would have thought possible. Atop this grey blur was a figure, hood pulled far over his face, cloak flying in the wind. It was Will.

"What the hell's gotten into that boy?" Crowley wondered aloud, but Halt wasn't there to hear it. He had already mounted Abelard and was riding after Will.

(So you're just crawling back to me now, huh? Do I get an apology?) FINE. I'M SORRY. NOW SHUT UP.

Halt cursed under his breath as he rode, defeated, back to the Gathering Grounds. Will and Tug had gotten a head start and he'd never even gotten close to them. It was almost as if Abelard were helping them escape.

He entered camp, giving the Rangers his "If-You-Say-Anything-I'll-Fire-An-Arrow-Through-Yo ur-Skull" look. That night, as he drifted off to sleep, he wondered if he'd ever see his apprentice again.

OK. PAGEBREAK HERE. I ADMIT THAT I AM STUPID, OBNOXIOUS, AND CANNOT SING. I SHOULD PROBABLY SOAK MY HEAD IN A TOILET. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? (Quite.)

Will leaped off of Tug's back and strode over to a very confused Alyss.

"Will? What's wrong? I thought you were off doing Ranger stu-." Alyss was rudely cut off by a kiss. For a moment, the two stood there, refusing to let go, before Will pried his lips away.

"I'm leaving." He whispered, then turned to Lady Pauline, who was standing, shocked, behind them. "Please, Lady Pauline, would you tell Halt that I'm sorry?" He asked, and Pauline nodded, confused.

"Goodbye, Alyss. I've always loved you." Will said softly, then turned and sprang up onto Tug's back. "And Alyss? Tell Horace, Jenny, and George that they're the greatest friends I've ever had."

With that, he was gone, riding off into the night, leaving Alyss and Lady Pauline to stare after him in shock.

WOW. THERE'S WAY TOO MANY PAGEBREAKS IN HERE. (I'm overworking you. It's part of your punishment.)

A twig snapped, and Will jumped into consciousness. "Wha-whosthere?" He cried, hand on his bow. Tug was alert and wary, meaning that there was danger nearby. Will's eyes moved in a circle, looking for the unseen threat.

Suddenly, a hand grasped his shoulder, pulling him back into the trees. Will kicked and struggled, but it was no use, his captor was strong.

Will heard a frantic whinny pierce the air. "Tug…no..." He moaned, and his captor smacked him. "Don't speak unless spoken to, boy." The unfamiliar voice growled, and Will instantly obeyed.

After what seemed like hours of being dragged by the man, he was hoisted upward and placed in the back of a cart. He felt weight being placed upon him as he was concealed by sacks of vegetables. With a start, the cart began to move forward, bumping and jerking along the road.

As they moved along the road, Will felt tears forming in his eyes. "Look at me, a captured Ranger's apprentice…." He thought, then corrected himself. "No. I'm not a Ranger any more. I'm a runaway. I'm a failure. I'm just Will the Wanderer, with no place in this world."

He began to silently cry himself to sleep. Just as he was about to slip into another dreamless sleep, he heard a voice of one of his captors.

"Daniel didn't mention he was a Ranger's apprentice. Morgarath will be pleased."

A/N: Bum bum bum! And more stuff goes down… :O! Sorry this was a really choppy chappie (hehe that sounds cool) but I'm in a little bit of a rush, and if I don't upload now, I won't be able to until Monday, and I can't do that to you guys after that last cliffie. So thanks for being tolerant of me :)! Keep reading/reviewing/being awesome!-FLY