literature

The Heart of a Ranger

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(This is a Ranger's Apprentice fanfiction that takes place after "The Royal Ranger" so I suggest you read RR before you read this....but if you don't care about spoilers or anything then go right ahead!)

Chapter 1
“Tim! Are you even listening to me?!?”
The angry yell sounded through the air and a young brown haired boy snapped to attention. A sigh escaped the teenage’s mouth. Why couldn’t his parents just give him five minutes to think?
“Yes da I’m listening.”
“Huh, well you sure don’t seem like it seeing as I told you to bring in the cows five minutes ago…they are still out in the field…NOW GO GET THEM!!!” The farmer yelled at his fourteen year old son, the annoyance apparent in his eyes.
“Yes da…” Tim said, holding back a sigh that he knew would only get in more trouble.
“Well get to it then!!!”
A grimace grew on the young man’s face but he didn’t say anymore as he quickly grabbed a small bin of grain and made his way out of the barn and stared heading towards the pasture. Unlike other times in the past he knew his dad had a right to be mad. After all he had forgotten to get the cows…if only Devon wasn’t so mean to him.
“I almost wonder if I would have been better off with The Stealer…” he muttered then immediately shook his head. No, he knew he was better off here, maybe not that much but still… At the thought of The Stealer Tim couldn’t help but smile ever so slightly as he remembered the two Rangers who saved him and all the other kids who had been captured. There had been Will Treaty of course, probably the most famous ranger ever, and the young man couldn’t help but agree that he was indeed great. Though he still couldn’t help but feel a little confused. He had seen Will sobbing like crazy even though Ranger Maddie was perfectly fine. Ok, maybe not perfectly fine, but she was alive…Needless to say he really had no clue why the rough and tough ranger had acted in that way, but at the same time he figured there must have been a reasonable explanation so he tried not to think about it too much.
And then there was Maddie…she was only a year older than him, but she seemed so sure of herself…so confident and determined. Tim wished he could be half as assured her…if only he could do more than just help out around the farm. But no, this was his life, it was a depressing life full of chores, tough parents and little food, but it was a life none-the-less.
The teen knew that he didn’t really have much choice in the matter, but at the same time he wished he could be more. Wished he could help others, be able to stand up to others, be a hero….but most of all he wished he could be a Ranger…Now that he had seen rangers up close the superstitions that surrounded them seemed to dissipate some. They were less scary and more admirable, role models that he desperately wanted to follow.
“TIM! What are you doing just standing there?!? Get to work!!!!”
Devon’s voice once again cut through Tim’s musings and immediately a rush of embarrassment wash over him. There he went again, getting lost in thoughts. Sighing again he waved his hand, letting his dad know that he heard him before walking up to the pasture gate and opening it up. He shook the bucket of grain and watched as their small flock of cows slowly made their way towards him. As they headed the open gate Tim made his way back towards the barn, casting a few glances back to make sure the cows were following him.
“There, that’s the last of them,” the brown haired boy said as he closed the door behind the last cow. Each one of them had their own stall but thankfully only one of the younger cows had put up a fight and after a slight smack on it’s rump the cow decided that it wasn’t worth the trouble and had reluctantly gone into it’s stall.
As Tim made his way out of the barn he frowned as he saw that the sun had already set and he guessed that supper had already been served, which meant he would go to bed hungry again. “Oh the joys of being a farmer…” he said, once again wishing he could do something else.
It was at that moment that a thought struck him. Maddie had only been a year older than him…maybe, just maybe there was a chance that he could become a ranger’s apprentice. His fifteenth birthday was only seven months away…it was still a wait but maybe…No, his parents would never let him. But who said they had to know? A plan started forming in the young man’s mind as he made his way back into the house, he would get out of here…one day…

———————————————————————————————————————-

There was no moon in the sky, making the open fields darker than normal, it was a perfect night for an escape. And it was just the night Tim had been waiting for. The now fifteen year old was lying on his thin mattress on the floor, eyes closed and breathing slow. Anyone would think he was sleeping, but in reality he was wide awake waiting until he knew his parents would be fast asleep. After at least two hours he opened his bright blue eyes. It was time. Adrenaline was pumping though his body as he slowly sat up. He grabbed a blanket and rolled it up before covering it with the light sheet he usually slept with. It didn’t look too good, but he figured it would fool his parents until morning.
The teenager paused for a second, listening once again, making sure his parents were still asleep. The house creaked in the night wind but there was no sound coming from the separate room where his mother and father slept. Assured that he was still in the clear, Tim quickly grabbed the small sack that he was packed and hidden away earlier in the day. Making his way to the door he eased it open, wincing as it squeaked on the hinges. Not wanting to get caught he quickly closed the door and started racing across the fields, his thin soled boots thumped on the ground, but he ignored it and kept running knowing speed was his best chance at escape.
It was then that he heard a door open and a loud voice call out. “TIM! What are you doing, get back here right now!”
The brown haired teen winced as he heard the voice, but he didn’t stop running. He could, turn back of course, but he knew he would have quite a few beatings and a ton of chores as punishment. No, he wasn’t going back. This was his only chance at a new life, his only chance to become more than just a simple farmer. He just hoped the rangers would accept him, give him a chance, otherwise he had just made a huge mistake.
This is my Ranger's Apprentice fanfiction, I'm not going to go too in depth about it. All I'm going to say at the moment is that it takes place after "The Royal Ranger" and it follows the story of Tim (one of the kids Maddie and Will helped free)
Also I'd love to hear some feedback! ^^

Link on tumblr: Here

Next Chapter: Here

Story c) me
Ranger's Apprentice characters and world c) John Flanagan
© 2014 - 2024 Aceofstars16
Comments6
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Cherise1221's avatar
This is really good, I like it a lot!! I really liked this character, and I was disappointed that he sort of faded away at the end of the book. You are a fantastic writer!