Ranger Rising

Part 7: First Lesson

Aust didn't move. He didn't even blink. Behind him I saw Dílis poke his head through the foliage. He blinked and tilted his head. Wow. He acted so intelligently. It was a bit unnerving. "Well... I'm waiting. What are you doing here?"

"Um..." I floundered, "I, uh... I wanted to help you look for the beast."

"Help me look for the beast?" Aust repeated, drawing my attention back to him.

I nodded enthusiastically.

Aust stared at me rather blankly. Then, he let out a deep groan and pressed his hand to his forehead. "If my memory hasn't failed me then I'm fairly certain that I told you this was a dangerous task."

"You did say that but I thought maybe... well maybe I could be of some more assistance to you. I noticed that you started at the place I told you about. That's something isn't it?"

"You weren't the only one who mentioned tracks around the Erickson farmstead." Aust told me bluntly.

"Oh..."

It was like someone had kicked all the air out of my lungs. I looked at the ground. Here I'd thought that I actually done a good job. That I'd actually found something meaningful.

"How did you even find your way here?"

Without thinking about it, I thrust my finger out and pointed at the direction of the beast's tracks. I couldn't bring myself to look up at him either. "I followed the tracks."

"You followed the creature's tracks through thick forest and dense undergrowth?" He sounded—

Surprised?

My head snapped up. Aust's mouth hung open a little bit as followed the direction of my pointing. He closed it again so quickly that if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that it his shock had only been my imagination. "That is..." Aust paused like he was trying to find the words, "That is quite the feat."

"I felt pretty good about it myself," I shrugged. I squared my shoulders and stood a little taller as some of my pride came back to me.

Aust nodded at me. "You deserve a fair bit of credit undoubtedly. How in the gods' realm did you get this far?" he said the last part more to himself than to me.

However, I still answered, unable to keep a bright smile off my face.

"Well," I said as I tossed my braid over my shoulder, "I just thought like a ranger and here I am."

Aust crossed the clearing to stand at the last really clear spot of tracks. I quickly followed him. "This trail is more than a day old and the conditions are less than optimal!"

"I figured as much. But I found enough of a path to know which way the beast headed in general at the very least. And I was right! Look at these slash marks! And the blood on the ground. Something died here, maybe a wild boar that the beast was hunting..." I pointed to each thing in turn.

Aust followed my hand. I found it hard to read the tight expression on his face. For a very brief moment, he almost looked like he wanted to nod at me, since his head tilted in that way, but then he covered his mouth with his hand. When he removed it, his lips were pressed together in a tight line. "More observant than that Erickson person I spoke with earlier I see," he pointed out simply.

"Not bad for someone you didn't think would have limited experience?" I hedged. I folded my hands behind my back and rocked back on my heels.

His lips turned slightly upwards in the barest hint of a smile. "Indeed little one."

I pumped my fist in the air at my hip, hopping a little bit too.

Aust's eyebrow shot up. "You shouldn't have come here. You do understand that don't you?"