Pending name...

Jer felt a smile grow on his face as he saw the familiar buildings in the distance. Home. He had finally made it. After going for some hunting in the woods for the last few weeks, nothing sounded better than home. His mothers delicious food and his fathers stories that he told after dinner in front of the fire. All he had had to eat for the last few weeks were whatever they could manage to carry. Which wasn't a lot. They had all their own gear to carry and horses could only carry so much and be able to run and be equipt for battle also.

So he usually went with a few of his friends that he was lucky enough to have assigned to the same team as his. They usually found some berries or a small squirrel or rabbit that they shared with another person, maybe even two. Besides the eating, he had been stuck with the same people for what seemed like forever and he was ready to see a familiar face of his family.

"Hey, when's Griff coming back?" Sam asked pulling Jer from his thoughts. He glanced at the man to his right keeping a steady pace next to him has the town grew closer.

"I don't know, he's not following any of the doctors orders to stay off it the last time I saw him." He replied as he glanced forward again unable to keep his eyes off of their town.

"Typical," the man to his left scoffed followed by an eye roll. "He's one of the most stubborn people in the world.

"Like you should be talking Zane," Sam muttered back and the two started to bicker.

Jer just rolled his eyes and ignored them. He was still too busy thinking about his family. He wondered what his baby sister Emilee was doing. If she was actually doing her chores or not and if she was picking on their little brother Zack again. She was just like him in many ways and his mother reminded him of it bitterly every day. She had put up a fuss when he first joined the hunters for training and now her only daughter wanted to also. 

But he encouraged her, even if it went against his mothers wishes. His sister was strong willed and a pain in his butt. But she was a great fighter and learned quickly. When he had first joined the hunters, he had come home and ended up teaching Emilee some moves and he started to realize she had great potential.

As it was, there were hardly any women who joined, and it had really only been approved about a half a year ago. And as soon as it had been, Em announced she was going to join when she was 16. Jer still remembered the look his mother had given him. She hadn't looked at him like that since he had joined a few years earlier.

"Oi, Jer where's your head?" Someone said as he glanced to his right to give a apologetic smile. Sam just rolled his eyes and continued, "as I was saying, what do you think Waverly is going to do when he finds out about Zane's little incident?"

Jer winced as he looked down to where the large bandage was on his leg from said incident, partly from pain and partly from the thought of what their Capitan was going to say when he found out. He seriously wasn't going to be happy about it and they had been given the Capitan with the shortest temper. It wasn't going to be a pretty picture and they were going to be there for a while to get everything sorted out.

"I don't know but I know it's not going to be good." he replied as they rode through the main gates of their town. Giving a sigh or relief, he steered his hourse toward where their Capitans office was and braced himself as he dismounted and tried to walk as best as he could. But the limp wasn't helping much.

"Stephens, what the hell happened?" Waverly asked as he glanced up from what he was doing and noticed the bandage and the limp. Behind him, Jer heard Zane and Sam come in also.

"That would be my fault Sir," Zane said as he took a step forward.

"Explain," was all the angry man demanded as he glared at Zane.

"W-well Sir, I was doing a routine check when we found a place to camp for the night and I didn't hear Jer behind me and I thought he was a Pyrate and attacked him."

Their Capitan was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again. It was clear that it was anger brewing in his eyes. "And how many years of training did you have Thatcher?"

"Three Sir,"

"Exactly. So you should have known what to do but you decided to react before assesing your opponent."

"Sir, if I may say it really wasn't that big of a deal. I didn't tell him I was behind him and it wasn't a big wound. It's really only a scrape." Which was a total lie. Zane had nearly sunk the whole knife into his thigh before he realized he wasn't a pyrate and it bled badly. Thankfully Sam was one of the best medics the hunters had and had patched him up good.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jer saw Zane give him a small smile in thanks for covering for him. "Stephens stay out of this, this is between me and Thatcher now." Waverly barked as Jer set his jaw.

"I'm apart of this too if you like it or not. I was the one injured so don't think you can just talk about me as if I'm not here Sir." Where in the world was this coming from? Sure he was a little more bold than others when he talked to a person of higher rank but never went this far. He could even feel Sam and Zane looking at him in shock. 

"I don't care if it was a small wound or he cut your whole leg off. It doesn't justify the fact that Thatcher is a mindless idiot!" Zane flinched and Jer fought against the urge to step forward and get in Waverly's face. But after his little outburst, he forced himself to stand still. "Two week suspension for all three of you."

"But Sir, Abbot didn't have anything to do with it!" Jer said unable to control himself as he gestured to Sam.

"Do you want to make it four?" Waverly practically yelled as he glared at the three boys in front of him. "I don't care whether or not Abbot was involved, he was there and he should have been with Thatcher doing the check. Now get out of my office and stay out of camp for two weeks."

The boys saluted and turned on their heels and went for the door. When they were outside, they all silently went to where they left their horses. After what happened, none of them really wanted to say anything. Zane patted Jer's shoulder then turned to mount his horse before waving goodbye to them. Sam did the same as Zane rode off and Jer waited for both of them to get some distance between them. When he got up on the horse, his leg throbbed and tried to ignore it as he took the reigns.

At that moment, there was truely no place like home.

The ride was only a short disance out of town and when his house got closer, a smile grew on his face even after everything that happened that day. When he was coming closer, he saw a small figure running towards him and new instantly who it was.

"Jer!" She called as he pulled the reigns and the horse stopped. He got off and pulled her into a big hugged praying that she didn't notice his leg. "Uh what happened?" Yeah right, like Miss I-like-to-stick-my-nose-into-everyones-buisness wouldn't notice.

"Uhh," He started as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"Jered Nathanial Stephens don't you dare lie to me." She replied  pointing a finger at him. He sighed in defeat and explained what happened. "You got WHAT!?!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. And I think you heard me the first time. I don't want to tell mom and dad."

"Then what do you suggest we do!?"

"I don't know, I got hurt by a pyrate and I was given two weeks to recover." He caught the uncertain look on her face. "Oh c'mon baby sister. As long as we get Zack to fall for it, mom and dad will too. It'll be fine. Now do you want to help me carry my bags in? My leg hurts bad," he bent to rub the bandage and gave her a pleading look.

"Oh it's going to be a long two weeks," she muttered as she grabbed his bag as he lead the horse into the barn.