Chapter Ten – The Forest Exam
The morning fog lay heavy over the camp, curling between the wooden cabins and the dense trees beyond. Students stretched, yawned, and muttered complaints under their breaths. It was their first full day in the forest, and excitement mingled with apprehension.
Gabriel stood at the edge of the clearing, arms crossed, eyes scanning the students like a hawk. Beside him, Claire adjusted her pack silently, her expression serious—less of her usual teasing, more of a calm authority that kept the students in line.
"Today," Gabriel began, voice carrying over the rustle of the forest, "you'll navigate sections of the woods and demonstrate control over the skills we've covered. Think of it as an exam."
A murmur rippled through the students. Whispers of fear and anticipation.
Alex hooked her arm through Anna's. "We're sticking together," she said firmly.
Raymond slid in beside Anna on her other side without a word. The three of them formed an unbroken line as the students paired off around them.
"Split into small units. Two, three—whatever you need. Stay together and stay alert," Gabriel said, sweeping his gaze over the groups.
The trio moved through the edge of the forest, their steps quiet on the damp earth. Leaves brushed against their boots, and the air smelled sharp with pine and wet soil.
Anna's hand brushed lightly against her collarbone, where the wolf mark pulsed faintly beneath her skin. A signal. A quiet acknowledgment. The forest noticed them, but she said nothing.
"Keep your eyes open," Alex whispered, glancing around. "Something about this place…"
Raymond grunted, half-annoyed, half-nervous. "You mean it feels alive?"
Alex nodded, eyes narrowing. "Exactly that."
The path twisted between ancient trees, roots knotted like the veins of the forest itself. The sun broke in fractured beams, and shadows shifted unnaturally. The students ahead and behind were soon swallowed by the greenery, leaving the trio alone in a quiet triangle of tension and awareness.
Claire's voice cut softly through the stillness, "Focus. The forest doesn't reward hesitation."
They moved deeper, each step measured, breathing synchronized with the rustle of leaves. Anna stayed close to Alex, but not too close—there was a respect in the distance, a silent trust. Raymond scanned the treeline, shoulders tense, ready to react.
A sudden breeze passed, carrying the faint scent of something wild and ancient. Anna stiffened, feeling the wolf stir beneath her collarbone again, a low pulse that matched her heartbeat. The forest was aware of them, and they of it, but the depth of what was coming remained just beyond sight.
"Stay close," Alex said, her voice lower now. "Don't let it separate us."
Raymond rolled his eyes but kept pace, while Anna's green eyes scanned the shadows. There was an undercurrent in the forest—a tension that whispered of trials, choices, and unseen eyes.
Branches snapped underfoot, leaves rustled unnaturally, and the trio adjusted instinctively. They didn't need to speak; the bond was there. Movement, glance, hesitation—each understood the other's silent cues.
Gabriel's voice carried once more, distant but clear: "Remember what I told you. Trust your instincts. Stay alert. Observe. And above all, survive."
The forest stretched before them, endless, ancient, and unknowable. And as the trio stepped forward together, Anna's hand unconsciously returned to her wolf mark, the quiet pulse beneath her skin a reminder: they had entered a place that would test them, one step at a time, and nothing would remain quite the same.