Chapter Thirteen – The Forest Exam Begins
The sun broke through the treetops like a spotlight on a stage—warm, golden, and almost mocking. The forest edge looked deceptively calm, all lush greens and whispering leaves. But everyone standing there knew better.
It wasn't just another walk in the woods. It was the real first exam.
A low hum came through the portable comms clipped to their uniforms, followed by Gabriel's steady voice.
> "This exam tests your instincts, your teamwork, and your ability to adapt. Remember, hesitation costs more than mistakes. The forest doesn't wait for anyone."
His tone wasn't harsh, but it carried a kind of authority that made everyone straighten up.
Claire's voice followed a second later, softer but sharper in precision.
> "You'll receive your instructions as you go. Your progress is being monitored. Don't overthink it—just move. Trust yourselves and each other."
Anna adjusted the tiny black comm in her ear. The signal buzzed faintly, echoing the thrum in her chest. She glanced up; ahead stretched a path of uneven ground, winding through moss, roots, and the occasional patch of shifting shadow.
Alex cracked her knuckles with a grin. "Piece of cake."
"Yeah?" Raymond muttered, strapping his backpack tighter. "You say that now."
Anna smiled faintly but stayed quiet. Her eyes followed the glint of light filtering through the trees—too bright, too watchful. This place felt alive, like the air itself was observing them.
When Gabriel's voice clicked off, the world went still again.
The exam had begun.
---
They started forward. Alex led the way, her confidence radiating like static. She stepped where instinct told her to, quick and fearless. Raymond followed, the calm in her storm. Anna walked behind, her gaze sharp and focused, scanning, calculating, anticipating.
Their first challenge came fast—a small ravine cutting through the ground, moss slick over stone. Alex took one look and crouched, testing the ground with her hand.
"Easy," she said, backing up a step. "We jump."
"Or," Anna murmured, crouching beside her, "we don't."
She tapped the edge of the rock with her boot. It shifted slightly. "It's not stable. Step down first, then move across using that root."
Alex blinked, smirk fading into something thoughtful. "Right. Decisive and smart. Got it."
Raymond went first, lowering himself down with a grunt. His muscles flexed as he tested the root, steadying it for the others. "Solid enough. Come on."
Alex followed, light and quick, then Anna brought up the rear. It wasn't flawless, but it worked. That was the point.
The comms clicked faintly again. Claire's voice came through, calm and observant:
> "Good coordination. Remember—awareness over speed."
Alex rolled her eyes but didn't argue. That alone was progress.
---
The deeper they moved into the forest, the denser it became. Branches brushed their shoulders; roots tangled beneath their boots. The path twisted, splitting in places that forced decisions. Each choice was a silent question: left or right? Up or down? Instinct or logic?
Anna felt her wolf mark pulse faintly under her collarbone—barely noticeable, like a heartbeat out of rhythm. The forest's quietness wasn't natural. It was the kind of silence that watched.
Raymond broke it first. "Feels like someone's breathing down our necks."
Anna nodded. "Because something is."
Alex smirked again, though the expression didn't reach her eyes. "Creepy forest energy, ten out of ten. I love it."
But even she moved more cautiously now. For every moment of bravado, there was an unspoken edge in her step.
A sound—a crack of a branch—echoed somewhere ahead. Raymond's head snapped up instantly. "Hold position."
The trio crouched, silent, breaths controlled. Seconds passed. Then Anna pointed. "Movement—left side."
It turned out to be nothing more than a hovering drone orb—one of the academy's tracking devices. A small light blinked blue as it hovered overhead, scanning.
Alex exhaled sharply, grinning in relief. "Great. We're being stalked by a metal bug."
Anna didn't smile. "It's still watching. Act like it matters."
And so they did—moving with precision again, the unspoken rhythm returning between them. Alex's boldness, Anna's precision, Raymond's strength. Each one different, but each one necessary.
---
By the time they reached the midpoint checkpoint—a natural clearing surrounded by twisted vines and patches of sunlight—Alex dropped to sit on a flat rock, wiping her forehead dramatically.
"Okay, time-out," she said. "If this is supposed to test our instincts, my instinct says nap time."
Raymond snorted and tossed her a water bottle. "You'll need more than instincts if we're going to finish with decent scores."
Anna was kneeling nearby, sketching quick notes in her small exam notebook. Not about the obstacles, but about the forest.
The air currents. The subtle temperature changes.
Something here was responding—and not just to their movement.
She felt her mark pulse again, a bit stronger this time.
Alex noticed. "You okay?"
Anna blinked. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
She didn't mention the heartbeat-like rhythm echoing through her skin, or the strange awareness pressing in from the trees. She didn't need to—not yet.
---
The comm clicked again; Gabriel's voice came through, steady as ever:
> "Time's halfway gone. Remember your objectives: observation, cooperation, safety. You'll be scored individually and as a team."
Alex groaned. "Individually and as a team? They're trying to break us."
Raymond smiled faintly. "Then don't break."
Anna looked up, the sunlight flickering through her green eyes. "We won't."
And for that moment—just a moment—it was true.
They weren't just surviving the forest. They were learning its rhythm.
And somewhere, deep in the silence, the forest was learning theirs too.