Chandragarh
"Guruji," Mriga quickly went further ahead and bowed to him.
Prithvi straightened up from the tree's trunk, which he had been leaning against.
"I am sorry. I will remember it and work upon improving it in the future," she said politely.
Even though she said the right words, she was still reeling under the surprise at the turn of events. Why would Guruji ask her to meet him outside the campus when he could have easily summoned her to the office? To step out of the Gurukul, one needed a permission from the dean's office. Not only did he go through the trouble to procure one, he even hid his own identity from others.
What was the need to meet in such a clandestine manner? Wait a minute! Was she being sent on a big spy mission??? Her face nearly broke into a smile at the thought.
"You need to stop focusing your energy in looking for answers to the questions which are not important at the moment. I can practically see them falling off your brain right now. Take this map. I need you to study it thoroughly. In three days' time, you need to be able to draw an exact replica of it for me, including all the nooks and crevices with names and distances. Any questions?" He asked brusquely.
Mriga looked at him in askance. What? Was this her task? What he was asking her to do was near impossible. Not only did she suck at understanding maps, being able to reproduce such a detailed and complicated one, would be a big challenge for anyone. To top it, he expected her to accomplish it in three days? Had he chosen the right person for the task or was this her punishment for something that she had done earlier?
"Uh... Guruji," she started tentatively.
"It is imperative that you do this. There can be no mistakes on your part, do you understand? I know that you have other duties during the day. So, use this time every night to practice. I am assuming that you can find your way to the shop where Shaurya usually stays," he asked.
Dazed, she managed to nod her head.
"Good, go there now. You will be practicing drawing the map there. There are enough art supplies in the shop for you to work with. Remember to destroy every scroll which you use before you come back here in the morning. These are your permission slips to go out for the next two nights. Just show them to the warden tomorrow and day after night, understood?" he was getting impatient as Mriga stood there with an absent look in her eyes.
"Mrignayani! Why are you still standing here?" his slightly sharp voice brought her out of the daze and she sprang into action.
Bowing down to him hastily, she started walking away on unsteady legs. When exactly was she expected to sleep? And why was this task given to her, that too at the time when she had to prepare for the impending prestigious contest.
She rubbed her eyes hard, trying to shake the exhaustion out of them.
"Oh God! Why did I join the Admin team and if that wasn't enough, why did I put my name in for the competition? Is it too late for me to withdraw from either or both? Maaaaaaa, this is all your fault," she shouted in her heart.
Himprayag
Bela woke up earlier than usual, maybe it was the new surroundings or the bone chilling cold. Peering outside, she realized that it was still dark. But since she was awake, she might as well get an early start to the day. Till now, she had only heard about these magnificent beasts but never seen them in real. She was excited to see one up, close and personal.
Shivering a little, she dunked herself in the wooden tub of freezing water and rubbed her limbs vigorously with a loofah made out of a tree's bark. Even though she had been told that warm water could be fetched from the kitchens located close by, Bela preferred the cold-water bath. It would make sure that her body remained accustomed to the temperature outside. In fact, when she reached the log cabins located at some distance, her body was warm and cozy in the new liveried uniform.
"I am here to report to duty," she said to the sleepy attendant, extending the small slip which carried the orders from Gayatri.
The attendant looked at her with a scowl and muttered, "Too eager to start work, are you? Couldn't even wait for the Sun to rise, eh? Well, good luck! The beasts must be snoozing at this hour, as well. For now, go ahead and start with the cleaning of the compound. Once those big bears start tumbling out, we don't know when would you get the chance. Also, clean their livery which is kept in the storage room. The trainers are very particular about all the bears wearing them during the practice sessions. You will see a couple of young boys inside. Just wake them up and ask them to show you the cleaning supplies."
Bela was surprised to know about the livery. Back at Chandragarh, the animals which were used by the army didn't wear any sort of shields or ornaments. But it seemed that things were different at Himprayag.
A couple of hours later, Bela was soaked with sweat, and her limbs ached because of hauling the heavy metal armors from the storage to the fenced compound outside. The armors were big and bulky, apparently made to the size of the bears. They needed to be cleaned with a kind of oil which had been given to her by one of the boys.
Before going away, he had said, "Rub the oil till the armor starts shining."
Each armor was bigger than her entire length and Bela couldn't wait to see the bears who would wear these.