"Do it!" Shouted initiate Daniel.
"Do it or you're a PUSSY!"
"Bro, I am in the process OF doing it!"
Shouted back a rather annoyed initiate Kellow as he balanced on the edge of the lion cage precariously. *if only Daniel had the stones to take dares himself* thought Kellow.
Kellow is 17 years old and a rather big risk-taker; Daniel on the other hand is a bit of a chicken, but loves to cheer OTHERS along in making potentially bad decisions.
The thing that Daniel so emphatically wants Kellow to do is climb the edge of the lion cage and pull out a hair from the mane of one of the lions using the Gift.
"Jeez you guys are such idiots" groaned Lyra from the door she was watching to make sure the boys weren't caught.
"You guys DO know that we have trials in just a few minutes right? What if you get knocked down into the cage by an angry lion rattling the cage; or even outside of it where you'll sprain your ankle or something?"
"Add to that you are really messing with fate to tick off what could possibly be in YOUR trial"
Commented Fein, who was quietly sitting in the corner of the room observing from a safe distance.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine" Kellow re-assured.
"Don't you remember how I ran along some of the rooftops the other day?"
"Yes, but that 1. Didn't involve lions and 2. Didn't happen right before the most significant event of your childhood!"
"You got this bro!" Yelled Daniel, as Kellow closed his eyes to focus on his grasp of the Gift.
He extended his arm to aid his mind's conception of the force he was channeling, clenched it slowly into a fist, and then YANKED!
The startled lion awoke with an earth-shaking roar and scrambled on the floor for a second to find purchase with its claws and the rushed straight at the gate separating the lions from the children.
Lyra yelped and Kellow whooped as he did a Gift-aided backflip off of the cage and onto the ground beside her.
The newly pissed-off lion now saw who had claimed some of his hair and a whisker and continued to throw himself at the groaning gate.
"What in the blazes is going on in there?!" Yelled an adult who came busting in the service door (that Lyra was notably NOT guarding since it hadn't been used the whole time all of the 4 had been there.)
"I'm sorry Mr. Rasolf sir! I tried to warn them it was a bad idea but they didn't listen to me" Lyra explained.
"Stand back!" Rasolf told the kids as he flashed his hand outward and the enraged lion passed out on the spot, like its connection to consciousness was interrupted.
"Wow, impressive." Stated Fein earnestly (he's always been a junky for new and innovative uses of the Gift).
"Not bad huh?" Said Rasolf. "The technique relies upon you first realizing that...hold up a second, let me lecture your friends first"
"What on Mand were you guys thinking?" Rasolf said aggressively.
"We weren't" said a smug, smiling Kellow with a fistful of lion hair.
"I swear you guys will drive all us adults to our graves! Speaking of which, it's all of your turns in sequence of your initiate numbers out on the trials."
"Oh, in that case bring it on!" Said Kellow, discarding his poached hair as he was escorted out through the service door.
On their way out Rasolf leaned into what was presumably a break room and said "Sister Madolym, keep an eye on the miscreants in prep-area 20 for me will ya?"
This was met with a female sigh as the two guys proceeded towards the arena where glory and proving ones' self surely awaited.