"Warriors, we will be sending you to the wolf forests for your test. You will be staying there for two days. You will have to learn how to protect yourself how you have been taught and also fend for yourselves. Everything is welcome so long as it ensures your survival. You will be going out in pairs. Not only do you have to protect yourself but also your partner. Good luck gentle ladies and I hope to see you all back."
They left in carriages with literally nothing except their weapons and one set of clothes. They were dropped and the carriages left. The sergeants took them to the center of the forest. After that they also left. They were a total of thirty students. They spread out from the center to the forest.
Mara and Kara took to the east where there was a stream. They built camp there with branches and twigs. It was freezing and they built a fire to warm up. This would not help as the smoke produced was too much as the twigs were too wet. They new that they had to go hunt also as the needed food.
Mara was an expert at this as she had gone out on royal hunting expeditions with her father and her brother. She knew how to set up traps for game. They were just two so they didn't need to hunt deers as it would start rotting. They wanted hares .
She dug up traps and they waited. Soon enough, they caught 4 rabbits. They skinned two and covered the other two with snow to keep them from rotting. After cooking, Mara slept as Kara kept watch. They would sleep in shifts.
In the dead of the night, the fire died but the smoke remained. Kara who had been barely keeping her eyes open did not notice. She was woken up by a howl that was close by. Mara also heard it and came out alert. it was so dark but due to the adrenaline, they could see quite well.
They didn't have to wait for long to see three wolves come out from behind the trees. They were huge and we're barring their teeth at the girls. Shivers ran down their spines but this was no time to start getting scared. Their lives were on the line.
Mara unsheathed her sword while Kara took her arrows and aimed at the beasts. The wolves seeing thing immediately leaped to the air to attack. This however did not intimidate the girls as in the academy, they had to go into a ring with such beasts. Although they were smaller than these ones, they were still vicious.
The fight was vicious. They were strong. Mara was finally able to take out the two wolves as Kara took out the one that kept leaping in the air. It was a perfect shot. They had scratches though but they used the healing spells they had been taught. Especially Kara who had received a bite on her leg from one wolf before it was killed by Mara.
As her friend healed herself, Mara started skinning the beast so as to make coats and quilts for them as it was still cold even if winter was ending. She washed the fur at the stream and put it out to dry. Kara helped to dispose off the bodies and then she went to bed as she hadn't slept for the better part of the night.
Mara sat out to watch as she had already slept. she also went out not too far from camp to pick fruits to eat and for Kara too for when she woke up. it was already dawn so she wanted to prepare everything for her friend when she woke up.
Hours later, Kara woke up feeling much better and rested. She ate the fruits that Mara had prepared as Mara went out for a bath in the stream and to wash up the clothes she had worn the previous day. Kara also finished up and did the same. "Hey Mara, might you have moved the bodies of the wolves from where I threw them at the river bank?" Kara asked as she had noticed the bodies missing.
Mara shook her head and this confused the two but they did not think much about it and just left their camping ground. As they were walking, they heard a piercing scream from the camp site near them and they quickly rushed to check. When they arrived they found a girl crawling with her entire foot gone. She was loosing alot of blood.
"Please help my partner, she is still in the river!" She begged. "What happened," Mara asked as they tried to administer some first aid. "We went down to the stream to take a bath but then we were attacked by something in the water. it was huge and scaly."
Mara told Kara to try and help her wounds as she went down to the stream to look for the other girl. She was horrified to find the stream crimson and parts of the girls body floating. It was a really gruesome scene. To make matters worse, she couldn't see the said creature as it was gone by the time they got there.
She fished out the girl's body and placed it on the shore. She looked for stones to cover her body as she buried her fellow warrior feeling sad. This could have been them as they had also been taking a bath that morning. At least now they knew where the wolves bodies had gone.
She went back up to find the girl unconscious and Kara distraught. One look and she could tell the girl did not make it due to her bleeding. This was so sad and they buried her next to her friend and gave their respects. Silence reigned between them when suddenly Kara screamed.
"Oh my God Mara we have to warn the others of the beast as they will be going to take a shower during this time!" She exclaimed and they ran towards the other side of the forest. This was really difficult to find them as they had all gone in different directions.
By the time they they got to them, an additional four girls had been killed. The girls started panicking. When coming to the forest they thought the only thing they had to worry about were the wolves but now they were sure that trouble was everywhere.