The exhausted group ran non-stop for fifteen miles before they reached the Terranite forest.
Her sister had always told her to avoid the forests at all costs.
As many wild animals and vicious beasts lurked in those woods.
Zyra never gave it much thought since they didn't live near it.
"Look out!" A male voice yelled.
She had been so deep in thought she almost ran straight into a bear trap.
It looked like it had been abandoned a long time ago.
The trap was no longer shiny silver but dingy and rusted due to rain and other elements.
It blended well with the carpet of twigs and fallen leaves.
Had she not jumped over it in time it would have clamped down on her foot?
She pictured lots of blood, severed and exposed tendons, or even worse a broken bone.
Zyra would have been in too much pain to continue running.
The only small comfort she would have had was that a guard would have returned to put her out of her misery.
Even if she somehow managed to crawl and move her body in time.
Probably hide her body beneath some bush to avoid the notice of the guards.
Tetanus from the rusty metal or starvation would have done her in if the wild animals didn't finish her first.
"Thanks for the save."
"No worries, maybe someday I'll ask you to return the favor."
"Sure but don't count on it, we aren't out of the woods yet."
"Now I remember you, you were the only one that collapsed."
He grinned as if he was delighted in her pain and disgrace. How rude.
No one wanted to be reminded that they were dead last.
Why bring it up now when she was managing to keep up with the others?
If he wanted to crush her spirit, why save her then?
"So what, if I passed out. What's that got to do with you?"
"Less talking, more running," interrupted a guard brusquely.
The two men exchanged a knowing smile before the jerk picked up speed to be closer than arm's length to Rolf.
Show off.
Zyra wanted to slap that smirk off his face but he wasn't worth the cost of stamina it would take for her to run and catch up with him at the speed he was going.
She would keep an eye on that guy, normally Zyra was invisible to others.
It would be easier for her to survive this ordeal if she wasn't being picked on or showing up on anyone's radar.
Now she wished she had paid more attention during geography lessons with Kayle.
All she could remember about the woods was that food resources were particularly scarce in that area.
This made the forest creatures, even more, bloodthirsty and savage.
All of a sudden she saw an anaconda suspend itself from a tree.
It dropped onto its prey an unsuspecting male runner.
He was short about 4 ft 9 and the weight of the snake toppled him to the ground.
The snake skin was a grimy yellow, it was also wide and looked to be about 18 ft long.
It took advantage of its unsuspecting victim by quickly wrapping itself around the man's torso like a spring in a fountain pen.
The snake quickly started to squeeze the struggling man in a predatory attempt to suffocate him to death.
She wanted to help but without weapons, she couldn't do much.
Besides her slowing down caught the attention of a nearby guard.
He gave her a warning glance so she kept moving.
Zyra kept on running and maintaining her stamina even after the guard drew his machete.
She knew what was coming but she still winced, at least she hoped the runner had a merciful death.
Eventually, Zyra lost count of how many stragglers had already fallen behind as they tried to keep pace with Rolf.
No doubt this was another test to reduce their numbers even further.
She needed to step up her pace a bit because instinctively she knew if she lost track of Rolf it would be game over.
Luckily Rolf's pace slowed a bit as they trekked up a steep incline.
The area was hilly and grassy, and you had to pay attention to your surroundings as you could easily trip over loose stones or exposed tree roots.
The air was getting thinner the higher they climbed and soon it was hard to breathe properly with their lungs.
A thick mist descended on the area and it was getting harder for her to keep track of Rolf.
"Keep up the pace folks, only five more miles before we reach our destination."
Easy for you to say, Zyra thought to herself. Every muscle on her body either ached or felt sore.
Pretty soon she would have bruises and scratches all over her body.
From contact with tree branches and shrubs that whacked her as she made her way through the dense forest.
Her left leg itched profusely and she was pretty sure that Rolf had let them, deliberately run through a grassy field of poison ivy and thorny brambles.
Don't even get her started on the mosquitoes. They were loud, annoying, and out for blood.
Rolf was fully covered from head to toe no doubt unbothered in the best protective clothing this world had to offer.
This latest injustice added to her long list of grievances against him and made her dislike him even more.
Zyra felt it for the other men and women who chose to wear shorts to do the test.
She felt their pain literally as she too was exposed from the knees down.
It was a relief to see that she wasn't the only female being recruited by the wolfbeast army.
They were a small handful and she counted at least twenty of them.
There was not a friendly face amongst them.
Openly, they eyed each other with distrust and it seemed as if they all drew the same conclusion.
This was just another grueling test designed to eliminate more of the weaklings.
Finally, Rolf eventually slowed, stopping at the start of a clearing.
Most of the bush in this section looked like it had been burnt or destroyed.
He checked his stopwatch and seemed to be waiting for someone or something.
Zyra took the timeout to lean against a tree instead of sitting around like the others were doing.
She was afraid that if she sat down her legs would give out and she would be unable to stand again for a while.
Loud whirring noise from the sky drew everyone's attention, now she could finally see what Rolf had been waiting for in the clearing.
It was a huge army airship, the type she saw less frequently flying over her area and had only admired from afar.
It was bold, shiny black, and impressive in the dimensions of size and sheer power.
It was a sight to behold and she was glad she wasn't the only one gawking at it with admiration.
She never thought the day would come when she would get close to an airship much less travel in it.
Despite her misgivings and distrust of the wolfbeast army, she was excited to climb aboard the airship.
She felt like this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as tomorrow was promised to no one.
Zyra would have so much to tell Kayle whenever they met again in person.
"Please line up for a head count," Rolf ordered.
From the hundred that had started running only 55 of them were left.
After the headcount, they lined up in a single file to enter the airship.
They were told that they were going to be seated for the entire journey.
It would be a 24hr nonstop flight so it was best to relieve themselves in the woods before boarding the airship.
The airship was not equipped with toilet or kitchen facilities.
The inside was nothing spectacular to see, the best way she could think to describe it was that there were two long benches for seating.
They lined the wall of both sides of the ship. In the center was mostly cargo, with crates that contained army equipment and food.
Rolf didn't have to tell them to get some rest on the journey ahead.
However, rest was not easy to come by.
As the airship encountered pockets of turbulence that roused them from their sleep repeatedly.
The next time she woke up it was the following day and they were finally nearing their destination.
A bright, sunny day, with clear skies with hardly a cloud as far as the eyes could see.
Below it was a long stretch of clear white sand and crystal blue waters.
A far cry from the smog-infested, industrialized city where she once lived on the outskirts.
The further inland the airship flew, the more the topography of the land changed. Beach was slowly being replaced by mangroves and swampy forests.
They headed north and the terrain changed yet again, the forest became denser and they passed numerous lakes and mountains.
The most breathtaking sight was that they passed over an active volcano.
Zyra didn't have to be told that they were now in Fuegolian territory.
The legendary rumors had not done the area justice; it was indescribable.
Now she knew that the rumors were true and if how the Fuegolians trained was believable; it was the stuff of nightmares.
It is said they held annual huge barbecues where they roasted and ate their enemies.
Fuegolians were said to be the most hot-headed and volatile clan of the wolfbeasts.
It was said that when they transformed they looked like fire-breathing demons and incinerated their enemies alive.
They hungered to kill and had been the last wolfbeast group to agree to the peace treaty. This was one barbecue she would rather not attend.