After breakfast I went to the training room to train with my weapons. I was wearing one of the thick leather coats, which made it hard to move around. Captain Haizer said it helps with improving mobility. I fought with my sword and swung at the wooden target shaped like a man. The rain was falling down like hail outside, I was wishing someone would've been here. It has been two months since the start of the war. James Drowe graduated last month and passed the final test with flying colors. He didn't say where he was stationed when he left. From what I've been told about the war, it has been concentrated on Alabaster Island. The other nations have been neutral ever since. Only eleven months remained until we graduated. Sundays are usually slow anyways.
A knock came at the door. I turned to see who it was.
"It's open." I shouted
Kyle entered the room with his sword in hand.
"Hey!" I said
"Oh, it's just you." Kyle said, walking towards me
"Yeah. Training is extremely boring alone." I complained
"It really is. Mind if I join you?" Kyle said
"No, not at all." I said, smiling
We trained together for a couple hours. Then we decided to spar. We were using wooden swords instead of metal ones. Our first match ended quickly. Kyle knocked me down and I hit the ground.
"Want to go again?" I asked
"Sure." Kyle said
This next match went on for a while. I could tell he was holding back. Just by the prior match, I knew he was leagues ahead of me. I gave it my all, but I couldn't get a hit on him. It was like he was reading my body language and knew where I was going to strike next, or maybe his reflexes were just too fast for me. He won the next three matches.
"Great job, Kyle. You are incredible." I complimented him.
"Thanks. You're pretty decent yourself." Kyle said
"Thanks!" I said, smiling
"Are you hungry?" he asked, rubbing his stomach.
"A little." I said
"Let's go eat." he said, taking off his leather armor.
"Sounds good." I said
We walked out into the rain. We headed down to the noodle shop. When we got there, the place was empty. It is on the edge of town. It is more crowded late at night. Kyle opened the door and we sat down at a table.
"I heard from my father that the war should end in the next few months, unless another nation joins. Then it will be prolonged or shortened." Kyle said
"Do you know why the war began?" I asked
"King Christopher Bonifre of Evermoon wanted the resources that Qarif has. And also the land." he replied
"Oh." I said
"Yeah, greed. That is why most wars begin." Kyle said, eating noodles.
"What do you think will happen after the war is over?" I asked
"Hopefully Evermoon pulls out of the war before anything drastic happens. As of right now, Remus is only supplying Qarif with food, weapons, and some legions, but those legions only stay deep in land to help protect the capital and other major cities." Kyle said
"I hope it ends before we are knighted." I said
"Same. I don't want to go straight to war after becoming a knight." Kyle said
"That would be rough." I said, finishing my noodles.
We left the restaurant and walked home. We rushed, even though we were already soaked. We stopped at his house. He waved and smiled as he entered his front door. I ran home as soon as the door closed. I threw off my wet clothes and ran upstairs saying, "Don't look Mom!" The warm shower never felt any better than it did that day.
August crept up on us quickly. The sun was blazing hot and the leaves turned brown. Evermoon did not stop their onslaught, and Remus never stopped supplying Qarif with men, weapons, and other resources. According to Kyle's Father, the war would end at the end of the month with the retreat of Evermoon. Perhaps a treaty will stop this war. Captain Steve Haizer continued to train us alone. 120 children is a lot for one man, but he somehow pulled it off. Eve, my sister, was growing fast. She can't talk just yet, but she learned how to walk - a little.
The six of us trained every day together during June and July, even when we had time off. Kyle was a great teacher, he never yelled or got frustrated when we failed countless times. I prefer him over Captain Haizer. Kyle told us if we trained together more often then we would become closer. Kyle was too skilled for any of us to fight one on one, but after the summer I was the only one who could land a blow on Kyle.
Winter rolled in with a massive snow storm. The river runs too quickly for it to freeze over. Snow piled by the inch all over Osetrun Village. I personally liked the snow. Snow is beautiful and when the ice freezes on the trees, it is a majestic sight. The six of us would play in the snow after training. Building forts and having snowball fights. This winter was special because it was the first one Eve could really enjoy. She loved making snowmen and throwing snowballs. Mother and I would play with her a lot. I loved what the tree looked like in the winter. Kyle and I would visit the tree frequently, sometimes with the others.
"I love winter." I said
"Same. Summer is the worst." Kyle said
"Yeah, way too hot." I said
"It's so nice to get outside without sweating." Kyle added
"It is." I said, looking up to the sky.
The air was very cold and snow fell from the clouds. I scooted closer to Kyle. He leaned against me as we sat up against the tree. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted to sleep. Kyle woke me up, from what I could tell it hasn't been that long.
"If we fall asleep out here, we probably will die." he said
"Yeah, that's true." I said
"Are you that tired?" he asked
"No, the cool air and your warm body was relaxing." I said
"Ah, that makes sense." he said
"I am hungry, though." I said
"I am, too." he said, reaching into his backpack, "I brought some bread, would you like some?"
"Yeah, thanks." I said
"Anytime. You're welcome." he said
We chatted about nothing for a while until Kyle said, "I'm going to head inside. You should too."
"Yeah, that's a good idea." I said
We stood up and I followed him home. I said goodbye and walked to my house. Mom was in the kitchen with Eve. They both looked up as I approached.
"Hi, honey." Mom said
"Hey, Mom," I replied, giving her a hug.
"Where have you two been? It has been snowing nonstop since yesterday!" she said, in a worried tone.
"We were playing in the snow, and then we lost track of time." I explained
"Well, come help me make dinner." she said, grabbing my hand.
"Sure." I said
Night fell and so did the temperature outside. I found that I was having trouble sleeping. While I was laying in bed, I heard something hit my window. I quickly went over and opened the blinds and saw Kyle waving his hand. I opened the window and called out to him.
"What are you doing?" I said
"I couldn't sleep. Want to go on a walk with me?" he asked
"It is too cold outside." I said
"Please?" he begged
"Fine, fine." I said
I grabbed warm clothes and threw them on and snuck downstairs and out the front door. Kyle hugged me and thanked me for joining and grabbed my hand and led me around. We walked in silence, but I didn't care that much. Just being with him was enough for me. As we walked, we went to the tree. The stars were bright and I could see many constellations. The moon shone brightly and cast a soft glow on the landscape. I felt safe and calm. I smiled as I thought how peaceful the night was. He put down a thick blanket over the snow and we laid down next to each other on it.
"The night sky is always beautiful." he said
"Yes, especially with the snow falling." I said
"Rowan?" he said
"Yeah?" I responded
"Never mind." he said
"You can say whatever." I said, turning to him.
When he turned over to look at me, I saw what he wanted to say in his eyes. I could tell he was full of sorrow. I hugged him tightly and didn't let go for a while. He returned my hug. My heart was racing. He stood up and pulled me up, too.
"We seriously can't fall asleep out here." he said with a smile
"Yeah, we would surely turn to ice." I said
"Only a few months remain until we are knighted." he said
"I can't wait." I said
"Me neither." Kyle said
We began walking back to our homes. I followed closely behind Kyle.
"Tomorrow is going to be a new experience for us." Kyle said
"I'm a little nervous." I said
"It will be challenging, but I think it will also be fun." Kyle said
In the morning I rushed to get ready and grabbed my backpack. My mom packed extra food and water. I quickly left home and went to the training grounds. There all of the 120 kids were in their groups waiting for Captain Steve Haizer to speak. I sat next to Kyle and with the rest of our group. The sky was cloudy, but it ceased snowing. Captain Haizer did a roll call and began speaking shortly after.
"As you all know, today is the day of survival testing. We chose to do it now because the situation in the world has changed. We would normally do this in the spring, but those who will be graduating this May will now be graduating in February. This was a direct order from King Ewald Estrin himself. Each group will be stationed in a part of the nearby forests and will survive for four days. This is also part of the final test for all of you. If you seek help from another group, you fail. If you seek help from a citizen, you fail. If you seek help from me, you fail. The only exception to this is if you encounter an enemy force or legion. Everything else you encounter in those forests you will have to deal with by yourselves. Each group will be stationed quite a distance away from each other. If you so happen to run into another group, you may converse, but mustn't aid one another. I will have professional scouts looking after each group and they will report back to me at the end of your fourth day. Of course we will not allow any of you to die. I know there are bears and packs of wolves in there. I will leave it up to the scouts if they want to interfere, if they do then it means you got attacked by something you were not prepared to fight. Aid by a scout does not mean failure, unless it is about something such as food, water or shelter." Captain Haizer finished talking.
"What if one of us gets sick?" a kid asked
"Good question. It will depend on the severity of the sickness. If you are about to die, then you will be pulled out and will be excused from this training, but you may have to do it later. If it is just a cold, then the scout will be allowed to give you medicine but you will remain in the forest with your group." Captain Haizer answered
"I have a question!" Kyle said
"Yes?" Captain Haizer said
"What if the scout is too late to help us, if we do get attacked by a large bear or pack of wolves, and one of us gets fatally injured?" Kyle asked
"That hasn't happened before. The scouts usually stay relatively close to the group, just out of your way and view." Captain Haizer responded
"If we request no scout, do we get extra points?" Kyle asked
"No scout?" Captain Haizer repeated
"Yes." Kyle said confidently
"I cannot allow that." Captain Haizer said
"I understand." Kyle said
"Any other questions?" Captain Haizer said, waiting a minute or two, "Good. It is nearly eight in the morning. In four days, at seven or eight, I will see you again. Please go into your team's barracks. Your scout will be waiting for you there and will lead you to your destination. I wish you all the best of luck." Captain Haizer said, walking into his office.