What I thought about 'time and risk' was perfectly correct. I'm already regretting saying yes because you don't know what she asked me to do.
She is trying to make me concentrate because everytime she was informing me about something important, I would get lost in my own thoughts, thinking whether I made the right decision or not which made her pissed off.
She has me tied to a tree…
Now you would think it's not that bad but it is because it's not the way you're probably thinking.
She actually tied me upside down on a branch! She says the branch is strong but I highly doubt that.
And you know what's worse?
No? Then I'll tell you…
Beneath me isn't the ground or soft grass but water. A lake, yeah, the lake which is near my house.
Now the training part is she would ask me some questions and if I answered it correctly then bingo but if not then with each wrong answer…
The rope she used is secured around a big sack full of heavy stones, she would take out the stones from the sack which will lead to me nearing the water and finally falling or 'drowning' in my words. She assured me that she'd save me though.
She's going to ask ten questions and right now she's asked five which I answered correctly.
"Dira, Adira!", I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at her fuming form.
"What did I say about day dreaming?", she was very angry, there'd be steam coming out of her ears if that was possible.
She's very strict regarding training, she tapped her foot on the ground demanding an answer, I gulped.
"Sorry Mariya, it won't happen again", my voice came out as a squeak.
"No sorrys Dira, you made a mistake, now you'll pay for it".
She made her way towards the sack and looked at me smirking evilly, this made me shrink more in my place and before I could stop her, she already removed some stones which made the rope and me go lower.
I screeched in horror and my eyes shut as I felt the rush of wind around me, making my my heart hammer in my chest. I was swinging back and forth with the rope, my eyes still closed and my breathing raged.
"You can open your eyes now scaredy cat", this made me gasp and forgetting about my predicament momentarily, I looked at her with a shocked expression and gasped.
"I am not scaredy cat", I voiced out.
"Oh really? Your expression before told a different story", she said with extreme sarcasm.
I tried to fix my posture and look a bit more confident but the minute I realized how close I was to the water, I shrieked again and Mariya laughed out loud.
I had an expression of utter horror and she looked like she would pass out from laughing too hard, her hands holding her stomach and tears started coming out of her eyes.
It wasn't that funny
My face had a blank expression and as soon as she saw this, she tried to hold her laughter with trembling lips from the effort.
"Sorry about that", she coughed to contain herself, "Now for the next question, we are going to test your senses. For that you have to tell me the first thing that you hear loudly or clearly".
My blank expression slipped off as I looked at her puzzled. What is she talking about? There are no voices.
"Mariya? There are no voices around here, no one's making any noise so there's no use in telling you anything".
She sighed
"It'll take a lot of time", she said under her breath.
"There are many voices Dira. We are werewolves, we live in the forest because we love to live with nature", I looked at her confused.
"I know that but I still can't hear anything"
"Close your eyes and try to concentrate on your surroundings, heighten your hearing senses, I'm sure you'll hear something".
I didn't want to but I gave in to her instructions. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on something out there"
First of all there was nothing and I was starting to loose hope but I heard a faint sound of small feet jumping and coming in contact with the soft grass from a rabbit.
Happy that my senses are perfectly fine, I opened my eyes to tell Mariya about the rabbit but she knew.
"By the look of excitement on your face, I can tell that you've heard something.
"Now", she paused and stared at me intently, "I want you to find the location of the source".
My mouth dropped open hearing what she just said and I know if I was standing correctly… it would have touched the floor.
"I can't do it, I hardly heard it", I tried to reason it to her but she wasn't accepting excuses.
"You can and you're going to"
Before I could say something she beat me to it.
"Stop with your lame excuses, now do as I say or else", she walked towards the stone sack smirking.
Terrified, I closed my eyes and started searching for that rabbit voice again. But nothing… I can't hear anything.
Has it vanished or become someone's food or worse gone home?
I searched desperately for the rabbit but it looks like it knew that there was someone searching for it.
"Dira come on, what's taking you so long", she called from the distance probably getting impatient because I was taking so long.
"Sorry Mariya but I can't hear it again", I said my eyes still closed searching for that rabbit.
"You can't hear anything because you're scared"
"Who said that? I am perfectly fine", I tried to sound confident but it wasn't working.
"Your voice just proved it, you are afraid that if you can't find it, I would take out the stones and you'll fall".
I know I'm afraid and I hate it but I can't help it, the sea already gave me trauma. What should I do? What should I do?
I kept chanting in my head and before I knew it, I was sweating and my heartbeat increased.
"Woah there Adira, calm down. It's not a punishment, it's a training so open your eyes and look at me", I did as she said.
"Take deep breaths, think of happy thoughts and good memories then try to locate the place".
I did as told and closed my eyes, my mind revived a memory I didn't know existed. It was a flashback of a very good memory with my parents.
It was the time when everything was perfect, my father and mother were training new kids and I was three years old then. I was never bullied or abused when my parents were alive, they all loved me.
I was sitting on a chair watching them train but then I excitedly got up and went towards the training field and stood on the first line with the other trainers who were older than me and did some of their moves with my chubby hands, not minding that I was doing it all wrong.
Everyone looked at me with surprise, my mother awwed and came towards me with my father laughing and looking at me with pride.
"Look honey, she's as excited to become a warrior as you were to in your childhood", my mother said kissing me on the cheeks and my father hummed in response while picking me up in his arms.
"She's going to become a great warrior someday and make us proud", my father said, I didn't understand half of his words but still giggled.
"Now let's get to training", he put me down and taught me some easy moves but I got it wrong again. A circle formed around us, some laughing and smiling, some making encouraging comments while some just awwed at my chubbiness.
I opened my eyes in shock and looked around myself desperately searching for my parents, my pack members, for the field but instead came face to face with Mariya's concerned face and I immediately realized where I was.
"What happened Dira, I called you five times now but you were not responding. First I thought that you were just concentrating but still you were taking time and made me worried", she looked at me with concern.
"Is everything alright? Am I pushing you too much? If you are tired then we will stop for the day", she finished.
"No Mariya, I'm fine. Let's go back to training", I said full of determination which shocked Mariya. Without waiting for her response, I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate.
After a couple of minutes of determined search… I finally heard it.