You think back to Instructor Lonan's history discussion, but the details of peace agreements and the leaders involved slip through your mind like water through a sieve. About halfway through the exam you run into a proverbial brick wall. These questions couldn't possibly be meant for someone of your educational background! Most of these topics weren't even discussed in class. Maybe you should have devoted more of your free time to your studies.
Ahote wakes with a sharp snort, sitting bolt upright in his chair before murmuring something to himself. Panicking, you fill in random answers for the questions you missed as quickly as possible.
The old wolf slowly walks back to your desk and slips on his reading glasses as you proffer the pages of the test. Ahote goes dead silent as he traces a long-nailed finger along the paper, reading your answers. "I must admit, I was expecting results pointing toward academic strength, but it seems I have my work cut out for me." He pauses. "Still though, you did better than most of your class would have been capable of. That's something."
Next
Ahote leads you back to his desk, and you sit down in the chair opposite him, fingers twitching with nervous energy.
"I'll expect to see more of you over the next few weeks as we work out a regular schedule for lesson plans. For now, take these books and study them well. They'll provide an excellent basis for leadership and an understanding of what I hope to accomplish with you."
He gestures to a small stack of hardbacked manuals. The spines show them as primers on everything from leadership training and public speaking to organizing warriors during battle. You slip the books into your pack.
"You can go for now," Ahote says, looking you intently in the eyes as though he's searching for something. "You don't want to be late for your evening work at…where is it you work?"
"The laundry," you reply, feeling embarrassed to admit such a mundane profession.
"Now, now." The old wolf clucks his tongue. "We all start somewhere. All great leaders were once a working part of the pack they served. Knowing how the rank and file live and experiencing their tasks as your own will help you on your journey to greatness. Getting your hands dirty is fundamental to your education. Now, off with you!"
Next
The idea of attending your monotonous evening job at the laundry after the extraordinary events of the past twenty-four hours seems almost laughably absurd, but at this point you'd still rather not draw too much attention.
Gotta keep up the charade that everything's normal, you think to yourself. At least there's some entertainment tonight to keep my mind off of things.
You almost forgot about tonight's play, an event that you've been excited about for weeks!
You're already halfway to the laundry when you remember that you promised to swap jobs with Tiva tonight if you lost her challenge climbing the ropes onto the bridge. Despite everything that's happened, you know very well that Tiva will never forget winning a bet.
You sigh and change direction, dragging your feet on the way to Razor's metal shop, inwardly groaning at the idea of even a few hours' physical labor in the sweltering heat.
Razor rolls her eyes when you tell her that Tiva swapped duties with you for the evening, but she doesn't offer complaint, simply pointing you down to the belt to work with Haken's crew.
A large muscle-bound brute of a wolf, Haken is popular with other adults, but he's never been overly friendly with you. He rumbles a low growl when he sees you approach instead of Tiva.
"It's just like her to skip out on hard work and leave me with a replacement like you," he huffs. "I don't suppose you have any metal-shaping experience?"
You shake your head, and Haken groans. "Of course not. That would be too convenient, wouldn't it? What skills do you bring to the table, little wolf?"
You tell Haken that…