It was obvious that five people couldn't possibly finish all the rabbits, so each person was given a small portion of meat. When they came forward to receive their share, everyone whispered a soft "thank you," their voices barely audible over the crackling of the campfire. The night air was cool, and the scent of roasted meat lingered, mingling with the earth and pine.
In addition to the meat, the teachers had foraged through the wild plants, carefully picking out the ones that were safe to eat from the tricky, hard-to-identify greenery. They boiled them into a thin soup that was passed around in wooden bowls. Each person got a bowl, and though it wasn't much, it was enough to take the edge off their hunger, solving the problem of dinner for the night.
Oliver, however, couldn't stop wondering where all those bowls had come from. They hadn't brought that many with them, had they?
Above, the sky was a vast canvas of twinkling stars, their brilliant light dimming even the lonely, distant moon. Oliver leaned against the car, his gaze drifting between the heavens and the group beside him. Three of his companions were already fast asleep, their breath slow and even. One, however, was struggling, clearly unwilling to give in to exhaustion, but finding nothing better to do, he too eventually closed his eyes, surrendering to the night.
As Oliver looked around, he noticed that aside from a few teachers keeping watch, everyone had drifted into deep sleep. The night was still and quiet, save for the soft chirping of unseen insects, their song the only sound breaking the silence.
He turned his gaze back to the stars, ones he had seen countless times before, and let the cool night breeze brush against his face. His body, warmly wrapped in enough layers, felt cozy and calm, soothed by the gentle wind. With a deep breath, he allowed his mind to quiet and soon found himself sinking into a dreamless, peaceful sleep.
When morning came, the sun's bright rays crept across Oliver's face, stirring him from his rest. He groaned, pushing open his heavy eyelids, greeted by the sight of a teacher who had taken over the night watch. The teacher was busy stirring a pot, cooking the leftovers from the previous night's meal into another batch of soup for breakfast.
After they ate, the group gathered their things and resumed their journey. The competition wasn't over yet, and this wasn't a leisurely outing. There was a long road ahead, and they were determined to finish what they had started.
"How much longer do we have to walk?" Enola groaned, his face pale with exhaustion. Though he had managed to regain some strength in the morning thanks to the lozenges Oliver had given him, he was still struggling.
"It's still early," Oliver replied, glancing ahead. "If I remember correctly, we need to cross at least two mountains before we reach our destination. It's a long road."
Enola looked ahead, disheartened by the looming mountains. "We've got a long way to go... Wait, why can't we just teleport? Isn't there an easier way?"
Oliver chuckled lightly, but before he could answer, Lesley, who was walking beside them, chimed in. "It's because of the situation in that city," he explained. "There's a faction there that doesn't exactly welcome the academy, and they're quite powerful. The teleportation array that was supposed to be set up five years ago never got activated because of them."
Enola blinked, staring at Lesley in surprise. "How do you even know that? I thought you weren't the type to care about these things unless your girlfriend mentioned them."
Lesley smiled faintly, his eyes distant. "She once said she wanted to visit the beach, so I did some research on coastal cities nearby. I came across that bit of information while I was looking."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"But," Lesley continued, his tone becoming more serious, "we need to be careful when we get there. If that faction doesn't welcome the academy, it's likely they won't be too friendly toward us, either."
Enola's brow furrowed. "They wouldn't attack us directly, would they?"
"There's always a chance," Oliver said with a wry smile. "Who knows what goes on behind the scenes? They might have found a way to keep any unpleasant truths quiet."
Chris, who had been listening quietly, shook his head. "Alright, let's not scare him too much," he said, glancing at Enola's wide-eyed expression.
"You never know," Oliver replied with a shrug. "There's a lot in this world that doesn't go the way you expect."
By midday, they had only made it halfway up the first mountain, and already, some of the group were looking worn out. The sun beat down on them, and the trail seemed never-ending.
"Is anyone else getting hungry?" someone called from the back of the group, the collective fatigue starting to show.
It was going to be a long day.
"It's fine... Actually, no, I'm starving," Lesley admitted, glancing at his girlfriend beside him before quickly changing his tone. The forced smile on his face gave way to a hungry sigh.
"But even if we're hungry, there's not exactly anything to eat around here," Oliver remarked, scanning the barren landscape. The mountain they were on had a gentle slope, but the ground was stark, no vegetation, no animals, just endless rock and dirt.
"We could always send a bunch of people to go catch some prey," Oliver joked, chuckling to lighten the mood. But before he could say anything else, the teacher in front of them stood up and called out, "Does anyone here know how to ride a horse?"
Enola, still trying to join in on the humor, laughed. "You're not serious, right? Or is this one of those weird future-predicting moments of yours?"
Oliver raised an eyebrow, clearly amused but a bit confused. "If I could predict the future, I'd have met royalty by now," he replied with a smirk.
The teacher cut through their banter with a firm tone, "Anyone who knows how to ride, untie the ropes holding the horses to the carriage. Get on the saddles and head to the forest at the foot of the mountain. Pick whatever fruits you can find, anything edible to fill our stomachs quickly. We won't have time to cook or grill anything."
"Oliver, can you ride a horse?" Enola asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Ride a horse?" Oliver looked down, his fingers rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "It's been a while... I'm not sure I'd trust myself."
"What's up?" Chris, who had been listening quietly, noticed the hesitation in Oliver's voice.
"I've never actually ridden one before," Oliver admitted with a small shrug. "I think it's better if someone more experienced goes this time."
"Fair enough," Chris nodded, before stepping forward and expertly mounting one of the horses. Lesley followed suit, smoothly hoisting himself into the saddle and then reaching down to help his girlfriend up behind him. The two riders soon caught up with the teachers who had already set off towards the forest.
As they rode off, envious glances followed them. The sight of those who knew how to ride, gracefully making their way towards food, was enough to stir both admiration and longing in those left behind.
---
After a quick and simple lunch of wild fruits, the group set off again, resuming their trek. The day dragged on, but the mood was light, filled with laughter and the kind of small, fleeting moments that made journeys like this memorable.
Three days passed like that, three long, tiring days of climbing and descending mountains, with nothing but the occasional joke or friendly conversation to break the monotony. At last, as they reached the top of the second mountain, they were greeted by a vast, flat plain stretching endlessly before them.
"Where's this city you've been talking about?" Enola asked, standing a bit straighter now that he had fully adapted to the grueling journey. His sharp eyes scanned the horizon, but there was no sign of a city anywhere.
"Calm down, we still have half a day's walk ahead of us on this flat land," Chris replied, trying to keep Enola's excitement in check as he popped another lozenge into his mouth.
"Half a day more?" Enola slumped to the ground like a deflated balloon, his enthusiasm completely drained. "You've got to be kidding me."
They were all exhausted, their legs sore and their spirits running low. Fortunately, the medicine Oliver had been handing out kept them going, offering bursts of energy just when they needed it most.
"Where'd you get these medicines, anyway?" Enola asked, curious about their origin.
Oliver smiled mysteriously. "I found them myself," he replied, leaving the group in suspense.
Just as the conversation lulled, a convoy appeared in the distance. It moved slowly, led by carriages with guards on horseback in the front and rear. The wooden carriages were covered in luxurious cloth, each pulled by three strong, well-groomed horses.
Oliver's fingers twitched at the sight, and he quickly averted his gaze, his expression tightening.
"Hey, what do you think that convoy's transporting?" Enola asked, his eyes lighting up with curiosity. "Why's it covered in such fancy fabric?"
Oliver responded almost mechanically. "It's probably cargo," he said, his tone unusually stiff.
"Cargo?" The others looked at him with raised eyebrows, waiting for more. "Why?"
He paused for a moment, clearly debating how much to say. "Whoever's using cloth that expensive is likely a merchant. And merchants usually transport goods."
"Fair point," Enola and the others nodded in agreement, their curiosity temporarily satisfied.
But Oliver's mind was elsewhere. Cargo, he thought to himself. Or something far more sinister.
The riders in the convoy wore matching uniforms, each emblazoned with the symbol of a pitch-black crow. Oliver's hands clenched involuntarily at the sight of it, a bad omen, one he knew all too well.
As the convoy passed, he could only hope his suspicions were wrong.