Fate's Pawn: Twin Moons

Chapter Six: Round One

Obsidian walked away from me and towards the front of the line again. His voice boomed through the area. “As you all know these woods are our most sacred treasure. They have determined many things for our tribe, and today they shall determine more. Each of you will race through here as fast as you can. Show us your strength, your cunning, and of course your speed. Those that finish the course will have a time assigned to them.”

I tried to not zone out during his speech. Orchid’s eyes were still on my back and she was glaring at me. I hated hurting her, but she’d see, soon. I had no doubt I’d be one of the last finishers, there was no getting around that, especially with this new rule of Obsidian’s. But that was what he wanted anyway, he wanted to torment me.

“Those that finish first will get a head start during the hunt. That’s when we honor the warriors of our tribe and allow them to hunt you. This is your chance to show us you are no mere prey to be taken by our wills. This is your chance to show us what you all are capable of, and everyone has a fair shot.” He paused and laughed. “Well, normally at that point everyone has a fair shot, but obviously since we have those that don’t take our rites seriously, punishments must be made.”

I shifted in my spot. There were so many eyes on me I was starting to find it hard to breathe. I had to focus. Obsidian was right, I wasn’t going to just allow myself to be prey. But he wasn’t finished with his speech yet either.

“Normally we allow you to shift as you will to finish this course, but today I am creating a new rule. Once you shift, you can not shift back until the end of the match. Our wolves are part of us, they are our partners. As such when we hand the reins over to them, we will trust them to make the best choices.” He smiled once more. “Now then, ladies, it is time!” He clapped his hands together twice and the first large group of girls started forward.

I watched as they tripped over each other and pushed each other down. One girl was thrown onto the ground completely while others trampled over her body. She sprung up a few moments later and walked after the crowd in a daze. I kept my eyes peeled as they ran, no one went for the trees and relief warmed my soul. I hadn’t planned on keeping Ivy out of the race for the entire picture, but now I had no choice. I couldn’t leave this to her.

‘You’re going to regret that decision, Hazel.’

Time passed slow. The girls had become blurred dots by the time Obsidian took a stance in front of me. Lapis was still with the elders and watched everything that was going on with passive eyes. I had hoped I would have seen some of that fire in him again today, but no luck. Obsidian stood directly in front of me and didn’t move until I could no longer see the front group at all. “You may go now, Hazel. Good luck, you’re going to need it.”

I flinched and ducked around him as I jogged out into the forest. I enjoyed the dappling shade on my skin but didn’t allow myself too long to savor it. The animals all around me were silent. I side-stepped the first trap. A large pit covered over with grass and leaves. It was one of the last they had created. I jogged a little further and broke into a run as I kept to the right-hand side. I remembered for this stretch all the traps were to the left. Dandelion had set those, she had some sort of affinity for setting everything up on the left.

I glanced behind me and Obsidian and Orchid were tiny specks in the distance now. I couldn’t even make out which was which. I had gotten to the part where they wanted me to go to the false route. I rolled my eyes and started towards the path I knew was true when I heard a growl beside me. Tensing I looked over my shoulder. Pine had already shifted. “Well, Pine, I never expected you to be the first.”

She continued to snarl as she circled me. Her body was huge and if she pushed, she could possibly kill me before I even got out of the first area. “You are an abomination, Hazel.”

I shrugged as I eyed my surroundings. There wasn’t much to use, in fact, there wasn’t anything I could use around the area. It was most likely why they had used it as an ambush point. “It’s a good thing I’m leaving the clan then, right? Only one more day of me then you’ll never see me again, you can’t just let me finish this farce?”

She laughed in fits of growls. “You will always be a danger to us. I do not believe that we can be so easily saved by just marrying you off to another clan. The elders are wrong on this one, and I’d rather my clan be safe than risk it.” She bared her teeth at me as she stepped closer and closer. “Why not let Ivy take over so you can just die quick? I assure you if you stay as you are I’ll make you suffer.”

I snorted. “Oh, Pine, you’re so melodramatic. Though I suppose I should be addressing you as Fern right now. You realize getting through the rest of this course as a wolf isn’t going to be easy right?”

She shrugged her massive shoulders. “I am not so weak as to fight for my place after I’m finished with you. Besides, I won’t be last, your precious Orchid isn’t even here yet, nice backstab by the way. We knew you couldn’t be trusted. To do that to your own best friend, tragic.”

I laughed. “Backstab? I knew that you bitches would try to jump me. That’s why I wanted her to go last, so I had a chance to clear the way.” I heard shuffling high above and smirked before hiding it.

Fern was too obsessed with victory to note my amusement. “So the brave Hazel sacrifices herself? Oh, so sad.” At her last words, she leaped for me. I ducked underneath her heft and rolled behind her. She whirled with flashing teeth but again I avoided her. I touched the grass floor before I started to run back in the direction I had come from, screaming for help.

Fern’s laughter filled the air. Her heavy paws thudded on the ground behind me and she struck again. I dived forward this time compacting myself into a tiny ball and I hit the wall with my own thud. I blinked the stars out of my eyes before I realized she had launched herself at me again. There was a sharp yelp and I watched as the wolf was lifted high into the air and thrown against the rock wall. She landed with a thump and a whimper and her eyes closed.

I’m glad I hadn’t stumbled into that snare trap, that would have been death for this form. As it was I knew Fern would be fine, in a few minutes when her senses returned. I wasn’t about to let her have that time. I grabbed one of the other traps and disengaged it, stealing the heavy rope. I wound it around the out of it wolf and dusted my hands off. It wasn’t perfect but I’d have gained myself at least an extra quarter-hour.

I resumed my trek being careful to try to recall where the traps lay. I knew Orchid was already traveling overheard, and her way was clear. She should be fine. I came out of the first area and looked around the great ravine separating one area from the next. The natural bridges that had been here had been destroyed most likely by my fan club.

‘You aren’t going to be able to make it across.’

I had to agree with her. The mists from below swirled up and obscured any other way across. As a human, I wouldn’t be able to jump across, but as Ivy, I couldn’t trust that she wouldn’t just give up to the next on our list. ‘I’ll find a way, I’m not going to let you throw all this hard work away.’

‘You keep fighting the pack, it would be far easier to submit, Hazel.’

I snorted. I wasn’t about to do that. Instead, I jogged up and down the rugged edge until I spotted a series of rock almost hidden in the mist. I couldn’t see if they stretched all the way across, but it was the only choice I had unless I wanted to try to go backward and try to find Orchid’s path and follow her. But I had come so far from the start I couldn’t tell which tree path was hers anymore.

I shook my head to clear it. If I hesitated, if I wasted time, I might as well turn in last. I refused to do that. Taking a deep breath I jumped towards the misty rock and prayed that I had judged its distance properly.