Chapter 76: Stay Put And Wait

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Stay Put And Wait

He gently caressed her head, fingers threading through her messy crimson hair, until she finally closed her eyes and relaxed.

"Goodnight."

Xavier woke to a gentle caress on his chest. Kaya’s soft body was wrapped around him, her head resting on his arm.

"What, feeling my muscles?" he asked.

"You’re leaving today?" asked Kaya.

"Yes, do you want me to stay?"

She remained quiet. Her silence surprised him.

"Do you really want me to stay?" he asked again. He had not expected this shyness from her.

"I know I can’t make you stay," she answered at last. "Just tell me—when are you going to return?"

"I don’t know. Even if I come back to the Red Forest, we might take a different route. I can’t promise anything for certain, at least not until I graduate from the academy."

"I see."

"What will you do after I leave?" Xavier asked.

"I’ll keep training and become the next chief. As soon as I take the position, I’ll deal with those neighboring tribes that have been causing trouble lately."

Xavier leaned in and took her soft chocolate lips in a warm kiss.

"I’m sure you’ll do great," he said, then rose from the bed.

Both of them knew they had only been able to share a single night. Now that morning had come, neither wanted to let the other go.

"I’ll try to visit whenever I can," he told her as he dressed. "Until then, make sure you become the greatest chief your tribe has ever seen."

"Of course. Just who do you think I am?" Kaya replied with a light giggle.

It was early morning. Most of the students were still asleep in their tents after the night of celebration. When Xavier stepped outside the walls, he found Professor Freya already awake.

"You’re up early. Good. Go wake your teammates. We’re making an early start today," she said, then moved on to rouse the rest of the students still sleeping in their tents.

After a quick packing, everyone assembled and resumed the march deeper into the Red Forest. A few students were still hung over from the previous night’s drinking. One of them was Allen, walking beside Xavier.

"Hey Xavier, can you carry my stuff for a while? I’m not feeling too good," Allen asked.

"Carry your own stuff. You should have been more careful last night," Xavier replied.

"Hand it over to me," Benny said, surprising them both by coming to Allen’s rescue. She took his bag and supported him as they walked.

The forest was not as dark as it had been at night, but direct sunlight still never reached the ground, the darkness was just weaker in the morning. They began to encounter more and more bloodstains on the trees and the soil. After a while not a single trunk remained unmarked by at least one dried splash of blood.

They fought beasts from time to time, though fewer than the day before—perhaps because they had left the Bloodmoor tribe’s main hunting grounds. With fewer threats, the march moved faster.

The students performed far better than they had the previous day. Their spirits were high, from the confidence gained by yesterday’s fights and by the memory of warriors their own age handling beasts as if they were cattle. Competitive fire had been lit in them.

They encountered a few more dreadhorns and packs of dire wolves that always hunted in groups of at least six. This time all ten teams worked together, spreading the burden and making the fights manageable.

A smile curved on Freya’s lips as she watched the improvement that a single day had brought. By the lunchtime, they had already reached their destination.

"All right, students. This is as far as we go. We’ll spend the next five days here. Build a temporary camp and survive whatever comes our way," Professor Freya announced.

"If that’s all we need to do, it’ll be a piece of cake," Allen said.

Things had grown easier once they got used to the rhythm, but everyone was still tired from the walking and the fighting. They sat on fallen branches or clean stones and began unpacking the lunches they had prepared.

"Oh, and one more thing," Freya continued. "I’ll be taking any food you packed. The official list from the academy allowed only a single day’s worth, but I know every one of you brought enough for seven days. I’m confiscating all of it. This is not a picnic. We are here to learn survival. You will eat what you hunt."

"Does it still look like a piece of cake?" Xavier teased Allen under his breath. If there was one thing beyond his control, it was stopping Allen from raising flags.

A few students tried to protest, but Freya’s authority was absolute. One by one they handed over everything they had packed, keeping only a few small snacks that could fit in their pockets. Everything else was taken.

"Now it’s up to you," she said. "You can set up camp first, or, if you’re too hungry, you can go hunt. I’ve assigned each team a different direction. Don’t go farther than four hundred meters. Even if you find nothing at first, stay put and wait—the beasts will come eventually. I’ll make rounds to keep an eye on you from time to time."

Though disappointment showed on many faces, the students obeyed. Each team first set up its tent so they could leave behind anything unnecessary and carry only what was needed for the hunt.

Once the tents were raised, they took their weapons and tools, and set out in the directions Freya had given them. The farther each team walked, the more separated they became from the others.

The forest grew darker. The trees this deep were more red than black, and decaying bones of beasts lay scattered here and there. Xavier led his team—Fiona, Allen, Benny, and the rest—with himself at the front and Fiona guarding the rear. They moved through the gloom with only the sound of soft scrape beneath their footsteps on the black and red soil.