Even with the loud sound of the other students there, Naevius couldn't help but think about that strange image. It was something he saw himself from the very start of his pathetic existence, always with him, always cursing him. And yet, there it was. In a test he did for a school.
His mind eventually came back to its senses when a watch was given to him and the other students.
"I want to congratulate everyone who did finish their tests, and those who didn't, too." Molter gave a quick pause so everyone could put on their watches, then he resumed his explanation. "The test will be continued not by me, but by a new teacher."
As he walked towards the exit, someone else got inside the room. The way she walked was elegant and beautiful, and she was aware of her own beauty. Dark skin, curly brunette hair that fell to her hips, eyes with a gaze so sharp that it was something that could almost kill any man or woman just by receiving it.
"Hey! I'm Poimen." A humble smile appeared on her face, shining brightly over the room. "It's a pleasure to meet you all! Our next text will be a physical one, and you will work in groups! Isn't that amazing!?"
As everyone stayed quiet, she smiled and continued. "Some people here know each other already, others don't. For that and other reasons, your groups will be selected randomly. If you look over the watch we gave you earlier, you can see a number. Remember it! And sorry for the next few seconds. Any questions?" Some people raised their hands. She slowly and carefully picked each one of them.
"Can we bring weapons?" She quickly responded with a "No!"
"What is going to be the test?" — "Surprise!" was her answer
All of those questions looked innocent, but, at the same time, he knew by the way they were trying to get information from her, just because she was a "humble" woman. Not that it mattered so much, that girl had way more years of experience than they did; she would be fine.
Eventually, one interesting question came up. "If we want to leave the test, what do we have to do?"
"It's simple," She followed up, doing gestures with her hand. "All you have to do is say into your watch, 'I give up'. And you will be leaving the test, but your team will too."
Silence. In a way, it made sense; it was a team test, and you should finish as a team, too. It gave the students a sour taste in their mouths, as if something strange was to happen. "But I will give you guys a direction! Your team will be composed of four people in total, but starting separated as pairs, you have to find the other two; Only then will the true test begin!"
Naevius was hitting his feet on the ground, biting a small part of his nails. "Good luck!" As she said it, the boy could feel a sudden, small but penetrating pain right below his watch. His vision started to blur, his entire body lost its strength in just a matter of seconds; Naevius fell asleep.
Or something like that, it was definitely strange, as if his mind was awake but his body wasn't. All of the attempts to open his eyes were in vain; he could never do it. Anything he did was useless, or almost everything was.
He didn't know when, but somewhere among the "Journey" he could feel his arms, legs, and body again. He raised his arms, and with one strong movement, he slapped his face. When the pain struck, everything else came back.
The thin pain that crossed his face made his entire body wake up. He felt the bright green grass touching his body, and he could feel the breeze of the wind passing through the strands of his hair. Last but not least, the sky. The stars were everywhere across the endless beauty of the sky; Naevius could only smile after looking at that incredible view.
Seconds later, the boy finally realised he wasn't inside the test room anymore, and judging by the trees far away from him, he was in a clearing. His body wasn't in its best shape, yet the boy got up using the little strength he had left in his arms.
"Fuck…" Naevius staggered and fell over his knees; that was a sign he wasn't ready to walk. "Okay, got it, body."
Looking at his sides, Naevius couldn't find his partner; that was indeed a problem. Maybe they had woken up earlier than him? If so, where would they be right now? Naevius stopped looking when his eyes locked onto something far away on the ground.
Waited some seconds until his body could get up again, and when it did, he immediately walked towards it. Naevius was surprised he could even see that far, because it was only footprints.
He sighed in disappointment, but his mind reminded him of something: "This could be my partner."
A pinch of hope was born inside Naevius' heart, immediately following the footprints that got deeper and deeper inside the forest. The doorway to the forest heart was calm and cozy; the leaves were separated in a way that the rays of moonlight could enter easily and plentifully.
However, that was only the entrance; the deeper Naevius got into the forest, the more the leaves and branches would twist, closing the moon's light. He took a deep breath, looked again at the ground, and made up his mind.
Maybe he would die, but what if his partner needed him? Their situation could be way worse, and yet he wouldn't let anything bad happen to them; even if they left him behind, he was too good to let someone die when he could help.
Even scared, even walking, always looking to his sides, he couldn't anticipate everything. The loud sound of the bushes made him stop. As he looked in the direction of the sound, more and more could be heard, from all sides, from everywhere.
Eyes, that's the cause for the bushes to move, it was eyes, those who prey on the weak and scared. A cold and sharp feeling crawled through the boy's spine. When he finally understood he had fallen into a death trap, his destiny.
The hunt had begun.
Despair, he was desperate to leave that place. That made him look behind; he was searching for the path he had made in the first place; he could see it, but there were more wolves, too. Two more waited for their snack, slowly approaching the boy.
His front and back had wolves. His left and right were free from the imminent threat; he made sure to keep his eyes locked on them, making their approach slower. After all, a predator always attacks their prey deep in the shadows.
Rushing for a plan, he finally thought about something. The forest clearing's shape was more or less comparable to a circle; if he ran alongside its sides, eventually, he could find another entrance to the clearing.
Maybe it was dumb, or it could be just a dim string of hope that remained deep inside his heart. But he wouldn't let himself die to a bunch of annoying, ugly wolves. He was better than this, than them. Then he struck inside the deep forest, this time, not following a path of footprints but his instincts.
The more he ran in the direction of the trees' embrace, the more he got hurt by throwing himself right into their thorns. But he never stopped, he wouldn't dare, even if the thorns' pain made running miserable.
Gambling was risky, but it was sure as hell rewarding. Naevius smiled — his smile mixed with pain — when he saw the moonlight passing even more between the twisted tree branches, he knew he was running in the right direction. But the wolves knew it too; they lived in that same forest for how many years now? They knew how to run there; the boy had almost no chance.
One wolf jumped right onto his left leg, trying to catch him with its teeth. Naevius jumped, almost getting caught by the predator. It was clear that they were catching up to him; he just needed a few more seconds, just enough to run into the clear.
Fortunately, he had those seconds. He had reached the clearing again, and he could see the vivid grass and the place where he had woken up earlier. He ran fast towards the center, avoiding the sides of that place.
For a few minutes, he remained vigilant, making sure he was safe there. When he could cross that uncertainty from his mind, he sat down, breathing deeply. Lying down on the grass again, he made sure to take his time to rest.
But they wouldn't let that slide; they were watching him, every step, looking for the best moment to strike, the fool boy just hadn't noticed it yet.