Sharpened [ On Hold Indefinitely ]

Chapter Seven

The next morning I wake up to the bright sun flashing in my eyes. Maple is already on the ground, collecting berries that I wish I didn't have to eat.

"Timber! Come down!" Darky shouts up the tree from her bunk. Looking over my shoulder, I slowly begin to descend from the huge oak, my fingers smoothing the bark.

When I reach where Darky is sitting, I plop down beside her. She throws her arm over my shoulder and I lean into her.

"Do you like them?" I ask.

She nods, staring into the sunrise.

"Do you...know them?"

She looks at me, smiling. "They seem familiar."

My heart plummets again. These people could have been her best friends in her life at the Float. Who knows, they may even be her family members!

"Hey guys," a voice comes from below us and I see Thunder climbing up the tree to her bunk beside Darky's.

Darky waves at her, and I give her a small smile.

"Whatcha talking about?" She asks.

"She was just asking me if I remembered any of you," Darky replies.

Thunder grins. "Do you?"

Darky replies in the same way she did to me.

"You know, Darky, we were the ones who took care of you."

I conclude that these people know Darky better than me, though she is my best friend. This must in isn't fair.

"Really?" Darky asks, looking surprised. "So I really did live in a different tribe?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't really a tribe. It was more a a society."

"How come I can turn into a wolf then, like the others?" Darky asks.

That is just what I was thinking. If she came from someplace else,  how come she can turn into her wolf? And how can the others? I always thought that Wolf was the only place where you could turn into a wolf.

"Well, the Float is a lot like Wolf," Thunder begins to explain. "It is also ruled by the Countless."

That makes sense.

"Ever since you were given, Lume, Maple, Sage, and I have taken care of you. But when you grew up, you chose the Maze."

"Wait," I say, cutting in. "What's the Maze, and what did you mean by 'choosing it'?"

Thunder sighs. "The Maze is a - well, when you reach the age of eleven, it is time for you to receive your position. Usually, the Countless will give it to you, but occasionally, people choose the Maze.

"If you choose the Maze, as you did, Darky, and you complete it, it is said that you will choose your own position in society. But so far, only one child has chosen the Maze, and, sadly, they did not complete it."

Thunder looks down in anguish.

"Keep talking," Darky instructs her, clearly impressed by her decision that she has not known about.

Meanwhile, I am curious how the Countless ruled two tribes - societies - at once. There must just be a lot of them.

Finally, Thunder looks back up at us. "When you chose it, we were afraid we would never see you again. And we were right."

"But how did I get here?" Darky asks, and I completely agree with her.

Did she somehow get transported to Wolf. Why didn't she complete it?