Girls of Shadows

Chapter 5- Lina

The armband felt strange on my bicep, not so much an insignia as it was a token of what I wasn't sure I was capable of. It was there, staring its blood red face into mine, like it knew I didn't deserve it. Like it knew how strange it was that I was still in the running. By now, I was sure I would've been sent home to piece my stripped life back together, struggling to figure out what to do next. But I had somehow made it this far. Possibly by stubbornness and grit alone.

Now it was the real deal. This is where things started to matter, where I had to dedicate my body and soul to my pack and do what's best for them, to make every fight I had left count. Or else I could end up walking home, if I was so lucky to leave fully intact after what they had in store for us.

I stood in the middle of the Blackwood Forest, surrounded by my newly formed pack on all sides, armed with my throwing knifes secured to my thigh and a recently acquired staff strapped to my back, it's one end of sharp carved bone tucked into a cover that attached to the strap. I hadn't become particularly good with any other offensive weapon, so it would have to do for now. Like the rest of my pack, I had changed into camouflage pants and a tee shirt, the only flash of colour being our armbands.

Lochlan stood in line with us as Commander Rehan addressed both packs. My pack, consisting of Malise and Kai, along with two males whose names I learned were Dagen and Beau, were formally known as the Rereiki Pack. "Diverse" or "different" in the God's ancient language, which summed up a pack with two rare female recruits and a wolf shifter pretty darn fine. The other pack, made up of Sawyer, Riker, and three males I learned whose names were Afi, Jett and Zane, were known as the Veita pack. "Better" or "second best" just below their Alpha, which I couldn't say was a compliment for a team of rag-tag shifters.

Commander Rehan was standing between the groups, explaining what to expect. "Both packs will be led by your Alpha, who will be fighting in this trial with you. You must work together as a team to capture the enemy's flag and return it safely to your side of the forest, which is marked by this tree. " He placed his hand in the towering oak tree next to him, surrounded by a ring of rocks, placed so perfectly it would be impossible to confuse with any other landmark. "The twist is, one of your teammates will be your flag, so the other team must get them over to their side to win. You will work offensively and defensively, so plan accordingly. Weapons are allowed and encouraged to help gauge your level of skill in combat. Shifting and abilities are also encouraged but use your judgement. We are training Warriors, not murders. Anyone who maims or fatally injures another recruit will face serious punishment as upheld by Royal law. Save it for your real battles."

At the Commander's last warning, a nervous excitement flew through the recruits. Who would be the first to draw their weapon in a real fight over the flags? Who would be the first to use their abilities against each other in this trial?

With that, each team received a piece of fabric of the opposing pack's colour to mark our flags. Lochlan gestured for us to move farther into the forest, away from the feline ears that had surely been engaged as soon as Rehan had finished his speech. When we were out of hearing range, we huddled together, a palpable tension in the air around us.

"We will need one person to be the flag, with one defensive member to stay with them. The other three will be on offence with me, as getting the flag back to our side will most likely be harder than protecting one of our own." Lochlan stated.

"I want to be out there," Malise spoke up. "I am quiet and small, I can sneak around better than the guys, who are bigger and noisier." With pointed eyes at Kai, Malise continued. "I think Kai would be a good flag. He is strong and has good fighting skills, plus his wolf abilities gives him better scent to alert of approaching Veitas. He could be a giveaway if we send him after the flag, just because he has brute strength. We should be smart, not strong."