The night is dark.

They have chosen a time when the moon is covered in the sky. We are left in a complete black abyss.

I look around at the surroundings. The forest is full of sounds at this time.

I hear the rustle of the leaves. Above or below?

They were coming.

I close my eyes, knowing they could betray me if I let them.

They had formed a group. They were coming for me.

I reopen my eyes then. Dried mud cakes my head and face.

The moon may be gone on this night, but the features I carried still could give me away.

The color of red would alert them of my presence. It would be like a beacon of light to draw them near. So I had used whatever means I could to hide my hair and skin.

I lower myself to the earth, camouflaging in the foliage that surrounded.

They are whispering. The fools. This was a test.

The numbers might have given them a false sense of security. I knew they were looking for me.

They were bitter and angry about my growth. How many years now has it been? Most of the females had dropped. I felt anger at my own sex for being so weak, but I had to let that emotion go when I realized they did not have a motivation that I did. If I had been in their place with their peace of mind, I would have done the same thing.

Years of training. How many? Almost two. I was nearing the age of fourteen and every year they presented us with a new test to see if we had really grown in our year of endurance.

Where is she? I hear their whispered question.

There is only one she they can be talking about. Only one girl left in the group of warriors who had lasted this long.

I crawl forward, taking in their numbers and gritting my teeth. Five. Why five of them would group together was beyond me. The test was one of survival against the instructors who were sure to attack.

My excitement had grown when they presented the leader and said he also would be hunting us through the night.

I'm the hunter, Vera, he had whispered to me in passing, make sure you remember that for this test.

It had made me see red at how easily he had seen through me. But now I had more than just the instructors hunting me down.

I can smell her.

I wince at their words. Even with the layers of mud caked to my skin, I could not hide what any male would be able to figure out. A female was near.

I count it down in my head, watching their steps come near.

One...

I would not go silently into the night.

Two...

I would not cower at their feet.

Three...

They had a reason to fear me.

I launch myself at them, my teeth finding one male's throat and ripping at the flesh without thinking. I throw myself off his body, my nails digging into the face of the next one that is closest. Their screams rise into the air and a thrill runs through me when I think of the instructors pausing midstep, becoming confused because they were not the ones attacking.

The other males as a collective whole leap onto me. It seems they had been smart enough to come up with a strategy beforehand on how they would handle me.

All five of them are on top of me, struggling to pin me down.

I scream with them, my fingers digging into whatever flesh I can find. My kick sends one off, but he quickly is back on.

But we all pause when we hear the deep growl closely beside us.

Coming from the shadows, the leader emerges.

All five males rise, pulling back and trying to get away. But I don't think about the leader. I don't think about how he is the true predator. I only am consumed by the need to put these boys in their place for hunting me down.

I throw myself at the nearest one, falling to the ground with him to stop him from running. The leader is suddenly next to us and I snarl, waiting for him to grab me by the collar and toss me aside.

But he continues to go past us, overpowering the other four males and engaging them in a fight.

I refocus my attention to the male below me. We struggle together, screaming and shouting before a well-placed punch on my end knocks him out.

I run towards the leader.

"Don't you dare Ve-," I see him holding a hand up, as if he is expecting me to toss myself at him. But he is the least of my concern as I throw a punch at the nearest male. I see the leader's eyes widen before he laughs and goes back to his fighting.

I feel anger run through me that I know his movements so well, after fighting and enduring them these past two years. I know when to move out of his way, when to bend to avoid his kick. When he is suddenly overwhelmed in numbers.

The fighting does not last long and anger pounds in my ears mixing with adrenaline that he is the one who took out the majority of them.

He is looking down at the males that are at his feet. It's that image. That image of bodies lying on the ground, him standing as the victor-

I punch him, hearing the crack as his neck is forcefully turned from the impact.

He slowly turns to look down at me, spitting blood to the side.

And just as suddenly, he is pushing himself against me, forcing me to take a step back and stumble. His arm moves around my back to stop me from falling as my head hits the trunk of a tree. His free hand is above my head, allowing him to look down.

I glare up at him as he stares, only inches away.

"Five against one?" he breathes. He is slightly out of breath. I can hear it now as he talks.

I don't say anything as he continues to look at me.

"No words, Vera?"

"Aren't you going to fight me?"

"Mmmhhh..." he leans his head in, tilting it so that our eyes can meet directly, "should I?" His voice is nothing but a whisper in the dark.

I push against him, wanting to get away, but his grip on me only tightens.

"You're not going anywhere." I move as if to bite him, but he laughs and puts his hand over my mouth, "that seems to be your favorite weapon."

Nothing but my eyes can be seen now. He looks at me, staring directly into my gaze to match my leveled look of hate.

I try to bite the inside of his hand but fail miserably. He laughs at my attempt and pushes himself so that it's his body that pins me to the tree. I can't push his weight off as he looks up.

"The test is almost over..." he muses this out loud.

Without warning I jerk my leg, moving it up. He gasps, the air leaving him suddenly as he bends down to grip his lower region.

"Damn you," he laughs, but I can hear the pain and anger in his voice.

For good measures, I punch him again. He shakes his head, reaching as if to grab me, but I'm already running away into the dark.

*   *   *

We stand shoulder to shoulder, facing those who had been captured or defeated during the night. The leader is standing over them. The five males are included in this group.

They protest, pointing to me and babbling on about petty excuses such as having help from the leader.

The instructors look at the leader, before eyeing them.

It was not a violation of the rules. The intent was for them to be captured all along. And it suited my personality that I had joined in the violence.

"It's not right- she wasn't caught because he let her go."

The leader growls and the male looks as if he immediately regrets what he has said.

The instructors gather in a circle. I see the leader's eyes go to examine me before turning back to stare at their huddled forms.

I know whatever the decision they make is, it will not be good. They do not care about me. And I had no one on my side to save me.

Finally, they approach the leader.

"Alpha Kaseem..." one is hesitant, but another steps boldly forward, "we have made a decision, and if you approve, we will implement it."

The leader tilts his head, waiting for their words.

"It seems Vera did not fully understand the instructions that were given. We have the word of five against one. You have said your part, but we do not know what happened before you were there, or even what happened after..." the instructor changes his speech when he suddenly sees the dangerous flash in the leader's eyes. He clears his throat, "we propose the pit...for 12 hours..."

All their eyes turn to me. I do not show any emotion. I had only heard of the pit and seen it from a distance but did not think what torture it could really bring.

"After all," the instructor's voice was a whisper, but I could still hear, "she is already covered in mud."

They laughed at his cruel joke.

I see their eyes flashing towards me to see my reaction. I only smile. And flick them off.

Several of them growl at such disrespect.

But the leader only laughs, "go ahead..." he turns to fully face me, "maybe it will teach this pup some manners."

*   *   *

The pit was a large circle that lived up to its name.

It was literally just that. A pit. A pit full of mud.

I took a step in and immediately am over my head. I resurface, gasping and I hear their laughter. For a second, I feel a panicked feeling that there is nowhere in this place that I will be able to hold my head above. 12 hours. Would I be able to tread through mud for 12 hours?

But finally I find one near the center. I look around and see that the other males of the training camp have gathered around. They throw taunts at me, yelling words to my face to make me lose hope and give up.

I am already shivering from the cold. The mud was not warm. The wind that hit my face was not kind.

12 hours.

I look up at the sky, trying to gauge how much time has already passed.

Eventually, my lack of break down makes them leave.

Soon the night comes, and I wonder if I will be able to walk after this. I cannot feel my legs or toes. It is cold. So cold. I am shivering and can hear my teeth chattering.

Some warmth comes into me though when I see him approaching. When I watch him come near with a smile on his face as he takes me in.

He sits down at the edge, crossing his legs as if he is ready to wait it out with me through the time.

"They are surprised you have lasted this long. I don't know why they are shocked though. They should know better."

I stare ahead of me, not looking at him.

He realizes this and gets up, sitting so that he is directly in my line of sight. I glare at him, watching as this only makes his grin widen.

"You have a long way to go before you can complete your goal."

"Not long," I whisper.

He stares at me as I look at him, "it won't be long. Soon. Soon I'll kill you."

He only shrugs, "the more you say those words, the less I believe them."

I stare at him, taking him in. He meets my gaze. He does not break away as I continue to evaluate who he is.

The muscles in his arms flex. I watch them, thinking of the strength he used to take what was mine.

I look up and see that there is something serious in his stare, "what will you do when you kill me?"

When.

I have to smile at the way he has phrased his sentence.

We held nothing back from each other. At least, it was not in my nature to hold anything back from him. I always let him know my thoughts.

"I'll see my parents."

He blinks. And then he blinks again as he processes my words.

"You-," he chokes on his own word and shakes his head, suddenly leaning in closer- as close as he can- to look at me.

"What did you say?"

"I'll see my parents."

He narrows his eyes. "That's it?"

"That's what I want. That's my dream you took away."

A growl leaves him. He is furious.

"The fuck? What the fuck is that, Vera? I thought you would maybe say you would take your land back? Or restore your people? But your parents? Vera...you and I both know your parents are dead."

"Yes," I acknowledge, expressionless, "I know you are well aware of that fact."

He does not even look bothered by this statement. He only sighs and continues to look at me, "so that's it. Honestly...I'm disappointed."

It's my turn to laugh. It was always him who was laughing at me but this time I couldn't help it.

"What does it matter to you. You'll be dead."

"Actually sweetheart...if my death means you doing that...then I think I'll stick around."

"Don't call me that."

I regret my words instantly as a Cheshire grin curls up his face, "what? Sweetheart?"

I don't say anything. My eyes go back to looking down, away from his face.

I can hear his soft laugh though as it fills the night.

"Hey, sweetheart. Hey- look at me. Vera."

I don't do as he says. He only continues to goad.

"I'll kill you."

It's an angry whisper. I feel tears burning into my eyes. Tears of rage as I finally do what he asks and look up to see him.

"I'm going to fucking kill you."

His laughter fades and a serious look replaces itself on his face.

"Go ahead sweetheart," he softly says back to me, "I'd like to see you fucking try."

thoughts? Thank you for taking the time to read ♥