Chapter 354: The Cost Of A Heartbeat

The words settled heavily in Sophia’s chest as she listened quietly.

"What you just did was a fatal error that could have cost you your life if you were in the forest. I’m not telling you to kill Dren, or telling you that you should have killed him. This is spring after all, and the pack doesn’t take it lightly to threatening its members," Brynhild added evenly. "But that lapse—right there—when you thought it was over? When you rejoiced in your head and were all smug about disarming Dren? That is how people die. That is a fatal error that should not happen again. In a real-life situation, that would have cost you your life."

Sophia nodded slowly, shame prickling under her skin. She knew better—of course she did. But a part of her wanted to boast and show that she was good, and she had also not been taking this as seriously as Brynhild and even Orion wanted her to. That was her fault.

Brynhild was right though. If this had been in the presence of a beast like a Skylur, then she would not even be standing here right now.

Orion stepped closer. "You’re better than that, shorty," he said quietly. "You of all people know that rejoicing too soon is literally you signing your death warrant early."

Sophia nodded. "I know that. I’m sorry."

Orion shook his head. "Don’t apologize to me, shorty. In the forest, if you make a mistake like this, there would be no one to apologize to. And you are forgetting you promised me not to hurt yourself. If you are doing this already, then I—"

Orion sighed, stopping himself, but Sophia got the message clearly.

"In the forest," Orion continued softly, "monsters rarely hunt alone. I told you that when you started studying the monsters in the forest."

Sophia nodded. "They move in pairs, most of them."

Orion nodded. "And that means, for every one you drop, you assume another is already behind you." His gaze sharpened. "Make sure they don’t stand."

She nodded again. "I understand."

Orion gave her a look, then nodded. He hated that she made the mistake, but he knew she wouldn’t do it again.

Orion turned to Dren then. "And you."

Dren straightened instinctively.

"I know this is on my part for focusing only on training with your weapons," Orion said. "But I recall also telling you to draw strength from your wolf."

Dren hesitated. "I thought—"

"You thought you had to wait until your weapon was gone?" Orion cut in, eyebrows raised. "Or perhaps you thought there was no need to use your wolf because you were certain you could beat her?"

Dren shook his head. "I did want to beat her with weapons alone, but that’s not it. I... honestly, I’m not sure why I did it."

Orion nodded. Dren wasn’t lying.

"One thing you should note is that you are not fighting alone. You and your wolf are one. Fight like it."

Dren nodded, jaw set. "Yes, Alpha Orion."

Brynhild stepped forward then, her presence commanding the entire ground. She raised her voice, making it louder so it could carry through the space of the training grounds.

"Listen carefully," she said. "Every single one of you."

The trainees straightened, instinctively attentive. Everyone turned to her immediately, sparring paused.

"One mistake you must never make," Brynhild continued, "is believing that your swords, spears, arrows, or axes are your only weapons."

She paused.

"You are the weapon."

Silence followed her words.

"This test you are about to take is not child’s play," she went on. "It is not like the other placement tests that have taken place in the pack. This one is different because the world is different. It’s more intense, and there’s a reason for it. I’m sure everyone already knows, but the beasts are reckless. Skylurs that we haven’t seen near our walls have been sighted numerous times. Skilled warriors are outside the pack, and we need to build strength."

She turned her head slightly, listening, measuring reactions. "You are being trained to protect this pack. That means you must be able to face danger head-on."

Her tone hardened. "Everyone in the pack knows how the monsters move already. You are all accustomed to how they move and react. You know them—but none of you have faced them head-on. None of you have fought them head-on, so you do not know nor understand the danger. Hence, this test will help you all understand the danger you are to face."

She let that sink in before continuing. "After this test, you will no longer be trainees. Some of you will join the guards, some the hunters—but you all know that each department contributes to the growth of the pack."

"And one thing you are all forgetting is that you are going into the forest. Emphasis on the forest. You have to be prepared and stop walking on tiptoes around each other. Make no mistake," Brynhild said calmly, "there will be injuries. Anyone who believes they can pass this test relying only on steel is lying to themselves. Anyone who thinks their wolf isn’t important, or that being themselves in the test is not important, is fooling themselves. Weapons don’t make you a stronger warrior—you yourselves are what makes you stronger. The way you wield both weapons is what makes you stronger."

Her head turned slightly toward Sophia, her voice softening—but not losing its edge. "Sophia." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Sophia met her gaze. "Yes?"

Brynhild said softly to her, taking Sophia’s hands in hers.

"The issue we have right now is that you cannot communicate with your wolf. Which means this test will be even more dangerous for you. You do not get the luxury of instinct taking over, and so you must never relax."

Sophia nodded.

"But," Brynhild continued, "I have to say, Orion trained you well."

Orion smiled with pride. "She’s a good student," he told Brynhild, who smiled a bit.

"When I’m not being stubborn, perhaps?" Sophia asked him, and Orion nodded.

"I can hear it," Brynhild said with a faint smile. "Your breathing. You’re barely winded. That tells me your stamina has improved significantly."

"Orion made sure it did," Sophia told her.

Brynhild nodded.

"Orion is going to have a big head after this," Sophia said.

"I already do," he told her with a laugh.

"Anyways, let’s get back on track. Your technique," Brynhild went on, "there’s very little I can correct. You move cleanly. You adapt fast. You even manage to turn your clumsiness into a weapon."

Sophia laughed despite herself. "Imagine me falling on my ass in the presence of a Skylur. I had to do something."

"I noticed," Brynhild said, smiling. "And you recover every time. That matters."

Her expression shifted, becoming serious again. "Your only real flaw is this—you celebrate too early."

Sophia sobered. "I know that."

"In the forest," Brynhild continued, "there is no time to celebrate. Survival doesn’t pause to applaud you."