Chapitre 8

Fresh mist formed in the air at our gasps. The stabbing in my ribs reminded me that I was fairly untrained in human form. My wolf was jealous. I would have loved to swap places with her.

I tried to keep up with Luke's pace, but his stride was quite a bit longer than mine. My thighs started to burn, but I ignored it. The grass shone with night ice still waiting for the sun. My body was slowly waking up and not happy with the situation I had put it in.

"Come on, we can overtake them," Luke said, barely out of breath while I panted like an old man. The smells of three wolves were right in front of us, the backs of their heads growing with every step.

We quietly overtook them on the edge and left them behind. Not long after that, the lapping of water came towards us. The trees cleared and gave the path around the lake, which we still had to walk. On the other side, I saw the person who was far ahead: General Astor.

A tingling tingled in my stomach, blunting the effort. His shadow darted through the night as if chasing someone.

"Hey Dan, what are you in such a hurry for? Not that I'm complaining," Luke said next to me, grinning as he also started to walk faster.

"I want to catch up," I gasped, staring back at General Astor. I wanted to show him what I could do. My leg muscles seemed to agree.

"Ha, I think your fighting spirit has woken up," Luke replied. We picked up the pace, overtaking group after group of wolves. Then we approached a familiar smell.

"Ulf, come on!" I called, motivated by General Astor's shadow. We passed him, but he waved distractedly.

"Leave me behind. I'm old and I still need my strength," he said.

"Whatever you say!" Luke called over his shoulder and we left him and his leisurely pace behind. My body had caught fire and it gave me strength and stamina. My wolf wanted to win.

With each group that we overtook, we circled the lake further. My heart was racing, as were my legs.

"The last ones up ahead," I gasped, pointing to a group of two. Their tracks were the only ones in the air... except for the heavenly scent of General Astor, which must have been far away. Still, it spurred me on.

One of the wolves turned when he heard our footsteps. His eyes were bright green and he was fit like Luke. His red hair was cropped short while his eyes pierced mine. The wolf next to him was even more muscular. He was probably the tallest of the whole troop, for he even towered over Luke by a head. Its rectangular shape reminded me of a closet.

We kept picking up the pace, almost sprinting past them. The redhead stretched out his leg, but my senses were sharp. I jumped over them and with powerful strides we left him and his bear-built comrade behind us.

"Not today," I gasped. His hateful gaze bored into the back of my head. Too bad he couldn't see my grin. At least now I knew who to avoid.

Heat flooded through my veins and the burning in my legs returned. Only the smell of General Astor didn't make me stop. Hot sweat pooled under my uniform. We left the splashing water behind us. Luke's heart was beating as fast as mine, only harder.

The trees thinned and the camp came into view. In the huge square stood two wolves, Delta Ivan and General Astor. My stomach clenched while my chest shrank.

It was just Luke and me.

We stared at each other without stopping. The competition lit up in his eyes. I put all my strength into my legs and we sprinted the last hundred meters. With every step Luke gained a nose tip and soon he was several meters in front of me. My heart was pounding furiously, but no matter how fast my legs moved, I couldn't keep up.

My face must have been red as a tomato when I got onto the pitch behind him. I gasped for air, but my lungs were overwhelmed.

"Impressive," Delta Ivan said, and I looked up. "Finally caught up to first place. That's what I call true fighting spirit."

A pinch of pride flowed through my veins, cooling the heat. My gaze found General Astor's and I couldn't help the smile that blossomed on my lips.

He showed no reaction, but somehow he looked satisfied. Maybe Hell Week wouldn't be so bad after all. His eyes left me.

"Edgar, do you have the order?" he asked in the deep voice and his right hand came out of the tent, which gave off a hearty smell.

Meal...

With a pen, Edgar scribbled on his paper, which must have had our names on it.

"It's noted," he said, eyeing us.

The sun stirred on the horizon and bathed the square in an orange light. Astor's hair began to sparkle like gold. My spell broke as the footsteps and heartbeats of others rang out behind us. Gradually everyone arrived at the square.

Edgar hopped around noting everyone on his list. Ulf was one of the last, but that didn't seem to bother him. Unlike the rest of us, he hardly sweated and his heartbeat was more even.

"Salute!" Astor commanded, and we immediately snapped to attention. Luke was at the front, I next to him and, unluckily for me, the redhead on my other side. He gave off a sour smell of sweat and I wrinkled my nose.

Suddenly a bell rang from the dining tent and some of the wolves' stomachs rumbled.

"Move!"

Immediately Luke opened the tent and we dived into the paradise of breakfast: bacon, rolls, eggs...

My mouth nearly watered as I grabbed a plate. My muscles were still burning, but I didn't care at the sight.

"Let's hit it," Luke said, and all I could do was nod.

...

My stomach was full to the brim with delicious food. I stuffed the last bit of salty bacon and chewed. Luke wasn't finished while Ulf sipped on a cup of tea. He had hardly eaten anything.

I stole a glance behind me at the redhead and square brute duo. The latter gave Luke serious competition at food, which made me sick just watching it. No wonder he looked like this. Egg scraps stuck to his brown beard and the redhead talked to him from the side. Suddenly he looked at me with his bright green eyes.

I immediately spun around, caught.

"Well, when every meal is such a feast, then I start to like the army," Luke smacked his lips to himself. Ulf just shook his head, but kept his thoughts to himself.

"Listen!" Delta ordered Ivan and stood up. The hum of voices stopped and we turned to him. "It's going on!"

General Astor got up and wandered through the tent.

"Come along!"

We all got up without hesitation, while Luke was busy wolfing down the last of his plate. We followed General Astor into the fresh morning air. Birds were singing in the distance and the sun was slowly rising against the blue sky. Delta Ivan and Astor were heading back towards the forest where we were running before.

"A good digestive walk," whispered Luke and I grinned.

Across the forest floor came the frantic hopping of rabbits, hiding from our thundering footsteps.

"I guess so," said Ulf and we both looked at him skeptically. Then we heard it too: the rippling of the lake.

Luke's grin instantly faded as the dark surface of the water came into view. Just in front of it, Delta Ivan and Astor stopped, on the flat spot with no reeds. They waited until we formed a semicircle around them.

Luke's heartbeat jumped erratically in his chest.

"Keep calm," I whispered. "We'll get through this together."

"The task is simple!" Astor called, eyeing us. "Leave the uniform on! Swim across the lake, there and back! Go!"

The first ran into the water while we were still busy taking off our shoes. The sweat of fear burned Luke's skin. The other soldiers sprayed the water in all directions. We were the last again.

"Come on Luke, you helped me run and we won."

I felt Astor's glare on me. He didn't say anything, just waited for us to start. Delta Ivan walked alongside the other swimmers along the lake.

The stones pressed into my feet as I approached the water. The light waves flooded over my feet and sent goosebumps loose. It was cold like liquid ice. Before I could think I ran in and ducked. My whole body trembled. The uniform was soaked through too, but I tried to ignore the disgusting feeling of the sticky fabric.

"Come on!" I called to Luke, who was still standing on the bank. "You can stand here!"

"I'll wait for you on the other side," said Ulf and swam past me in even strokes.

"Just run in!" I yelled, and after a moment's hesitation, Luke did just that. The water splattered around him like hundreds of sparks, and his heartbeat skipped a few beats in the cold. While I kept my head just above the surface, it was enough straight to his shoulders.

"What now?" he asked, looking at the other soldiers who were almost halfway across the lake.

"We can still catch up," I said. "Just move your arms like that."

I showed him the move and Luke did it standing up.

"Exactly, and you just kick like a frog with your legs."

I pushed off the sandy bottom and began to move. I pushed the water aside and turned to Luke. His head stretched out like a swan over water and he imitated my movements.

"Good! Exactly, and now let's show Ulf!" I yelled, grinning over the water.

Spaced so we didn't hit each other, we swam deeper to the heart of the lake. I kept encouraging him and slowly we got into a good rhythm.

In some places the sun even shone through the treetops and warmed the surface. Luke kept gasping for air, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"I ka-!" he gasped, and there was a gurgle. He had been swallowing water. He kicked the surface in place, but the bottom must have been a few feet below us. Panic emanated from him and I instantly turned and swam to him We were in the midst of his sea, far from every shore and every bottom.

"Luke, wait! You have to stay calm!"

My words didn't get through to him and I could barely see him through the splashes and waves emanating from him. I fought my way through and tried to grab his arm. My legs kicked, as did his nothing.

There was horror in his eyes and when he felt my arm he leaned on me.

"Lu-"

The weight pushed my head under the water, drowning my words. It entered my mouth and stole the breath out of my lungs. A scream underwater escaped my lips. Wild bubbles rose to the surface. I flailed my arms and grabbed his hand on my shoulders.

I pushed myself up with all my strength, catching air as soon as I could. Luke was on my back and I tried to shake him off. My wolf internally growled and struggled against her bonds.

"Help-!" I yelled before the water enveloped me and held me captive. My lungs screamed for air and I struggled to the surface with the last of my strength didn't get it.

He groaned with his mouth open and I looked into his eyes. They turned gold and my heart stopped. The fabric of the uniform tore. The hands on my shoulders turned into claws. They pierced my skin like nails.

Oh no.

I closed my eyes as the crowd pushed me back into the icy darkness.