Triumph and Friendship

After six days in the woods, we found our third coin. We only needed to bring them back with us. We did not encounter any more trouble since we fought Tyler Moris and his squad. The search was smooth-sailing, and I recovered from my injuries. I wasn't fully recovered yet, but almost. Clarisse was a pretty good medic. She definitely knew what she was doing. She tended to my wounds and checked them often. Her hands were fast but very gentle, just like my mother's. I thought having her on the squad was a weakness, but it actually felt reassuring. I almost felt invincible. I also learned plenty about her and Daniel. They both were medical students, both from powerful families, and both initially took interest with the Black Thorns because of their parents. Clarisse turned out to be a cheerful girl. Daniel, well, he's cold inside out. The pressure of being the commander's son must be immense. He must felt like he had to be the best in everything, like he needed to give his two hundred percent all the time. Despite the icy aura he exuded, he was strong and had great leadership.

We were heading out of the woods when Mike accidentally tripped on a seemingly invisible thread, and we found ourselves caught in a booby trap. We were caught in a net like sardines. Daniel immediately cut the ropes and we all fell on our backs. I felt my broken back breaking again. The others were instantly on their feet before I was even on my knees. I looked at the soldiers in front of us. I almost forgot about them. So they came to take our coins, just when we were thinking of victory. The mission just had to have too much drama. Fate must be toying with me. Those Black Thorns soldiers looked strong, hard to beat. Daniel was taller and Mike had a bigger body, but their stance had pride and experience written all over them. Our only advantage was they didn't know who had the coins. It was me. I volunteered earlier that day to hold onto them. It was a little bit out of guilt and frustration; guilt for delaying the search, frustration for not having done so much throughout the mission. The officers attacked. Daniel and Mike defended us. Their movements were slower than usual. It was exhaustion, I guess. We were in the forest for days without proper sleep, because we had to constantly watch our backs, nor proper meals, to minimize consumption and avoid starving the next days. We needed to pass the test as soon as possible. We were almost there. I thought of a plan and whispered to the others.

The soldiers attacked again. We didn't move. We waited until they were only a few inches away. Then Daniel and Mike moved out of the way. The soldiers went pass them, straight into the net Clarisse and I was holding. The soldiers tumbled on the ground. Then the four of us made a run for it. I fell behind because of my injuries, but Daniel held out his hand and pulled me along. We ran faster than ever until we saw it, the finish line. We got out of the woods and fell down, panting. Then Mike chuckled. We all burst laughing. We did it. We passed the test. More than that, we made new friends. It was unexpected but it happened. Four years later, our friendship was still intact, and we became full-pledged soldiers.