Chapter 49 - Appreciation

  The survival trial was proving to be… easy.

  Too easy.

  Kaelin stretched her arms behind her head, her body relaxed against the thick branch of an oak tree as she gazed down at the forest floor below. A warm breeze whispered through the leaves, carrying the crisp scent of pine and damp earth. Sunlight streamed through the canopy in broken patches, casting golden rays that flickered with every swaying branch.

  From this vantage point, she could see the slow-moving stream glistening in the daylight. Their hidden shelter, a dugout within the crevasse wall, remained untouched, concealed from any prying eyes.

  Kaelin exhaled, shifting her weight.

  This was almost… boring.

  There was no frantic pace, no immediate sense of danger. No one to fight.

  Most teams were likely hunkering down just like they were, conserving energy, waiting for the moment when the extraction point was revealed. That was when the real battle would begin.

  But for now? It was just waiting.

  She adjusted her position, her fingers curling around a branch overhead before she swung forward and hopped to the next tree. Her boots barely made a sound as she landed, finding balance with practiced ease.

  Kaelin had always been good at this, moving unseen, navigating terrain with a natural grace that others lacked.

  She smirked.

  While other students were stuck trudging through the underbrush, she had the high ground.

  Jump. Land. Adjust. Repeat.

  With each leap, she took in more of the forest, scanning for movement, for anything that might signal another team nearby. But there was nothing.

  Her mind drifted to Kana.

  The other girl had left their shelter that morning with nothing but a dagger, muttering something about hunting before vanishing into the trees. That had been hours ago.

  Not that Kaelin was worried.

  Kana could handle herself.

  Still…

  Kaelin slowed, resting her back against the trunk of a towering fir as she peered down at the world below. She had spent most of the day scouting, leaping from tree to tree, making note of useful landmarks, rivers, rock formations, paths that others might take.

  But there was nothing pressing.

  Nothing urgent.

  The realization left her with an odd feeling of restlessness.

  The last test was chaos. Kana being Kana. Their opponents. Heck, they almost even got buried alive.

  Here, there wasn’t much to do. What did they even want to test? What’s the point? Why chuck them into the wild? How is failing this worth getting expelled over?

  She huffed and crossed her arms, kicking her foot against the branch.

  Maybe she should find something to do.

  ***

  Kaelin eventually made her way back to the stream, hopping down from the last tree and landing lightly on the mossy ground. She crouched by the water’s edge, scooping up a handful and splashing it over her face. The coolness was refreshing, chasing away some of the heat clinging to her skin.

  Three days of this.

  She glanced upstream, then downstream. The water wasn’t deep enough to swim in, but it was steady, clean. A good resource. It’s Surprising no one else has tried to put up camp nearby.

  The problem was, she was starting to feel like she wasn’t actually surviving.

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  Not really.

  She had expected more danger, wild beasts, treacherous terrain, maybe even a storm. But instead, the forest was peaceful, untouched. It felt like the academy was handholding them.

  Kaelin scowled, tossing a pebble into the water.

  She didn’t want to wait around for things to happen. She wanted to be doing something.

  She sighed and stood, stretching her arms before turning back toward the trees. She would go on another round of scouting before heading back to camp. If nothing else, it would keep her occupied.

  ***

  By late afternoon, Kaelin found herself back at their shelter, perched lazily on a rock near the entrance. She twirled a small twig between her fingers, waiting.

  Still no sign of Kana.

  She wasn’t concerned, not really. But she was bored.

  A rustling in the brush caught her attention.

  Kaelin flicked her gaze toward the treeline just as Kana emerged, carrying a limp rabbit in one hand and a dagger in the other. The other girl looked completely unfazed, as if she hadn’t just spent half the day tracking and killing prey.

  Kaelin raised an eyebrow. “Took you long enough.”

  Kana shot her a dull look. “You could’ve hunted, too.”

  Kaelin smirked, flicking the twig aside. “Nah. That’s your job. You hunt, I skin, we eat. Simple.”

  Kana rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.

  ***

  The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of deep indigo and violet. A thin crescent moon hung overhead, casting a pale glow through the branches.

  The fire was small, just enough to provide warmth and cook their meal without drawing attention.

  Kaelin crouched near the flames, rolling her shoulders before setting to work. The fresh rabbit Kana had brought back lay before her, its fur still intact.

  With practiced ease, Kaelin unsheathed her knife and set the blade against the animal’s skin.

  A sharp inhale.

  She didn’t need to look to know that Kana had turned away.

  Despite how she held face the night before. Kana seemed awfully averse to the preparation.

  Kaelin smirked. “You know, for someone who has no problem killing them, you sure can’t stand to watch this part.”

  Kana huffed, her back still turned. “It’s different.”

  Kaelin raised an eyebrow. “How?”

  Kana shifted. “It just is.”

  Kaelin chuckled, shaking her head as she continued her work. The knife slid cleanly through the fur, peeling it back with careful precision. She had done this plenty of times before, though not often in such a setting.

  The fire crackled, filling the silence between them.

  Kana had fallen uncharacteristically quiet.

  Kaelin didn’t question it at first, Kana was hardly the chatty type. But as the silence stretched on, she finally glanced up, curiosity piqued.

  Kana was still sitting with her back to her, arms resting on her knees. But there was something… off.

  Her shoulders were tense.

  Her gaze distant.

  For a moment, Kaelin considered saying something, some half-assed attempt at comfort, or acting like she cared. She did, but she also knew better.

  So instead, she reached for her knife again and simply said, “You don’t have to watch.”

  Kana didn’t respond.

  But she didn’t get up and leave, either.

  And somehow, that felt like enough.

  ***

  By the time the rabbit was cooked, the tension had eased, if only slightly.

  The fire crackled, its warm glow flickering over the rough walls of their crevasse shelter. Shadows danced with every shift of the flame, twisting and stretching like silent spectres against the earth. The air was thick with the scent of charred meat and damp soil, mixing with the cool breeze rolling in from the nearby stream.

  Kaelin sat cross-legged near the fire, tearing a strip of meat from the roasted rabbit and popping it into her mouth. It was dry and bland, but it was food, and that was all that mattered.

  Across from her, Kana remained turned away, sitting near the shelter’s entrance with her arms folded over her knees. She hadn't watched the skinning. Hadn't watched the cooking, either. But now that the hard part was over, she was stealing quick glances over her shoulder, as if debating whether or not she actually wanted to eat.

  Kaelin, being the generous person she was, tore off another piece and casually tossed it in her direction.

  Kana caught it without missing a beat, fingers closing around the still-warm meat before she shot Kaelin an unimpressed look.

  Kaelin smirked. “What, you’re too good to take food from me now?”

  Kana huffed but didn’t throw it back. She turned it over once in her hand before biting off a small piece.

  For a while, they just ate.

  Not in comfortable silence, exactly. But it wasn’t hostile, either.

  The fire filled the quiet, its steady crackling mixing with the soft murmur of the stream outside. The wind stirred the canopy above, making the trees whisper with each passing gust. It was peaceful, in a way.

  She shifted her gaze toward Kana, who was still avoiding direct eye contact, eating in slow, measured bites.

  Weird.

  Kana never had trouble speaking her mind. If something annoyed her, she made it known. If she was angry, she let it show. But now, she was—

  Quiet.

  Kaelin watched her for a moment longer before poking at the fire with a stick. “So,” she said, “how many did you see today?”

  Kana glanced at her, brow furrowing. “What?”

  “Other teams.” Kaelin gestured vaguely toward the woods. “Anyone nearby?”

  Kana shrugged, wiping her hands against her pants. “Only one pair. They didn’t notice me.”

  Kaelin hummed in acknowledgment. Good. That meant they weren’t an immediate problem.

  The fire flickered, casting shifting patterns of light over their faces. Kaelin stared into the embers, letting her mind drift.

  After a moment, Kana spoke again. “What about you?”

  Kaelin blinked, glancing up. “What?”

  Kana rolled her eyes. “Did you see anyone?”

  “Oh.” Kaelin tilted her head, thinking. “Nah, no one. I thought I might see some further up the river, but it seems like everyone’s staying away or something. Maybe they think everyone else are already here.”

  Kana snorted. “Cowards.”

  Kaelin smirked. “Strategic.”

  Kana shook her head but didn’t argue. Instead, she let herself lean back on her elbows, finally looking relaxed for the first time that night.

  Another lull fell between them, but this one wasn’t as heavy as before.

  The night stretched on, the fire burned low and it seemed like Kana finally appreciated Kaelin’s company.