Part Seven

 Part Seven

It was still dark when Shard was rudely woken by cold air. “Get up,” Nathalia commanded, yanking the blankets off the sleeping girl. “Get dressed. We’re going outside.” 

“Wha- what time is it?” Shard asked, squinting and reaching for the missing blankets. 

Nathalia threw a pair of boots at her. “Early, now get up. Meet me outside and don’t keep me waiting.” Nathalia closed the door behind her, leaving Shard to work through the disorientation on her own. Shard did as she was told, yawning and blinking away sleep by the time she got to the door. A frosty breeze hit her face as she left the house, sending shivers down her spine. “What are we doing out here?” Shard asked, wrapping the cloak tighter around her small frame. The bitter cold made the rude awakening even worse. All Shard wanted to do was go back inside the warm house and go back to sleep. 

“Training,” Nathalia answered. 

“What about breakfast?” Shard insisted with a voice more whiny than intended. 

“Trust me, you’ll be glad your stomach is empty.” Nathalia went to a young tree and snapped off a long stick. She sliced through the air with it, the object making a swish sound every time she swung it. 

Shard stared at the woman apprehensively. “Listen, lady,” Shard started. “I’m too tired to understand your insanity right now so I’m going back inside and back to sleep.” She turned to the house. “We can start over at a reasonable hour when the sun is-” 

Something heavy hit Shard in the back and she face-planted in the snow. Shard tried to jump up only for Nathalia to shove her back down. 

“GET OFF-”

“First rule of the hunt,” Nathalia interrupted, keeping Shard in the snow. “Kill or be killed.” Shard continued struggling, but Nathalia didn’t let her up. Instead, she leaned down to Shard’s level. “No matter what else I teach you, this lesson is the most important. You want to survive in this world? You’ll have to fight for it.” 

Shard continued squirming. “That doesn’t even-” 

“Kill or be killed. Repeat it!” Nathalia demanded. 

Shard stopped wiggling. “Kill or be killed.” 

“I didn’t hear you,” Nathalia said. 

“Kill or be killed,” Shard said in a louder voice. 

“Good.” Nathalia let go and stood up. 

Shard scrambled to her feet and glared at Nathalia. “What was that for?!” Shard yelled, brushing off the snow on her clothes. 

“You’re tenacious and ambitious,” Nathalia said. “Great traits, but useless alone. You lack discipline. You lack control. It’s going to get you killed.”

“And you’re going to teach me by shoving me in the ground?!” Shard asked in anger. 

“If that’s what it takes.” Nathalia said without emotion. “You will learn to obey me at all times. When I speak, you listen. When I call, you answer. When I give an order-”

“I obey, I got it, all right?!”  Shard interrupted. She was immediately smacked across her hand with the switch. “OUCH!” Shard jumped back, holding her hand. “What was that for?!”

“Some lessons only pain can teach you,” Nathalia said. “Never interrupt me again.”

“Okay,” Shard muttered, still rubbing her hand. “That hurt.” 

“Good.” Nathalia’s switch sliced through the air again with a swish. “Pain is good. Pain means you’re still alive. Pain means keep moving.” 

“I don’t think you know how humans work,” Shard said. “Pain means stop.” 

“You think the enemy cares if you’re in pain?” Nathalia asked. “You are either the hunter or the prey. There is no inbetween.” 

“But… it doesn’t have to-” Shard didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. Nathalia stepped forward and smacked her with the switch again. 

“Ow!” Shard rubbed the injured spot as tears formed. “Please stop doing that.” She sniffled. 

Nathalia tilted her head. “Are you crying?” she asked with scorn in her voice. 

“Yeah, I said it hurt,” Shard said as the tears continued and fell down her face. 

Nathalia frowned in disgust. “What are you, a child?” Shard was about to point out that she had called her such not even a full day ago, but Nathalia continued. “You wanted to learn what it means to live in this world, didn’t you? If you break down and start crying at the first hint of struggle, maybe you don’t deserve to live in it.” 

Shard’s eyes widened at the woman, tears not stopping. She closed her mouth and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Nathalia continued speaking with contempt. “Stop crying. I will not abide weakness of any kind. Do you understand me?” 

Shard sniffled and tried to wipe the tears up as quickly as possible, trying to will the tears to stop. 

“Do you understand me?!” Nathalia repeated. 

“Yes,” Shard said, sleeves soaked with tears and snot. 

“Good. Now pull yourself together. It’s time to get down to actual training.” Nathalia pointed off toward the house. “Behind the garden is a trail. I want you to follow it. When you get to the fork, go right. It makes a large loop that ends at the road in front of the house.”

“Okay,” Shard said, looking back toward the house. “Just follow it?” she asked, making sure she fully knew the instructions. 

Nathalia nodded. “I’ll be waiting right here. Run.” 

“Run?” Shard said, looking back at the woman like she was crazy. 

“RUN!” Nathalia raised the switch and Shard took off for the path.

Shard ran along the path as instructed, but she did not stop crying. She was fueled by pain and anger. She ran out of fear and spite. Maybe the tears would stop if she ran faster. Maybe the pain would go away if she did what she was told. Maybe she could outrun the night and find light on the other side. Maybe. Shard tripped over her own feet and collapsed on the trail. She sat up and wiped her face, sniffling and taking short breaths. She coughed as she tried to get her breathing back to a reasonable pace. Looking ahead, the fork in the road was clear. Nathalia said to go right. What waited for her if she went right? Pain. A crazy, angry woman. Training, if one could call it that. Kill or be killed. Is that what she really wanted? What waited for her if she went left? Freedom. That word alone forced Shard to her feet. Shard glanced behind her. Nathalia was nowhere to be seen. Don’t keep me waiting. Shard took a deep breath and stared down the right path. Kill or be killed. You wanted to learn what it means to live in this world. Maybe you don’t deserve to live in it. Shard thought of her promise. Leaving would be turning her back on Nathalia, wouldn’t it? Shard clenched her fists and shook her head. “That’s not what I signed up for. That’s not the life I want.” Shard took off running again. She went left. Freedom. 

Not even a few steps into the new direction, Shard met her first challenge. The large, gray wolf from before jumped into her path. Shard screamed. She tried to stop and turn only to fall again. The wolf snarled and snapped at her. Shard jumped to her feet and ran back the way she came. The wolf gave chase. “NO!” Shard screamed, glancing behind her. The wolf leapt ahead of Shard and she had to change course again. She wasn’t sure where she was running, only that she had to keep going. Panic drowned every rational thought. Run! Keep running! Shard ran as fast as could, the wolf snarling close behind. Please don’t eat me! Keep running! Shard pressed ahead, leaping over anything in her path. Scrambling to gain her balance any time she stumbled, she dared not stop. Heart pounding. Lungs sore. All Shard heard was the snarling directly behind her. The path she was on opened to the main road without warning. Nathalia! As vile as the woman was, she could protect from the wolf. Shard just had to get to her in time. She ran faster. “NATHALIA!” Shard screamed as soon as she saw the woman. She ran to the figure and collapsed at her feet. 

“About time,” Nathalia commented cooly. “I was starting to worry.” 

“NAT! THE WOLF!” Shard managed to choke out between gasps of air, wildly pointing behind her. 

The woman tilted her head at the girl with a frown. “What wolf?” 

Shard looked back. Dawn’s light had broken the darkness from the morning. Shard could clearly see the trail she left in the snow from the opening in the woods. There was no wolf to be seen nor evidence that there had ever been one. “But…. but….” Shard’s head spun. I saw the wolf. I heard the wolf. It chased... Didn’t it?

“I already told you, wolves don’t exist here,” Nathalia said. “You made awful time, but I guess it wasn’t terrible for your first run. You’ll improve with time.” She turned and headed to the house. “Come along. We’re not done.” 

Shard looked back at Nathalia, tears threatening to resurface as her heart sank. She looked back at the forest. “No… but…. I know what I saw…” she whispered.