The Longing

Chapter 33

It's been 3 days since we've started. My injuries were healing fine and the training's going smooth. The Alpha makes sure to check every training in the morning or noon.

They have breakfast and lunch in here, there are staff who brings all the nourishment in here. The trainees not stepping foot out of the training grounds.There are some who still can't keep up so I pay more attention to them.

I remembered the faces of the people who died that night. I could remember the pain, the helplessness in their eyes when they were ripped apart.

I could never stand it, never. Who knew if they had children, a significant other, a family?

Were they mourned? Where were they buried? Did anyone shed a tear for them? Did someone blink an eye on their death?

Those questions remained unanswered as I train the pack members who will soon become warriors.

Not all of them were to become warriors, only those who choose to be one of the warriors will be entitled as such.

The others who won't can return to their respective homes and will get the benefit of knowing basic combat skills and could use it for attacks and defend themselves.

It's a win win.

Since this pack always seems to be in danger. I could not quite decipher if it was because of the surrounding territory it occupies or because of something else.

He isn't sure if rogues know that's why he's hesitant about it. Rogues may know about the lab, leading to his discomfort. It just means more trouble.

I don't know if his statement meant another thing but I ignored it. "Oh yeah. Buy me one so I can return a response." He nodded and didn't say anything else.

I focused back on the trainings and observed the overall performance of them, making sure to check wrongdoings every now and then.

When training was finished, I dismissed everyone back to their homes and washed myself up.

They're not the only one who's training. I may be training them but I need to train myself too.

I was exhausted after all that, resting on the bed they provided me with. My mind was blank, no thoughts or worries occurring.

It was peaceful, to say the least. Every time I take a break or even stop for a moment, my thoughts run as if its faster than flash himself.

I'm glad today isn't like those days, I like this one. I can breathe, I feel okay.

I was still part of the game, it was on pause because of what happened in the pack. The pack warriors were now replaced by real warriors and the games were stopped for safety reasons.

And tomorrow is the continuation of it. I don't think I have the energy to even play.

I'm not complaining but training is really exhausting and I want them to develop skills more efficiently and fast because any day now, I'm pretty sure another attack will happen.

I just know it.

Not a moment later, my eyelids began to feel heavy, fatigue taking over my body. I breathed deeply, letting sleep consume my whole being.

Why would they even conduct the game in a garden? Also, are gardens always this large? It's part of the forest to be even called a garden.

This time, we were given a chance to wear what we want to. As always, black is my first choice.

I was wearing a black jogging pants and a blacktop shirt. It was already noon when the game started.

Van and Sen was shocked to see me fine, its been days since they saw me alive and well. They must've thought I was one of the victims that was caught in the attack.

I was, I just survived. Luckily.

They took their time filling me up with things since the day of the attack. They began with the games halting and the Alpha ordering the whole pack to begin training.

And just like that, days have passed and when they heard the games will continue, they talked to the Alpha himself to ask where I was.

Surprisingly, he answered all their questions related to me and what I was doing. Typically, not like him at all.

When the countdown ended, we all dashed towards the forest, one by one they found themselves a place to hide, away from the Alpha's eyes.

On the other hand, I kept running into the forest deeper, until I heard no sounds of cheers from the crowds.

The deeper I am, the better chance I have of not being found. Just a little longer and I'll climb a tree.

I dashed through the forest, dodging trees and uproots to avoid hurting myself.

I halted when I found a big tree. I analyzed it then tried to climb it. I fell down on my butt when the stem I held onto broke.

I tried to climb again and was successful this time and rested myself on a branch.

The tree blends in pretty well. If you don't asses the surrounding, you won't even notice the difference on how big it is compared to others.

I sat on the branch, I had my legs wrapped around it as I waited for the end of the game.

The scenery is quite beautiful up here. The cold wind blew against my face, brushing my hair to the side. Since it was getting annoying, I had to tie it up.

Compared to what I saw when I ran, the forest in this view is breathtaking. It was like I was a giant normally walking around.

I could hear the birds singing, the squirrels chattering, the sound of the wind as it whistles around.

I leaned back on the tree, resting my head on the trunk. I could rest for a few minutes, the slept I had last night wasn't very satisfying.

I slept late and woke up early, and I am not an early bird. Sen had to literally drag me out of bed and pour a glass of water on me.

Yes, it's that worse. I hate it when morning comes, for all I care, I could sleep all day.

In addition, I had lost a lot of energy while training, so even if I wanted to, I wasn't really able to wake up early.

I closed my eyes and hummed a random song, tapping my fingers on my thighs as I hum.

My spirits were more lifted than before. When I sing, I forget about everything, it's another world for me.

I don't know where it all began but when I sang for the play in school when I was a kid, I was also shocked with my own voice.

I felt angry towards them not because they didn't say anything, but because they didn't think about supporting their own child.

Don't get me wrong, I love my parents. Just not knowing the reason why they disappear from time to time infuriates me to no end.

I shook the thoughts out of my head and opened my eyes, roaming it to the leaves of the trees and checking the ground every now and then.

I don't know how many minutes have passed since the game has started. Why am I even trying so hard to win this game? And the prize is what, him? The Alpha?

I don't know why I'm still participating in The Hunt but my gut tells me that I should, just not why.

I miss everyone, Derek is the only person I keep seeing and I feel like puking every time his face shows up.

Kidding.

Derek is like a brother to me, he is surely my best friend and somehow this pack's Beta. Derek, a leader? He can't even lead 5 people into battle, cowering behind me, as always.

It's the thing I've been training him on for years, his leadership skills. He always wanted to climb ranks with leadership skills but lacking the courage to do it.

Alpha, the first and highest leader of a pack, only one person occupies it. Him.

Beta, the second-in-command of the Alpha, second highest leader of a pack. Only one person occupies it. But from what I've heard, Derek isn't officially the Beta until they hold a ceremony for him.

Dude always gets the spotlight, I'm proud. As a person who grew up with him, seeing him rise through ranks in the military was heartwarming, all the hard work getting paid.

Gamma, the third-in-command of the Alpha, third highest leader of a pack. The Gamma monitors the pack and administrations when the Alpha is out.

And lastly, Delta. The last leader of a pack, fourth-in-command to the Alpha. The Delta handles pack matters such as pack trades and trainings.

But I've heard they have no Delta since the pack has no one strong enough to take on the tittle.

Simply put, the people are still weak. I'm not insulting, rather I'm telling the truth, it's why I train them. For the better.

My brain seems to be in all places these days. I have this feeling inside me that tells me I need to take charge of matters.

Is it my military leadership skill or something else?

Either way, I like to lead people into victory, even if it means to experience complicated things. Like they always say, success is nothing without failure.

I heard a shuffling of leaves not a few distance away from the tree I climbed. I turned my attention to where the sound came from and saw a girl anxiously looking around, her whole body on alert.

She looks like she doesn't know where to go, as she shuffles in all directions, turning her head everywhere.

For what seems like forever, she sighed and nodded, indicating that she will trust me, this once. "I do but I am not sure if I could climb that high." She started to stretch her legs and attempted to climb the tree I was on but I stopped her.

She started to strode to another big tree and climbed it. She was clumsy as I observed her, she does know how to climb trees.

When she was up, she hugged the branch with her thighs and sat there quietly. "What's your name?"

She giggled loudly and spoke. "Ah well, let's hope not."

This is gonna be a one hell of an hour.

In order to past time, we just talked to each other, making sure to be quiet as possible but can still hear one another.

She told me stories and stuff, like how she became the best warrior in her pack and how she ranked 3rd on the world's best pack warrior.

Just like sports, stuff like international competitions, they also have it too. Their process is a duel between two people and whoever wins the first round, continues on and fights another person when they are called.

The loser is, well a loser. It's basically sportsmanship to them. I've heard this things from Van, he was always excited to tell me those stuff.

When the hour has passed and the bells have chimed, it was time to go. The game has ended and we need to go down.

The air against me and the land just a few distances away, I prepared for it. My breath stopped and my back hurts like hell.

I gasped due to shock and pain, I think I might've broken my spine, where I fell is way above ground, there's no way I'm fine.

I turned to the side, groaning. "What the hell are you making a sound like that for?"

I glared at her retreating back, she looked back once more and waved at me, laughing.

Then it hit me, it was her. Dull brown eyes, red hair and a very irritating attitude. She was the one who mocked us at the Enigma game.

So she got her revenge because I glared at her that time? I groaned, resting my back and breathed in deeply.

Two can play that game, bitch. Just you wait.

I laid on the ground and sighed loudly. I'll get up when I feel like it, that way I can gather energy to face that two-faced woman.

Looking up at the sky isn't that bad, the leaves on the trees fluttered as winds flew by. Leaves fall every now and then from their roots, landing on the ground gracefully.

There's something about this garden, the scenery is much more different compared to others. It was warm, bright and peaceful.

I feel, home.

The big tree I climbed stood tall, not even shaken by the strong wind passing by. It's leaves and roots danced with the breeze, as if it was its own dance partner.

I got up and dusted myself, making sure to look clean as possible so that Sen and Van wouldn't ask so many questions about how I ended up having dirty clothes.

Time to head back.

I took my time walking back to the starting line and admired the Garden as best as I could. When I reached the end, Sen and Van waved at me and congratulated me for winning.

It was time for dinner when we came back to the pack house, always with the speakers booming a congratulatory message and ending with the audience cheering.

When Van opened the door, we witnessed a lot of people dressed in military uniform talking amongst themselves, some are even guarding the doorway.

My lips frowned, unaware of what is happening right now and what are the soldiers doing here.

I left Van and Sen in the entrance and approached a soldier close to me.

She flinched, her eyes widened for a bit then returned to normal. She breathed in and fixed her stance, raising her hand immediately and doing a salute.

The upper arm is horizontal, the elbow is angled slightly forward, and the hand and wrist are both straight.

It's your fault why I'm not a Major yet, not mine. If that didn't happen and you didn't appear, I wouldn't be demoted.

Everything was going well but you had to interfere with that filthy pride and hunger for danger of yours.

Now you've finally done it, Uncle. Once I get back, I'll put a knife to your throat.

Kali Charlotte Smith is a rival, since childhood. We were mistaken as best friends because our parents are closer than siblings.

They enrolled us at the same school since middle. I've always hated her guts because wherever she goes, trouble follows.

She likes to fight with people and creates drama, she's the epitome of the devil himself. She doesn't like me either because I'm nothing like her.

I studied well, behaved well and was even recognized by big schools. Meanwhile, she worked her ass off to pay her own college fees because her parents refuse to support her unless she behaves.

She hates studying and hates being controlled too. She became more rebellious when we finished college. To my surprise, she enlisted a few years after I did.

I groaned and lied on the bed, I'll take my rest first before anything.

Damn it. Why did he have to send her of all people?

——

- Sun Tzu