Avery The Sneak

Chapter 9: The Outcome

In my dreams I saw Mother and Father as I remember them. I was six years old waiting to go to school in the morning. Dad made pancakes as I slumped over the table, waiting. Pancakes were the only things dad could cook with any success, and he took great pride in them. In all my years I'd never tasted their equal. Mom prepared lunch for me, softly humming a song I don't recognize.

I began to notice some strange differences about my parents. My Mother filled the lunch bag with an assortment of small knives and masks. Dad sprinkled little gold coins onto the batter, and cut them with a broadsword. I was so surprised that I slipped off the side of my chair.

I felt myself falling, deeper and deeper into a cold pit that smells faintly of pine sap.

When I woke up I was facing the ground. My cloak stayed tied, but now it cut into my waist and strained under the effort of holding my weight.

It was lucky that I saw Ludwig first, otherwise I would have cried out for help. My heart raced loud enough to wake him as I blindly grasped for the branch I was just sitting on. I managed to grab hold and swing a leg over the side. After that it doesn't take long to get myself righted.

I gave myself a moment to breathe heavily and contemplated how close I came to being wolf food.

It was still dark out. Ludwig was still asleep, completely unaware that I had nearly died. There was no chance of getting any more sleep, so I took the time to hop to another tree branch. I continued hopping, and soon I was moving around Ludwig's clearing. It made the following part of the journey much easier. I just had to wait for Ludwig to wake up.

Boredom was an enemy much more sinister than cold or gravity. Just waiting around for the old man to wake up was enough to drive me crazy. I had unlocked my practice lock so many times that I barely had to look at it anymore.

My stomach rumbled and I was reminded that I hadn't eaten anything since the test started yesterday morning. It was too cold for anything to grow on the trees. It was probably all part of Ludwig's plan. I would learn resilience and patience on an empty stomach. Whatever he had in store, I wouldn't balk just because I was a little hungry.

Or maybe he wanted me to steal food from him? What's the use in just watching if you don't strike when your opponent is vulnerable? The more I thought about it, the more sense it made.

Carefully I shimmied down the trunk to the forest floor. I felt beads of sweat on the back of my neck as I crept toward the clearing. The wind was loud enough to mask most of my sound, but I still proceeded slowly. Against anyone else this would be a simple matter, but Ludwig spotting me meant another day spent slinking through the woods.

I reached the clearing and peered over to where Ludwig was sleeping. Orange embers flared dully in the wind and cast a soft glow on Ludwig's back. Each step was slow and deliberate. I was ready to bolt back toward the woods if Ludwig so much as twitched. Twenty feet turned to ten. Closer and closer, until I could hear his deep breathing.

Despite my focus I couldn't help but notice that Ludwig doesn't snore. Strange for an old man.

I was checking around for his bag when I noticed a small parcel on the other side of the campfire. It was a little cloth bundle tied with string. Tucked under the string was a small handwritten note.

Congratulations on your first mark. Enjoy

I smiled at the old man, and plucked the bag up from its spot. I hurried back to the trees just as the first rays of dawn spilled onto the clearing. From my perch I watched as the sunlight crept over him and woke him up. The way he got up you would never think the man stole for a living. He looked just like any other grandfather: creaky and slow.