The Roar of the Night

18

The day of the final test had arrived. The sun was just peeking through the branches of the forest when Alex and Tom guided me to the training area. I felt a knot in my stomach, but it wasn't from the cold morning air. I knew this was going to be different than anything else I had done before.

Tom explained the plan to me. **"Today you will face your most important test yet, Rex. You have to save one of your own."** At first I didn't understand what he meant, but when we reached the highest platform in the training area, I saw it.

There, on the edge of the platform, was a puppy. Not just any puppy, but a Rottweiler. One that reminded me of myself when I was young. My heart stopped for a second when I saw those big, curious eyes, the little wobbly body that was barely standing steady on its paws.

**"If you want to be a hero, you have to save one of your own first,"** Alex continued in a firm but understanding voice. **"You must enter the field, run step by step, without using your powers at first. Then when you get to it, you grab it and use the elastic fist to lift yourself up to that pine tree,"** he pointed to the tallest tree. **"There you will position yourself as Spiderman does, and then, gently, you will lower the puppy to the ground, without making him dizzy."**

I felt my throat close. Save one of my own? That involved more than just completing the test. It was like facing my own past. My head was filled with memories, confusing images of my canine childhood, when I myself had been a vulnerable puppy.

I positioned myself at the starting line, looking at the obstacle course in front of me. The bars to jump on, the logs to dodge, and at the top of the platform, that little puppy who looked at me innocently, not knowing that he depended on me.

**"You have to do it step by step,"** I told myself, trying to focus. **"First the bars, then the logs... and finally the puppy."** But I couldn't get that image out of my head, of my own self as a puppy.

I closed my eyes for a moment and remembered. I returned to that day that I had buried deep in my memory: the day I was almost run over. I could feel the pavement under my little paws, the fear that paralyzed me as I saw the lights of the car approaching at full speed. It was a memory that had followed me for years, but I had never really faced it. The fear that something might go wrong, that I wouldn't be quick enough to save someone, took hold of me.

I opened my eyes and looked at the puppy again. He didn't know it, but that moment meant more to me than anyone else at that training camp. I was about to relive my worst fears, but this time, I couldn't fail.

I took a deep breath and took the first step, the weight of responsibility crushing me. My thoughts were clouded, and the memory of the car about to hit me kept appearing in my mind, standing between me and my goal.

I made my way through the obstacle course, each step heavier than the last, and just before reaching the platform, I stopped, looking at the puppy. My mind was divided between past and present, between fear and responsibility, unable to move forward.