He breathed in deeply and out came vapor. It was cold – very cold. The White Mountains were covered with snow and those freezing temperatures would have been his death if not the fur from his dad. It did not seem enough, but there was no other choice.
Kamnathé, ten years old, was determined to become a warrior in his tribe. The Kaminatra was a tribe of powerful warriors specialized in stealth and very fast attacks. To become a warrior, like in a of lot of other tribes, was one of the highest of honors. To make his father proud, he had to do it.
"For you Mom," he whispered in a puff of frosty breath.
It was not common to go through warrior training at his age. Usually boys at this age mostly played in the fields or in the forest near his village. He was different. The shaman saw something at his birth and he was placed in warrior training as soon as he could walk. There, he was taught the different fighting styles and survival techniques.
During his training he often dreamed about what his life would looked like if he was like the others. He would often dream at night about playing with the other children from his tribe. Somehow, fate decided differently for him.
The cold wind was piercing his skin. Patches of ice formed on his arms due to the snow melting and instantly freezing on his body. It hurt, but it had to be endured. Kamnathé was determined to return home with this task completed. It was simpler said than done though.
"Go to the White Mountains," the elders' voice echoed in his head, "and there you will meet a teacher. If he thinks you are worthy to continue, you get a chance to come back with a token of his appreciation. Only then will you become a true warrior of the Kaminatra tribe."
Kamnathé kept walking through the snow. The wind was blowing even harder and night time was coming. He had to find shelter, or else he would die out there. The wind quickly turned into a blizzard and it was becoming even harder to see.
'I need to find shelter,' he thought to himself, 'and fast'
He kept walking, protecting his face and warming his whole body, through the snow storm. Through the fog and snow, he saw a cave. He was relieved. He went inside, his hands not far from his axe, and scanning the cave for wild animals. Bears and some Snow Sabertooth were very common in these mountains. Especially in those caves.
He advanced slowly and quietly. Apart from the howling of the wind, everything stood still and silent. As he went deeper into the cave, he found an old fireplace.
'Must have been from the previous Kaminatra warriors,' he thought.
He found a stack of dry wood behind a rock and used it to make a fire. As the fire lit up, he heard a crack, deeper in the cave. He quickly pulled out his axe, ready to fight. He heard swift footsteps, and out of the shadows came a snow rabbit. The little animal darted towards the exit. Kamnathé aimed and threw his axe at the rabbit.
"Gotcha!" He said proud of his hunting skills. He picked up his prey and prepared it to be cooked on the fire he made.
Kamnathé woke up at the first rays of the sun and went out of the cave. The storm was over and it stopped snowing. He took a deep breath and continued his way up to the teacher's place. It was getting colder as he went up the mountain. He suddenly arrived at plateau – flat land on a slope. He was not sure, but it looked like this part of the mountain was cut off. It had the shape of a perfect flat circle, in the middle of which, was a small round wooden hut.
He slowly approached the house, while scanning around for anything that might jump on him. He did not know for sure if this was the teacher's place and this area of the mountain looked too peculiar for him for someone of his tribe to be living here. The door squeaked opened as he approached to knock.
