Random Stories And Stuff

Subzero Short Stories: The Animal Gauntlet

Based off of a dream I had. This is non-canon.

Me, my friends, and some animals were in a group called the Animal Explorers. Ms. Hauke was going to tell us what we are going to do today. 
"So today, kids," Ms. Hauke was about to explain, "Today is your final test. We call this test the Animal Gauntlet, and it is through this door."
"Why are we outside of the actual rooms?" Asked Kylie.
"Well, you have to go inside the room to start the gauntlet, don't you?"
"Right." Kylie said.
"Anyway, There will be lots of animals in there. First, there is a storage area-"
I didn't want to listen. But there was only one part I heard:
"-And in the last room, which kind of looks like a sewer, but isn't, there will be cardinals and crows. You must list at least three facts about the crows when you're done."
I am kind of scared for some reason. Sure, most of those animals are harmless, but there was something else.
Suddenly, the floor broke, and there was only a little bit of it left.
"Quick! Get to the gauntlet! I'll be downstairs."
Kylie and Sadie, another one of the friends, went through the door. I told two of my friends and a hermit crab in water I would go in last, but they didn't listen, so I just ran through the door as the ceiling was kind of crumbling. The start is exactly what she said, a storage area. But as I heard the chirping of a cricket, I tried to make a cricket call. The cricket came towards me, but as it did, I realized it was as big as a water bottle. It climbed onto me. I was frozen. I couldn't move.
"YAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Something yelled.
I saw the crab jump through the door and cut the cricket that was on me in half.
"Crab! You came to save me! But wait, how can you talk? And how can you breathe above water?"
"I could always talk. I just didn't want to talk in front of-" The crab shivered. "The leader. And for the water part, I always knew how to breathe air, but I learned how to breathe water! There is-"
"Look out!" I yelled, and caught the cricket trying to jump onto crab.
Crab cut the cricket in half. "Drop the rest. By the way, call me Caramel."
"Alright. Where's the next door?"
Caramel looked around. "Over there! But there are more crickets, so stay behind me!"
Caramel skitted across the floor by the crickets.
"What do I do?" I asked.
"Stomp on them!" Caramel said, chopping crickets. "If they come close, that's what you'll do!"
And some did hop close to me, so I did as told.
"Run through the door! It's cricket-proof!"
We both ran through the door. The crickets didn't follow us.
"That's good." I said.
"But we're not safe for long, Winter! Frogs!"
"But aren't they harmless?" I asked.
"Not when Ms. Hauke doesn't say so!"
In the room there was a pool of water in the middle. That was the only weird thing in a grey storage room, unless the frogs count.
The frogs leaped toward us.
"These things are slimy, so don't slip on them, and I won't be able to cut them. Grab a broom or something."
I grabbed the nearest broom and swept all the frog out of our path. Even though they kept hopping back, I kept sweeping.
"The path is clear now! Let's go! Quick!!!"
We ran through the second door.  What we didn't notice was there was water everywhere.
"Fish! They can swallow me whole! Let me climb onto your shoulder. You can easily avoid them. Poke their eyes with the broom."
I carried Caramel onto my shoulder. The poking of the eyes was actually easier done than said.
"Now run!"
I ran through the door, going to the next room.
"Eagles." I said. "Is this the last room? I don't see cardinals or crows.
"Nope. But if you don't make a sound and disturb them, they won't hurt you."
After walking a few steps, a branch snapped under my feet.
"RUN!" Caramel yelled.
I batted the broom at the eagles and after I could, I made a break for it.
"This," Caramel explained, "Is the second to last room. Squirrels."
It was still a normal storage room, but squirrels were on the storage spaces. They looked like they were about to attacks, either by throwing acorns or by biting.
"What good is a sword without a shield? Grab the piece of metal, quick!"
I did as told. I blocked most of the acorns thrown with my "shield" and swung my "sword" at all the squirrels. I was like a knight!
After walking into the last door, I saw the last room. Crows and cardinals everywhere.
"Crows attack just for food, and cardinals also do. I-"
A crow swooped and grabbed Caramel.
"Caramel! I'll get you down from there!"
"Don't try! I'll catch up with you. Run to the exit! NOW!"
I ran. I carried my broom and metal. I didn't worry about the birds, or Caramel, and I didn't stop running until I went through the last door.
The room was dark. I felt like someone else was there.
"Congratulations. You completed the gauntlet."
A light turned on. Ms. Hauke stood in front of me.
"Now, there's one last thing you have to do."
Eyes flashed behind Ms. Hauke. A growl was heard.
"Run."
"Winter! I'm here! And I have friends!"
Caramel has somehow become friends with the birds.
"ATTACK!"
The animal, which is now known to be a bear, charged toward me. I quickly moved out of the way.
"Come on guys! Kill the bear!"
All the birds swarmed in to help defeat the bear. Carmel and I fought it, too. When the bear was weakened, and I was, too, we all saw Ms. Hauke was gone.
"Where did she-"

I woke up in my bed. I saw my sister was not in her bed.
"Was- Was that a dream?" I asked myself.
I looked around and saw a shell on my shelf. I tapped it twice.
"Good morning, Winter."
"How did you get in my house?" I asked. "How did I get in my house?"
"The birds carried you. And now, I can stay here as your pet!"
"Really?" I asked.
"Really." 
I carried Caramel up to the window. "Let's promise never to go through an Animal Gauntlet again."
"Never ever." Caramel answered.

What is different:
-Crows were originally called Carrows, but Carrows don't exist.
-My sister named the teacher after her teacher. The teacher was different, though.
-It was not called the Animal Gauntlet, it was simply called "the test".
-The team was not called Animal Explorers.
-The dream originally stopped after the crab saved me.

(Sadie(y) and Kylie/Skylie are my aliases.
Caramel's name before it was Caramel was going to be Seamore.)