Chapter 32 - The Price of Strength
The forest was their home. For three years, the Shadow Guard had lived, fought, and bled beneath its dense canopy, training in the harshest conditions Khisa could devise. He had abandoned them for weeks at a time, scattering them across the wilderness with no food, no shelter—only their instincts and will to survive. Some nearly perished. Others bore scars they would carry for the rest of their lives.
Yet none had broken.
Among them was Zuberi.
Flashback – Zuberi's Trial
The dense forest swallowed her in darkness. Moonlight barely filtered through the thick canopy above, and every sound sent her senses on high alert. She clutched her bow tightly, an arrow already nocked. The only other weapons she had were two small daggers strapped to her thighs.
Her stomach twisted in pain—three days without food. She had tried to hunt, but her arrows had missed their marks, and the few she did hit had gotten away. Hunger clawed at her mind, slowing her reactions. She had managed to find water, but it was not enough.
Then came the growl.
She spun, eyes darting to the source. A lean, scarred hyena stood a few meters away, yellow eyes glowing in the dark. Itwas thin, desperate. Just like her.
The hyena lunged. Zuberi dove to the side, rolling through the dirt, her bow slipping from her grasp. No time to retrieve it. The beast snarled and turned, its rotting breath filling her nostrils as it snapped at her. She drew one of her daggers and slashed wildly. The blade nicked its shoulder, but it wasn't enough.
The hyena pounced.
Instinct took over. Zuberi shoved the dagger upward with both hands, catching the beast in the throat just as it landed on top of her. Blood gushed onto her arms, warm and thick. The hyena twitched, then stilled.