The two weeks that followed transformed the apprentices. The lesson with the chicken had acted as a catalyst, forging between them a silent understanding born of shared sacrifice. Even the taunts against ZE-RAK had faded, replaced by a respectful distance.
MOUGBE deepened his lessons on animals, now detailing the behaviors of larger, more dangerous prey. TOGBE pushed them to master their weapons with deadly precision. MASSI, for his part, strengthened their endurance and refined their knowledge of EVALA techniques. Evenings were often dedicated to the Priestess, who, around the fire, wove tales where the supernatural and the spiritual mingled, sowing seeds of mystery in their minds.
A month had passed since the start of their training. Today marked the beginning of the observation course: they would accompany novice hunters into the forest to observe them hunt.
The day before, the Priestess had given them a particular instruction.
"You will place a pot filled with water outside,in the open air, tonight. Very early at dawn, you will take this water to pray."
She had shown them the ritual, simple but full of meaning. For apprentices who would only observe, it was enough. It involved pouring the water onto the ground before sunrise, praying to the spirit of the forest for a day as clear as water, as tranquil as the night, fresh and blessed.
ZE-RAK had followed the procedure to the letter. But when he had gotten up at the first light of dawn to perform the ritual, a strange sensation had overwhelmed him. Standing in front of his hut, the cool water in his hands, he had had the persistent feeling of being watched. Indistinct figures seemed to move in his peripheral vision, blending into the residual darkness. He had shaken his head, attributing it to fatigue and the early hour.
--
The sun now fully illuminated the training ground where a diverse crowd had gathered. The twenty apprentices mingled with eight novice hunters. They would form four groups of seven people: two novices for five apprentices.
These novices were not ordinary. They were the top eight in their rank's standings, the closest to reaching the intermediate level.
ZE-RAK was slipping through the crowd when a familiar voice called out to him.
"Hey,ZE-RAK!"
He turned around. MOUSSEY, a wide smile on his lips, was making his way toward him. Despite ZE-RAK's repeated advice to keep his distance, MOUSSEY had stubbornly gotten closer to him these past two weeks.
"Hi, ZE-RAK. You in good shape?"
—"Yes,I'm fine. And you?"
—"Me?"MOUSSEY puffed out his chest. "Of course I'm fine."
ZE-RAK glanced at the weapon MOUSSEY was carrying.
"So,you're using a blunt weapon."
—"Huh?!Yes, one hit and boom, it's over."
—"You risk crushing small animals.There'll be nothing left to eat."
—"Don't worry.I know how to control my strength."
A silence passed, then MOUSSEY continued:
"By the way,which group are you in? I'm in the second group."
—"I'm in the first group."
The groups were formed as follows: the novices ranked first and eighth for group 1, second and seventh for group 2, and so on. The apprentices had been randomly assigned.
"What? The first?" exclaimed MOUSSEY, impressed. "You're with the prodigy of the novices, then."
—"The prodigy?"
—"Yes.He managed to become a novice on his first attempt. He's seventeen now, and he's about to become intermediate. He's really talented."
—"I see."
MOUSSEY continued, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.
"He's the new rising star.And there are rumors that Elder SI-KA wants to marry him to his daughter, SI-FA."
The world seemed to sway around ZE-RAK. Flashes of the past assaulted him.
SI-FA. The foremost beauty of the new generation. The admiration he held for her had been one of the forces driving him to become a great hunter, dreaming of being worthy of her. But now, he was just the son of a traitor.
Yet, the surprise on his face didn't come from jealousy or the frustration of having the girl he "loved" stolen from him. It came from a much more troubling revelation: he had forgotten her. He had completely forgotten SI-FA's existence. The admiration he held for her, the motivation she represented... all of it seemed to belong to another life, to another boy. And what shocked him most was the total lack of emotion at her mention. As if his feelings had been devoured from within.
"Hey, ZE-RAK, you okay?"
—"Huh?!Ah, I just remembered something, that's all. Well, it's time. Good luck."
—"Uh...good hunting."
ZE-RAK turned on his heel, leaving MOUSSEY perplexed. What's wrong with him?
--
ZE-RAK joined his group. The two novices immediately stood out. The four other apprentices were none other than YUHAB, his harasser from the canteen and the weapons lesson, and his gang. The group composition seemed problematic from the start, but the presence of the novices should normally ensure order.
The first novice spoke. He exuded a natural authority.
"Good.I believe everyone is here. We will introduce ourselves and go over the plan before leaving. I'll start: I am the novice hunter, ranked first, my name is PAABLO. I will be your leader."
The atmosphere immediately became charged with his imposing aura.
The second novice took over, his attitude completely opposite.
"Pleased to meet you.I'm BLAGBO. I'm in eighth place. Let's have some fun." His smile slightly relaxed the atmosphere.
It was the apprentices' turn.
YUHAB spoke first, a smirk on his lips.
"Hello everyone,my name is YUHAB. I'm a third-attempt apprentice hunter."
ZE-RAK looked at him coldly. So his name is YUHAB. And it's his third attempt. So he's already failed twice.
"My name is AGBO. Also third attempt."
—"YAKAYAKA.Also third attempt."
The whole gang is here. Birds of a feather flock together.
"My name is ZE-RAK. I'm on my first attempt."
A judgmental silence fell over the group at the mention of his name, son of ZE-BE.
PAABLO resumed, impassive.
"Good,now that everyone has introduced themselves, let's get to the important things. There is no plan. All you have to do is follow us, listen to us, and observe us. Anyway, we won't go far into the forest. If everyone understands, let's go."
--
The forest swallowed them, the daylight fragmenting into golden shards through the canopy. PAABLO led the way, silent and self-assured, while BLAGBO brought up the rear with his easy smile, cracking jokes that the apprentices laughed at a little too loudly.
PAABLO raised a hand, imposing silence.
"Rule number one:your steps must be light. Every cracked branch is a warning to the prey."
He placed his foot on a root, brushing it rather than crushing it. The apprentices imitated him.
BLAGBO, at the back, added with a smile:
"And open your ears.The forest speaks. A beating wing, a breath too heavy, a repeated crack... that's the difference between returning with game or returning empty-handed."
The advice seemed simple, but every word was accompanied by a precise demonstration.
ZE-RAK observed in silence, applying each piece of advice with disconcerting ease. His gaze, dark and attentive, scanned the undergrowth. This did not escape YUHAB and his gang, who exchanged knowing looks.
Suddenly, PAABLO raised a fist. The group froze.
"Here,"he murmured, pointing to a clearing about fifty meters away. "We will position ourselves in a semicircle. You, the apprentices, stay back. Observe our placements, our gestures."
As they deployed, BLAGBO approached ZE-RAK with a friendliness that rang false.
"So,son of ZE-BE, your first trip into the forest? Here, for luck." He handed him a small wooden flask. "It's an infusion of bark. The elders say it brings luck to the hunter who drinks it."
ZE-RAK hesitated, suspicion in his gut. But refusing in front of everyone would have been a direct affront. He felt PAABLO's piercing gaze and YUHAB's stifled snickers. He took the flask and swallowed a gulp. The liquid had an earthy taste, slightly sweet, with a hint of bitterness that vaguely reminded him of something... the smell of the berries MOUGBE had told them to avoid.
"Thank you," he said simply, handing back the container.
BLAGBO patted his shoulder, a little too hard.
"Good luck to you."
A few minutes passed in relative silence, broken only by bird songs. Then YUHAB, positioned not far from ZE-RAK, suddenly made a abrupt movement, as if slipping. He bumped into ZE-RAK with his shoulder, and a thick, blackish substance he had hidden in his hand smeared onto ZE-RAK's arm and torso.
"Oh! Sorry, clumsy," YUHAB apologized with a smile that failed to hide his malice.
A strong, sweet, and rancid smell immediately rose from his clothes. It was a smell of fermentation, of rotten fruit and animal fat. The bait. The "boar soup" MOUGBE had told them about. The taste in the infusion was just a prelude, to mask the smell on his breath. Now, he was drenched in it.
His blood ran cold. It was a trap.
Before he could react, a deep, hoarse growl rumbled in the undergrowth, terribly close. A sound of breaking branches followed, heavy, urgent.
PAABLO turned his head toward him, his face a mask of cold indifference.
"Sounds like we have company."
Panic seized ZE-RAK. His companions' eyes were devoid of any help. It was calculated. They had marked him as prey.
A second growl, more angry, tore through the air, so close this time that the bushes to his right shook.
ZE-RAK's body acted before his mind. The survival instinct overwhelmed all rational thought. Pivoting on the spot, he planted his feet in the soft earth and fled. He wasn't running to somewhere; he was fleeing away from here, away from these men, away from that beast they had summoned against him.
The stifled laughter of YUHAB and the impassive gaze of PAABLO were the last things he perceived from the group before the forest closed in on him, dense, dark, and full of threats. He ran, driven by a primitive terror, sinking deeper and deeper into the dark belly of the forest, the trap perfectly sprung.