Nyx stayed there, hiding in the tree, for she didn't know how long. She was breathing and alive, that's what mattered the most to her.
She was exhausted. She had no energy to run and set traps anymore.
"She's near." She heard a voice. "Blood trail leads this way."
"Spread out. Check every tree, every hole."
Nyx moved even deeper into the hollow, making herself as small as possible with her knife still in her hand.
One of the wolves paused near her tree. It sniffed the air and took a step towards the hollow.
"Don't find me. Please don't find me."
The wolf came even more closer, he was just one step away from seeing her.
"Over here!" A wolf shouted from the east. "I found her trail!"
The wolf's head snapped up. He was torn between investigating the tree and following the call but he decided to ran towards the east.
Nyx sighed in relief.
"How many hours left? Four? Five?"
Nyx just waited without making a sound and soon fell asleep.
She woke up to complete silence.
"Was I asleep? For how long? The hunt…."
Through the opening, she could see the sky. It was still dark outside. But something was wrong. The forest was too quiet. There were no howls, no sound of wolves running, and talking to each other.
"When wolves go silent, they're close." She remembered Razeil's words.
Nyx tried to move but her body had stiffened. Everything hurt worse than before. But she still moved and,with difficulty, forced herself out of the hollow.
She looked around her and saw dozens of eyes, glowing in the darkness, surrounding her in a circle.
They'd found her and had been watching her sleep.
This is it. I'm done.
Suddenly, a figure stepped forward from the circle. It was Darius, in his complete human form.
"Dawn is in one hour." He said. "You've run for eleven hours, survived impossible odds and proven yourself more capable than any prey in three centuries."
Nyx tried to speak but couldn't.
"The hunt is technically not over." Darius continued. "We could chase you for another hour, catch you before dawn and end this."
"Then… do… it." Nyx whispered.
"No." Darius gestured and the circle of wolves parted making a path for her. "Run, Nyx Keller, for one more hour. Show us your human will is strong enough to reach dawn."
"Why?"
"Because you've earned it." He looked at her. "And because I want to see if you can."
Nyx stared at the path they'd cleared for her. This was a gift. The Wolf King himself was letting her go. She tried to walk but her legs gave out immediately.
"Can't run?" Darius asked.
"Can't even stand." Nyx replied.
"Then crawl."
"What?"
"You have one hour until dawn. If you can reach the border of wolf territory before sunrise, you pass. So crawl, drag yourself, if you have to. But move."
Crawl for an hour.
She grabbed the ground with her hands and dragged herself forward. The wolves watched in silence as she crawled past them. Some looked at her with contempt while some with respect and some in awe.
She crawled through the forest on her hands and knees, and in between, she dragged herself on her stomach when her arms gave out. Blood was dripping from her every body part but she kept crawling.
Dawn. Make it to dawn.
The sky began to lighten.
Close. I'm close.
Nyx's hands hit a stone. She looked up and saw a marker. It showed she had reached the border of the wolf territory. Behind her, a horn blew. Indicating that the hunt was over and she'd survived.
Nyx collapsed on her back, staring up at the sky, unable to move, unable to think, and unable to breathe.
I've done it. I've actually fucking done it.
She heard the sound of footsteps approaching but she couldn't even turn her head to look. Raziel's face appeared above her. He was looking at her with both relief and disbelief.
"You survived." He said.
"Told you… I would."
"You crawled the last mile. You're bleeding from everywhere. You're stubborn, insane…"
"Still talking… need to… rest now." Nyx's eyes closed.
"Don't you dare die now." Raziel said as he checked her injuries. "Medical! NOW!"
The last thing Nyx heard before she lost consciousness was Darius's voice.
"She passed. Tell the other kings that the human has passed my trial."
Nyx woke up with pain in every cell of her body. But she was warm from the furs beneath her and fire nearby. She could hear low voices around her, arguing about something.
She opened her eyes and saw herself lying in Razeil's den. The arguing voices were of Raziel and ? Nyx couldn't turn her head to see, her neck was too stiff.
"She needs weeks to recover, not days!"
"I know. But the other kings won't wait. Korran's trial is scheduled for three days from now."
"She can barely move. How is she supposed to fight…"
"She'll have to find a way or forfeit." Raziel said. "I don't make the rules."
"You're a king. Change the rules."
"I've already done everything I can to keep her alive this long. The other kings are watching me. If I do anything more, they'll call me biased, cancel her trials, and execute her."
"So, she has to nearly die every few days to prove she deserves to exist?"
"Yes." Raziel replied. "Welcome to the Beastworld."
Nyx tried to speak but could only rasp. Raziel immediately ran to her side.
"Don't try to talk. Your throat is raw from exhaustion and dehydration."
He helped her sip water. It hurt going down, but felt good.
"How long?" Nyx rasped.
"Since you passed out? Eight hours." Raziel replied. "The healers have been working on you constantly."
Nyx looked down at herself. Her hands were wrapped in fresh bandages, ankle was in some kind of brace, and she could feel tight wrapping around her ribs.
"How am I?" She asked.
"Two broken ribs, one cracked. Your ankle has severe sprain with possibility of fractures. You'll have deep scars on your hand, but you can use them once you heal."
"How long will it take for me to heal?"
"Weeks. Maybe months for full recovery."
"I have three days."
"I know." Raziel's jaw tightened. "Which is why we need to discuss strategy."
"Let me guess. Korran's trial is combat."
"Yes. Three rounds with three opponents. Each harder than the previous one." He stood up. "You can't fight with your hands like that, can't run with that ankle and can't take hits with broken ribs."
"So I forfeit and die?"
"No." He looked at her. "We will find a way. There are rules, loopholes, advantages we can exploit. But Nyx…" He crouched beside her. "You barely survived the hunt. Korran's trial will be more brutal. If you fail…"
"I won't fail."
"You can't be sure."
"But I'm not giving up now. I didn't crawl through a forest to quit before the next trial."
Razeil smiled.
"I suppose you didn't." He stood up. "Rest. I'll send your food. And we'll start planning tomorrow."
"Raziel, thank you, for everything you did for me."
"I told you earlier also, don't thank me yet. Thank me after you survive all five trials."
He left, leaving Nyx sitting there alone with pain, exhaustion and the relief of still being alive.
RESEARCH NOTES:
Director Zhao-
I've observed subjects for twenty years. I've never seen anyone crawl for an hour on broken hands rather than accept failure. Whatever drives Nyx Keller is beyond normal human psychology.
SYSTEM ANALYSIS:
TRIAL ONE: COMPLETE
SUBJECT STATUS: CRITICAL BUT STABLE
SUBJECT: CRITICAL CONDITION
TRIALS COMPLETE: 1 OF 5
NEXT TRIAL: 71:42:18
SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: 3%
RECOMMENDATION: OBSERVE
END TRANSMISSION