Clive and I never ended up scouting out the forest, called Lower Yards Forest. It was the lower part of a larger forest known as Montgomery Yards but it was usually called the Yards Forest.

Lower Yards, however, was closer to our academy and only a few minutes away from horse, although walking there could take half a hour.

The tenth years usually never entered this forest, especially in winter. Last year our exams took place in the woods behind our school, which is ample fighting ground, just not challenging enough. So here we were.

Our grade, around a hundred students so fifty pairs, (25 pairs hunting each other) had our days divided in half. They randomly chose 25 to go first and that included Clive and I and our opposing team, Will and Wyatt.

We decided to stay a safe distance from them as we trudged there, whispering in the snow. The wind howling in my ear reminded me of nights we killed. It was not unnerving, but rather strange as it was daytime.

It was almost the same, Clive was by my side, I had my one handed rapier as opposed to a two hand sword, and we had a bag of food and things such as matches. We wore three layers of everything, from tops to pants to socks and our boot and coat to camouflage.

Once we went to a forest Clive and I quickly kept an eye on our team but ran the opposite direction, too. It was decided we would take offense because if they did, we would have to run. Some teams began to grow closer to their teams, but other than your partner we didn't speak much to one another.

"Tonight I think we can have a good night's sleep," Clive said, sighing as he drank a small amount of water from the canteen. "Geez this water is cold. My teeth hurts."

"Just come here and watch," I gestured to our tent, which I set up quickly. We weren't given a real tent, it was leather held up by sticks with linen cloth over the sides.

Clive had helped put it up but sat outside, watching. His head always tilted slightly to one side if he heard a rustle, but he never moved other than capping his canteen and placing it down slowly.

"Take a rest," I whispered to him. I had taken off the leather gloves to dig the sticks we found into the soil but put them on again.

Thinking of moving our shelter made me tired but most boys around us (who we identified) were warming up instead and one slept as the other kept an eye out.

"Clive, just sleep tonight," I snapped. Still in whispers we bantered.

"What if they take this chance to hunt us? It's not just a test—it's the Headmaster, testing us against them."

He had been bothered by that, I realized, scared we would lose our positions.

Sure we made lots of money for each mission, and Clive saved all his money in a tin can under his bed for whatever mysterious use he would use them for. If I was honest to myself, I wanted to lose this privilege.

I was a coward like Daniel, if it weren't for the fact I'd lose Clive as my partner I wouldn't continue killing.

I had nightmares of people walking to me, knives in their bodies and bleeding face shouting in agony, but seeing Clive was worth it...or so I thought.

"Fine, I'll nap and we can change shifts when you're tired," I hissed. "Don't you dare not wake me up and overwork yourself!"

"I promise, just go, Nathan."

I left and under the trees I laid down in the cold cloth ground we had shoveled. I rolled myself in blankets but made sure my dagger was by my side and slept with both arms out. It was a silent night, a night of predators and prey, nights we hated.

***

Clive tapped on me and when I grabbed the dagger he held my hand. He had managed to slip into the tent without me waking so easily.

"Nathan, time to switch." I glanced at my watch. He had let me sleep for five hours. Damn, I knew he did this for me and was annoyed at being babied.

"You could've woken me up before!" I scolded, sitting up. "That's what shifts mean!"

"Well, I'll sleep until eight then," he joked, and snuggled in. "And also, it's warmer when you warmed it for me. But I don't think you need to guard anything, a pair shifted places so now there's only two close by tents, one at nine o clock under a tree and the other at five o clock behind us."

We snuggled for a while, and outside it was bright—or maybe my eyes had adjusted. I saw everything clearly and rolled out to the opening, watching regardless. I might be staying under the blankets but I would guard us.

And that's how hours passed and Clive woke up regardless at eight.

"Today it's time to find them," Clive said, wrapping up the blankets and taking the leather covering of the tent, too.

"We've stayed one night, now it's either us attack or they do," I whispered. One night was the requirement, and boys who whispered plans amongst us had revealed they planned to attach the next morning, or dawn.

To capture the prey, you had to hurt them. Our tradition was to cut their hair off, thus preventing hats, and the thought of cutting of Will's hair made me hesitate.

I hadn't disliked him, and if it was only against Wyatt I wouldn't have been so scared of close combat, but Wyatt would likely try and fight Clive.

Wyatt wasn't a bad fighter, which was why Clive was stressed, but we sat down, more like squatted, eating our meat jerky and drinking the limited water. We both peed behind the trees, when he peed I guarded and when I peed he guarded. Neither of us took dumps as we barely ate.

We had rationed our food to two meals per day, morning consisting of jerky and half of the bread, and noons the other half of the bread with some cheese. That was it, with more food on the third day for some teams.

Unfortunately, we were those. The second day we trudged through the snow searching for our prey quietly, but they must've decided to stay as far as they could, maybe drain our energy as we searched for them. The second day was exhausting, and we finished our food, slept uneasily, and then it was the third day.

"I'm not staying any longer than this!" Clive spat loudly.

"Well, we can't find them!" I retorted. "Come out and fight us!"

"Let's go find them at the food they laid out for the third day!" Clive said, but then he held me back. "No. I see, they want to find us there and sabotage us!"

"That's too easy, and we may find them first," I snorted. "Why would they even want to do that?"

"Surprise ambushes tend to work well for those who are weaker—" Clive said and stopped. "They're here!"

I heard the rustling and my body felt hot. They were here!

I saw Wyatt jump out and I grasped the dagger I had in my hand at all times.

"He's here!"

Everything happened in a blur. Wyatt charged at us with a battle cry. I positioned myself.

At the same time Clive drew his dagger and ran the opposite direction, where I guessed Will was. I couldn't know because I focused on holding Wyatt back. He pushed against me, cutting my coat before my torso. I screamed in pain.

"Damn you, Wyatt!"

We had to do anything to beat the other team and hurting them was allowed—I never expected him to go after me.

Wyatt raised his arms and I tried to hold his arms but he moved—and hit my head.

Dammit!

I crossed both arms over my hair and hoped to not faint—I couldn't leave Clive with the two of them!

"Nathan?" Clive shouted from meters away.

I gritted my teeth and slashed at Wyatt's hair, sloppy from both my abdomen pain, head, and the fear of actually hurting him.

Wyatt circled back behind me quickly and as I turned he kicked me down. I felt the leg grow sore but fended him away from my head. We grappled on the snowy ground, my head suddenly feeling the pain from before. I groaned loudly, tightening my arm around Wyatt's head.

"You're a nuisance!" he shouted.

He bellowed a loud war cry but he didn't scare me off. I had to win.

My hand was close to his head, the knife wobbling because I couldn't quite get his hair.

His hands clawed at mine, and I screamed, sure that he had ripped the skin off.

There was so much pain and my grip was loosening.

"Just back off!" Wyatt screamed.

"Shut up!" I yelled, my head pain increasing with his voice. It was so loud. My head hurt.

Everything hurt!

I braced myself as Wyatt pushed my arm back and I heard my arm crack but I still held his neck with the other, I focused on the searing pain of the scratches and there was suddenly a burst of adrenaline.

I could snap his neck, I thought.

I don't want to lose—I don't want to fail—

Snap it. You have to snap it—

"I'll kill you if you hurt Nathan!"

Hearing that voice, that urgent yell, made me return to my senses. I screamed as I tightened my hold and with the twisted arm, shook the knife out of my sleeve and with a quick move, Wyatt's hair fell.

He made a sound like a banshee, a piercing sound that made Clive and William pause in their fight, then they resumed it.

I was breathless as I collapse into the snow. It was so cold I might get hypothermia, but I had done it. And the injuries lessened as I heard Clive's voice grow.

"Nathan! Nathan! Wake up, we've won! We can go back..."

I had a hazy memory of being on his back, him adjusting my arm which made me wince and wake up a little.

"You had no chance!" Wyatt yelled angrily. "You would've lost if this was war—you're only dragging Clive down!"

I closed my eyes and as prideful as I was, I decided to ignore the insult.

Because the truth was—without Clive I might've really killed Wyatt.

A/N: what do we think of the character so far? :)