Lila opened her eyes slowly, sunlight slipping through the trees. She turned her head slowly to the side—and her heart sank.
Davien was gone.
She sat up quickly, pain flaring briefly in her legs, then looked at the neatly folded clothes he had given her yesterday. She hesitated for a moment before picking them up.
They were dark and simple, a bit too big—the sleeves falling past her wrists, the trousers loose at her hips and the waist too wide. Still, they were light and easy to move in, especially with the belt he had given her along with the clothes. It felt strange wearing something so different from her usual gowns.
When she was done dressing, she left the camp and headed into the forest, toward the place where she had met Davien training.
Davien was already there when she arrived.
He didn't look surprised to see her.
"You're late," he said flatly, not even turning to face her.
"I… I was—" she started.
"As punishment," he said, interrupting her, "you won't be learning any fighting techniques today."
Her chest tightened for a moment.
"But," he continued, turning to face her, "you will catch our dinner."
She blinked. "Dinner? But we have bread. What am I catching?"
"A rabbit," Davien said. "Catch one and get back to the camp before sunset."
Lila stared at him, surprised. Then relief washed over her. This punishment doesn't sound so bad. How hard could it be? It's just rabbits, she thought to herself.
"I thought you'd give me something harder," she said softly, looking at him with grateful eyes.
Davien's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't be grateful yet.
"Remember—meet me at the camp by sunset," he added, turning away. "Don't be late." And just like that, he left.
Lila stood there alone, the forest suddenly feeling much bigger than before.
"What should I do now? Where should I even start?" she murmured.
She began wandering through the trees, moving slowly, eyes scanning the ground and bushes as time passed.
She saw birds, squirrels, insects—bugs—but no rabbits.
Her confidence slowly faded. "Maybe this wasn't that easy after all," she muttered.
By the time the sun had begun to set, her stomach was growling loudly. She remembered she hadn't had breakfast that morning—and now she wouldn't be having dinner either. She sighed and turned back toward the camp, empty-handed.
Davien was there when she arrived.
He looked at her once, then at her hands.
"No rabbit," he said.
She shook her head, embarrassed. "I didn't even see one, but I'm confident about tomorrow."
He said nothing.
"I… I'm sorry," she added, looking down at her feet.
Davien sighed quietly and reached into his bag, pulling out a small piece of bread. He held it out to her.
"Eat."
She hesitated, then took it. "Thank you," she murmured, sitting down and eating slowly.
After a moment, Davien spoke again.
"Tomorrow, you continue."
She looked up at him and nodded.
Exhausted, she lay down soon after, sleep washing over her.