Chapter 3: Part 3

Emilia makes her way to the center, and a few other awkward looking beasts move beside her. A few wear faces full of terror, but everyone shares the same sad look. These beasts are new to the pack like Emilia. The pack leader circles around each individual beast sniffing each of their butts. Emilia worries that her butt stinks or that she may fart while the leader sniffs her. Teddy hides behind the beasts watching from the walkway refusing to get close to the new beasts.

“Welcome, newbies!” The leader turns to his onlookers and shouts, “It is time for the challenge.” As the leader passes by Emilia once more he whispers to her, “You won’t last long.”

The leader taps the rock he was standing on with his paw; the rock moves revealing a hole that he sprints into along with his followers, the newbies, then Emilia with Teddy on her back. The pathway leads through a dark tunnel leading downward. Eventually, Emilia finds herself outside in the blistering sun at the bottom of a green mountain on one side and a stone mountain on the other side. She and the ten other newcomers stand in a line as the pack of beasts gather behind the line growling and pounding their feet. A few beasts move towards each of the newcomers. One moves towards Emilia.

“Welcome to the challenge! Many have died.” The leader announces as if he is the announcer at a sporting event. “There are trials of fire, water, and beasts ready to kill you. Your goal is to get to the top of Green Mountain and find the secret that awaits you. The winner will become a saint. The top three will have high ranks within the pack. Good luck!”

The leader strikes his sharp nails against a rock creating sparks that shoot out onto the ground creating a fire. The fire extends out in a perfect line in front of the newcomers racing to the opposite side stopping at the boulder wall blocking the fire’s path. Emilia backs away.

“Go!” The pack’s leader shouts. 

A few bold newbies jump through the fire immediately while a couple hesitate for a slight second before diving through the flames, but three stay behind with Emilia hesitantly backing away. Emilia shakes. One of the fearful four dashes through the fire. On the other side, the brave beast dances around pound his feet on the ground as if to tap out the fire on his paws. He rushes off. Another does the same. Then another. Every newcomer leaves Emilia behind.

“Get your butt on the other side!” The leader yells, “Or I’ll kill you myself.”

Emilia looks to the fire then back at the leader then shakes her head. The leader prowls toward her like a bored predator. He growls deep in his throat.

“As the leader of the beast pack, I, Borden, sentence you to death.” Borden bares his fangs and pounces on top of Emilia. His snout snaps his vicious fangs at her constantly attempting to bite her head off.

Emilia has never been strong, but her body has always moved faster than her brain thinks. Her head constantly moves away from his snapping sharp teeth as her paws holds his face back as much as she can, but she can’t hold Borden back for long. When Borden lifts his foot to move it back, Emilia knocks down a paw then uses Borden’s collapsing weight to swing herself on top of him. Emilia quickly dashes through the fire and up the mountain.

Borden bounds after Emilia, but she is faster and gaining distance while ignoring the burning pain in the fire. Emilia does not look back afraid to lose speed. Emilia climbs the mountain as her paws feel the heat of the coal underneath her feet. As the coal moves, she can see a red glow hiding on the underside. Lava is near.