Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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As I moved through the forest, and I didn't find a single Bleeding Snaberry, dejection grew inside me.

What would Duke do in this situation? Whenever we had a school trip out of the city limits, Duke would drag me into the wilderness and show me something amazing; a pond, a waterfall, a breathtaking vantage point, or a meadow speckled with wildflowers… and then we would return safely. Somehow, Duke always found what he was looking for and he would never get lost. And me? I was only good at following him.

I looked at my hands and the spiky measuring device I was holding onto. It showed eight.

I took a few deep breaths to stabilize my mood. I barely started and other than this dingy forest, nothing was scary, and I was already on the verge of failing. Pathetic.

My mind was all over the place. I wished to have a class with Signora Durand. I will take ten etiquette lessons instead of this. Make that twenty!

I spotted one bush that might be my goal and I hurried toward it.

"Yes!", I hissed with glee as I saw what is unmistakably Bleeding Snaberry. The problem was that it was deep under the bush that was full of thorns, but I knew that the bush is not poisonous so at most I will experience pain.

"Come to mama…", I mumbled while pushing the lower branches of the bush away so that I can reach my target.

"Uh… uf… ow…", the thorns prickled, but I persevered. What Aldus did to me in the lab hurt much more than this.

"Ouch!"

Now, this was much more than just a thorn and I spotted a fire ant at the back of my palm. I flicked it away and moved with haste, ignoring the swelling that was created at the spot where he bit me. The swelling will subside and the last thing I want is to get the whole colony attacking me.

"Hehehe…", I giggled happily as I placed my first Bleeding Snaberry in the pouch that Vesper gave me. I got the whole plant, roots included, so this was a success.

One down, nine more to go!

About one hour later…

My mood dropped drastically, as I didn't see any more Bleeding Snaberries, and I need nine.

The walking became more difficult with every step as the ground was uneven, covered with moss, and hidden under a layer of fog. I had to walk carefully while focusing on balancing in order not to fall.

"Ssss…", I hissed when something scraped my right ankle. "What the…?"

On a reflex, I swiftly made a few steps away and looked in time to see that my skin-deep wound was healing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

What was that? A branch or did something cut me? I couldn't see under the fog. If it was a branch, it doesn't matter, and if it was something alive, it's probably gone.

Well, my fast healing is handy, as I got enough scrapes and cuts to last me for a year. I consoled myself that I'm immortal and I heal quickly, so the worst thing that can happen is pain.

This is ridiculous! Who cares if I can heal fast or if I am immortal? I am a city girl and I have no idea what to do in a forest!

"AHHH!", I screamed in frustration, startling numerous birds whose sounds of flapping wings told me they left for who-knows-where.

It was eerie quiet and then I heard a rustling noise from my left.

What if it's a big and hungry creature that can mutilate my body? Will I regrow limbs and organs? I guess Aldus will get his wish to test that theory.

Thinking of Aldus, sitting in a cozy apartment and sipping tea with his pinky finger straightened while I'm muddy and sweaty in this damned forest, stirred rage inside me. It's all his fault for letting Vesper take me out like this!

"Aldus!", I called angrily while staring at the tree canopy above me. "Italian?! Ballet?! Etiquette?! French?! Which one of those will help me now?! Should I curse in five different languages!? Or should I dance my way out of this crappy forest!?"

OK. That felt good. I need to control my fear, but letting out some steam is fine.

After a second of silence, the rustling noise was heard again. This time closer. Ah, I forgot about that.

Well, shouting was not a good idea. Should I run? In what direction? I looked around and everywhere looked the same.

"Shit!", I cursed under my breath. I'm lost.

I picked a direction away from the noise and started running.

I didn't reach far. The uneven terrain under the layer of fog caused my legs to wobble. I tripped on what I imagine was a rot of a tree that was sticking out of the ground and I tumbled down.

"Ow…", I moaned while rubbing my aching shoulder.

My hands sunk in the mossy ground as I observed a few centimeters of fog hovering above the ground, and around me were trees, bushes, and… nothing else.

I laughed weakly. It was probably a mouse or a raccoon, yet I panicked, thinking that it's a sabretooth tiger. I ran wildly, and now I'm all muddy, and… how am I going to return home looking like this? I need to walk on the streets of Paris and get in the car. Ah, Aldus will have laughs about this for years to come… assuming that I get out of here.

I pushed myself up and a few steps later, I stumbled back down as I slipped on a rock.

"Grrr…", a low growl made me freeze and I raised my head to meet a pair of yellow eyes, two steps away from me. Two yellow orbs hovered above the fog, directed at me.

I swallowed a mouthful of air when I realized that it's a wolf.

His dark fur blended with the grass and shadows, and I couldn't determine his size, but it didn't matter at that moment as I was close to wetting myself.

Did it make any sense that in this situation I was controlling my fear in order not to fail the test? I wanted to reach for the spiky device and verify the value measured, but I reminded myself that I can check the history and that the most important thing is to get out of this in one piece.

"Easy boy…", I whispered as I crawled backward in slow motion without breaking eye contact.

The animal growled menacingly as I inched away.

The distance between us was about ten steps when I noticed that the wolf was not coming after me. That should be a good thing, right?

I got up and walked backward carefully one step, two… five. The wolf still stayed in place and I got a bit braver.

"You will not attack me, right, Blackie?"

I liked the name that came naturally. Blackie. It suits him well.

The wolf whimpered. Something was wrong.

I told myself to keep walking. The wolf is stuck and that has nothing to do with me. Blackie is a wild animal. He will survive.

Blackie whimpered again and my heart jolted.

Is his leg broken? What if other animals come and eat him?

Sure, he growled at me, but he was in distress, and I couldn't get that out of my head.

I pulled the spiky measuring device and saw that it showed nine. Well, I crossed eight, which means that I didn't pass, but I didn't fail unless it crossed fifteen.

I swiftly checked the highest recorded value for the day, and I was pleased to see twelve. It seems that all that meditation and control was useful because even with running around through the forest (scared), my pheromones didn't go out of whack.

I still didn't fail!

Blackie whimpered again and pulled me out of my thoughts.

"I must be crazy…", I mumbled to myself as I started moving toward the wolf while ensuring that my pheromone output is on ten. That should make Blackie like me. Maybe.

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