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The hike was a grueling process. It alone tested the fortitude of new students, and added the affects of the heavily overgrown forest that surrounded the temple, and it was a masterful way of making sure only the most dedicated people could reach its entrance. For over six hours, Sosha had been scouring the warn in path up the incline of this massive hillside.

The lynx paused in her travels and grabbed the tin canteen by her side and swallowed back a mouthful of water. She was a strong individual, she had trained under many masters since she was the age of five. She had learned how to fight and wield an entire military's weapon assortment under several different styles. She was tall and lithe, her toned muscles were easy to see as they jutted from her clothing and portrayed her as being quite angular. Her shirt and slacks clung close to her form, and the backpack that was strapped over her shoulders contained only necessities for the hike to the temple.

She wiped at her forehead with the back of her paw and gave a sigh as she stared up at the peak of the hill. She still had so much more to go. She had been on this path for hours and there was still hours more to go. The small twinge of defeat sparked in the pit of her stomach, but it was stomped out as quickly as it tried to gain life. She would not quit now, nor would she ever. Either she would make it to the temple or her bones and spirit would decorate this path.

No more than a minute had passed from the time she had taken her break to when she was corking her canteen and beginning on the path once more. Indeed her assessment was correct, it was another four hours of solid hiking until the summit was reached. Sosha was on her paws and knees by the time the light of burning braziers and candles caught her eye. Since night had fallen an hour or so ago, she was going purely by what little light the crescent moon offered. She was taught how to read by its brilliance, and so she thought she was fine. Though she did have to pause when clouds covered the heavenly body.

The last few meters of the path that she followed turned into vine stricken, stone steps. When she looked up, the temple was in full view. It was a huge structure, entirely made out of the wood of nearby trees. The forest had overtaken its facade as well, vines and brilliant flowers bloomed across its exterior and made it look somewhat abandoned, but the glowing flickers of the precise lights that were around it told of its occupancy.

The transformed path lead across a short meadow, through an entrance way that had practice mannequins in armor stationed about in a courtyard, and finally up to the temple entrance. Sosha was breathing hard and staring at the double paper doors. She was so exhausted, something about this hill sucked the energy out of her. She had endured campaigns of training that lasted days without needing a rest, but here she was, tired to the point of immanent unconsciousness. But she knew that no matter what happened, she needed to be inside of the temple by midnight, which by her calculation was hours away.

Sucking in deep lung fulls of air and with blurry eye sight, Sosha let her backpack fall to the ground as she continued on. It was such a nice weight to let go that she almost thought she could run, but instead only mustered painful hobbling. She passed through the field and courtyard and stumbled up the steps. With arms that she could barely lift above her waist, she grabbed either side of the paper doors and pushed them open. It was at that moment that her knees gave out and she went sprawling across the floor of the temple.

There was a sitting figure in the middle of the room, someone not too much bigger had their legs crossed in a lotus position on a large pillow with a hoard of flickering candles all around them. "Young, Sosha, you have made it. Congratulations," came a soft, feminine voice. The lynx woman's gaze tried to focus on the individual but things were far too blurry. Her mind finally slipped at that moment and she plunged into a gracious sleep that was set to last the night and well into the morning.

The morning came with chirping birds and buzzing insects. At the first sliver of consciousness, Sosha bolted up right and gasped. It took her a moment to realize where she was as her eyes focused and her mind settled down. She was still in the temple, that much was clear, but she was in an entirely different room from the one after the front entrance. She glanced down at her sleeping arrangement and realized that she was on a bed mat with a blanket that had been draped over her sleeping body, though she was still in her same clothes.

"Apprentice, Sosha, you are awake," came a voice from her side, making the lynx whirl around to see a figure sitting in the far corner of the room. It was a female fox dressed in dark clothing that wasn't all too different than what she was wearing. "You sleep very efficiently, most others that have made it here are out for days at a time. You will make our masters very proud, I can sense it."

"Who are you?" she asked after relaxing.

"I am apprentice Koko. It is very nice to meet you," she replied with a smile and rose gracefully from her spot.

"How did I get here?" Sosha asked as she slowly stood up as well, though her muscles were sore and stiff.

Read the full story here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/meet-me-in-15916141