Stir the coals

He settled beside her, a shift in his demeanor made her perk up and look at him curiously. Her brow furrowed slightly as she concentrated on the meaning of his words. There was an old familiar tone in his voice that caused her breathing to shallow.

He was using his words carefully, life and death was not a game... three stages, protection... Equal to the task. She had to prove herself not only to him but to the rest of the pack as well. Worthy of the task to stand beside him, to fiercely protect Armada wolves alongside him.

His words started to sink in, tests, actual tests. Her breath caught in her throat, a flash of fear. He was serious. She knew he was. What made him think she thought life and death was a game? She had a tiger in her face! She saw him get knocked out by a damn polar bear! She'd sewn the rip up his belly...

Her eyes darted between his, searching for the words, processing the request. Would she ever be fast enough? Would she ever be able to react fast enough to save her own life? To save someone else?

She reacted quickly with the bear. But it hadn't been focused on her, it wasn't in her face.

"Wait..." Her words pushed through her lips, she took a step back for a moment, then a step forward, then she spun on her heel and walked half way back to the bonfire then back, muttering.

"What let me face the bear... It wasn't attacking me directly. He was knocked out, Ollie was the one mainly getting it. What froze me on the tiger. It was in my face and he was stuck, it nearly had me and I couldn't move. Why... Why did I freeze? I've never faced a tiger before, why didn't I freeze on the bear? I was all action then!"
She stopped.
She shook her head.
What if she failed every one of his tests? She already looked defeated before she even began.

"Why?" She asked him, her back turned, she shook her head taking the question back, "no, no I know why... I don't want to know why but I do." She didn't know why she was so SO hesitant and against this idea. No she knew that too.

"What if I fail..." She asked him finally. Getting to the root of her pacing, muttering and fear.

"Speech"