Chapter One

                                                                Trap Class

                                    

Koi listened to his instructor drone on and on about the properties of traps and tricks. Sure, being the son of Riverius, the tribe leader, was good, but not when he had to be called out by everyone and challenged all of the time. He liked his class though. Every animal in River Tribe had to learn how to make traps. Why? It was the smarter way to do things. Once he finished learning about traps, he would have to be graded on a test. Tomorrow was his trap-making skills test to see if he was ready to graduate. Sure, like all the young wolves, he would've preferred to actually fight but traps were easy and a clever way beat your enemies. He agreed with the strategy. Koi loved to think during class and wonder.

“ Koi!” snapped his instructor pointing a stick at him. “ I asked you a question, what is one of the properties of a trap?” Koi sat up, he knew the answer to this question very well, “One is mechanics.” It was a question everyone knew because they were doing a final review in their books. The teacher looked at him then turned away to keep teaching the class. Then after a while class was over. “ Don’t forget tomorrow is the final testing. You will graduate if you make it,” the instructor reminded them. Koi nodded. Some students hugged the instructor goodbye for their final day of class.

Koi walked out of the building and walked out by the river to their house ( it was huge). Koi was happy because the storm season was gone, and it was all sunny. He felt rays warm his fur. His sister, Stream, raced up to him chanting excitedly, “ Hey Koi! Hey Koi! We are having the finals tomorrow! Isn't that great? We're gonna have to study-” Stream was Koi's adopted sister and a fox, not a wolf (more on this story later). Koi loved her just like a real sister and found her just as annoying. Stream kept on saying things about studying with her friends and asked him things he had known from the class. Koi interrupted her after a while and said, “Lets go try to make traps then.” Without Stream realizing it, Koi yanked his sister and dragged her to the testing area.

Stream got free once they got to the testing area, “We aren't supposed to be here!” yelled Stream. Koi knew he was not supposed to be there. After all, he did have a medal in class for the most attentive listener. Then that triggered a new set of thoughts like how Cliff Tribe called them--

“Fine we can do it,” Stream interrupted his thoughts. It was weird because he never said anything back to her. They decided Koi should go first. He knew how to make traps that can never be predicted. After a while he finished all of the gears and nets. He was done with his trap. He asked Stream go after him and he waited. The trick was he used the principle of reflection so that when Stream saw him, it was only his reflection and the trap would catch her.

After a while he heard a spring noise and Stream screamed. Koi raced to the trap and she was caught-- her legs trapped in the net and her arms behind her so she couldn't get out. Stream mostly didn't like what was at the bottom. Spears were pointing above the net so if the net broke the person trapped would be impaled. ”You never told me their were going to be spikes!!! Also the net is on a tree  branch which is about to break! Do you want to kill me?” Stream yelled.

Koi sighed, “ It was practice for the trap. Besides, I was gonna remove the spears just wait.” Koi started picking up the block of spears. Uh, oh. He forgot that he had sealed them so they can never be removed. The only thing to get them out was a special liquid from across the river.

“Dad isn't going to my ceremony because he has to go on patrol with Cliff Tribe,” complained Stream after she heard the bad news about the spears being stuck.“ Dad has to do patrol because the other wolves are scared and he wants to show them everything is fine,” replied Koi.

“Oh,” replied Stream. Koi glanced at the river. “I'm going to get the liquid. You stay here and if it starts breaking lean on your back. You will be able to flip away from the spears.” Stream nodded and started leaning back and Koi swam in the river to where he could find the liquid.