Chapter 3
The morning sun crested the far off mountain range and shown brightly on the glistening snow as the Padawans awoke to face their next trial.
"Padawan, wake up," a soft, feminine voice whispered, as a hand gently shook her shoulder.
"Umph?" Callista mumbled, opening her eyes. The chilly air brushed her face and anything else that was not underneath the warm blanket. "Yes, Mistress?"
"Time to get up. The second day of the pre-trial trials is upon us," Callista's mistress, Akari Leta, replied. She was a human like Callista, but closer to Qui-Gon's age.
Callista yawned and climbed out of bed. Her muscles ached from yesterday's mishap. She still felt a bit of tenderness on her arm where she was slightly burned during the rescue attempt. Glancing back at her warm blanket with some regret, she dressed in her cream-colored tunic and Jedi attire as quickly as possible.
"What do we have to do today, Akari?"
"You'll see. It's one of my favorites."
Dismay etched Obi-Wan's young face as he contemplated the obstacle course. The first part required the padawans to cross a wide, icy creek by stepping on poles half the size of their feet. While the second part was a climb up a frozen cliff using only their boots, a feat made more difficult since the soles of their boots did not grip icy surfaces well.
All under twenty minutes, he thought.
"Padawans, please assemble at the starting line," Master Windu's deep voice called out, making all who were competing hurry to their places.
Obi-Wan took a deep breath. This is it. He looked over his shoulder towards the stands, trying to find Qui-Gon's face for reassurance. This will certainly be twice as hard as the fire trial.
"On your mark," Master Windu announced. "Get set...May the Force be with you...GO!"
Obi-Wan focused his will on his legs, hoping to widen his lead on the other padawans. He would have to keep up his sprint for another 100 meters until he reached the creek with the staggered poles.
So far, so good, he thought as he took a quick look behind him. No one else was running fast enough to challenge him; he was the oldest one there after all.
Obi-Wan reached the creek, and started to leap carefully from pole to pole. He nearly lost his balance when out of the corner of his eye; he caught sight of Callista in close pursuit.
To be continued