I waited with heavy breathe, working to calm myself for the next trial. I knew that focus would be important.
“Next,” started Copperfoot, “You are to pick up that tree trunk and follow me. If you fall behind, you fail.”
Without any regard to my well-being, Copperfoot started trotting away, heading off to the east at a slow, but steady pace.
I looked down at the tree I had just chopped. With the branches included, it had to weigh at least four tons; probably twice that actually. In training, I had accomplished similar feats, but I was never told to pick up something quite that heavy. I wasn’t even sure if it was really possible.
Still, I had to listen to my proctor, so I lowered center of gravity and tightened all four of my legs. I also clenched my back muscles and felt my shoulders bunch up as I reached underneath the center of the trunk with my right arm.
Every muscle in my body was telling me to stop as I lifted myself up, resting the tree on my shoulder and grasping it tightly. The bark dug into my hands and arms but the pain from this seemed to disappear behind the stress of actually lifting this much weight.
Actually, I wasn’t really lifting the tree as much as I was dragging it. Still, I knew that giving up was not an option, so with all the determination I could muster I began to follow my elder.
Despite the extreme weight on my back, I paid close attention to the ground. The night sky gave me little visibility, but as long as I focused on where I stepped I could avoid any obstacles. I noticed that the more I focused on my footsteps, the less the crushing weight bothered me as well.
As we passed outside of the tribe borders, I noticed that I was falling a bit behind. Either Copperfoot was picking up his pace, or I was slowing down. I almost slipped on some loose pebbles as we crossed a shallow stream, but my focus kept me on track.
“Pick it up!” shouted Copperfoot.
I don’t know where the energy came from, but as he barked this order I found just enough to pull myself forward faster, dragging the tree behind and grunting as I gained some ground on my elder.
It seemed like hours passed, but I knew it could not have been more than a few minutes later that Copperfoot finally stopped in a clearing. I was a few paces behind and in the interest of care I waited with the tree held over my shoulder and stopped by his side.
My face must have been as red as a blood moon, for Copperfoot looked momentarily startled when he gazed at me.
“You may drop the tree.” He said tersely.
With a loud grunt I heaved the tree over my side, allowing it to crash down with a thud in the clearing. My hands were shaking and raw, my arms hanging at my side like jelly. I swayed a bit to the side, my legs cramping slightly as they adjusted to my regular weight. I remember thinking that there was no way I could overcome another test of strength.
To be continued…
