18. Marcus

Congratulations.

You"ve made it most of the way to your destination.

Below is an envelope with a number on it.

You will find a matching number on your map.

Choose your team's envelope

Inside are five riddles you need to solve.

Once you have all five decoded,

choose the two-word passcode to enter camp.

If you choose the correct passcode, you will earn an advantage in the final task.

Answer wrong, and you will earn a penalty in the final task.

You may choose not to answer.

Best of Luck.

After my partner made it to the table and returned to the tree line, I went to read the challenge for myself.

Fuck. I hate riddles.

I pull the map out of my back pocket to see that the number they wrote on the top is torn in half. I have a three, which tells me we are either 03, 13, or 23. I double-back to get his number, so we grab the correct envelope. He holds his out to me, showing the two right next to the tear line, and I run to grab envelope 23.

As soon as I get back, I start to open it, but I'm stopped short by his hand on my forearm.

"We should move out of here before anyone else shows up," he whispers before retaking the lead.

He's right. Shit. I should've thought of that.

We hug the right side of the clearing before hitting the other side and exiting through the small gapping in the trees. Our speed increases once the terrain opens back up, and he guides us off the main path regaining our position about thirty feet off the path. After we move about a quarter of a mile further, he slows to a stop. I take a minute to ensure I don't hear anyone else.

"Alright, Captain America, open the envelope," he says, crossing his arms.

Haha. Very funny.

"Does that make you Bucky?" I say, laughing a bit at the thought.

"I don't ‘sidekick'. I work alone."

"Ah, Punisher. Yeah, I can see that fitting more."

"What, are you a comic book nerd?" he asks, lifting an eyebrow.

"Nah, just trying to figure you out."

Shaking my head, I rip open the back of the envelope, reading the contents aloud.

Every Alpha must have a combination of Strength and Intellect to reign successfully. Use what you know and what you've been taught to untangle the riddles that lie here. Each riddle was given by a different pack leader for a different purpose. Intuition may be your greatest ally in finding your way through this forest. Logic is your only friend in dissecting these words.

The Riddles of the Five

#1:

What is something you keep after giving it to someone?

#2:

I'm odd.

Take away a single letter, and I become even.

What number am I?

#3:

I'm fragile as glass, yet strong as steel,

A silent contract, a bond that's real.

A bridge between hearts that"s light as air,

I'm delicate, only earned with care,

Broken by betrayal, but built on hope,

To maintain the balance of a tightrope.

What am I?

#4:

I'm the darkness that creeps deep inside,

A whispered idea that leads you to hide.

In shadows, I lurk, ever growing in size,

Like an unseen specter that could be your demise.

I thrive in uncertainty, fed by the unknown,

Give me access, and you'll be my home.

What am I?

#5:

In the tapestry of time, I weave my thread.

A destiny unseen, where paths are spread.

Written in the stars, in every twist and turn,

A cosmic dance, a lesson to learn.

I'm the puppeteer of life's grand play.

Threads of chance in an intricate display.

A script unwritten, a course unknown,

Yet in my hands, all destinies are sown.

What am I?

Using only these five answers, decide on a two-word passcode to enter the camp.

My eyes flash back up to his, none of the words on the page registering. For a brief moment, doubt creeps in, and I wonder if I'm going to be able to make it here against wolves who have been planning, training, and learning to lead pack their entire lives.

"Mind if I look at it? I do better when I can see the words," he asks, extending his hand in a silent request.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," I respond, trying to shake off the feeling of insecurity I've spent the last week fighting against.

I'm an Alpha. I deserve to be here as much as they do.

He takes the paper, reading over it with a crease between his brow as I struggle to figure out the first riddle.

Something you give someone but also keep?

Sounds like a shitty gift if you ask me. Taking back a gift you gave. My fingers fiddle with my pack, removing my water again to busy my hands. My eyes look back at him, and I notice his lips are pursed in a thin line.

He's struggling with these, too.

My confidence creeps back in, and I straighten my spine, reveling in the fact that I wasn't the only one who didn't understand these riddles. The feeling leaves me just as quickly as it comes, though, because if he doesn't know and I don't know, how will we win the advantage?

"I think I know two and five, but I'm struggling with the other three," he states, lifting his gaze to me. "Any idea on those?" he asks.

Shit. No. None.

"Still trying to work them. Puzzles and Riddles really aren"t my thing." I admit, clenching my jaw at the weakness it shows.

He nods, attempting to hand the paper back to me before responding.

"We'll figure it out, Cap. According to the map, we have another few miles to go. Let's move along, and we can talk through the lines as we go. Sound good?" he offers, a hint of a smile lifting on one side of his face. It's almost…friendly.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. I'll take point so you can focus on the riddles," I answer, not taking the paper back from him and stepping past him back on the line we were walking.

"Ok… let"s start with number three…" he begins as we begin moving toward our destination. "Fragile as glass, but also strong as steel…"