Apex

=== Intro ===
INTRO(Ask If you have any questions, I'm not too good with intros)In the world of Apex, people are judged by their powers. The Apex world is twisted. The government is cruel and unjust. The powers are ranked from Semi-Root, to Apex. Though the only Apex ability known is the shapeshifter… but they went extinct years ago. The government had hunted them down.
At the age of ten, kids are tested for powers, and they are continued to be tested, once a year, until they turn 16. If you are 16 and are powerless, you are thrown into a trial. A trial is a test to see if you can survive a month in the wildwood. Barely anyone has survived. If you do survive, you spend the rest of your life as a slave to the prestigious families. The question is, will our protagonist Claudia Daryk survive? Who is Asena(A soon to be introduced character)? How will she help?
== Prologue ==
4 years earlierRaw cold winds whipped at her when her eyes opened.
She couldn’t think. There was a large piece of cardboard under her, big enough to host her entire body. Her backside was prevented from the snow.  The girl was stranded on a land of ice, the fur leathers enveloping her the only thing preventing the cold.  The frigid air was slowly seeping into her body, the fur leathers failing her.  She had to get warm.  	
She slowly got up, sharp pain slicing into her right arm.  The wound had been unnoticeable, meaning whatever that was in her arm had been in there for over twelve hours at least. She removed the elbow flap, the pain alive and real.  She could see blood dripping, she slowly glanced at her forearm to see a large iron nail punctured in her arm, blood leaking out in masses.  The wound might have been infected.  She inspected her arm closer, trying to calm the unrelenting pain.  As she scanned her arm The girl found saw a blood-covered note, no more than four inches was attached to the nail, written in sloppy handwriting saying one word
                              	Asena
She centred her mind on the word, removing her focus from the throbbing sting in her arm.  The girl mustered her strength and put all of her weight on her left arm and slowly stood.  
Asena.   The word was so familiar in her empty mind.  
“Asena?” she said loudly, thinking about the word so intently, hoping it would trigger something in her mind.  A jumble of memories flooded her mind.  The weight in her head suddenly became heavy, and she dropped onto the piece of cardboard.  She remembered everything.  What society was. The government, powers and ranks.  She had to think this through-
	A scene opened in her head, and she saw a woman and a girl.  They were hidden in a crevice near the dock, a ship of cargo next to the two females.  Mother and daughter, she instantly realized.  There was a snow-white bird hovering over the girl.  The woman was no older than thirty,  having a sincere look on her face, her storm gray eyes were open and welcoming.  Her skin was a mix between an ivory and peach colour, her hair was black, with flashes of chestnut brown.  The girl's eyes looked similar to the woman, though their similarities ended there. The girl’s skin was a pale ochre colour, contrasting the pale skin tone of her mother.  The girl's hair was magnificent, a raw sienna colour with flashes of jet black.  The small girl was maybe eleven years old, her ears slowly morphing into delicate points. 	
	A shapeshifter, she thought, amazed that this girl was such a rarity and wasn’t hunted down yet.  That explained the pure white bird.  A Caladrius.  Birds that watched over a few people, only for a limited amount of time.  The healing bird they called it, twin of the phoenix.  Shapeshifters were so powerful and honourable enough to be watched over by a powerful mythical bird such as the Caladrius.  Only Apex abilities can earn a bird like a phoenix, or a Caladrius. 	
She peered closer at the girl, she seemed oddly familiar. The storm gray eyes, the skin tone, the sienna hair with tones of black.   Those were her features.  That was her one year ago.  That's me, she thought, appalled, as reality slapped her in the face.  Shapeshifters face eternal scorn, now turned into kill on sight.  She was stranded and alone, with a nail punctured in her arm, and was told to be killed on sight, she would not fall, she- Suddenly She could feel the memory now, alive and real, and she was Asena, and she could feel monumental sadness washing over her covering the pain.
“Asena,” her mother said, interrupting her thoughts, “You will see this memory after I clear your memories with this tonic, you are an apex threat to society, you need to hide, this will wash your memories now temporarily,” her mother says holding up a blue vial. “ The government will kill you on sight if you are seen in this form,” she explains, brushing a tear off my face.
“Your name is Asena, you are a wolf, and you will survive.  Use your abilities to travel hidden. Never stay somewhere too long.  Stay in the wild.  Never let them see who you are.  I love you, my brave wolf.  Be quick and be safe. When you wake up there will be pain, but that is so you will be able to remember and fight,” her mother said tears welling in her eyes as she kissed eleven-year-old Asena.“I love you mom,” Asena says misty-eyed, “ I won’t be able to survive without you, why can’t you come with me?” she says her tears threatening to become uncontrollable sobs.“I can’t come because you will die.  They can track me and will come for me and you will suffer because of my foolish actions, my wolf heart,” her mother says with a sad smile. “You are a Nilsine, Asena, Victor of the people,” her mother says with a fierce look plastered on her face. “ You will survive. You are the alpha of the pack, Asena, so lead it, my child,” she said slowly pushing Asena to the top of a small nook in the cargo ship.“If you won’t come, then I want to stay with you,” Asena says, refusing to acknowledge the truth and not moving from her position.“Asena!” her mother says sternly. “The society is corrupted.  There is no point in you dying.  You need to train and remove the hole from inside the government.  You can shapeshift, you can hide. My shapeshifting is not at the apex strength of yours, Asena. I need you to leave now. The ship will dock in northern Canada, they will find this box and will leave it on the land, the box will fall apart in the cold, and then it is up to you,” She says fiercely 
“ I love you, mom,” I say, willing a mask over my tears. 
“ I love you too, Asena, ” her mother said, handing Asena the tonic.  She drank it in one gulp as her mother slowly put her in a medium-sized box.
	The last thing she heard was her mother saying, “Find her. Find the other one. Your other half, she will help you. I can’t tell you much. Be brave,” planting a kiss to her brow
	“What!? Who’s the other one?!” Asena yelled, as the tonic swept her under.
	Her mind cleared, and she was brought back to reality.  Her eyes were on the verge of tears.  She couldn’t do it.  Do what her mother asked.  She was a twelve-year-old girl, with a massive wound, no food or water.  Plus the additional scorn of being a shapeshifter.  She wouldn’t last a day, let alone long enough to get inside the government-
Then she remembered.   She would use her ability to hide.  Her mother named her Asena.  She-wolf.  Fierce.  She would erase scorn from the world, from society with the help of her other.  So, Asena looked up at the sky, and saw the ivory bird hovering above her, healing the wounds in her arm, and she realized that she was not alone.  That she, even as a shapeshifter, had nature on her side.  
She laid her hand onto her pointed ears, and started shifting into the form she called secondary to her human one.   All she could feel was unrelenting light, bright enough to outrace a star.  Her ears perked up from her head, her body covered in fur, and her fur leathers somewhere in the light.  She was a sleek, agile wolf, chestnut brown, tipped with black, storm gray eyes filled with fiery determination. So, Asena Nilsine, she-wolf, ran as fast as a speeding bullet, the bird above her matching the pace she set, to find the one. The other one her mother had told her to find.
== Chapter 1 ==
The small box-like room glowed with an unnatural light. The albino walls correlated with the glassy white of the reception table, the computer on it, glowing white before fading to a pitch black. Claudia shifted in her seat causing her chair to squeak. She shuddered at the ear-shredding sound. The room was supposed to calm the patients that would take the yearly test, but on the contrary, it had a hostile feel to it.  The room had a number of people in it, despite the size.  Everyone here was peasant class.  They had parents that had semi-root abilities. They were all wearing working clothes, an odd match when paired with the fine taste of fine class.  Even beauty was based on the class you were in. No one expected Claudia Daryk to be here still waiting for her results at the age of 16. She was the daughter of two respected government officials. She should have gotten her ability first.
Everybody in society had an ability.   That ability contributed to civilization, and people lived in harmony.  Her parents had semi- apex abilities, the highest rank for an ability ever since shapeshifters, the only apex ability known, went extinct. This was her last year to determine if she had one. Cahira knew she did.  She was the heir of two powerful bloodlines.  Even if her ability was a semi- root level, she’d be happy, although her parents wouldn’t. Today would determine if she would live or die.  Every year this day would come, and her parents would have frowns plastered on their faces.  They’d hoped that she was a late bloomer, that she’d have a strong ability, despite getting one so late.  
Claudia’s mother chided her for making the screeching sound when her seat shifted again. However, she sat up straighter as the doctor walked over. Her dress was uncomfortable and itchy. Her mother frowned at Claudia, clearly unhappy with her. Her parents had told her many times that she needed to have a good ability, that she needed to keep their family reputation high. This was her last chance. 
She held back a gasp as the doctor slowly took out his clipboard to read out the results, he blinked, visibly shocked. He checked the list again and started muttering under his breath. He didn’t look happy at all. He cleared his throat and seemed to be extremely nervous. Claudia bit her lip until she could taste blood.  The doctor turned to look at her with a frown.
“For someone with such a strong bloodline, you are weak,” he said coldly, “She has no abilities, Mrs. Daryk,” he said, facing my mother with a galling look.  The others in the room shook their heads at Claudia disappointingly, their faces etched with displeasure. Claudia’s mother glared daggers at her. 
“You are a disgrace,” her mother said, her features twisting into a scowl. Her beautiful, almost flawless face was cold with zero sympathies. Her face was filled with pure disgust. She swivelled around, her chestnut brown hair flying, not even looking back at Claudia. Claudia’s mother began walking to the exit, where the car had been parked. Claudia followed behind her mother, but she stopped her with one hand. Claudia looked up questioningly.  
“You may take the walk home,” She said with a cruel smile forming on her face, “Training for the trial is important, my darling Claudia.” Claudia’s stomach dropped as the realization hit her. The trial would be her death. The trial was meant for those who had no ability, on the day of their 17th birthday they would be sent out in the wildwood. The wildwood was a forest filled with creatures that would kill anyone daring, or stupid enough to venture in it. Rarely anyone came back alive. And if they did they came back with a missing limb or two. She couldn’t survive in the wild for one day, let alone ten.  She was sixteen and eleven months. She had no ability.  She didn’t know the basics of surviving in the wilderness, she would die if a beast came for her.  One month wasn’t enough time to train. 
== Chapter 2 ==
Claudia flopped onto her bed, face down. She breathed into the mint-smelling comforter. She rolled over and her eyes caught the edge of the window, and the lush forest beyond. They had a nice house by the edge of the wildwood. Only the most prestigious families lived in the Wildwood Community. And unfortunately for Claudia she was one of these families.
Claudia rubbed her temples, lifted herself up from the bed and approached her dresser. She stared at herself in the mirror that was on the dresser. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and her eyes were lined with mascara and heaps of makeup. She looked like a barbie doll, and not in a good way. She wiped off the  heavy makeup. She looked better, her grey eyes with flecks of black in them were less exaggerated, and you could see the grey circles under her eyes. Her skin was a pale ochre, colour. She undid her bun, and let her hair fall in a ponytail, which she loosened, so it didn’t pull her forehead back. 
Her mother always marveled her thick black hair. The highlights of sienna really complimented her hair. She had so desperately wanted to cut it short, but her mother didn’t approve of short hair.
She'd often seen her mother staring at her reflection in the mirror. When Claudia had been younger she’d imagine that her mother was the evil queen, and she’d mock her mother in front of her dresser saying, “Mirror Mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all,” and she’d burst into laughter. Her mother never saw her doing this, since as a kid, she’d been neglected and ignored. Not that she minded. 
She eventually picked out a violet hoodie and a pair of black pants. These were gifts from her aunt, at least that’s what her parents told her. Her parents would never let Claudia wear this in public. Dahlia Daryk, was Claudia’s aunt. Claudia could never seem to remember her aunt’s face. When she asked her parents they’d turn her back on her. It was very peculiar, though after a few months she let it go.
Claudia jumped as her father yelled her name from downstairs. She rolled her eyes, What is it now? 
“COMING!! I’M COMING!” Claudia yelled to her father, pulling the hoodie over her head, and slipped her pants on. She ran down the stairs and tripped over the family cat, Petunia. It was a dumb cat. And it had a dumb name. Petunia hissed and batted at her leg, claws sheathed, thankfully.
Claudia grumbled and looked up to see her father towering over her, his eye-brows furrowed, face reddened. Claudia scrambled back, when his face was red it meant he was really mad. Claudia didn’t dare look him in the eyes. 
“Stand.” he says, his face tight and tensed. She obeyed like a dog following commands. He looks her in the eyes, ths meant he’d wanted Claudia to look at him back.
“You will not be any more of a disappointment to this family.” he says, his voice lined with bitterness. Claudia looked away. “Get out.” he said. Claudia’s head snapped up, she knew her parents would throw her out, but before her trial? How would she train?
“OUT!” he said, raising his voice. Claudia blinked and walked backwards. She slammed into the door. She turned the handle and stumbled down the front steps. Her father came up behind her and tossed her a small object, she barely caught it. Her father didn't give a second thought as he slammed the door shut.
Claudia’s breathing grew ragged and shallow. She stood up, her ankle felt hot and burning as the gravel sank into the cuts and scrapes. Blinking back tears Claudia ran. She didn’t know why she was crying. She hated her parents, and they hated her. She’d hated everything about her life, her school, her family, her home-life. But now as they were all thrown away she’d started crying. Claudia collapsed in an alleyway, the small object clenched tightly in her hand. She sniffled, and buried her head into her knees. 
Claudia opened her hands revealing a small silver chain with a fairly big sized stone hanging from it. The stone was surprisingly light, it wasn’t heavy like one would expect. She held the stone, it was cold. It looked like Onyx, a stone. It was somewhat comforting. But why would her father toss her this chain? Claudia had a feeling it was a gift… from someone important. Maybe her aunt? She looked closely and could see an inscription on it. It had her name on it, Claudia. She held onto it tight. Whatever this chain was she knew in her gut that it would help her… Somehow.
== Chapter 3 ==
Rays of dawn shone onto Claudia’s fatigued face. She flinched ever so slightly as a shadow fell over her. Her eyes fluttered open to see the face of a bird inches from her own She squeaked and scrambled away from the bird. The bird was calm and didn’t seem to mind being so close to a human like her. Claudia recomposed herself, and crawled over to the bird, leaving a space of 3 feet between them. She examined the bird intently, and it examined her just as intently. Claudia found this somewhat annoying. It had smooth jet black feathers and beautiful brown eyes, so big that you could barely see the whites of them. She looked at the bird from head to toe. It looked exactly like a… Caladrius. Claudia gasped in realization. But… No, Caladrius were pure white, and they normally had either blue or yellow eyes. This bird was a crow. Though it was a fairly large crow.
Claudia could only dream that she had a powerful ability. Caladrius only graced people with apex abilities. She had no ability. Claudia reached out an arm, but stopped short. She was hesitant to touch the big bird. The bird looked at her intently, almost waiting for her to make a move. She closed her eyes, and felt her fingertips graze the birds head. She let her hand rest, and the bird untensed itself. Claudia and the bird stayed like this for minutes. She opened her eyes, and saw the bird. It didn’t look as majestic and regal as before. It seemed humbled? It even seemed smaller. Though this had to be Claudia’s imagination, no bird could shrink itself. Not even a Caladrius. Claudia let out an airy laugh.
“Ok bird, I guess we’re friends now,” she said to it with a smile. Claudia smiled even wider, as she realized the irony of it. Crows were birds that symbolized death, and were looked down upon. She was also looked down upon by society. The crow fluttered it’s wings ever so slightly, and closed off the distance between them, as it landed on her shoulders. 
“Woah there,” she said grimacing as the bird hooked it’s claws into her skin. The bird relaxed it’s claws. It was almost as if it could understand her. Crows and ravens were pretty smart anyways, and she’d always been good with birds. Claudia found it somewhat comforting to know she had a new friend. 
“We need a name for you,” she said furrowing her brow. The bird was a male, Claudia could tell from several years of bird watching. Also the fact that she had seen millions of crows in her neighbourhood. Claudia thought for a long moment, until it clicked. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the chain. She stared into the shiny black gemstone, with her name engraved on it.
“Onyx.” she said confidently. Onyx seemed to like the name, so it was settled. She unclasped it and hung the chain around her neck. She looked at the stone for a moment longer than she needed to.  “Well Onyx, I think we should get going.” she said looking out to the light that spilled past the shadow of the alley. Onyx cawed in response. 
Claudia had established a plan. 
“I’m fighting. I won’t run. I am done running. It’s what I’ve done my whole life. Whenever I was in trouble I never faced it. That changes today.” she said confidently to Onyx.  She was going to train for the one month she had, and she’d face the wild. Onyx seemed to be amused at her speech. Claudia grumbled, “Ok, maybe I was a little dramatic” she said to the bird. There were many flaws in her plan, first of all, where would she even train? And who would train her? Claudia set these questions aside, and focused on her end goal, surviving. Her goal was to survive this one month, and then survive the Wildwood. The second part would be harder. 
“Where do I start?!” she groaned and slumped down on a bus stop bench. Onyx had perched on the bus sign, and didn’t seem to be interested in giving her a pep talk.
“You're supposed to help me bird!” she said turning to Onyx. She sighed, she was definitely delusional, she was talking to the bird, as if it was a human. She buried her head in her hands. The bench creaked, as someone sat down beside her. Claudia looked up, and turned to take a look at the person beside her. It was a man that seemed to be in his late twenties, maybe even thirties. He had dirty-blonde hair that was combed to perfection. It looked like this person was obsessed with hair gel. He wore a hat, and his eyes were shielded by a pair of sunglasses. The man looked like a spy in those old movies. The man looked at Claudia through the corner of his eye. He seemed to be interested in Claudia. 
Onyx cawed at him, with narrowed eyes. He had taken a dislike to the man. The man snorted and went back to reading his newspaper, though Claudia could see him glancing at her every so often. She furrowed her brow in suspicion. Onyx cawed and violently flapped his wings and landed on the man's shoulder. He went rigid, and twitched. After a long moment of the man being paralyzed, he stared at the bird, awe-struck. Claudia was watching this happen, eyes wide, unmoving herself. What had Onyx done to the man?
“Onyx! Bad bird! Sorry sir, my bird is a little crazy!” she said with a nervous laugh, hoping the man didn’t press charges. Onyx leapt off of the man seeming just as shocked. Claudia smiled nervously, and turned to walk away.
“Now just wait-” the man started standing up. Claudia didn’t give a second as she dashed off, Onyx flying above her, keeping a steady pace. The man had disappeared into the crowd. She’d lost him. Claudia still ran though, until she was on some deserted street. There was barely any sign of people, it was a ghost town, or more a ghost street. Claudia slowed and caught her breath. She panted still, she wasn’t the athletic type. Onyx let out an amused caw.
“Yeah, well I don’t have wings!” she called to him with a heaving breath. Suddenly a group of people came up to her. They seemed to be young, but again older than her. 
“Lookie here? Someone showed up, just like you said, Rex,” he said with a cowboy-like accent. He elbowed a gangly man, who was presumably ‘Rex’. Claudia looked at their clothing, and the way they talked. She stifled a small gasp. These were gangsters.
“Hi, my name is Claudia, nice to meet you,” she said with a forced smile. The men began to laugh. Claudia couldn’t find anything amusing about her statement. But, they were all probably uneducated idiots.
“Oh?! So we’re uneducated idiots, huh?” the lead man spat,the ring jutting out of his lip soaked with spit.  Claudia cringed, his ability was probably telepathy. Just her luck. Onyx! Where are you? She asked in her mind. Claudia took a step back, as the gangsters closed in on her. Oh god. Oh god. Claudia’s thoughts were on repeat. Her eyes flitted around, and at the last moment she ducked. That had been the right move, the lead man had thrown a punch that would’ve hit her nose. He growled and kicked her in the shin. She winced. This wasn’t going to go well for her.
Her eyes glowed with subtle rage.  Not fear. She moved. Her leg flew into the gangly man, his brown hair brushing her boots, at the impact.  He lurched forward in time for her fist to fly into his face.The group stalked toward her shielding their fallen member. She blinked, and dropped her stance, surprised that she had done that. That rage, it was almost not even her own. The perfect clarity in her mind wavered, turning into confusion and fear.  She hesitated, and stared at the people in front of her. One man down. She couldn’t do this.
“I can’t do this,” she said exasperated. The next moment she had been swept off her feet. She landed on the pavement with a thump. The wind was knocked out of her. As she struggled to breath, a flurry of shoes fell onto her. She covered her face. They kicked her sides and stomped on her arms and legs. 
“Didn’t your parents ever teach you manners?” a voice came from behind her. Claudia looked up, “W-What?” she asked hoarsely. It was the same man as the one the bench. The last thing Claudia remembered was the unrelenting pain of something coming down on her head, and she went under. 
Important Link:https://fanfics-and-stories.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000000014207