Trial of Nerves

Ever heard of a Terror-bird? It's a giant predatory walking bird that can get up to 3 meters in length. Imagine facing off against one with nothing but a sickle.

In some parts of Osciria, a young Mal has to do something called the trial of nerves when they reach a certain age. The trial of nerves, is, as the name suggests, a trial that tests one's nerves. During this trial, the subject is pitted against a terror bird. Sometimes this happened in an arena, or sometimes with a wild terror bird. The only weapon the kid gets, is a Wood-Malen war sickle. A weapon without a lot of range or the ability to keep the bird at range. The only way to complete the trial is to square off against the bird with all the confidence you can muster. You shouldn't look or act afraid in any way. Keep your head and shoulders straight, and look the bird straight in the eyes, while you slowly approach it. Keep looking it in the eyes as you ease yourself forward, never making any doubting or unexpected move. Then, when you're close enough, you pierce the sickle straight through the beast's neck.
If not done correctly, if you slip up and miss your strike, if you move too fast, look scared or do anything other than exactly what you're supposed to, you will be torn to shreds. A relatively old Wood-Malen could probably take on a terror bird barehanded, but a sprout could never. In some cases, it's even more extreme. Sometimes you have to kill the bird with just a knife, which demands you stand so close to the bird, you're almost touching.