stillplaying | 2nd Game [action + voice]

[The rain has finally stopped. It comes as such a relief to Katniss, that she slips out of the treehouse village with her bow and arrows and hunting bag so very early in the morning - earlier than she's been awake in days.

It's been a whole day of exploring the woods. Gathering edible plants and resetting snares that were damaged by the storm. And just wandering. Wandering amongst the trees, sometimes climbing up one to get a better look of the area. Here, by the edge of the lake, she feels far enough from the town that she might actually be safe.

Safer, at least, than in those past few days. Maybe she spent too much time in the treehouse after that gathering. Too much time alone with memories and thoughts that made her heartsick. Nightmares that here, something will happen to Rue, something she won't be able to stop - just like she couldn't stop that District 1 boy from spearing her in arena. Lost days that she tried to hide so she wouldn't worry Rue.

But today? Today she almost feels like herself. Especially after a whole morning's and afternoon's worth of hunting and gathering. If you've been in the forest near the western lake today, there's a chance you might have run into her.

Maybe she hasn't been as successful as she's been in the past, but her bag still speaks of some results. A wild turkey she shot early afternoon, herbs and roots gathered not too far from the lake, and a couple of small squirrels from her snares. They weigh her down and she considers returning to the treehouses, but she doesn't want to leave the sanctuary of the forest. Not yet.

A flash of yellow catches her eye and she turns, arrow notched in it's string. And then it meows, indignant, and her arrow flies to land in the dirt right next to the beast.

She stares. And scowls.

A while later, she's back in her treehouse room and glaring at the stupid creature that followed her home. Of everyone to find here from District 12, of course it has to be Buttercup.

She reaches for the journal to ask a question.]

Has anyone else here found a pet from home?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

My dad.

[There's a small, sad grin when she looks at Rue. She still misses him. As much as she misses Prim, although little can compare to the hole Prim left in her heart. But the smile grows a little more confident, a little more happy as she thinks. And remembers. And knows without her father's decision to hunt, without his decision to teach his eldest daughter, she might not be alive either.]

It's illegal in District Twelve, too. But our Peacekeepers stopped being so strict. They liked having the fresh game instead. And with the constant power outages, it was easy to slip past the fence and away into the woods.

Edited 2012-04-02 17:48 (UTC)

It must be so nice having Peacekeepers aren't strict. And being able to get past the fence, even if it's dangerous. [She's thought about it before, trying to find a weak spot in the fence to sneak past. There were so many fields and woods beyond she knew she could find more. But Eleven wasn't like Twelve, where the Peacekeepers might look the other way.]

It was.

[Until Romulus Thread came. Until everything started to go bad. But she's not going to bother Rue with those memories. No. Let her know only the positives. Let her stay as innocent as she possibly can.]

They'd even buy our food, you know.

Oh, they must have been so nice if they'd do that. Though we had a few nice Peacekeepers. Once, one of them brought candy for us!

[Not so nice, necessarily. Just wanting the food she and Gale could provide. But right now she'd rather hear Rue's story.]

What kind of candy?

I think he called them peppermints! They were little round discs and red and white and tasted like mint!

[That makes her pause as the familiar heartache fills her chest. It's still not getting easier. Every day, she misses her sister more than anything.]

Those were Prim's favorites. I'd get bags sometimes, when we had the money after the Games, on my way home from hunting.

Maybe they have peppermints in the store. [She gives a shy smile. It'd also be nice if Prim could arrive. They'd have to keep her safe, but... Rue wants to meet her, Katniss' sister.]

Do you like any candy?

[She nods. It's hard not to like candy when it's so rare, was always such a treat those few times her dad sneaked them in the house for birthdays or other special occasions.]

But my favorite food isn't a candy. It's this cheese bun Peeta makes.

2nd Game [action + voice]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]

[Action]