"Artemis yielded her bow and arrow with more skill than any man. She could bring down any beast in the forest." He glanced at the clock. "All right, Katniss, time for bed." He kisses the top of her dark head.
"But I want to know more!"
"Though the creatures feared her, they also respected her judgment and wisdom. Come on, it's bedtime."
"Daddy, what happened to her?"
Her father chuckles and tucks the covers in around her. "No, love, nothing happened to her. Nothing could hurt her. You see, Artemis was more than a woman; she was a goddess."
She exhales, trying to stay as steady as possible. Katniss draws her right arm back, aims, and lets her arrow fly. It falls short of the tree trunk she had aimed for. Tears of disappointment burn in her eyes, and she throws down the tiny bow her father has crafted for her fifth birthday.
"It's alright, Katniss. That was a good first shot. You'll get better," her father comforts her.
"I'm never going to be able to do it."
"Yes, you will. Come on, let's try again."
By the end of the day, she has hit the tree twice.
In the years that follow, she learns the art of hunting at her father's side. He teaches her not only to shoot, but also to make snares and survive in the woods. Seated on her father's lap, Katniss learns to prepare the meat and skin the squirrels they catch.
Her first kill warrants a celebration in the Everdeen household. They make a thick stew of the deer, and her father uses a hard-earned coin to buy fresh baker's bread. He is proud of his daughter.
Far too soon, her beloved mentor is lost, and Katniss must go on alone.
Her father had been a careful man, and though punishments for hunting are generally mild, he'd always made sure to hide his cache of weapons. Better safe than hanged.
With burnt bakery bread in her stomach, she steps into the woods alone for the first time, intent on finding her father's bow. Katniss will not allow her family to starve.
It takes over an hour to locate the hollow tree trunk, but she eventually finds the weapons her father carved. She does not cry as she hoists the quiver onto her shoulder. She needs to focus now, for Prim.
After weeks of hunting by herself, she comes across a snare in the woods. It's more perfect than any she could devise, so she stands studying it.
Eventually, the boy the snare and the rabbit inside it belong to comes to collect his catch. He is initially suspicious of the girl, but when he realizes she can shoot, they agree to help each other. They spend their mornings together, checking traps and stalking prey. She learns he is as clever as his snares and soon cannot imagine life without him.
Together, they bring home more than either could alone.
For the first time in her life, Katniss is hunted. She runs deeper and deeper into the forest, trying to escape, but they still find her. One of the predators holds a bow, her bow.
With a nudge from the girl in the opposite tree, Katniss saws at a branch, watches it fall onto her hunters through a haze of tracker jacker-induced terror. She collapses into a world of nightmares, but the girl with the bow falls further.
When she awakes, Katniss thanks Rue for her help and picks up the bow. She smiles grimly. Victory is within reach.
She's close to winning, to going back to District Twelve a Victor. Katniss releases her arrow, and it flies directly through Two's eye, killing him instantly. But instead of congratulations on their victory, the speakers in the Arena send a very different message. Only one can live.
She won't kill Peeta, who has always been so kind to her. Instead, she pulls out a handful of nightlock. Neither will win without the other.
Katniss doesn't realize that sometimes, a berry can be more than a fruit. Sometimes, a few small berries can be enough to set a nation ablaze.
A trail of gray follows behind her. She never noticed the traces of coal dust she left behind stained these woods when she was with Gale, but now that she's alone, it is all she can see. Perhaps it's better that way, just her, the trees, and her demons.
Hunting means more death, but it's her refuge all the same. Bow up, string back, let it fly. The mechanics are all the same as killing a human, and she has proven she can do that. It's a strange sort of comfort, certainly, but for now, it's all she has.
She and Cinna talk sometimes, spend whole afternoons chatting about everything and nothing. Besides her hunting, there's little to say about life in Twelve, so mostly, they talk about him. He tells her about his designs: what inspired them, how he's incorporating her stories of the forest and the Meadow into his newest creations. Katniss doesn't like the idea of Capitol women wearing her life, but she says nothing. It's Cinna. It'll be fine.
Deep underground, another set of artists sit down with her life story spread before them, intent on devising something far greater than a simple gown.
Because of the sparks she inspired in the districts, Snow decrees that she must again face the Arena. For bringing home Peeta, she will again become prey.
She spends her last evening in what was to be her wedding dress. Just as Cinna ordered, she spins onstage. She lights the room with her fire.
As the flames die out, Katniss stops spinning. After a flash of realization, she smiles and spreads her wings in rebellion. She is already doomed to die. Snow can do nothing to hurt her now. She is more than a woman; she is a mockingjay.
A/N: Written for the "I've got 99 problems, but this challenge ain't one" challenge on Caesar's Palace. The challenge was to write a 99-word drabble. Though the fic itself isn't 99 words, each individual section clocks in at 99 words exactly and is inspired by a different Caesar's Palace prompt. This original version of this fic was originally posted in late summer of 2014.