This is my version of The Hunger Games and my first story. Things may be similar but some of the characters and events are mine. (I don't own THG) If people like my story then I will continue to post all finished chapters. Thank you for reading! HUGZ!
A Wolf in The Games
I feel the tracks lightly with my finger tips. Their fresh, I think. I look up, surveying the area. I feel like I'm being watched. My hunter instincts kick in and I raise my bow out of habit. A fluffy squirrel comes into my sight and I let the arrow fly. Right through the eye!
I retrieve my kill and stuff it into my game bag. So far I have ten squirrels, three plump rabbits, and a duck that I found near a pond.
Linn and Clover, my younger brother and sister, are going to be so exited. We haven't had duck in a year. It's their favorite, but there has been a major scarcity in game. Everyday I go further and further into the forbidden woods outside the fence of District 12, Panem in search of game. I will not let my family starve.
It was four years ago that I became their unofficial parent. My father died from an explosion in the mines. Linn was about to become eight and Clover was only a month old. I remember that day clearly.
I held my brother in my arms while Linn silently sobbed into my side, arms wrapped tightly around my waist. My mother stood motionless next to me with a blank expression on her face; depression had already taken over her. Her grey eyes filled with tears as some miners crawled out.
One of the men who worked on my father's shift came up to me. He crouched down in front of me and glanced up at my mother who had tears streaming down her face. He looked into my eyes and shook his head. My eyes filled with tears as the man stood and walked away.
I glanced at my mother. "Mom?" I whispered. She just stared at the mine, tears falling down her olive colored cheeks. Linn tightened her hold on me and I let her sob, tears silently falling down my own cheeks.
My mother soon fell into a deep depression and I knew I had to be strong for them. It was months before I went into the woods where I used to hunt with my father. I learned to provide for my family because my mom was distant.
So here I am now, in the middle of the woods hunting. My game bag is not even half way filled up yet. I scowl as I check my bag. Come on, Tala, you can do better than that, I scold myself.
The snap of a branch brings my attention back to my hunting. I raise my bow, my arrow ready to fly. When the large figure comes into view, my muscles tense.
A mountain lion the size of a bear. His deep yellow eyes pierce my eyes and he holds my steady gaze. A deep growl fills the air. But it's not him that is growling, it's me. I bare my teeth and stand my ground. The beast slowly circles me, growling and hissing in my direction. The lion stops and crouches, determination in his eyes.
My growling becomes louder and I ready my bow. I don't usually kill large predators (not a lot of meat on them) but when I'm their target, I have no choice but to defend myself. I wonder how much I could get for his pelt, I wonder.
I'm snapped back to reality when the mighty cat lunges at me. We collapse onto the ground. The mountain lion attempts to bite my throat but I shove my bow into his mouth. I start to kick at his chest. "Stupid cat!", I yell as I try to fend him off. I plant my feet firmly on his giant chest and using all the strength from my legs, kick him into a tree. Hard.
I wipe the blood off my cheek from the attack with my palm, causing it to just smear as I watch the cat struggle to gain its footing. I look straight into his eyes and see only anger. Fueled by rage the animal starts to get frustrated and growls. I smirk watching its weak attempts. I pick up an arrow that fell out of my quiver and aim it at his heart. Just as I release my arrow, the giant cat lunges at me yet again but this time my arrow lodges itself into the lion's throat. I push the lifeless body off of me and just lay on the ground breathing heavily.
I glance over at the body of my attacker and smirk. I bet I could get more for his pelt than what is in my game bag, I think. An idea pops into my head and I leap to my feet. A grin comes across my face as I plan out my idea in my head. I lean down and grab the end of the arrow. I rip it out and rub it across the grass to get rid of the blood. I pick up all of the arrows I lost during the struggle and put them in my quiver. I lean down and grab the lion by his shoulders, heaving him onto my shoulder. I drag him with me until I reach a dead hollow tree and stash my bow and quiver of arrows. I start to drag him to the fence which is about an hour going at this pace.
I make it to the fence in less time then I expected. I crawl under the fence and pull the mountain lion through. Good thing I chose the wider hole in the fence than my usual spot near the Seam. I throw him over my shoulder again and begin to drag him again. Wide eyes are instantly on me as I drag the lifeless beast through the town. As I get closer to the butcher shop, all eyes are on me. This cat is really heavy! By the time I reach the back of the butcher shop I'm exhausted. I knock on the door and Mrs. Carver answers.
"Hello Mrs. Carver", I greet her. She's married to the butcher. I always come when her husband is out. She always gives me a better trade.
"Hello Wolf Girl! What do you have for me today?", She looks down and as soon as she glances at my kill her eyes widen.
"He is the biggest mountain lion I've ever seen! Zander, haul this in!", She yells. A tall, brown haired boy appears behind her and he glances at me, a small smile on his face. He drags my kill inside and go to stand by his mother. He crosses his arms and nods at me. I nod back.
His mother hands me two large handfuls of coins and after I say thank you, I head towards the bakery. They are gonna love their surprise!, I think to myself, excitement taking over. I begin to speed up my pace and jog towards the bakery. I walk into the bakery and I find the shop empty. Mrs. Skylark is at the counter and when she hears me enter she smiles and quickly looks behind her, waving me to her.
"Well hello there. I've never seen you inside the shop before", She says. I smile at her. It's a known fact that her husband beats her and her son. Sometimes I see them around with bruises on their faces.
"Um, hello. I was wondering of I could place a special order", I say quietly. She nods and takes out a slip of parchment and a pencil. She looks up at me for my order.
"Can I have two cookies for tomorrow morning. One with clovers on it and the other with linnaea flowers?", I ask. She starts to write but then looks up at me with a look of confusing.
"I'm sorry but can you describe the flowers. I've never heard of them before". I nod but and start to describe the small flowers but get a better idea. I ask to use the pencil and she hands it over to me. I begin to sketch them on the back of the paper and her eyes widen as my drawing comes to life. I drew the flowers.
"Wow. That is very beautiful. Let me see if my son can make a cookie to match your drawing. Ackerley, come here for a second!" I hear a muffled reply coming from the back. A tall, muscular boy covered in flour appears.
He has short, straight blond hair that falls onto his forehead. His eyes are as blue as the clear lake my father used to take me to. I know this boy but I've never spoken to him before. He looks at me and freezes, a look of shock on his face. He notices I'm watching him and he drops his gaze. He looks nervous.
"Ackerley, Tala wants two cookies for tomorrow morning", she says to her only son. She shows him the first order that she wrote and then flips the paper over to show my drawing. His jaw drops slightly at the sight of the flowers. His mother asks me about the color of the flowers.
"Pink around here and the rest is white", I say pointing at the picture. She shows it to her son who takes the paper and goes to the back. His mother watches him and puts her hands on her hips.
She looks at me, "Don't mind him. We just couldn't find anyone selling rabbit and it's his favorite". I smile and pull the rabbits out of my bag. Her eyes brighten with joy. I was gonna sell them at the Hob but this seems nicer, I think to myself.
She leans across the counter and takes the rabbits. She places a small loaf of bread in my hands. I stare at it. I'm shocked. This is a lot for just two rabbits.
"Um- I- thank you", I stutter. She just smiles at me. I give her a small smile back. She tells me my order will be ready for me tomorrow early morning. I thank her and say goodbye, heading home to see my two kids.
"Tala!", Clover screams when I come through the door. I lift him up and spin him. The four year old giggles and wraps his arms around my neck.
"Look what I made", he jumps off and takes my hand, leading me towards the small kitchen. He points to our table and when I see what he made, I give him a kiss on his cheek. He made a doll for Linn.
I kneel in front of him and smile. "When are you planning on giving it to her", I whisper. He is the most sweetest kid you could ever know. I raised him to treat everyone with respect , no matter where they are from.
He giggles. "Tomorrow, when you take us to the meadow", he whispers. He is just so cute. His dark hair falls onto his forehead and his grey eyes sparkle. He goes and returns with Linn , who throw her arms around my neck.
"Look what I have". I show them the bread and their eyes light up. I break the bread in half and give them each a small piece of it. I save the other half for breakfast and take the rest to my mom, who is just sitting on her bed. She just stares at the far wall.
"Eat", I shove a small piece of bread in her hands. She breaks her staring contest with the wall and begins to eat the bread. When she finishes, she reaches over and hugs me.
" Thank you", she whispers to me. I'm hesitant at first but I give in and hug her back. She is still my mother. I eat my bread with her while I think about tomorrow.
Should I invite her to the meadow? Would she even say yes?, I question myself later that night when everyone is asleep and I lie in bed with Clover and Linn curled up against my sides. I had cleaned my wounds after I finished my bread. I think about those questions. I think I should invite her to the meadow to celebrate Linn's twelfth birthday. After all she is her mother, I just raised her.
Major Characters So Far:
Tala Lockwood (Wolf Girl)
Linnaea/Linn Lockwood (Tala's 12-year-old sister (about to be twelve ))
Clover Lockwood (Tala's 4-year-old brother)
Ackerley Skylark (Baker's son)
Zander Carver (Butcher's son)
(Still doing changes)
