Disclaimer:- My name is not written on the cover page of all the three books of Hunger Games Trilogy so ... no, it does not belong to me regardless of how much I want to own the credit to creating a character like Gale.
The clouds seemingly darkened as if foretelling the upcoming events. It didn't help much on the part that the occassion presented itself when it was supposedly expected one month later.
It definetly didn't help the young man, who seemed to be racing for his life towards the Hob with all his might. He meant to reach there before the rain begins but halfway through his journey, the water came pounding down on him. But it wasn't called for, his defeat. He had to get himself to the Hob. The message had to be delivered. It was of utmost importance.
Without any more hesitation, he sprinted around the corner and saw it within his reach. Just some more. A little bit more. His lungs were already on fire but by the time he reached it, it seemed as if the wind was knocked out of him.
Kneeling down, he put his hands on his knees, eyes scanning the crowd for the similar wisp of black hair and pair of steel grey eyes. Still breathing heavily and with the wet clothes weighing down on him, he forced himself up and about. Being in the Seam, it was pretty difficult to find someone with just "black hair and grey eyes" description. Everyone had them. What actually distinguished the so called person in question was his attitude. A friendly man of sorts. But he was one of the only two people to have had the courage to venture pass the fences into the restricted woods. Other being Nathan Everdeen. A guy, very well known for marrying a damsel from Town. Something that happens 'Once in a blue moon'. As for the other guy, he lived a pretty simple life. Grew up to be 18. Worked in the mines. Occassionaly and then routinely trespassed the woods. When he was 25 years old, like an other Seam folk, he married the woman he fell in love with. A washerwoman she was. Suddenly, the thought of the lady brought him out of his trance. He had to find him.
As if in answer, a huge laugh roared up from a group of men standing at Greasy Sae's soup counter.
"That was way out of line, Marcus," one of them managed to say through heavy fits of giggle.
"If you don't believe me, then go and ask our Mayor yourself," he supplied with a smirk playing around his lips which easily gave him away.
"You have some serious issues, Marc," Sae added as others nodded yet breathing heavily.
"Well, you can't think its impossible, can you? With the big old Undersee liking strawberries, its not hard to accept this fact," he said chuckling.
The young man, willed himself to go little bit furthur.
As soon as he was in the range, Marcus saw him.
"Hey there, Luke. Playing out in the rain too much?" He snickered which was accompanied by another round of silly laughing.
Don't they understand the urgency of the situation? Laughing around, goofying when something so serious is happening on the other side of the Seam! Oh wait! They don't. Thats where I come in.
"You are still a child, and yet he has a child of his own," and again the same story.
Laughing maniacs. All of them.
The young man struggled to catch his breath so that he can get the message out. But damn Marcus Hawthorne! He wouldn't give him the chance to speak. Stealing the glory all by himself. Not only as a humourous friend but also as the most wanted suitor by both the Seam as well as Town women before he was married.
"Anyways, how is little Thomy doing?" He smiled at the young man.
"H-," catching his breath, he uttered out one word that got all the attention he need in the world, "Hazelle."
The playful smirk dropped as the hunter's eyes widened in realisation.
"Go...NOW," and before anyone could stop him, he dashed past the young man, followed by Everdeen.
With every step they took, their feet seemed to sink in deeper. The wet mud proving as yet another obstacle for them. But being hunters they both were, the storm didn't prove as much of a hurdle as it did to the previous young man.
They both took off towards the Everdeen's household rather than the Hawthorne's. Mrs. Everdeen was known to own an apothecary shop before she married but marriage didn't stop her from disowning her profession. She helped others in pain, the poor people living in Seam who could not afford the treatment dispensed by the Town doctor.
Before they could actually reach the household, a pain driven scream pierced the Seam air.
"MARCUS!"
"Oh God!" Marcus quickened his pace and banged the door open, only to see his wife sweating heavily with Lilian Everdeen trying to ease her pain with herbal concotions.
"Marcus! Hold her hand, RIGHT NOW!"
"Yeah," Marcus Hawthorne found himself shuffling through the house to reach for her wife, who caught his hand in a death grip.
"Its okay, its okay," he murmured while reassuringly squeezing her hand.
"Its NOT OKAY! DOES IT SEEM LIKE ITS OKAY! ITS ALL YOUR FAULT, MARCUS!" Marcus was wide-eyed. He couldn't believe his wife shouting at him like that. It seems like it was years ago when they both were happily waiting for the arrival of their child, when it was just yesterday.
"Its not your fault, Marcus, well technically it is... but she does not mean it," Lilian supplied followed by another scream echoing in the house.
"I TOTALLY MEAN IT!"
All Marcus could do was stare and try his best not to get scared by the accusations that were being thrown towards him.
"Its okay, Haze, I am here, it won't hurt the next time," he supplied.
"NEXT TIME?! THERE WON'T BE A 'NEXT TIME'!"
"It's better you sit quietly and provide moral support, Marc" Nathan Everdeen sighed looking towards a very frightened Marcus.
Following minutes were agony, filled with thunders, sounds of pondering rain water on the ceiling and the inevitable screams of Hazelle Hawthorne.
And auguring the end of the frantic events of today, Hazelle with one last breathe fell back on the bed, breathing heavily.
The air was dead silent, sounds of thunder fading into the background, as the cries of a baby amplified with each second.
"Let me," Lilian took hold of the baby and asked for Marcus Hawthorne to go outside.
"Stop it, will ya? You are making me nervous,"
"Do you think she meant every word she said back then," a terrified Marcus asked.
"I don't know frankly, but anyways we will see,"
"Yeah. Right, like you know any better,"
"I am just dreading the moment when this thing happens to me," Nathan Everdeen sweats.
"I will be there, no worries,"
"Your wife does not even have a temper and she's like this. Imagine how Lilian will be,"
"I will be alright Nate, and Marcus. Here, congratulations. Your wife has given birth to a healthy baby boy," she smiled gently, emerging out of the room and handing Marus Hawthorne a bundle of white clothes.
"Can I see Hazelle? Is she alright?" He was sweating at the thought of meeting Hazelle.
"Yeah, she's fine. Go in. She wants to talk to you anyways. I will stay here, give you guys a moment alone," she says walking towards Everdeen.
"Thanks," he smiled back and with that he gently walked into the room.
He caught a glimpse of his wife. Her soft gray eyes, contrasting the ones she is looking at, outside the window.
"Haze," she turned to look at him, her eyes tearing apart at the sight of him and their new-born son in his hand.
"I am sorry," she whispered looking at her hands knotted together in her lap. Constantly rubbing them in the process of avoiding how the nervous she felt.
"You have nothing to apologize for hun," he spoke gently with her, only her. He handed her their son and she gently pried the cloth away that covered his face.
"He looks just like you, doesn't he Marc?" She looked lovingly at their son.
"Yeah," he smiled rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do you have any idea what to name him?" She looks tired.
"I didn't. But this little one has chosen quite a wonderful time to make appearance," he smiled looking at his own mirror reflection.
"I know what to name him exactly," he stared outside at the still waging storm.
"What would that be?" She said forcing her eyes to leave her son and follow her husband around the room as he made his way to the window.
"Marcus?" She pried curiously. The intensity in his eyes as his eyes reflected the gray colour of the clouds was mesmerising.
"Do you think?"
"Think what?"
"That the storm was meant to come. I mean it was meant to come to mark the birth of our son?" He turned around to look at her.
"I don't know," she replies honestly, returning her eyes back to their son who slept calmly in her hands.
"I do. And I know just what to name. He will be just like us. Brave and a survivor. He will fight for what is wrong and will someday change the world for good," He said looking at his wife who was busy studying their soon.
Soon the child opened his eyes to show how much he resembled Marcus Hawthorne.
The steel gray eyes held its own intensity. Maybe more than that of father's and yet softened when he took a glimpse of his parents.
"I have decided what to name him Haze," he replied staring at his son who seemed to stare his father off as if taking the challenge up.
"And?" She looked at him, eyes threatening to flood any moment.
"I will name him-" he looked at his son admiringly and then walking to the window to gaze at the stormy clouds outside he uttered out.
"I will name him Gale"
Gale Hawthorne.
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A/N:- Did you like it? I have no idea... I am all hmmm with this story. Lemme know :)