The sun shone through the leaves of the trees, as Katniss stalked silently through the forest. Her empty bag hung lightly against her back, reminding her of how unsuccessful she had been at finding any game on this October day. So far she had shot one squirrel that had practically run over her toes while chasing an acorn. Feeling weary from her trek through the woods, Katniss decided to find a good spot to eat the meager lunch she had packed earlier that morning before leaving her house. While everyone in District 12 struggled to survive, the Everdeen family struggled especially hard. Katniss' father had been killed in a mining accident six months prior. After his death, Katniss' mother had fallen into a debilitating depression. She rarely left her bed for anything, let alone to feed her two daughters. That left Katniss to fend for herself and her younger sister, Prim. Fortunately, Katniss' father had taught her a few survival skills before he died. Katniss could shoot a bow and identify a few edible plants.
Each day, Katniss would awaken early and head toward the boundary of District 12. She would stop at the fence to listen for the hum or the lack thereof that would let her know whether or not the fence was electrified. If the fence was not electrified, she would then slide under the spot that was not secured to the ground. Once in the woods, she would head to the hollow tree where her father had hidden the bows and arrows that they had used for hunting. Katniss wasn't a very good hunter, but she knew that hunting was her way to survive and to help her family survive.
Katniss nibbled at her bread, stretching what she had while wishing for more. If she would not have needed the money from yesterday's sale of two rabbits, there would have been plenty of meat for both that day's dinner and for the next day's lunch. Unfortunately, the money was needed more than the meat was. As Katniss popped the last crumb of bread into her mouth, she noticed something swinging from a nearby tree branch. Katniss quickly gathered her things and scurried to the tree. Upon closer inspection, Katniss realized she was looking at a rabbit caught in a snare. The snare's workmanship was better than any she had ever seen. Slowly she reached out examine the snare.
"Stealing is punishable by death, you know," the sound of the male voice startled Katniss. She quickly turned towards the young man stepping out from behind another tree. The young man was tall, well over six feet, with broad shoulders. His brown eyes had a steely glint in them, and his brows were furrowed with anger.
"I wasn't going to steal your snare or your game. I just wanted to get a better look at the snare. I have trouble making them." Katniss avoided looking him in the eye.
"So you hunt, too. What is your name?" the young man asked Katniss.
Because she was still feeling embarrassed that the young man had assumed she was going to steal his property, Katniss barely whispered her name.
"Catnip! That's an odd name. My name is Gale. How did you get that squirrel? " When Katniss raised her eyes, the young man's face had softened into a friendly grin, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. Katniss realized that she had seen him at school. He was two years ahead of her.
"My name is Katniss, and I shot the squirrel." She said patting the bow that was slung across her back.
"I see. I've always wanted to learn to shoot. If you will teach me about shooting, I will teach you about making snares." Gale said.
"Okay," Katniss agreed.
"Meet me here tomorrow, and I'll teach you how to make some snares," Gale smiled at Katniss.