We stare at each other.
"Did you know that stealing is illegal?" I say. She throws the dead rabbit at me, looking angry.
"I didn't know it was yours." She says, quietly.
"It's my snare." I say, rudely. I can see that she's angry too.
"I didn't know I wasn't the only one who hunts here." She says. "It's kinda sad, you know."
"What?"
"That the woods are so poorly populated. I would think that the people who I would find here would be more… well… Decent. " She gave a smirk.
"What's your name anyways?" I say, looking at her better this time. She was tiny. Maybe nine, or ten years old. She had long brown hair, and she was wearing a braid, and she also had grey eyes. Perfect girl from the Seam.
"Katniss." She whispers.
"Catnip?" I ask. What a strange name. I thought Catnip was a flower that cat liked.
"Katniss, you moron."
"Such a nice temper." I say, grinning. "I'm Gale. Gale Hawthorne." She nods. "What are you doing in the woods? You're too young. This place is dangerous."
"I'm eleven." She says, rudely. "And how about you? You do seem very young too."
"I'm thirteen, sweetheart. And you didn't answer my question."
"I'm the woods because I have to feed my family." My grin faded. Now I see.
"Oh. Sorry. I just… I didn't think."
"Well, you do seem used to it."
"My father died in the explosion too." I say. Now it's time for her face to soft a little.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. It's just… hard." I nod. I can feel she wants to say something more, but it's afraid.
"Look, let's make a deal." I say, sitting in a rock and patting the one besides me, asking her to seat. She sits beside me, looking a little concerned. "Whatever I say here, you won't tell anybody. Whatever you say here, I won't tell anybody."
"It's like our secret place." She whispers. I nod, smiling slightly.
"Yes." I agree. "The woods are our place. Just ours."
We stay quiet for a bit.
"My mom has shut down." She says, quietly. "She doesn't speak, she doesn't cook, she doesn't anything. It's scary."
"It's a big shock to her."
"It's a big shock for me! My father died! My mom doesn't speak anymore! My sister just cries all the time. We have no food, we have no money. I don't know what else I can do."
"Things will get better. You can hunt, don't you? We can help each other. Bring your sister someday, we'll can make her feel better. I bet she loves animals."
She nods, quietly, looking ashamed of her explosion.
"You don't have to be ashamed of your feelings, Catnip."
"It's Katniss." She whispers.
"Ok. So Catnip, you can have this." I say handing her the rabbit.
"Such a nice present." She says, but it's smiling lightly. "We could hunt together you know. I can use the bow and the arrow, you can do the snares."
"That would be easy. But we have school. And we also need money."
"We… we could go to the Hob."
"The dark market? They'll crush us!"
"No, they won't. They all liked my father; I used to go there with him. They know me."
"Right." I say. "So… I see you tomorrow? Right here, after school."
"Ok. Bye, Gale." She says.
"Bye, Catnip."