Hey guys, so Life with Josh didn't turn out to well. I finished it, but sadly I didn't know you couldn't have real people on here, so pm me if you want to read it. So now it's time for a new story, Delicate Bird. I got inspired by this from reading a couple other stories, literally, there were only like two stories. I really enjoyed them, so it's my turn to write one how I want to. This takes place before she had kids, but after the rebellion, so about five years. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1: Trouble
This has been one of the most frustrating days. I can barely lift my bow up and bring the string back without coughing or sniffling up snot. I felt chilled no matter how warm it was, and my skin was paper white. I knew I was sick, just not sure of what. Peeta hasn't seemed to notice, thank goodness, I wouldn't see the sun for a while.
No one was going to see the sun anyways, because the sky was completely gray, about to drop snow any minute now. The air was cold, bring the chills throughout my body soar through me. I pick up my bow for another time, quivered an arrow, and slowly brought the string back. My whole body was shaking from the cold, so I wasn't very steady. My hands were drenched with sweat, already drenching the arrow and bow too. I let go as the arrow went only a few feet from where I'm standing, and into the ground. I drop the bow and collapse onto the ground, my back landing painfully on the bow.
I can't even shoot a simple arrow, I think to myself. Everything seemed impossible, and shooting arrows into trees was what I wanted to do right here and right now.
My arms slowly move around me, as if making an invisible snow angel, feeling the soft bed of grass beneath me, a few leaves tangling up in my hair. I can almost feel the ground moving beneath me, the world spinning. The few dark grey clouds seem to be circling right above me.
Some shreds of grass come out of the ground as I slightly pull them, then shake them from my hands.
I try to sit up, but I end up falling back down on my bow. I bring one of my hands up to my forhead, and it's almost burning hot. What am I going to do? There is nothing to do. I'll just have to let Peeta baby me for a while, and heal the best I can.
Nobody is going to find me here, so I do my best to sit up, but exhaustion overwhelms me while the clouds in the sky go deep into my head. The sky turns empty and the ground starts to move. The whole world starts spinning faster and I black out.
"Katniss Everdeen, the girl who was on fire!" Claudius Templesmith's voice booms out throughout the arena. Why would he ever announce this? The arena starts to turn darker quickly as I open my eyes and find the surroundings of me are already burning. I quickly untie the rope with my nimble fingers and jump out of the high tree, but a flame has already engulfed me. I run quickly out of it, almost burned to death, but there are more obstacles to come.
I try to run around the flames but the fire is everywhere, burning everything to ashes. My eyes start watering as ash starts to land on my whole body. I keep looking ahead, as something starts to come out of the flames, apparently fire resistant, because it wasn't burning. A muttation!
It doesn't do anything at first, just standing there snarling at me. I notice it's features, messy and soft blonde fur, blue eyes, a ribbon black collor with a gray 12 on it. Peeta.
More dogs start to file out from behind him. I look at each of them, studying their features too, a small one with a blue collar with a 12 reflecting-Prim. A medium sized one with golden hair and a 4, Finnick, a small gray one with a 4, a blackish brown one with gold teeth, the list keeps growing from victors to my family.
I come out of study and start running as they all growl at me and chase me close behind. The flames engulf me as I start screaming when the mutated Prim gets hold of me and drags me back. I look back at her but quickly look back ahead as I see the careers from my first games, smiling mischievously at me, then slowly turn into the mutts that chased Peeta and I. They charge forward at me and start clawing at every inch of my body.
I turn around to find Prim just standing there, her normal self, not a muttion. She's wearing her first reaping outfit and frowning, then rage filling up in her whole body.
"Why didn't you save me Katniss! Why didn't you save all those innocent people!" she screams as the mutts keep clawing at me. I dig my finger nails into the ground as shocks of pain soar through me, as a pod of tracker jackers start stinging me.
"Prim! I couldn't do anything! I would've! I could've!" I scream back.
"Then why didn't you!" she yells. Her body turns back into a mutt as she runs toward me, clawing up my face.
"Why didn't you!" she keeps repeating. "Why didn't you!"
"Katniss!" the voice echoes softly throughout the arena. I try to look up but the mutts are restricting me. I move my head slowly up and see Peeta's face.
"Peet-" I'm cut off as dirt and venom fill up in my mouth.
"Katniss!" the voice yells again. My whole body has gone numb as the darkness of the arena starts to get lighter, and lighter, and lighter,
"Katniss, can you hear me?" I hear a soft voice. My eyes flutter open to Peeta with a worried look on his face. I'm not in the arena. There are no mutts. There are no flames. It's just me in the outside woods of District 12, laid back on my crunched bow.
I try to say something but all that comes out is a choke. My throat feels dry and empty, with no sounds or voice. Peeta squints his eyes as he studies me, then touches my forehead with his cold and icy hand. Even in his warm coat, I can tell he's freezing.
"I need to get you home," he mumbles to himself looking up at the sky. I look around to notice that the snow has already dropped down, covering me in a small layer of the soft white ice. My body starts shaking again as Peeta slowly guides me to sit up. He grips my hand hard when I try to stand, and catches me when I start to fall over. Still holding on, he grabs my bow and the arrow out of the ground.
"Let me lead you," he whispers. I stay frozen in my spot and try to move my feet from the ground slowly as he guides me. I can only go so far as my vision blurs and turns into darkness as I fall asleep.
Peeta's P.O.V.
Katniss starts to fall over again but I keep my grip harder on her. I look at her face to realize she's fallen asleep again. Her skin is paper white and I can feel her shaking even when she's sleeping. I pick her up and start walking a bit quicker out of the entrance of the woods. My feet start to move faster as more snow starts to drop down on us.
The victor's village comes into view so I start running even faster to get her into the warm house. When I reach the house, my hands fumble around to get the key. I twist the lock and open the door while a breeze of snow blows in. I close the door behind us and run up the stairs without taking my shoes off. I go into our room and lay Katniss down on the bed, covering her in our thick blankets, then kiss her on top of her head. Just let her rest, she needs it.
She really didn't look like herself, pale and all. Her forehead was burning when I touched it, she must be sick in some way. I'm not sure which, but I'm going to take care of her no matter what.
Hoped you guys liked it, because this took me a while! Please review if you want me to fix anything, and keep reading! -MissWaffles101
