Chapter 1: The Forest.
This is where I feel at home. The quiet green silence of the forest, the soft rustling of leaves makes me feel at peace. But I am alert as I walk. The forest is a dangerous place, full of wild creatures waiting to attack. My worn out leather hunting boots make no sound as I weave my way around trees, making my way deeper and deeper into the wooded area. Then I stop; not even a hundred yards in front of me a rabbit rummages through the dense undergrowth in search of food. I crouch down, hidden from view behind a straggly clump of bushes where I watch the rabbit. My grip on the hunting knife in my hands tightens as I pull my arm back. Then, from the cover of my hiding place I let the knife fly and it hits my target with deadly accurate precision. The rabbit fell silent, not making a single move to escape and I smile because I know I had gotten it. Quickly I retrieve my prize and bag it before I continue on my way. The trees begin to thin out and the terrain grows steeper, leading up to a small rocky cliff overlooking a low valley. The healthy green leaves of the bushes hide my favorite spot in the forest. A spot I share with only one person.
"Iggy! You made it! I was wondering how long I was going to have to wait here until I went looking for you. I thought maybe you were attacked by a wolf!" He laughed
I let out an irritated sigh as I look down at Alfred. 'Iggy' was the nickname he had given me when we first met, although I'm not sure why since it has nothing in common with my real name, Arthur.
"How many times do I have to tell you that's not my real name!" I know saying that wasn't going to change anything though.
"Oh lighten up Iggy!" Alfred smiles up at me with blue eyes and I just roll mine at him as I sit down crossed legged on the ground. "So why were you late?" He asks me pulling a loaf of bread from a bag beside him and giving half to me. I hold up my game bag in reply.
"I got a little hunting in… It looks like you did to." I took a bite of bread after speaking. The white bread is still warm. Alfred must have traded whatever he caught this morning for it. Trading was a way of life in District 12. Alfred and I have become masters of sneaking out to the forest and trading what we gathered back at the hob; the black-market in the seam.
Alfred smiles brightly when he sees the bag and he makes a fist with his hand. "All right! Way to go Iggy!" He exclaims before tearing a large chunk of the warm, sweet smelling bread and wolfs it down hungrily. I put my finger to my lips.
"Calm down Alfred it's just a rabbit." Alfred can be so high strung sometimes and always loud and obnoxious, and there was a time we couldn't stand each other but I can't say I ever truly hated him. I know I can count on him when I'm in a pinch, especially after he had saved my life.
The first time I had ever gone into the forest I had been thirteen. I found hidden behind a clump of overgrown bushes a hole in the chain link fence that separated District twelve from the forest. The fence used to have electricity running through it twenty-four seven to keep the people from getting out to the forest but that wasn't true anymore. A few times a week the power was turned on, but only for a few hours at a time. When the power was on you could always hear the faint high pitch whine coming from the fence but that day it was silent; like most days anymore. Just to be sure though I snapped off a twig and tossed it against the fence. When no crack was heard, no flash of light was seen I was sure it was safe. Eagerly I slipped through the fence and into the woods. It was almost unreal how different it was from the seam in District twelve. I wandered deeper into the forest without realizing how far I was going; too distracted by all the sights and sounds.
The first thing that came to mind was:
"Why not live in the woods? It was peaceful, full of animals and plants I could gather. We wouldn't have to go hungry anymore like we sometimes did in the seam. I could bring my brother, Alaster and Devony, my mother. We could build a home, away from the poverty of District twelve. We could hide away and it wouldn't matter if going into the forest was illegal or not because nobody would even know we had left. The Peacekeepers in out district never enforced many of the rules anyways.
I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't realized I wandered so deep into the forest with the sun setting rapidly. I began to panic; I didn't have a clue of how far I had walked or how to get back. My best chance was to just the way I came so that's what I did. Before I even had a chance to turn around, the rustling of the undergrowth and the sound of growling from the trees ahead of me froze me in my tracks. In front of me was a large gray wolf stalking towards me out of the dense growth of trees and bushes