Life As We Knew It: Before the Games

by ellisss3377

Ever wondered what life for the Hunger Games characters was before the 74th games? Here you'll see Katniss's, Gale's, Peeta's, and maybe Madge's life before that games. (P.S. I'm sticking to the story. No pre-Katniss/Gale, Katniss/Peeta or Gale/Madge stuff.)

2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger games. (I fast-forwarded by a few months in which Katniss is friends with Gale, since it would get boring if I didn't)

Katniss POV

It's Saturday. Special hunting day. Today, Gale and I will hunt from sunrise to sunset. We will share our spoils, and go to the Hob and see what's new. But mostly, I'm exited to see what I'll learn from Gale today. Since last month, we've been swapping skills with each other, since it's impossible to hunt without running into each other or almost killing the same animal. So, I've been teaching Gale how to hunt with a bow, and he's been teaching me how to make snares and how to fish. I'm thinking of giving him one of my precious bows today. If he passes the test.

...

"Hey Catnip." he says so suddenly I jump up from the rock I was sitting on with my bow up, posed ready to shoot.

"Don't do that!" I shout, lowering my guard.

"What? Practice walking silently so that I don't end up sounding like you and scaring my prey away?" he asks indifferently. I blush scarlet.

"I do not walk that loud!" I protest.

"Sure you don't. Do you want to practice fishing today?" he asks me.

"No. First, I want to show you a place." he raises his eyebrows to this. What for? his eyes ask me. Just because my eyes reply. I lead him to the strawberry patch and ask: "What should we do about this?"

"Umm..." his eyebrows furrow as his brain searches for the answer. "To keep the strawberries right where we want them to, we will require a net. Maybe one of my fishing nets, but they will be too heavy. We need to weave one out of the snare material. It'll be costly, but it'll be worth it." he finally answers. He passed the test.

I beam. "Okay. Now, I have to take you somewhere else." I lead him to the old oak which holds Gale's new bow. As I pull out the bow, I say:"Happy birthday".

"How'd you guess?" he asks me. Then his eyes widen when he sees his present. "You're giving me a bow? No way!"

"Yes way. I decided I trust you enough to give over one of my father's bows. And I really didn't know that today was your birthday. Huh." I babble. Gale isn't paying attention. His eyes are focused on the bow. When I hand it to him, he cradles it.

I made the right decision.