A/N: So. Said I would update this eventually and never did. Sorry about that. Some background in this one. Decided to change it up a bit. This is so dedicated to Lord Docteus, who reminded me about this and I all of a sudden got a brilliant idea. Doctor, be thankful.
On a side note, her name is pronounce 'Fal-inn' not 'Fallen'. She is referred to as the fox because that is pretty much the whole point. Her name wasn't supposed to be mentioned until we knew for sure that she had been forgotten.
Foxface - District 5
No one knew who she was. Only some, the rare people she said the occasional words to in the town square, or her family, even knew her real name. To most of the District, she was nothing but a sneak, a shadow, a cold-blooded thief. But in reality, this fox was much more than District 5 ever expected.
They didn't know she had no parents. They didn't know that she had four younger siblings and no way of getting food to care for them. So it was never really a surprise to anyone when they watched as a head of bright-red hair slipped out of a small shop, her pockets bulging with stolen items. This was how she lived. Not that she minded it much.
Her little siblings... they were definitely a challenge. She was only fifteen, much to young to be carrying the weight of an entire household. She did it by stealing, stealing anything that was necessary and she never got caught. She stuck to the backs of the rich merchants and slid along walls within done-up stores, stuffing her worn-down clothing full of food before dashing out, a wealthy owner screaming at her back. By the time they had sense to call for help, the girl was already gone, dusty footprints the only sign that she had ever been there.
When it came time for the reaping, the square was silent as per usual. The slightest rustling of the bright green leaves on the oak trees, the too bright colours of the banners that hung from every shop, everything about this day annoyed the fox. The stupid silly escort, some bimbo by the name of Lili, stepped onto the stage and dipped her chubby hand into the reaping ball, pulling out only one slip of paper. When Lili read the name out, there was an air of confusion. No one, from the poorest street-goer to the richest merchant, knew who the name belonged to. It wasn't until an amber-eyed, scarlet-haired girl stepped onto the stage to take her place that everyone grinned. They wouldn't be sad to see this certain thief go.
Her siblings screamed and clung to her, refusing to let her go. They wouldn't be able to do anything. All the fox could do was hold them and tell them how to survive. It wouldn't do much good unless she came home. All of these children except Lucas, her oldest brother, were under ten years of age. They'd be as good as dead without her. And I guarantee, in their hearts, all five of them secretly knew it.
She refused to speak to anyone. The fox was herself the whole time. Her District partner was some blubbering idiot who tried to stick to her like glue, even though she repeatedly shrugged him off. Both mentors... they were even worse. Always so perfectly helpful and generous and sweet, telling her that everything would be alright. Well, they were goddamn idiots. Her chance of winning, her chance of returning home to keep her family alive, well, that chance wasn't there. Fools. They were all fools. And they were all blind to the world around them.
She was utterly alone and there was no question about it. These people couldn't get her out of that damned arena. She had to do it herself. Her mother had used to tell her as a young child that if you wanted something done, you had to do it yourself. Well, this sneaky vixen had a plan, and a good one indeed.
A Swift Fox is known for it's speed, and this is the very definition of the fiery-haired girl from 5. She practically flies around the arena, avoiding everything and everyone that comes across her path. While her head of hair seemed to stick out in her District, she manages to blend in perfectly with every type of foliage that surrounds her. She eats small blood-red berries off of bushes and the stunningly bright green leaves of laurel trees, and somehow she manages to get by. Nothing disturbs her and nothing comes to kill her. Nothing goes bump in the night, and at the slightest noise she is ready to flee. For a while, she seems utterly unbeatable.
But then comes a feast. A feast for the great, for the foxes and the beasts, a feast for the survivors. Because, as no one thought, this mysterious 5 girl has survived longer than she should have. The pair from 2, the pair from 12, the 11 boy, they're all that's left next to her. And it seems so simple, hiding in the cornucopia to grab her pack and split from the bloodbath grounds before anyone has a chance to blink. The 2 boy, the brute Cato only chases her for a while before he is bent over panting, hands on his knees, unable to keep up. A ridiculous giggle escapes from her throat and it echoes through the forest, setting the mockingjays up into the air at the eerie sound that shouldn't belong in their world. But then again, this girl never belonged here, did she?
Everyone in Panem knows her name. She was the girl who came from nothing to everything in front of the audience and their rainbow coloured eyes in the Capitol. The fox was unexpected, surprising, sneaky, and that was just what the audience wanted. Her District cheered for the thief they had hated. But all good things, all fifteen minutes of fame, must come to an end eventually. She had been told this before, been told those exact words many times by her parents. But she failed to remember them when her mind was consumed with victory.
Even in her own mind, the fox thought she could actually win. Stealing food from those dear 12 lovers seemed like just another ploy to further her beautiful game. But the fox had fallen for a trick, one that her enemies didn't even know existed. She was poisoned. Poisoned so that she fell writhing onto the ground, her body twitching and her throat burning, the juice from the perfectly round berry encasing her faltering heart with venom. And just like that, in seconds, the game was done for the vixen and she was taken back to her District, just not in the way she wanted.
They remembered her name for a while. None of the tributes knew her name, she didn't want them to. But the audience gradually forget her, and the name of the District 5 girl didn't seem important. Her name fell to a memory to the place where she had once lived, and then died altogether when the last of her siblings did. The thief was gone. And she was certainly not remembered.
Her name was Fallon.
Fallon Valeksa.
She was the lithe, crimson red fox.
And she had lost her identity.
