Don't own Hunger Games.
Alto POV
Sunlight fills the room and I can smell just a hint of pines. I groggily open my eyes to it. I had forgotten to close the window, so the curtains were blow open. I lift my pillow above my head and cover it to block out the light while groaning. Katniss is still out next to me, having done the same thing I've done.
'I'm awake. So I might as well get up.' I think after a few minutes of laying there.
I slowly spin myself around and clime out of bed. I take a moment to stretch and pop my back and knees in place before making my way down to the kitchen. As I open the door, the aroma of what I thing is meat, maybe eggs, and cheese hit me.
'Is that what I think it is?' I quicken my pace a little.
When I reach the bottom floor, I'm thrown to the ground to my back when something slams into me. I look down to see Prim sitting on my chest.
"Good morning Alto." She says while waving her hand.
"Is all this necessary?" I ask with a smile, propping myself on my elbows.
"Yes. Yes it is." She replies with a grin.
"Prim. What did I tell you about tackling Alto?" Her mom calls in the kitchen.
"That I shouldn't do it." She replies with a small aggravated tone as gets off me.
She helps me up and leads me to the kitchen where her mom's set up breakfast. She's made quiet I substantial amount. Eggs, pork strips, pancakes, as Keth calls them, chorizo, and my favorite, migitas, eggs with torn tortillas with melted cheese all over it with a tall glass of either orange juice or milk.
It's a normal thing for her. Since I'm always here in the morning, she makes everyone breakfast.
"How did you know?" I ask as I stare intensely at the migitas. This is the first time she's made this.
"I just remember hearing about it some where. I just decided to make it now." She replies with a small grin. "Go ahead."
I take half of the migitas on my plate alone and ignore everything else. I take a piece with my fork and put it in my mouth.
"Ohhhh, it's been too long since I've had these." I say, now in complete bliss.
"Don't hog it all." Katniss says from behind me.
"If you woke up earlier I wouldn't be hogging it."
"If you weren't so fat, you wouldn't hog it in the first place."
"Fat? Where do you see fat on this?" I jester to myself.
"You're hopeless." She says in a mock voice while rolling her eyes. I simply chuckle.
Everyone else starts eating after our mock fight. Maybe an half an hour into the meal I stop eating. I don't want to be a pig, so they'll probably have leftovers. I bid them a good bye and make my way to my house. There I change into some jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt before heading out.
I don't hunt today, so I have nothing to do right now. Keth doesn't come until tomorrow. Hmm. Maybe I'll just hang around at the shelter. I do that almost all the time. It gets boring after awhile, but I've been just about everywhere.
No. I'm going to the wilderness today. I'll just wander around out there, get to some areas I haven't been to.
I walk to the shelter at a brisk pace. I always get out to the forest that way. The building's right next to the wall that encloses us. We basically dug a hole the size of a car through it, so we aren't seen when we bring in game.
When I make it inside, most of the beds are empty. The only ones that are occupied have the old and young. I walk over to a locker on the far side of the building that holds all of our hunting equipment. I take my tomahawk and knife, as a means of defense if something attacks me, and a bag, incase I find something worth keeping or find food I don't have to kill. I take one step to the left and walk to the opening in the wall, which of course has a 12 ft steel door blocking it. I open one of the double doors, walk out, and close the door behind me.
So I'll go to the place where we killed the deer last night and start exploring from there. I haven't been farther out then that.
I walk out for awhile, about mid day, keeping track of where I go by slashing an X on trees I pass. I do sit down for a short time, eating some barriers, before I continue. The newer areas I've been to look much like the area's I hunt in; forest with rivers, creeks, and some plains. There is newer scenery, like a white capped mountain range that I see at the top of this waterfall I found. From there, I decide that I need to go back because the only way to explore more is to jump off this and hope I live.
When I'm at what I think is the halfway point, some light reflects off something and hits my eyes. I don't know what it is, so I turn right to investigate. After a few minutes of searching the ground, I trip over a tree root.
"Crap!"
I fall into some bushes that have thorns on them because there's some pain like something scratched me, mostly on my face. That and my cloths are getting caught in them.
"Damn it." I roll, uprooting the bush and my feet hit something wet.
At first I think it's a small creek, still looking at my feet. I look up to find a small lake situated between the forest, which occupies the left shore, boulders on the shore opposite of me, and a grassy plain that looks miles across on the right shore. Plant's surround the entire lake as well as nests of some kind of bird, and the smell of blossoms fill the air.
"Hmm." I look up at the sun that's still high above the sky.
"It's been warm lately, so why not?" I say as I pull of my shoes.
I didn't dress to go swimming, but does that matter to me? I take my cloths off, leaving my boxers on. I fold everything neatly and lay them next to the shore along with my weapons and bag. I start walking into the water.
It's a good change. The water's cool compared to the recently hot days we've been having. The muddy lakebed underneath my feet feels great, and there's a nice breeze picking up now.
The lake's deep enough in the center that I have to swim, but I can walk most of it. I dive under to see how deep it really is. It's only about ten feet, maybe a little deeper.
I swim backwards, do underwater spins, throw punches and kicks for the fun of it, and just lie on my back on the water. I almost fall asleep at one point, nearly drowning myself in the process.
I don't know how long I've been here for, but I make my way out of the water. I'll have to dry off, so I start wandering around the lake. I raid a few nests, and am able to get three waterfowls before I decide to lie in the grass for half an hour.
"Now I just need to remember where this place is." I say. After a few minutes of listening to the wind, I hear shoes on rock. I look up to find Katniss giving me a stern look.
"What are you doing here?" She asks with an angry voice.
"I was swimming. I don't see how that's something to get angry over." I say, question evident in my voice.
"How did you find this lake?"
"I was out exploring and stumbled on it. Literally." I motion to the uprooted bush I rolled through.
She sighs, and her face softens a bit. "Yeah, that's nothing to get angry about."
"What, is this your lake?"
"Actually, it is." She says in a matter of fact tone while placing her hands on her hips..
"Where's your name written on this?"
She points to a pair of Katniss plants at the rim of the water.
"Oh." My face takes mock anger and she smirks at me.
"Don't worry; you have my permeation to swim in this lake. Only you have to do something for me."
"And what might that be?"
"Don't tell anyone else about this place."
I raise an eyebrow. "Why?"
"This lake is special to me. I've known about this lake for years. My father showed me this place when I was young."
"Oh." I say while shaking my head in realization. "I see. I see. Don't worry Katniss; I won't tell anyone."
"Thanks." She says.
"No problem."
There's a noise, both Katniss and I can hear it. We don't know what it is at first, but as it gets closer, we start to hear a deep hum, as well as the familiar mockingjay's warning call.
"Hovercraft! Hold your breath!" I say as I grab hold of her and pull her into the water.
And just in time, the hovercraft appears above us. It seems to linger around the area for a short time above the water, doing a 360 to check the area. After a minute or so, (Katniss and I can hold our breaths for awhile.) it takes to the west.
Katniss breaks the surface first, inhaling air and dragging herself out of the water.
"Warn me quicker next time." She says in deep breaths.
"I will next time, but I think we should head back. Don't want another sneaking up on us." I tell her, looking to the sky for another to appear out of nowhere.
"Give me a minute." She says.
While she gets her breathing even, I dry myself with my shirt before throwing my cloths back on, including my now wet shirt.
"I was planning on swimming today, but that hovercraft ruined it." She says while trying to squeeze excess water out of her cloths still on her body.
"Maybe you can swim tomorrow." I say.
"Maybe. But I don't want you following me. God knows what you would do."
What I would-Damn it Katniss!" I say with a light red hue on my face. "I'm not like that! The hell's wrong with you thinking like that!?"
"Call it even for what you pulled last week." She says with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah." I wave my hand over my shoulder.
I hate it when she pulls that.
But then again, I do the same thing.
It takes us till sundown to get back to twelve. I tell Katniss that I have to drop off the food I got at the shelter. Before I'm able to take off, she grabs my arm.
"Remember; don't say anything about the lake." She says while shaking me slightly.
"I'll remember." I plant a quick kiss on her head. "I'll see you later.
Katniss gives me a death glare, but she decides to play along with it, because she gives me a kiss on my cheek. She does whisper something to me though.
"I'll get you later." She's still trying to kill me with her eyes.
I smirk and give a small chuckle as I take off towards the shelter.
Wish everyday was like this. Heh heh.