District Seven

Doctors are sparse in District Seven, and expectant mothers often search for their local midwife for births. Short, old and wise beyond belief, these women are the backbone of the communities, often lingering in the apothecaries of Seven with handfuls of herbs and a tale to tell to anyone who will listen. But when they find out that their services are needed, they'll grab a few supplies and hurry over to the woman in need. Then, with steady coaching and a few prayers to whoever is listening, they'll help deliver the child to the elated parents. It may take hours, even days if the woman is unlucky, but if you have one of the most renowned midwives with you during your birth, you will not lose your child. It's a fact well known in Seven that they're better than any doctor from the Capitol - or so they believe - and even with persistence from the Capitol to implement more hospitals in Seven, only a few mothers end up going to them to have their children.

Children in Seven are raised solely at home for the first few years of their lives, the parents switching between caring for their child and going out to work in the forests. After all, each family has a certain quota to fulfill each month in labour, and even children can't serve as an excuse for taking too many days off - so the grandparents often take care of the children in the first few years, living with their children and taking care of the parental responsibilities when the mother and father have to head off to work - whether it be in the forest or in the butchery.

Children in Seven always are curious about the forest - and why shouldn't they be? Every little town in Seven is surrounded with bright, curious trees that draw in children and would lose a few if it wasn't for the fences that keep the children from getting lost in the woods around every town. The fences are said to be more than just for the children - peacekeepers often electrify them to make sure that upstart rebels don't sneak out of the towns - but the official excuse is that it is to keep children from getting lost in the woods, and the excuse is accepted. However, every fence allows a certain amount of forest to remain in the town limits, and the children thrive in their play space. There they learn to climb, to play, some learn how to use an axe if their parents are careful enough to hide it from the peacekeepers, and every child knows the name of their little wood - a name adopted by the children of long ago when the fences were new.

Schools in Seven don't only teach the history of Panem and other basic skills - many allow physical education to include using axes. Forestry work is a large part of Seven and it's only right that the children learn how to use axes in school - even if only who avoid the eyes of their teachers can learn how to throw them.

They also learn how to respect the forest, the teachers showing the children the different flora of the woods and how it can be used for good. It feeds into Seven's respect for the woods - some show their respect by turning the forest into a benevolent goddess of life, while others simply breathe in the fresh air and thank the wind for another good day, but they all thank the forest in a different way. After all, they owe all to the forest, which without, there would be no life for them.
A ritual of every ten-year-old in the district is heading out of the fence for the first time with their parents to see the lumberjacks work in the districts - and they crave their first chance to be outside of the boundaries. Peacekeepers relax their patrols of the woods when they see the younger children out in the woods, often giving them sweets or other little goodies to spice the day up. When the elder citizens of Seven are asked their favourite day by their children, they often recall in satisfaction that their tenth birthday was one of the best they've had.

Fond memories abound from the markets of Seven, where children were allowed to run wild while their parents shopped for goods from local vendors. For many, it would be the first time that they would see one of the Tonni. Tonni are the wanderers of Seven, carefully traversing the well-worn paths with their trusty horses and caravans, all while singing songs of joy along the way. They stop in places to sell their goods - bracelets designed from the things of the forests and other little trinkets that those with allowances loved to show off to others at school. The Capitol never attempted to tame them, as the Tonni had been helpful during the Dark Days and had helped pinpoint several rebel bases in Seven, so they were allowed to continue wandering the forests of Seven - under one condition. If a normal citizen of Seven married a Tonni, that Tonni would be forced to settle down in that town and never would be allowed to return to their old ways once more. It's a law that's always separated the two groups, and only the greatest of lovers have decided to sacrifice their ways of living to settle down in Seven.

Every child dreams of visiting the Tonni, and a few have gone down in local legend for having done so. Lark Evans, a boy rumoured to be from around the first decade of the Games, had risked death by climbing a tree that stretched over the fence of his little town. He soon clambered into the forest and followed the path until he heard Tonni music, and entered the Tonni camp to join the illustrious travellers. Peacekeepers vehemently deny the legend and warn children of the risks of getting lost in the woods whenever they are asked about it, but lately, there's been a few blonde Tonni entering the towns - Lark's hair colour. Perhaps it's all just a myth and Lark is just an embodiment of the spirit of Seven, but the elders still believe - and children still whistle his song, a lilting song that sounds like the birds, whenever they play in the woods.

Reapings are always hard on Seven. With a smaller population so spread out, all must travel great distances to the main city of Seven, where they wait for the day to see who will be chosen for the Games. When a child is finally chosen, the district stops playing their music, all except the Tonni. The Tonni sing a long, slow song that they call 'Mourning', watching the reapings unfold and the Games begin. The Tonni stay in town until the Games are over. It's the longest one will ever see them at a time.

But when a victor returns to Seven, the district rejoices. To commemorate the event, the best carpenters from all corners of Seven carve a statue of the victor, proudly presenting it to them when they step off of the train and into the district. There are only seven victors in Seven, but all keep their statue with pride. It's from their district, and children in Seven know that if anything, they owe all to the district.

Well, this story came back from the dead XD Let's see if I can't finish it before the end of 2018! Till District Eight, TheAmazingJAJ