Author's Note:
No reviews today except for a rather enraged friend scolding me for not putting in romance. Meh.
But, REDEMPTION! I have installed, rather cleverly I may add, some romance! Well, it's too early for full-fledged romance, but I've planted the romance seed and you will see more of it in other chapters.
Read. Now.
I wake up to the sound of growls and tearing fabrics.
I dismiss this as a dream, but then something lands on my chest- hard. I knocks the breath out of me and my eyelids flutter open. At first, I could not comprehend what I was seeing. There were huge shiny eyes without the whites, making it look cold and menacing. It all around the eyes were masses of stark white fur. Underneath the fur were sharp, pointy fangs. And they were bloodstained. It reeked of death.
I blink my eyes of the drowsiness. My sleeping bag is ripped. The object standing on me was a wolf. A big one. I scream and it's growl drops an octave lower; a sign of aggression. The fact that it is looking at my throat doesn't help either.
Impulsively, my hand leaves my side and grabs at the ground. It brushes against a stick from the fire. I grab it and stick it in the wolf's maw, just as it lunges forward to end my life. Spittle rains over me as the mutt furiously tries to dislodge the charred stick from its mouth. I scamper out from under the wolf. Confusion and disorientation clouds my thoughts. My blood is humming with adrenaline but my mind can't register anything around me quickly. My eyes are still trained on the raging wolf as I back away, only to trip over my packed bag. The bag tips over and opens, spilling a couple of knives. I scoop them from the ground, slip it on my belt and run. Heavy footballs follow me. I know I'll never outrun the animal, but I've got to try and climb a tree.
My brain finally jumps into action and I scan the treelines for an easy climb. There's one old tree with a lot of branches and foot holds to the left. I launch myself on it and perch on the shortest branch. I take the time to balance myself and throw a knife to the wolf and slow it down. It gets the wolf by its ear. I can see blood welling up from the newly-made nick. But it didn't slow it down and I lost a knife. I growl in frustration and start climbing. I climb out of the wolf's reach. It didn't work. It leaped into the tree and climbed as though it was human. I was too stunned to move at first, giving the wolf an opporunity to claw at my face. I dodged the paw but it hit my shoulder. The claws latch at my skin and I yelp in pain. I load my left hand with a knife and drive it into the its shoulder, hoping to make it fall and damage its abilty to climb. It falls but gets back up on its feet.
I have no choice but to outclimb the wolf. It's not easy and with every feet I ascend, my sense of vertigo gets even more frightning. I finally get to a branch that's too thin for me to balance carefully. I wobble for a bit and the branch cracks under my weight. This all happened so fast, I couldn't even move. I drop like a weight, spinning myself midair and grabbing at the tree bark for a branch. I knock the wolf down too. I realize I'm still holding the knife. I grab another from my belt and drive the blades through the bark. I come to a gradual halt, just feet away from becoming a pancake. The wolf, however, is a lying on the ground in an awkward angle. Ouch. He's a pancake.
I lean back against the tree and stare up at the sky while panting like a dog. The last bit of fog clears out of my head and remember the absurity of it all. Where is everyone else? I lower my gaze and sweep it across the clearing. No one was there except for three similar wolves lying on the ground. They were dead, unconcious, or really good actors.
"Hey Rooba! Over here!"
I look up to the voice and see my friends up in the trees. Mercury has an arrow notched to a bow. Everyone else is holding some sort of weapon, glinting with blood. As soon as I saw them, my stomach drops with relief. I run to the bottom of their tree, waving my hands. My head was pounding.
"Hey! We're still alive!" I call.
I hear Horus give a small tired chuckle. Everyone starts to drop down into the earth. They look haggard and shocked, as if they just woke up, which, actually, is probably what they were doing did five minutes ago.
Zee is clutching a big dagger. She stares at it critically, like it did something wrong. Then she looks up almost nervously at Mercury and says, "What just happened?"
Mercury shruggs like it was nothing, but he was still jittery like it shook him up real bad. "Lycanthropes. Some genetically-enhanced wolves engineered by the Capitol." He walks to the nearest wolf and nudges its head with his boot. "The thing is, Captiol likes to 'update' experiments so they're better. Stronger. Faster. So outdated experiments, even though they're still formidable, get thrown out into the wild. They thrive, same as the mockingjays. They prey on normal animals, but they still have a taste for humans." He walks to another wolf and knelt next to it, only to jump back and notch an arrow to his bow. He lets it fly and sticks on the wolf's neck. "Sorry. That one was still alive. They're very good actors, you know."
The wolf dies with a high-pitched whine. I feel like vomitting on Horus's shoes, except he's holding a sword. Come to think of it, my head also feels like its going to barf my brains out. I have a splintering headache.
"If these things keep popping up," Zee starts. "We're dead."
"They might. Now, their claws has a bit of toxin inside of them. Anyone who gets swiped with them will get a bit of a snooze."
What? Everyone has got claw scratches. I look on my left arm for the gash that wolf caused me. The blood had already dried but I am feeling dizzy.
"Oh, crud." Zee was holding her leg that has a deep cut that was still dripping with blood.
Suddenly, my brain spasms or something, because I had to lean back to the tree behind me for support. Zee didn't find a tree fast enough so she's on her knees. My breath is coming out in short gasps. I look around at everyone else but only Zee and I seem to be experiencing... ah, dificulties. Mercury kneels beside Zee just as she retches her guts out.
"And this is what happens when you get clawed by a lycanthrope," he says in a matter-of-fact tone. "You won't die, though."
My grip loosens on the branch and I slump to the forest floor. "That wasn't a fair... warning."
I wake up propped up on the same tree. My headache is mostly gone but my mouth tastes like sandpaper. I'm thristy.
Licking my lips to keep it from drying, I open my eyes that seems glued shut. In front of me was a small fire with a spit on top of it, with some kind of unidentified meat roasting on it. Horus and Marlin was sitting besided it, each munching on already roasted meat. Next to me, Mercury was binding Zee's leg. She's still out.
"Mmm... this is good," Horus mumbles into his bite.
"Yeah," Marlin replies. "Better than that slop they serve at home, anyway."
Horus looks at me. "Hey! Lookie who's awake!" He grabs the spit over the fire and waves it in my face. "Have some of this. You know you want to." He grins maniacally.
I have to admit, it smells heavenly. I take the offering. "What is it?"
"Lycanthrope," Marlin mumbles.
"No, really," I say, not believing.
"Yeah, those things we killed," Marlin says.
"The best meat in the whole god-forsaken world, ol' buddy!" He grabs Marlin's shoulder and they start singing some drunk song. They seem to have bonded while I was out.
"Oh, better far to live and die
Under the brave black flag I fly,
Than play a sanctimonious part,
With a pirate head and a pirate heart.
Away to the cheating world go you,
Where pirates all are well-to-do;
But I'll be true to the song I sing,
And live and die a Pirate King!"
They end the song with a hearty laugh. When thy come to a giggling stop, I ask them, "Where'd you learn that song?"
"Ah, some old dude in Juvenile Detention taught me a few years ago," Horus says.
I remember Coin pulling out a file that says that Horus was in trouble. It seems like a year ago. "Yeah, someone told me about that. Why were you there?"
Horus seems to realize his mistake. He pauses. Marlin gets interested.
"Oh come on," I say. "It's not like I'm going to turn you in."
Horus is still reluctant, but sighs and opens up. "Fine. I'm a criminal." He threw his hands up. "There."
This, of course, sets Marlin off. "What? What did you do? Were you a desperado? How much did you steal? Were you a pirate?"
I clamp my hand over Marlin's mouth. Horus looks thoughtfully at his piece of meat and sets it down. "Nah, Rooba. It's okay. It's true though. I steal a lot. Weapons, food, supplies, clothes, even toilet paper. I've been to Juvenile's several times already. In fact, yesterday was my twenty-somethingth. I've been to therapy too. The guys there said I'm either a klepto, or easily bored. I don't know. Just, when I see something worth of the slightest value, I pocket it." He runs a hand through his hair as if deep in thought. "Yeah. Am I weird or what?"
"Yeah. You're really wierd," Mercury pipes in without looking up from his work. "But that's why I chose you." He finally looks up from Zee and smiles at Horus. "Chin up, buddy. Your sleight-of-hand skills will be useful in New Brooklyn."
Horus shrugs but picks up the his meat again. I remember my own meal and bite into it. Even though it's already cold, the meat is wonderfully smoky. Its delicious. Way better than the stuff they serve in District 13.
Suddenly, Zee wakes up, sitting up so fast, her head almost smacked into Mercury. "Wolves!"
I hand her a piece of meat, just as Marlin and Horus begins another round of the song.
Minutes later, we're back on the road. Surrprisingly, my shoulder wound is already taken care of and there's barely any pain. Zee doesn't even walk with a limp. Marlin is playing another game of 'I Spy' with an exaperated Horus.
But I can tell that something's up with Zee. She won't meet my eyes and was deliberately watching the ground. She hasn't talked for about five minutes, which should be a record.
"Hey," I say, trying to make conversation, because the silence is smothering.
"Hey?" she replies.
"What's up?" I say lamely.
"Not much. Just walking. You?"
I laugh. The sarcasm is still there. "Same. It's nice to see that Horus and Marlin's getting along just fine," I say, gesturing at the two. "At leasy we won't have to play 'I Spy' a lot."
Zee snorts and falls silent again. After a few steps she says, "You were talking to Mercury the other night." It's a statement, but I know that she's asking for me to elaborate.
"Yeah. He was telling me about New Brooklyn and our mission. He knew I was slightly mad that I'm not filled in about everything, the luck we've been having throughout this mission. Basically a really long history lesson."
"Ah. Mercury didn't tell us anything more," she says in a quiet voice. She raises her tone a bit, but enough so that no one can hear us. "Is there's something going on between you two that I should know?"
I look at her, probably with surprise written all over my face. "No! Don't be silly. I just met him and the first time, he dragged me into a closet." I guess that that came out wrong because Zee's eyes widened. "Not in that way! He interrogated me there, dressed as a fat ninja!"
Zee shrugs but faces forwards again. "Well. Then why did he talk to you in the fence? Why did he talk to you at night? I thought that something must be up."
"What?" I say, my voice rising. "What do you mean?"
"I mean stay away from him!" she whisper-screams.
Horus looks at us, confused. I put on a smile and shake my head. Fortunately, Marlin gets his attention again with 'I spy something fat, green and poops a lot.'
I turn down my voice. "What?" I repeat.
"I said stay away." She looks like she wanted to slap herself.
Either that meat was doing weird stuff to my brain, or I'm slow. The answer comes to me in sluggishly. "You like him don't you?"
If looks could kill. But Zee isn't one to lie. "Mm-hmm." A thick blush crawls to her cheeks.
I can't comprehend Zee pining over some boy. "You mean, like-like or just like?"
"Like, like-like."
I stare at Mercury walking alone in the front, looking at the trees as if they hold some sort of landmark. They probably do. Mercury, like all boys is oblivious. So that's the reason why Zee was so quick to agree to go away to New Brooklyn.
" You should talk to him, you know."
"Me? Nah, he looks interested in you. I'm just ordinary. He never looks at me," she says.
"You're calling me pretty?" I laugh. "With all these freckles? I'm not in love anyway. If he did like me, I'd turn him down." If possible, she blushes even more.
We finally walk in comfortable silence. Problem solved. I tune into Marlin and Horus's conversation, leaving Zee to her thoughts.
"I spy something red and small," Marlin sings.
"Those berries in that bush. My turn. I spy something black," Horus mumbles.
"That bug?"
"No."
"Our shoes?"
"No."
"That thing in the sky?"
"Huh?"
We all look up. It's true. It's a winged shape that looks like a bird, only it's too far away and too big.
"What is that?" I ask.
Mercury answers. "It's a plane!"
Author's Note:
I googled that pirate song. I planned this chapter to be longer, but it would be way too long. I put in a cliffhanger, if you didn't see. Is the plane good? Is it bad? Is it actually Santa Clause's sleigh? You'd be surprised at the answer. Jokes!
Now, for the love of friggin humanity, REVIEW!
