Third Person's POV
Finnick sighed in contentment as he lay back on the sand. His bronze hair lazily drifted in the breeze and he swatted at a fly that insisted on pestering him. The victor scratched his side for only a second and he grumbled when his scabs itched again. He began to scratch his side rapidly and he felt skin come off under his finger nails.
"Don't itch!" Katniss commanded and swatted his hand away. He looked at the dark haired female before shutting his eyes tightly again. He tried to start itching again only to be slapped across the face.
"I said stop itching!" She yelled at him and he winced slightly as he rubbed his cheek.
"Alright, Mother!" He teased as he sat up. He moved his jaw up and down, making sure it still worked properly. Finnick looked around, his sea green eyes scanning the surroundings.
He made Peeta's familiar form off in the distance. He had his feet in the ocean water and he was just sitting out in the sun. His pale blonde hair shone gold in the sunlight and Finnick sighed.
"He really misses her, doesn't he?" Finnick asked and he could see Katniss tense up.
"He's just worried about her..." She replied, her voice sounding distant. As distant as Peeta was at this moment.
Finnick's eyes darted between the two and he wondered about things. He wondered how they were all connected. Shade seemed friendly enough with the both of them.
He even wondered if Shade was still alive. He wouldn't mind seeing her face again. Only three canons had gone off in the last couple days, so things were going a bit slow but with the Gamemakers sitting at the controls, things would eventually pick up.
Finnick knew that Shay-Shay had to be on the southern part of the island because he had seen her run off in that direction. He also saw how she called to the Careers, making them chase after her. It was extremely brave of her to do that.
To take on four Careers. And to take care of that boy at the same time. He was exceptionally useless.
"You miss her too, don't you?" Katniss suddenly asked by my side. He squinted up at her, the sun blinding him.
"Well... yeah..."
"Why?"
"I don't know... Cause she's a breath of fresh air?" He tried, sounding innocent as he raised his voice a few octaves. Katniss only snorted before scratching at her arm.
"Don't itch!" Finnick mimicked Katniss in a ridiculously high pitched voice. It sounded completely unnatural but Katniss still laughed despite his ridiculousness.
"Don't think I saw that move you pulled in the pool..." She teased and Finnick only ran a hand through his hair.
"You mean me drowning...?"
"Yes. You drowning. A District 4 victor drowning in an artificial pool!" Katniss exclaimed and dumped a handful of sand on him. He only watched her do it before grumbling and wiping it off his abs.
"She enjoyed it thoroughly so I think it was fine..."
"And how do you know he enjoyed it?"
"She kissed me back!" Finnick protested and dodged a swipe from Katniss. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he moved away from her.
"Yeah. I'm sure she kissed you back. Maybe when pigs fly, Finnick..." The dark hair girl replied and Finnick frowned.
"Things just became difficult..."
"Why?"
"Because now I'm going to have to figure out how to make pigs fly..." Finnick replied as he laid back down in the sand, his hands behind his head.
She tilted up the canteen and watched as the last three water drops fell from the lip of the silver metal. They dripped down onto her tongue and her mouth ran dry like she had just swallowed cotton.
Water. Shade needed water. The sun had been beating down upon her the last couple of days and now she felt weakened by it. Due to the heat, she had long ago unzipped the wet suit and exposed her skin to the weather, which had turned slightly red from the sun.
She needed a sign, anything that could lead her to water. Her stomach also ached and she bent over and held her stomach. It had started cramping a couple hours ago because of the lack of food.
It had been days since the incident with the wolves happened. When the sky had grown dark, she had crawled up into a tree but she hadn't slept at all. She was too shaken from the wolves and now the fatigue was catching up to her. She could feel heavy black bags under her eyes and she rubbed them like a child.
"Haymitch..." She called out weakly. Her voice cracked from the lack of water and her throat felt as dry as a desert. She coughed and stumbled a bit as she limped along. Her hand grasped onto the bark of a tree and it dug into the soft skin of her palm. "Haymitch, please!" She croaked out and collapsed to the ground.
The sun was just so hot and she was so, so thirsty. Her head lolled to the side and Shade groaned one again.
Her nose wrinkled up and she refused to think his name. She refused to speak it. How she could even think about him at a time like this baffled her. He knew that she would eventually need water and he knew that Shade would be desperate.
She could almost see him now. Chilled canteen in hand, water sloshing from the lip of the opening at the top. He was smirking down at her, that shit faced grin tempting her to take the water that was offered. Bastard.
"God damn it, Haymitch..." She groaned and shut her eyes. Why wasn't her mentor trying to help her? Was it because he was only supporting Peeta and Katniss in the Games?
Or was it because she was near water? So near that she should be able to find it?
Shade suddenly heard a twig snap and her eyes weakly opened. Slowly moving her to rest on her hunting knife, she only saw a flash of white. Her eyes weakly followed the streak and then she couldn't help but feel drawn in by it.
Barely standing, she walked along the path on shaky legs to where the flash of white had disappeared to. Even in her state of dehydration, she was able to follow the trail the creature had left behind. The ferns before her were knocked down and a couple times, she could see fine white hairs hanging on the branches along the path. Stumbling along, she saw the white again. Turning and walking through the trees, she followed it.
She saw it again and followed. And again.
She finally stopped when she heard the trickling of water. The sweetest noise in the entire universe.
Following the noise, Shade about cried as the stream came into view. She stumbled forward into the deep water and she drank deeply after submerging her head in the cool liquid. The current of the water pushed passed her, causing her clothing to drift slightly. She laughed out loud and reached into her pack. Shade filled her canteen and relaxed inside the cool water.
Haymitch only shook his head and chuckled quietly before leaning back in his chair. Effie had been looking at him incredulously only moments before because he had been screaming at the TV. He just kept telling her to follow her intuition. Or she could just follow the wolf.
Her hair now stuck to her face as she climbed out of the water and sprawled out onto the lush green grass beside the water's edge. She felt so much better now. The blood from the District 7 Victor was washed away and her clothes were no longer stiff from the blood.
Her hands were now clean and her conscience felt better now that the evidence was gone.
This river was perfectly placed in the arena. She was in the shallows and the other bank was a good distance away, probably fifty yards. It was odd but it kind of reminded her of the river from last year. Where Katniss jumped in after the fire had occurred.
Just a coincidence...
An idea suddenly struck her as she saw a flash of silver race passed through the stream, nearly bumping into her toes. After gathering her new found strength, she hauled herself from the ground and walked over to one of the trees. Shade broke off a low hanging branch and tied her knife to the end with the string that she found on the inside of the hood of her jacket.
Looking like a complete idiot, she splashed around in the water with her homemade spear until she finally managed to catch two fish.
Arena: 1. Shade: 0.
The girl was sure she just lost half of her sponsors by playing around in the water. After she had brought the two small fish ashore, Shade found more sticks and managed to construct a proper pile of kindling for a fire. Now, for the fire part. Watch her catch half the arena on fire.
Pulling the flint from her pocket, she began to scrape the stones together until she was finally able to make a small flame. The fire consumed the small pile of dried twigs and she placed thicker wood atop that.
In a short time, Shay had the two fish cooked and ready to be eaten. As she sat munching on her latest meal, she thought about her goal for tomorrow. She really needed a bow so that she could get real food. Or, she could always stick with plan B and hunt some berries with her knife. Yippee.
As the blonde finished off her first fish and began eating the second one, something shifted in the trees and she immediately reached for the sword by her side. It moved in the underbrush and she watched it with curiosity.
The creature emerged from the trees and sat down on its rear, just watching her. It's stark white fur rustled in the gentle breeze. It made no move to come closer and the two just stared back at each other. Neither blinking.
The snow white wolf sat quietly and she suddenly shifted under his gaze. He didn't seem to be afraid of Shay but he didn't seem to trust her either.
Raising the fish up to her mouth, she watched as his eyes followed. She took a bite out of it before smiling and chewing. "Do you want this?" Shay asked and held the fish out. She watched as the wolf flared his nostrils while he smelled the meat before slowly standing and taking a few hesitant steps towards the human girl.
"It smells good, doesn't it?" She asked and smiled when he took a few more steps forward. He was probably only 15 steps away and the girl wanted to reach out and feel just how soft his fur was. The wolf grumbled quietly before lowering himself onto the ground. Looking between the fish in her hands and back to the wolf across from her, she sighed. He had saved her after all. But, how?
She'll never know.
Shade only had part of the fish left anyway and her was stomach was full, considering how much water she had drank. Sighing, she pulled the fish from the stick and held it in the palm of her hand. The wolf sniffed the air and inched forward on his stomach. Shade laughed quietly and beckoned him forward.
"Come on..." She prompted and waved the fish around. The wolf was only a few feet away now and he was stretching out his neck, trying to get the food without getting any closer to her. "I won't hurt you..." She told him quietly as he took that last couple steps closer and carefully plucked the fish from her outstretched hand. The wolf chomped on the food and while he was preoccupied, Shade reached a hand over.
She was about to stroke the top of his head when his ears flattened and he growled. Her hand immediately retracted and she leaned away from him. He went back to chewing on the fish when she was tempted again. He growled at her once more and she finally just dropped her hand. So, he didn't like being touched.
One last time...
She reached a hand out and quickly placed it on his head before he could react. The wolf stopped chewing for a few moments and only watched her hand stoke his fuzzy head. His fur was extremely soft against her palm, probably the finest of any animal she had ever felt. She continued to stroke his head for a few more moments before slowly withdrawing her hand.
She swallowed nervously and sat next to the wolf. Shade wondered if she had just made a terrible mistake and now she was going to pay for it. Closing her eyes, she waited for the wolf to snap at her but she was surprised when she felt a sticky tongue begin to mop over her face. The wolf suddenly jumped on her and pressed her down into the cool grass. It continued to assault her with his sloppy kisses and she laughed loudly and tried to desperately get the fuzzy beast off her.
"Alright! That's enough!" She cried out before pushing the animal off her. He stumbled back a few feet but his ears were perked up and his tail swished back and forth in happiness. Groaning, she whipped a hand over her face to rid it off the wolf saliva and grimaced. Yuck.
Glancing around, she realized that it had gotten dark when she wasn't paying attention. One moment it had been bright out and now it was just dark.
Shade had been looking forward to the night time and she watched as the stars slowly appeared from the darkness. The sun was just setting behind the horizon and the sky was turning a royal shade of blue. Twilight blue. Just like his...
Boom.
Both Shade and the wolf jumped as the sound echoed through the silent woods. She reached for her sword immediately and the wolf scrambled to his feet. His amber eyes drifted around them and his ears twitched. He was listening intently for anything approaching. Her heart beat picked up in her chest and she held her breath.
When she heard nothing approaching, she dumped her canteen out on the fire and she darted down to the water's edge for a moment. The water sloshed into the silver container and she looked around frantically, watching for anyone who was approaching.
Scrambling back up the rocky surface near the water's edge, she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulders. Looking back around, nothing moved in the trees and she relaxed slightly. For all she knew, the kill could have happened on the other side of the island.
She didn't see the wolf anywhere and she took that as a sign. He decided to ditch so maybe she should leave as well. Running off, she quietly made her way through the trees, hardly making a noise as she moved through the underbrush. Finding a suitable tree, she didn't waist time climbing up it and now she sat perched on the limb.
Pushing off of her current residence, she grasped onto a higher branch on the opposing tree across the way and hauled herself up. This was a safe enough distance from the ground. She would be safe enough.
She pulled her jacket out of her bag and brought it around her shoulders. Placing the woolen hat over her ears, she tucked her legs under the blanket and settled in for the night. But, she may have forgotten one small detail.
Shade screamed as she felt the ground fall away underneath her. Gravity took a hold of her and she began falling towards the ground. Reaching out to anything, her hand grasped onto a branch in the tree that she had been sleeping in. As she hung there momentarily, she watched as her blanket fluttered to the ground about thirty feet under her.
She had almost fallen out of the tree to her death. Yikes. What a good way to go: Death by tree.
She placed her other hand on the limb and pulled herself up once more. She could almost hear Haymitch screaming at her, telling her that she should have tied herself in before drifting off. Once seated again, she sighed and moped a hand over her face. Her stomach suddenly growled and she rubbed a lazy hand over it.
"Is it really so much to ask for you to send me a bow?" Shade asked up to the sky. He hadn't sent her water yesterday. He hadn't sent her any kind of food. Nothing. She really needed a bow because she would not splash around in the water again like yesterday. Unless it was absolutely necessary. Then she would make a fool out of herself once again if the need arose.
Deciding to descend the tree in search of food, she was a bit glad when her feet were back on the ground after the terror that had just ensued. Taking out her hunting knife, she made a mark on the tree that was her most recent home. Walking back towards the water's edge, she decided to follow the river, considering how it would eventually dump into ocean and lead her back towards the cornucopia.
But what was on the other side of the river? She stood at the water's edge and just looked across. Something had to be over there. And if this was technically two entirely different arenas, shouldn't there be two Cornucopias?
Pondering this, Shade immediately just turned around. That side of the river felt dangerous somehow. Ominous. She began walking away, leaving that eerie feeling behind her, along with the river.
Cato's head snapped to the side when he heard the scream. It had to be a girl. It was too high pitched to be anyone else. And it sounded close, maybe just across the river in the darker part of the wolves.
It was still in the early hours of the morning and the loud scream had pulled Cato from his dreamless sleep.
He sat up and listened again. The scream wasn't followed by any other noise. No cannon. No other screams. No nothing. His mind randomly flickered to the girl from Twelve. The scream was definitely from a girl and he seriously considered if it was her or not. How had she even gotten away from the wolves? Last he saw, she was being chased down by a pack of the beasts and there was no hope for her. However, he was surprised that her face hadn't turned up in the sky yet.
Cato wondered if someone had gotten a hold of her and she was injured but managed to somehow get away. Or if she was only startled by something.
"What was that?"
Cato's eyes suddenly flickered over to the thirteen year old boy had been sleeping quietly next to Clove. He had his small arms wrapped around her waist and she snuggled in closer to him. The tall Career's nose wrinkled up distaste.
Really Clove? Really? Snuggling up with a tribute from 12! From 12! It could have been any other person! Hell, she could have picked Marvel and Cato would have been okay. But no. This kid was scum. He had left his own district partner to be with someone who claimed to love him. Even Cato could see through Clove's bullshit.
Pssh. Love. There was no such thing as love. It was all bullshit. Not just Clove's. Everyone's.
Cato would have to talk to his district partner about it soon. In private. Away from the kid.
"Just another tribute. It will probably be dead before noon..." He replied and the kid seemed to be uneasy. Kaz swallowed thickly before risking a glance up at the older tribute.
"It sounded like a girl. Do you think it's Shay?"
"I don't know. Does it look like I'm psychic?" Cato snapped and the boy flinched.
"Go back to sleep!" Cato demanded and the boy complied. He shifted his grip on Clove who grumbled quietly before snuggling up against him further. All the while, Cato resisted the urge to barf.
After about an hour after heading northwest, Shade had found a bush with berries on it. They were simple gooseberries. Extremely sour and bitter. The taste was a bit unpleasant but she eventually got used to it. Her belly was somewhat full and she decided to sit up in a tree and sleep a bit. She was lucky that she had even found food.
Shade had been asleep for what seemed about two seconds when she heard the rustling of feathers. Turning her head in the direction of the noise, she yelped as a flock of colorful birds flew past her. She swatted wildly at them and almost lost her balance a few times. Then below her, animals raced past.
Deer, raccoon, even a couple of wolves. When she looked in the direction they were running from, her eyes widened.
Haymitch stood up from his spot on the soft chair and began to pace. Shade had climbed back up into a tree to take a midday rest after searching for food. "Now is not the time to sleep to sleep, sweetheart..." Her mentor said and threw back the rest of his drink.
Flames lapped at the trees in the distance and she watched as they came closer. Shade could already feel some of the heat and the morning chill was no longer in the air. She began to sweat with her hat on and she basically jumped from the tree. Flying through the air, the smaller branches below her whipped her in the face. She landed on the ground with a hard thud that sent vibrations up her shins that traveled up her spine. With a cry of pain, she collapsed to the ground. Laying there for a moment, she waited for the pain to cease before she sat up.
The flames were much closer to her than she expected and her hazel eyes widened. Pulling herself up from the ground, she hissed in pain before she began to limp away. Shade knew that she would have to hurry along, knowing that the flames would catch up quickly with the Gamemakers behind the wheel. The animals ran beside her for a moment before they pulled away and left her to her death. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she found that the flames were rapidly catching up and were only a few feet behind her.
A flaming tree suddenly fell to the ground in front of her. She slipped and fell on her rear in surprise, all the while crying out in fear. Scrambling up from the ground, she turned in the direction that she had just been running. She didn't know where she was going, she just ran.
Trees began falling around her and flames suddenly shot from a tree she was passing. She tried her best to dodge the flame but was unsuccessful as she felt it lap at her wet suit. An ear-shattering cry escaped her throat but it was lost in the roar of the flames growing ever closer. On instinct, she clutched her left shoulder but immediately pulled her hand away because of the searing pain. Not having time to inspect her wound, she tried her best to ignore it before running off once more.
Her shoulder burned and she gritted her teeth, swallowing the pain. Her eyes flashed to the surroundings again and she saw a flash of white. Knowing what it was, she followed it. Animals had a sort of intuition and if Shay followed him, it would be her best chance to get out alive.
Sprinting after him despite the dull pain in her skins, she clutched at her shoulder and stumbled over a few weeds that were in her path. She pumped her legs faster as she heard the crackle of the flames grow closer. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck and her hair felt dampened underneath her hat.
Haymitch flinched when Shay had to leap out of way of another falling tree. She continued to slip and slide around on the damp leaves and her mentor only rocked back on his heels. Her face was being broadcast all across Panem right now and everyone could see the extent of her wound. She got hit directly with a flamethrower and the burnt flesh was not a pretty sight.
Changing directions, she only ran around the tree before sprinting in the same direction. She was facing east so that meant she was getting closer to the river again. The flames roared around her and her heart beat even more rapidly, if possible.
Just as the heat of the flames became unbearable and she was sure she would be swallowed up, the ground suddenly disappeared below the girl and she was falling, another scream coming from her throat. Her heart stopped beating for a moment but it restarted when she spotted the blue pool of water beneath her. Her body sailed through the air and her legs plunged into the swift current. The cold water caused her lungs to tighten once more.
Resurfacing, she gasped for air and after a moment of being pulled down river, she found her baring. From the water, she watched as the flames lapped at the edge of the forest where she had jumped from and she swallowed nervously. That was too close.
Shade began paddling to the side, letting most of the current do the work. Upon reaching the shallows, her arm stung so much. She hissed in pain as she pulled herself ashore and when she opened her eyes, the wolf was sitting on the dry bank watching the girl struggle.
"Thanks..." she said quietly. Great, now my sponsors think I'm even crazier, talking to a damn wolf.
Climbing out of the water, she relaxed back on the shore for a moment. Her chest was still heaving from all the running and she was just plain exhausted. Her arm was still throbbing painfully and she knew it would hurt even more once the adrenalin began to wear off. Reaching up a shaking hand, she was scared to pull away the charred fabric. Shade slowly pulled it back to reveal a huge burn that ran from her elbow up to her collar-bone.
She bit her lip when she removed the wet suit, trying to conceal a scream. It appeared as though some of the fabric had melted to her skin. A few loud whimpers left her voice box and she sighed heavily when the coat was finally off, taking some skin with it. She laid back on her right side, leaving her bad shoulder facing the sky. Shutting her eyes, she just wanted the pain to go away. She rolled around slightly, cradling her elbow to her chest. Hissing sounds escaped through her lips as she willed the pain to leave when it just wouldn't.
Another miserable cry echoed off the trees. Her eyes and lungs stung from all the smoke. Her lungs still heaved from the running. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand, trying to get rid of the hazy layer of ash that seemed to be covering her hazel irises. Tears streamed down her face as her eyes tried to drain themselves of the foreign substance.
Lying there on the ground, Shade felt the adrenaline leave her and she simply stared up at the smoke cloud that billowed into the sky. Once her heart returned to a normal speed and her lungs could expand fully, she groaned as she sap up. Her body just ached from the beating that she had taken. Scratching the back of her head, she lifted her eyes from the ground and glanced back to the water's edge.
A single green lily pad drifted silently towards her on the water, a small package, it seemed, placed atop the floating plant. Shay watched as if floated further the shallows and she suddenly felt as though she was being watched.
Her eyes scanned the tree line until they locked with two pairs of dark brown ones. One of the figures that she could make out was huge while the other was extremely small and fragile. Both forms only lingered for a moment before Shade blinked they both were gone. Shade lost their dark mops of hair in the shadows of the trees and she watched for another moment, willing them to come back.
After a moment, curiosity got the best of her. Shade sniffed and whipped her nose to rid it of the snot before slowly making her way back down into the shallows, holding her wounded arm to her chest. She slowly waded into the waist deep water and managed to catch the lily pad as it slowly floated past. Her hands wrapped around the small leaf wrappings and she peeled the layers back.
Inside was a puddle of purple goop that smelled strangely like a mixture of flowers and herbs but lilac stood out to her the most. Her head snapped up to her surroundings again, making sure danger was still nowhere to be seen. Dipping her fingers into the purple substance, she looked from her shoulder to the paste.
Here goes nothing...
Shade shut her eyes as she applied the purple stuff, waiting for the pain to come. Oddly enough, none came at all. In fact, it felt better. A cooling sensation washed over her burns and she sighed in relief. The pain wasn't gone but the cream seemed to numb it and she smiled slightly.
"Thank you..." She said quietly as she smeared more cream onto her shoulder.
Haymitch laughed and rubbed a hand over his face. It seems that Chaff had spoken with his tributes. And they were on his side.
Well there you have it! I got atleast one review for the last chapter and I would like to thank Kurskin for the lovely review. I would also like to thank an unnamed girl who doesn't have an account. If you are reading this, thank you so very much for the inspiring email. And don't worry. I'm working on it ;)