Prim's P.O.V
As the metal plate lifted I got my first look at the arena. The first thing I noticed was the Cornucopia in the center. It was filled with anything and everything a tribute would ever want. My eyes scanned over food, weapons, and supplies that could prove to be pivotal for survival. My eyes fell on a bow inside the Cornucopia. My mind immediately flashed to Katniss. She would try desperately to grab that. That bow would mean her guaranteed survival. I quickly surveyed the rest of the arena. There was a large lake close to us. That would be a prime spot where a lot of the stronger players would be. Around the lake was a forest and on the opposite side of the arena was a large field of what looked like wheat.
I decided immediately I would head as far into the forest as I could. Peeta was standing on my right. I looked at him quickly, nodding in the direction of the forest. Before he could respond the gong rang and the red headed girl immediately sprinted to the Cornucopia. I didn't stay around to see what happened to her. In that same second Peeta and I sprinted toward the forest.
I heard someone behind us and turned to see who it was. If I got killed this early in the games…I didn't allow myself to finish that sentence. I was relieved to see it was Rue. We slowed down just slightly so she could catch up. When she was beside us we started sprinting as fast as our legs could carry us. The three of us ran through the forest like our life depended on it, which it did.
"Don't stop until…you see water," Peeta huffed. The three of us weren't that winded. We were accustomed to running and physical work, the other two more than me, but still. We ran blindly through the forest, scanning the undergrowth for water. Finally, when my lungs felt like they were going to burst open, we found a stream. On the other side of the river was a large pile of boulders. The banks of the stream were all rocky. The river was in the sun. This was a great place to set up a camp for the night. Once we had caught our breath and filled ourselves with the cool water from the river we talked strategy.
"I think we should stay in the trees tonight. We can take turns on watch," Rue offered.
"Or we could stay in the boulders. We could probably find somewhere where we can be kept concealed," Peeta said.
"I think it would be safer in the trees. We would be able to hear and see any enemies coming," said Rue.
"But it would be easier for them to see us and there's always the problem of falling out of the tree," Peeta said.
"Well I think we should stay in the trees," I said. Peeta looked at me.
"Fine," he said. We traveled together looking for a tree we could use for the night. Rue and I quickly realized that "Peeta" and "walks quietly through the woods" are not two things that fit together nicely.
"Peeta, is it possible for you to walk quieter?" Rue whispered. We didn't know if there were any threats around.
"Sorry," he muttered. Immediately we could tell he was making an effort to be quieter, but it wasn't working. After five more minutes of racket Rue stopped.
"Peeta, see that bird up there?" Rue asked. Peeta and I looked up and saw a mocking jay sitting in the tree.
"Yeah," he answered.
"You know what it is?" Rue asked him.
"A mocking jay of course," he answered. Rue whistled a simple four note tune.
"Peeta, stay here," she said. Peeta made a move to refuse but Rue quickly stopped him because the mocking jay had started singing out the tune Rue just whistled. "When you hear that, it means we're alright. Okay?" she asked. He nodded sheepishly.
"I'll stay, but it doesn't mean I want to. If there's any trouble…" he let his words trail off. Rue and I exchanged a look.
"If we find somewhere you'll hear this." Rue whistled another four note tune that was distinctly different. "We'll come back and show you what we found." We wordlessly split up. I was feeling unsure about separating ourselves (power in numbers, right?), but I decided not to voice my opinion.
For the next twenty minutes Rue and I moved silently through the woods, breaking the silence only to whistle that tune. Finally we found the perfect tree. It was tall and leafy enough so that we would be hidden. There were forks in the tree where the three of us would be able to sleep. Rue quickly climbed the tree. I was amazed at the speed she moved at.
"Perfect," Rue said. She whistled the other four note tune a few times and we marked the tree with a small pile of rocks that would be totally unnoticeable unless you were looking for them. We left a few more similar piles on our way back to the meeting place so we could find our way back. When we arrived there Peeta was nowhere to be seen. I bit my tongue, not wanting to voice my concerns. My heart picked up pace and my mind started going through everything that could have happened to him. A few minutes later he showed up carrying some berries in his shirt.
"I found a huge bush of these so I decided to bring some back. I'm not sure if they're edible, though."
"They're edible," Rue said. "They grow around our orchards back home. I'll sneak a few sometimes for a special treat for my family." Rue picked one up and popped it in her mouth. I grabbed one too and ate it hesitantly. I bit into it and the sweet flavor exploded in my mouth. Katniss had brought some of these back from the woods once for my birthday a few years back. I think she told me that this is what she ate in the woods with Gale for lunch most afternoons. I grabbed a handful and Rue and I led Peeta back to the tree we found, destroying the piles of pebbles whenever we came across them. When Peeta saw the tree he nodded approvingly.
"Perfect," he said. Rue, Peeta, and I sat in the tree for the rest of the night, eating the few berries we had left and switching off between the blissful ignorance of sleep and the cold hard truth of being on watch.
