I pulled the spear from the tree, letting the fox fall to the snow. Leaving the spear next to the tree, I kneel by the river and clean my arms. Once they're relatively cleaned, I stand and return to my pack. Thankfully, I grabbed that roll of bandages when I was in the Career camp – I would be in much worse shape without it. I didn't have any medicine, though – maybe I should go back there. It would give me an opportunity to finish Muna off, even if they didn't have any healing ointment.
I wrap my forearms in the bandages and reset the spear in the trap, just in case. Now, I needed to think. There were hardly any tributes left – it seemed probable that the Gamemakers would create a feast to get us all in one spot. Until they decided to do that, though, I should probably find some of the other tributes. The arena was huge, though – they could be anywhere! Maybe I should just wait here, where my trap gave me an advantage, until the Gamemakers called for a feast. That sounded reasonable. Maybe the smoke from my fire actually had attracted someone, they were just far away.
Something exciting must be happening or about to happen, because with only five tributes let the Capitol must be dying for some action. Maybe similar arctic-fox attacks had been happening throughout the arena. Whatever was going on, unless someone was in mortal danger the Capitol would get bored very quickly. Which meant that something had to be happening somewhere.
Turns out, it was happening to me. A noise in the bushes alerted me to someone- or something's- presence, so I quickly scampered up my tree, holding the spool of fishing line on one hand and slowly tightening the thread. On a whim, trying to make things more interesting for the viewers, I sat on the branch facing away from the source of the noise, waiting as it got closer. Suddenly, the crashing stopped, and I knew that whatever it was had stopped in front of my tree. "I know you're there, Cazzie," someone said in a victorious tone. I could recognize the voice as Muna's. Well, I wouldn't keep her waiting. I could tell she wanted to gloat a bit before she killed me, so I would let her. Even as I thought, I continued winding the spool, tightening the fishing line.
I leaned backwards, falling until I was hanging upside down from my knees and facing Muna. She was standing right where I wanted her, holding a spear in one hand, with another two strapped to her back. She looked confident and triumphant, but as I was falling I noticed a flicker of something in her eyes. Was it- sadness? Doubt? I wouldn't know. Whatever it was, it was gone now.
"You killed the rest of them," Muna said. "My district partner, my friends. The only one you didn't kill was Riegan." She was simply stating facts. Her voice was toneless.
"It wasn't like I had a choice," I responded. Another turn of the spool.
"We never do. Not here." Muna replied, with another hint of that sadness. Suddenly, her expression changed again. It was hardened, fierce, and pitiless. "You're so stupid. Lighting a fire."
"How do you know that wasn't intentional? That I wanted to lead you here?" I twisted the spool again, and felt the line go taut. Muna hadn't noticed.
"You're bluffing, I can tell. A stupid little Nine girl. Nothing more. I knew I'd find you at the end of that smoke trail. I'd find you and I'd kill you, because you killed my alliance. And I was right."
"Not quite. I'm still alive. And I can tell you one thing – I'm not the one getting speared. Not today." I pulled the spool back as sharply as I could. The rod slipped away from the tree, releasing the spear with all of its pent-up energy right into Muna's back and out of her stomach. Blood flew out of her mouth, and she stood, impaled, shock in her eyes. The cannon hadn't sounded yet.
"I'm sorry," I said, just loud enough for her to hear. If she still could. "I'm sorry I had to do this, sorry we're here. But you were right. We never have a choice. Maybe wherever you end up things will be better." Just as I finished, her cannon sounded and she crumpled to the ground. The hovercraft came quickly, picking up her body with the spear still inside it. I decided not to try to get the weapon back.