Nairobi POV

There was one scraggly tree in a barren field in the middle of the Cornucopia. In that tree there was me. And all around me, there were mutts.

"Nyah, nyah!" I called down at them. "Can't reach me!" They circled around, snarling and slobbering.

Stupid Mutts, now everyone knows where I am, I thought. I threw down some sticks and tried to shoo them away. They didn't listen. I turned toward the trunk and nibbled on the gorgeous candy necklace I was wearing. The yellow beads were best, since they tasted like banana. When I put it on, I decided I'd save the last bead for when I got back home. Then I'd have something to look forward to.

The mutts continued to make a royal racket. I sipped on some fruit cocktail juice and looked around for anyone who might try to follow them. Then I looked down and noticed what I was carrying.

Hmm, gasoline… I think I just figured out what to set on fire. I opened up my canteen and poured it all over the Mutts. One of them yipped and looked up at me. I very carefully checked my hands for any moisture, then lit a match. I smiled down at the Mutts and dropped it. Its tiny light flickered as it fell through the air. It landed smack on the back of a Mutt, but I didn't see it hit. All I saw was the instant fireball. The mutt whined and tore off into the night. On the way, it brushed against the other two. Three fireballs ran off until I was alone in the dark again.

Finally, I thought. I ate my cocktail in peace.

Laeila POV

Did the Gamemakers set a fire? How did they make it into three little balls of flame? I thought in my tree. Then a fireball wailed. Oh shoot, those are the Mutts. Oh *$# they're headed my way. Countless thoughts shot through my head. Should I get down and run? Would they eat me just to be spiteful? If I stayed here, would my tree burn up?

I opted for the ground. The Mutts didn't even notice me. They ran past and sure enough, my tree went up in flames. Lucky thing I was on the edge of the forest, since thick black smoke clogged the air immediately. The entire forest was an inferno. All I could hear was crackling flames and keening dogs. I almost felt sorry for them… not.

Eltara POV

I was curled up in a little hollow by a tree when I heard the Mutts. I shot up and drew out my sickle. I saw a glowing form running at me.

Why is it orange? The Mutts are green, I thought. Then I smelled the smoke.

Oh, you're on fire? Well that sucks. Come at me, dog. I pulled back my sickle and crouched down. The Mutts dashed past me without hesitation.

Wow, they must really be scared, I thought. I looked around at the smoldering trees. Some smoke caught in my lungs and I coughed. Maybe this isn't the best place to be. I ran toward the edge of the forest, or I thought I did. I ended up right next to that stupid tree again. I screamed in frustration and ran the other way. The air was sweltering around me and I could hardly breathe. Everywhere I ran there were more flaming trees. They started to blur behind the thickening smoke. Ash and sparks scorched my throat. My eyes were streaming tears and I couldn't catch my breath. There wasn't anywhere to run.

I tripped and fell down on my knees. The air down there was cleaner, and I gulped it desperately. I crawled forward and the sparks on the ground burned my hands. I dropped my sickle along the way. It was too hot to hold anyway.

I squinted ahead and tried to look under the smoke. It was too dark to tell where the forest ended. The smoke kept getting lower and I ducked closer and closer to the ground. A spark landed in my hair and I slapped it out. The air was so hot it seared my lungs. I panted and pressed my mouth against the ground.

I glanced back up. I was at the foot of the same tree.

Erwin POV

A cannon went off in the distance. Somewhere in Panem, a mother and father were weeping. Let them weep.

Frankie POV

A cannon went off. The Mutts didn't stop hollering. They sounded like they were getting farther away. I climbed on top of a cliff to take a look.

The forest was one big fireball. No wonder the Mutts were so loud.

So that's why Peppermint told me to stay put.

Xzavier POV

After the Mutts finally shut up, the Anthem played. Eltara's face appeared in the sky.

Wow, Eltara? Really? It must have been Dath. Hope she slowed him down a bit.

"Hey, Gio!" I whispered. "One down, one to go. Looks like you did good."

There go the Mutts. Now Beth can't have one as a pet :( Of course, if she wins, she could probably order another one.

Obituaries:

9th place: Eltara Vetirata

Eltara only had one weakness: She got frustrated when she couldn't figure things out. Well, she couldn't figure out navigation, and it burned her in the end. She took a few down with her, and she would have taken more if there weren't so many crazies and thugs in this Game. She had a lower body count than some Careers because there just weren't as many for her to kill. Two females tend to be pretty hardcore, so I thought this time I'd show that the Academy doesn't train you for some things, like fire. Thanks KKfanatic22 for a Career that did the job cleanly, even if she did enjoy it a bit.