It's a perfect day for hunting.
.oOo.
Aeson Humpford, 18
District Two Male
3 Kills
Over the past few days, Aeson's started to notice that the mist… well… thickens in certain areas.
It's not that subtle - whenever they head closer to the forest, the mist suddenly seems to be impenetrable, and they go back to the mansion with strange, dull headaches and the knowledge that they're not wanted there. But it's quite light on the lawn of the mansion's grounds, and the creek is easily maneuverable. At least, the creek is - until they step into the crunch of a leaf-covered meadow, and then it's back to mist that he can't even see his hand in. The gamemakers must want them to stay away from those areas, at least for now, and so far the careers have. They don't want to find out that their salt trails will conveniently disappear - or something worse - if they push ahead.
But today? Today, the places that the gamemakers lock off with the mist only have the faintest trails of water vapour that hang in the air - the forests are ready to be explored. It's a perfect day for hunting.
Even more perfect for him, considering that he coerced the others into finishing off the tainted sticky buns this morning - their eighth morning in the arena. He feels safe drugging the other now. They've been working together for a week - both of them have no reason to mistrust him, and the sleeping medicine will kick in tonight. And then? Then, he'll finish them off.
"Duchess, you okay?" he asks as he looks back to see his fellow career walking behind him, Duchess balancing the leather rope that makes up his whip with his poised fingers. "You look nervous - I'm sure that there aren't many in this area, and there's always the other forest. And the mountain - do you think anyone made it to the top of the mountain yet, or have they stayed close to the lake?."
Duchess laughs in his face, shaking off the idea of him feeling nervous. "No, just keying myself up for the fight - it looks like the gamemakers are going to let us go into the forest. I'm sure someone will be here, and Tourmaline will find them before us at any rate." He jumps into the creek, splashing through the shallows before wading in the quick, tugging current that reaches up to his hips before they're both on the other side. "I'm sure Tourmaline will be finished with her hunt soon - she'll chase them towards us, and that's when the fun begins again." Duchess yawns, but makes no comment - he simply continues onwards.
"Yep," replies Aeson. There's nothing much else to say - it's as simple as finishing off whoever Tourmaline can find in the forest ahead of them. She knows the risks - she'll be lost in the arena, vulnerable to any threats that lurk there if the mist comes back at the wrong time - but she's also a career. She can handle herself.
She'll find someone before the mist comes back - and if she doesn't, Aeson suspects that the gamemakers will guide them to her. They'd likely want a bit more action now that it's the sixth day in the arena.
It must be getting tiresome for the Capitolites to watch. They need to put on their show, and soon - or else, or else, or else…
He doesn't know what would happen if they fail to find anyone - unlikely, considering the fact that the arena can't be more than a kilometre from side to side. But if they fail at this, they won't live to tell the tale.
When they reach the forest, Aeson steps inside of the foliage, says a little prayer that he heard his roommate mutter to himself one night before another series of cuts was announced at the Academy, then plunges into his hunt.
He'll give it his all here. No matter what happens.
.oOo.
How long will it take for that number to fall to one, though?
.oOo.
Colleen Tosse, 18
District Five Female
0 Kills
She likes the taste of fish - yes, that's a good thing. It's good to like what she has. After all, she doesn't have much else to eat.
The skies being all too empty of more sponsor gifts have proven that she's stuck with this.
She's not sure if they've figured out anything about her - about what she'd say about the Capitol if she got the chance - but she won't provoke the Capitol. Yet it seems that she's either not interesting enough, or something's stopping the sponsor gifts from coming as quickly as she'd like them to - perhaps the rates are higher this year. Sponsor gifts are supposed to cost a fortune, after all. She can't expect a month of someone's salary to be thrown away so she can have another pack of crackers, or something just as stupid. She's not going to get the same chance.
She'll have to look for other ways to fight her opponents.
Ten, ten, ten left in the arena. The word has a small, hollow ring to it - only ten people are left in the arena to fight it out, yet that doesn't describe what it really is. It's really nine that matters here - nine people left to fight until everyone's gone and she can go home.
How long will it take for that number to fall to one, though?
Colleen hasn't seen anyone since the bloodbath, and she's not sure if she wants to. It's nice to sit with her fishing lines and pretend that she's alone here - it's easier, and she's not been attacked by any ruthless mutts or something that would be worthy of her concern. She's been safe here because she hasn't been discovered by anyone else - and it would be good to keep it that way.
Yet…
She takes her knife with her, leaving her supplies hidden in a rotted-out log and her fishing lines in the water. Just a quick scout of the area, just in case there's something else to be discovered. Just in case. She walks and walks and walks until her heart leaps out of her chest, because one of her feet has almost slipped into thin air.
Quite strangely, there's a cliff at the edge of the forest that she's just stumbled onto. It takes a moment for her to realize what it is - it means that she can't go any further than this, judging that the mist is swirling even more thickly down below. It's not meant to be discovered by the tributes - it's the borders of this already small arena. And something is below… something that swirls around the jagged facets of rock that clings to the cliff and seems to howl into her very soul… something dark, something dangerous…
She turns away, her heart beating quicker than a drum and her head practically splitting with pain. She's not playing with fate here. As she turns away, her fear fades. But she's not going back. Not when she doesn't know what that thing does.
As she turns to head back to her camp, satisfied with this little burst of bravery, - even if she's fleeing now - she hears a sound that doesn't belong.
Colleen freezes.
Then she hides.
It's a low, muttering tone that's scared her, she observes from the safety of thick thistle bushes - the thorns scratch, but it's worth not being seen by whoever might be out there - Someone's worried about something, and they're letting it be known to the world. Then she sees who it is: the boy from Three, who stumbles through the woods and past her bush. He looks hollow and gaunt as he walks, his eyes rolling around in his head as he looks around for something. She ducks lower into the bush, hoping that his gaze overlooks her - and it does. Soon, she hears a frustrated scream when he discovers the cliff that she nearly fell down, and peers through the leaves of the bush to see him storming back.
For a moment, she realizes that this is her chance to kill him. That's something that the Capitol would like, right? They love the blood of the Games, all of the glitz and glamour of killing and the fights that fill every screen in the nation. Maybe she should take this opportunity, net herself a kill, and finally get the chance that she's been waiting for.
But something holds her back.
Before she knows it, he's out of sight, and she curses to herself. Maybe it's for the best, but she's wasted this opportunity - next time, she needs to play it smarter. What if he had supplies, something, anything that she could use? She can't be scared here - this is a fight for her life, not her time to give others second chances.
Turmeric would want her to fight, she realizes, and that hardens the resolve that is slowly forming in her heart.
Next time she finds someone, she'll take that opportunity.
But first? She's going to move camp.
.oOo.
But then he hears the lapping of water, and his mind springs to life.
.oOo.
Antimony Sinebad, 15
District Three Male
1 Kill
He's furious with himself.
He scoops up a stone from the forest floor and hurls it over the cliff, screaming at it as it flies into the mist and away from view - into that strange little dark spot that circles around at the bottom. Why isn't the forest bigger? Why is there nowhere to get away from this place, why is the mountain impossible to climb, and why can't he find water, for crying out loud?
He's so thirsty, it takes everything in him to not burst into tears. He doesn't even trust that he'd be able to do it - he doesn't know if he has enough moisture in his tear ducts to properly form tears. He's starting to get a bad headache, too - it must be the lack of water. He just can't find any.
"Why does this have to happen?" he yells at the cliff, tempted to throw himself off of it. But he doesn't - he's too unwilling to give up to commit to ending this game. And if he survived the drop - oh, he wouldn't want to survive the drop. It's not worth even thinking about. It's such a waste.
He'll keep walking, just for a bit longer. Just to see if he can find that creek that he's certain he saw at the beginning of the Games.
Why is it so hard to make himself walk now? He can't focus on the world around him now - all he feels is the throb throb throb that is his head now. Oh, if only he could slow down - he could, actually. He could just sink to his knees and fall into the bushes and wait for the mist to come back and murmur its thoughts until he can fall asleep…
But then he hears the lapping of water, and his mind springs to life - and he realizes that the headache has faded.
Water! He tumbles through thorny bushes, not minding the scratches, and falls into the lake with a scream of delight. He forces his head under, just enjoying the feeling of this blessed cool, then cups his hands to fill them with lake water. Many, many handfuls of water later, his thirst is sated, and he finally feels human again. It's good to drink. It's good to have this. It's so…
He can't think of a word to describe it, but it's something good. And for now, that satisfies him.
It takes a while for him to properly get up and look around the lake for signs of other tributes, but he does so eventually. Wading around in the shallows doesn't reveal any other tributes or signs of life to him - no, not until he trips over a strange wire and falls face-first into the mud under his feet.
When he gets back up, he realizes that it's a fishing line that's tripped him up, and he can feel the blood vessels rushing away from his face. There's someone close.
He half-runs, half-stumbles away from the fishing line and towards another, safer part of the lake. No, he's not going to get caught by someone because he waited too long for them to find them. He's not getting caught, not after Electra. He fought too hard, did too much to let himself die now.
There's a current that laps at his feet when he stops. Looking ahead, peering through the rapidly thinning mist, he can see the mouth of what must be the creek he spotted days ago. Without thinking, he stumbles towards it - maybe he'll find a place to sit down there.
When he gets into the walls of stone, he finds a small nook to sit down in and closes his eyes. He's safe here. He can feel it.
His instincts aren't often wrong.
.oOo.
At least it's starting to come to life.
.oOo.
Desdemona Steen, 15
District Eight Female
0 Kills
Oh, she only feels sicker today.
It's been a strange forty-eight hours. From the trees to building this cabin - she can't remember who decided that it was a good idea, but she wishes that she had the willpower to tell them that it's not a good one - to the sickness that only gets worse, she feels like she's been losing more and more control with every minute. She doesn't have a chance with winning, not if she's going to be useless for the rest of the Games.
Mona would wish for some medicine right now, but she doesn't dare hope for that. Who would want to give it to someone as pathetic and useless as her, anyway?
"Are you doing a bit better now?" Aloie asks, appearing from the mist - it's so much lighter today, for some reason - and handing Mona a water bottle. "Drink up - it flushes your system and will do wonders for your mind. I flavoured it with some more dandelion plants and a few other herbs I managed to scrounge up in this forest, so it'll be helpful for your recovery. Oh, I hope that you feel better soon! You're going to, I promise. I won't let you waste away with me here. What would Cora have said about that? Me, her apprentice!" Aloie giggles, and Mona smiles weakly.
"Where - where are the others?" she asks, gesturing to the mist. Aloie shrugs, looking around the clearing for a sign of Jackson and Emma. They've been looking for so many logs - she doesn't like the idea, still, but there's no point in arguing - that they've barely had a time to stop by. They've just been working and working on their shelter.
At least it's starting to come to life.
"They're hoisting another log onto the forth wall, I think," Aloie replies after peering through the mist. "It's going to be as high as my shoulder soon! I do hope that a storm or something comes along - it'd be so nice for it to be useful like that. It deserves to, after all of their hard work. Don't you think so?"
"Yeah..." Mona replies weakly, pretending to go to sleep after Aloie busies herself with more organizing. She doesn't have the energy to speak now, and Aloie is too eager to talk for her own good. For a moment, Mona fitfully wishes that Aloie wasn't here, but then regrets the thought right away. Where would she be without her? What would have happened if she didn't have Aloie in the alliance?
She could be wasting away, all alone. She doesn't want to be alone.
Not after the bloodbath. Not after the first day of deep, shuddering sobs as she discovered that she couldn't find her way through the mist. Not after hearing the cannons, tears streaming down her face when she saw the faces of her allies in the sky.
It's not good to be all alone like that. She wouldn't wish on anyone, especially not herself. It was a good idea to join this alliance. She wouldn't regret it for the world.
It would be nice if Aloie would be just a bit quieter as she organizes the supplies, though.
.oOo.
She has the element of surprise.
.oOo.
Tourmaline de Metz, 18
District One Female
2 Kills
She's not going to give up on this hunt today, not here, not now, not when it all counts on her. She's going to make the others proud. She's going to prove that she's a good leader.
She's going to narrow the playing field today.
Oh, the possibilities! Tourmaline hops over a log and continues to run through the forest, taking care not to make much noise. "Thank you, instructors, for teaching us how to run silently," she mutters under her breath as she jogs quickly. "Don't know where - where I'd be without that - without that here."
She stops after a few more minutes of running, trying to get a bit more air into her lungs before she starts it all over again. Oh, what she'd do to have ran every day before classes instead of merely walking back home! But no, she was lazy - she didn't think of that. She didn't think of how it could have helped her, and focused on other things.
Then again, if she hadn't focused on fighting with groups and how to bond with her allies and how to run silently instead of quickly, she might not be here, would she?
She's grateful for her time at the Academy. She volunteered because she loved being there every minute she could, learning and growing and becoming someone that she didn't know that she could be. When she discovered that she had the chance to go to the Hunger Games, sometime in her third year, she took the plunge - the prize money would set up her father and mother with enough money to start running that store of theirs again. As for her? She'd settle for working with the kids again - they're the best part of the Academy, with their blessedly smart minds and their quick, eager cunning that comes to them so easily. She'd love to train.
But first, she has to get through this.
The forest is blessedly loud today, teeming with life. It's a good thing that it's so lively today - for some reason, she feels sleepy today, and it's only the animals around her that keep her mind sharp. She can see squirrels with long, bushy tails darting up trees and chittering at others on the ground, birds fluttering their wings as they make their way to the nests that they must build on top of the upper branches of the forest's trees, the quiet burble of the creek that now is far behind her…
And…
And laughter.
She wheels around, honing in on the sound of someone else in these woods with her. It's far to her left - someone's over there, someone - or someones - who's laughing right now. They have no idea that they've just spelled their own doom. They have no idea that she's heard that innocent burst of laughter.
She intends to keep it that way until she finds them.
Tourmaline listens to the sounds of the forest even more keenly as she gets closer to her unknown opponent. She doesn't want to alert him, but she knows that the forest knows - there's birds who are calling something quite loudly, as if they're letting the rest of the world know that she's here. But the others - yes, it's others, she can distinguish the different tones of voices that now discuss something in hurried tones - aren't aware of it - she can't hear any cries of alarm, worried footsteps, anything that would tip her off that one of them knows she's here.
She has the element of surprise.
Deep breaths, Tourmaline.
She thinks of what her parents must think of this, shakes her head, then runs out at the group with her sword that shimmers in the sunlight like the eye of a snake.
She's ready to fight them all.
.oOo.
It would be simple to be a bird.
.oOo.
Aloie Church, 12
District Eleven Female
0 Kills
It's nice to have things to sort, supplies to busy herself with and organize again and again to make them more useful for the alliance. It makes Aloie feel like she's back home, back at the apothecary where she had hundreds of herbs and plenty of time to be useful. There was never a dull moment back there, yet there's something that feels so dangerous about boredom. She wouldn't like to know what her mind would do if it had nothing to do.
She doesn't intend to find out any time soon.
She rummages through the supplies again just to make sure everything's as proper as it can be, then leans away when she's satisfied. Is she being too picky, too organized with it all? She knows that Mona thinks that she's being strange - the girl from Eight was muttering about how Aloie couldn't keep quiet with her supplies last night - but Jackson and Emma seem to be fine with it. Even if it's just because she's keeping out of their way as they figure out what the alliance is doing, she feels useful. It doesn't matter if they don't feel the same way.
Right now, it's her opinion, her thoughts, her decisions that matter. It's a little terrifying to have so much control, especially after being taught so much by Cora about how to follow instructions and to listen to everyone else while she worked, but there's something about here that is just so, so free.
It's a strange feeling, being free.
"Are you alright?" she asks Mona after a moment more of checking the clearing, but the girl has fallen into a quiet sleep. Aloie giggles - she can't help it, Mona looks so funny with her mouth open and snoring so loudly there. But after a moment of mirth, she silences herself and stands up to find Emma and Jackson. She should go see if they need any help from her.
Maybe she can tell them that she's organized their rations for the next week.
"Hey, I..." she begins when she reaches the two before trailing off into silence. They're both straining to lift a huge log on top of their previous efforts, lodging it into place with a furious grunt from Emma and a reddening face on Jackson's part. "Oh, I don't know how you guys lifted that."
"Huh - simple, Aloie," Emma pants as she leans against the makeshift wall for support. "We just have to use a little bit of elbow grease."
"A little?" Jackson raises an eyebrow, his face covered with dirt and sap from lifting pine logs, and they laugh for a few moments. Aloie shakes her head, amused by them both. She doesn't know where she'd be without them. "Now, I think it's alright if we just rest for bit - we've earned it, haven't we?"
Emma nods with a pant and a sigh, and they sink into silence for a few more moments. The birds are still loudly tweeting, proclaiming their little bits of news to one another up in the treetops as they fly around. They have such simple lives, Aloie thinks. It'd be nice to be a bird - she wouldn't have to worry about death like she does here. It would be simple to be a bird. It -
Her thoughts flutter away into nothing but cold, dreadful panic when she hears the first scream.
A new chapter, and one before an exciting crazy epic battle ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
What did you think? Thoughts on the mist/tributes/etc? Any ideas of what'll happen in this battle? Who will die? Who will survive?
We're halfway through the arena! I hope you're all enjoying this as much as I am, and I'm excited to get to the next chapter. I'll see you then! Until next time, TheAmazingJAJ