Katherine
The sweat leaves my palm clammy when I pass it over my forehead. I've been walking through the woods for hours but the high vegetation doesn't keep the warmth at bay and I'm sweating, the clothes stick to my body and a heavy satchel, a bow and a quiver weight me down.
It's strange but familiar at the same time traveling again through the forest, watching out for any unusual movement. One year ago, I was trying to survive and live another day. I wonder what the village will think of my sudden disappearance. I'm sure they don't care about what happens to me. However, I was always the strange girl who rarely left the house. Gossip will sprend quickly around the village.
I drop everything to the mossy ground and remove the cloak. I search inside the satchel for a canteen of water but when I lean it on my lips, I only feel empty air. I turn it upside down and not a single drop falls. Did it cost a lot to fill it?
As I sit against the tree trunk, I close my eyes and try to forget the thirst and my tired muscles. One month of training didn't prepare me for this. It also didn't prepare me for this new turn of events. I hoped she had forgot me but I knew that was impossible. She will keep on searching for me until my beatless heart is in her hands.
I open my eyes. I grab the bow and load it with an arrow. There's a strange presence in these woods, the trees' bark is darker than usual and the vegetation is denser, preventing most of the light from trespassing. Nature is frozen as a presence hangs in the air, stealing every sound; the rustle of the leaves, the birds' tweet, the squirrels and larger animals' running.
The woods have always been an easy trap for travelers, specially me. This where the thieves would find me and this where I would kill them. I'm suddenly seeing their faces and the moment my arrow cuts through their necks. There is no sympathy or pity in me, only survival. The fog vanishes and I realise I just killed a human being. It's the sick game of hide and seek where people lose themselves.
I blink the memory away, not wanting to remember it again.
My father used to tell me I had the strongest and purest heart and no one could corrupt it. Foolish words. My heart is already corrupted. All those men I killed painted my heart black with their spilled blood and darkness. There is no pureness in my heart anymore.
I stand up, grab my belongings and resume my path.
The day is slowly fading away, replacing it with the night. I have to sleep in a tree or I will be killed during the night and if I take another step, my face might crash against the uneven ground. One hour passes before I find a high oak tree with a wide trunk and sturdy, strong branches. I put the bow around myself and search for a fissure in the bark. I place my foot and hoist myself up. When I was younger, I used to climb the trees in the gardens around the castle. The highest trees were always more challenging and, eventually, my climbing ended badly. I felt claustrophobic without the oxygen inside my lungs. I broke my right arm and fractured my rib cage and spent a month in bed.
I glance down when I'm high enough from the ground. No wolves can attack me at this height but a bear is entirely different story. I find another fixure and climb higher. A hollow at five meters from the ground looks comfortable and sturdy for my body weight and so I settle in. I place the satchel beneath my head, the cloak over me and hug the bow and quiver against my chest.
At this height, I can see the dark-blue sky but I don't see the moon or the stars. A cold breeze flows by and I tremble. The cloak isn't warm but it is enough to protect me from the icy night. The night are growing colder as Autumn comes to an end. Soon, the ground will be covered in snow and people will have to keep their fires burning day and night. My stomach grumbles and I remember I didn't eat the whole day. Also, I didn't find a stream to fill the canteen and my throat is a bit dry.
No owls or crickets fill the woods with music and I watch the clouds of white smoke as I exhale.
A day has gone by.
Haymitch told me to never come back. To find a safe place, to find someone I trust. I don't trust anyone. I don't have any family and there is no safe place in this world. I'll just have to keep hidding and running. I will never have my revenge. I'm just a girl and, even if my name holds power, I can't do it alone. I want to, I want to go to Saldrian and face her myself but that is certain death. So, I need followers and I need people to believe that I can defeat the queen.
I close my eyes and try to fall asleep surrounded by cold.
...
Ping!
Around me something is falling.
Ping!
This time it falls on my nose. I scratch it and end up with damp fingertips. Slowly, I open my eyes and try to look at my hand through my sleepy vision. Water. The tree beneath me is cool and damp. I lean on my arm and look around me. The air is heavy with fog and I can barely see the tree next to mine.
I sit up and stretch my muscles. I put the cloak around my shoulders, grab the satchel and put it around me as well as the bow and the quiver. I stand up and carefully search for another safe fixure to climb down. As I climb down, I feel like I'm submerging into an etheral ocean. My foot touches the ground and when I turn around I can't decide which route to take. I hate traveling with fog, particularly in the woods.
I choose right, round the tree and walk forward. I search inside the satchel for something to eat and come up with a wheat biscuit. It calms my hungry stomach but I wish I could eat a decent meal.
Crack!
I glance in every direction, searching for the source of the sound. I can't help but imagine the worst scenarios. Someone found me or an animal is hiding in a bush ready to attack me. The leaves on the ground are so plastered to the earth, they form piles of mud and I have to round them or I'll trip over them.
I have been walking for half an hour when I glimpse something hanging in the air. As I walk closer, I notice the silhouette of an animal. A rabbit? I pass under it and I see the rope around its neck. I don't see more dead animals hanging from ropes. The fog is still dense as I walk deeper into the woods. All of the sudden, I hear a sound coming from my right. I load the bow with an arrow and walk quietly, threadding throught the muddy ground. I feel something wrap itself around my ankles and in a second I'm in the air, upside down and my belongings are scattered all over the ground.
I struggle against the hold the rope has on me but it only tightens. The knives are inside the satchel and the satchel is out of my reach. I could shout for help but who is walking around the woods at this hour and in this weather? And I also don't want to unveal my whereabouts.
I try to raise my upper body so I can reach at least my knees.
"If I were you, I wouldn't do that."
I drop down and look around franctically, searching for the voice.
"Who's there?"
A figure comes out from behind a tree. The stranger is walking in the air but its feet still touch the ground. I forgot I was the one hanging upside down. I tilt my head to the side and try to see the stranger better. A hood covers its face but I can see its clothes. From the stocky but lean built, I figure the stranger is male. He wears a gray shirt with a few dirt stains and dark-brown pants with patchs. There's a belt with two squirrels around his hips and a cutting knife in his hand.
He comes closer and I'm afraid he will kill me like the animals on his belt.
"Don't come any closer."
He pushes back the hood. He does have a handsome face but he could pass by my brother. He has the same olive skin and grey eyes as me.
"Are you afraid?" His grey eyes stare at me.
"Who are you?" I narrow my eyes.
"That is no response to my question." He smiles, faintly.
"Who are you?" I repeat.
"I should be the one asking that." He says. "You're the one hanging from one of my snares."
"It is prohibited to make snares."
"You have got it wrong." He takes five steps towards me. "It's not my fault the snare caught you. You need to watch where you walk."
"So it is my fault I didn't see the snare?" He must be mocking me.
"Of course." He points the knife at me. "Now, who are you?"
"Set me free first."
"You are too demanding for such a short girl."
"I'm not shor-what are you doing?" He stops beside a tree and grabs the rope.
"Setting you free." He smiles, mockingly.
"I'm going to drop four meters into the ground."
"I will catch you like a good knight." He tests the rope's flexibility and brings the knife to it.
"Wait!"
The rope breaks free and I drop fast but a strong body catches me before I hit the ground. He immediately helps me onto my feet and I take the rope off of my ankles.
"Tell me your name." He orders, grabbing my arm.
I stare at him and him at me.
"Let go of my arm." I say. "Now."
"I do know you." Recognition drawns on his face. "You're Katniss Everdeen."
"Are you going to kill me now?" I try to remove his hand from my arm.
"Pick up your belongings." He orders, pushing me too strongly.
"What?" I look at him, knowing he is mocking me. "You think you can order me around?"
"Just do it." He says, picking up my bow. "It's not hard."
"Where do you entend to take me?" I cross my arms, standing my ground.
"You don't keep quiet, I will not take you anywhere." His eyes darken and I see the thoughts going through his head.
I pick up my satchel and some its fallen fruit. They are good enough to eat even with dirt of them. He hands me my bow and quiver and leads the way. I follow him, falling back behind. Where does he want to take me? I could easily kill him with one arrow through the neck. He looks like an easy target but he also looks like he would fight back without ever giving up.
We walk through the woods until we come upon a muddy road. The fog has vanished and a cloudless sky shines through the treetops.
"You haven't told your name."
He glances at me and then back at the road.
"Gale Hawthorne."
"Are you taking me back to Saldrian?"
"What?" He stops and look at me, not understanding what I just asked.
"Do you really know who I am, Gale?"
"Katniss Everdeen."
This doesn't feel right. Perhaps he isn't the thief hired by the queen. And so, what are his purposes with me?
"Are you hiding something?"
"No." I say, resuming my walk. "I'm Katniss Everdeen, the famous outlaw."
He catches up with me and I sense the look he is giving me. After walking what seemed an endless road, at the end I see several cottages and some stone houses.
"Where are we?"
"Alighter."
Katniss's point-of-view is back and she finally found Gale. He will have a small role in the beginning and if the moment feels right, I will bring him back. However, I make no promises. Favourite, follow and review. Thank you :)