A day passes before a donation comes in. Two green apples. I guess it's all the sponsors can afford now, even when we're the only ones left to bet on. I won't complain, though. We haven't been great at getting food lately. We haven't been doing much of anything else, either. I can't say that I'm healing at all. Oh, well. I still have a handful of painkillers left.

I take a pair with water as Trucy glances between Juniper and me.

"At least we haven't set off any traps staying here," says my district partner.

Fun conversation topic. I can't imagine there even could be traps here that the Gamemakers haven't set off. If they're really planning on killing us, they wouldn't have let a day full of absolutely nothing pass.

Unless... they aren't set on killing us? Is the plan working, or do they expect me to kill the others myself? But, aside from my physical condition, why wouldn't they?

I stare at my footprints in the mud.

"Mmm-hmm." Juniper turns her segment of apple in her hands. "It's nice." She smiles tentatively. "Maybe the Games really could change. It would be a big decision, so the Gamemakers can take all the time they need."

Trucy nods before glancing at me. "What do you think, Polly?"

I blink slowly, attempting to stretch my shoulders back with a grunt. "I don't know. The empty gap could mean any number of things. So could these apples." I look down at the cores and segments we're saving. "Maybe they wanted us to fight over them. Maybe they're poisoned. Who knows?"

"What?" Juniper gasps. "But... that would kill all of us!"

I shrug. "Or just me, if it's not very strong. Although I don't think they'd want to get rid of the only killer like that."

"You're... not feeling ill or anything, are you?" Juniper frowns.

"Not any more than usual."

She looks down. "A-all right."

We lapse into silence, aside from the crunch of eating, until Trucy rubs her jaw with a wince.

"Trucy?" I squint but can't see any cuts or bruises. "You okay?"

"Huh?" She lowers her piece of apple. "Yeah. Just cramping up."

"Have you been staying hydrated enough?" Juniper rubs the outside of her canteen. "I know Apollo's lost a lot of blood, so we've been giving most of the water to him, but... you have to be careful, too."

"Right." Trucy yawns her mouth open and unscrews her water bottle. After another twinge, she takes a drink.

I chew the last part of my ration slowly, the juice running down the sides of my teeth. I don't know how long the rest is going to last, but it isn't going to be as good. I wish we could eat everything now. How much longer are the Games going to go on, anyway? No matter which way things go, there are only three of us left. Not much action, either. Just let it end, already... Before we starve... Before I run out of pills...

I guess I have the power to end it. I'm far from the height of my strength or speed, so I don't think I could get the sword or anything from Trucy. I could probably snatch the knife Juniper has. Although who knows if I could do anything with it afterwards.

How would they react if I did that? Scold me? Finally realize they can't trust me and get rid of me? I guess I could always check, just to see...

I try to sit up a bit straighter as a hiss meets my ears. Freezing, I turn my head as much as I can but don't see anything. My arms shake from the strain of holding me, so I collapse back against the rocks.

If we're about to fight something, I'll be completely useless.

Shifting the sword at her waist, Trucy takes out a knife as her eyes flick around. Juniper, turning and twisting, freezes first.

"Ah!" She points to my left and behind me, and Trucy follows her gaze. Her shoulders hunch before she shifts her feet.

"Some kind of lizard?"

Juniper shuffles closer to us. "I don't know... It's awfully big."

"Okay." Readying the row of knives in her belt, Trucy steps past us. "Juniper, you stay here and protect Apollo. Don't come to help me unless you're sure I'll die otherwise, okay?"

Juniper forces herself to take a deep breath. "Okay." She pulls out her knife and scoots to my side.

"Sorry I can't do anything." I shut my eyes. "Use me as bait if you have to run, I guess."

"We won't have to." Trucy walks forward, and I turn my shoulders to watch her.

Still a fair distance away but slinking over the rocks, the mutt flicks out a forked tongue that's two fingers thick. It's not as big as the as the dog mutts, nor is it as sleek as the fast ones from deep in the cave. But it's definitely a threat. Good luck to Trucy. If any of us can handle it, I guess it would have to be her.

My district partner comes to a stop as the odd, purplish lizard mutt draws closer. Its head bobs from side to side, but it never breaks its gaze.

"All right, you." Trucy makes sure the sword is still there before she raises a knife. "I think you ought to leave us—" she shoots the knife forward—"alone!"

The blade soars into the mutt's nose, and it shakes its head with a screech before advancing again. Its reward is a knife in the eye. The right eye, funnily enough.

With a loud hiss, the lizard charges before Trucy can get the next knife out. She hops back, finally drawing the next blade and throwing it in a hurry. This time, she misses, the knife clashing off a rock behind the lizard.

"T-Trucy!" Juniper's knuckles go white where she clenches her knife.

"It's okay!" With a shing, Trucy draws the sword. "I've still got this!"

She waits a second, the lizard's tongue nearly a foot from her face, before charging forward with the sword held out—

And vanishing.

"Eh?" Juniper checks by me, but another moment of searching proves that Trucy is behind the mutt, bringing the sword straight down over its hips. The blade hits with a spurt of blood, and the lizard screams, twisting around to nip at the sword. Trucy shoves a knife in its other eye and retrieves her other one. Then the mutt rears back, nearly sitting on her. She rolls over before the tail smacks into the side of her head.

"Agh!" A hand flies to her ear, but she rolls a little farther before struggling to her feet.

Screeching, the mutt swings its head around before pausing, the side of its head in our direction. Juniper leans close to my ear.

"Is it trying to listen?"

"Well, don't go talking if it is."

She flinches back, covering her mouth. I turn back towards Trucy as the lizard charges in her general direction. She's able to dodge, but it whips around more quickly than she anticipated—the tail sweeps her feet from under her, and she goes down with a cry.

"Trucy!" Juniper gets to her feet.

"I'm okay!" Trucy waves a hand with a cough. "Stay where you are!"

As she tries to pull herself up, the mutt goes around to face her, its tongue flicking before it suddenly breathes a grey cloud towards her.

Wh-what is that?

She makes a startled sound, lifting her cape over her face, before the mist is enough to obscure her and the mutt both.

"Nnn..." Juniper coughs, swaying on her feet as she tries to peer into the smog. I can only make out a dark blur of movement before the mist spreads out enough. The mutt stands in the same place, its tail, which is suddenly adorned with slender spikes, curling.

Trucy is gone.

I puase before I realize there was no cannon. The lizard seems just as disoriented, though, and it can't react before a hand seizes the sword in its back. Eyes watering, Trucy keeps her cape wrapped over her nose and mouth as she pulls. The mutt screeches before taking off down the mountain.

"Eek!" Before she can let go, a whip of the tail makes her hop to the side, and her feet don't hit the ground. Her eyes widen as she grips the sword with both hands and hollers, the mutt pulling her along.

Juniper takes a step past me. "M-maybe now?"

I stare up at her. "Can you catch up? She told you not to try throwing that."

She squeezes her eyes shut. "She's... still all right for now..." She coughs twice.

My side throbbing, I turn more to make sure that's the truth. Trucy's cape flaps wildly in the wind as the mutt takes an abrupt turn. Her momentum swings her around, and it's enough to knock the lizard sideways and send the both of them tumbling down. Neither of them sounds very happy about it, but it doesn't look like they're taking terrible damage.

They come to a stop about two stories below us, but they don't separate immediately. Just as Trucy is pulling away, spikes shoot from the mutt's back with another puff of smoke. I can't see her face from this angle, but her cape does come up over it.

And then, with the mist, we're blind.

Trucy... is honestly a great fighter when she isn't worried about the opponent. Even if I were in better condition, I'm sure she'd win a battle with me. But as for now...

The fog hasn't cleared, but Trucy has pulled herself out of it, no sword in her hands. I wait a minute, and she isn't pursued.

"Trucy?" I call.

She backs up a bit more before turning towards us. Cape billowing, knife in hand, she steps up and keeps walking.

Juniper's shoulders finally un-hunch a little. "D-did you kill it?"

"It sure looks like it," she pants. "I'm gonna... sit down outside of the funny gas cloud, if that's okay."

"Of course it is." Juniper hurries over to meet her, shoots a glance back at me, and starts to look her over.

Good... Good job. See, you're all fine without me interfering...

I shut my eyes.