Katniss's hands shuffled and picked through the bushes, plucking small green herbs up and placing them into her other hand. Once she had gathered up a small ball she straightened herself and then quickly swung her bow off of her back.
"They're not the only ones who can make alliances you know," she said, eyes sweeping the trees.
Rue peaked out of some branches. "You'd want to be allies with me?"
"Sure," Katniss re-shouldered her bow, "You saved me back there with the LSD Hornets."
Rue dropped to the forest floor, and Katniss spotted the swollen mark on her arm. She reached out her hand full of greens.
"Here, these will help."
"She'll slow you down," Backpacky said.
Rue spun around frantically. "Who was that?"
Katniss turned around so that Backpacky was facing her new ally. "It's my talking backpack."
"Oh, hello," Rue said.
"You are weak," Backpacky looked her over.
Katniss whipped around. "He's cynical because he's made of plastic. What kind of supplies do you have?"
Rue took a small knife, a couple of berries and a root from her pocket. She looked down at Katniss's leg, still red and shiny from her burn.
"Oh, I have something for that," she took some herbs out from her other pocket and began to chew them.
"That's gross," Katniss said.
Rue spit out a wad of pulp into her palm, squatted down, and placed it on Katniss's burn.
"Ooohhh yes, we're going to be the best allies ever," Katniss moaned.
"End her now," Backpacky urged in a quiet tone.
"No," Katniss hissed over her shoulder.
xxx
Katniss and her new friend sat around their fire, roasting the two rabbits that they had mangaed to snare. Rue turned the spit while Katniss kept a hand on her slack bow and looked cool as she stared off into the forest.
"So you're from District Eleven, huh?" Katniss said.
"Yes. Agriculture is our main export."
"Huh. So you probably had loads of food," scoffed Katniss.
Rue shook her tiny head. "No, we were never allowed to eat any of the food."
"Well I had to kill everything I ever ate with my bare hands."
"The penalty for stealing food was getting your hands chopped off, so we don't use that expression in my District."
Katniss flinched. "Sorry."
"It's okay," Rue held up her hands with a weak smile, "I'm not offended."
"But do you know who doesn't have hands?" Katniss said, "My Dad. Because he's dead."
"I'm very sorry. There are also many executions in my District."
"Oh, he wasn't executed, he exploded," Katniss nodded at her, waiting for her to be sorry.
Rue poked at one of the rabbits. "Do you know who else has a lot of fatherly issues?"
"Who?"
"Strippers."
Katniss looked off into the night sourly. Rue spun their meal around, the fire flickering around in her big dark eyes. Katniss slowly eased herself around so that she was sitting next to Rue. She set down her bow and put her arms around her folded legs.
"You really remind me of my sister," Katniss dropped the words softly onto her.
Rue answered with an odd half-smile.
"But not in a good way, in a 'you are my emotional replacement for her now' way."
Rue shifted slightly farther away. Katniss put her arm around her.