Disclaimer: The Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins. This is a parody fanwork by fans for fans. No money was made off of the creation of this fanwork.

Note: This is Gale's side story which takes place in the same universe and runs concurrently to my story "Spectator." You will likely want to read that fic first since I will be making reference to the events that take place in it. This chapter takes place during the events of Chapters 29 through 32.

Forgotten

By Fanfic Allergy

oOo

Chapter Six

The next few days pass quickly. Mornings are spent out in the woods with Madge trapping and gathering. Then we return to town a little before noon. Madge takes the results of our morning's activities to clean and preserve with the help of the Undersee's maid, Rachel, while I report to the Mayor to start learning about just what it takes to be a district politician in Panem.

To say that it's not what I expect would be an understatement. I always assumed that the Mayor had more power than he really does. He's responsible for making sure the mines are making their mandatory quotas but not exceeding them because that means that will be the new quota. He works closely with the mine foremen to make sure that District Twelve always comes in exactly at quota. Never a pail more. And sometimes a pail less.

That surprises me since I know the Capitol penalizes districts who fail to meet their quotas by not sending as much food and other supplies.

The Mayor, who I've learned is named Orville and wants me to call him that when I'm working for him, told me that in order to keep the Capitol from figuring out that they are fudging their numbers to hide what the mines' real output is they sometimes have to come in either a little over or under the proscribed quota and in the long run under is better for the district.

"Not for the Seam," I say when he explains the rationale to me.

He gives me a hard look. "Why do you say that?"

I point to the months where the district has come under quota then dig out another chart which shows which months kids sign up for tesserae. "The miners get paid less if they don't meet quota. For some families, that five or ten less coin a month is the difference between starvation and just scraping by. Look," I say, pointing to the tesserae charts, "the months after we don't meet quota there's generally a spike in kids signing up for tesserae."

Orville frowns and looks at the comparison. I can see he's not happy about what I spotted and he's even less happy when he goes back a few years and sees that the trend holds true across the board. "I didn't know."

I give him a hard look. "You should have known. What'd you think would happen?"

He looks up at me, his eyes stricken. "The merchants I talked to said that they'd lower prices for those months. Make it easier for the miners to make ends meet."

I think back to February, the last time there was a short quota, and try to remember if I did any actual trading in town in March. There wasn't much. March was a bad month to be out in the woods. A couple of heavy snowfalls early in the month meant that most animals were all holed up. I didn't get out to the woods to set traps all that often. We mostly lived on tesserae gruel, thin soup, and mint tea. Katniss was a little better off, but not much, because March is also flu season and her mother brought in more income from trade than mine did from taking in washing. The only trading I did was at the Hob and prices were higher because of demand.

Shaking my head to clear the memories, I ask, "Did you talk to the traders in the Hob?"

"No, why would I?" he asks in confusion.

"Because a lot of the Seam trades there. Merchants for the most part take coin. A lot of families don't have coin to spend so they trade for what they need. Old clothes for lamp oil, a squirrel for a jug of cider, that kind of thing."

He makes a face, but nods his head. "I'll ask you to talk to the traders there the next time we have a quota shortage."

"Me?" I look at him in shock. "Why me?"

"Do you really think they'll listen to me?" His eyes crinkle in amusement.

He's got a point. "Fine. But you have another issue with all of this."

"What's that?"

"People aren't going to go for it. I know the merchants jack up their prices whenever there's a shortage, same thing's true for the traders in the Hob."

"That's why we'll ask them not to."

I roll my eyes. "Do you really think they're going do that just because you asked?"

The Mayor smiles beatifically. "They will if they don't want to get whipped."

My mouth drops open. "What?"

"Price gouging is illegal. It's true for all of Panem. Merchants can't raise prices outrageously just because demand is high," he explains, getting up and going to his bookcase. He selects a thick tome and opens it up to the back and then flips to another section. When he gets to the part he wants he sets the book down in front of me and points. "Here, read it."

I do. And he's right. Merchants can't raise prices on goods more than five percent in times of shortage. If they do, and get caught, the punishment for a first offense is twenty lashes, second offense is fifty, third is confiscation of all assets and property and deportation to the Capitol for final judgment. I frown at the last, but it makes sense. Although I wonder what happens to those people who are deported.

I look up at the Mayor. "You're still going to have a problem with the Hob. They aren't official merchants."

"I know," he says with a sigh. "They're actually black market dealers. I could threaten them with exposure, except I know that Cray and other Peacekeepers are regulars there. We'll have to hope that enough traders won't jack up their prices so that people will go to them instead of their greedy counterparts."

"It could work. If Sae, Ripper, and maybe one or two others didn't jack up their prices then maybe, but they're going to want something in return," I say after thinking in through.

"Like what?" Orville asks.

"I don't know. What can you offer?"

He thinks about it for a moment then gets up and consults another book. He shakes his head after a few minutes then pulls down another large tome. While he's doing that, I flip through the law book in front of me. I want to find out what the penalties are for slipping out under the fence and for poaching but I don't want to be obvious about it. Some of the laws surprise me. Like trash bins can't be kept in sight of the main street. While others seem silly. It's illegal to sprinkle salt on the railroad tracks. While others are straight out frightening. The list of actions that can be considered treasonous or seditious is huge and encompasses everything from plotting to overthrow the government to failing to stand during the national anthem.

I don't get to actually find out what the penalties for going under the fence and poaching are because Mr. Undersee exclaims, "Got it!"

He takes the book he's holding back to his desk and sits down with it. "I thought there might be something. How would your traders like to be semi-legitimate?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," I say honestly.

He smiles at me. "It's really quite sneaky, if you don't mind me saying so, but the Capitol has what are called temporary merchant permits. They're mostly used during the Games and the Victory Tour by people catering to the crowds watching the Games. The permits cover everything from food stalls, to drink sellers, to goods sellers and they're just what we need. A temporary permit is good for thirty days from the date it's issued and the price is pretty reasonable."

"The traders at the Hob are not going to be willing to pay," I warn.

"Of course not, as Mayor of Twelve, I can pay for it," he says, waving his hand like it's nothing. "They'd be doing a service to the district, but for those thirty days, those traders who agree not to raise prices will be legitimate. Which means they can also sell in town and out in the open so those people who are afraid to go to the Hob because it's a black market can actually trade with people like Sae or Ripper without fear during that time."

"What's the catch?" It sounds almost too good to be true.

"That's the beauty of this solution. There isn't one. The government makes its money selling the permits. So there's no taxes or levies or anything."

I try to think of any downside to this and I can't. A lot of people in the Seam don't go to the Hob because they don't want to get into trouble. But if the traders were legit, they'd go in a heartbeat because the prices are cheaper than in town. But still, I don't want to commit to the idea yet. "Let me talk to Sae, first. If she goes for it, you'll have an easier time making this work."

"Sounds fair," he agrees. "Let me know how it goes."

oOo

The next morning is a Saturday and one of my days off. It's probably for the best, I need to get new clothes anyway and to do that I need something to barter with and for that I need to go to the woods.

Right on cue, Madge knocks on my door. It makes more sense for her to meet me at my house or in the Meadow than me walking into town to get her. Most days she brings something with her for us to eat and she always makes sure that there's a little extra for my mother and siblings. Today it's a bag of apples and a few drop biscuits. I almost want to accuse her of giving me charity, but I don't. I know she's getting something out of our arrangement too and it's because of her that I've got a job that pays well and isn't in the mines.

I leave the biscuits for Vick, Rory, and Posy to eat but take the fruit with us. The apples are wrinkly but they're still juicy. We eat the fruit while walking to the fence and we both save the seeds. It's a tradition in Twelve to save apple seeds and try to plant them. Most of the time, nothing sprouts or if it does, the sprout dies off pretty quickly. But there are enough apple trees in Twelve from people planting their seeds that we keep trying.

"So what's the plan?" she asks.

She asks the same question every morning, if I didn't know she was legitimately curious I'd get annoyed. "Same thing we do every day."

"It's got to get boring after a while," she points out.

"It's a lot less boring when your family depends on you for food." I try not to snap at her as much, but sometimes she inadvertently rubs me the wrong way.

"I'm sorry," she says softly. "I didn't think."

I punch her lightly in the shoulder like I do when Rory says something stupid. "Just think, okay? I was beginning to think that you weren't all merchie and then you had to go and remind me."

Nodding her head, she gives me a quick smile. "I'll try."

We slip under the fence and I take the lead. Today, I want to set up a lot of snares and nets then start teaching Madge how to actually hunt. Katniss, Madge, and I have pretty much gathered most of what's readily available over the last few weeks so I'm only going to have us gather a few greens and maybe some berries if we find any. I don't want to over-gather and have nothing for next year.

We set up our snares quickly and efficiently. Ever since that day with the rabbit, Madge has refused to use a simple snare, preferring something that offers the trapped animal a quick death. It isn't as easy or as fast to set, but I respect her convictions so I am happy to teach her. I still use a simple slipknot, but I do my best to make sure that the wire is set at neck level for the prey I want to catch. Then we head to the stream and set out the nets.

After that, I lead her to where I keep my bow and arrows. I'm not as good at using them as Katniss is, but I'm still pretty good.

When Madge sees the weapon she gasps. Weapons like this are illegal in the districts and as the Mayor's daughter she knows that all too well. "Where'd you get that?" she breathes, staring at the bow like it's a deadly muttation.

I rub the wood with oil I brought to keep it water resistant and prevent cracking while I think of my answer. I know Katniss's father made her weapons and that she could probably make a bow in a pinch. But my father wasn't so adept with his hands. At least not that way. He traded for the bow when I was ten, it's not as well made as Katniss's bow, but I'm pretty sure that Mr. Everdeen made the weapon in my hands. "Does it matter?" I ask finally, not able to come with an explanation that doesn't incriminate Katniss or her father.

Madge shakes her head. "I can probably guess where you got it," she says, still staring at the bow.

"You'd probably be right. Did you really think that Katniss was the only one who knew how to hunt?"

The look on her face says it all. She did think that. I try not to laugh at her assumption, I really do, but the chuckle comes out anyway.

She shrugs at me and says, "I'm just a merchie kid, what do I know, right?" There's no bitterness in the words, which surprises me.

"Right, but you're learning, merchie. Soon you'll have to get some of that special Capitol-made hair dye and color your hair Seam-black cause you'll no longer be a pampered merchie kid."

She pulls her braid forward and studies the end. "I don't think I'd look good as a brunette."

There's something in her tone that makes realize that I need to answer her honestly. "You'd look good no matter what hair color you had."

"You going soft on me, Hawthorne?" she asks, eyeing me suspiciously.

I shrug. "If I am, it's 'cause of you, Undersee." I hold up the bow. "Now, do you want to learn how to hunt or not?"

She nods her head. "Yeah, I do."

"Fine, then you've gotta remember a few simple rules. One, you aren't touching the bow today or tomorrow or any day in the future unless I say you're ready, got it?"

"Got it."

"Two, no saying anything about any of this inside of the fence. You breathe a word of this on the other side of the fence and you might as well make a noose for me, Katniss, and yourself while you're at it."

She makes a face, but nods her head.

"Three, this ain't like trapping. There's dogs, and mutts, and bears out here. You listen to me and if I tell you to run, you run. Head straight for the fence and don't worry about me. You got it? No heroics."

"So long as you won't try to be heroic either," she counters.

"Madge..."

"No Gale, we're partners out here, you and me. So unless you're running with me, I'm gonna stick with you. I'm not the strongest out here but two is better than one when it comes down to a fight." I can tell from the way her jaw is set that she means it.

I sigh. "Fine."

"Any other rules?" she asks.

"Yeah. One. Don't die. It ain't safe out here and I don't want to have to tell your father, the Mayor, how you managed to get yourself killed on the other side of the fence." My words are light, almost teasing, but I'm deathly serious. If something happens to Madge while we're in the woods I might as well sign my death warrant right then and there.

Madge seems to get it because she doesn't make any sarcastic remarks and just nods at me solemnly.

Rules out of the way, we set off into the brush to find a good hunting ground. Along the way, I explain that the way you hunt differs depending on the kind of prey you're looking for. For larger game birds, like turkey or geese, the best places to get them are in open meadows or over a largish body of water. For deer, it's better to find a well travelled trail and then stake out the location. Sometimes you can bait the deer, but it's chancy and you can end up attracting animals, like possums or raccoons, which aren't good eating and will steal your bait. I don't mention that I'll still kill them and bring them home to feed my family, meat is meat and Greasy Sae will buy just about anything for her stewpot. But they're not as good or as valuable as other game.

"So what kind of game are we hunting for today?" Madge asks me.

"Honestly? Whatever's stupid enough to run across our path. No offense, merchie, but you're making so much racket that only the most stupid of animals isn't long gone."

A flash of hurt crosses Madge's face and I find that it bothers me. I didn't mean to hurt my friend. And that's when I realize that Madge has become a friend, not just an acquaintance with only Katniss in common.

"It's not your fault," I say quickly to try to mitigate the hurt. "Learning to walk quietly in the woods takes time. You've got to slow down and think about how you move your feet and where exactly you're placing them."

She nods, accepting my unspoken apology. "So show me."

I try to, but I've been doing this for so long that it's hard to remember what it's like to not walk quietly or be aware of just what is under my feet and I find myself getting frustrated every time Madge catches on some bit of undergrowth or steps on a dry leaf. Still, she's doing better than the last time she tried when we came out here with Katniss.

After half an hour, Madge leans against a tree and says, "This isn't working."

I know I should say something kind, to give her some kind of encouragement, but I'm too frustrated for that. "No, it isn't."

"So, why don't we find someplace to stake out a deer and I'll work on being quiet when we go to check on our traps later."

It's a good idea and one I should have thought of. My father used to do the same thing with me when I was younger and still new to hunting. We'd spend our days in a blind after setting our traps and I'd practice being quiet the whole time. I've gotten so used to hunting with Katniss that I've forgotten what my father taught me. I nod. "So let's find a spot."

She motions toward the east and says, "I saw a few game trails as we were walking around back there. I think they lead to a small stream. We might be able to kill a deer when it's getting a drink."

I consider her proposal. It's got some good points. The sound of water will cover any sounds we might make and deer and other prey animals do need to drink. But Madge and I aren't the only hunters in the woods and ambushing prey when drinking is a common hunting tactic no matter the species. Still, it's better than sitting here doing nothing and we might be able to find a tree with good sightlines to get off of the ground so we don't become prey ourselves. I grunt my agreement with her plan.

"Was that a yes or a no?" Madge asks.

"A yes," I clarify. Shouldering my bow, I say, "Follow me and keep your eyes open."

We walk in silence, until we reach the place where Madge indicates she saw the game trails. I'm a little chagrined I missed them earlier but I chalk it up to being distracted by Madge's loud footsteps. We follow them to a branch of the main stream, one that's too shallow to set nets in to catch fish but is used as a watering spot for lots of the local fauna.

I set Madge to collecting some watercress while I scout the area for a likely perch. There's a few trees that appear to have limbs strong enough to hold my and Madge's weight but the sightlines aren't the best so I keep walking. I want a tree that has several strong limbs so that Madge and I don't have to be in separate trees and don't have to share a limb and is high enough off of the ground so that a jumping mutt won't be able to reach us.

I find the tree I'm looking for about fifty yards away from where I left Madge so I go back to get her rather than yell to try to get her attention and scare away any nearby game. When I reach her, I find that she's managed to get a good supply of watercress in her bag as well as a few wild carrots. I still double check them to make sure that they're not one of the poisonous lookalikes.

Madge gives me a look. "I smelled them to make sure."

I nod, but still continue my perusal. The lookalikes are almost as deadly as nightlock and the last thing I want is to accidentally poison someone.

"Well?" she asks.

"You're good." I fix her with a look. "Hey, you know this isn't a slight against you, right?"

She shrugs. "Did you find a good spot?" she changes the subject, and I'm left wondering if I've offended her.

"Yeah, it should be good. I hope you're up for being bored for a few hours."

Shrugging her shoulders again, she says. "I'll deal."

And she does. The first two hours are as boring as I feared, with the only excitement being a possum coming down to get a drink from the stream. I consider shooting it just to test my aim, but decide against it. At some point, Madge hands me a few carrots that she's cleaned off with her shirt and I nod at her gratefully, hunting is tedious but leaving to get lunch isn't an option.

Twenty or so minutes later, I check the sky to see how late it's getting and note it's after one which means that in another hour or so we should go check our traps and nets to make sure no scavengers have made off with our kills. It's looking like it's going to be a bust day. They happen, but it's discouraging.

"Gale..." Madge hisses, catching my attention.

I look over at the girl and see her pointing at something in the undergrowth. There's something moving in the brush. Something fairly large.

I click my tongue to let her know I've seen it and slowly ready an arrow. I don't want to draw yet, not until I know what it is.

We don't have long to wait, because the animal steps into view and I draw in a sharp breath. It's a bear. I haven't seen one out here in the woods since Katniss and I teamed up. I know they're here because I've seen the signs, claw marks on trees and paw prints around streams, but I've never killed one before. Wild dogs are much more common predators.

The bear is large but with my hunter's eye I estimate it's a little over a hundred and thirty pounds. That's a lot of meat. I could feed my family for most of the winter off of it.

The bear shuffles forward toward a cluster of flowering plants and starts munching on the bright yellow flowers. I lift my bow and carefully aim before drawing back on the string. Once you draw your bow there are really only two options, fire or abort. I anchor the arrow to my cheek and release the bowstring.

I know right away that my shot is going to miss my target, the bear's heart, and go wide. So when it slams into the animal's gut, I'm unsurprised.

The bear roars in pain and takes off along the stream toward the tree Madge and I are sitting in. A lucky break for me.

I nock another arrow and readjust my aim, tracking the wounded animal. I'm not going to get another chance.

I fire and this time my aim is truer and the bear drops. But the animal isn't dead yet, not fully. I can still make out the rapid rise and fall of the animal's chest and even worse, I can hear the whimpers of pain coming from the bear's mouth.

Dropping to the ground so that I can get a better shot, I take a few steps closer to the bear and nock one last arrow. I aim carefully, this time at the bear's head so that I can put the wounded animal out of its misery, and fire.

The bear's whimpers stop.

Behind me, I hear Madge clamber down out of the tree to come stand next to me. "Are you okay?" she asks.

Mutely, I nod my head. I feel a little numb and in shock. I haven't killed an animal this size before and the fact that it took three arrows to fell the beast isn't lost on me. The disparity in my and Katniss's skill has never been so apparent. My mind keeps replaying the bear's dying moments. The whimpers of pain as it breathed its last are going to stay with me.

"So now what?" Madge asks.

Her question shakes me out of my reverie and I struggle to pull myself together. The bear will provide Katniss and my family with a lot of food, but only if we butcher it in time. The gut shot could have punctured the intestines and tainted the meat, making the bear's death almost useless.

"We need to field dress it and wrap it up," I tell her.

She nods her head. "Show me."

I step forward carefully, my knife drawn. I know instinctively the bear is dead, but it's better to be safe rather than sorry.

I show Madge how to field dress the animal from slitting the animal's throat to drain the blood to removing the digestive tract and other undesirable offal like the bladder and reproductive organs. The liver, heart, lungs, kidneys and pancreas I remove and wrap in plastic salvaged from some Capitol shipment and put them in a bag to carry back to town. I'm grateful to see that the arrow that missed its mark punctured the liver and not the intestines of the beast. The meat should still be good.

But that reminds me of another problem, how are Madge and I going to get the animal back to my house in the Seam without being spotted? The fur is too valuable to leave behind as are the teeth and claws. And even with the entrails removed, the animal weighs close to ninety pounds.

"I've got a toy wagon," Madge says, breaking my concentration.

"What?"

"I've got a toy wagon," she repeats, "from when I was a kid. It should be able to hold the bear and we can cover it with flowers and stuff from the Meadow to hide it. It should work so long as we don't get stopped."

"And if we get stopped?" I can't help but ask. "There's no way we can hide the way it was killed."

She shrugs. "We'll deal with that if it happens. I can scout ahead and warn you if anyone is coming if you want."

I nod. It's a good idea, better than anything I could think of and that's what we do. Madge goes ahead to my house to drop off the organ meat and pick up her wagon while I struggle to get the bear back to the fence.

I still beat Madge but when she returns I see she's got Vick and Rory with her. We cover the bear with an array of flowers and plants and carefully walk back to the Seam.

"How much meat do you think that is?" Madge asks me, motioning Rory ahead to act as scout.

"Probably about fifty pounds, give or take. The pelt's pretty heavy and it'll be valuable so that's good. Katniss and her family should be able to survive most of the winter on what we can preserve."

"So we're done, she's set?"

I look at the covered animal and realize Madge is right. Once the meat is preserved, the Everdeens will have enough to make it through the year. Katniss might not need to take out tesserae if the pelt sells well. The thought makes me feel better.

We reach my house without incident and my mother takes over the butchering and preserving of the meat, putting Rory and Vick to work helping her.

I fry up some of the liver and place it between a few slices of bread for Madge and myself. I don't bother turning on the television. There's six tributes left and there was the girl from Five's death yesterday. If anything's going to happen, it will happen later in the day.

Liver sandwiches in hand, I grab my hunting pack, another piece of discarded plastic, and a bag and go to the door. "Ready to go back out?" I ask.

Madge gets up and washes her hands at the sink. "Sure. We still need to check the nets and snares, right?"

"Right."

The trip back to woods is quick and we make our way, checking on the snares first since the cool water of the stream will keep the fish fresher. It's a good thing we got the bear because the only animals we manage to trap are a rabbit and a raccoon. I field dress them quickly and go back to the stream. There our luck is a little better, two trout and a large catfish. They will be good trading at the Hob and maybe I can actually trade the fish for a little coin so I can buy some better clothes.

It's about three when we get back to Twelve. There's an exited hum as Madge and I approach the Hob. I'm guessing something good has happened in the Games.

We enter the decrepit building and I'm surprised to see that it's almost empty. More surprisingly, several of the stalls are closed down, including Ripper's. I make a beeline to Greasy Sae's booth, one of the few that's still open, and ask, "What's happened?"

"Didn't ya hear, boy? Them two's done it," she answers with a wide grin.

"What?" Madge asks from beside me. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's confused by Sae's answer.

"The little Everdeen gal and the Baker's boy done did it. Spite of everything, they won," she clarifies.

Prim and Mellark have won. They're coming home as Victors. Two of them. I'm in shock.

I feel Madge's hand lead me to one of the stools at Sae's booth and help me sit down. I can't even bother to snap at the girl for helping me, because I'm still reeling.

I don't know whether to feel upset or elated so I settle for numb. I'm happy Prim's coming home. I like the girl and I'm glad she's alive for Katniss's sake. Even the little twinge of frustration that all of the work Madge and I have been doing for the last week has pretty much gone to waste isn't what makes me feel so conflicted over this outcome.

It's the fact that Mellark won too and now Katniss is going to feel that she owes him for saving the life of her sister. Katniss's been playing up this big romance with Mellark but there's always been the chance that she wouldn't have to follow through on her claims. Now the Capitol is going to want to see the payoff of the great love story and Katniss is going to have to deliver. I don't know if she can. And worse, I don't know if I'm going to be able to bear it.

I glance up at Madge and see the concern on her face. She's worried about what I'm going to do.

And frankly, so am I.

oOo

AN:

Written: 10/6/14
Revised: 10/7/14
Beta read by Rosefyre

Sorry for the long wait. Real life did hit hard as well as the dreaded "Other fandom-bug" I've been hanging around in the MCU and HP sections. HP is an old fandom love of mine and the MCU is such a fun playground.

I am working on Spectator, but ended up getting blocked because I wrote myself into a corner. After excising about 2,000 words I'm ready to take another stab at it. This chapter was hard because quite literally I needed a timeline of what was happening when because it made a difference in what happened in this story. RoseFyre was very helpful with this because seriously it bugs me when writers cannot do math and contradict themselves but we realized that quite literally there were a few jam packed hours on the last day of the Games. BTW, if you care, the Games ended on June 18. In my universe, Reaping Day is June 1. There is no canon date for it, just somewhere in the summer/spring some time. I know Fanon has it as happening on July 4, but there's nothing canon that supports that. I based my dates on the plants that Katniss gathered, skewed for some global warming, specifically strawberries. Strawberries ripen in late spring/early summer and not so much in the heat of high summer. Because having a knowledge of botany is a good thing.

Black Bears are common in the forests of Virginia and West Virginia. They are omnivores and fairly small, all things considered, with adults typically being around the same weight as a human. They are pretty good eating with a flavor similar to that of venison or mutton or if prepared and preserved right, lean beef. A 150 pound animal yields about 60 pounds of usable meat. This does not include offal (organ meat). A lot of the weight is in the bones and hide of the animal.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me!