Response to SibunaMockingjay: Thanks for all the review support! And I hope your big changes, be they about art class drawings or moving between rooms, go well too. :)
Author's Note: And here's chapter seven! I'd love to hear back on what you guys thought of my writing for the tributes' interaction here. The dialogue between canon characters and Amaranth can be tough at times, and feedback is always appreciated. Thanks again for reading!
. . .
Based on both the angle of the fire wall and the fact this is undoubtedly something stirred up by the Gamemakers to bring the tributes together, I know I have to run in more or less the direction I've come. I hurriedly gather my supplies and take long drinks of water from the river, checking over my shoulder to see how far the wall is. I think I will be alright with this good head start, but I don't go slowly as I cross the stream and head into the forest at a quick jogging pace.
Because of my advanced warning, I never encounter the flames, but I am kept on the move for several hours, always on high alert. There must be some tribute in the area, and even if I don't run into the Careers, anyone I meet will be likely to attack me. I have a spear, which I don't really know how to use and certainly don't want to use, but otherwise I am totally exposed.
After the wall of fire has chased me into the woods far from the river, it finally stops. I immediately take to the trees and remain in them as much as possible as I slowly explore this new section of woods. I am drawn to the place where the fire once burned, though I have no reason to go there. When the afternoon comes, I hear evidence of company, and I freeze as I realize it's the Career Pack.
Their footsteps are loud and careless, as is their talk, almost as if they want to warn tributes to their coming. I quickly get higher in the tree, and soon I see them pass beneath me. To my shock, I notice that Peeta from 12 is with them. I don't really have time to think about that now though, because one of the Careers in the front yells out something to the others.
"I think that's her over there!"
I follow their gaze, and sure enough, a girl is twenty yards away beside a pool of water. The girl hears the Careers and immediately grabs her supplies and scrambles up a tree, though I can tell by her awkward climbing that she's been injured, probably in the leg. I remain still until the Careers have gone past me and to the base of the girl's tree, and then I begin carefully edging closer, always keeping out of sight.
The Careers try unsuccessfully to get the girl out of the tree, and they exchanges a few humorous barbs.
"How's the weather down there?" the girl asks. I can't help but grin because the treed tribute is Katniss.
"Why don't you come and find out?" roars Cato in response.
I tune out the Career's conversation as I come closer and have to focus on being silent and stealthy. When I get to a good position, the Careers begin building a fire, and I deduce that they are just going to wait out Katniss' either desperate escape or starvation. That certainly will make things difficult.
From my new vantage, which is very high in a tree opposite that which houses Katniss, I see the whole layout of the landscape in the sun's fading light. I think that it may actually be possible to get into the tree that Katniss is stuck in if I get high enough. But do I dare to risk something like that when I'm not even sure she won't kill me?
I decide to try it after the anthem. There's no point in being here if I don't give her some sort of help, and since I've rejected the notion of killing the tributes, I will have to aid Katniss in thinking a way out of the tree. But I decide to leave my spear a few other items safely nestled in this tree since extra weight cannot be a good idea. All I leave in the bag is the water bottle, which is currently full.
After the anthem has finished its dreadful music, I begin creeping up the tree trunk toward the branches that reach out and touch those of Katniss' tree. The Careers keep poor watch, so they do not notice me as I ease across the dangerously precarious bridge and then sigh with relief when I set my feet on a thick support again.
Just before I start descending to Katniss' branch, I hear low ringing. Before my memory can place it, I see a parachute sail beside me and land in a wedge a few stories down. Katniss notices and looks up, and she gasps when she sees me perched above her. She draws out a knife immediately, but I put my hands up in a show of peace.
"Shh," I hiss in a whisper. "I'm here to help you."
Her expression is very skeptical, but she doesn't attempt to throw the blade, so I take that as a good sign. I slowly climb down the tree and grab a hold of the parachute, which again prompts a threatening stance from Katniss. I roll my eyes and keep going down, finally coming to a halt only about five feet from Katniss' perch.
"I think this is for you," I say, lowering the parachute carefully.
Katniss still seems suspicious, but she takes the gift from some rich sponsor and opens it. She is glad to find that it is medicine for her leg wound, and she is just about to apply it when she remembers that I'm right over her head.
"What do you want?" she asks quietly but harshly. "You just like being hunted by the Careers?"
"Sure, I love it," I retort with a grin. "But hobbies can wait. We've got to find a way out of here. I don't think the Careers are going to miss you crossing up there with that leg, if you don't mind my saying so. Therefore, we need another solution."
Katniss doesn't seem too intrigued, so I sigh and plop into a more comfortable position. "Want some water?" I ask, opening my bag and handing it down to her. She refuses to take it, prompting me to sigh again, drink a sip of it myself, and hand it back to her. "Not poisoned; I promise."
Katniss reluctantly accepted the bottled and takes a few swallows. I then realize that she has probably breathed in a great amount of smoke today, and her throat must be burning with pain. I figure I can cross the branches again soon, so I decide to let her finish the water.
"Drink it all," I insist. "I'll get more from your pool in a minute."
She seems grateful, her eyes at last dropping their hesitation, and she lifts the bottle and eagerly gulps down the water. She hands the empty container back to me, and I place it in my bag and crawl a little further down.
"You ought to put on that medicine," I say when I realize she still hasn't tended to her wound yet.
Katniss doesn't argue, and when she positions her leg so that she can apply the squishy substance to the burn, I feel bile creep into my throat. The burn is terrible to look at, and I have no experience healing or even seeing the hurt at all. I decide to look somewhere else while she finishes putting on the medicine.
Once she's done, having screwed the small cylinder closed and placed it her pack, she turns her full attention to me. She seems to be calculating both how much of a threat I pose and how much trust she should place in me. After several minutes, she averts her gaze and sighs.
"Do you have any suggestions about us getting out of here?" she asks, her voice still in a whisper.
I am overjoyed that she is willing to accept my help, but the problem is that I don't know how both of us will escape. Obviously I can climb out of the tree, but I doubt Katniss has the skills, and even if she did, we would have to stay in the tree tops for a long distance away from the Careers, and traveling in the branches like that would take hours. The Careers might not be geniuses, but they would find out where we went. I briefly consider leaving by myself to make a diversion simple human, but I know that there is no way Cato will leave this tree for any other tribute while Katniss is still trapped, and one Career guarding her is too many.
"I'm fresh out of ideas," I say. "I should have grabbed some of those at the Cornucopia."
Katniss smiles a bit, but I know that her mind is still occupied with her predicament. Our predicament. We both brainstorm for a several minutes, but neither of us comes up with anything. It's cold now, and my thoughts are having a hard time staying on the problem and away from my warm blanket in the other tree.
"Do you have anything to wrap up with at night?" I ask Katniss, suddenly wondering about her. She's injured and exhausted; she needs good sleep, and my blanket might be of great help to her.
"Yes," she replies, "I have a sleeping bag."
"Good," I remark, rising from my sitting position. "Maybe you should get some sleep. If you don't mind, I'll head over to my tree. I've got a blanket that's calling my name."
Katniss nods. "Supplies are important," she affirms casually.
I suddenly stop moving and turn to face her. "What did you say?"
"I said supplies are important. Why?" Then the realization dawns on her, too. "But how could we—"
"I'll leave right now," I explain, suddenly with a plan formulated and adrenaline returning to my cold veins. "I'll light a big fire right on the edge of the field with the Cornucopia, and the Careers will think we've set their stuff on fire."
"But what if they know it's a trick, or they only send some people to check it out?"
"Well, the supplies are extremely important to them since they can't forage, so I don't think they could risk it. And I don't have any other ideas. If I fail, no harm done, right? I'll be far away from the fire by the time anyone gets there."
Katniss considers the scenario for a little bit longer before consenting. "I guess it's the only plan we've got."
"I'll be looking for you on my way back," I say as I begin to climb higher. "Keep your eyes on the trees. But Katniss, if for some reason another opportunity emerges, go ahead and get out of here; you don't have to wait. Anything could happen to me between here and the Cornucopia."
Katniss gives me an understanding expression and I continue up the tree. I stop when I hear a dull but still present buzzing sound. It must be insects, and I look around for its source. I gasp and cover my mouth when I see the tracker jacker nest only a few feet away from me. Thankfully the smoke from today's fire sedated the little creatures, but they are definitely a threat. I wave my hand down to grab Katniss' attention and point to the nest.
"Watch out for these," I whisper.
She acknowledges me with a thumbs-up, though her eyes are again calculating, and I wonder what she's thinking. Since she says nothing, I start climbing towards the branch bridge and eventually cross to my own tree. There I gather up my belongings and begin the cautious journey towards the Cornucopia, first in the treetops and later on the ground, always being quiet and cautious. I finally have a purpose to fulfill.
. . .
I hope you liked it! Please review!