The next day she and Merchan were some of the first tributes to arrive at the Training Center, so Feral used the spare time to go back over to the archery area. She picked up the same bow and arrows she had used the day before and had at it. It took her a few shots to warm up and get her aim back, but she was quickly hitting bull's eye after bull's eye.
The instructor started up a machine that shot fake birds into the air. Feral shot one after another until at one point she hit five in one launch. The few tributes in the Training Center, including Rowan and Zephyr, had all been watching. When she accomplished that feat, Rowan and Zephyr cheered, while the rest just gaped at her until their brains stared working again and they quickly looked away with pretty pissed-off expressions.
Feral trotted away merrily and went over to the fire-building station. It took her a few minutes to get a fire going with flint, but almost no time at all to start a fire with twigs. She had done it almost a million times before on cold days in the woods while she took breaks from searching for herbs. The instructor said she was impressed.
She padded over to camouflage to say good morning to Jenn, who had turned her left leg into the forest floor. Bree, the female tribute from District Two who was also at that area, said she thought it was impressive. Feral just thought it was creepy.
Feral saw Zephyr going to wrestling and bounced over there as well. They arrived at the same time and held hands as the instructor taught them about how useful wrestling skills would be in the arena. Zephyr got a try first, pinning the instructor after about four minutes. Feral was up next, and her small, agile body was hard for the instructor to get a hold of. She carefully dodged just out of his reached and preformed several dainty kicks back at him. At one point she leapt into the air and used his shoulders to propel herself over him. When she landed, she swung her foot around, knocking him to the ground. He laughed and she helped him up.
She parted ways with Zephyr, instead heading over to the edible insects station by herself. The instructor looked delighted and she assumed he didn't get many visitors. He had her sample a few bugs and worms, which she didn't find very gross since she lived by the forest where bugs were everywhere. He told her which ones would have killed her if they hadn't removed the poisons first. He gave her a pamphlet to look through, which she did for about twenty minutes until they were called for lunch. Feral would certainly remember that station.
At lunch she sat with Jenn and Tinn, who she was quickly becoming friends with. Rowan and Zephyr both ate with them as well, sitting on either side of Feral, which was very weird for her since they were both determined to talk to her but also to completely ignore each other.
"Aren't you hungry?" Jenn asked, noticing Feral had only eaten a piece of blueberry bread. She had always loved blueberries. When they were in season she and Willow would go out into the forest and get baskets of them.
"I just came from edible insects," Feral explained with a grin. Everyone laughed, even Tinn who always looked so jumpy and nervous. Jenn, who had an apatite as big as Eve's even though she was average sized, finally convinced her to have another piece.
The tributes were mostly spread out, and Feral's group was one of the only clumps of people. The Careers—Spark, Chance, Teck, Rivera and Hera—all sat together in a large, intimidating clique. Separately they were nerve-racking, together they were mortifying. They talked like they were old friends who had known each other their whole lives. Feral knew that her own group wouldn't be like that. Once the Games began there would be no alliance among them like there would be for the Careers.
She sighed as they were dismissed back to the stations. She hung back and noticed where Merchan was. He was at the axe station. "What's wrong?" Zephyr asked, walking up beside her. He followed her gaze to see what she was staring so intensely at.
"My sister was decapitated in her Hunger Games," She whispered. "By the other District Seven tribute. What if the same death waits for me, Zephyr? My family… they couldn't go on after loosing two children to the Games."
"They won't," Zephyr said, so determined that it made her blink. "I won't let that happen." He walked off, not waiting for Feral to respond. She was too stunned to move for several seconds and in that time Rivera had stalked up behind her.
"Hello Feral," She hissed in her ear, making her jump. She smiled and sighed when she realized who it was, trying to pretend she thought all the tributes were friends and the whole world was filled with sunshine and rainbows. "You can't win you know."
"What do you mean?" She asked, tilting her head like she didn't understand. Of course, she understood perfectly well that Rivera was threatening her.
"I may have let you have Rowan," She said, making Feral blink in surprise. She loves Rowan… she whispered in her mind. Oh man, when we get into the arena she's goanna kill me. "But I'm not going to let you win the Games, seven scum. The victor's crown is going to be mine and there's nothing you can do about it."
"Don't be so sure…" Feral said, the I-know-something-you-don't smirk making reappearance. She bounded off, heading over to the hammock making station where Rowan was. His hands moved so quickly that Feral could barely follow them with her eyes. She wasn't sure how long she watched, but she stayed until he was done. The hammock was intricate and strong.
"Like it?" he asked, holding it towards her.
"Wow…" she breathed, feeling the rope. "That's amazing." He chuckled and placed the hammock back on the station table before heading off to another station. Feral gave the hammock making a try, but before she knew it had ended up with a huge knot instead. It took were several minutes to get her hands unstuck from it. She gave up and went over to the slingshot station. She wasn't too bad, but she wasn't comfortable with it like she was with a bow.
She tried the Knives Station but the way the instructor explained it made her feel sick. She explained how it was important to hit person over their arteries with a knife so they would bleed out. Feral stayed long enough to show her she understood before heading back to archery for a few minutes to get the mental images from the Knives Station out of her head.
She lost track of time and ended up staying there until there wasn't much more then half an hour left on the clock. She did know what she wanted to do, though. She headed over to the Gauntlet and watched from the sidelines as Rivera passed it with flying colors.
"Wanna give it a go?" A pink-haired instructor asked. Feral hesitated but nodded her head. This caught Rivera's attention and she snarled as Feral took the steps to the beginning of the course. "Okay, it's simple. Just try and make it to the end in a short amount of time, while the other instructors try and hit you with padded clubs. Got it?"
"Yeah, I guess…" Feral nodded. Rowan and Zephyr had joined Rivera on the sidelines to watch. She glanced over and the two of them smiled encouragingly while Rivera snickered.
"Ready…" The instructor said slowly. "Set… Go!" Feral ran the first few steps before leaping gingerly up onto the first platform. She leapt up two more in a row with ease and began to wonder why she had waited so long before trying it out.
She remembered right about when the first padded club was swung at her feet. She leapt into the air and it barely missing knocking her to the ground. She kept going and had to flatten herself to the platform the next time it came around. Out of its range, she leapt easily over four more platforms until she reached the highest point. All she had to do now was make it back to bottom.
The second club came at her and she found herself flipping over and landing neatly on the next platform, just like she had seen Rivera do. She kept going and was out of range of the club before it could come back around. She glanced at Rivera, who looked thoroughly enraged. The next clubs soared at her but she ducked swiftly under it.
She supposed her agility had come from all those days she had spent racing throw the forest. She had had to jump over stumps and fallen logs and duck under low hanging branches. Those skills were what the Gauntlet was all about and she had been homing them since she was a small child.
The club came back at her and it missed her face by only inches. She leapt off the final platform and over the finish line. Zephyr and Rowan cheered. "How'd I do?" She panted to the instructor.
"How'd you do?" The instructor repeated with a chuckle. "You almost beat the high score!"
"Almost," Rivera whispered in her ear, strutting by and flicking her blonde hair in Feral's face. Feral rolled her eyes, knowing that Rivera might have the Gauntlet in the palm of her hand, but in the arena if it came down to climbing then Feral would be victor.
"That was great!" Rowan said appearing beside her.
"You think so?" she blushed, trying to act modest.
"I know so," he smiled. It was time to go, so Feral bid goodbye to Rowan and Zephyr and went to meet up with Eve. On her way she passed Tinn, who had to be guided by Jenn to get back to his mentor. Feral pitied him. Surely he knew that he was going to die. There was no possible way he could win the Hunger Games. She wondered how he copped with it and knew it was the same as how everyone else copped with it. They thought they were all going to die as well.
The weight of their predicament finally hit Feral right in the face, making her stumble. She had to lean on a nearby table for support for several seconds while she caught her breath. Her name was Feral Tarani. She was a tribute in the Hunger Games. She was going to die.
"Are you alright, kid?" Eve asked when Feral finally joined them. "You look like you're about to throw up."
"I'm fine," Feral dismissed. "I almost beat the high score on the Gauntlet." Eve smiled and led her into the elevator with the other tributes. Feral straightened up as they started to ascend. Rowan waved to her as he got off on the District Four level, while Rivera glared. Zephyr took her hand and kissed her knuckles before he got out on the District Eight floor.
When they finally got out on the District Seven floor, Feral didn't wait. She bounced out of the elevator and merrily waved to the other tributes before trotting off to the right down the hallway. Once she was out of sight all her foxiness faded, replaced by full-on grief. She went straight to the shower where she stayed for several hours, sobbing quietly into her hands. She was going to die and once again her family would be left all alone.
When she got out of the shower she had run out of tears. She didn't boring putting any pajamas on; she just crawled under the covers of her bed in her underwear. She pulled the sheets up over her head and wished that she never had to come out from under there. It was so warm and cozy. Like a fox den… she said to herself as she drifted off the sleep.