Chapter 10

Peeta, Careers, and Water

For a second my heart stops. My stomach clenches in fear, and I don't know what to do. I think logically for a brief second. If she set a snare she must be camped out close by, if she's on the ground she's as good as dead-she has no weapons that I know of, and there's five Careers, even if Peeta were to help her they'd both be killed.

I shudder at the thought, and being packing my supplies as hurriedly as possible. When everything is in place I climb down my tree as fast as possible. I jump the last four feet to the ground, and land with a soft thud-but the Careers are too far away to notice. I'm thankful for the cover of darkness as I move on the ground-it makes me uncomfortable.

I follow the orange glows of the Careers lights from a distance. When they stop and begin arguing-finally realizing what I already knew, the other tribute is not dead-I begin to scale a willow. I can't jump from tree to tree in these branches, but I can get an aerial view of the situation. I watch as the Careers grumble at one another, until Peeta speaks up, saying he'll take care of the problem. I wince-though I know he doesn't actually mean the words, it's too easy to envision him as a bloodthirsty Career. His wounds look rather painful, his face is bruised, and he's limping, he also has a bloody bandage on his arm, but he still appears ready to do some damage if he was so inclined.

As Peeta walks away, back to the dying tribute, I make a decision. The sun is coming up, and if the Careers were hunting at night they'll be sleeping in the daytime. If I want to know what their camp looks like I have to go while they're asleep.

I watch from my perch, where I can still see Katniss's snare, in awe of Peeta's actions. He stops before he goes to 'take care of' the dying tribute, to cover Katniss's snare with some leaves. He's making it completely invisible. I'm shocked, because not only would humans be unable to spot it, animals will easily be captured in this snare-it looks completely natural. Peeta's ability to camouflage is certainly his strongest asset.

In seconds the snare is covered, and Peeta continues to carry out his unpleasant task. He's gone for a few minutes, making me think he doesn't actually kill the poor girl, he simply stays with her-so she doesn't die alone, it's one of the few gifts that can be given in the arena.

When Peeta returns to the rest of the Careers the fallen tribute's cannon sounds, and I climb down from my willow. I'm careful to move soundlessly, as I follow the Career pack through the woods. I stay a good hundred feet away, relying on their voices and torchlight to lead me, and I know they won't spot me.

At this point I'm fairly sure that unless there's a good fight occurring somewhere, I am being featured on the screens of Panem-a twelve year old following the Career pack back to their home base. To viewers it must look like I'm on the offensive-well good, let them be confused, and shocked. In reality this mission is simply for gathering intelligence. I need to know what they're camp looks like. Katniss will find this information valuable, especially if she wants to get her hands on that bow.

The pack moves so slowly-though they are running-and after about twenty minutes of following them I've made it out of the patch of willows. With good climbing trees all around I'm able to travel in my preferred manner. I jump from branch to branch, until I realize where they're headed.

The same as every other year, the Careers have the vast majority of supplies to themselves. They keep it all near the Cornucopia, to lazy, and 'powerful' to bother moving it. When the trees start to thin, and I can see the Cornucopia in the rising sun's light, I stop advancing, hoping to stay concealed.

I watch the Careers approach the pile of supplies, but not until after they consult with the boy from 3, who somehow was trusted to singlehandedly guard their precious supplies. It confuses me, but whatever this person's skill is it must be immensely powerful.

I watch, hoping to discover this 'secret skill' but not one person indicates the nature of the tribute boy from 3's importance. The Careers eat a light breakfast before dropping off to sleep-all expect Peeta. While the other Careers sleep soundly knowing that no one would dare attack them, Peeta remains awake and alert, it's clear he doesn't trust his allies. He shouldn't-the only reason they're keeping him around is because they think he can find Katniss for them.

The boy from 2, Cato, has it out for Katniss because her 11 upstaged his 10. He wants to be the one to kill her that much is clear. However, what they don't know, and what I do, is that Peeta knew she was nearby last night and 'Lover Boy' didn't tell them. For powerful tributes they really are stupid.

After some time, Peeta drops off to sleep, and with all the Careers sleeping soundly I consider going to the lake for some water, but I quickly dismiss the thought, it's simply too close in proximity-I wouldn't take such a risk without the cover of nightfall.

Just before I leave I take a special note of the bow. The girl from 1-the others call her Glimmer-keeps it at her side, but she's not as comfortable with it as she should be if it was her preferred weapon. I know that I could never singlehandedly steal the bow, but perhaps Katniss and I together… I quickly dismiss the thought. Right now she doesn't know I exist.

I use the trees to double back to my position earlier, until I see another snare, right along the willow patch. Katniss must be on the move. I wonder if she's found water yet. I don't think so, because if she had stumbled on it yesterday it would have been somewhere between her and the Cornucopia, which would have meant she found it on the same path I am taking currently.

I think back to this morning, and I recall one detail with perfect clarity-though I had ignored it at the time-the Mockingjays had been singing. Their songs had been echoing through the trees of the vast forest so perfectly. I know from experience that Mockingjays are fiercely protective of their young-it only took one time for me to learn that if you stole Mockingjay eggs you ended up with beak scratches all over your arms. I smile at the memory.

When my stomach begins to growl I turn my eyes higher in the sky. There's a birds nest not too far from here, and I leap over to the tree containing what I hope is a nest full of bird eggs. I'm rewarded, and this particular nest holds four eggs. They fit in the palm of my hand, and I only take one, knowing it will suffice for breakfast. I yearn to cook it, like we would at home, but there's no helping it, I won't build a fire. I suck the egg down quickly, and pause, sitting on the branch contemplating my next move.

So far so good, in terms of food, and staying hidden, but I need water. I know Katniss-wait, I think in confusion. I smell smoke, that's not right. I know that the dead tribute's fire could still be hot right now, but the odds that it's still smoking are not good.

I look to the sky, searching for a pillar of smoke ascending towards the sky, but I see nothing. If there's no smoke in the sky, and there's no crackling of a fire… I have an idea.

I stay high in my tree and jump a little ways, to where I was this morning, sleeping over the tribute girl. I have a clear view of the camp, and I smile. Someone-smart and resourceful-has used the hot coals of the fire to cook something. I wish I had thought of that. I scamper down the tree-I imagine I must resemble a squirrel-and I drop to the ground lightly.

I head back to where I found Katniss's first snare. I'm surprised to see a pile of leaves-no the pile of leaves that Peeta's hands had expertly manufactured to disguise the snare covering a pile of animal remains, which are covered in flies. The snare has been taken apart-by Katniss I assume, who has already collected her food, and eaten I would assume.

She's very intelligent to think of using this tribute's fire. She must have jumped at the chance as soon as we left-but that doesn't explain the thick smoke smell that had hit me minutes before. I ponder this for a moment until I realize that the fire's hot coals have been stomped out. My heart jumps at what this must mean: Katniss just left!

I have time to catch her if I move fast. I scale a large tree quickly, and begin flying from tree to tree in my socked feet, as fast as I dare. A few moments later I stop to listen, hoping-if the odds could be in my favor, just this once-that Katniss isn't far ahead and I will be able to hear her moving through the forest. Even in my silence, I can't hear a thing. Not a snapping branch, not crunching leaves. Either I have badly misjudged my position or I have missed her by more time than I had first thought.

I press further down the path I think she has taken and I'm giving up hope that I might be able to catch up with her-unless she stops to rest somewhere I doubt that will happen.

I continue in the direction I set off on throughout the day. I don't catch up with Katniss, but I see subtle signs, from above, that hint of her direction. For the first few hours she seemed to be eating some kind of an animal, perhaps a bird, or a rabbit-the bones seem thick, and I think I saw fur in the pile of animal remains by her old snare.

Every half hour or so she'd drop a bone that would confirm that I was following someone, who I could only hope was Katniss. The bone trail stopped when she had finished her meal about mid morning.

Though I was had been in the trees I was beginning to feel the effects of dehydration. I had a pounding headache, and though I was normally at ease in the trees I had lost my balance a few times, almost dropping over fifty feet to the ground. I started being more careful, and I watched the branches more cautiously.

When I'd first heard the noise I froze, becoming an addition to the tree I was perched in. I listened intently, and I knew it was someone-Katniss?-climbing a tree. I couldn't see from where I was, but I was pretty sure it was Katniss. I jumped a few more branches, thankful for the heavy foliage. I knew that when the sun began to set I would need to stop and get my bearings, before continuing on in the dark, at the very least. It would appear that an exhausted, and presumably thirsty, Katniss was scaling a tree and holing up for the night.

My sore body ached to follow her footsteps, but I recalled an errant thought I had from day one in the arena-in the evening birds flight paths lead towards water. When I paired that fact with the fact that water runs down hill and we were in a valley, I thought my chances of finding water tonight were fairly good.

I tie my spare sweatshirt to a branch about a hundred feet up in a tree overlooking Katniss's perch, so I can locate my camp later. I allow myself one hour of searching the nearby area to seek the water my body so desperately needed. I set off, but not without looking to the sky for the Mockingjays. I catch a glimpse of one Mockingjay, going in a direction that I judge to be away from my tree at a right. I wait five more minutes and see a flock of sparrow's head in the same direction as the Mockingjay.

With the birds leading me in the right direction I follow their lead. They take me in one direction for about half an hour, and then I'm rewarded, with a small body of water! Ahhh… I scramble down the tree awkwardly and rush to the edge of the water source. I fill my water skin and drink thirstily. I fill it once more, and scale back up a tree, promising to return in the morning to refill again.

With my thirst satisfied I'm faced with another conundrum. Katniss is still dehydrating. She hasn't stumbled upon the water source as I have, and I now know she doesn't share my knowledge about the birds. She's slowly dying of thirst. I can't let this happen, obviously, and the easiest solution would be to go up to her and tell her I can get her water. Somehow I know the traditional way won't work with Katniss-she's not the average tribute.

She would feel like she owed me something-I know I would-and if, no when, I die I don't want her feeling guilty. How, when you can't make yourself known, do you lead a fellow tribute to water?

I'm at a total loss, until I remember that I still have my slingshot. I also remember a thought I had earlier, to gather rocks. My idea plays heavily on her huntress instincts, but I think it will work. And suddenly I feel sure that I can help the famous Katniss Everdeen, Girl on Fire.

Hey guys! So... for all you naive people out there who actually thought Katniss won all by herself, sorry you're wrong-in my eyes at least. I never thought that Katniss magically survived by sheer coincidence, so in my version of the story (Rue's Version) we see what 'really' happened. If you liked Peeta's help, and the idea Rue had to plan Katniss getting water then you will like the rest of the story. Yes, that's right, all those unexplainable things that Katniss just happened to do at the right time? Well... let's just say Rue is going to be behind a lot of that.

Hope you like the idea. I just thought a character as amazing as Rue would contribute more to Katniss's victory than what was hinted at in the books.

Let me know what you think, good or bad, I love feedback. It makes me a better writer and it tells me what my audience does or doesn't like.

Thanks,

R&R