I LIVE! *crawls out of the hole of writer's block*
Yes, I'm finally back to working on this one... Somehow my writing seems to have gotten more depressing. Is that just me? If it's true, I apologize...
Anyway, read on! Reviews are always appreciated, and speaking of which, thanks very much to Legendary Swordsman for the review! It always cheers me up to get one~
Enjoy!
~DarkieDucessa
CHAPTER NINE
IKE
The four tributes were in a good mood as they climbed back up the cliffs, back towards the caves, river, and sparse woodland near the top. The two full packs were satisfyingly heavy for the boys, and the faint smell of smoke was a reminder of their success. That, and one of their mentors had sent them a rope, which made the climbing a lot easier for Kita. Not even the incessant rain could lower their spirits.
They returned to the river just as the sun was going down, and after a brief search they found a good, well-camouflaged cave to spend the night in—one a bit bigger than the last, to accommodate for their new weapons as well.
On account of conserving their supplies, they ate little, but the Cornucopia food was much more filling than the local supply. They were just finishing when they showed the day's death count. The Hawk boy.
"How many does that leave?" Ike asked quietly.
"Twelve." Zelgius replied instantly. "The five Careers, the four of us, Mia, the Red Dragon girl, and Volug."
"And it's only the fourth day," Leanne mused, "but we've already taken out their supplies, too."
"These Hunger Games are going fast," Kita agreed.
Leanne glanced at her arm. Her time was still 13: 02: 55; she'd had no other need to Transform as of yet. "I wonder how much time the other tributes have left," she said.
Ike shrugged. "Probably not much..."
"Let's not worry about those things now," the Branded girl said with a smile. "We deserve to take our mind off serious things for awhile."
"Doing that is what'll get us killed," Zelgius said quietly.
Leanne laughed. "Oh, you just don't want to have time alone to think about your secret crush!"
Both the girls laughed as Zelgius reddened slightly. Ike felt a small pang of something in his heart—some emotion that he didn't quite understand.
Was it...jealousy?
A bit later, they got into the cave for the night. Kita and Leanne were out almost immediately, but Ike couldn't sleep. He was thinking about all the family and friends he'd left back home; worrying about Mist and his mother, hoping Lucia and the others were getting by, wondering how Titania was...
And he couldn't stop thinking about Zelgius. About the other boy, and the strange feelings Ike got when he was around...
Ike gave up on sleeping and quietly crawled out of his sleeping bag, then exited the cave, careful not to disturb the others.
The night was cold, as all the nights in the Arena had been, but he barely noticed; he'd experienced worse winters in District 11. He didn't know where to go or what he was doing, so he just walked around and leaned against a nearby boulder, looking up at the sky. There were a lot of stars, and the moon was almost full; but he had to wonder whether any of them were real or if they were all Gamemaker-engineered.
He seemed to sit there for a while, just watching the stars.
"You couldn't sleep, either?" The quiet voice startled him out of his reverie, and he glanced over to see Zelgius standing near him. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly ordered himself to be calm.
"No... Did I wake you?" Ike asked, his voice slightly guarded.
The other boy shook his head and sat down next to Ike. "I'm afraid I suffer from acute prolonged insomnia." After a pause and a glance at Ike's confused expression, he added; "It means I can't sleep. In fact, I hardly ever sleep at all."
"Why? Just because you're...thinking?" Ike asked quietly.
"Not necessarily...but usually, yes." A pause. "Why couldn't you sleep?"
"Thinking." Ike replied bluntly. "About..." Well, he couldn't say what he was really thinking about. "District 11."
Zelgius waited for him to continue.
"I'm... just... worried about my sister, and Mother, and Mia's family." he added quickly. "I hope they're doing all right without us..." He paused. "Do you have any other family, Zelgius?"
The Branded shook his head. "I have Kita; all the others are dead, or I never knew them."
Ike frowned slightly. "...Then who were you living with? I mean, technically you aren't an adult until you surpass the Reaping age, which means you couldn't live alone...Were you in a community home?"
He shook his head. "Well...for a while, after my mother's death, I pretended she was still alive, so that they wouldn't send us to the home..." He sighed. "I managed to fool everybody for a few years, but then someone found out...a woman by the name of Sydelle. Hawk Branded. A... a distant cousin of my father's. She took care of us and ensured that no one would send us away."
Ike was slightly hesitant to ask the eventual question; "What happened to her?"
"...She died." Zelgius said faintly. "Last year. We ran out of food and she insisted on us eating before her... and then she got pneumonia, and we couldn't afford a doctor. We found out after she died that she actually had some money owed to her by the Head Peacekeeper, which she'd left for us; fortunately the debtor was good enough to uphold his side and pay us back, so we managed to struggle through the winter on that, still pretending that Sydelle and our mother were still alive so that we wouldn't be sent off. ...I don't know how we would have made it through another winter, though..."
Ike didn't know what to say; but he had the feeling words wouldn't be appropriate at that moment. So instead, he leaned slightly closer and slipped his hand into Zelgius'. His heart was pounding a bit faster, and he thought it seemed a fairly pathetic attempt at comfort, but it was all he could think of.
For Zelgius, it was enough.
They sat together for a long time, looking up at the stars. Ike vaguely registered that the moon was now full.
GAMES HEADQUARTERS
"Gah," Shinon said, glancing away from the screen. "I can't stand mushy romance like this."
"Oh, stop it," Micaiah said sternly, watching the screen with interest. "This could be an important draw for sponsors, you know."
"Bleh. I'm gonna go get a drink."
Micaiah rolled her eyes and sighed cheerfully as the man walked off. "Boys."
IKE
The clouds had rolled back in and it was raining hard when Ike awoke the next morning. Zelgius had gone, probably to check on the girls. Sighing faintly, rubbing rainwater and sleep out of his eyes, he went back to the cave.
They were gone.
He blinked, not quite sure he knew what he was seeing, but his eyes weren't deceiving him. Zelgius, Kita, and Leanne were all gone. No trace was left that they had been there; Ike's equipment was scattered across the floor.
Where could they have gone...? he asked himself quietly. Why...
There didn't seem to be anything to do but pack up his equipment and move on. So he did, his mind still reeling from the shock and confusion of it all.
There were, he figured as he left the cave, only three options. One; they had been attacked by Careers in the night and killed, and the Capitol had recovered their equipment along with the bodies. That didn't seem possible, since he would probably dead too if that had happened, or at the least the sound of three cannons would have woken him. Two; they had gone off to hunt and left him to his rest, planning to return later. That seemed unlikely, judging by how Zelgius had insisted on waking up the girls the day before so they could all stick together.
Three; they had abandoned him.
All in all, Ike didn't know what to think. He didn't think he could trust his heart anymore, and his mind was even more confused. So he just kept walking.
It was lonely, in the rain by himself. It seemed like hours had passed, and the skies had shown no sign of letting up; the lonely blue-haired boy had seen no sign of the friends that had disappeared, either. He didn't quite know where to go; he couldn't fight the other tributes by himself, the Cornucopia was destroyed... all there seemed to be was the endless gray of the stones and the river. He followed the river; it was all he could think of doing, and better than just wandering off into the wilderness.
He had the vague impression of the sun rising and going down; at some point the sky seemed to get darker than it already was, and then he figured it was night. He came to a high cliff; the stone dropped straight down about seven hundred feet to a grassy field below. The river widened at the edge and fell down in a waterfall, pooling at the bottom to create a beautiful, pristine blue lake. Some trees dotted around the water's edge down below, and he even thought he saw splotches of color, like flowers—but when he looked over the edge, the stone was absolutely smooth and flat; there was no way to climb down without a rope, and it would have to be extremely long at that. The rope they'd received the day before had been taken by his friends when they disappeared.
Since he figured it was night now, he found a small nook in a rock and nestled up in there. The rain continued to pour around him, though since he was already soaking wet it wouldn't have mattered much if he'd been out or under cover. He ate a little food from his pack, but despite the fact his stomach felt empty, he wasn't hungry.
The only time the rain let up was for a few brief minutes to play the anthem. There were no tributes in the sky that night; the day had been uneventful.
It also meant that his earlier theory of his friends getting killed was definitely false. Which left the most likely theory as number three.
He didn't like to think about it, but it seemed unavoidable. His friends had abandoned him. Zelgius had abandoned him. Right when he'd finally felt as if he had a home, right after their victory, right when he'd actually been happy... they had gone and left him alone.
Why? Was it because he hadn't killed the Hawk boy himself, and Zelgius had decided he was worthless? Did they think he was a liability? Or did they think he was too dangerous now, because he was armed, and suspected that he would betray them?
He didn't know.
Strangely enough, some of the rain on his face tasted salty.
GAMES HEADQUARTERS
Micaiah sniffed slightly and wiped away a tear as she watched the forlorn Ike on the screen. "Oh, the poor boy..." she murmured.
Shinon snorted. "Oh, please. Really, Micaiah, you've gotten much too soft. Sponsors don't go for the 'poor-me' look."
"Soft..?" She sighed. "Don't you feel any sympathy?"
"Nah. Don't really care, to be honest."
She sighed again. "Shinon..."
CAREERS
"I don't see what's taking you so long," Skrimir grumbled.
Sakira stood up from the footprints and spun on him. "Well, maybe you'd like to figure out where those damn half-breeds have gone, then!" she snapped.
"It's not my fault that the rain washed out the tracks!" the lion boy roared.
"It's not mine either, so just shut your mouth unless you have an actual plan!" the girl snarled, her fangs bared.
Kurth shuddered slightly. "O-oh, I h-hate being alone with you two..." he stammered nervously to himself. "W-where could V-Vika and Med-dha have g-gone...?"
ZELGIUS
Oh Goddess. Oh Goddess. Why...why did they...why did I...we...why...I have so many questions and none of them seem right...
Why was it just her that found us? Oh, Goddess, no, that's not the right question at all...
Why didn't she wait for him? No...that's not right, either...
Why did I have to leave him? ...No, still wrong...
Ah, finally...the right question...
...Why does this...hurt...so...much...?
CAREERS
Medha Ekard limped weakly through the sparse forest, rain drizzling all around her. Her right arm hung limply, twisted at several wrong angles, and an untended gash on her right leg left a trail of blood behind her, but she didn't care.
She fell to her knees at the edge of the river and shakily tried to cup some water in her uninjured hand to drink; most of it poured back onto the ground before it reached her mouth. She tried again, only marginally more successful, and then went about the task of removing the knife from her arm.
It was lodged in the bone, and she nearly screamed in pain when she tugged on it. Biting a stone to keep from crying out, she wiggled it loose. Blood spurted from the wound; she threw the knife aside and desperately clutched her arm, trying to staunch the flow of blood, but it was no use.
She finally spit the stone out and laughed, almost psychotically. She looked up at the sky, letting the rain pour into her mouth, her eyes, down her arm, washing away the blood. "Feel like sending anything down?" she called, hoping the cameras were on her and her mentor was watching this.
There was no answer. She chuckled. "I always knew Kurth was your favorite. Ah, well...not like either of us did very well to begin with, compared to the others..."
She heard a distant wolf's howl and laughed again. "Come and get me, dog!" she screamed. "I'm here! Just come and get me!"
Subtly her hand reached for the knife.
IKE
The blue-haired boy was startled out of sleep by the death toll cannon. He shot straight up, slightly panicked, wondering if the killer was nearby.
I hope it wasn't Zelgius who died, he realized he was thinking. Then he scolded himself; You idiot! Zelgius abandoned you! He's no more of an ally than...anyone...
He had the distinct feeling he was lying to himself. Just in case the cameras were on him, he made sure his face was emotionless before he got up again.
The rain still poured, and within a minute he was soaked to the bone. Holding his sword carefully, he tried to listen for footsteps or anyone nearby, but the rain drowned out all other sounds. He supposed that was sort of a good thing, since it meant that the rain was heavy enough to hide his scent as well, and wash away his tracks. He could return to his sleeping spot, and so long as no one stumbled by the exact right boulder, he would be perfectly hidden.
He was just turning to go back again when he heard the beginnings of the Capitol anthem. He realized it must be night, though the clouds were so thick it was impossible to tell. He looked up at the sky, and saw that the rainclouds had parted in a perfect square shape to show the seal of the Capitol—how the Gamemakers had pulled that off, he had no idea.
Then a picture of a tribute came up—a picture of the one who'd died. Medha Ekard. Then the anthem finished, the lights disappeared, and the clouds filled in the gap after a few seconds.
Not Zelgius. He allowed himself an inward sigh of relief. Not Kita, or Leanne...but a Career. I wonder how that happened...
I wonder if it was Zelgius that killed her. For some reason, the thought of that made him shudder.
Then he heard a scream.
LEANNE
I don't think I've ever been this terrified in my life.
No; I was, once before. When I stood in the square of District Seven and heard my name called. When I had to tear myself away from my little brother, and stand up on that stage, and be treated as if I were some kind of hero, when I wanted nothing more than to run away. I remembered my sisters, my brothers' deaths, televised everywhere for everyone to see.
Some things should never be shown. Not like that. I imagined my own death being shown on those screens and then I couldn't stop the tears.
But that was a different kind of fear. That was an anticipated fear, a fear of what I knew was to come, a fear for the ones who my death would devastate.
This fear is different. This fear is rash.
I'm hanging by a fingernail from a smooth, polished wet rock, dangling hundreds of feet over a lake, a hole in my wing and only three arrows in my quiver.
I'm going to fall. I'm going to die.
The raven circles overhead in her Reverted form, a bloodied spear in her hands. Her face is twisted in a cruel grin as she looks down at me, struggling to hold on.
"How does it feel, bitch?" she calls. "How does it feel to be powerless? How does it feel when you face your imminent end?" Why does she say such things, when she's never had such a feeling herself? I have. I have felt it many times.
I drag myself up a little and she swoops down, jabbing at my hands. I'm forced to let myself slip or she'll impale my fingers and I'll never be able to hold on. I bite my tongue, determined not to scream again.
She laughs cruelly, then flies down at me with a yell. "This is for Esal!"
Esal? He was the raven boy. I didn't kill him. Why am I being attacked for doing something I did not?
Oh, Mother...Father...
Vika shrieks suddenly, falling backwards away from me. I'm confused as to why, before I see a steel sword embedded in her leg.
There's only one person I know who can do that. I look up through the rushing water, and for a moment I think I see a dark form run across the river. My heart skips a beat.
Still, I can't take the time to think about it. The raven's distracted; this is my chance. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I flap my wings and ascend.
I make it to the top of the waterfall and collapse on the edge of the river, just as Vika lands not far away, pulling the sword out of her with a small cry. Then I lose sight of her as a dark form runs in front, grabbing the sword back and coming around to stand in front of me.
Ike! You're here! You came for me...!
Vika snarls and gets to her feet, and so do I. "You'll be sorry, little beorc!" she growls, readjusting her grip on the spear and flapping her wings to keep her hovering just above the ground.
"I would've been more sorry if I'd let you kill her," he replies flatly.
"Ike!" I say, and I can hear the relief in my voice.
"Leanne, stay back!" he says quickly. "You're injured."
"She'll be dead soon enough!" Vika shouts, charging at Ike and swinging the spear down in an overhead blow. He parries and slashes back at her; she flies backwards to avoid it and comes in again.
Shakily, the wounds in my wing and hands still hurting, I get to my feet. I dropped my pack when I was hanging, but I managed to keep hold of my bow, and now I set one of my last arrows on the string.
Ike and Vika are fighting full-out now, and it's hard to tell who's winning. Vika has the advantageous weapon, and she can fly out of reach when she needs to, but Ike is obviously stronger and has a speed I never saw in him before. I don't like to take chances, however; the raven has to die, has to die, and I don't know if Ike can do it... if Ike can kill someone.
I don't think I can either, but...if I have to...
Vika screams and falls to the ground as Ike slashes her wings; black feathers go flying, are whisked away by the wind. Rain drips off the sword as my friend levels it at the raven—and then I see it; his hesitation, his reluctance...
He doesn't want to kill. He can't. Not like this.
And I see Vika, her eyes locked on Ike's, subtly reach for her spear—and, without thinking, I aim my bow and fire.
She jerks in pain and Ike starts as an arrow appears in the raven's side. I missed the heart, but I at least hit a lung.
With a scream of anger and pain, she rolls over the spear and picks it up; Ike lunges for her, and she raises the spear at him. He nearly runs right into it; and that's when I shoot a second time. The arrow slams into Vika's arm, and she cries out again.
Oh, Goddess. I don't want to do this...
Ike glances back at me, surprised; Vika takes the opportunity to raise her spear again, and I reach for my last arrow—
What? No more arrows? I—I was sure I—
I feel a sudden pain, a pain that makes me gasp and drives all the wind out of me, suddenly I can't breathe—
…...I was sure I had three...
Vika slumps over; I think Ike stabbed her. He shouts in disbelief, runs to my side; I collapse, weakly pulling out the spear protruding just above my stomach. He catches me as I stumble backwards into the river; my blood pours into the waters as he tries to staunch the wound, keep all the rest of it from pouring out.
The raven cackles weakly. "Hah...ha...that's...the end of you...bitch." she says. Then her voice fades, and the cannon sounds, and I know she is dead.
Oh, Goddess...my brothers...
"Leanne!" Ike cries. "Don't—wait—no!"
"Ike..." I say. "I'm...sorry...I didn't...wake you up."
"Leanne...Why?" he asks. "Why did you leave? Why did Zelgius..."
He has to know. He has to forgive him. "He...was...protecting...you." I rasp. "The...dragon...Zelgius...had to...had to..."
Rafiel...I'm so sorry.
"Please hold on," Ike says. "Don't go. Don't die!"
He has to forgive him. He has to. Or he will... "Ike...Please..." I beg. "I can see...into your...heart. Find...find him...forgive him...please..."
Riley, little brother...
When he speaks again, his voice is quieter. "I...I'll...try. I promise."
I feel my life slipping away, feel the darkness creeping in—
Riley, don't watch...!
IKE
He felt Leanne's life ebb away in his arms and knew it was pointless to try and stop it. He knew that the cameras would be on him—just knew, knew that the Gamemakers wouldn't miss the chance to show the heron's death, and his reaction to it—and he struggled to keep his face emotionless, struggled to remain strong.
She seemed so...small. Helpless. How could anyone have wanted to kill her, this lonely young girl from District 7?
He suddenly felt a touch of regret, on top of the emotions he was already experiencing. Back in the Training Center, before the private sessions... He'd promised to sing for her someday. It had been a stupid thing to promise, since they both knew at least one of them would die in the following two weeks—but he'd made that promise, and now, as she was dying, he didn't think he would ever fulfill it.
He knew he should sing for her. He remembered her mentioning the Final Rites, and thought perhaps he should sing that—but then, he'd never heard it sung before, and he didn't know how to.
Then a different song came to mind—a lullaby that his mother had sang to him and his sister, when they were children...
He didn't know if it was exactly appropriate, but he didn't care—and he quietly began to sing;
Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow
Lay down your head, and close your eyes
And when they open, the sun will rise...
He felt Leanne shudder in his arms and knew she wouldn't last much longer. He doubted she could even hear him. But he still had to finish...if only for her;
Deep in the meadow, hidden far away
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay...
His voice quavered as she shuddered again, and his breath seemed to come to him even as it left her;
And when it's morning, they'll wash away.
In the trees all around, the Irotonimagem began to hauntingly echo his song.
"Ike..." Leanne whispered, her voice barely audible. "Your voice...it's...beau...ti...ful..."
And she breathed her last.
A cannon sounded. Ike couldn't hear a thing but Leanne's words, echoing endlessly in his head. He stayed firm, and not a tear came to his eyes—but it hurt, it hurt so much...
Thousands of miles away, in the seventh district of Tellius, thousands of Herons sang in a haunting rendition of the Final Rites, a harmonic of voices that would likely never be heard all together again.
All across the Capitol, all across Tellius, in the small households of Greil and Wayu and so many more like them, tears trickled down the faces of the watchers as the heron girl's life faded.
And a young heron boy choked down a sob as his sister died on the screen; as the cannon sounded; as Ike slowly stood and walked away.