Chapter 76: Insight

Katniss and Peeta are preparing for their return to District 12. Katniss' mother will return to District 4 and keep in touch, while Haymitch will travel with the family and Peacekeepers back to their home in the Victor's Village. None of them feels much like a Victor right now and Peeta is silent as he packs the bags and delivers their luggage to the men standing at the door. He doesn't feel like talking and neither does Katniss. She knows there is nothing left to say right now as they leave this place of heartache behind and set their minds to the next stage of their journey and what will be the uncertain outcome of the Games. It will be a long drive and Peeta sits Prim on his knee while Katniss takes Pik in her arms, holding him close and kissing him as he drifts off to sleep. Katniss and Peeta look at each other as the vehicles move off and Katniss takes Peeta's hand in hers. It is a reminder to them both that they are in this together and neither of them is alone in their fear or their pain.

Lorcan has woken to a bright morning in the woods. It will be harder to stay hidden during daylight so he gathers his supplies and shoves them quickly into his backpack as her prepares to move on. He hadn't intended to sleep so long and now feels he has left himself at a disadvantage. Lorcan decides to follow the stream, but stays close to the tree line in case of discovery. All the Tributes will need water to survive so Lorcan guesses they will have the same idea, which means he has to be vigilant. After walking for a while he sees a rocky outcrop at the stream's edge which might provide some shelter and a chance to rest after he forages for food. He has to cross the stream to get to it and as he begins to make his way across, he sees something floating in the water. At that very moment a cannon booms and Lorcan realizes that one of his fellow tributes is dead. Drifting towards him is a backpack and Lorcan grabs it as he hurries across to the other side. It contains a water bottle, which is full, some nuts and matches, too. There is a groundsheet and some berries wrapped in a piece of paper. There is also a pen. The pen seemed like a strange inclusion, but when Lorcan inspects the berries, he can see that the paper has been written on. As he looks more closely he sees the words "HELP ME" written badly in capital letters. Who needs his help? He can't be sure. Maybe it is just a trick and a way of drawing him out of his hiding place. Lorcan remains hidden behind the rocks as he ponders what he should do about the mysterious letter writer.

Ebony had found a pair of crampons in her backpack. These would fit over her boots for the climb and help to give her traction. They had twelve steel teeth and a thick steel base with a Velcro strap to hold them in place. She would need them for her climb this morning. There had been a helmet in her backpack to protect her from any falling ice or snow and a foldable ice pick to enable her to grip the surface of the mountain in more difficult places. Ebony felt her chances of survival were good with the loot the Gamemakers had provided and decided she could work with these. She still needed to eat and had managed to melt some snow in the sun this morning which gave her an opportunity to rehydrate. There had to be some plants which could provide sustenance as well and Ebony decides she will have to dig for these. She needs to do this before she begins her climb and starts foraging for wild garlic and garlic mustard that could often be found close to the surface under the snow. If she can find some, it will be better than nothing and there is no time to lose. The escape route is waiting.

Ramsay had used his climbing skills and Katniss' advice to climb a tree where he had stayed for the night. He, too, had heard the Mockingjays call and couldn't decide if Verity had been the one responsible for their song. Regardless, Ramsay was not answering the call, not if it meant exposing himself and running the risk of coming face to face with the enemy. As if a 13 year old girl could really be his enemy. She could paint herself out of the picture, lie hidden in the woods, but she couldn't confront his brute strength, the strength he had used to force Peeta to the ground in the Training Centre. This thought gives Ramsay the confidence to exit the tree, just in time to see Verity appear from the thicket surrounding it. She doesn't need a weapon to kill him, she just needs the element of surprise, along with a length of rope which she swiftly uses to tie Ramsay to the tree. All it takes then is the call of the wild to bring the beasts to the base of Ramsay's tree to finish him off. In her haste to leave, and not have to watch him die, Verity has not even considered taking the backpack lying beside him. Ramsay manages to pull it close with the hand he has freed from the tightly bound rope, but all he can do is beg for help before it is too late. In the end, the wolves take care of the rest by carrying his backpack as far as the stream where they decide it is of no interest to them as the leaders of the pack finish with Ramsay.

Ottilia has heard the cannon, too. She knows that one of her fellow tributes has finally met their fate and it causes her to remain in her hiding place for fear of being discovered, and also left for dead. Suffering from dehydration, she knows she needs to find water, and hopefully some food, but she has been too afraid to venture far. The Gamemakers had supplied her with a camouflage kit, balaclava and a whistle along with some dried herbs, spare socks and earplugs. Ottilia had decided she would hardly want to draw attention to herself, so the whistle is useless, but she keeps it anyway, just in case she needs some help. Ottilia knows who would come to help her if she called. Lorcan was only 15, but he was caring and had looked out for her before. She had heard wolves howling last night and has no way to protect herself from them. Maybe they should have been allowed weapons in the arena after all.

At the end of a long day, Katniss, Peeta, the children and Haymitch finally arrive back in District 12. Haymitch had told them about his one, unfortunate tribute and assured Katniss and Peeta that their tributes had all survived the first day in the Arena. This was heartening news for both of them and Katniss had not told Peeta that she had watched the tally as it was aired last night. It wasn't the first time they'd had to confront the reality of death in the arena, but it was the first time they would have to confront the death of their own tributes. It was a sobering experience and, for the first time, Katniss could understand why Haymitch had decided never to be sober again...after being the only Mentor for District 12 for 25 years or more. She could only imagine the toll it must have taken on him and now, that she finally has to walk a mile in his shoes, Katniss hopes none of them would have to walk much further before the Games will be brought to an end.