No trigger warnings for this chapter, unless you get squeamish at thought of dead animals.

Hunter Appalachie, 16
District 10 Male

One month before the Reaping

"Goin' trappin'?" Aunt Joey asks as she leans in the doorway. "Make sure that whatever ya catch, ya save some o' it for tonight. I'm makin' stew."

Uncle Ted leans in and gives her a little kiss on the cheek. Then he slings a bag over his shoulder. "Of course, dear. Come on now, boys. Let's head out!"

Tanner and Soren wave goodbye to their mom before following their dad. I pick up the rear, carrying my game bag and a small knife with me. It's my job to make sure we're not being followed by anyone. Usually, we never are. Nobody can be bothered to care about what we're doing.

For the most part, the quick trek is a quiet affair because we're not covering a lot of ground. And we don't want anyone to notice where we're headed. We finally reach the edge of the district, where a supposed electric fence lies in wait. But it's not turned on and never will be. Instead, we just slip through a wide opening. I feel like a snake with how effortless I can get through, careful not to snag my clothes or my bag on the wire.

Now we're out of 10 and in the wilderness.

Since there's nobody else around, my cousins raise their voices a little, breaking into small chatter in their charming little accents that have girls falling for them left and right. It always kinda annoys me how I'm the only person in my family with no accent that makes everyone immediately go gaga for me. I'm not even talented enough to fake one. I guess you could say I'm a bit jealous. But I'm such a black sheep in so many ways it's not funny. Or fair.

"Let's check the traps," Uncle Ted announces. "Soren, you're with me, an' we're goin' east. We'll meet in five."

Sounds good to me. I follow Tanner west to check on the half dozen animal traps we have there.

The first one has a rabbit inside. Gently, Tanner pulls it free from the trap, then places the corpse inside our bag. He does it with such care that you'd think the measly thing is still alive or sleeping. I don't get the point. When we come across another rabbit in a different trap, I don't bother to be as careful and just stuff the thing in the bag like the dead animal it is. Then I almost drop the bag when Tanner slaps the back of my head.

"Confound it, Hunter! Be gentle! That rabbit gave up itself fo' us an' the least ya could do is show an ounce o' respect."
Why do I bite back? I'm gonna lose this argument no matter what. "But it's just a bunny."
"It's a bunny that had a momma an' a poppa an' a family just like ya an' me. What's the difference?"

I scowl. "Fine. I'll be careful next time. And I really hate when you do that."
"I'm gonna do that 'til you learn, boy." Tanner flicks the inside of my hat. I want to remind him that he's not that much older than me and he definitely doesn't get to talk to me like he's my dad or anything, but we're interrupted by a hollering across the woods.

"BOYS!? YOU HAVE TO COME SEE THIS!"

Uncle Ted never shouts, so it must be something good. The other traps are empty, so I help Tanner quickly reset them, then we spring over roots and logs and fallen trees until we reach my uncle and my cousin holding-

"A deer," I say softly. "Holy shit."
Uncle Ted grins as he holds the body aloft. "Haven't caught one o' these in years. It would appear we'll be eatin' well tonight, boys. Alright, let's get this wrapped up."
I have no clue how to handle deer, so I just let my uncle and cousins do it. God, my mouth is watering already at the thought of fresh deer meat.

The traps didn't yield much game today, but that deer more than makes up for it. We rarely have something caught in all twelve traps anyways. Uncle Ted decides we'll sell the rabbits and one squirrel we caught to the butchers in town. But we've gotta get through the fence first and the wrapped deer carcass won't pass through the gaps. Eventually, we just slink through the opening while Soren climbs a tree and tosses the game bags down. He slides down the trunk, only to wind up with a nasty scrape on his lower back when his shirt rides up and he practically lands face first on the ground. He sticks his tongue out at me as I snicker.

"Stop misbehavin', you two." Uncle Ted hoists the bags over his shoulder. "We only got a couple hours before we better be home."
"Yes da," Soren mutters, but not before punching my arm. I punch him back. Tanner rolls his eyes.

District 10 is full of butchers, but the only place the Appalachies trust is an elderly couple located just on the outskirts of town. They're pretty fair with the pricing and never ask us where we get our meat from. Honestly, I don't think anyone cares because the wild stuff we catch beats out cattle. But I've learned my lesson about doing sketchy shit in plain sight.

I've learned hard.

Anyways, my uncle and aunt really like the Kingsleys, which is fine by me.

"Hunter!" Mrs. Kingsley pulls me into a tight hug and gives me a big wet peck on the cheek. As per usual, she smells of all the spices she uses in her dry rubs. It's just heavenly. "Oh my goodness son, have you stopped growing yet? You're so tall already!"

"That's what happens when ya feed 'em, Marcie." Uncle Ted hands her one of the bags. "Got somethin' for ya. Three rabbits an' a squirrel."
Mrs. Kingsley looks past my uncle at the second bag. "Wonderful. But I see you've been catching more than just squirrels today."
"Sorry, my dear. I'd love to sell it, but the Appalachies are keepin' the good catch fo' ourselves. Joey's got a stew boilin' at home!"

"Oh, what self respecting butcher would ever say no to a hearty stew? I don't blame you for keeping the good bits!" Mrs. Kingsley just chuckles as she hands over a couple of coins for the rabbits and squirrel. She blows me a kiss as I follow my uncle and cousins out of town, and I just wink back. Goddamn, she and her husband are like grandparents to me. Sometimes, I wish I could go over to their house for dinner all the time, just to dig into all those amazing delicacies she whips up.

But Aunt Joey's cooking is a very close second.

At home, my aunt's eyes light up when she sees the deer. "Oh, darlin'! Ya shouldn't have!"
Uncle Ted squeezes Aunt Joey in a big hug. Soren jokingly makes a retching noise behind them, and we all ignore him. Honestly, I think he should just be happy to have parents who can cuddle and kiss each other every day. It's something I'll never get ever again.

"Hunter? Mind givin' your aunt a hand in the kitchen?"

While Aunt Joey messes around with some pots and pans, I sharpen a knife. Never cut up anything without a good knife. And once it's sharp enough, I slice up the deer as Aunt Joey puts a pot on to boil. It may seem like a daunting task at first, but if you know how to cut your meats, it becomes easy in no time at all. And I've had plenty of experience in the art of butchery over the years. I could give some of the saps at the stores a run for their money!

Once we get the meat cooking, she adds some stuff such as vegetables, herbs, and spices. It smells great already and I haven't realized up until now that I'm actually pretty hungry. I could go for a hearty bowl of stew, as Mrs. Kingsley would say.

"Dinner's ready, boys!" Aunt Joey knocks her ladle against the pot. "Why don't ya fix yourself up some food, Hunter? Before your cousins eat it all."
"You don't have to tell me twice, Auntie." I reach out for the ladle, which she hands over. Three nice scoops later, and I'm more than ready to dig in.

I want to chow down almost immediately, but I suppose it would be bad form to not wait for everyone else. Aunt Joey gives me a dismissive wave, and just laughs. "No no, dig in. Y'know, when Ted brought me to meet his parents the first time, your da came barreling through the door wit' a half-alive deer o'er his shoulder! I had never seen one before! Made me jump into Teddy's arms!"

Hearing that story, I just can't help but smile. I love it when my aunt and uncle share these tales of their childhood. "Yeah, I can see him doing something like that."
"Oh, I'm sure it was 'tween the two o' them. Teddy would never admit, but it was his idea. I was hollerin' and they were both laughin' and that was the first time I e'er tasted deer meat. So good I had to beg your grandma fo' the recipe."

I stare at the bowl of stew in my hands. "Is this the recipe?"
"Ya bet it is. Although I had to make some adjustments. Your grandma could cook, but she knew next to nothin' when it came to her spices."

"I'll bet. But you're the spice queen, Aunt Joey. You're holding everyone to that impossible standard."
"I'm flattered, child. Now hush an' eat your stew!"

Gladly.

When everyone else comes down, I consider asking Uncle Ted about the deer prank story to see if I can trick him into admitting that it was his idea. Because the stories are all I have left. My aunt and uncle are usually pretty good about this and I know I can go to them anytime I need to hear more. But there are some things they won't say out loud, out of fear of who else might be listening. Those I have been able to fill the blanks in myself. And they don't have to worry, I'm not blabbing it to anyone. My family's secrets are safe with me.

Anyways, the stew is awesome. Shit, we need to catch deer more often. Or maybe I'm getting sentimental. But if that's the case, then nobody else needs to know. I'm not gonna let my cousins tease me over this kind of stuff.

"Tanner, go give your father a hand cleaning up the kitchen," Aunt Joey says, passing Uncle Ted everyone's dirty dishes. "And don't the rest of you have homework to do?"
"A little bit," I tell her. "I finished most of it in class."

"It ain't complete 'til it's complete. Go get it done, son."

Yeah, yeah, yeah, what kind of slacker does she think I am? I'll get it done. I don't blame Aunt Joey and Uncle Ted for being super pushy on education, because I know both of them dropped out of school as teenagers to help out their families. The money we pull in from trapping is a good side hustle though. Not good enough to make up the risk, though.

Anyways, the homework is pretty easy. Too bad it's also kinda boring. I mean, what's the point of sitting in a classroom all day when most of us are just gonna take over our family's business anyways? You can't learn the best of butchery from some stupid textbook. You have to see it with your own eyes and practice with your own knife. Very few of us get put in a position where the stuff we learn is actually relevant. Those are the kids that get to work with the Capitol, or even visit it from time to time.

Ha, that's never gonna happen to me.

I consider slipping back into the kitchen to grab a snack, or hopefully some leftover stew. It turns out I'm not the only one. Uncle Ted's also in the kitchen, brewing a cup of tea. "Hunter? What are you lookin' for?"
"More deer?"

"All gone, I'm afraid."
"Then we'll just have to catch another," I smirk, pouring a cup of water instead. I hate tea.

Uncle Ted shakes his head, which was the response I was expecting anyways. "Can't go out too much, son. We don't want the Peacekeepers to know what we're doin' or where we're goin', do we? Plus, Aunt Joey says she's makin' veggie pot pie tomorrow. You need your greens."

I make a face. It sounds childish, but vegetables are so boring. You can't create all these cuts and marinades and rubs for them, the way you can with good old meat. At least Aunt Joey's a good cook, which makes the plain taste of vegetables slightly more tolerable.

"Hunter, if you still wanna grow, you eat greens."
"I'm sixteen, Uncle. I'm taller than everyone here except Soren. Shouldn't I like, be pretty much done growing by now?"
"You don't wanna shrink, do you?"
"That's not gonna happen."

"Everybody shrinks. For some, it just happens faster than others. You wanna stay taller than me, you gotta take care of yourself." Uncle Ted pats me on the back and I almost spit out my water.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. By the way, I'm not a little kid anymore."
"I know, son. I know."

Not like I was complaining or anything, because hey, if being a little kid means getting pampered, who doesn't want to be pampered once in a while?

"Well, I'm goin' to bed now. You be good and no messin' up the kitchen. G'night, my boy."
"Night, uncle. See you tomorrow."

Pazzo Crudele, 32
District 10 Escort

This district seriously needed to toughen up.

For a bunch of butchers, why the hell were all the tributes so scared of the Games? It confused Pazzo. Good thing they had him to set them all straight and get some sense into their heads. Because the way he saw it, butchering the other tributes was honestly a lot like butchering some pigs.

Okay, maybe it wasn't entirely like that. Pazzo didn't really have an idea.

He met with 10's three Victors in the Justice Building. The strong and formidable Chater and Murdoc, both of whom Pazzo liked. They both knew how to fight for their survival. Horizon Merko, 10's lone female Victor was...another story. Good thing she wasn't mentoring again, because Pazzo could not stand how her mopey nature rubbed off on the tributes in her care.

In a few minutes, it would be his time to shine onstage and pick out two new suckers for the Games. From the pocket of his sleek black blazer, Pazzo slipped out a pair of red sunglasses and put them on. The signature Crudele style, completed with his hair in a black pompadour and a nice but badass-looking suit.

In a district where everyone else's clothing was made from cow hide, he definitely stood out.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Crudele." At least Murdoc was making an effort to be polite. Chater leaned against the wall and scowled in Pazzo's direction.
"Likewise. Oh, did you lose weight? You'll have a much harder time chasing away all those Capitol prostitutes now!"

Murdoc's eyes narrowed, but he didn't make a single comment. Damn. As easy as it was to push Murdoc's buttons, actually riling him up was harder. Pazzo wanted to take another dig, but soon Peacekeepers were ushering all three men outside to do their jobs.

Pazzo checked out his pompadour one last time. Showtime.

As per usual, there was no joy to be found in 10. Wow, what a bunch of buzzkills. The greatest event of the year, and none of them could be bother to fake any enthusiasm? Pazzo just pressed on. Once he drew the first name, then people were wake up a little more.

"Linh Nguyen!"

The name belonged to a slender little 14 year-old, who was quite short and had long black hair flowing down her back. Linh, at first, didn't even seem to hear Pazzo. He called her name again, and two Peacekeepers barged into the crowd. They grabbed Linh and dragged her out. A faint smile on Linh's face was soon replaced with a frown, but she let the Peacekeepers help her onto the stage where she stood besides Pazzo.

At least she didn't cry or anything. That was the worst possible reaction, in Pazzo's mind. Who the fuck would ever sponsor a crybaby!?

Time to draw the second name. "Hunter Appalachie!"

There was a commotion in the 16 year-old section. The two Peacekeepers who had carried Linh up went over to investigate. They found Hunter, a tall boy with tanned skin, dark brown hair, and light brown eyes. He ran out of the crowd and towards the stage himself in order to avoid the Peacekeepers. "Get your hands off me!"

Oh, here we go. Did this Hunter boy have a bit of a bite to him? That was definitely quite promising.

Finally, Hunter was up on the stage, across from Linh. The two tributes shook hands and went inside. And for once, Pazzo was feeling rather giddy. Maybe 10 had a decent shot this time round, assuming that they could get their shit together and the tributes were just as strong as they looked.

And he would be here for it all.

Here is District 10! A personal favourite of mine as we all know. Anyways, what did you think of Hunter and Linh?

Just a reminder to go check out the blog! Every chapter, the featured tribute has a moodboard and playlist posted up on the blog. And there's some other fun content submitted by readers up too for you to check out.

See you all next chapter,

-Vr