Chapter 54: Ice Winds and Kindling
Days 7, 8
The cannon shot reverberated through the arena.
It rang in Venatrix's ears long after the physical sound dissipated into the air, keeping time with the panicked thump of her heartbeat. Tree trunks swayed in her vision. Her feet skidded through snow and wet leaves, but somehow she managed to stay upright, a single purpose driving her forwards.
Percy. I need to get to Percy.
There was no other option. She didn't dare dwell on the possibility of anything else.
Bare branches flitted past as Venatrix retraced the route back to camp. Each ragged breath went into maintaining her momentum, keeping her balanced as the sword in her hand attempted to drag her off course. Vaguely, she registered Mariposa's presence following closely behind— glimpses of blonde in her peripheral, the swish of legs through the underbrush. If another earthquake shook the ground, Venatrix doubted she'd feel it.
Even so, there was no missing the inhuman shriek that ripped suddenly through the air.
Instinctively, Venatrix's legs picked up speed. Her heart rate spiked; she exchanged a blurred glance with Mariposa, unable to see her features but certain the One girl's expression matched hers.
Nothing good makes a sound like that.
Glimpses of white-gold through thinning trees— the ship. A fresh dusting of snow coated the footprints they'd previously made; Venatrix hardly took notice as her boots crushed it into a new shape. Her eyes scanned the gaps in the trees. Wild movement greeted them; Venatrix couldn't make sense of it until they burst into the open. She stumbled to a halt, snow and pebbles slipping beneath her boots.
The cry came again; it rattled Venatrix's eardrums, but the creature it came from froze her in place.
Thrashing waves couldn't hide its massive form. Even looking at it made Ventrix dizzy, though maybe that was the dull pain throbbing through her head, her shoulder. 'Makers, I didn't know they could make them that big. Blue-grey scales coiled once, twice around the hull of the ship, stretching taller than the half-shredded sail; even from the shore, the creature's teeth appeared longer than she was tall, endless row upon row within its gaping maw. Spines rose from its skull, wagging as the watery serpent shook its head and dove. The figures on the deck scattered. Something flew towards its nose, and the mutt shrieked again, coming up empty aside from the long stick now embedded in its snout.
More objects — arrows? Spears? — soared towards it, brushed aside by scales like armor. Cries of panic bubbled up from the deck, their voices too far away to differentiate in between the bobbing chaos and crashing sprays of water, the steady ringing in Venatrix's ears.
Neither she nor Mariposa moved closer. She couldn't help but look at her sword, barely a toothpick compared to the size of this thing. Even without her injury, it wasn't a fight she could win.
The serpent reared its head for another attack, the fins at its jaw flexing in anticipation. Malice filled its yellow eyes, and Venatrix's breath nearly stopped when they flicked towards her. Something wrapped tight around her forearm— Mariposa. Her katana stretched out in front of them, pointing towards the ship; as Venatrix watched, one of the figures sprinted across the length of the deck, heedless of the edge of the boat, the lunging serpent.
Without warning, they launched themself overboard.
Jaws snapped at the air they once occupied. Their body arched a perfect dive, stretching out past the mutt's coiled scales before disappearing smoothly beneath the waves.
Venatrix barely registered the pressure releasing from her wrist as the creature turned back to easier prey still cornered aboard the ship. Her heart leapt a frantic beat in her throat. Her gaze skimmed the churning waterline, unsure what she was hoping for but hoping all the same.
Down the river, a gasping head emerged from the water. Venatrix found her feet flying towards it, sword outstretched in caution. Waterlogged and shivering, the ragged tribute dragged themself to shore on hands and knees, an easy target. Or…
Venatrix sheathed her sword. She only had to see the bow strapped to his back to know. "Percy!"
His head shot up. Relief immediately filled his face, bright red beneath the mess of streaked blue paint. Something that sounded like her name bubbled from his lips.
He'd only just struggled to his feet before Venatrix crashed into him, nearly knocking him back into the freezing water. Her arm wrapped around him in a tight hug that sent spots of blackness through her vision; his cold wet hair pressed against her cheek but she didn't care— he was alive, and that was what mattered.
Percy tried again. "Tr-tr-tr-tr—xs-s-s…" The attempt trailed off in a rattle of teeth. Violent shivers racked his frame, weak and heavy against hers. He was barely able to return the hug, using her more to support his entire body than anything. "Th-th-thought y'were d-dead."
"Sh, sh, stop talking right now," Venatrix said, shifting his weight fully to her uninjured side. Still, the movement sent a surge of pain through her bones, and she dipped to one knee. "Fuck."
Again, Percy attempted to talk around his chattering to no avail.
"Hshht, stop it," Venatrix hissed. "We need to get you warm; you've gotta walk, okay?"
This time, he merely nodded.
As much as she could bear, Venatrix let him lean on her as they trudged up the shore. Intentionally, she angled herself to put as much distance as possible between them and the still-shrieking, still-thrashing serpent, hoping Mariposa would follow. As for whoever still manned the ship, Venatrix had no qualms about leaving them behind.
Percy's legs gained a new confidence as they walked, though the shivering didn't stop. Periodically, he glanced over his shoulder; a shaking hand raised to point at something along the shore, and Venatrix followed the gesture to see that the One girl had indeed gotten the hint. She moved slowly, weighed down by the numerous packs she must have looted from the camp. Thank the 'Makers; Venatrix hadn't even thought of that. With the snail's pace Venatrix and Percy had set, she easily caught up with them. One look at her allies, and she didn't bother offering any of her burden for them to carry until Venatrix insisted. Even then, Mariposa only passed her the two leather drinking flasks.
Not the time or place to argue, Venatrix figured, slinging them over her shoulder. Forcibly, she buried the burning feeling of uselessness beneath the need to get her friends to safety. Need to keep moving.
Despite the relief of crossing once again beneath the cover of the trees, Venatrix refused to let herself relax. They set a grueling pace through the forest; rather than turning to head parallel to the river as the pack had often done, they cut a path straight up the nearest mountain.
The effort quickly took its toll. A loud wheezing soon joined Percy's chattering breaths, his feet slipping on the slick ground more often than not. Her own breath grew short; every inhale that expanded her chest sent a knife through her collarbone. Venatrix would never admit it, but those tiny flasks soon became boulders; she couldn't imagine how Mariposa felt with her vast array. One of them better have that pain medicine. Whatever she'd taken this morning had long since worn off; no doubt today's battles only made it worse. Gritting her teeth, Venatrix willed herself to ignore the throbbing that echoed within her body, the nausea building in her gut. As necessary as it had been to wrap her arm, Venatrix hated how she wavered on the incline with each step; more than once, she needed to pause, hunched over and bracing herself on the trunk of a nearby tree.
"We can probably stop," Mariposa said after the third time.
"No—I just… need a minute."
But the spots that swam across her vision didn't clear. Venatrix blinked.
The ground tilted. Sharp twigs dug suddenly into her kneecaps. Her stomach lurched, and Venatrix found herself hacking the remains of her breakfast into the snow, joined quickly by droplets of blood still leaking from her face. Bile coated her tongue. Grimacing, she spat again, using her dirty sleeve to wipe her mouth.
"I'm fine," she reiterated to no one in particular. Leaning forwards, Venatrix pressed her hand against the trunk in an attempt to shift back onto her feet.
She only made it to one knee before the cloud of dizziness overtook her senses once again; when it cleared, she caught Mariposa's eye. The girl mouthed something, but Venatrix couldn't make out the words through the howling static in her ears. Her eyes swept over to find Percy slumped over at the foot of a large boulder. The look he gave her said he wouldn't be getting back up; forcing him would only be cruel.
Venatrix exhaled another too-shaky breath. "Maybe we should make camp here."
"That's what I said," Mariposa clarified.
"Oh."
Percy's eyelids fluttered; other than that, he didn't respond, his breath creating a halo of clouds around his still-wet hair.
Not wet; frozen. Upon a closer look, the purpling splotches on his face weren't just from the paint.
Venatrix cursed. His lips, blue and trembling, parted to ask a question that never made it out. Scooting through the snow to his side, Venatrix pressed a solid hand to his cheek. Beneath her own fingers, reddening and numb from the exposure, his skin was ice, and worse still, his clothes had hardened from the water trapped within the fabric, a deadly prison. Exposed as they were to the bitter elements, he wouldn't last long without something. "Gotta get you warm, Perce— hey, Posy, can you get a fire going?"
With a groan, Mariposa dropped her bags into the snow. She rifled through one, extracting flint and steel, and a bedroll that she passed to Venatrix.
"And a shelter? And— I don't know, he's gonna freeze if we can't—if we don't—my cloak, here. And-and the sweater…" Clumsily, Venatrix ripped the cloak from her body and draped it over him. Her shaking hands struggled to wrench the sweater over her head, a grimace twisting her lips as it aggravated the bite wound. Something pulled it from her grip; Mariposa. As much as she could, Venatrix helped the One girl tug it over Percy's shivering frame and ease the bedroll beneath him to shield him from the wet ground. "Maybe the shelter first," Venatrix said to Mariposa, "and then we'll get the wet clothes off."
With a nod, Mariposa disappeared from sight, her footsteps crunching through the accumulating snow as she followed the instruction.
With a stiff exhale, Venatrix brushed the stray hairs from her forehead, wincing as her fingers skimmed the scrape above her brow. That can wait. It seemed to have finally stopped bleeding, at least. Her gaze returned to her friend, still shivering madly; hooking a foot around the strap of the nearest pack, she dragged it closer while her fingers felt for a pulse. There, obviously, but weak. He blinked, his head lolling slightly at the pressure. "Hey," Venatrix said, tilting his chin to look at her. "Look at me, okay?"
Percy only grunted in response.
With her free hand, Venatrix dug through the bag in search for anything of use. "How are you feeling?"
"F-fucking f-f-f-f-f—re-e—zing."
"Yeah, no shit," Venatrix said, and he chuckled weakly.
"Can't f-feel…"
What little humor managed to color her face didn't last. Her fingers found something soft, and Venatrix pulled a woolen hat from the bag. Thick fur mittens followed; she took little time in shoving the garments over Percy's head and hands— he'd lost a glove in his swim, and the sight of his bare fingers made her empty stomach churn.
By the time Mariposa finished pitching the tent, Venatrix had covered him in any spare piece of cloth she could find. "Are you recreating the District Eight parade costumes?"
"This is better, don't you think, Perce?"
Percy only offered a noncommittal grunt. Perhaps she'd put too much wool over his ears.
Together, they half-crawled, half-dragged themselves into the tent with Percy in tow; he flopped sideways onto the bedroll with a groan once Mariposa laid it flat on the ground. The sting of snowflakes no longer pelted her cheeks, but Venatrix knew the animal-skin tarp wouldn't be enough to banish the hypothermic chill from Percy's body. "Keep the flap open," Venatrix said as Mariposa went to close it. "We can build a fire in here, at the edge." She vaguely remembered her father doing so to warm up a waterlogged Bellara after she'd fallen into a river during their last camping trip. Wisely, everyone except Iago had taken turns watching over the fire during the night.
That same warmth could never be recreated. But, for Percy, she would try.
While Mariposa stepped outside to gather kindling, Venatrix began the difficult process of removing the majority of Percy's wet — nearly frozen solid now — clothes with one hand. Now that they were out of the wind, the sweater and cloak would have to do. He helped as best he could between his shaking hands and evident confusion; Venatrix sighed in relief when she found another woolen sweater within one of the packs.
A flute-like whistling just outside nearly brought tears to her eyes.
The package landed just outside the tent; Venatrix's eyes skimmed over the note from Morwenna as she extracted an extra set of lined clothing and a handful of palm-sized sealed pouches. They seemed to be filled with rice of some sort. She set them aside while she helped Percy redress, the relief palpable in his eyes. "Warm yet?"
He shrugged and shook his head at the same time. Unsure how to interpret that, Venatrix passed him his mentor's note; with a mumbled thanks, he picked up one of the pouches and gave it a vigorous shake.
By the time Mariposa returned, arms full of sticks, it had started emitting heat, and Venatrix had to pry it from his mittened hands, placing the pouch instead over his heart between a layer of sweaters. Reluctantly, he let her push him flat on his back to keep it in place. Again, she draped the cloaks over him like a blanket, tucking them beneath his body; Mariposa kindly donated her own to the cause.
Curling into a criss-cross position by Percy's head, Venatrix watched the other girl clearing a place for the fire pit while her own fingers checked again for his pulse, monitoring its steady flutter. A look of concentration creased the One girl's brow as she jammed the tip of her katana into the ground to loosen the dirt. "Percy," she said, not looking up from her task. Percy's chin tilted up at his name, though Venatrix's palm on his chest kept him horizontal. "Who was that second cannon for? Do you know?"
"Mmm," he groaned. "Id-dris. Mutt g-g-got 'im."
The news was met with indifferent silence. In all honesty, as soon as Venatrix had realized the cannon wasn't for Percy, she hadn't cared who met their end.
Even now, she couldn't bring herself to.
"Th-they were g-gonna 't-t-ttack." He swallowed as another shiver racked his frame. Beneath Mariposa's fingers, a small flame sprang to life, catching on the scraps of fabric she'd used as kindling. At Percy's insistence, she added Morwenna's note to the pile. "S-s-serpent g-got there first," he slurred. A grin twisted his lips, then a curse as the shivers took over again.
Venatrix gave his shoulder what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze before reaching for another heating pouch. She'd been hoping to ration them, but clearly Percy needed it.
Now that the fire had caught whatever dry wood Mariposa had managed to find, Venatrix prayed the warmth would spread quickly. Mariposa lingered by the fledgling flames, their shadows dancing between the splatters of blood that still coated her features. Percy's questioning glance flicked between her and Venatrix.
"I killed Viper," the One girl said after a beat of silence.
That earned her a weak "yay" from Percy; Venatrix snorted, and a bubble of laughter split Mariposa's pensive expression into a smile.
"God, it was about time, right?" she continued, pulling her knees into her chest. "I was hoping I'd be the one to do it…" She scratched absently at a splotch of blood on her cheek. "I almost wish he was still here so I could keep rubbing it in his face. Oh well." Her face twisted into a frown as she seemed to suddenly remember the slash on her arm; at her wordless request, Venatrix shoved a nearby bag closer within her reach, and she dug through it in search of first aid supplies. Instead, she found a tin mug and one of the flasks. At Venatrix's open hand, they exchanged materials again. With some difficulty, Venatrix filled the tin mug with water and shoved it next to the fire to warm it for Percy.
While Mariposa cleaned her wounds, Venatrix gave Percy another once-over, double-checking with him that he hadn't been injured either by Grethel or the now-dead Idris. At his request, she checked over his bow and counted the remaining arrows in his quiver. He'd lost a few in the swim and the fight, but packing the quiver with almost twice the usual amount of arrows seemed to have helped somewhat. "You're good, Perce."
He gave her a weak thumbs up. At that point, the outside wind changed, blowing smoke from the fire into the tent.
Quickly, Venatrix and Mariposa stepped outside to adjust the tent; after a minute of thought, they managed to jury-rig the flap at just the right angle to block the wind. As long as it doesn't blow this thing away, Venatrix thought, scrutinizing the thick waves of falling snowflakes. They'd picked up enough to accumulate in drifts along the base of the tent. If this kept up, Venatrix wouldn't be surprised if it managed to completely bury them.
That wouldn't be the worst thing, actually. Would keep us insulated, and well-hidden. Ha, never thought I'd be wishing for more snow in the arena.
Back in the shelter, Venatrix enlisted Mariposa's help to transfer the hot water from the tin back into the flask. She passed it to Percy, who scooted into a semi-sitting position to drink while the girls seated themselves at opposite ends of the entrance, the fire glowing between them. Mariposa's head was turned, idly watching the snow fall. "You've still got blood all over your face," Venatrix said.
She shrugged. "Whatever."
Okay, edgelord. "New fashion statement?"
Mariposa ignored the feeble joke, eyeing Venatrix's own face, the rest of her body. "You haven't cleaned up your wounds either."
"Oh, not this again."
"It's not sanitary."
"Touche."
"Fine."
Dragging her bag of medical supplies around the fire, Mariposa crawled over Percy's legs and took a seat next to Venatrix. Rather than take the water from Percy's flask, Venatrix used a piece of fabric soaked in snow to remove the blood from Mariposa's face. Mariposa did the same; the cold stung at her cheek and forehead before the One girl's thumb rubbed a small amount of anti-infection ointment into the wound. The sting was warmer now.
"Hey," Percy's voice croaked above the crackling flames, noticeably stronger. "Any food in there?" He nodded to the packs at their feet.
Mariposa rifled through them, pulling out a few strips of jerky and stale bread. "Have to get more tomorrow," she said, passing them around. "Vee, as for that shoulder of yours—"
More flute tones cut her off. Mid-bite through her share of jerky, Venatrix almost got her hopes up until a steady chorus of drum beats joined them in the arena's rendition of the national anthem. Automatically, she found herself scooting closer to the edge of the tent to watch.
If only for the briefest moments, the snow had stopped. The eternally-grey skies cleared enough to expose a black void of sky, seemingly torn open by the fiery eagle that circled the edges. As she watched, its wings stretched across the darkness, expanding until it encompassed the entirety of the fissure. The projection shimmered with the music before shifting. Wreathed in red fire, Viper's scowl glared down upon them, accusing as ever; a callous scoff alerted her to Mariposa's presence at her side. Even Percy had crawled a little closer to watch, though Venarix couldn't tell how much he could really see between the tent flap and the bare tree branches that painted spindly cracks across the sky, situated as they were on the forest floor.
Finally, the One boy's face disappeared from the arena for the last time, replaced by Idris's goofy grin. They'd chosen an array of teal and green flames for him, either to contrast the previous display or represent the kid's home district. Or the monster that killed him, Venatrix thought grimly, recalling the watery scales of the serpent mutt.
Idly, she wondered what colors they'd use for her own face.
Logically, the Gamemakers had probably picked a handful of colors for each of the tributes already, anyways. Probably saves 'em time. Efficient motherfuckers, they are.
She banished the thought before it could fully form.
As the last few notes of the anthem rang through the bitter air, the image of Idris's face shifted into swirling colors; grey clouds leapt from their boundaries to swallow the remaining light within their maw. If Venatrix squinted, they almost took the form of leaping bodies and snapping jaws, pointed ears and— she could've sworn their eyes glowed red.
Without the drum beat, the wind picked up again in a shrill howl, and a shiver traced down Venatrix's spine. It's still out there.
She couldn't help but feel like it was looking for her.
Mariposa stayed up to feed the fire.
Venatrix had insisted on staying up with her, at least up until the exhaustion of the day once again caught up with her, at the forefront of her mind now that Percy had been stabilized. Their little fire did a damn good job of heating up the place, but still he shivered in his sleep.
Sleep had come easily enough for him, it seemed. Venatrix was relieved at that. She curled up next to him in an attempt to get some herself, though the dull pain made it more restless than not. What few minutes she had managed to snag were filled with a haze of fear and howling that sent her flinching back awake.
Then, the pain in her collar became the easiest thing to think about, and the cycle started anew.
Mariposa's face hovering over hers was the first thing to break it. "Hey. You okay, Vee?" Venatrix blinked groggily; the minute she moved, the ache of everything made itself known and a loud groan fell from her lips. "Alright, I will take that as a 'no'."
"Everything hurts," she whined.
"You could have taken more painkillers, but you said, 'No, I don't need them.'"
"Yeah, I need them for when I'm actually awake."
"Yeah, yeah." She passed Venatrix a flask of warm water — no; tea of some sort, as Venatrix discovered when she took a sip — and a small handful of nuts and dried berries. "We need to get more food today too. It's still snowing though, so I don't have much hope for foraging." She glanced at Percy's sleeping form. "Do you think he could still hunt like this?"
"I don't want him outside."
Mariposa shrugged. "Pray to the gods, then. Hope they have mercy."
Venatrix shot her a look.
"Maybe they could send some more painkillers while they're at it."
"Fat chance."
Tossing back her own handful of nuts, Mariposa shrugged again, chewing loudly before she scooted towards the entrance of the tent. "I'll be back. Might as well try to find something anyways." She jerked her chin towards the pile of sticks sitting on top of an empty bedroll. "Take care of the fire while I'm gone."
"Don't be long," Venatrix said without thinking. And then, "Get some more firewood while you're at it, yeah?"
Mariposa's grin was almost a smirk. "Yes, sir."
With that, she was gone, and Venatrix couldn't help the heat from filling her cheeks. If Percy was awake, he'd tease her for being so… eager. Goddammit. Whatever. Mariposa had left some water heating up in the tin mug for him; Venatrix noticed what looked like bits of pine needles floating within. So that's what gave it that flavor. It was an oddly caring gesture, one that left another weird feeling in Venatrix's chest. Her own flask was empty now, and since Mariposa had presumably taken the other with her to refill on her outing, Venatrix propped the flask between her knees and very carefully poured the hot liquid back into the container.
She scooted slowly back to where Percy still slept, every stiff muscle whining like a petulant toddler.
It took numerous pokes to the cheek to wake him. Even then, he rose slowly, an almost-comical furrow to his brow. "Wha's goin' on?"
"New day, Perce." Venatrix passed him the flask, which he almost spilled all over his chest. "Geez, careful, it's hot." She ended up holding the flask up to his mouth when his hands refused to stop twitching even beneath the mittens, explaining Mariposa's absence as she did. Strategically, she left out the bit about hunting.
Percy nodded along blankly. He ate his meager share of breakfast when Venatrix held it out to him, and she could see the way the weariness still took its toll.
Where once they'd fill the air with chatter, now there was only silence and the light crackling of fire. Venatrix fed it another handful of twigs, her eyes drawn again to the dim snowscape outside. That snow would be a pain to get through, if the cold itself weren't bad enough; already it seemed to fill any tracks that Mariposa had left behind. Somehow, though, there was always a red leaf peeping through somewhere. Damn 'Makers and their aesthetics.
Even with the swirling snow, the clouds above maintained their saturated puffiness, not an end in sight. She sighed; at the edge of the tent, her breath left a cloud in its wake.
That slight movement proved enough to irritate her wound once again; shocker. No doubt Mariposa would need to change her bandages again when she returned, and the battle in Venatrix's mind drifted again to the meager amount of painkillers they had left.
In her concentration, she almost missed the flash of movement outside.
It came again, a blur of shadow and snow, and Venatrix felt the bones in her spine crack from how quickly her head shot up. "What is it?" Percy called. Venatrix squinted at the snowy ground. Sure enough, the disturbance had left its mark.
"Be right back," Venatrix said over her shoulder. Hand on her sword, she crawled outside and stood— woah, fuck… blinked a couple times to clear the immediate dizziness that plagued her body… before she crunched out to the marks in the snow. Definitely some sort of small animal, she figured, prodding lightly at them with her sword rather than squatting down to investigate. Chances of getting back up were slim.
A slight rustle caught her attention, and Venatrix's head snapped again — 'Makers, I have got to stop that, fuck. It didn't take a genius to follow fresh tracks, and when Venatrix saw the flash of black-and-white fur crouching beneath the dead brush, her lips split into a genuine grin.
Charcoal's cautious amber eyes glared back at her from his hiding place. "Little buddy!"
For a half-second, Venatrix thought he would ignore her cat-calls, but he dutifully followed her back to the warmth of the tent. No doubt he didn't like the cold anymore than Percy.
Her partner's face brightened at the sight of the cat; even more so when Charcoal discovered the fresh heating pouches concealed beneath Percy's clothes and decided he was the best pillow available. Venatrix's smile only lasted as long as the howling wind.
It seemed to pick up all of the sudden— and she couldn't help the immediate spike of fear that Mariposa should be back by now.
Judging by the glance Percy sent her way, he noticed. "She'll be back."
Venatrix only nodded pensively. She fed a few twigs into the fire; the pile was starting to dwindle by now. The sky hadn't changed colors outside, still gray, monotonous as ever. Though, the longer Venatrix stared at the clouds, the more she noticed subtle changes, darker outlines. Shapes dancing across the atmosphere, subtler than the previous night's fireworks, but there all the same.
(The howls didn't help.)
"Hey Percy, does the wind kind of sound like—"
"Oh shit." Percy's outstretched finger cut through the thought. Venatrix followed it into the swirling wind.
The movement he'd seen morphed slowly into the shape of a person. Beneath their outer wear, Venatrix recognized that windswept blonde hair, the toothy smile brightening her rosy cheeks. Mariposa waved with one hand, the other brandishing something wrapped in white. "Look what I got!" she said once she came within earshot; Venatrix hurriedly welcomed her breathless ally into the fold of their warmth.
"'Makers, what took you so long?" She pressed a hand to the One girl's cheek, her forehead; Mariposa brushed her away, still smiling.
"Look— food."
Unwrapping the package, she revealed an impressive collection of rolls, jerky, more nuts and dried berries. Venatrix had never been so glad to see such a modest array.
"Where did you get that?" Percy gasped.
She shrugged. "They can't resist me out there, I guess. Oh—! Charcoal!" Her bounty forgotten, Mariposa swept the cat in her arms, squeezing tight enough for the creature to cry out in protest. "Oh, I'm sorry, baby, ooooh, I just missed you," she cooed, peppering the annoyed feline with kisses. It sprang free from her grip, but Mariposa didn't seem perturbed in the least; Venatrix found her own cheeks stinging from a smile.
Once she got settled in, the three of them divvied up the food, careful to spare enough for another meal down the line. Nobody protested when Mariposa tossed a piece of jerky to Charcoal, too enamored by the cat's presence to care.
Mariposa motioned for Venatrix to come closer after they finished eating. When the One girl started tugging at her sweater, Venatrix instinctively recoiled. "Um."
"Bandage time. Come on."
"You could have used your words."
With a tutting noise, she pulled off Venatrix's sweater while Percy watched on with his big dumb grin. Venatrix shot him a stink eye, once again attempting to ignore the blush in her cheeks. At least Mariposa didn't notice, or she acted like she didn't, her attention now focused on the dirty bandages.
As she peeled away the gauze, Venatrix focused on her own breathing, but the feeling of Mariposa's along her now-bare skin sent goosebumps prickling down her spine.
Compared to the pain she's gotten used to, it wasn't entirely unpleasant.
"Hey, Mari," Percy started, and Venatrix had half a mind to snap at him to shut up and let her work. "Why'd you come back?"
"Hm?"
Venatrix shot him a quizzical look, no doubt echoed by their ally.
"You could've just left us when you were out there. It would be easier than coming back and taking care of us like this."
Oh. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than for him to stop talking, if only it would disperse that familiar brewing shame in her chest. She hadn't even considered—
"Hell, it probably wouldn't be too hard for you to kill us both right now. I don't even know if I could fight back, and Trix…" His eyes flicked away from Venatrix's glare, unreadable. "So why don't you?"
"Come on, that would be boring," Mariposa said blithely. When neither Venatrix nor Percy responded, she took on somewhat of a defensive tone. "What, do you want me to give you some kind of sob story about how I never had any friends back home, or whatever? Like, fine, maybe it's a little bit true, but maybe I'd also rather spend my time taking care of you two idiots than wandering through this freezing hellscape on my own, wouldn't you?"
Percy conceded with a half-shrug, half-nod.
To her credit, Mariposa continued to tend to Venatrix's wound as she spoke. Venatrix nudged the other girl's thigh with hers, hoping to diffuse whatever tension Percy's question brought up. "It's alright, we've been missing a third member of our friend group anyways."
"Sorry, Agate," Percy said, tilting his chin to speak to the roof of the tent. "Trix is replacing you."
"Am not! I could never replace my best friend."
He let out a feigned gasp. "What am I, then?"
"Also my best friend! I can have two."
"See, this is what I mean," Mariposa said; the light smile tugging at her lips eased the awkwardness in Venatrix's shoulders. "You can't get this shit all by your lonesome in the forest."
Venatrix snorted.
"Mari, I really hate to break it to you," Percy started, "but you can't also be Trix's best friend… It takes at least five years to break through her superiority complex."
"Percy!"
He barked a laugh despite the kick Venatrix sent into his shin, loud enough to startle the cat. Mariposa's hands guided her back, wrapping the last of the gauze beneath her armpit and tugging the sweater back over her head. "That's okay," she said, gently smoothing the stray hairs from Venatrix's face. "It barely took me five minutes."
Venatrix's breath stuttered in her throat as Percy's laughter turned to an ugly choking cough. With what could only be described as a shit-eating grin, Mariposa tossed him a flask of water, and, free now from the other girl's hold over her injuries, Venatrix was half-tempted to face the wall of the tent and refuse to turn around, damn the flood of embarrassment now halting her in place. Motherfuckers. All of them.
But Mariposa's smile wouldn't keep her there for long, and Percy's would always pull a matching one from her lips. Venatrix stupidly found herself wishing it could be just the three of them for the rest of their lives.
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A/N: That time again, wooh ! Not much to say about this one, its p straightforward. The one thing that had me scratching at my head was the header since this one takes place over two days as opposed to one, or like part of one so..? Idk. Nobody cares about the header scheme but me probably, but it would look a little odd if I just called this one Day 8 when there's still a lot of Day 7, but usually I don't bother putting a header if it's the second chap in an arena day- yeah no one cares, anyways. I think I wrote like the majority of this one in a day which was neat. Fun moment. As for that update/stockpiling schedule I mentioned last chapter.. I think it's going.. okay-ish so far..? The next chapter is mostly done except for a few important bits, but y'all won't get that until March, alas. So. You get to enjoy this one for a whole month ! Wooh ! Also like, fun fact, every games chap I post makes me mildly existential about the end of this fic so .. yeah there's that. ..See y'all in March !
- Nell