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Fandom Hunger Games (Closed)

While Finnick had seemed to find River from where she'd gotten momentarily separated from him and gotten some leaves, part of her still seemed absent. He raised an eyebrow a bit as he looked to her in a bit of confusion. He didn't say anything at the moment though, since he didn't really know what was going on. Something seemed different, and up with her, and while he was curious, he wasn't going to push her about it. Not at the moment though. Maybe he was just overthinking things.


"Not yet, I had to look for you instead since you went off daydreaming" he smirked, teasing her as they then began walking again, before coming across a pretty large tree that looked like it would work well "That'll work. I hope you know how to climb?" he said, before wrapping the vines up neatly in a circle and slinging them over his shoulder before jumping up and grabbing the nearest branch. The muscles in his arms flexed, even through the fabric of his suit, as he pulled himself up onto the branch, and then crouched down on it to reach a hand down to River to help her up onto the first branch, since it was a bit high off the ground.


As she got into the tree, he then began to climb higher up. "Being high up probably would be otherwise dangerous if we were to fall, but since we have these vines we should be fine. It's not even all that likely we'll fall if we get a good location" he said as they climbed pretty high up into the tree, Finnick helping her any time a branch might be a bit difficult or too far away for her reach. Before long, they had a pretty good spot high up, enough where there were full branches below them covering them from sight.


Taking his hand grateful, she stood up. Her leg hurt, but it wasn't something she couldn't deal with. As the sun was setting more, the need to find a place to camp for the night was growing stronger, and she started walking again with Gale to find some sort of shelter. Her shin burned and throbbed in pain, but she pushed through it. The last she wanted was to be a burden to Gale, especially when he really did seem to be trying to help her out. But she also didn't want to burden him because she knew that by being so, she could make his survival harder than necessary, and he'd probably be better off without her, nor would she blame him for ditching her to save his own life. Not that she currently was injured enough to be a burden. She could still move and walk, it's not like any bones were broken, just a deep, painful cut or two.


But they knew from the start that both of them couldn't survive, and the more she thought about that, the more it scared her. Either she would die, or Gale would, who she knew was a really good guy, and didn't deserve to. She sighed a bit to herself, shaking the negative thoughts from her mind as she continued to follow Gale, watching her step, both for roots, as well as any more of those nasty thorns.


As he pointed out a rock, she nodded, hoping it would suffice well enough. She didn't have the energy to go much further, and not just because of her leg, she was physically exhausted as well. As if on cue, just as they had gotten there it started to drizzle. She didn't particularly mind it, but could tell it was starting to get colder as the sun went down, and thus, being wet wouldn't be all that good if they couldn't get dry. As they inspected the rock formation that, although a bit small, would work to shelter and hide them, she noticed some trees nearby, that looks like sap was oozing from the trunks.


Getting an idea, she took the arrow she had somehow managed to hang onto during the run. Jamming it into the tree where the sap was oozing, she got a little more access to more. She then collected a couple of big leaves, and using the sap like a glue, formed the leaves into a sort of bowl. Holding the leaf-like bowl and the arrow in one hand, she moved to crawl under their rock shelter for the time being, hopefully if the sap can dry soon, we can collect some rainfall with this to drink" she said as she set it down, making sure to keep it in a bowl formation to dry.
 
With enough energy - and Finnick's help - she was hoisted up into the rather large tree. The tree had long branches, with large leaves which would help keep them from being seen. She contiuned upward grasping each branch as if her life depended on it; and the higher they went the more she realized it did. 


She was scared to look down after a few minutes of climbing, one slip and she'd fall to her death. So she kept looking up, staring after Finnick until he decided on a stopping place. "You think we're high enough yet?" It's was more of a theoretical question than her actually asking. She half smiled to herself but it came out as a grimace.


Securing herself on a branch, she tested it out with her whole weight. It seemed it could hold her so she grabbed for the vines. She easily slipped the thin vine around her body and was deciding on using another one when something in the distance caught her eye.


"Look." She pointed through the leaves. It was hard to see but she could clearly make out a rain cloud far in the distance. It was unmoving and seemed to only cover a long section of the jungle. "Have you ever seen a cloud do that?"


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​


Gale trudged through the leaves of a rather high bush. Rain had started, and it didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. As he approached the rock structure, he pulled back the vines - at least it'll keep them somewhat dry. The rain felt incredible, he half though about opening his mouth but knew they'd need something to catch it.


It seemed Lilly was hard at work on the very thing. He watched as she scraped away at some sap on the trees before retreating back to shelter. He shortly followed after her, finally sitting down after walking such a great distance. He could relax a little, it'd be hard to find anyone in the rain, and as hard as it was coming down it'd wipe all tracks leading towards the rock shelter away.


"I think we'll be okay for now."  He nodded mostly reassuring himself. The sun had almost completely set, and darkness had began to set in. He didn't know own what kind of beasts, other than the tributes of course, were lurking nearby. "At least the rain might keep some away." 


Gale nodded to her leg, "You could probably clean it out now." He said with a half smile. Hopefully it hadn't started trying to heal, and with the walking they had done after he figured it hadn't. 
 
As they ascended further up into the tree, eventually they seemed to reach a good spot. High enough that they were covered even from below, but also still where there were a lot of strong and thick branches they could rest on. He chuckled softly at her question, even if she didn't really mean for it to be answered, and he stopped. It was a little tiring climbing the tree, but it was worth it. He helped her pick out the best branch to secure herself on to rest for the night, and as she tied the vines securely around her body and the branch, he made sure that they were tied in secure knots, watching as she tested her weight out and it seemed to be alright.


He then proceeded to do the same with himself, settling himself down on a branch not too far from River, and tying himself to the branch to make sure he would be caught if he fell in the middle of the night when he tried sleeping. He was glad to have River with him, since it was definitely better than trying to sleep alone at night.


"Normally I'd suggest we take watch shifts while one sleeps, and switch. But we shouldn't be seen up here unless someone climbs this tree. Which I highly doubt the chances, considering how many other trees there are. A good thing about traveling in a group is that you can take shifts, so one can sleep while the other keeps a look out" he said with a small smile as he leaned back against the center trunk of the tree, not realizing that River was planning to break their group up.


As she finally was able to sit down and relax, Lillian let out a heavy breath. Today was exhausting, not only mentally but physically. How many more days would she have to endure like this? Asking herself that question, she also realized she was also asking herself how many more days until she died. She recalled earlier, when the arrow had just been inches from hitting her. Absent minded, Lilly stared down at the arrow in her hands, the same arrow that had almost struck her.


Deciding dwelling on it would only further mentally exhaust her, she shook the thoughts from her mind and looked back down at her leg when Gale mentioned cleaning it out "Yeah" she said as she set the arrow down beside her "The rain is really nice right now. I don't even mind being wet I just hope it doesn't get too cold tonight" she said as she moved to the edge of their shelter, sticking her injured leg out to the side of it to let the ran fall over it and soak it. She worked on untying the makshift bandage from her pantleg Gale had used, and letting it get wet from the rain, she started to clean off her leg. She cleaned the blood that had run over her skin off first, before hesitantly and reluctantly going to clean out the cuts on her shin, hissing a bit in pain as she did so. But she knew this pain would be nothing if she didn't clean it and it ended up getting infected.


By the time she finished cleaning out the wound, and rinsing out the bloody cloth with the rain, she set it to the side, not wanting to tie a wet cloth around the wound. But by the time she finished, the makeshift leaf bowl seemed to have dried where the sap held it together, and she held it out from under their shelter to catch the rainwater, pleased to see it didn't appear to be leaking.
 
River watched as the sun finally sunk under the horizon - leaving them in utter darkness. She gazed up through the trees above her, looking for a moon. She couldn't see it, but the soft glow of the world around here indicated it was there. She always preferred moonlight to the sun.


River had always been a night owl, awake all night while she slept through the day. This had always affected her during the school year - but she didn't mind. The night brought a calmness, she could hear the creatures awaken stalking through the underbrush below.


She checked her vine straps again, listening to Finnick's words. "Yeah, I'll take first watch. I don't mind honestly, I probably won't be able to sleep for a while." The games had worn her out, her mind almost fried from the anxiety the games brought. She meant to stay awake, until she felt her eyes slipping.


She was running. Her body cramped, her thighs screaming out in pain. She couldn't see 3 feet in front of her, she panicked as she swallowed each breath. Someone was following her, and gaining faster - she heard their footsteps right on her trail. With a gasp, she fell to the ground hissing as pain shot through her side. 


She looked up, seeing the familiar face of her fellow 4 tribute. 


River flew forward - until she was caught by the vines. Her heart racing, she looked over to Finnick. He hadn't moved, still attached to the branch slightly near her. She knew it was time. She untied the vine around her waist, slowly slipping down the tree, careful not to wake up her sleeping partner. 


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Gale watched as she cleaned her leg, the rain seemed to help wash most of the blood away. It'd have to do and hopefully would heal decently. He felt his eyes getting heavy, but he shook his head splashing rainwater against his face- it seemed to help wake him up slightly. The weight of the games - and the weight of the air were pulling him down.


There was a slight chill to the air, and it had cooled off his hot skin from ealier. However if it kept up, they'd be freezing through the night. Being sick wouldn't help anyone out here. He rubbed the water dripping into his eyes with the edge of his palms. 


He smiled as he saw the makeshift bowl working, and waited for Lilly to use it first. "Maybe we should sleep in shifts, you should get some rest." He gave her a hopeful smile, rest could do both of them a world of help. His bones ached as he stretched lightly, and his legs burned slightly. He had never ran for his life before, it definitely had a toll on his body. 


He reached for the bowl when she finished, cupping his hands before holding it out in the rain. The water soothes his throat, and filled his craving. His filled cup after cup until he felt almost full, gasping slightly. He didn't realize how thirst he actually was. 
 
When River offered to take first watch of the night, he was a little unsure. Honestly, he thought he should take first, mainly because he kind of felt it would be the right thing to do, not just gentlemanly because River was a female and all, but more so because he'd been through the games before, unlike River, he was more psychically and mentally prepared and had a stronger endurance of it.


He was about to suggest he go first, for her own sake, but when she only insisted that she take first watch, and that sh really wanted to, he ended up giving in agreeing "Alright. Wake me up in a couple hours then and I'll take over" he said with a small smile, not even suspecting in the least that she was going to ditch him.


Sure, River had been exceptionally different than most other girls he met. Unlike most girls, she wasn't falling all over him, all over his looks or personality or anything like that. But he didn't think that she hated him either. But while he knew she was different, and actually appreciated it, he didn't think she would actually leave him. Maybe it was a bit of his arrogance and conceited self-esteem that made him not even consider that someone wouldn't want to be around him, or wouldn't like him. But until he woke up later, he wouldn't even realize that the partner he'd enjoyed having around had actually left him in the middle of the night.


As she finished cleaning up her leg, she scooted back fully under their shelter, which surprisingly was keeping most of the rain out. She pressed her back against the rock to get as close and covered beneath it as possible, since with the sun now having fully set, there was a slight chill about the forest, probably a combination of the night with the rainfall.



Watching the leaf bowl fill up with water, Lillian was ready to drink it before it was even full. But she forced herself to be patient, though watching it fill up was like watching the seconds slowly tick by on a clock. When it was full though, she pulled it back under the shelter, eagerly taking a sip. And then gulps. She really was thirsty. She took turns with Gale sharing it though, going back and forth each time it filled up. Thankfully, it was actually holding a decent amount of water.


After both of them had stomachs full of water, she relaxed back against the rock a bit, nodding her head a bit when he suggested sleeping in shifts "That's a good idea. Even if tributes wont go hunting in this weather, other animals used to it might..." She said, before he suggested her getting some rest first. "Are you sure?" she asked, looking to him. She wouldn't argue if he insisted, and as he did, she nodded her head "Thank you. Wake me up if you start getting too tired, I wont mind" she said with a small smile before she brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them as she sighed softly, resting her head on her knees and trying to rest. It wasn't really the most comfortable position or even place to sleep, but it would have to do for tonight. Eventually, despite the fear dwelling inside her, she had managed to fall into a light sleep.
 
River finally made it to the bottom branch, she had forgotten Finnick was there to hoist her up when they first found the tree - now her legs dangled in the air far above to ground. Well shit. How was she going to get herself out-of this one, she wondered as she gripped the branch close to her. If she decided to drop, she could very well injure herself and wake up her sleeping partner. However if she stayed her dangling she'd be a sitting duck for any tribute to run into.


She swung her body, trying to get close enough to the base of the tree. She half slide half fell down the length of the trunk until she felt the ground underneath her. She winced slightly from the fall, pain shooting up her legs - soon it'd subside and she could continue on. 


Checking her supply again, she had the dagger strapped to her suit with some vine. It wasn't much, but she decided to leave the bag and water for Finnick. She figured if she had to die, the least she could do was try an help a fellow district 4 tribute win - even if it wasn't much. Her little stash of water could be the only thing that helps him if he gets ambushed and has to leave, not knowing where the next stream would be. 


Doubt filtered through her as she stared up, she could almost see Finnick. "Goodbye." She whispered, she didn't want to leave. Hell, she had gotten use to the arrogant guy; but she knew she couldn't stay longer. She knew leaving was for entirely selfish reasons, that almost made her sick - they'd come for him eventually.


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Gale's eyes weighed heavy in his head, but he refused to close them. The rain hadn't let up, and a slight fog has rolled in - decreasing the air about 10 degrees. Every 30 minutes or so he'd hold out the leaf and take another drink. He knew they didn't have a place to store water yet, so he wanted to drink as much as he could now. The upside also that it woke him up enough to last another half hour. 


There wasn't much sound, occasionally a bush would rustle as if a small animal ran through it - but nothing more. The rain almost lulled him to sleep, as he thought out the events that would occur tomorrow. They'd have to find food, and possibly a way to transport water.


He glanced back down at Lilly, she had fallen asleep sitting up, her head laid in her knees. It looked uncomfortable, and he wondered if she was cold. He put his arm around her, pulling her over so she could lay her head on his lap - at least she could half lay down this way. Looking good down at her, he felt sorry that she was apart of these games. He felt sorry for anyone who had to be apart of the games.


A couple hours past but he continued to let her sleep. He figured he could sleep when he was dead. 
 
Finnick continued to sleep in his position where he sat in the tree. Even if it wasn't comfortable all that much, he did because he knew how important it was to get rest. Many tributes not used to, or built for these kind of stress and life or death situations, quite literally, were the ones who died first because they couldn't sleep, and therefore didn't keep any energy and couldn't fight off of evade their attackers.


Finnick didn't have any nightmares or anything really that night. Not because he didn't care. Not because he wasn't scared, or wasn't worried. Honestly, he was just as scared of death as any other. But he was confident in his abilities, for good reason, although, that may be what ends up possibly getting him into more trouble. He was overconfident in his ability to win a second Hunger Games, because he'd wont the first ones he was in. But something he was forgetting, which was pretty important, was that he wasn't playing this game with the same tributes, or in the same setting.


However because he was kind of used to these sort of environments and remembered them so vividly well from the first games, he knew how to zone out unnecessary distractions, such as the recap played out for them on the sky of just which tributes had been killed earlier, and in the order they had died. Because he was able to sleep through this, he still didn't realize his companion and partner had left him alone.


While it was uncomfortable, Lilly's exhausted mind was desperate for sleep. Her body more so just enjoyed being able to sit and not have to run for her life. While it was kind of a restless sleep, it was sleep nonetheless, and helped Lilly rest up, which she knew would be helpful to have energy for the next day, as well as for the cuts on her leg to heal.


She had been asleep for a couple hours, mostly a light sleep, occasionally shifting, or even shivering in her sleep at points from the cold rain, until at some point she was laying against something warm that soothed her body in a calmer state of sleep. Resting comfortably with the provided warmth, she slept halfway through the night, until around the middle of the night, probably midnight, a noise woke her up from her light sleep.


Squinting her eyes, the music surrounded them as she woke up with a few blinks. It took her a moment to recall her surroundings, confused when she woke up differently than how she had fallen asleep. Realizing she was resting on Gale's lap, she couldn't even question the man as the sky was lit up brightly with the music and displaying images of tributes. Fallen tributes. She frowned as she looked to the images...her's would join up there soon, she figured. Sighing, she sat up and looked to Gale, who looked half asleep already. "Your turn. You need to sleep too. I feel a lot better now anyways" she urged him to get his rest.
 
River tracked through the underbrush, now and then the roots catching her feet making her trip slightly. Every sound made panic serge through her. Was it an animal? A tribute finally come to kill her? But she continued on alone, the sounds of the jungle were her only company. 


She knew walking aimlessly through the forest at night was a dangerous move, because either there were tributes out searching for a kill, or she'd stumble upon someone's hideout completely unaware. She made sure to tread softly, and keep an even pace - she didn't need to draw attention to herself whether to animals or other tributes.


The air was colder than whenshe was with finnick - it seem to have dropped 10 degrees in a matter of less than an hour. She came across a similar tree to the other, with branches she could reach on her own. She gripped the side, scraping her legs against the branch as she pulled herself up. 


She was midway through the trees when the sky shown bright, alerting her something was happening. The sky showed picture after picture of the tributes who hadn't made it through the day. There was still over half the tributes out in the jungle, she'd have to be careful. She secured herself to a tree with simple vines as she continued to watch the faces of fallen tributes. 


---
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Gale's eyes were glued to the sky as it lit up. It showed the fallen victims of the day, each face plastered for every district to see. It was his only way of knowing how many were still lurking out there. Too many. He said to himself, he knew these games would drag on longer than they'd have too.


He sighed when he felt Lilly wake up, and was grateful when she asked to take over. He readily agreed as he shifted away from her - laying his head against the back of the rock structure. It wasn't his first choice in places to sleep, but he'd take it. He knew it wouldn't take him long to fall asleep, the day had worn him out.


He closed his eyes, seeing his family at home waiting for his return. They knew how likely it would be for him not to return, but he also knew they were watching every second of it. He wished they wouldn't, he didn't want them to see him like this. Today he was fine but what about next week? He could half starving -half dying- and he didn't want to even watch it himself. 


As he felt himself rest against the rock, the worries melted away into a dreamless sleep.
 
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As the images of the fallen tributes were displayed, Finnick continued to rest, not letting something like that bother him. He didn't need it to keep count, being a strategist as he tried, he kept count every time the canon had gone off earlier that day, and had the number who had fallen in his head, as well as the number left remaining, aside from River and himself.


Eventually, he had started to stir, probably a couple hours before the sun had risen, from what he could tell. He was confused though, at first, the feeling of having gotten a lot of rest. How long had it been? He told River to wake him up a couple hours after having fallen asleep. So he figured he just was deep asleep. But as he went to ask her, he realized what happened.


"Hey, how long was I out?" he asked confused, turning to look over at the branch River had been on. Only to find it empty. River missing. And at first he panicked, thinking she fell out of the tree or something bad happened. But upon further inspection, with the sun starting to crack through the horizon and the leaves, he could see that there didn't appear to be any form of struggle. And the more he tried to figured out what happened, he realized the rather obvious explanation. She had left him. And upon this realization, Finnick found that he was actually a bit more upset at this fact than he should have been. And not just from his conceited person, he actually felt upset about it.


The night seemed to drag on forever, yet at the same time, by the time the sun would start rising, it would seem like it had gone by all to fast to Lillian. After urging Gale to get some rest, she smiled a bit seeing him eventually fall asleep. She suddenly felt a lot more worried though, being the only one awake and the responsibility of watching over his sleeping body sinking in. It felt kind of nice on one hand, that he trusted her enough to fall asleep next to her and leave her in charge, but also weighed her down with a large sense of responsibility.


Shaking the worried thoughts from her head, she told herself nothing would happen. Who would be stupid enough to try attacking at night, and in this rain too? Simply moving around at night would be hard enough. As the minutes turned to hours passing by, Lillian drank a lot of water. Not only to keep herself hydrated, however by drinking a lot it disguised her hunger in her stomach and gave it a temporary false sense of being full. Of course, it never lasted all that long. But the water was incredibly refreshing. Refreshing to drink, anyways. But aside from that, the rainfall continued through the night, not seeming to let up.


Even as the hours neared the rising sun, Lillian hardly noticed, since the rain had continued, keeping it cloudy and covering the sun a bit. Eventually though, it had let up after an hour or so after sunrise. Lillian let Gale sleep even after the sun rose, since she figured while the rain had been going it was darker and would be harder to travel anyways, and he needed as much rest as he could get, since they didn't know when they would next be able to sleep.
 
River stirred to the sound of the jungle beginning to wake up. As she opened one hazel eye she knew it wouldn't be long before the sun was up. The forest had a light grey hue over it, and she could hear the morning songs of a bird nearby. Her eyes were glazed with sleep as she squinted trying to adjust them. 


She hadn't gotten much sleep, from the nightmare she had with Finnick, to the hours of worrying before her body finally gave out in exhaustion. By the look of the sun, she knew it hadn't been more than a couple hours since she had fallen asleep but it'd have to do. 


Now that she was on her own, she needed to stay alert at all times- she was in control of watching her front and her back. The tree she was in didn't require enough coverage now that the sun was up, she had to admit it looked better at night. 


Half sleep deprived, she cut herself loose from the tree before making her way back down. She wondered if Finnick was up yet. Did he know she was gone? Did he know she had left him there? She knew it was only a matter of time before he too woke up. She knew he trusted her, and she had taken advantage of that. She only hoped her little supply of water thst she left behind would show him that it was the games that made people this way.


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Gale slept for what seemed like hours. Even when the sun continued to climb he remained unconscious. He didn't dream much that night, only vivid pictures that he'd soon forget. The rain hadn't let up since the night before, so it lulled him back to sleep everytime he stirred. 


His body was exhausted, ever since finding out he was to be in the games he barely slept. It felt like he was regaining all the sleep he had missed out on the past couple of weeks. He was completely unaware of the sounds of the jungle around him, he was unaware of the dangers that lurked nearby. 


Even after the sun had risen, when he finally shifted awake he felt the need to fall right back asleep. He peeked one eye open and saw Lilly staring out into the jungle. "Anything interesting happen while I was out." He half mumbled as he let out a yawn. His body was cramped, and he needed to get out from under the rock structure and stretch a little. 


He felt the familiar pinch of an empty stomach. 
 
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Coming to terms with the fact that River had left him intentionally, and that she likely had been planning as such from the very beginning, Finnick just sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. It wasn't that he particularly needed her to survive, he thought. Although having a second person to trust certainly did lessen the burden on survival just by a little bit. He knew they'd have to separate at some point, but for some reason, it still disappointed him that she couldn't trust him. He knew he shouldn't be surprised by that or anything, but yet still was.


Shaking his head, he untied himself from the tree, the sun now rising, he needed to get a move on. Grabbing the bag and water, he scoffed a bit in amusement. Was she trying to be nice? She was the one that left him, likely in her mind to be safer, yet she didn't take the supplies they had, which she definitely needed far more than him, he thought.


Shaking his head, he swiftly made his way down the tree and feet firmly landing on the ground with a thud. Glancing around, he knew there was no point looking for her. It was a waste of valuable time and energy, especially since she clearly didn't want to stick around with him. And she could have left one hour ago, or several. There was no telling how far away she was by now. As he took a step forward and started his survival of the second day, he now started to search for food.


As Lilly waited for the sun to rise, in the moment, it felt like agonizing seconds passing by so slowly. But by the time the sun had risen, she wondered where the time had gone, and mentally wasn't really ready to start another day of fighting for her life. Sighing heavily to herself, she glanced to Gale as she noticed him stir occasionally in his sleep, and before long, started to fully wake up.


"Nothing really. The rain finally stopped. Which gets rid of our water to drink for now, but it's probably better to travel without it" She said as she moved to crawl out from under the rock. Twisting her back and cracking it a couple times, she then pulled at her hair-tie, letting her hair fall loose she shook it up a bit to get rid of the stiff feeling of her hair being pulled at from her scalp where it had tightly been tied up. A minute later she put it back up though after loosening the strands, and glancing over to Gale as he started to get up.


"What's the plan for the morning? Other than not getting killed" she asked, wondering if he had a goal in mind. Eventually, they would need to find food. She felt the hunger, but at the same time, knew she could last longer without eating. Sadly enough, that was probably an upside to her and Gale coming from District 12, and the fact that they were used to feeling hungry so it wasn't like it effected them all that much, until another day or so would go by without anything more than morsels.
 
River ingnored the dread creeping in the back of her mind. She shooed it away with thought of berries she had found an hour into her walk. Thankfully she was pretty familiar with plants, she usually was in charge of her food intake back at 4. With an absent mother, she had to make due with what she could get her hands on. When she was younger, it was mostly berries and roots she could find in her small town - when she got older she was able to fish on her own. 


They never allowed anyone into the forest beyond the fence, so she had little experience with hunting. She knew that would be a problem since she needed more than a handful of berries to live on. Maybe she could set up traps? She wasn't too convinced she could come up with something like that. She knew how to make a small bow, but she wouldn't have anything for arrows.


She grumbled to herself to pass the time as she wandered the forrest a bit more. The sun was warming her back and she knew the humidity would kick back in soon as the fog would disapate. She had been walking for a good amount of time, she didn't exactly know own which way she was headed. She could be going in  circles  for all she knew.


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Gale rubbed his sleep filled eyes with the palms of his hands. "I guess we could try and find a new place to hide out another night. We could put up traps around for animals. Maybe even modify them in some way like you mentioned back at training?" He shrugged his shoulders. He didn't purposefully want to hurt anyone, but it would be safe to put traps around their hideout in case a tribute followed them back.


He rubbed the back of his neck, pulling at strings because he honestly didn't know what to do. Could they plan their day of just trying to survive until night? It wasn't safe running through the forrest, he thought back to when the arrow almost hit Lilly. Too many good hiding spots.


He got up from his spot on the ground, and headed out into the early morning air. The sun had just crossed over the horizon, a low fog had set in. He stretched up feeling his muscles crack under his weight, and he stretched his arms out. "I slept like a rock." He teased looking back down at Lilly. 


He could feel his stomach rumble, he was hungry but he had gone days without food before - and had guessed Lilly had too. Their bodies were use to being under these kinds of stress. He grabbed the homemade spear in his hands, before stepping away from the rock sculpture.
 
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Careful to watch his step and surroundings, Finnick found he really did prefer River with him. Even if she was inexperienced, and not well trained, something about having her around made him feel more comfortable and secure with this whole situation. He told himself that it was because two pairs of eyes on the look out were better than one, just as two in a fight was better than one.


In reality though, part of him probably missed having River around because, not only was she not annoying, like most girls who flocked to his charming arrogance, but also because by having her traveling with him meant that he knew she was alright, and within his sights to make sure she stayed safe. Even if he didn't fully realize it, at some point, Finnick had grown rather protective over the blond girl.


When the first sound of a canon rang out through the area signaling another tributes death, Finnick found this was a main source of his discomfort, not knowing if it was River or not. He really hoped not, and sighed heavily. He shook the thoughts from his head, advising himself he couldn't afford to be distracted right now. Another thing that had been bothering him though....he hadn't gotten a single sponsor yet, which really surprised him.


Nodding her head in respond to his comment about finding another place to stay for the night, she agreed. She had been thinking something along the same lines, since, where they stayed last night was really a last minute quick find for them to camp the night out under. And it while it served it's purpose, she was sure there were plenty other spots they could hide out in and rest through the night. Ones maybe a bit more off the ground, since that left them open and vulnerable to animals. She was sure the gamekeepers didn't make all the animals in here friendly.


At his joke Lilly couldn't help but laugh, turning to look at him as she finished pulling her hair up into a new and fresh high ponytail, she just shook her head at him with a small smile of amusement at his rather lame pun. But the sleep really was nice. Even if they both only had a few hours or so, she felt really refreshed. Glancing down to her injured leg, the pain was still very noticeable, but it wasn't like she couldn't walk or anything. And she was sure if need be she could run if necessary - not that she wanted to.


"Here" she said bending down and handing him the bowl of water she saved from when she noticed the rain was slowing and had eventually stopped "I drank a lot while you slept, so you should have this" she offered "We can keep the bowl too, we might need it again." she said as she picked up the arrow "Well, here's to one day survived" she mumbled, sighing as she headed off with Gale in search for a better shelter for the upcoming night.
 
A sound of a canon rang over head, making River pause in her step. Her mind immediately jumped to Finnick, as she wondered if it was for him. The blonde tribute was well trained and skilled so she knew it most likely wasn't for him. She only suspected it could be him if he was ambushed or if the game makers had some sick way of playing with the previous victor.


That thought made her blood run cold, it wasn't too far off to assume the game makers wouldn't want a winner who was already a victor for another hunger games. They'd want someone new - someone fresh. This was the easiest way to get rid of the old one. 


A lump had formed in her throat, but she didn't know why. With this thought, she should be even more glad that she left when she did; but she was only filled with uneasiness. She shook her head, trying to erase the thought from her mind. Thinking of him was dangerous, she had to worry about her own survial. 


The humidity was creeping back slowly, she knew that the small water supply would be great at a time like this, but kept moving.


---
​


Gale smiled as she laughed at his pun. He knew it wasn't much, but she could have just outright ignored him. In fact she could have just ventured off on her own without him, but chose to put what little faith she had right now in him. He was grateful for that, and even though he knew it wouldn't last long - at least it lasted this long. 


He reached for the bowl taking in a long slow sip. The water had warmed some from the sun, but it was still refreshing. It'd have to be enough to get him through the day. 


He heard a sound of a canon ring through the air, which made him look back at Lilly. Each canon brought them closer to leaving - it also brought them closer to leaving eachother. He gave her a hopeful smile, at least they wouldn't have to think about it today. "Let's just try to survive day two okay?"


He waited for her to get herself adjusted before starting back into the jungle. He wasn't sure which way to head, so he picked a path they hadn't been on yet and started down it. 
 
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Standing still for a moment, he frowned as he just looked at the sky. He really wished they would tell them right away who it was that died. Normally, he wouldn't particularly care. He'd callously consider a death one step closer for him to winning. He never cared before about who it was, or who killed them. But in this instance, he found himself incredibly uncomfortable with not knowing, and guessed he would just have to wait until nightfall to figure out if River survived the day by herself.


It wasn't that he didn't have faith in her...but that kind of was it too, partially. She had some really good skills to surviving in the wild on her own, that he wasn't worried about. But if she came face to face with another tribute, he didn't think she was as skilled in that area. Not only was it evident to him she really wasn't much of a fighter, but that lead him to believe that he doubted she could kill someone if need be, even if to save her own life. She seemed too nice, he really couldn't imagine it. But then again these games had a sick way of changing people. That, and he supposed he shouldn't be considering her all that 'nice' for ditching him.


He didn't entirely blame her though. He could kind of understand why. Maybe she feared his skill, and that he would eventually turn on her  one day when she was trusting of him, or least expected it and let her guard down. Or maybe the looming threat of other tributes ganging up on him and singling him out to get rid of him together, since having won the games before, he was currently the biggest known threat.


When he took the bowl Lilly smiled a bit before looking for what direction they should go. She didn't have on in mind, so like Gale, she figured they might as well head in the direction they hadn't been yet. She was about to ask how he slept, but then remembered his joke, about sleeping like a rock. She smiled a bit in amusement recalling the comment, before she soon headed out with Gale setting out to explore more of the forest, but carefully.


She flinched in her step as the cannon rang out, and she frowned a bit, glancing to Gale and sharing a small look with him, before neither of them really said anything about it and continued on their way. It was hardly a couple hours past sunrise, and someone had already been killed today. She wondered how many more would be marked fallen today, and the next...and again, she couldn't help but think about when she would die. As much as she wanted to survive, she didn't think it was hard to guess she wouldn't make it.


Once again though, she tried to shake the depressing thoughts from her head as she walked with Gale, looking for essentials such as a better place to camp out for the night, as well as food and possibly water - or something to hold water. Even though they were in a rain-forest, they had no way of knowing if they were walking in circles, and when they would find water, and how often. So whenever they found it, even if they drank a lot, it'd be wise to carry some around with them for emergencies if they could.
 
The sun had already reached its highest point of the day. River's feet slightly dragged as she contiuned on a beaten path. Was it this hot yesterday? She felt slightly delusional, stopping whenever she thought she heard running water; before continuing on knowing it was all in her head. If she didn't die by another tribute she'd sure to be dead by heat exhaustion.


Sweat dripped down her face, as she wiped it away with the back of her hand. She had the feeling of uneasiness but she couldn't place why -until she decided to take a small break; she stopped moving, closing her eyes. There was no sound, no animals running in a nearby bush; no bird chirping overhead. She was surrounded by silence, and for a very crowded rainforest - it was out of place. Why. She thought before the sad realization kicked in - they were hiding.


The though made her blood run cold, pricking at her skin as she dived further into the forest. Her heart rate increased as she searched for a place to hide, or to make it out of that stretch of forest. The large leaves blocked her path in every direction, and she couldn't tell where she was going. 


She heard a soft sound at first, almost like crackling - it sounded like fire. It didn't make sense, was another tribute making a fire nearby? Or worse, a whole group? She was sure no one would be that much of an idiot, knowing how much a fire could be noticed. She stood, for only a moment searching for the direction of the sound. 


She didn't noticed the silver piece sticking out of the large tree behind her, she didn't even noticed when it sparked behind her - all she knew was the searing pain against her side as a wisp of fire licked the tree next to her - it was aimed at her. She fell to the ground hissing in pain as she grabbed her side. She knew she couldn't lay there anymore, if the game makers were watching they'd be sure to throw another at her. She knew it was all for show, they hit the tree next to her to add the to suspense. She sprang to her feet, full of adrenaline. The whole forest seemed to be ablaze as she dodged a fallen tree on fire- everywhere she looked was laced with the red embers.


---
​


Gale winced a little as his foot missteped on a slick rock. They had been traveling for a couple hours now, and still hadn't found a suitable place to sleep. He knew they should make it out of this heat, if they keep going they'd be sure to drop like flies. It seemed hotter than the day before, or maybe it was the lack of adrenaline that was coursing through in during the first few hours of the game. 


He heard a soft sound - but it was too far away to place it and decided to head it a different direction anyways to be safe. He didn't want another situation where they ended up in front of another tribute - who might be better equipped then them. 


He grasped the spear in his hands, the weight of it relaxed him slightly. He was glad to have at least this much protection. He glanced back at Lilly who followed him closely, "How does you leg feel?" She was keeping up, and seem to be able to move around but that didn't mean it wasn't painful. 


As he waited he approached a large tree, the branches hung low and vines fell over the sides touching the ground. He motioned for her to follow as he slowly approached it. He parted the low hanging vines to reveal a small shaded patch - enough for them both to rest. "Come on let's get out of the heat for a bit yeah?"
 
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As Finnick had trudged through the forest, he found himself confused as to why he actually hadn't run into anyone yet. Not River, who, as much as he didn't want to, had stopped trying to figure out where she'd went and didn't go looking for her, since he knew it'd be pointless. And she was determined enough to leave him, he didn't know if he went looking for her she'd also be determined enough to attack and try to kill him. He honestly wasn't sure he'd be able to fight her. He'd of course fight to protect himself, but really, trying to harm and kill her...he didn't think he could. He knew it was bad, since that was the point of survival in this game, but thinking about it, he really didn't think he could.


But aside from not finding or seeing River, he hadn't run into anyone, which came as a surprise to him. And no, it wasn't him being arrogant thinking everyone would be out trying to run into him and find him to kill him or something, though, he did indeed think a few people might have that mindset. But logically, with how many tributes were still left, and it was over half of them, he genuinely was surprised he hadn't run into another yet, or even heard or seen traces of anyone being nearby.


Stopping in his tracks to try and think this through, an odd sensation of paranoia and uncertainty running through him, it's then that he realize there also were no traces or sounds of animals nearby. Not even the countless birds he'd heard the other day before. That wasn't good. Looking around, he froze when he saw something glowing a little in the distance, and then he smelled it. The fire. Cursing, he quickly turned on his heel, heading in the opposite direction of the fire he saw, and running. It was a wild fire, not a tamed one, and for that, he knew how quickly wild fires could spread, so, even though he saw it in the distance, he ran, knowing it could quickly catch up to him.


It seemed he was too late though, and even running in the opposite direction, he ran into a wall of fire there as well. Stepping back, he turned in another direction, desperately hoping that he wasn't already entirely surrounded by fire. He knew this was likely the gamemakers idea, creating a mass forest fire, and so that it would likely be very widespread already. He needed to get out of this section. Obviously they weren't about to burn the whole arena down, that would be anticlimactic to the viewers if the gamemakers just decided to burn the entire arena and every tribute within it to death, instead of them fighting each other. So he knew, if only he could get out of this area, he'd be safe. Well, from the fire, he'd be safe, anyways.


Honestly Lilly felt like they were just stumbling through the end of their lives without a clue. They weren't trained for the hunger games, like a majority of the tributes. They couldn't swim, couldn't fight...they really couldn't do much of anything. And they weren't really good at finding the things they needed, like shelter, water, or food. And this was only day two. Were the other tributes struggling as much as they were?


And the fact her leg wanted to give out in pain was killing her, but she forced through it. She ignored the pain, because she not only didn't want to let Gale down and hold him back, getting him into trouble, but also because she didn't want to get separated from him, or have him decide she was too injured to keep around. And the injury really didn't hinder her all that much. It just hurt a lot, though she could still use her leg normally, which she supposed was the best. But another reason was because she didn't want to be alone, and hoped she could stick with Gale and they could work together for as long as possible.


She noticed him slip and stumble, and the scrunch of a pained expression on his face. Did he twist his ankle? She really hoped not, since an injury like that would be hard to heal with all the walking they needed to do, let alone possibly running or fighting. "My leg is fine....is your ankle okay?" They continued a bit further until Gale found a shaded spot under a tree with vines surrounding it. As they ducked below it, she sighed a bit with relief as she instantly sat down, relieved to get the weight off of her leg. Looking down at her shin, she noticed the wound had reopened and started bleeding again, but it wasn't as serious as yesterday, and she figured with some rest it would close up again.


And while Gale had picked the spot initially just to rest and get out of the heat, now sitting and looking around, it actually was a decent spot. Her creative mind started thinking as she looked up at the branches above them "This is actually a pretty good spot, if we want to stay here for the night" she said as she pointed to the branches above them "We can rest in the branches just above so we're off the ground and safe from ground animals. But also low enough to make a quick escape if necessary from other tributes. And even in those branches, there are plenty of vines surrounding the tree, hiding them and only someone who went under the vines like they had would see them. "We can use the vines to attach between the branches that are close so it's kinda like a mat or net, so we don't have to worry about falling to the ground."
 
The pain on her side seared through her as she ran. The smoke from the fire choked her as she gasped, swallowing each breath desperate for clean air. She was surrounded by the red flames that licked at her face. She couldn't see a clear direction to head in, but then she didn't have time to stop and look. She kept on pushing through the large leaves - the ones that weren't fully on fire.


She choked back a small sob as she kept going, putting one foot in front of the other not thinking of much else. Her mind was clouded, as if she was running on autopilot. It was survive or burn to death - she had to deal with the large amount of smoke filling her lungs. 


She had to get out of the section of fire filled forest. She knew it was some sick twisted way the game makers came up with - probably to drag all the tributes close together. She didn't know, and didn't care about anything other than getting to safer land - even if it wasn't much safer. Adrenaline coursed through her, making it possibly to keep moving. She knew as soon as it wore off, the burn on her side would be excruciating. 


She let out a loud scream as a branch from a higher tree came crashing in front of her. 


---
​


Gale bent down while Lilly inspected the tree, taking a look at his ankle. It was swelling up some, still tender as he checked it for a break. It didn't seem broken, probably just some light swelling and all he needed was to get off his feet for awhile. He figured Lilly felt the same way. 


As she explained the well placed tree, he had to admit it looked secure enough to him. The vines from the higher branches fell down, and if they could climb up - they could be safely hidden behind them. He nodded in satisfaction, "Yeah it looks pretty good to me. We'll be out of the heat, plus like you said tributes won't see us unless they walk under the vines. Which wouldn't be likely." 


He liked the idea of tying the branches together, so he stared cutting off long strips with the end of the spear. "Here's some, do you think you can climb?" He looked down at her leg. It had definitely reopened, but it seemed to have healed a little since yesterday - and wasn't bleeding so much. He knew it was dangerous to have an injury during the games, they were usually the ones to die early on. He didn't know what he'd do if she couldn't keep going, he didn't want to leave her stranded here alone - he didn't think he had it in him. 


It wasn't as if he wanted Lilly to die early on, he knew he shouldn't get to attach to her being around though. Soon they'd have to part ways, either by one of them dying or the less tributes are left. He felt bad for thinking this way, he had actually started to enjoy her company and it kept him motivated to keep going. I wish we could've met somewhere else. He thought to himself, before he started climbing up the nearest branch, vines gripped in his hands. 
 
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Finnick was growing tired from all the running. Every which way he turned he seemed to eventually be blocked by fire, and fire too thick and to tall to quickly run through without being burned. Along his search for a way out and free of the fire infested section of the forest, he had grabbed a leave. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing as he held it over his mouth and nose to breath. It didn't fully get rid of the smoke filling his lungs, but it helped a little.


As he was running, he paused in his tracks as he heard a scream not too far from him. Obviously another tribute. And at first, he knew that he shouldn't go to help. As cold as it was, if this fire took a tribute out, it'd be helpful to his goal of winning in the end. But then his second thought went to River. What if it was her? He replayed the scream back in his mind, trying to see if it sounded like her. Cursing, there was no way to tell for sure, but if he found out it was her, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he was this close to her and didn't help her.


Cursing, he pressed the leave closer to his face as he took a breath and took off running in the direction the scream had come from. Every logical, survival instinct of his head told him it was one of the stupidest choices he could make. What if it wasn't River? What if it was a trap, a lure to get a tribute to come save them, when really, it was a trick so they could lure them and kill the tribute stupid enough to save the scream for help. A tribute stupid like Finnick, in this instance, apparently. But even if it was River, risking his life in this fire to save her was pointless, is what his mind told him. Risking his life for another, when the point of the game was for there to be one winner? It was childish, and naive. And another part told him he was stupid to have grown attached to River, but at the point, he figured he already cared too much to throw those thoughts away, and thus continued searching for her.


"River?!" Finnick called as he had ran in the direction of the scream, but couldn't see anyone yet. He found himself growing more and more desperate to find her, his mind having already decided that it had to be her, even though he really couldn't know for sure. He ran through a wall of fire to get to what looked like a figure not far past it, but the fire was too strong. Even though he made it through it, it severely burned his flesh, particularly his arms. The leaf ended up catching fire too so he had dropped that.


When Gale seemed to agree to the plan of staying in the tree for the night, she smiled a bit and nodded her head. "Plus, we both need to rest. So now for the rest of the day we can focus on that, as well as maybe looking nearby for things like food and water after we've rested a bit" she suggested, since the day was only about halfway through, it being just an hour or so past noon, she guessed, by the location of the sun in the sky.


As he agreed to the plan of the vines tied one end to a branch and the other end to the next branch, she used the tip of the arrow that she still had with her to cut some vines loose as well. Since they needed a decent amount, she got most from the other side of the tree, as to not cut away the vines that would be hiding them. Even if there were so many it probably wouldn't make a difference. Grabbing a few, she hung them around her neck before looking at the lowest branch to grab. Being short, she was thankful there were a few low branches she could reach to pull herself up.


When he asked if she could climb, she just nodded her head "Yeah" she said as she ignored the pain in her shin as she bent her knees and jumped up, grabbing the branch. She then used the trunk as leverage, walking up it with her feet to pull herself up and swinging a leg over the branch. "Do you want to do these two?" she asked as they picked out the two branches they would tie together, currently, she was referring to the two that the each were on. Once decided, she tied the long vine around her branch she was crouched on, before tossing the other side to Gale where he could tie the loose end to his branch. They'd have to make sure the knots where they tied them were strong enough, so that they could hold them and wouldn't slip loose. Thankfully, Lillian was good at making traps, which often required sturdy knots.


Soon enough, they secures a bunch of vines with both ends of all tightly secured to either branches, forming a sort of tight net or area between the branches. Strong enough that the vines wouldn't snap under their weight, nor would the knots securing the vines come lose. Sitting back on her branch with her feet handing off the side where the fines weren't, she let out a heavy breath, relaxing. She didn't know if it'd rain or not again tonight. But they couldn't take the chance assuming it would, to get water. They really needed to find some, and a way to secure and transport it.
 
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She tensed as she fell to the ground, she felt her scream lost through the crackling of the fire. It swarmed around her, encasing in a small wall of flames. She gave her last amount of energy to fall backwards as the tree had fallen crashing in a firey blaze. Damn. She knew this was her end, she didn't know she'd die this way she figured it'd be by the hands of another tribute. This way she was alone. 


She hugged her knees to her chest, placing her head down covering it with her arms. The heat sucked the air from her lungs, fire searing off the ends of her hair - it was creeping closer an uncontrolled force of nature. There's nothing natural about this. She wanted to scream - at the game makers, at the capital, even at the citizens of Panem. 


This was a sick and twisted way to punish children, for the amusement of those in the capital who sat back with no worry of ever being sent here. They laughed and betted on their lives like the tributes were a pack of animals. It disgusted her; but she knew it wouldn't last long. The fire would take her life, and the games would go on without her. A canon would go off as soon as she was dead, she wondered if Finnick would think of her. He'd probably be happy I left. 


But she heard something then, in the distance behind the wall of fire. She didn't look up, the heat was too much for her eyes, but she heard a voice. She shook off the thought, the lack of air was making her delusional. But she couldn't stop the silent chanting from escaping her lips, "Help me, please. Please. Please. Finnick."


---
​


Gale watched as Lilly scaled the base of the tree and up a few branches. He knew with a hurt leg it must have taken a lot out of her. She didn't say anything, only contiuned on with her work of tying branches together. It was a pretty clever idea, and he had to hand it to her that he wouldn't have thought to make a mat. He probably would have just tied himself to a branch and be done with it.


He contiuned tying the branches together, grabbing more vines when he ran out. At least they didn't need too many to be noticable. Etching back and starting at the finished product, he gave a satisfied nod in Lillys direction. Thankfully there was enough branches to make an efficient mat for them to lay on. "At least we won't have to lay on rocks anymore." He gave Lilly a half smile, knowing how awful he had slept. 


He grasped the back of his neck, massaging it gently, he had a slight pain in his neck from the position he had slept in. Shrugging it off he tied his last vine in a not, applying slight pressure to test the knots. "It seems like it should hold, at least we won't be too high off the ground." He looked up through the tree seeing a cluster of branches higher up. Falling from that distance would definitely have serious impact. 


After getting the campsite ready, he knew they had enough of the day left to gather supplies. They'd need food to keep up their strength, and was already devising a plan to set up traps around the tree. Lilly needed a suitable weapon to protect her, they couldn't solely rely on the spear to support both of them. He'd keep his eye out for something small, hopefully she could craft something for herself. 
 
Finnick gritted his teeth as he forced his way through the fire, groaning in pain as it licked at his flesh, burning through his clothes in some spots, and through his flesh, leaving some raw patches. He cursed in pain, stumbling forward in the direction where he could definitely hear River's voice now, and calling him for help. He didn't think of how she abandoned him. Of how she used his guidance until she could safely leave. He didn't think of any of that.


"River!" he called again as he made it to the small opening she was in, where they were surrounded by fire. He ran to her side, grabbing her shoulders "You idiot, what are you doing just sitting here" he snapped in a mixture of emotions and pain. He glanced around, gritting his teeth in panic. They were surrounded. All he could see was fire. All he could smell and breath, was fire. All he could hear was the crackling and snapping of fire.


No, wait. There was a different sound. One all too familiar. It was the familiar beacon of a package being sent to them. Looking up, it was floating down. Letting go of River, he could only hope whoever the sponsor was had sent something useful in this moment. He didn't wait for it to land, as the fire was increasingly closing in on them. Reaching up he jumped to grab it, quickly opening it. Unwrapping the thin, bundled up fabric, revealed a large cloth, confused, he stared at it. He stared at it in confused before his eyes widened, realizing what it was, and in his hurry and panic to save their lives, he didn't even both looking for the note let alone what it said.


It was a fire resistant blanket. But it wasn't big enough for the two of them. Clenching his fist, he internally struggled with what to do. But, despite his usually selfish and arrogant self, it didn't take him long to decide. Grabbing River, he pulled her up "Stop sitting there like you've given up!" he snapped angrily at her. He wasn't really angry with her. But the tension and panic of their current situation was making his fuse short - no pun intended. Grabbing the blanket, he wrapped it around River  tightly "Duck your head" he said, pushing her head down and pulling the fabric over her head, covering her hair and face "Alright, now let get out of here!" he said, feeling like he had to yell over the roaring of the flames for her to hear him.


With that, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as he pulled her forward, running and just not stopping until they were free from the surroundings of fire. But by that time, while he was still alive, Finnick was severely burned in several places from running though several patches of fire. He collapsed to the ground, his mind struggling to keep consciousness as he breathed heavily from the run.


Sitting back against the trunk of the tree, Lilly caught her breath, ignoring the pain in her leg. It had been so constantly throbbing with all the work it went though, that at this point she was used to the pain, and it had eventually just become like a numb throbbing she was used to, so it was easier to ignore. She she relaxed for a bit, she laughed lightly at his comment of not sleeping on rocks "Yeah, this will seem like heaven tonight compared to last. And hopefully it wont rain so it wont be as cold either" she said as then started thinking about what they needed to do next.


Food and water were their next priority. And similar to how Gale was thinking, she'd like to have a weapon as well. All she had was a stray arrow, which really wasn't useful in fighting without a bow. It did give her an idea though. She remembered that girl back in training....was it River? From district 3? Or was it 5? She couldn't remember, but the girl had shown them a small tool, which really, was like a miniature bow. Lilly was a fast learner, and if she could remember how to make the tool, she thought she might be able to modify it to make it larger and actually useful. And even if she wasn't great with the weapon, she thought it would be good to have a long distance weapon, since the spear was close distance. It would be good for them to have one of each. And being as creative as she was, she had an idea of how to make it.


After having rested some, she sat up "Lets split up what we can do now, But neither of us will go very far from here. You said you can also make traps, right? While you do that I can look for water, and also something to craft a weapon" she suggested. Upon getting his agreement on the idea, she got down from where she sat, having rested enough, and hit the ground, mostly landing on her uninjured leg to avoid unnecessary pressure. With that, she then set out for a search, being very careful and mindful of where she went so she wouldn't get lost, and not know how to get back.


She didn't want to be gone too long, mainly because being alone now really scared her. She collected the items she needed, that she couldn't get back at camp. So aside from twigs, small branches and vines, she looked for what she didn't have. One thing in particular she looked for, were those thorned vines that gashed her leg open. The thorns were actually quite large and thick, about the length of a finger. Finding them, she carefully snapped them off of the vine they were attached too, collecting a lot up in a leave that she carried them in. She then looked for water.
 
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River didn't hear Finnick as he jumped through the wall of fire before her- all she heard was her almost silent pleas that turned into only slight murmerings. She pulled herself into a tighter ball, her head still laying on her knees. She didn't even hear when Finnick yelled at her, her mind was cloudy and her eyes clenched shut. She didn't want to risk opening them. Until she was finally wrenched from her spot on the forest floor, making her eyes snap open. Finnick stood shaking her arm slightly, everything surrounding him was red, lit on fire - the sight almost frightened her. She tried pulling back at first, before the realization came to her - he was trying to save her.


He was right, she had given up but what she didn't know was why he came and found her. Why didn't he just leave her? He'd be one tribute closer to winning, and wasn't that the goal of the games anyways? To win by death? Saving her was only going to prolong the enviable, and there was no point in making the suffering last longer. And yet here he was, grabbing her arm. She was light headed, and almost lost consciousness several times but the tight grip Finnick had on her kept her awake. She had figured he'd be glad he didn't have to deal with her anymore. She was only a burden, weighing down his chances of winning. Besides herself, she wanted Finnick to make it home. He didn't deserve it out here, especially not twice. Not that she didn't want to win, but she knew her chances at going home. She knew her fate, and she was just about to meet it when Finnick came back.


All of a sudden she was wrapped in something, and it was something other than fire. She heard Finnick's voice yelling out to her, instructing her to pretty much get the hell out of there. She was then running through the forest with only Finnick to guild her. She knew they were still surrounded by the flames, however she wasn't getting burned. What is this thing? If she was in her right mind she'd know it was a fireproof blanket.


She tripped and muffled her way through the forest, the burns she had suffered were excruciating. Pain radiated mostly from her side where the fire canon had hit her. The rest of her body ached, tender from the smaller burns she encountered from being enclosed in the flames. She knew when they had escaped fire, at first she panicked when she didn't feel Finnick at her side anymore. When hearing him collapse she mimicked his actions, falling onto the ground. Pushing the blanket off, she dry heaved almost like trying to get all the smoke out of her lungs. She gasped at the fresh air, swallowing each precious breath however as many as she inhaled it didn't satisfy the craving in her lungs. With a final look at Finnick she couldn't tell if he was okay, before a darkness filled her sight.


---
​


Gale readily agreed with her idea of splitting up. They had too many things that needed to be done, and only so much time in the day. Plus if he was to get caught she'd have no trouble getting away. However they hadn't seen another tribute the entire day. He wasn't sure how many remained, or even how big the arena was. It's was probably a big space or the more frightening thought, some tributes had teamed up. 


He shook the thought from his head, they weren't a necessary target so they shouldn't be sought out. However, if someone did cross their path he knew he'd have to protect himself. Even Lilly if she couldn't make the bow work.  He didn't know if he'd be strong enough to kill another person, and if you had asked him a couple weeks ago he'd have said no. Even now doubt creeped through his head. 


He set off not too far away, grabbing an assortment of vines and wood. He knew how to make several traps - some he wanted to try and modify them like Lilly had suggested. He decided he'd make a full small scale ones for animals first, to get a visual on what he'd be working with. Making an almost circle around the tree - far enough though as to have it in his sight. He set up the traps, maneuvering his fingers as he prepared them. 


He got an idea then, he grabbed a large section of vine and tied it in a circle. He worked this trap the same way he worked the smaller one, however he hooked it up to a branch hanging high in the trees. It was a good patch of trees that were littered with vines hanging everywhere. It would hide the vine that would trap someone's ankle if they stepped over it.


He smiled at the finished project, knowing it would work. With that his smile faded, not once in his life did he imagine to use these traps for people. The thought made him sick, and he grimaced at the sight of the thing. What if someone actually fell into the trap? Would he come back and kill them or just let them hang there to die an even slower death of starvation only to have other tributes come by and do it for him. 


He didn't think he could win  the games by plotting traps everywhere, there was just too much space to cover. However it'd protect him and Lilly while they slept; it would also alert them if a tribute was nearby giving them enough time to slip out into the night.
 
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As he ushered River through the fires, Finnick just grit his teeth in pain every time he got burned, and every time River stumbled, he kept a firm grip on her with his arms, forcing her to keep running forward. He didn't spare a second as he pushed through, despite the urge to just collapse and crumble in a ball of pain on the forest floor. The other downside to running through was the fact they had to inhale the smoke, but he supposed that was better than burning to death.


A few more minutes of running, and they had made it to where the fire hadn't spread. The second they had, Finnick collapsed to the ground, wheezing and coughing in pain as he squinted his eyes back open, looking at the wall of fire. It was so unnatural. He could see the fire not too far from where they had come, but despite fire's tendencies to burn everything in it's path, it's like there was a line it wouldn't cross, between where he and River were, and where there was fire everywhere. Letting his head fall back to the ground, he knew it was the game-makers doing. He suspected they probably guessed he was skilled and could take other tributes down easily, if it wasn't a large group, but the nature itself he had a harder time dealing with.


Turning his head to the other side, he saw River collapse too. His vision darkened, and he could only hope she was okay. He knew he saw some burns on her when he found her, but hopefully she would be okay in the end. As his vision faded along with his consciousness, Finnick found that, while he internally was laughing at himself for his foolishness, risking his life as he had to save another, who in the end, one of them would have to die anyways, he found that he didn't regret it, and as he passed out, he found himself overwhelmingly comfortable with the fact he'd been able to save River.


Lillian was gone for over an hour - and honestly, with how hard it was to see the sun through the forest trees, and her search for water, she honestly couldn't tell how long she had been gone. However, it had been worth it, since in the end, she was finally able to see some water in the distance. She only stood there for a few minutes though, staring at it from afar since part of her was scared to approach it. The water was just a small stream running through the forest, more like a brook, only a couple feet long in width. So it wasn't out in the open, nor did it seem anyone else was nearby.


She cautiously approached it once comfortable no one else seemed around. Falling to her knees, she cupped her hands and eagerly drank the water. After hydrating herself, she looked around for how to possibly carry it though. That, along with her supplies, she was trying to figure out how to carry it all back. She'd already collected the large thorns bundled up in leaves, however, she'd been carrying that by hand, since she didn't have a bag or anything to carry it in, her pockets 1) were too small, and 2) she'd likely get pricked if she put the thorns in her pocket.


Coming up with a plan, she grabbed a nearby vine - since the forest really was plentiful of them and had vines everywhere, albeit, different types. She peeled a thin piece of the vine off, not needing the whole vine since it was thick. But by peeling a strip off, it was now like she had a piece of string. Using that, she tied up the leaves bundling up the thorns, so that she didn't need to hold it closed to keep the thorns in, and then with that, using the string like piece of vine, tied it to a belt-loop on her pants, securing it there where it now hung. Now, to find something to carry the water with, she looked around for something she could use.
 
Her vision was clouded, and each breath was more painful than the next as if her lungs were cut up. Even as she peeked one eye open, darkness still followed and she'd close her eyes once more. She dry heaved from her spot on the floor, nothing but smoke came out of her. She clutched her stomach, her arms wrapped tightly around her body, her mouth clenched as she tighten herself into a small ball on the ground. As much as it pained her, she found comfort that it was all over.


The air was cooling on her burned flesh, she figured they were by a stream or night was soon approaching. She couldn't tell the difference as she didn't have time to check her surroundings before collapsing. She wondered if another tribute would could by and kill them, or if the fire would soon spread to where they were laying. She knew they didn't have any more in them to run again. However the flames never came, whatever it was that was happening, the fire didn't seem to spread to where they were at.


She didn't put much thought into it though, she figured whatever happens will happen. She thought of simple things, the only things her cloudy mind could fully wrap around. She didn't know how long they had been laying there, hours? Minutes? They all seemed the same to her. All she knew was Finnick came back for her, he could have kept going and saved himself some pretty nasty burns. She opened her mouth to thank him but only a raspy cough came out.


Her eyes clenched shut as she contiuned to throw up smoke. She knew it'd be dangerous to lose consciousness unprotected, but she couldn't hold back the feeling of exhaustion as it ate all around her. She was trying to figure out how they were going to get out of this one. She fought it as long as she could until sleep consumed her.


---
​


Gale continued the fairly large circle around the main tree. It was far enough away that him and Lilly wouldn't scare the animals away from the traps. He tried to keep his thoughts at bay, if he didn't he knew he'd be sure to feel sick again. He had a job to do, and he pushed through the uneasiness that ate at him. He wasn't sure if any tribute would make it over to them, but with how many left someone was sure to pass by eventually. 


When he was done, he looked up through the trees, the sun was low in the sky and the looming trees above him casted shadows around him. He knew he should start heading back before he would lose his way trying to trek it in the dark. It wasn't to hard of a walk, he just went straight from his last trap since all of them lead inwards. 


He finally approached the tree looking around for signs of Lilly- there were none. That surprised him, he figured he had been gone a good amount of time already she should've been back by now. He didn't think she would've taken off, and even if she did he would've understood. Maybe it would be easier that way. However the thought crossed his mind, What if she's lost? He didn't want her to be lost and roaming the woods at night trying to find him. It was dangerous, and the predator animals hunted at night. 


He'd give it some time before starting to worry, she probably just got caught up in whatever it was that she was doing. He reached out, climbing up the thick vines that draped the tree. He hoisted himself up, bringing himself to the makeshift mat. He layed down, and it enjoyed it a lot more than the rock that was for damn sure. 
 
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Laying on the ground in excruciating pain from the severe burns all over his body, Finnick just tried to relax and focus on something else, anything else. But it was really difficult to do, his whole body felt like it was still on fire and burning, despite no longer being surrounded by fire or touching it. As he struggled to keep conscious, he felt the severe burning sensation both on his body and inside, in his lungs with every breath he wheezed out.


Eventually, the pain was too much, and his body instinctively started to shut down to block out the pain, the burns making his consciousness fade until he was no longer away. He didn't know how long he stayed like that. Right now he was in so much pain that he didn't even care that where they collapsed was no where safe. Though, then again no where in these games could really be considered safe, especially with the game makers pulling tricks like that fire. But he and River weren't hiding, both unconscious and unable to protect themselves. A tribute could walk by and see easy targets of two unconscious bodies that they could easily kill, and already would be two less tributes in the game, just like that.


But despite the real possibility of being found there on the ground, no one had stumbled across their bodies. Or perhaps someone did, and seeing the burns covering their bodies thought that they were already dead. Finnick was sure they probably looked it, anyways. But eventually, there came a time where FInnick's eyes did peer open again. And just as his consciousness came back, so did the pain covering his body.


He was honestly surprised to still be alive, if not by the fire killing him, then a tribute finding them. He supposed any tributes that had been nearby though saw the forest fire and distanced themselves as far from it as they could. That, and there were no animals around to prey on their bodies because they too had either fled the area or been swallowed up by the fire.


Suddenly, Finnick remembered the medical ointment that had come in the bag he picked up on the first day of the games from the circle. He rolled over to grab the bag he had dropped when he too collapsed, only to gasp out and unable to hold back a cry of pain from the movement that stretched and pulled at his scorched and burned skin. He grit his teeth painfully hard as his fists clenched into the dirt ground, fingers digging in as he could even move without being then immobilized by pain.


After securing her supplies in her makeshift bag tied to her hip so she didn't have to hold it, she stood back up before looking for something to carry the water in. She tried not to stray too far from the water, looking for something she could use that would hold a decent amount of water. She supposed she could make something again to carry it in, but would prefer not to have to since she didn't want to waste a lot more time away from the camp. But unable to find anything suitable, she grabbed a bunch of vines and set to work making a container to hold water.


She hid under the shade of a tree near the stream to keep out of direct sight while she worked on the object, using a bunch of thin strands of fines she braided them all together, where in the end, almost another hour later, she made a long shaft to hold water in, basically like a cup made from vines, but wider and longer than a typical cup. She placed thin leaves on the inside to make sure to cover over any possible holes within the container, and then, headed back to the edge of the stream.


While there, she re-cleaned the wound on her leg, got some more to drink for herself, and then filled the handmade container full of water before she started walking back to the camp. The sun had fallen lower in the sky by the time she made it back, but there was still daylight, and enough time for her to make her weapon. As she neared the site, she made sure to look out for any traps in the area, knowing that's what Gale was doing while she was gone. She then approached their tree hideout, smiling when she saw Gale.


"Hey, sorry I took I while I couldn't find anything to hold water so I had to make something" she said as she reached as high up as she could to him in the tree, so he could reach down and grab the container, so he could not only get a drink, but so she could also climb up without spilling a drop of the water. After grabbing the rest of supplies she needed to make her weapon, she then ascended the tree and joined Gale on their handmade mat, sitting beside him, she then set all the objects in front of her, and got to work.


She started on the bow itself, using twigs and thin, string-like strands of vines braided together to make the bow. Once finished with that, she set it to the side before beginning to make some arrows, using thin but strong twigs and branches, the thorns as arrowheads, and securing them together with sap and thin string-like strands of vines.
 
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