The 98th Annual Hunger Games: Semi-Lit [Inactive]

Every boom of the cannon sounded like the beginning of a funeral dirge for her. Brie couldn't help but to tremble as each noise roared out into the night as she considered how close it had been to having her face plastered across the sky and her death only commemorated with one loud thudding noise. She had survived longer than she had anticipated but it was no cause for celebration.


One of her current allies Luka had been just seconds away from choking her to death with the heel of his boot and it was horrifying how easily and quickly he had overpowered her... he could probably kill her with the effort it would take to squish some irritating bug. It was because of that she tried to make herself useful. She was always trying to be alert and scouting for enemies though admittedly their skills were probably better in that aspect and she was always the one to volunteer to pack things up or clean and boil water. She was trying to make herself worthwhile to keep around. She was sure that they would warm up to her and like her the way that she had automatically liked them (after all they HAD spared her life).


Brie was certain that they would become friends and that the Careers would eventually protect her out of love rather than just the fact that she hadn't needed protecting yet. But if you had asked Luka he would have likened the small girl from district seven to something not too unlike a pet. She was always there and thankfully she was silent but there was no respect for her from his end. She earned her stay by simply not being in the way and he enjoyed the fact that she was no physically threat to either of them.


"We should bring the girl along." he said looking at Kitinger. He could feel Brie's eyes at the back of his head but he tried to ignore that, she was too far to hear his whispered words anyways. He ran a hand through his short dark hair... he could feel the small wound the girl had left there but that seemed to be the most she was capable of doing to anyone, "She's useless in combat but she could make good bait."
 
Pias collapsed against a large tree, his shoulder sinking into the soft green moss that covered most of the wooden giants lower half. He had made his way across the northernmost tip of the desert, staying close enough to the water that a cool breeze had continually swept across him and held back the heat of the scorching white sands. Being a great deal leaner then most other tributes, he had forced himself to jog to the edge of the forest before finally allowing himself to stop.


He raised his head, glancing only for a second at the endless sands that were just visible through the trees to behind him, then set off into the forest. His limbs ached from his trek across the desert, and his mouth was beginning to dry out too. Stars began to twinkle overhead as evening began to descend, and he knew the temperature would plummet soon. He swung the small backpack down to the ground and rummaged quickly through the contents. A small bedroll, matches, a bar of some kind of sweet brown food, an empty water container and a tin cup was all it contained. Pias mentally added the hatchet and knife holstered on his waist to his mental inventory. He repacked everything into the fabric bag and slung it back over his shoulders as he moved further into the woods.


Cannons boomed overhead as they announced who had died, but Pias didn't even glance at the faces. His photographic memory had kept every gory detail he had seen today, from the pattern of red fluid upon Kittinger's blade to the path Bihlar had unwittingly led him through. Idly, he wondered what had happened to her after the violent melee as he leant up against a rotten tree. He paused, his breath coming in deep pants and he shoved himself off the tree so as to give himself a boost onwards.


Creak.


Pias cringed, stopping suddenly in his tracks.


Creeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak. Snap. Snapsnapsnapsnapsnapsnapsnapsnapsnap...


The rotten tree made a crackling sound as it toppled, snapping the branches off nearby saplings and flattening other ones outright. A flock of birds, suddenly and rudely awakened, took off cawing loudly into the night. Pias muttered a curse that would have made any red-blooded District 4 sailor turn away in embarassment.


Pias pushed onwards, faster and more recklessly. The careers could not have failed to notice that, and as he had seen from previous Games, they always came out to hunt Tributes that first evening. Every shadow seemed to contain a Career, and more then once the memory of that ferocious red-patterned blade sprung to the fore of Pias's mind. He stopped, struggling to get a hold on himself. He wasn't going to die, not today at least and certainly not without taking down at least one Career. A plan began to form in his mind, and Pias couldn't help but grin as he bashed his way through the thick undergrowth of the forest, this time leaving a trail on purpose.


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//Username: ********


//Password: *****


//Entry=0


//You have (2) attempts left


Mayflower grimaced and pushed the stupidly elaborate gown out of the way yet again. Thankfully her blonde hair, grown long since the Games she had been entered in four years ago, had been tied up in a series of braids and loops behind her head.


“Are you ready, my sweet?” crooned the forty-something man from the other side of the bedroom's wooden door. May rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath before forcing a smile and standing up.


“Almost, my charming Governor. You are in for a treat, I assure you” she called towards the door. Any other fool would have detected the repulsion in her voice but the Governor of District 1 was accustomed to luxury, and the honeyed words were just what he wanted to hear. May turned back to the keyboard.


//Username: ********


//Password: *******


//Entry=1


//Access GRANTED


May grinned, and rubbed her hands together in excitement. Quickly, she unclasped the golden necklace from around her neck and fed the pendant, a small blue gemstone cunningly disguised as a digital storage device, into the computer.


//File_transfer


//Copy: Complete


May withdrew a glass vial of blue liquid from her dress, and gulped it down quickly before withdrawing the pendant from the computer and placing it back around her neck. Bile began to rise in her throat as her vision blurred, and she stumbled towards the door. She opened it to see the greedy, balding face of the Governor light up in anticipation as soon as the door opened.


“Ah, my dear...you look as lovely as the-”


May interrupted him with a spray of yellow and brown vomit, splattering it all over the carpet and to her pleasure a moderate amount made it onto the curled toes of the shoes in front of her. May sagged against the doorway, breathing heavily as the Governor backed hurriedly out of range.


“...my apologies, but I do not feel well” May croaked. The Governor nodded vigorously, unable to tear his eyes away from the puddle on his costly carpet. A handful of Vox were already appearing from who-knows-where to clean up the mess.


“I...think I might retire. Good day, Governor” May muttered, and stumbled off down the hallway. Once around the corner though, she couldn't stop a smile crossing her face. District One's secrets were all hers now, and with any luck her plans would come to fruition before the 98th Hunger Games would end.
 
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Corasell nodded with a fake smile as Baron left. The bombs still rung in her ears and she couldn't imagine herself being one of those faces. The Capitol music was a nightmare to hear, but then again Corasell had already gotten herself into a nightmare long before that song could come on. She shifted herself a little until she finally relaxed her muscles a bit. Corasell tried to shut her eyes for once, but something kept bothering her, like an irritating presence. Corasell clenched her trident's staff and pretended to close her eyes. She stayed aware, like she always was, and kept her ears listening to her surroundings.


Corasell found herself asleep, dreaming, no, it was a nightmare, the same one that occurred to her every night since her brother died. She was running, faster than she thought she could go, until she tripped on some log type object until she turned to see her brother's body. It hadn't changed since the day the cameras captured his death. Corasell felt her imaginary tear slide down her cold cheek until she felt the sting of a blade through her chest. Abruptly Corasell jerked herself up with heavy breath and widened eyes. "Damn it.." she said to herself under her deep exhale and touched her forehead. She felt her temperature rise as if she caught a terrible cold and all she could feel was a stinging feeling in her chest. Corasell knew she had to keep emotions aside and she looked around for something to wake her up to reality.


Her only choice that was proven to work was to train alone for a while until Baron returned. She continued to throw her trident to a rotting tree or even in the soft ground, but it seemed to bore her after a while. The thrill of a fight was longing to her, and technically she hadn't taken somebody's life yet so it seemed like an addiction starting to arise. Corasell looked around and saw no sign of Baron. Slowly she returned to her perch under the nice old oak tree and waited for her ally's return.


Baylix smiled when the young tribute broke and shot with anger. Surprisingly, it hit the mark, even with the tribute's anger, and he felt the keen arrow shoot through his right shoulder. Baylix could feel his muscles tighten slowly but surely until he felt an eerie pain strike through his spine. He was dying, finally. "You have a good ai--" Baylix was interrupted by the pain and his knees collapsed to the sands. Blood stained the grains of the tan dust and he felt his entire body tense. He would have awarded the guy if he had enough strength, but by the time he thought of words to speak it all went black.
 
Kitinger glanced at the girl again. The procession of cannons now over it was time they begin their move once again. It would be a good night to weed out the weak tributes. The ones who successfully evaded them would be the ones who would give the Capitol the most entertainment so they didn't have to worry about that aspect. The games were, after all, all for show. Their performance and rewards were rated by how well they could entertain viewers and that Kitinger would do.


She nodded to Luka, "Yes," she said with a small dark smile, "A helpful idea. We shall see what she is worth."


The sun set behind the mountains then, leaving the sky dusk. Kitinger pulled a lantern from her pack and tossed it to the district seven girl. "When we enter the forest, you're responsible for the light."


The moon was out bright and full lighting the sands a pale whitish-blue. Once they entered the forest, however, Kitinger imagined there wouldn't be much light filtering through. And while Kitinger didn't like relying on a lantern, the moon wasn't quite bright enough. This was the most important time in the Games besides the blood bath. So they all had plenty of light resources, if not flashlights then torches would work just as well. She pulled a mag light from a clip on her belt as they walked up to the forest.


Kitinger smiled.


Baron stopped at a reasonable distance away from Cora to strip out of his uniform and flip it inside out from the white outside that he assumed was for blending into the desert, to the black which he assumed was for everywhere else in the arena.


He snuck around in the shadows, his boots touching lightly to the ground, stepping heel to toe to remain silent. It helped that the floor was covered by pine needles that helped dampen sound.


He scouted in rings, surrounding the area, searching for signs of life. Footprints, scratches on bark, any tiny sign of disturbances of an urgent or panicked tribute.


The sound of a twig breaking behind him made Baron spin, his trident mounted on his shoulder.


He waited. There was nothing. His eyes creeped around the area, his heart pounding against his chest. Slowly he approached, roaming the area with a sharp eye.


He heard it again, to his left. Baron flung his trident.


He investigated, the woods darkening and getting more difficult to see. Baron pulled his trident from the trunk of a Douglas. He pulled off the carcass of the squirrel he'd just skewered. He frowned slightly and continued scouting for a few more minutes before weaving back to their camp, about a five or ten minute walk.


He found Cora, sitting beneath a tree. It was well dark by now an it had taken an extra few minutes to find it.


"Hey, it's just me." He said quietly, announcing himself so she didn't attack. Baron held up the squirrel. "I swear he was stalking me."


"Any sign of anything?"
 
Corasell kept her grip on her trident when she heard a fain whisper of Baron. Even with the voice of her ally, her blood started rushing from the shock of a possible attack. He showed a squirrel and Corasell smiled, "That'll be good food," she replied until Baron asked if there was sign of anything. She shook her head and let go of her trident for once since Baron left and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I'll take watch after we eat. There's no telling what the Gamemaker might do to finish this hellhole." she stated and gave a scowl.


In all honesty Corasell could just picture her death already, but she couldn't think about that. She knew the Gamemaker was going to pull something on the tributes to make them suffer, and if she was one of them, she wouldn't go down without a fight.


Once her thoughts escaped her and her mind was clear on one goal, Corasell got up to stretch her legs a little. "I'm going towards the ledge of the meadow, where we passed through. I think I saw some rocks that I always see back at home, you know, the ones that store water within their minerals? I don't know, but it's worth a shot at getting water without walking down to the shore all over again." Corasell looked across the moonlit meadow and turned her head back towards Baron. It was worth the risk.


Even without Baron's reply Corasell shrugged,took her trident, and slowly made her way past the oak they hid under to get to the water.
 
Pias's thin fingers retreated slowly from the last of the traps he had laid upon the trail he had purposefuly left. Gently, and with a somewhat exaggerated caution he withdrew his hands from the taut branch held back under a rock. Nothing moved, and released a quiet sigh of relief.


While there were a few traps that he had made lethal, the majority of them were big enough to incapacitate a Tribute while being small enough to capture any potential dinner that could happen to walk by. Pias remembered with slight feeling of smug superiority of a tribute a few years back who had died from eating rotten meat, an easily avoided mistake that Pias was glad someone else had made. Killing a Career meant nothing if he was dead as well.


His eyelids drooped, and he suddenly realised just how exhausted he was. The Careers were no doubt on the prowl, and while he mentally entertained a few theories on them being impaled, choking or dying in a variety of ways on his traps he knew that he needed rest. He looked around, picking up his knife and returning it carefully to the sheath which sat horizontally upon the back of his belt. He stood, stretching a little before looking wistfully towards a mostly-charcoal stump which hid his sleeping arrangements for the night under one damp root. The metallic cold of his necklace's vial reminded him of his limited time, but he pushed the thought from his mind. Another problem for another day.


A few minutes later, having double-checked the line of traps he gratefully curled up in the damp hole under the stump. He closed his eyes, realising for a moment that he should organise some kind of escape plan but before he could realise the danger he was in, the blissful darkness of sleep overtook him and Pias thought no more.
 
He grimaced. Baron really didn't want to think about what the Gamemakers would cook up for them first so much had already happened just today. The sabotage at the plates. The arena this year was outrageous mix of terrains. But the careers had taken a serious blow this year, only two of them really that they had to worry on.


Corasell got up saying she would be going down to the rocks to look for water. "Good idea." He shouldered his pack and grabbed his trident. "I'll go with you. Watch your back."


He didn't particularly like the idea of splitting up at this time of night on this particular night when all the tributes would be on the prowl. He was also curious to see how she got water from rocks...
 
A smile settled onto Luka's face as Brie was passed the light. With just one simple action she had become a beacon. Hopefully she would draw others out of hiding. Brie took the light eagerly. She was happy to help out and a bright smile illuminated her face though the smile was markedly different than the ones that Kitinger and Luka both wore. She was happy because holding the light made her feel useful while they wore the slightly demented smiles of people eager for the drawing of blood.


"Lead the way," Luka told her in a low voice and she nodded enthusiastically before practically running out into the forest. She was younger and therefore she was much shorter than her partners so she didn't want to get into their way. She was lighting the way and in a sense leading them into the forest... not slowing them down. That idea horrified her especially since she wanted to help. She wanted to make them like her in the same vein as how she liked them. If they didn't like her than she might die... and she wasn't ready for her death yet. Brie swallowed heavily and shook her head hoping to displace those grim thoughts about how she was only prolonging the inevitable.


Her happiness faded slightly with each step they took into the depths of the forest. The trees began to cluster around her and she felt claustrophobic as they sky slowly was eaten away by the dense foliage. She was about to suggest calling it a night and finding camp (as she was unaware of how important the first night was to Careers) when she felt something wrap around her leg. The light she had been holding dropped to the ground with a muffled thud though that was eclipsed by her scream of pain as something shot into her right arm.


Though Luka's sharp eyes had been scanning every inch of the forest he had not noticed the traps that were set ahead of them but luckily the girl from seven had been sent first. He heard the whistle of something cutting through the air before he heard Brie scream in pain. Through the inky darkness he could see something wound around her legs and the dark trail of crimson leaving her arm. The whole forest could be a minefield. He felt a slight edge of relief crawl up his spine knowing that the area was booby-trapped but without stumbling into one of these traps. He would now move that much more carefully.


She struggled to undo her legs from the trap and he watched disinterestedly for a moment before his mind calculated how to turn the girl's mistake into a benefit for them.


"Aren't you going to untie me?" Brie blubbered as she fumbled in the dark with whatever was wrapped around her legs binding her in place. Whatever had struck her arm made it next to impossible for her to use it. The pain was too great.


"In time." He was considering just freeing the girl but something nagged at him from within his head to reconsider. There was plenty of time to untie her legs but something about the young girl's plight screamed out to him.


"No, please! Let me out of this! I need to wrap my arm!" Brie begged, "Please, I can help you remember? I can help you survive!"


Luka rolled his eyes, she was making so much noise... then it hit him. "Well, she's pulled on the web... let's wait for the spider?" he nodded to Kitinger though he had just posed a question to her.
 
Corasell gave a smirk as Baron followed her. In all honesty, she knew two was better than one, but then again, there wasn't the greatest guarantee. As she treaded through the moist grass she listened closely to her surroundings. She didn't want anything to up and decide to attack while they were off guard.


Once Corasell reached the ledge she turned to see Baron. Ignoring his presence for a moment, Corasell scavenged the perimeter of the ledge for something strong enough for her weight to pull on it. With a smile, Cora found some wild flower stems that seemed to be quite thick. Calculating her actions, Corasell started to weave the stems and a couple sticks into some sort of rope.


Even if the ledge wasn't that steep, Corasell needed to reach inside of the gaps to get some sort of water. "Watch my back, and if anything happens, cut the vine," Cora replied with a stern expression. She meant it. If the vine was cut she could climb the rest of the way and run off into the dunes again. Though she doubted anything like that would happen. Then again, this was the Hunger Games.


Corasell wrapped the vine around a sturdy rock and tugged the vine to make sure everything was secure. She was going to hop down, jump by jump, until she reached her vantage point. Taking an empty canister, Cora gave a half-smile to Baron as she jumped down, clinging onto the vine.


It was dark the steeper she went down the ledge. It was only a few moments ago that she climbed up this jagged climbing wall, but this was different. She jumped down a little bit more and tried to find friction on one of the rocks until she felt it give way. Without a doubt she felt her weight let go and could easily have fallen to her death if it weren't for her make shift rope. She panted slightly until she regained her confidence enough to continue.


Looking down, Corasell saw how much further she had until her feet would reach sand, though that wasn't the only thing she realized. When Corasell lost her footing, apparently she scraped her leg, and by the looks of it, it wasn't pretty. She rolled her eyes and looked around, finally seeing a gap in the rocks. A smile was produced on her face and she slowly shifted towards the opening.


Reaching her hand inside, Corasell felt around inside the small gap until she felt a familiar form. Her smile soon became a grin and she pulled her hand out of the opening, scraping her knuckles a bit. Once retrieving her objective, Corasell started her way back up until she felt the soft grass against her hands as she heaved herself up onto hard ground.


She looked up at Baron, white hair in her eyes, and held up the rock. "This guy holds some minerals that absorb the moisture in the air, which means, depending on the humidity, it may contain enough water for the night. Luckily, it will already be purified thanks to the mineral processes. Now, as long as we find some sort of pick axe or a make shift weapon like one, we can crack this sucker open and have some water," Corasell replied with a raised eyebrow.


As long as they found something strong enough to break it like a shell, they would have fresh water for at least a day until she would have to grab another one.
 
A girl's scream echoed through the forest, and Pias was suddenly jerked awake. Desperately rubbing his eyes to rid them of their bleariness, he ran a hand over his knife and hatchet to make sure they were securely attached, then slipped the fabric bag over his shoulders and exiting the burrow he had made for himself in a low crouch.


It didn't take long to find his victim, the lantern light drew Pias' eyes to her like a moth to a flame. She was flailing and crying, blood trailing in dark criss-crossing ribbons down her skin before pattering onto the leafy forest floor. Pias grinned in the dark, eyeing off his first victim. He took a step forward, eager to finish her before the Careers were drawn to the noise.


“Aren't you going to untie me?” the girl asked inbetween sobs. Pias jerked to a halt, and adrenaline flushed through his body for the second time since he had been awakened.


“No, please! Let me out of this! I need to wrap my arm!” she cried, pleading to an invisible figure. The hairs on the back of Pias' neck rose. There were only a few people sadistic enough to use a young girl as bait, and most likely they were...


“Please, I can help you remember? I can help you survive!”


...Careers. Invisible, deadly killers nearby and using Pias' own victory as bait to bring about his death. Well, he wasn't going down so easily.


But first, he had to find out where his hunters were. Peering through the shadows proved futile, as his imagination showed nothing but a girl wielding a bloodied sword hiding in every tree and crouching behind every bush. But...maybe there was a way to turn the tables? Perhaps the Careers could be hunted?


It took less then two minutes for Pias to stealthily make his way to the line of traps his oppressors had unwittingly stumbled into. He didn't entertain any thoughts of outrunning a Career, much less out fighting one. But with a little planning...maybe he could live out the night.


And so, Pias gave the most polite cough he could manage.
 
It turned out to be a wonderfully productive choice to send the district seven girl in front of them. Kitinger regretfully admitted she had not seen the carefully placed trap in front of them. Bringing up the rear of their entourage, her eyes were occupied with scanning the shadows for ambush or lurkers or signs of a trail rather than the nearly invisible line that camouflaged into their surrounding and had ensnared the girl taking point.


The girl shrieked in pain. Kitinger drew her sword. The district seven female would give away their position if she continued. She moved forward, ready to put an end to the wailing when her eyes crossed over the contraption the girl was caught in. Luka and Kitinger shared a glance.


She went up to the girl and pressed the tip of her blade to her stomach. "Scream," Kitinger hissed, through the clothing it wouldn't draw blood but it was no doubt quite uncomfortable. "Louder."


The girl pleaded for help. "Take cover and wait," she instructed Luka, melting into the shadows of the roots of an enormous dark tree.


They waited. Sword now sheathed, a spear in its place. Kitinger abandoned her pack momentarily to the shadows, it would be best if she was as free as possible for movement. Once the tribute who had set the trap arrived she was sure they would run. A quick medium to long range weapon would make for a short death. Kitinger pondered this. Or should she perhaps let the chase drag out, let them tire themselves out like Indians chasing a deer.


They waited. A good two minutes of silence except for district seven's shrieks. She made for a good beacon, like a conch horn, it could be a good or a bad thing.


Kitinger's ears pricked in the silence she observed the darkness looking for the change of presence. One shadowy figure. She crept from her hiding spot, imagining Luka doing the same in an attempt to flank him. The lantern had dropped when district seven had been injured, but it's light still illuminated the small clearing from its place in the leaves and pine needles. She heard the soft cough, what was its purpose? The target had just purposefully alerted his position. Kitinger knew right where he was now. She flicked on her flashlight, shining it in his face, it would momentarily ruin his night vision.


Kitinger wanted to hear what he had to say. It might be interesting. Considering these traps and his audacity to approach two deadly Careers like he did...he at least deserved last words.


Baron stood look out as she both wove a rope with nimble fingers and scaled the rocks they had not long ago had to climb up. He wanted to see what she was doing below, but kept a vigilant eye on the dark forest at their backs.


Corasell climbed back over, producing a porous stone. Baron weighed it in his hands curiously. He'd never heard of anything like this before. "I mean, we could try using the trident...or another rock. The possibility of finding a pick just to open that thing seems unlikely." Baron mused. He was curious to see how she would get the water from it.
 
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Corasell nodded. "Your right, but it's worth a shot." she replied and looked around for something. If only they had a pick axe, but that would mean going back to the Cornucopia, and there wouldn't be much left. A sigh passed the white haired girl's lips and she looked up at Baron with ice blue eyes. "We should keep this until we get any ideas. Let's go back to the hideout and eat." Corasell stated, slowly getting up from her crouch.


It was disappointing, the rock and all, but that was obviously the point of the games. They would have to make a pick axe of some sort, and even then it wouldn't do much good. Though Corasell understood she had to work with what the games held. "How are we going to plan this? Are we just going to stay in the meadow until one of us dies or will we move? We heed to make some sort of plan B." Cora said as she trudged through the grass.


Once Cora and Baron reached their post, Corasell dropped her sack and looked for supplies for a fire. Even if it gave off light, it could lure in other unlucky tributes to their death. A devilish smile came over Cora's lips and she looked at the stack of branches she was creating. Though with all her efforts, she wasn't the best at making fires, even if she had survival skills. Fire just wasn't her forte. She tried once more, but all she got was a spark from the two rocks, and even that didn't show much flame. A grunt passed through her lips and she looked over at Baron, "Mind if you try?" she asked, reaching the rocks out to her ally.
 
Pias crouched, peering over the top of a fallen log which a swath of moss had now claimed. The girl still swung there, moaning pitifully but he ignored her. His own life was at stake, and that took priority. He pondered rescuing her later though, the girl had mentioned something about survival skills which was something Pias was severely lacking in as we--


FLASH! The fact that he hadn't seen it coming meant that it burnt Pias' eyes even more. He stumbled backwards, unable to see anything apart from the shimmering, dancing discs of light ever distorting his vision. Shadowy figures moved beyond them, doubtlessly wishing for his blood to be shed. Pias scrambled backwards on his hands, dodging a tripwire that would unleash a spike-laden young sapling before tumbling down a slight slope.


A large round boulder halted his fall by painfully slamming into the small of his back. Pias took a moment to listen, he could hear the Careers nearby coming for his head. As he scrambled to his feet he glanced around, the bright spots on his vision were beginning to disappear but all he could see was blackness, with a slightly lighter blackness speckled by stars overhead.


Overhead? Hope sprung up in Pias, as he darted a few metres away from the rock and began scrambling his hands through the leaves, desperate for-- there! The beginnings of a vine trap, not unlike the one that had captured the young girl before. Carefully, and with a practised smoothness Pias modified the noose to be much smaller and then placed one foot carefully on top of the makeshift rope. It only took a moment to mentally double-check his modifications, and then with his free leg, he kicked the tripwire. The vine made a quiet zzzzziiip as he flew upwards, high above the ground below. Pias paused for a moment, attempting to spot the Careers below but at that moment the shadows grew even darker. Pias looked up to see a dark, rain-heavy cloud hover in front of the moon. A machination of the Gamemakers, perhaps? Or just dumb luck?


He couldn't waste any more time. Pias moved the knot of the noose higher, then stepped in it to lift himself up. Again, he lifted the knot and again, he stepped up. It was a slow climb, but at least it was quiet and didn't exhaust Pias as much as pulling himself hand-over-hand. Once at the top, he clambered onto the branch of the tree and blinked to shake away the last of the dancing lights from his vision.
 
A feral sounding snarl escaped Luka's throat involuntarily as his body sprung into action. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins urging him to go faster and he could practically taste the excitement in the air. The foliage and leaves underneath his feet crunched and snapped loudly but he paid no mind to the noise he might be making because he could now see the dark outline of the tribute fleeing from him. It didn't matter how loud he was being now because stealth would not help him catch the man.


With a practised ease, he fished for the hatchet (that he had seen Brie eyeing enviously earlier that day) that he had tied to his waist. He managed to pull it from where he had tied it to without slowing pace and once he had pried it loose he noticed the tribute stop. From his short-lived chase he knew that the tribute was faster than he was (though he suspected Kitinger was probably faster than both of them) so he knew that if he was to do anything that he should do it now while the tribute was stopped for some bizarre reason... he figured that Kitinger's trick with the flashlight might have something to do with it.


He gripped the hatchet tightly and focussed on his target before pulling the hatchet back and flinging it with all of his strength at the target. The moment it left his fingers and began whistling through the air Luka felt a flush of accomplished euphoria. The hatchet had left his fingers exactly how he had wanted it to. He could tell that it was going exactly where he wanted it to go and he believed that it would still hit its target even if the tribute decided to jump to the right or left. It was truly a perfect throw that probably would have made his old trainer weep with pride.


Unfortunately for Luka though... his target didn't go left or right. His target went up. It happened almost too quickly for Luka to register but he watched the tribute shoot up into the darkness of the tree just before the hatchet went whistling through the space that had only just been occupied.


He heard the sharp cracking noise as the hatchet buried itself into a nearby tree trunk but it was distant behind a flash of rage, "...I'll slit your throat, yet." Luka said. He did not yell these words but they carried into the night and despite his best efforts even he could feel the thinly concealed rage that seethed in his voice and through his blood.


He went to collect his hatchet being mindful to watch for the traps that littered this part of the arena while he waited for Kitinger.


--


And Brie continued to hang where she was left still blubbering sadly with the conviction that she was going to die becoming stronger with each passing second. The Careers had used her as bait and though she felt betrayed she wished that they would come back for her... if only because she needed to be cut down. She might forgive them if they cut her down.
 
Kitinger's nostrils flared as she watched her prey disappear into the canopy of the trees. She suppressed the scream, growl, roar of anger that was building in her throat. The tribute had outsmarted them both with his traps and his escape. A worthy opponent with an interesting twist. Kitinger would personally see to his death if Luka didn't first.


Thunder rolled through the sky, as if reminding them where they were and who was watching. "We must keep moving." She refrained from describing their situation as "unfortunate", she would not recognize defeat so soon, nor what a struggling start the Careers faced this years tournament. Weakness had no place here, as soon as they accepted weakness, they were weak.


Kitinger sipped around, her sword slicing the air. The district seven girl dropped to the ground. "Up, now. Take care of your injury. You outlive your usefulness if you contract an infection."


"Shit, did you hear that?" Baron said, pressing himself deeper into the shadows of pine he was taking shelter by. He crept forward carefully, remaining in cover. Baron peeked over the cliff at the dense forest stretching out beneath them. "Sounded like a scream." He looked backwards at Cora. "You think it was the Careers already?"


Baron thought that the rest of the tributes might have a fighting chance this year because of devastations to the Career's force. Perhaps he was mistaken. He wouldn't underestimate their bloodthirsty nature. They would be cautious and thoughtful about their movements. With the two of them they made a strong team. And while he would like to say that Corasell and himself could make just as formidable team as the two remaining careers, Baron didn't want to test it so soon.


A few minutes later there was a mild flash of lighting, striking down in the wide open desert with a crack. A roll of thunder almost instantaneous following. "A storm the first night?" He mused quietly. What were the Gamemakers planning?
 
Corasell looked up at Baron with narrowed eyes. Was it really a scream? "Maybe, but there isn't time to go looking for a fight." Corasell replied as she shifted the backpack on her shoulders. "We should keep going, I think I see a good shelter up ahead." she stated. She kept her focus on shelter, water, and other survival necessities. As long as they could get through the night, things would be okay.


Oh please, who are you kidding, there isn't anything 'okay' about the games. It was all blood and war, nothing else. You're just looking for an excuse to be happy for once. Why should you bother? You won't ever be happy until you prove your true strength against that god forsaken Capitol. Start acting like a true soldier and fight.


Corasell continued to think while she walked through the meadow grass. Looking back at Baron, she realized the lightning. Inside, Cora jumped a little, but on the outside she gripped her trident. "We're almost to shelter." she said.


Cora trudged a little farther with her ally by her sode until she realized the so-called shelter was just an illusion. "Damnit." she huffed and turned to Baron. Her eyes were practically staring blankly at the male, but it was only because she was thinking of some sort of plan. Maybe if she created a hammock.... well where would she get the supplies? Only then did she make a slight jump as if in shock and looked straight at her ally, "I know what we need to do, but it's going to take a lot of resources. All we need is some wild flower stems, a few pieces of tree bark, possibly some tall grass, a rock, and then another makeshift rope." she blurted out with a faint expression of excitement. The plan was sure to work, well, not completely sure, but it was sure the hell better than sleeping under a tree. Besides that, she had a waterproof, fold-up bed in her backpack.
 
Pias scrambled up on top of the branch, frantically pulling the rest of the line up after him before breathing a sigh of relief. He squatted atop his perch and grasped an offshoot to steady himself before peering down at the Career pair below him.


"I'll slit your throat, yet" came the rough voice of the male. Pias swallowed nervously. He had hoped that the other tributes would wear the careers down first, but now that he had caught their ire...this was all for entertainment, and slow deaths were very entertaining. Pias had no plans to die slowly.


A quiet rustling came from below as the duo moved about, then a quiet thump which Pias assumed was their captive/servant being released from his trap. And then, sneaking in from that suppressed corner of his mind came the thought.


Kill the young cub. She's their weak point.


Pias blinked, shaking his head to clear his mind and shove the darkness back. His free hand raised to the silvery vial around his neck, hidden under his shirt. No. Not yet, he needed to make it last for as long as he possibly could. Pias glanced back downwards again, ignoring the slightly parched beginning in his lips and spreading, slowly, into his mouth.
 
Brie heard their feet crunching softly on the ground before she saw their feet poke into her vision. She was beginning to feel disorientated from looking at the world in the upside-down way that she was... and suddenly the world was spinning and shifting as she fell to the ground with a soft thumping noise.


"You outlive your usefulness if you contract an infection." the woman told her and Brie locked eyes briefly with this woman's Career companion. Luka's eyes were hard and cold though he approached her slinging the backpack off of his shoulder... his glance communicated to her everything that she should have known from the second she allied herself to these Careers. He knelt beside her and yanked open his backpack. Brie swallowed taking a step towards the Career. They didn't let her carry anything useful so he was offering her the chance to grab the bandages that she would need to avoid the risk of infection.


"Thank you," Brie said. Her voice sounded flat as she reached into his backpack. She swallowed once again. Her throat was dry. Why was her mind wandering in the way that it was? The Careers were using her for whatever 'usefulness' she offered them... which might have been as simple as finding traps for them and acting as bait. They were using her, yes... but what was the alternative? Could she survive without the slight protection that they offered? They were using her but they weren't at least outright hostile like the other tributes...


Her mind jumped to the one that had only just gotten away. She pulled the bandages out of the backpack. They were similar were they not? If she ran from the Careers and actually escaped then wouldn't they have some commonality? Enough commonality for him to want to be her ally? Brie felt Kitinger's eyes fall on her presumably just as darkly as Luka's were on her right now. Her throat was so dry that it felt raw. The bandages in her hands felt heavier than lead. But before she could fully form the thought 'Run', she felt her legs moving.


Luka was directly in front of her so he noticed her movement first. And he was fast. His hands shot out at her seemingly the second that she formed the intent to run and instead of darting off into the forest after the other tribute she felt his hands on her, in the broken flesh of her arm. She was too certain of her death to feel the pain as Luka's fingers dug into the wound of her arm and it was also the reason that she wouldn't feel the widening of her wound as she tore away from him at the cost of her own flesh until she was up in the treetops.


After she had removed herself from Luka's grip Brie felt worried about Kitinger. Luka was slower than Kitinger was so Brie chose to swing past Luka rather than her. She darted behind the nearest tree putting it between her and her attackers as she grabbed for the first branch. She didn't have the trap to hoist her into the treetop like the other tribute who had disappeared into the trees before her but she had grown up in district seven. She was still a child but she had been climbing trees since she had been old enough to walk.


The tree she was in was low allowing her to escape into the foliage quickly before anyone could reach her. But it was low enough that absolutely anyone could follow her into the leaves and branches so she scuttled up a branch hopping into another tree nearby. She was working on further distancing herself by crawling through the trees until a branch linking two trees together snapped underneath her. A soft but strange noise escaped her throat as she made the jump to the next tree.


Just short. She crashed into the high fork of a tree and immediately felt her legs slip off of the tree where they dangled perilously. Brie grunted trying to haul herself up and onto the tree when the pain from Luka's grasp finally caught up with her... she wasn't going to be able to pull herself onto this tree. Her options were to hang here and hope that she was high enough that the Careers wouldn't see her legs dangling from the treetops or fall and hope that she was low enough that the drop wouldn't harm her. As she clung to the tree as if she was in some twisted version of purgatory Brie thought she heard a rustle nearby. Career or not... a rustle from the trees or on the ground... it sounded like another Tribute had found her.
 
It happened quickly. Kitinger was upset to say that she didn't expect the girl to make an escape. By doing so she made herself an enemy of the careers. It was not very wise. And while the District 7 girl was swift enough not to cross her path, she had underestimated them and made them appear weak and out of control.


She had to regain the balance that the Games had slanted against them so far. The Careers were power, and so far everything was slipping away from them, out of control.


Luka reached for the girl, his hand grasping her wounded arm. She wriggled out, her arm was probably slippery because of the blood, and scrambled away. It gave Kitinger a chance to react and dash after.


But the girl was already up the tree. Kitinger jumped but her fingertips only brushed the girl's boot. The Career roared with anger, leaping back from the tree and arming herself with her spear. She shined her flashlight into the tree, but the foliage was so dense. Kitinger couldn't climb trees, she didn't know how, and until now she hadn't had a reason to learn. But the girl overhead was from District 7, the state known for their tree farming, of course she would have the advantage.


Kitinger roared again. She had no chance of pursuit and they were two tributes short. But she would find the girl and that boy and slit their throats herself if Luka didn't get to them first.


She turned on her heal and went to pick up her pack. "Let's go," she said to Luka. "There are other tributes to hunt. She has just chosen to torture herself. We have to keep moving."


Thunder cracked above, and the forest began to pur with the sound of rain, slowly dripping through the canopy. Kitinger pulled the hood of her jacket over her head.
 
Baron followed after Corasell curiously as she lead him through the meadow until she stopped. Shelter? He looked at her, she looked confused. He didn't say anything.


He paced around the very small clearing amongst the pines, his footsteps silent. If they grabbed a couple extra branches, they could make a bit of camouflage and huddle up under the sweeping branches of a larger pine.


Baron turned back to her as she began to request resources. He raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"
 
Pias closed his eyes and forced himself to control the heavy breaths pumping in and out of his lungs. The heavy tha-thump-tha-thump beat slowed, gradually returning to a more sedate pattern. A shadowy shape bounded from one tree to another in the distance, and Pias watched it carefully before clouds began gathering overhead and Pias’s eyes struggled to cope with the growing darkness before finally losing track of the mysterious beast. He glanced back down, and considered the Career pack as his eyes searched in vain for them.


Following them was out of the question, the tree branch he was on would only be able to support him so far before his weight would cause it to snap. The only alternative was avoiding them, an option he gladly put into practise. Pias scuttled awkwardly along the branch, carefully stepping around the thick trunk of the tree and onto another, similar grey-brown branch. He had not made it more then a metre or so when something dashed underneath him, a dog or a cat perhaps? Although the way it scrambled up the tree ahead of him it could be some kind of gigantic squirrel...


Pias shuffled along the branch a bit further, trying to get a closer look.


Suddenly a beam of light from a torch blazed up into the tree, and Pias’s gut plummeted as he realised who the creature was, even as he saw the intertwined branches begin to give way underneath the Tribute. For a second, he considered calling out to warn her but before he could make a decision, there was a soft crack and the branches separated. The girl made a desperate leap and crashed into a Y-shaped fork but her strength and agility seemed to abandon her. Her legs kicked and flailed in the air as she tried desperately not to fall, but she was quickly losing her grip.


Pias stared for a moment, then scrambled further along the branch as fast as he could. Thunder rumbled overhead as he traveled, and a slight pattering of rain began to drizzle. He was risking a fall, he knew, but chances for grateful allies in the Hunger Games were uncommon, to say the least. He considered for a second that she might betray him and kill or at least injure him as he tried to help her, but there seemed to be some code of honor for promises and oaths between Tributes in the Games. Then again, this could all be some kind of ruse by the--


He was suddenly knocked sideways as a large, black beast swatted him aside as it bounded heavily along the branch, making for the helpless Tribute. Pias desperately windmilled his arms, eyes wide as he tumbled sideways. Thankfully, one outstretched arm grasped onto a handful of foliage and stopped his fall. Pias painfully hoisted himself back up unto the tree, although the criss-crossing pattern of slight cuts on his hand made things difficult. Glancing ahead, he saw that the beast was similar to a gigantic centipede, easily the width of his shoulders and crawling at a steady pace towards the helpless girl. Its carapace glistened in the rain, showing a myriad of beautiful colours that shifted and moved as it scuttled with a disconcerting clicking sound along the branch before turning down towards the trunk, pausing every so often to ‘smell’ the strange new human living in its forest. Pias scrambled across to the fork, retching slightly at the putrid smell and offering his hand down to the girl. He looked her in the eye, doing his best not to let his terror show as he raised his other hand to his face and cautioned her to be quiet with a single finger on his mouth.
 
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