Where there's a will, there's a way

Well that was weird.  ”Alright lead the way I guess.”  I ducked under a branch and made sure we were following the right tracks as Aurora knocked on an empty log.  Sure enough the creature came skittering out andoff into the woods.  I looked to Aurora, who clearly wasn’t adamant on following it.  I didn’t have any vice against the critter but knowing who was watching made me realize I don’t want to show any signs of weakness.  

I stand back as he goes after the skunk, crinkling my nose at the putrid scent its spray gives off. I hear a bit of skittering before the animal whimpers. Hemlock returns, no blood on his hands. I don't care to know how he killed it. I'll have my own way of doing it if I need to. No problem there. 

"Nothing physical. And it has nothing to do with blood and guts. I'm fine with all that. The skunk smell will be fine, too" I finalize. I don't want to continue with this conversation. It's a sensitive topic for me. 

"Going to yes, coming out of?" I shrugged. "Maybe." Hopefully she’d take my smile as friendly like it was intended. Now that I thought about it, I sounded a bit suicidal. 

I don't really know whether or not he's joking, but I'm going to assume he is. I let out a laugh, returning his smile. "Yeah, I'm not really sure if I'll make it to the zip line. That's really the only thing I care about at this station," I add.

She seemed unreasonably distressed about some bird held in captivity by the Capitol.  I wondered if she realized we’re no different.  I dismissed the thought and stepped on the bird’s neck with a sharp stomp.  A man’s gotta eat.  

He kindly helps me down from the tree, although I'm sure I would've been able to do it well enough without his help. "Thanks," I mutter as my eyes glance over the deceased bird. I quickly turn away, imagining myself as that bird. An animal that once having freedom, only to have it unjustly taken away from them. 

Hearing her laugh immediately brightens my day. There’s been a sever lack of laughter in my life as of late. I don’t know much about District Six but from what I’ve seen at Reapings, it’s one hell of a dreary place. “I bet your friends never had a hard time picking you out of the crowd.”

If only I had had friends. But I know that she isn't taking a dig at me. She's clearly a pleasant person. "Correction: the correctional officers never had a hard time picking me out of a crowd." I apprehensively wait for her to make the connection and for her reaction. It's always interesting to see how people act in regard to finding out that I was in prison prior to volunteering.

I spotted her to make suer she didn’t fall and injure herself.  But once she was at a secure spot I turned to look towards the bird.  She spotted it and silently pointed in it’s direction.  The eagle seemed suspicious but unaware of any predators  surrounding it.  I flipped through the pamphlet to find that distracting it while another hunts it is an ideal process.  

Suddenly, something is flying towards me. Correction: right at my head. I wildly swing my arms, feeling them make contact with a feathered-creature. A cloud of the soft white feathers float down to the ground as the eagle lands beside Hemlock, its wings both broken. God, this kid is going to force me to kill an animal at this rate. 

Over Our Heads || Arias & Aurora || Ropes

I'm pretty sure I'm only drawn to the ropes course because of the zip line. I'll complete the entire course, nonetheless, mostly because the zip line is towards the end of it. 

I shrugged.  ”Suit yourself.”  I reached down and picked up a large rock and heaved it through the air as I would a shotput.  With a thud and a crack the beaver’s head split open into particles of blood and bone.  I wiped off a speckle that had gotten on my cheek and looked over, slightly amused btu slightly guilty at Aurora’s gape.  

It's his choice to kill it, so I don't really care, honestly. I just wish he would at least use its meat or pelt. I guess people wasting things is just a sensitive topic for me, considering how little food and resources we had in prison. Blood goes everywhere. I would've preferred that it didn't get all over my clothing, but I don't mind all that much. I had seen blood a numerous amount of times, especially in the past two years. 

Training has never been something I enjoy. Especially in front of other people. It was bad enough when I just had to worry about the judge-y eyes of other Careers, but now that I’m surrounded by my competition it’s that much more stressful. With a yawn and an unflattering scratch up the back of my shirt, I head over to the first station I see, which is already hosting a very angry-looking girl with cool hair. 

I let out a laugh. Finally someone who knows how to joke around. "I'm sure your prep team could do something about that. But hey, at least the sickle brings out the color in your eyes," I chuckle. 

I flipped through the pamphlet and found the beaver’s tracks, matching it up with those on the ground.  the path winded around rocks and towards a babbling brook where there was some movement in the distance.  

He's looking at me. God dammit, he wants to see if I kill it. Fuck, this is what I was afraid of. I only planned to kill if it would benefit me, and killing this beaver would not do that. 

I exhaled briefly through my nose at her joke.  We walked with out gear into the station, noticing it was all filled with foliage and a natural aesthetic, save for a giant digital panel at the top.  ”Prey remaining: 05” it read.  

He seems a bit tense. Oh well. Least he isn't being rude and trying to fight me, unlike a certain bitch I've encountered. We step foot into the biome, hearing the fake sounds of birds chirping and a babbling brook. 

Though I had no intentions of winning, I knew that some bugs and leaves weren’t going to provide me with enough sustenance, coming from a high-protein diet I’m used to.  As I began to read the pamphlets describing different animal tracks, a girl with wildly-colored hair approached me.  She introduced herself and I shook her hand, not having seen her before.  

"There's a little forest over there. Maybe we're supposed to go in there and hunt around for some tracks and animal lairs? I'm assuming all that is for hunting," I say, ushering to the table covered in flashlights, knives, camouflage gear, and anything else you could use for hunting. 

I wince as I she delivers a kick to my torso but at the same time I laugh. Before she can take her leg away, I grab it with one hand and lift it high in the air, causing her to lose her balance. Then in that same instant I pull her close to me, yanking her by the leg. Her loss of balance is enough for me to get the upper hand.

Well if this scummy bitch is going to give it her all the moment we begin, I sure as hell will. She hobbles away from me, trying to get out of my reach. And then her nasty ass fucking spits at me. Whatever that shit is lands beside my face. If it had landed on me, a whole world of pain would've been launched onto the bitch before she could even react. 

Blink. Did… Did she just. Blink. 

If I could pick that knife right off the ground and jam it into Fantasea's leg, I would be happy. But alas, I don't want to be severely punished by the gamemakers.