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Aries and Estella left Rue and Katniss the moment the sun began to rise, its golden rays stretching low and horizontal across the horizon. Estella, without a word, transmitted behind to retrieve the bow and arrows for Katniss and a small survival kit for Rue, her movements silent and seamless as always.
"You heard about the new stuff arriving at the Cornucopia?" Aries asked, breaking the silence between them as they continued walking. They had been traveling on foot for two days straight, mostly because Aries, with his tall and broad-shouldered build, found tree climbing nearly impossible.
Estella, meanwhile, had her ear pressed lightly against a tree trunk, tapping gently against the bark in search of the hollow, watery echo that signaled an underground source. Her eyes flicked toward Aries, mildly irritated by his question.
The moment she caught a glimpse of that stupid, mischievous grin spreading across his face, Estella already knew what he was thinking. "I'm not going anywhere near that zone," she snapped coolly, brushing her hair behind her ear. "You should know by now that Cato and the rest of his gang will be guarding it."
Aries simply shrugged, as if her words were expected but irrelevant. "True," he replied nonchalantly, though that didn't stop his mind from spiraling with ideas. He was already entertaining thoughts of somehow reaching the Cornucopia and getting his hands on the new supplies—maybe even imagining Cato screaming in pain, tortured by his own hands before finally dying.
That image brought a twisted, satisfied grin to his lips.
"I don't like that creepy look. Lose it," Estella muttered, frowning at him.
He chuckled, brushing off the comment as they finally emerged from the endless trees and into an open meadow. It wasn't the safest choice—being in the open was practically inviting death—but the suffocating entanglement of boughs and branches had worn them down. They both needed a break from it.
Estella was the first to collapse onto the smooth grass, flopping down with enough force to make the ground shake slightly. She sprawled out like a starfish, arms and legs wide, and Aries couldn't help but think she looked oddly adorable. He sat beside her, stretching out his legs before pulling them up and resting an arm over his knees.
Breathing in deeply through her nose, Estella exhaled slowly through her mouth. The familiar, suffocating musk of pine and forest was gone, replaced by the crisp, clean scent of open air with a slight chill to it. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Aries broke the silence in a dramatically childish whine. "So... the Cornucopia?"
Estella kicked her legs up and down like an impatient child, prompting Aries to burst into loud, booming laughter that echoed across the meadow. She already knew he wasn't going to drop the subject, and it was becoming increasingly clear he had every intention of going. "You're not going to shut up about this Cornucopia, are you?"
"No, love. And you know it." His voice was playful, confident. Estella sighed softly. She had never been the type to hold people back from doing what they wanted, especially not Aries. She believed in letting people choose for themselves. Even so, she weighed the risk against the reward, calculating the odds, and her gaze naturally drifted toward him.
He wasn't even looking at her anymore. Aries was staring off into the distance, his eyes unfocused, a dark, almost broken expression briefly clouding his features. Then he turned and locked eyes with her—innocent, searching, and maybe even afraid. Estella bit her lip, then looked up at the sky, letting the clouds distract her. "I don't want to go..." she whispered.
The air around them grew heavy with silence—not the uncomfortable kind, but something warm and enveloping, like a blanket between them. Aries didn't say anything. Estella didn't meet his eyes again, her voice barely audible as it escaped her lips. "...You'll be back... right?"
A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, followed by a soft puff of air that turned into a chuckle. He stood slowly, gripping his sword tightly in his right hand. He left everything else in Estella's care—his bag, the supplies, his trust. With his free hand, he reached down and ruffled her hair, turning it into a messy tangle, grinning as she cursed him under her breath.
"I would never leave you behind," he said, his voice quieter this time. "I did once... and I regret everything." Estella raised a brow, confused by the last part, but chose not to ask. Something about the way he looked at her—like he was memorizing her face—made her keep her silence. They stared at each other for a moment that felt far too long and far too short all at once, taking in every last detail like it might be the final time.
"I'll be back before you can say my name," Aries said with a crooked grin, then turned and disappeared into the trees.
Estella didn't call out to him or run after him. Instead, she sat there, pressing a hand to her chest as if trying to feel the fading echo of his footsteps. "...Aries... Aries White." Her voice was barely more than a whisper, desperate and soft, a hope carried on the wind. She knew he didn't hear her, but she still hoped, somehow, that he did.
Meanwhile, Aries moved silently through the brush, scouting and listening for any threats with his sword firmly in hand. Fortunately, the Cornucopia wasn't far from where Estella remained waiting in the meadow. She had been right. There it was—his target—just beyond the trees: the Careers, camped about a hundred yards from the Cornucopia.
Cato, Clove, Marvel—all looking irritated and bruised—sat together alongside another boy, Aries didn't recognize and had no interest in identifying. Strangely, Peeta was nowhere in sight, which sparked immediate suspicion in Aries's mind.
The supplies were stacked in a pyramid formation: crates, plastic bins, burlap sacks, all covered with mesh netting. As Aries scanned the area carefully, his sharp eyes caught a familiar face—Katniss, lurking in the shadows. He frowned, crouching lower to get a better view of the girl from District 12.
Rue, however, was missing entirely, and he couldn't help but wonder what the two of them were planning. The answer revealed itself soon enough when Cato suddenly stood up, shouting to alert his group. A thin trail of smoke curled into the sky in the distance—someone had lit a fire.
The Careers immediately scrambled to prepare, strapping on weapons and gearing up to investigate the distraction. Aries scoffed when they left the unrecognizable boy in charge of guarding the precious supplies—an idiotic move. He decided now was the time to make his move. Forget Katniss, forget the rest—he needed to get what he came for and return to Estella's warm arms as quickly as possible.
But just as he was about to act, a soft rustling caught his attention. Another Tribute emerged from the shadows, approaching the pyramid carefully.
It was Foxface—the clever girl from District 5—moving in an odd, hopping pattern as though she were dodging invisible obstacles. Aries narrowed his eyes, quickly catching on. The area was mined.
Foxface was avoiding the traps, her steps deliberate and memorized. He watched, silently impressed as she snatched some crackers from a crate and apples from the burlap sack, stuffing them into her pack. Then, with the same delicate grace, she hopped away again, completely undetected. The boy left on guard hadn't even noticed her.
"Useless, kid," Aries muttered under his breath with a touch of irritation.
Deciding it was now or never, Aries stepped out of hiding. Katniss immediately noticed him, her eyes wide with shock. With a crazed grin, he shouted, "Hey, kid! I'm bored! Let's play!" His tone was manic, teasing, meant to disorient.
The guard boy visibly trembled, clutching his spear like it was the only thing keeping him alive. Which, it pretty much was.
