Johanna Mason- 68th Hunger Games (EDITING- ON HOLD)

Chapter 15

   My feet felt worn down as I ran barefooted across the lush undergrowth and dirt. I swung through the trees, swift as a fox. I ran like I was chased by a pack of dogs, running and dodging branches. I stopped in my tracks, and looked around. 

   I cupped my hands around my mouth and called out, "Quill!" into the forest. I waited for a reply. But nothing came back to me. I did it again. "Quill! Where are you? Quill!" I whipped my head to the side as I heard a voice. It was faint, but I could hear it. The voice was coming from the opposite side of the boulder, on the other side of the clearing.

   Heart racing with joy, I ran across the grass. I gently stepped forward and rested my hand on the cool rock, gazing around the other side. I spotted a figure standing a few feet away, relaxed and gazing at me.

   "Quill! There you are." I stepped around the rock, my heart beating hard. I walked forward, and I started to see him- the whole him. His brown hair, and soft face. The face I knew so well, better than my own. His blue eyes shining like crystals. I got dizzy just looking at him- I felt dizzy with love.

   As I walked forward, inching closer to him, he smiled that beautiful smile and stretched out his arms. I started to get faster, and I almost started running into his arms.

   Suddenly he started getting bigger. I stopped and stared in horror as he grew larger and larger, growing slimy, black hair. No, it was fur, not hair. He grew twice the size of me, and fur covered everywhere. His clothes were ripped and lied on the ground. He looked at his paws, then at his fur.

   Then he snapped his black eyes up at me so fast I couldn't even blink. He opened his mouth and roared so loud, it shook the ground beneath me. His teeth were yellow, and larger than any of my fingers. I could imagine them sinking into my flesh.

   I stumbled backwards, stiff with fear. The Quill-bear walked on his hind legs, roaring. I covered my ears and fell to the ground, tripping on a rock. He stood over me, blocking out the sun. He was so tall...

   He came crashing down. I covered my face with my arms, even though it would do no good against such a large weight. 

   I snapped my head up, panting hard. I whipped my head around wildly, gazing at the cave. I sighed with relief, and rested my head back onto my backpack. I was safe. It was only a horrible nightmare.

   I shivered, and realized I was cold. The fire had died out, glowing in the embers. The cold had seeped through the flap, making it freezing in here. I could see my breath clearly out in front of me.

   I sat up and I grabbed some of the lichen. I nudged some of the ashes out of the way with my axe, and rested the lichen on one of the embers. I shuffled the glowing ones onto the lichen carefully, and put my axe to the side. I leaned down and blew gently on the ember. It glowed harder, and I blew with more force, but careful enough not to blow the heat out.

   Then with a flick, fire lit. I quickly grabbed some branches and put them on top of the fire. It accepted the food, and the fire grew. After a few minutes, I added thicker branches. Now there was a full, heated fire in front of me.

    I leaned back and put my hands over the heat. They were stiff from cold, and my joints ached. I felt elderly, in a way. I always hated winter- never enough meat, hypothermia, frostbite, and more. It was a challenge, of course. But we make it through... most of the times, anyway. Some winters me and my family- in the earlier years, when they were both alive, my brother and sister- would get very weak, and I would have to get tessera for us.

    I took off my shoes and warmed my feet in front of the fire. I also cut off a piece of rabbit meat, too. I roasted it on a branch, careful not to drop the precious meat into the fire.