𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮𝓯𝓵𝔂 - (𝓕.𝓞𝓭𝓪𝓲𝓻)

10.

vol i
☼ chapter ten ☼

The day is one of persistent hiking and exceptionally sore muscles. Putting distance between herself and the careers has been tiring, with the heat glaring down and making each step harder.

Theia has ventured back into the depths of the lowland forest again, and the mountain is starting to fade from her sight. She walks on, using her knife to cut down thick undergrowth in order to create a path.
A creek catches her attention, and she stops. Approaching the water, she stays far away from its edge. Crouching, Theia watches carefully, her eyes flickering back and forth. The sight of ripples and small bubbles is a welcome one.

She wastes no time, swiftly taking to foraging. A pile is built up, consisting of rocks and sticks. Digging into the soil brings up some worms—suitable bait—which are placed carefully to the side. Using her hands, she determines a suitable area, one where the current is not at its swiftest point.

After placing each material down—making sure they're packed tightly together in the water—a warped heart is formed. An opening is left at the top.
She pierces the worms with smaller sticks, arranging them in the centre.

Stepping back, she admires her work, having successfully created a fishing weir. It was primitive, sure, but effective. It's a clever trap that will contain a fish, with a gap that they can swim into but cannot easily swim out of.

It doesn't take long for its effects to take hold, but each time Theia releases the catch, she waits for the right one.

She smiles victoriously at seeing a trout; it was a fish suitable for eating raw. It came with the risk of illness, but that was one she was willing to take. Theia needed a source of protein. Her body had been weakening and her energy was diminishing.
Cooking over a fire was too dangerous—especially after last night—and would give her position away, so this was the only option.

Grabbing her pack, she takes the torch and holds it close to the fish, inspecting for parasites. Once deeming it safe, she dispatches it and starts to clean and rinse the body with water from her flask. Deboning it is difficult, and she's thankful that her father taught her how to do it when they had gone fishing together. Once finished, she removes the skin.

Theia eats it quickly to stop bacteria from forming, and it's the most delicious thing she's had all week.

By the time the anthem plays, she's feeling renewed, and strength is slowly returning to her. Looking up at the sky, the photo of the girl from District 8 is displayed. That now meant a total of fifteen tributes were dead, with only nine left in play.

~

Daylight softly emerges, and birdsong fills the air. Theia starts the morning by replenishing her food supplies and refilling the flask. It's the first time she's felt full in a while.

She's collecting edible berries when she catches movement in a bush. Pulling away slightly, she takes a few cautious steps back. A singular toad hops its way towards her, and she lets out a sigh of relief.

The reassuring feeling doesn't last long when more and more begin to appear, seemingly beginning to circle her. It's impossible to stop dread from seeping in, with her encounter with the mutts still fresh in her mind. It was entirely possible that these were Capitol creations too. Perhaps they had been genetically altered to secrete lethal toxins. It wasn't a theory Theia was willing to test out.