The Direction Games: A One Direction Fan Fiction

16

16

   The Capitol seal reappeared in the sky after showcasing the faces of the boy from Ten, and the boy from Nine. Zayn’s face held no guilt when he saw them, and, instead, seemed to hold pride from defending the purple-haired girl.

   Once we’d gotten back, Louis, Liam and Danielle asked us what happened. During our small feast, we’d recounted the story of Zayn’s kill and romance. Liam said it was good he’d made another ally – she could help us if we so despretly needed it. But, now with Niall joining us in the cave, I couldn’t see where we’d have room for her. Well, she could always share a sleeping bag with Zayn….

   We climbed into our sleeping bags after the Capitol anthem finished and the sounds of the forest returned. Niall slept parallel to Zayn at our feet, and the rest of us remained in our positions from the previous night.

   Somehow, I found I managed to make it through the night, having no nightmares – or even dreams – at all. It was a peaceful blackness, one I liked. Finally, I had some bliss.

   These moments of peace passed too quickly. Before I knew it, I awakened to dawn light streaming through the cracks in the roof of the cave. It was early. Birds weren’t even chirping yet.

   I waited for the rest of my team to rise; Liam and Danielle, Louis, Niall, then Zayn. We ate some of the leftover meat from last night’s meal, and then made our plans for today’s hunting.

   Liam, taking charge over all of us, assigned us to what he knew were our strengths. He split us into uneven teams. He and Zayn would go one direction, Louis would go another, and Danielle would go a third to look for herbs, berries and roots that were edible. He gave Niall a sword and a few throwing knives and trusted me again with the bow and quiver, telling us we would get meat – squirrels, rabbits, deer if we could – since Niall had decent aim and I had the best shot. The foraging teams took knives of their own, for defence, and we split up.

   I’d shot down a few squirrels in one of the clearings Niall and I passed. He’d managed to decapitate a finch with one of his knives.

   “Nice shot,” I complimented when he took down a partridge.

   “Thanks,” he returned, grabbing the small carcass. “I’ve always been pretty handy with a knife.”

   We continued through the forest, and I noticed chirps perk up and ring through the arena as the sun approached its highest point. They were the familiar squeaks of mockingjays. Like I had yesterday, I whistled my simple chain of tones to them, a song they returned.

   “Cool,” Niall said. “I heard them yesterday. That was you?”

   I nodded, and listened as they carried on with my sound. About halfway through, their pitch began to change; a higher pitch with slightly altered tones. I knew exactly what it meant.

   “Louis heard us,” I stated, jauntily.

   Niall’s crooked-toothed smile returned to his face and he basked in their song. He pursed his lips and whistled out to the birds in a different string of tones. They copied with no hesitation and carried his melody along.

   Niall and I continued on in the music. I managed to shoot down another squirrel, and Niall hit a blue jay. We both agreed we would not dare kill a mockingjay. It was old legend that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird, let alone a by-product of one.

   I preloaded my bow as we stalked away from the clearing together, ready to hit something else. The forest became bare of animals, except the chorusing, tweeting birds, but even they were beginning to fade.