The Two Volunteers: Unplanned

Chapter Four

"Okay, show me what snares you know." I say to Rory, sitting on a log in front of me. We have been in the woods for an hour, simply talking about what my plans are for him. And now that everything has been explained it is time for him to show me. . He nods and stands, going to a nearby tree with small branches. He ties his rope around one of the branches and pulls it down the the trigger he has set on the ground. After tying it on that, he places the rest of the rope in a a noose on the ground, covering it gently with some grass so it isn't as noticeable. If an animal moves that noose at all it will leave the animal dangling by its feet. Then Rory will have dinner for the night. 

"Good Job." I tell him. 

"Gale taught me that before the Games." He says, looking proud of himself. Gale really did teach him one of the simplest ones, but as he learns he will get into things more complex. 

"You will learn more, I only have a basic understanding of your brothers snares. He showed me a few things, but I want to get you using a bow." We take the walk to the hollow tree were one of my fathers bows is, with a sheath of arrows. This one is closest to the fence so I will only show him this one. I show him how to hold it, keeping his arms away from the string when it is pulled back so he doesn't injure himself when shooting. I show him how to correctly nock the arrow, putting him in the right position. He looks good, everything seems to line up. I tell him where to look, to bring the end of the arrow up to his cheek and he does. 

But when he releases the arrow, which we was pointing at a tree, it goes far left, sinking into the snow bank. 

"It will take time, you should have seen me when I first started shooting." I smile at him. He practices a few more times, not anywhere ready to start hunting but improving little by little, at one point he actually hit the tree. I will have to sharpen that arrow soon or it won't pierce an animal. 

We decide to check the snare he set, and much to our surprise there is a fat rabbit hanging by it's legs, trying to get away. I surely wasn't expecting it to work so quickly, but I guess him and Gale did share the same genes. I can teach him how to shoot but I think he will be most effective with snares. 

"I know what to do." He says. He takes an arrow, because neither of us have a knife, and he grabs the bunny by the head. He cuts its throat and lets the blood drain. He wipes off the arrow before giving it back to me. Maybe Gale did bring him out her a few times, which would have been after him and I came of course, because Rory knows what to do. 

"Have you ever been to the Hob?" I ask him and he shakes his head. "Okay, I am going to hunt a little and catch some things to trade. I will show you who to go to, what to trade for what, and everything there is to know about the Hob." He nods while he untangles the dead animal, and he resets his trap. 

I am able to get two squirrels, which isn't much but it will be good enough to show him how to trade without getting swindled. When I get back he holds the rabbit, ready to go. We make our way back to the fence, when I tell him once again to carefully listen for the hum which tells us the fence is active. When we don't hear anything we slide back underneath into the District. Our walk to the Hob is short, and I give him a few pointers. 

"There is a man there name Russel, never ever trade with him. He will always give you the raw deal and whatever he trades, unless it's money, never lasts long. His stall has the same things as Celina and her products last longer. But she drives a hard bargain." We walk into the Hob and I feel at home. I haven't been here for almost 3 weeks so I am greeted with friendly smiles from the stalls closest to the door. I smile at them, a real smile. Not like the smile I have had to give the entire country. 

The first person we go to is Greasy Sae because I want her to meet Rory and I want Rory to see where we get our soup. We almost always came here and now that I have the money, it's almost an everyday thing. He asks what he needs to trade and I give him one of the squirrels. She will give him money and soup for one, but she must pity the situation so he gets a little extra of both. He makes a face at the first taste of the soup and I cannot help but laugh. He is use to the meat his brother use to bring him home, which was properly cooked over a smoking fire. This is basically the meat of an animal, some water thrown in a bowl and heated up. It is almost amusing.