Becoming Adamant [#1]

Chapter 20 - Welcome To The Forest

The next morning the both of us get up early…well, at least that what we think considering we don’t have a clock around here. All that we know is that the sun is up as we climb up the huge ass pile of snow in front of the cave. We have a look at the landscape ahead, keeping an eye at the forest mainly. “As we said, we’ll stick to the higher ground. We know that the Careers are in there somewhere. It’d be best if we catch them first.” Talon says as I try to find a way down there. I manage to find a path moment after. “Talon, down there…” I say as I point towards it. He turns and follows my look. “That one looks good. We follow it all the down, and just for the sake of safety we walk a little up in the terrain.” Talon adds. “While we’re walking down we should try and get a hold of where Careers are.” I make sure to add as we start walking.

As we’re walking down, the cold turns warmer and warmer the closer we get to the forest. It’s getting really hot for the both of us as we’re still wearing that warm sweater from the backpack. We do stop for a second to take it off. I leave mine there. I doubt I’ll be using that again, and I sure as hell don’t want to waste energy carrying it around. I put my jacket back on as I then stand watch for Talon to do the same. We both leave our sweaters behind as we enter the forest, walking towards higher ground. That’s when we start to notice movement below us. We bend down behind some bushes.

“There they are!” Talon whispers. We’re not as far away from them as we would like to be so we keep it really quiet. A smile spreads across my face as I’m looking at them right, plotting my move against them, and they don’t even know. The only thing they know, is that I’m alive somewhere in the Arena. They have no idea I’m standing a few meters away, just watching them. “I can’t wait to get started on them.” I whisper back even more quietly as I notice something is moving behind them. Talon touches my shoulder gently. “Behind them…” He says. He has noticed it as well. What the hell is going on? But then my brain starts working on it and I come up with a possible explanation: in the mountain-zone we had landslides…what do they have here in the forest?

Before I can dwell on the many possibilities, I get to see what it is when it attacks the Careers. They’re creatures…well we know them better as mutts. They’re always in the Games, every goddamn year, there are mutts. It’s like the Capitol can’t get enough of creatures with razor-sharp teeth that slowly kills tributes. As I get out of my thoughts and focus on what’s happening there, I start hearing cannons. 1, 2…3! That last took its time for the mutts, but they got him. The Careers managed to kill the mutts though. Just the second we step foot into the forest, they’re already reduced by half. Well, it does make my plan easier…but the mutts are of course a wild factor in here. They will attack anybody in here, Career or not. “Let’s get moving. Those mutts can attack us as well.” Talon lets out as we see the Careers are retreating further down.

After walking a while, we stop for a break. “We need some food and some water.” Talon then says. Funny thing that, the moment he mentions that I see something moving in the bush.  I tell Talon to sit still as I slowly unsheathe my knife. Whatever that creature is or was, it is dead the moment I see its head. It just happens to pop out of the bush, and boom, it’s dead. “Well, so that was the food, you got any idea on the water?” I then ask Talon as I go and grab the dead animal. I put it down and then go through my backpack. Talon is keeping an eye on things around us. I then find this wooden-crane thingy that I haven’t wrapped my head around. “I guess this little animal on its own will make a fine meal for the both of us…we can’t waste much time hunting for more.” Talon lets out as he takes out the small pocket-knife and starts working on the animal.

In the end, my curiosity around the crane-thingy gets the best of me. “Okay, genius: tell me how this freaking thing works? I can’t wrap my head around this thing.” I let out as Talon looks up. I can immediately spot that his eyes widen up. “Have you had it all this time?!” He then asks me as he grabs it. Okay, now I feel utterly stupid. It’s obvious that he knows. He snatches it out of my hand and gets to the closest tree. “Sure I’ve been wasting energy carrying that around…it’s not like we’ve been around…trees.” Oh my God, how come I didn’t realize that until now! “Did the dots connect yet, Feisty?” Talon asks me as I get over to him. He bangs the thingy into the tree-stem. It takes a moment or two before anything happens, but then water starts pouring out. Oh my God, water! And I’ve been carrying that thing around…right now I’m not bothered much by it. “It’s called a spile…it’s how we get the water back home.” Talon lets out as he fills up our bottles. “Is that so? I thought you lived a better life.” I admit as I grab my bottle. He doesn’t say anything as he gets back to the dead animal.

We cook the animal over an open fire. We make sure to keep a weather eye around us as we sit there and eat. Damn, this tastes so good! I mean, Capitol food? Hah, that ain’t got anything on this! Nothing tastes better than grilled meat. I don’t have the luxury of having that often. “So how come you get water through a spile back home?” I then ask him as we just sit there. I don’t know where this sudden interest for conversation comes from, but he’s left me curious. “Why the sudden interest in my life, Feisty?” He then asks. “What? Do you prefer the silence?” I then ask him. Talon tilts his head in surrender. “No, not really…my family doesn’t live as well as you’d think. Our neighbors, sure, they can get their water in their kitchens, but me and my family, we’re relying on the spile to get water.” Talon admits. I nod in silent as I take another bite of my piece of the meat. It just hits me that we’ve both had the same life. “Too bad I didn’t know back home…we could’ve actually been decent friends.” I then let out as I catch him grin lightly.

We both finish our pieces of food and get ready to start walking again. That’s when we hear branches twitch around us. Talon and I look at each other as I arm myself with my knives. I follow the noise, but it stops and I lose track of where it comes from. “It’s too quiet…whoever it is he or she is out there.” Talon says. I’m about to pick my backpack when it happens. Talon doesn’t have his sword in his hand, he’s about to get it when all of a sudden somebody jumps out of the bush Talon’s headed towards and guns right for him. He has something sharp in his hand and he stabs Talon the moment they hit the ground. I can hear Talon moan in pain.

I react at an instant as I throw my first knife at the boy’s back. His movement slows down, but I haven’t hit him severe enough to kill him. I run faster than I’ve given my feet credit for in the past and I twist the knife in the boy’s back making him scream. I then manage to push him off of Talon and then I manage to get on top of him and stab him the chest multiple times. BOOM! The cannon go off. The boy is dead.

I can feel my chest is about to explode. I look down on my hands and they’re shaking and bloody red! I look at the boy who attacked Talon. He’s dead. I killed him. I just freaking killed him!