Through a Fox's Eyes

Chapter 19

When I woke up, the careers were gone. Someone’s on their camp. Wait, it’s the boy from District three!

I don’t really remember him being part of the alliance. He’s currently fiddling with something in his hands. There were fifteen in a pile, and nine in the other side. It took me time to register that he’s reactivating the mines. Of course, that’s his only use in the alliance. I wonder what the careers will do to the bombs.

He seems busy with the mines, so I snuck out of my bush and quickly dashed to the Cornucopia. I got some sleeping bags and a big bottle of water and some iodine. The lake is just a few yards back so I walked instead of running. My stomach still aches anyway. I wonder where Marvel has gone.

I got some water and dropped a sufficient amount of iodine. While waiting, I got up and patted my belly. It’s not bulging or anything, but I still feel him, holding on. I hope we win, I really want him to know how I love him so much. It’s not about Marvel and me now, it’s about this child inside me. He needs to live. It means I need to keep surviving.

I fiddled with my hair, letting it go from the ponytail I had since the gong rang. It has been quite pretty, but I really need to wash my hair, it's itchy and flaky, and I have mud in it. I used some container I found in the way to the lake and washed my hair. Then I tied it in a bun. Some tributes were occasionally passing by, but I never caught any attention, so did they.

After about half an hour later, I heard some trees crashing in my left. There’s a big fire and it’s a little far from where I was. Maybe it’s targeting other tributes. There are still eleven to die. I count the remaining tributes.  The seven Career tributes (counting the kid from Three and Twelve), me, the crippled kid from Ten,  both from Eleven, and Katniss. I hike farther until I saw many sweetberries. It’s Suezette’s favorite, we always get them in the vines outside our house. There’s a stray rabbit in one snare, but I didn’t get it. Maybe it’s a rabid rabbit or something.

It’s nighttime when I reached my den. I lay down for a while, snacking on dried fruits and some meat from the Career’s camp. I wonder where that kid from Ten is. He is crippled and I saw him dash to the woods, but I never saw him again. He’s really thin and probably malnourished. I wonder how he’ll fight when he’s confronted. Maybe he’s skilled with some weapon. I can’t be too sure.

Where is Rue? I wonder where her little feet took her. She scored a seven in the private sessions with the Gamemakers, and I haven’t seen her for a while too. I worry about her a little because she’s so tiny and fragile, she’s just twelve! But every time I don’t see her picture in the sky I sigh in relief.

The boy from Eleven’s pretty strong, he has a chance in becoming a victor. He’s big, maybe from all the plowing from his District. He scares me too, knowing that just one crunch from him and I’m a goner.

Katniss seems to be doing all right, she’s high on supplies, I saw her run to the Cornucopia. I wonder what weapon she can use. Is she still alive? I haven’t heard a canon for a long time, maybe she’s safe in her place. She looks like a survivor to me.

What about me? What will happen to me later on? I hope Marvel will still stay with me no matter what, and I hope we both win. This is probably as possible as pigs flying. I hear some mockingjays singing. They remind me of late afternoon bonds with Marvel back in District Five. He always taught me how to whistle, but I can’t seem to do it right. He whistles all the time back then. I wonder if he still whistles. He sings too, he’s one of the best singers I know. He sings with such emotions that drive girls back home crazy. He’s the heartthrob at the District. I wonder if he’s safe. Is he thinking of me too?

I patted my tummy and whispered goodnight to my child, and snuck inside my sleeping bag.

When I woke up, the Careers haven’t come back yet. It’s already morning, and the sun’s not shining, but the light is fast approaching. I do a few stretches and I walked towards the camp. The District Three kid is fast asleep, and I can see he’s finished all the mines. I tiptoe towards the supplies, grab a loaf of bread, and go.

The bread is cold, but the filling is still fresh. The filling is similar to the taste of hot chocolate; I presume it’s the solid kind. It’s a tasty treat, and it livens my nerves. I drank my whole bottle and hike down the lake. When I approach the lake, I sat down the mud and draw some patterns. I need to unwind. The stress is coming back to me, and I threw up my breakfast.

I hate throwing up, it gives me an empty stomach afterwards. I wash my mouth and gargle some water. I drank some too and splash my face. I got some for my bottle and trotted back to camp. As I reach my den, I catch a glimpse of the Careers. They are badly stung by tracker jackers, and they are headed for the lake. I hid under my bush and watch. Marvel leads, he’s walking as lanky as ever, dizzy and his eyes are somewhat dilating. Cato is dragging Clove, both dizzy too. They splash in the water and pull the stingers out of their skin. They growl with pain.

I wish I could help Marvel, who has maybe ten stings, and each the size of plums. He looks awful, all sick. Trackerjackers are venomous bee-like creatures, mutations by the Capitol. They live in hives and when they see you, they attack you. The word “tracker” from the name refers to their behavior, they track the victim and sting them. The stings are plum sized and swollen, some die from it, and some survive, but experience horrible hallucinations. I learned about them from the training center, and I know the exact remedy for the stings too.

They got up the lake and pass out in camp and the kid from District Three drags them one by one. The kid’s eyes glimmered with such pain as his hand was caught in some knife Clove was waving. Wait, glimmer… Glimmer! They’re only four! Where’s Corral? Where’s Glimmer?

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