We Remain

Chapter 9: Take Out the Axe

I start to walk down a path. Carefully. Loaded bow, just in case. Johanna gave me insight where Peeta is. But now I just need to find this waterfall. But first I need to find water. It's my main concern right now. I won't make it far without it. I could just hope to find the waterfall quickly. But I can't take risky chances.

No bombs have gone off...so far. A lot of action had happened yesterday. The Gamemakers give us a day to settle and then they create chaos for us. Just to entertain the Capitol.

I come across a river. I wash my face, then I fill my canteen. I pour in the iodine, just to purify it. I wait thirty minutes before drinking it. I take sips. Then I find myself chugging it down. I stop myself immediately. I refill it and eat one of my dried plums. Just to have something in my stomach.

I pack everything back inside my pack. I start to head up the hill. Hopefully, I get far. Closer to the waterfall even. I climb a tree. Just to see the over view of the arena. The arctic is having a snow storm. I know this because of the white blur tornadoes. The rainforest is of course raining. On the mountain. It's too peaceful. The birds whistle, the sky blue. Something isn't right. I climb down. My foot slips from a branch and I hit the floor. I land on my arm. I grip it. I get up and stretch it out. I sit and lay my head back. Rubbing my arm, up and down.

After I mourn over the pain, I set up some snares around the area. Might as well catch some food. I wouldn't want to use up my beef strips just yet. I hide in a tree and wait for prey. My arrow pulling arm still in throbbing pain.

I shoot a bird and a squirrel. It's better than nothing. One of my snares caught a rabbit. It hurt my heart. I had given Gale a rabbit before I left to the Capitol for my interview. I will feel guilt once I skin the rabbit and cook it.

I make a small fire. Rather cook all of this before it parishes and before the sun goes down. I've seen what happens when a tribute sets a fire at night. Once everything is cooked and done. I wrap it up and kick dirt onto the fire sticks. I choose a tree a few yards away from the fire. I climb and I watch the sunset. While eating a bird leg and drinking water. This will be the last time something good will happen to me. Last year Fire Balls were sent to kill me or drive me to the careers, right after I had a good restful night.

The sunset. The soft orange ball of light signifying the end of the day. Peeta is watching this exact one. No projections tonight. No one has died. Sure enough, tomorrow will be a different story. I lay in my sleeping bag and tie myself in the tree. Tonight is my only normal day. Except, Johanna helping me and almost broke my windpipe. She's one to keep my eyes on. I close my eyes, I will need sleep for what is in store for me tomorrow.

I slowly open my eyes. It's probably midnight. It's completely dark. I see it in the bushes below. Yellow eyes staring at me. Growling and snarling. No person. That is not a tribute. I blink over and over. These eyes belong to no normal creature. I curl up. I am imagining things. I can't freak myself out. I grab my bow and a single arrow. I place it in the lock. Precautions should always be taken.

A large paw pokes out of the black bushes. My eyes adjust. I get out of the sleeping bag. I pack my things up. As I am trying to balance everything on the branch, my backpack plummets to the ground.

Instantly the mutation jumps at it. Riping it up. I shoot and arrow, hitting it in the back. Nothing, not even the shots are stopping it from destroying my life line. I aim again trying to get its head. Another shot in its neck. It's not even flinching. When the mountain lion mutation is done devouring my pack it comes for me. Leaping to grab a branch to get a hold of. If the mutt succeeds, I will end up like Cato.

I load my bow and shoot for its head. Straight in its eye socket but it doesn't seem to have distracted the mutt. I'll shoot another arrow, If it's not dying, I can, at least, blind it. It hits its other eye. It jumps high, it's clearly aggravated. I need to get down from here now. Sneaky yet effective.

Again, my mind isn't thinking. I jump from the fifteen-foot branch. I hit the floor and take off running. My ankles throbbing and I can't see ahead of me. The farther away, I can stop and stay quiet. I can hear the mutt running right behind me. It's breathing heavy and strong. A cannon goes off. A tribute dead. Maybe they were in my situation. I knew the gamemakers had something in store for me. They were waiting, perched on their comfortable chairs, laughing at my hopelessness.

The mutt runs into a few of my snares. I need to fight this thing. I can't keep running forever. I scurry up a small tree. Lay on my stomach on the lowest branch, still it has much coverage. Close shots, instant death. The mutt carefully walks beneath my tree. Two snares caught on his feet. Four arrows stuck in its body. Once it's dead I will retrieve them immediately. It sniffs for my scent. I pull back and breath in and out. An axe unexpectantly cuts its head off. I keep my arrow in its place. Johanna, District 7: lumber, she walks over and picks up her axe.

"12, if I were you I would be more careful. You can be easily found." Johanna says, wiping off the blood from her axe on her shirt. "Your boy is waiting where I told you. Oh and you owe me double time, hun."

I jump down from the branch. Why does she know so much about Peeta? Why does she care that I am easy prey? She should just do me the favor and kill me. It seems like she enjoys following me. But for what?

"How do you know where he is?" I ask. I keep my bow straight for her head.

"Okay. Let's put the arrows down." She says hacking her axe in a tree. "See I put mine down. So it's your turn." She raises her hands and walks towards me. I lower my bow and drop the arrow. I place the bow next to it.

"Allies are never bad Katniss," Johanna says. Johanna Mason. She wants me to be her ally?

"You can't live without one?" I answer back.

"Apparently, you can't, without me," She replies. So far I haven't shown my full potential and with Johanna always helping me, Sponsors will lose interest in me.

"No. My only ally is Peeta." I say walking over to her axe. We circle each other. Scanning each other up and down. Trying to find our weaknesses in each other.

"I wouldn't want to see a pregnant girl die." She says. My heart sinks.

"I'll sleep on that," I say. I grab my bow and sheath. I take out the axe from the tree and hand it to her. She grins. I pull out my four arrows from the mutt.

I walk back to my tree. My bag ripped to shreds and there's not  another way of repairing it. The only things left is the sleeping bad I left in the tree and my canteen of water. I loop the canteen grip on my belt. The sleeping bad is not too big but carrying it will be a hassle. The sun rise is approaching. I need Peeta now. A bow and sheath, sleeping bag, and canteen of water. I could survive. But Peeta is my only reason to survive.