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ABOUT THREE-FOURTHS OF THE WAY THROUGH THE DAY, TWO CANNONS WENT OFF BACK TO BACK. They didn't hear any screams, so the kills must have been far away from them. The three allies had been walking away from the cornucopia for the whole day, starting to wonder if they were walking into a trap.
Right on cue, the arena seems to begin whirring, like a machine powering up. Octavia looks around and then to her allies, who both look just as confused as she is. Suddenly, a roar comes from about thirty feet in front of them. A large cat is growling at them. It is whitish gray with black spots across it's body. It flashes it's long, sharp canines at them. Layla lets out a shriek of fear and the tributes take that as their sign to run. Turning on their heels and sprinting back toward where they'd spent their entire day leaving behind. None of them really care about that fact at the moment, though. Death by cat was not exactly what any of them expected.
To no one's surprise, the animal was just as fast as them. It launches its paw out and digs its claws into Octavia's back. She lets out a loud scream in pain as the claws tear through her skin. Augustus' sword pierces the predator and it whines. Octavia's blood mixes with the animal's as it soaks through the snow. Augustus lifts Octavia up, who feels drowsy from the impact of the large animal. She can faintly hear Augustus and Layla's voices calling out to her.
A number of "stay with me"'s and "Octavia"'s are spoken as Augustus feels his heart pounding out of his chest. His sister cannot die here. Another cannon booms. Layla and Augustus drop to the ground to cradle Octavia's body. Layla presses her head against Octavia's chest to hear a heartbeat. There is a heartbeat. She sighs in relief.
"It's not her. It's not her cannon."
"Oh my god." Augustus cries, pulling his sister's limp body into his, hugging her.
"Augustus, three cannons went off today. That means there are only six now, us included. So that could be three careers and us left. With her down like this, we can't be out here. We're just waiting for them to come and get us if we stay here." What she is saying feels repetitive to Augustus, but he tries to retain it and understand.
"Let's find a cave."
───
Augustus and Layla had found a cave to settle in, he lays Octavia down on her stomach with his coat under her head. The pair move her shirt up to examine her wound. Her skin is pierced deeply, still bleeding. Layla bites the inside of her cheek at the sight. Augustus feels nauseous.
"Oh my god." Layla cringes. Augustus grabs his bag and looks inside. Nothing useful. He looks through Layla's and sees a hat. He grabs the hat from the bag and presses it to Octavia's back, applying pressure. Octavia stirs, wincing in pain.
"Gus?" Her voice is so quiet that she can barely hear it herself. Augustus moves his head down to his sisters.
"I'm here. I'm right here. You're okay." He lays his hand gently on her face. Tears roll down her cheeks as she speaks to him,
