Heart of Ice

Chapter 7

But when five cannons go off, each after the other, my blood runs as cold as the snow. Either I've been blessed with the Careers making a suicide pact, or two alliances have clashed. My money's on the Careers being the winners. It's uncommon for a few of the outer districts to bind together, but not unheard of. But with my isolation policy, I'm in the dark with my speculations.

There are nine of us left, and we're only on day three. Considering the bloodshed spaced so close together, I won't be surprised if the Gamemakers allow for a lull, a few days of boredom for the audience and a reprieve for us.

There have been fifteen deaths. The nine at the bloodbath. The girl from Eleven yesterday. And the five just now. I won't find out who they are until tonight, but a part of me hopes Henry was among them so I won't have to kill him.

I've done nothing of interest to the Capitol audience aside from my stealing supplies the first day and my tears at killing the rabbit. Carving the stick may have earned me a few minutes of screentime, for the bored viewer at three am, but I can't tell.

Speaking of the rabbit, I need to cook it today. It'll go bad soon. Considering that it's not light out yet, the sky still gray, any smoke I make will be hidden, but my time is limited.

I skitter down the tree, backpack on and axe in hand. If someone finds me, I can probably outrun them, but not if I have to stop for my supplies.

I break a hole in the ice and dig into the ground- it's not frozen. I take brown pine needles to use as tinder and sticks to use as fodder, build a spit based on what I remember from training. I use my knife to skin the rabbit, hiding the useless pieces and bones in a pile of fallen forest debris and snow. Once it's cooked, I eat half of it- the first actual food I've had in days. Tree bark doesn't fucking compare to this.

I want to save it for later, but I have nothing to wrap it up in. It's a pine forest, so no leaves, and I'm not using my hat. Stuffing myself with it doesn't sound like a bad option at this point, so I finish it off and wipe my hands on my pants. I choose a different tree to sleep in for the day and return to the mountains and caves in the evening. I don't trust the mountain, not with avalanches, but forests are my element.

I keep an eye on the Cornucopia and the Careers as I make my way back to the caves. Not much action, they must be recuperating from the fight early in the morning.

At the base of the mountain, I pick another tree to stay in. Lower, less cover, but I need a place to wait out the night, not sleep. I make myself comfortable and begin whittling another stick. But when the anthem starts to play, I realize my error- I can't see the sky through the pine needles. I squint at the sky, but I can't make out faces. I would recognize Henry's, of course, but I don't know who's dead. Dammit! I can already tell that this will come back to bite me.

Fortunately, I get another two days of my cycle without seeing a soul. The others must have fascinating personalities. I cook a squirrel and resist the temptation to open my can of beans.

I don't know what the hell the Gamemakers like so much about night, but after the anthem on the fifth night, I hear screams, coming from a cave. Looks like I've been right to stay away from them- someone comes crawling out of one, trying to desperately fight off a giant cat of some sort. I can't tell what it is, but the very sight and yowls coming from it make my skin crawl. I want to climb higher in my tree, but I'm rooted to the branch. A voice in the back of my head tells me that motion is not my friend. I watch as the person on the ground manages to strike at the cat until it retreats, but collapses on the ground, clutching their chest.

I wait for the cannon. One more dead and they'll interview our families. One certainty about Willow. I'm sure Acacia will try and get her two cents in, but Willow will almost certainly be targeted for questions. And unless it's him writhing in the ground, they'll be interviewing Henry's family too.

Henry's family doesn't know me. Willow will hopefully go along with what I've said- she knows I'm tough, but my "true colors" showing in the past week will have made some sort of impact on her. Acacia and the twins will provide no hindrance to my persona. They'll act saddened by my imminent death, but will also be asked how I've lasted this long. And no one will say it, but I'm sure there's betting on who will kill me.

I'll wait until there's six left. Just enough to track down and kill most of them, leaving one left to fight for the crown. Then I go home, move into Victors' Village with Willow, and I'll be free. The Capitol can't threaten me after that.

Still no cannon.

I peek out from the tree, and the tribute is gone. Dark smears in the snow, and footprints I can barely discern. Just fucking die already.

"C'mon," I mutter, tapping my fingers against a branch. The animal that attacked them is gone, and they're probably trying to nurse their injuries. If they managed to take shelter, then they must not be as badly hurt as I thought. Dammit.

With a sigh, I lean back against the tree trunk and take a slug of my water. It'll be a long night.

AN: Hello! So here's chapter 7, hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to vote or comment! (I love comments.)

Anyone seen Mockingjay P2 yet? I was a little disappointed that Johanna got cut from a lot of it, but I'll be following the book when I eventually get to that part- probably in another book or two. Unlike most THG fics, this won't end with her going home- I plan to continue a little more into it.

Anyway, see you guys next time!