The Hunger Games X Reader ONE-SHOTS [COMPLETE]

A Little Bird (Rue)

First Rue X Reader one-shot that came to mind while I'm sitting here typing away recalling the Mockingjay tune...hope you guys enjoy it! Yes, this is an original of mine. Takes place before The Hunger Games.

The sun was setting again over the spacious and vast district that was the district of agriculture in Panem. There wasn't anything particular about it that made you sigh as you were now walking around, your hands stuck deep into your pockets and the tips of your boots gently brushing against the dusty dirt ground. No, the sun would always rise and set every day, with no reason to care about what happens between that time, or what happens after it sets, or before it rises. What made you sigh was the fact that just as the sun would rise and set every day, so too did your life just remain the same--a flat plateau without any rises or falls. It was just a plain life with nothing elaborate.

It wasn't like you didn't like your life in District 11 at all. There were some good things to the district that would always make your eyes alight in wonder, your hands itching to feel the smooth surface of a fruit hanging over the trees or even just the rough bark of any kind of tree. But those good things were hoarded, you knew. They would only go one direction, never in many. The good things in life were never yours--they belonged to the Capitol, also known as the site of horror, the place where the lives of many children would be sacrificed as punishment for the Dark Days, the rebellion in Panem.

And yet the sun would always rise and set without a care.

Good things should never come to those who didn't deserve it, you thought as you gave another sigh, kicking a stray pebble on the ground in your slight anger. The pebble tumbled over the dirt path and landed by the base of a tree--one with a large and wide and round trunk that was so firmly rooted into the ground, its branches hanging low surrounding the majority of the upper half with nothing but greenery. At the sight of it, you cocked your head to the right in thought, eyebrows raised. You've never explored this part of the district before, and the sight made you feel slightly uncomfortable.

That was, until you heard a beautiful four-note melody soaring through the air.

It couldn't have been a bird. It was much too human to be a bird making the call. But soon you heard bird calls imitating the same melody, and this made you cross your arms. What exactly did this have to do with--

"Hi!"

The sound of a girl talking almost right above your head made you shriek, and you jumped back as you snapped your head upwards, your gaze fixated now on a little girl hanging upside down from a tree branch a few feet in the air, a wide smile on her face.

"Uh..." That was all you could say as you stared at the girl in shock.

The girl just laughed as she righted herself up on the branch and dropped from the tree with a grin, landing right in front of you. "You look like you've just seen a bat," the girl remarked. "Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you."

You shook your head, however, glancing at the little girl. "It's not that," you said, jamming your hands in your pockets. "It's just--how--why do you do that?"

"I do that all the time. Every day," the girl explained. "It's a good way to signal the workers of the day's end. They work so hard in the fields, it's always good to get a reminder in them."

"And you do that with the birds?" you asked- gesturing above her to the treetops where the birdsongs continued, as sweet and lively as they could be.

"Yeah. There are mockingjays up there," she said. "They imitate peoples' melodies."

Before you could open your mouth again, several burly and tall workers much older than you began to pass by the both of you, their footsteps heavy as they trudged over the ground, sweat shining over their dark skins soaking through their clothes. Tools of several different kinds were held tight in their grips, the blades glinting dangerously under what remained of the setting sun. You cringed as you watched them go, your hands set by the trunk of another nearby tree gripping tightly onto the rough bark and wood beneath your palms, glancing at Rue who just smiled at them on the opposite side of the path.

She must have been some brave soul to be singing for them.

The moment they disappeared you quickly went back to her. "Mockingjays?" you asked her immediately. "Weren't they a threat to--"

"Shh." Rue immediately put a finger to her lips to hush you, and you nodded. "Yeah. They were. But they're so pretty. At least, their voices can be. They listen to everyone's voices, but if they warm up to yours they could imitate your song, no problem. If they're patient enough, they could imitate an entire piece if they can...but they had to be very particular about the singer."

To this, you chuckled. "I see what's going on then," you smirked as you glanced up into the branches. "They're singing judges of their own, are they?"

Rue laughed as well at your question, and you smiled wanly at the bright sound, almost like a bird's trill. "I guess. But they won't mind any melody. Would you like to try something?"

Now, you weren't really much of a singer yourself. Come to think of it, you've never really warmed your voice up to do any singing at all. You did, however, remember a lullaby from your childhood so long ago, one that your mother would sing to you at night. So you took a deep breath and began to sing the first verse, your voice so soft that silence eventually fell about you as the birds took in your tune, listening intently before they managed to imitate it, note for note, the moment you finished. You smiled as they exchanged the melody through the branches high above, the atmosphere filled with so much sweet nostalgia from so long ago that it made you relax for the first time in a long while, a smile lifting your face.

"I didn't know," you whispered to Rue. "I didn't know that some things could be so beautiful."

"Things like these take time," she whispered back, a hint of a smile evident in her tones. "All it takes is an open mind to see the beauty and good that everything had to offer."

And in your mind you knew she was right. Though the good things don't always remain in your grasp, it could still be retained for a little while for you to enjoy. That didn't mean that there wasn't anything good to cherish at all. You smiled at the little girl beside you and gave her a gentle hug. "Thank you...um, I didn't catch your name."

"It's Rue," she said as she hugged you back. "And you are...?"

"(Y/N)," you introduced yourself.

Rue smiled. "Well, (Y/N)...it seems like you've found yourself a new friend."

"You mean new friends," you corrected her, your smile widening as the mockingjays above continued to sing. It felt nice, actually, to be with her while the birds sang and brought you happiness once more, allowing you to settle in with the peace that you never felt in so long.

It amazed you just how a little bird could make your dark and pessimistic life bright again.

I know, I know! Not really what I was expecting but the idea faded after a deluge of competitive writing and now I'm just trying to scrap up an update without having you guys groan at the lack of them. I'm sorry guys.

But oh well, it was my first one with Rue! How'd you guys like it?

:)

So on that note, please don't ask me when I'll update this again. It'll come irregularly, I guess? Just not all the time.

And yeah.

I'll see you guys later.

-magic_mockingjay