Destruction.

Destruction - Chapter 19 - Mutt.

Destruction.

Chapter 19.

Flora p.o.v

The suns just rising and it's the start of the second week in the arena, all the water seems to have returned in abundance, Harry's insisted on rationing it in case the same thing happens again, and the constantly grey sky never seems to give, although the air is humid as if it should. 

We're kind of just wandering, staying out of trouble, on guard at all times of course, but we're low on food and I suggested we go further into the forest to hunt, we could shoot anyone or anything down that attacked, and two sets of eyes are better than one. 

I lean over and wake Harry, I always seem to rise before him... maybe it's because I used to get up about 5 every morning to hunt, just as the sun rises, and of course my body clock is set to nature while in the arena, then again this isn't nature, it's all man made.

I put my legs either side of him and rest on his stomach leaning over and poking his cheeks, he opens his eyes as if in alarm, I grin and grab my bow. 

"PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN AND I MIGHT SPARE YOU!" I hiss. He pulls my bow off me and chucks it behind him, and then rolls me over so our positions are changed.

"Put your weapons down and I might spare you" He whispers his hot breath on my face.

"No" I laugh as he kisses me, and then climbs off and starts rolling his sleeping bag. I look through my pack for food, nothing. 

"Hunting day today right ?" I say. 

"Mmmhmm" he murmers. 

"Bit more enthusiasm, come on?" I say, he doesn't sound like his usual self. He doesn't reply. 

"Look I'm sorry, what did I do ?" I ask rolling my eyes, and moving over to him. 

"Nothing" He mumbles. 

"WELL WHAT IS IT THEN !?" I say losing it, and a flock of birds fly up from the tree's I can almost hear my voice echo. 

"Keep it down will you ?" He says, there's a slience, and I turn to roll up my sleeping bag, I sigh and feel myself myself well up, why are we even arguing, we're going to die ? we might as well be happy together as we do it ? or I could get him out alive ? he deserves it more than I do.  I wipe my tears away angrily with the mudcaked sleeve of my coat, and I stand up and pull my boots on, grabbing my pack.. and my bow. 

I start walking out of our camp when Harry's back is turned, tears come again. 

"Flora !? where are you going ?" He asks, he doesn't sound angry anymore, he sounds concerned and confused

"I want you to win" I say as I turn, and his arms are around me. 

"Don't be silly" he whispers as he pulls my pack off of my back and lets it fall to the ground, I the tears start falling again, and I just can't help myself, why do I have to be so pathetic, he holds me close as his curls tickle my cheek.

"Shame they don't give you tissues in the arena isn't it ?" He says wiping a tear from my cheek, I nod as he kisses me softly and I help him to finish packing up camp, I still wonder though, what is going to happen to our allicance...

"So.. hunting right ?" He smiles as we set off into the forest, luckily this isn't as dense as the forest near the cornucopia, and the nature noises and soft pine needles under foot almost seem welcome to me. 

I tread lightly and try to get Harry to copy but he's hopeless. 

"Shh" I murmer every so often, but his expression just makes me laugh, he doesn't even realise he's doing it.

Just as we round a tighter packed group of tree's there's a dear, it's eyes bright, but not looking our way, I make sure we're down wind so it can't detect us when it raises it's head to sniff the air. 

I stop abruptly and so does Harry but he stumbles slightly,there's two cannon shots, oh dear, the careers are on a killing spree the deer's head snaps up and it runs for it. 

"Oh my gosh I'm sorry" He says. 

"No problem it wasn't even your fault, it's all in the chase" I say patting his arm before I take off and follow the deer weaving through the tree's at full speed, the thrill of being on a hunt returns to me, I shoot while moving and take it down in one fell swoop. 

Then stop breathlessly, holding my stich from an empty stomach and leaning against a tree, Harry is a few feet behind not as nimble as me. 

Harry p.o.v

I smile, I'm glad I agreed to letting Flora hunt, this means more food than the both of us could need. She finishes nursing her stitch and takes a step forward. 

I hear some heavy breath behind me and whip round, Flora does too and out of the trees runs a Dog a few meters away, a mutt with glinting yellow eyes, saliva pooling around it's teeth. 

"Run!" I shout, shoving Flora where she's frozen to the spot, we've both taken off, probably slower than before, my breath was hardly back and my energy almost depleats as I realise we've run away from our meal.

But the dogs are hot on our heels Flora's ahead, used to running through tree's I can feel the dogs breath on me almost. 

"What do we do !?" I shout breathlessly, Flora keeps running and I see a big tree up ahead the branches, wide, Flora jumps at it and clings on a few feet up, I turn and the dogs eyes a on me drool coming from it's fangs, to them I'm dinner. Flora reaches her hand out and pulls me up, not before it digs it's fangs into the back of my ankle. 

it's agony and seering pain, I know those dogs must have nasty deseases from the way their spit foams around their muzzles, I give the one that bit me a boot in the face and it falls a few ft to the floor yelping another jumps and I kick that too, as Flora yanks me onto her branch with all the strength she can get. we get another few branches before I can't move anymore, I look down and am horrified at the sight, we collapse on a wide branch, Flora holds her side again closing her eyes like she's trying to be sick but there's nothing in her belly, her breaths loud, I try to control mine knowing letting myself heave freely will bring on some kind of moan. 

I look at my leg and it makes me feel sick. 

"Are you okay ?" she asks finally opening her eyes, it seems she hasn't noticed what happened below us.  I nod.

"No Harry, you've gone white what's happened?" I go to move towards her but I wince with pain, her face is shocked as she see's my leg, the chunk of flesh gone, the dogs are barking below us Flora shoots a quick and sure arrow and a dog yelps then they all scatter into the tree's. 

"your leg!" she says finally. fumbling through her bag for the first aid kit, she washes it over, bandages it and gives me medicine for the pain. 

"Harry what if it's infected ?" she whispers. 

"The sponsors will send something" I whisper squeezing her hand before I drift off into darkness.