The Hunger Games: Multi-Verse

Day 5

She allowed herself to open up to Seth over the past few days as he asked her questions. He seemed too energetic or like too much of a spaz to sit in silence for a whole night, let alone three. So he asked Clove questions about her past, her family, Panem, her work, her home, and more.

On the fifth day, Clove's rumbling stomach woke her up. Her eyes opened and she sat up quickly. There was no room for grogginess in the Hunger Games. After making sure Seth was still next to her, she allowed her nerves to ease momentarily.

"We have to find some food today." Clove stated. She smacked her lips experimentally together, tasting only her dry tongue. Her lips were starting to chap from dehydration. Clove had had a small bottle of water from the bloodbath, but other than that they hadn't located a source of water.

"We'll do it now. Pack up and then climb on my back. And hold on tight." Seth said matter-of-a-factly, standing up. Clove frowned, furrowing her eyebrows.

"What do you -- oh." She said as Seth exploded outwards into wolf form and then looked back expectantly at her. Clove quickly put her things into her pack and slung it over her shoulder.

"O-kay." She said unsurely as Seth the wolf laid onto the ground, allowing Clove to swing a leg over his abdomen. She got a grip of the fur by his neck, nearly lying across his back. She dug her feet into his underbelly.

And then he took off.

The sound of wind was the first thing Clove sensed. Loud, whooshing wind, pushing against her eardrums.

Then Clove noticed the speed -- more specifically, the trees. The trunks whizzed by them so fast that they blurred into a dark wall on either side of them.

Clove couldn't even feel Seth's agile body moving beneath her, he sprinted so smoothly. Her eyes were nearly clamped shut to keep the strong wind out, and she was flexing her legs and arms to keep her position on Seth's back.

She buried her head deep into his soft fur and allowed him to carry her. Finally he slowed out of whatever hyperspeed he was going, and Clove slid off his back. Her heart was racing and her limbs felt shaky with fear. She had been in shock the whole ride, but now she was slowly realizing what Seth had just done.

"What the hell!" She exclaimed in a weak voice. Seth trotted into the woods, and came back in human form with shorts on. He was also wearing a sheepish grin.

"Sorry . . . I figured you wouldn't agree to it if I told you what running is like for me." He pressed his lips against each other anxiously.

Clove sighed. "It's fine, I guess." Seth broke out into a grin and Clove couldn't help the corners of her mouth turning up.

"I'll be back in two minutes. Yell if anything is suspicious or if . . . You get freaked out." Seth said. He then stepped very close to Clove. She tensed up, but he leaned in and pressed his lips quickly against her cheek. He pulled back, avoiding eye contact shyly. And then he sprinted towards the woods.

Clove was on her own again in the Games. She remained exactly where she was, exactly as Seth said, still tense from his kiss. She was frozen in time, her heart fluttering with nerves. What was that warm, tingly feeling in her gut? Did she actually feel something for that boy? For Seth?

A few minutes later Clove heard grunting in the woods. Her heart immediately accelerated in rhythm and she reached towards her pack. She hadn't had time to grab a weapon at the cornucopia. Clove realized in the back of her mind that she really was depending on Seth in these Games.

The grunting grew louder and then she heard from within the trees, "It's just me, Clove."

Clove's body deflated, the anxiety released at the sound of Seth's friendly voice. Then he appeared, dragging a dead deer from out of the shadows, struggling immensely from the weight of the thing. Seth grunted again.

"Wow." Clove admired the slain buck, impressed, "This is probably the most food that anyone has ever seen in these Games!"

Immediately they got to work. They decided together they wanted to cook the meat in the day so they could put out the fire by night. No one would see their smoke due to the density of trees and flatness of land. They got to work on the deer, stripping away fur and designing cuts of meat to cook over the fire that Clove quickly started.

A couple hours later, Seth and Clove sat with their legs crossed around the fire, tearing away at the crisp and extremely fresh venison. Clove looked at Seth and thought to herself, He is kind of cute.

And then she watched as he gruesomely took a huge and messy bite out of the deer meet. He looked up at her with puffed cheeks and juice dripping down his chin. His lips rose into a satisfied, lazy smile.

Clove couldn't help but laugh. He eats like a wolf, though.

Actually, no. He just eats like a boy.

She realized two minutes later that she was still grinning.

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