Promises of a Sacrificial Lamb |Destiel x The Hunger Games|

-12-

Within moments, I can already confirm that I prefer throwing knives over spears.  They're much smaller and easier to finesse, and picking up the techniques isn't all that difficult, either.  During our time at the station, though, I find my focus is not entirely on the intended weapon.  It's on Cas, watching him carefully, making sure he's okay, and from what I can tell, he looks like he is.  He masters the basics in minutes, and before I know it, he's executing near-perfect throws at the targets.  His striking accuracy baffles me so much that one of my own knives goes flying ten feet above the target.  Thankfully, the trainer doesn't seem to mind that I may have just stabbed a hole in the back wall.

As the trainer retrieves our knives to allow us another round of practice, Cas gives me a glum smile.  "Kind of ironic that this is the thing I'm best at, huh?"  he murmurs.

At lunch, we discuss all the stations we visited and narrow down what weapons we feel most comfortable with.  My top pick is the sword with the bow and arrow being an optional second choice.  Cas' top pick are the throwing knives, which is, of course, so painfully ironic that it's almost sadistic, but at least he found something he excels at.  We decide to alternate between touching up on survival skills and practicing with the swords and knives for the remainder of the day.

With an hour left of training, after we strengthened our plethora of developing skills, I finally muster up the courage to attempt sword combat with a trainer who's beyond eager to have a new student.  We won't be using real swords, just hard foam substitutes, but the idea is still there, the idea of fighting with dangerous weapons that could easily kill at a moment's notice.

Cas silently observes from the sidelines as the trainer tells me everything there is to know about battling with swords and knives.  The proper postures, techniques, swings, slashes, everything.  My blood roars in my ears, and I can feel my hands beginning to tremble, but I don't back down.  Knowing how to wield a sword won't do me any good if I don't know how to fight back against someone who's an experienced killer.  I have to do this.  I want to do this.  It's the only way to secure our safety, even if it's just by a small margin.

I spend the full hour with the trainer, losing many rounds of battle but also winning a decent handful.  It takes time, but I slowly pick up on the more advanced techniques, like how to swiftly dodge an attack, how to block, how to slash when the enemy is distracted, all the things that could save my life in the arena.  By the time we're dismissed for the day, I'm drenched in sweat and shaking with adrenaline, but I'm more confident than I was when we walked in this morning.  I know how to wield and fight with an actual weapon, and I couldn't be more relieved and ecstatic about something like that.

Dinner with our team is so much more relaxed now that I haven't gotten into a fight and Cas and I have shown an aptitude for certain weapons.  Bobby is, shockingly, pleased with our accomplishments and encourages us to continue working with the swords and knives tomorrow for our final day of training, just to make sure we're prepared.  Rowena gushes about how she spent the entire day parading around the Capitol trying to win us sponsors.  She says she told people the story of how I valiantly volunteered for my little brother, how Cas is braving the Games after the tragedy with his older brother years prior, even how handsome the two of us are.  I'm still not quite sure what attractiveness has to do with sponsors, but if Rowena sees something I don't, then I'm all for it.  She knows what she's doing, and I make sure to tell her we appreciate her efforts.  And I really mean it, too.

Our third and last day of training brings a flood of overwhelming pressure.  This is our final opportunity to practice and hone the skills that could mean the difference between life and death in the arena.  During lunch, we have our private sessions with the Gamemakers.  Tomorrow, we have a day to prepare for the televised interviews with our team.  The next day brings the interview itself, and after that, it will be time for the moment everyone in the Capitol everyone has been eagerly anticipating, and the moment everyone in the districts has surely been losing sleep over.