First request from my newly-dubbed Hunger Games buddy HereComesForever15!! Thanks for the request! :) By the way this is in no way a sequel to my Prim X Reader, so just a heads up. You're Katniss's age here, and this takes place before Catching Fire.
Guide:
(Y/N): Your Name
Not for the first time, you found yourself running away from your house in District 12 in the early hours of dawn, slipping under the electric fence that is barely charged, and making your way deep into the heart of the woods. It's really the only place for you to think through things, to clear your mind after an argument with your parents. Yes, you just had a recent argument with your mother last night after yelling at her for not taking care of you or your younger sister and brother, to which your mom said it was hard moving on from her husband--your father, who recently got executed in a shooting for stealing.
Not to mention, your sister and brother also joined in the argument.
"How could you? To think that we can't get any education because of father's death!" your brother shouted at her.
"And we need money for food!" your sister argued.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" your mom cried. "Your dad is gone, and forget calling me your mother, because I can't even move on! I'm done with taking care of children that I thought I would forever keep! I can't believe I can't keep your father here, keep him with us. So forget it!"
"NO!" your younger siblings screamed.
But you just held them back as they surged forward. "Just let it go," you said.
And now that you were here in the woods, what were you going to do? Stealing, you already knew, was punishable by death. But here in the woods, no one said stealing was illegal outside of the district. The woods are full of food and greens and other things you can find to fill your stomachs, but where do you start without feeling too frightened?
It seemed that your walk through the woods was disturbing someone, because next moment an arrow flew just over your left ear and stuck in the tree trunk behind you. You had the good sense to duck, thank goodness, but shock registered within you when you realized that you weren't the only one in these woods.
"Who's there?" you called out.
A figure stepped out of the foliage, and you raised your eyebrows in surprise. Standing before you, in the flesh, was a girl with brown hair styled in a braid down the right side of her head, a worn brown hunting jacket donned over her slim form. In her hands she held a wooden bow and arrow, and she had a few shot squirrels and rabbits slung over her shoulder. Your breath immediately hitched when you recognized the victor of the 74th Hunger Games--one of them, to be exact.
"Oh my god," you murmured. "Katniss Everdeen?"
The girl, Katniss, nodded. "I didn't expect anyone else to be in the woods at this time. Well, maybe except for my friend, Gale. Have you seen him?"
You shook your head. "No. Not really."
Katniss nodded bitterly as she approached you. "I was only hoping he'd show up, but since he's already working in the mines my guess is that his schedule is too full to even come by. I mean, I have been bothered somewhat, you know, since our first reunion after the Games."
"What happened?" you asked.
Katniss explained the whole story--the party that lasted for a week in District 12, and how she and Gale resumed old hunting times for a day before he suddenly kissed her at the end.
"But do you even feel that way to him?" you questioned cautiously, knowing that with Katniss it's not wise to just prod into her privacy.
Katniss shrugged. "I don't even know. My feelings are complicated with Peeta's played romance in the arena and everything. I mean, I like Gale, but he's a friend and nothing more. And...same with Peeta, for now." Her shoulders slumped as she dropped her long line of game onto the ground. "I don't want children. I can't afford them."
You nodded slowly as you registered everything she just said, surprised at the turn of events. One moment, she almost killed you. The next, she was talking with you like an old friend.
Wait a moment. She almost killed you with...
"Where did you learn archery?" you asked suddenly, in an attempt to change the subject.
To this, Katniss laughed hollowly. "My dad used to teach me a bit before he died. The rest of the perfecting came from me training myself."
You nodded and smiled at the game she caught. "Recently my dad has been executed for stealing, and my mom just couldn't move on from his death. In other words...she stopped caring for us. Which probably means I have to start taking care of them, but I don't know where to start," you finally blurted out.
"Your father...is also dead?" Katniss asked. "I don't mean to invade your privacy."
"Yeah."
"Oh. My dad, he died in a mine explosion," she said. "Hey. If you want to survive, you should probably be like me. Learn a bit of shooting, and then you'll be good to go. You can find anything here, and they'll help you and your family in the long run, but you just have to be careful."
You nodded as you recalled her amazing shooting skills in the arena. "You think you can teach me?"
"Why not?" Katniss's face now relaxed into a grin as she took a spare bow and arrows from a log not too far off, and handed them to you.
For the rest of the day, Katniss taught you how to aim at targets and shoot the arrow properly. At first, she let you train on tree trunks, before it eventually evolved to shooting at actual game, like deer or rabbits or squirrels or birds. She even told you what plants are edible, what berries are safe to eat. By the end of the day, you were rewarded with two rabbits, three squirrels, a bag full of blackberries, and a bag of greens. You insisted on splitting it with her, but she shook her head.
"I have my own game," she said, motioning at the line of game she had slung over her shoulder earlier. "Hey, maybe next time you come into the woods with me, I can teach you how to make snares. Gale used to teach me a few."
You nodded eagerly at the proposal, smiling at your new friend. "Thanks."
"Hang on. I never caught your name," Katniss realized.
"I'm (Y/N)," you said, shaking her hand.
"Well, (Y/N), I'm glad to have made a new friend," Katniss finally laughed. "Though trust me, I'm not very good at that."
You shrugged offhandedly. "I can understand. But you're a victor of the Games--it should be easy by now, right?"
"I...I tend to keep myself reserved," Katniss said. "But I guess I can trust you," she added quickly, offering a smile.
For the first time since your father's death, you found safety and security in the place where you always sought refuge whenever you needed air. This time, you got more than just air. You got yourself a chance to survive. And none of this would be possible without Katniss.
The two of you then put your bows and arrows away, and headed back to the District, undetected by the Peacekeepers who strolled around the streets.
"So, when are you leaving for the Victory Tour?" you asked her.
"In a few weeks."
You nodded as you held a hand out to her. "I hope to see you soon, Katniss."
Katniss smiled again as she shook it. "You too, (Y/N)." With that, you both headed your separate ways, you heading back to the house with something to show your family. Something to keep them going forward in life.
Something to keep them alive.
How's this for a first Katniss X Reader one-shot? Wow. I actually can't believe people are picking up on my Hunger Games fanfictions!! Like, honestly. With this being the first fandom I write about that isn't Big Hero 6 related...well, let's just keep it short and say that I'm honoured.
Now I got to get dressed and eat breakfast and go to class. This took me, I think, half an hour? Yeah, you can get quite a bit done if you put your mind to it.
I'll hopefully get a Tadashi X Reader request up if I'm not too busy today. So stay tuned!
-magic_mockingjay