I wake up several hours later. The mid morning sky slightly cloudy.
I can hear the quiet breathing of the baby beside me, and I turn my head so I can see him.
He is curled up next to me, sleeping soundly with his mouth slightly open.
He looks so innocent, so peaceful. How can something so pure, be in a place like this?
I sit up slowly, and stretch. Silently running over the tributes still left in the arena.
I am the last career, then there is the girl from district six, the boy from nine, both tributes from ten, the boy from twelve, and the girl from eleven.
Seven left, seventeen dead. The games aren't going to last much longer.
I walk over to the stream and splash water on my face, it wakes me up fully, and I look around for my shirt to wipe the water off my face. Then I realise I must have left it at the other campsite.
I sigh, and search through the back pack that Cleo gave me.
It contains: several canteens of water, a large box of matches, an extra blanket, several packages of dried meat and fruit, and a large coil of rope. I also discover the baby bottle and soe formula in a small pocket on the side.
I quickly start a small fire, and prepare a bottle for the baby.
"Rise and shine tough guy, it's time for breakfast."
He gives a small yawn as I pick him up, and blinks his eyes sleepily.
"You've got to keep your strength up, can't go back home sickly now can you?"
He gurgles, and waves his arm in the air.
I feed him the formula, and he quickly drains the bottle. I'm not very hungry, so I kick some dirt over the fire, and pack up my supplies. Then I cradle the baby in the sling, and set off.
I still don't have a particular direction in where I'm headed, I am just staying on the move.
I walk through the thick forest for some time, when suddenly the dense trees give way to open meadow.
I pause at the edge of the forest, surveying the new territory with a keen eye.
The lush green grass ripples in the slight breeze, and hundreds of wildflowers splash the scene with color. I spot several brightly colored butterflies, and I can hear the lazy drone of bees.
The sudden beauty of the meadow, takes me off guard temporarily, and I gaze in wonder at the picturesque scene.
It takes a moment to remember that this is an arena of death, and anything beautiful or innocent looking is most likely the most dangerous.
I decide to go around the meadow. There's no knowing what the gamemakers may have placed in it.
I follow the edge of the forest, keeping the meadow to my right, and make a long arch around the open space.
It's late afternoon, when I reach the other side of the meadow, and I take a short break.
I make another bottle for the baby, and he drinks it eagerly before falling back to sleep.
I sigh and decide I should probably eat something. Not that I have an appetite, but I need to keep up my strength if I am going to become the victor.
I eat some dried fruit and meat, as I let my thoughts wander.
What will happen if I make it to becoming the victor?
Will they let the game end if the baby and I are both still alive?
Or will they count the baby as a tribute, and wait until there is only one left.
If it comes down to that, it will be oh so simple to stick a knife in my chest. Anything to get the baby out alive.
I look down at the small sleeping child, his soft golden skin tone and bronze hair remind me so much of his mother.
Felicia, she was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, with her rich wavy hair, and sparkling green eyes. I think back to that night, when we sat around the fire, when she told me she loved me.
Why hadn't she told me sooner? Was she scared I didn't love her back? Or was she going to tell me, and then when she got pregnant think that complicated things. Did she think I wouldn't love her or the baby?
I brush my hand over her sons mass of hair.
If only she knew how much I cared about her, how much I care about her son.
I sigh. Even if I do make it out of the arena, I won't have a reason to keep living.
Sure if I win I will become rich and famous, but I've never wanted that life. The only person to go home to know is my mother, and I don't even know how she is handling me in the arena. When my father was executed, and after Quin, she drew back into her mind, still functioning, but it seems mechanical, automatic. I don't see how she could have ever loved my father. Maybe he was different a long time ago. We all change don't we, even if we don't intend to, we all change sooner or later.
I know I've changed.
The first time I realised it was after my father was executed, then Quin's death. It was just one thing after another that led me to becoming the scarred brooding person I am today.
I know the biggest change is yet to come, if I become victor. I will never be the same again.
I clear my head of these thoughts, and carefully pick up the baby, settling him in the sling. Then I pick up my pack, and continue back into the forest.
It's almost evening when I am startled by a cannon.
"I wonder who that could be."
I murmmer. Then I notice the birds have stopped singing, a single bird lets out a shrill warning cry, and I see a hovercraft appear.
It stops about a hundred yards to my left, into the forest. A large metal claw descends from it, and picks up the body of the dead tribute.
"That's just a little too close for comfort."
I say, backing slowly into the meadow, my eyes searching the woods for any sign of another tribute.
Who knows? Maybe the dead tribute died of something natural, or a mutt, there are so many other possibilities than another tribute. But even the chance of a killer nearby is enough to get me moving.
I travel directly away from where the tribute died, straight into the meadow.
I walk carefully, uncertain of what secrets the beautiful meadow holds. You can never underestimate or overlook anything in the arena, it could be the death of you.
The meadow seems safe enough, except for being out in the open, but still I keep a sharp lookout for anything suspicious.
As I move through the large meadow, I begin to relax slightly. Maybe the meadow is safe after all.
The thought barely crosses my mind, when I spot a small white rabbit, sitting watching me with its head on one side. It doesn't seem scared by my presence, only curious.
It is very fluffy, and its large black eyes stare in fascination.
I watch it, and it watches me, after a few moments, it turns and hops away.
That was a bit odd.
I think, but I just continue making my way to the other side of meadow.
After about ten minutes of walking, I notice another white rabbit, just like the first one. Then a thought strikes me: what if it's the same rabbit.
Could it have followed me?
I dismiss this thought. Rabbits don't follow people, they run from them...
The rabbit takes one hop to the right, and turns to watch me again. Then I see the other one, a black one slightly behind the white one.
I turn to my left, and see a brown and a grey one.
"What is up with you?"
I ask them curiously. They all tilt their head to the side, and just watch me.
I continue to walk, noticing more and more rabbits of all different colors as I go. I begin to feel a bit nervous, but chide myself.
They're just a bunch of rabbits, what can they do?
unfortunately, I am proven wrong. When I reach around the middle of the meadow, I pause for a minute and slowly turn around. Behind me, is over twenty rabbits. Black, white, grey, brown, and multicolored. They all are watching me with heads tilted to the side, all that is except for one, the fluffy white one I saw first, is standing closest to me. Its small nose twitching, and large eyes unmoving.
A staring contest starts, and after a minute I glance away.
Suddenly the rabbit opens its mouth, and instead of the large front teeth rabbits usually have, there are two needle like fangs dripping a sickly green liquid.
The rabbit makes a noise somewhere between a hiss and a squeal, and lunges forward.
It moves so fast I don't have time to react, and it sinks its small fangs into my ankle.
Sharp pain shoots through my foot, and I yell in pain as I cut the rabbit in two, and I kick away the half still attached to my leg.
All at once, the other rabbits open their mouths, and let out the same sound as the first one. Only this time I react before they reach me.
I turn and run for my life.
I can't believe how fast they can move, and soon I am panting hard, still trying to keep up a fast sprint.
I'm holding the baby tight in one arm, keeping him secure. He is awake, but doesn't cry, he simply sits still and watches me as I run.
I can just see the other end of the meadow, and I am desperately hoping that if I leave their territory, the rabbits will leave me alone. If not, then I don't know what I'm going to do.
I'm running out of energy, and my foot is starting to throb painfully, when I take a quick glimpse behind me, and almost stop.
They're gone. Not a single rabbit to be seen anywhere.
That's odd...
Suddenly I hear a hiss in the grass, and I see the thick sinewy body of an emerald green snake.
"Aw come on! Another creature?"
The snake strikes, and I barely have time to grab its neck before it bites me.
The thickest part of its body is around the size of my waist, and it looks almost twenty feet long. Its large fangs hover six inches from my neck, and I struggle to keep it from coming any closer.
The fangs alone are around three inches long, and are covered in venom.
As I am wrestling it, the venom collects in a single drop on the end of its fang. It builds slowly, until it finally grows to heavy, and drops from the fang tip.
I see to late where it will land.
It hits the baby's forehead, up high above the left eyebrow.
It makes a small sizzle sound, and the baby screams. That is the only thing it takes. A strange energy seizes me, giving me strength I didn't know was possible.
WIth one savage twist, I grab the serpents neck with both hands, and snap its spine. How it was possible to break a snakes spine I will probably never know, but I did somehow, and the serpent lay writhing at my feet.
In an instant I am bending over the baby, examining his wound.
A single small burn mark, perfectly round, rests on his forehead. He is crying pitifully, but it seems that the worst pain is over. I soak a corner of my blanket in water, and clean the burn gently.
"There, there little guy. It doesn't hurt anymore does it? Don't worry, uncle Bruce killed the nasty old snake."
The baby giggles and I sigh in relief. The venom doesn't seem to have any especially harmful effects.
I kick the snakes thick coils out of my way, and soon I am out of the horrid meadow, and back into the safety of the trees.
I travel till night falls, and set up camp as the anthem plays, and the boy from twelve lights up in the sky.
That leaves only six of us. In just a few short days, our numbers have vanished quickly into the single digits. Soon, there will only be a single digit left.
One.
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