Rhoswen's P.O.V~

Chapter Twelve- Wolves, Bats and the Bearer of Bad News

Night begins to fall as I silently stride through synthetic woods. My pack draws heavy with game that I've caught in the mere hours of the day. The air is now cold and threatens to drop to a freezing cold temperature. It's the Gamemakers way of saying "This will boost up a few ratings."And it will. When is this cold, you'd want to light a fire.

The higher I am, the less chance I'll be spotted from those dastardly Careers.

My lips are getting chapped but I know there's nothing to do about it unless I find more water to fill up my canister since it's already half empty. I settled on the highest branch and let my feet dangle below. I distinctly remember just a month ago that I was in the woods with Jayden for our usual Sunday's pursuit.

I sighed and kept thinking of Jayden and the woods back in District 12. Then a rustle occurred in the green shrubs down below.I readied my knife and move stealthily on the branch. Quickly and defiantly dead, the knife hacked the groosling's neck.

I glide down till I reach the ground and retrieve my latest before I could climb up again, a whooping sound in the distance made me duck underneath the dark scrub. It sounded human and I assume it's the Careers.

"Where did she go?" said the familiar voice. I think it's Cato?

"I could've sworn she's over there." said the feminine voice. That must be the girl from 1.

"Where are you now Goodwin." Cato hollered particularly nowhere near where I'm hiding.

Oh yeah like I'm going to answer... I thought sarcastically. Is it me or are they moving further where I am? Steadily, I reached my knife from the groosling's neck, and crawl under until I found a more camouflage shrub to hide in.

"Someone left a present, a dead groosling." said the girl from 1

"She won't need it, she'll be dead." Cato sneers, snapping the groosling's neck.

I dare not to breathe or close my eyes. I almost have a ridiculous thought that they can smell fear. I'm the opposite of fear. I know I'm better than them.

"Should we keep going...We'll find her then?" said the boy from 1.

A few agreed with their grunts and sighs. "Yes do that!" I thought. "So I can have at least a fighting chance and kill you all?" But there was one voice who didn't agree with their cohorts.

And I have no trouble of remembering that voice.

"No, She's here...she'll probably get her groosling back?" He said broodingly, trudging closely with them.

I secure myself in the leaves. I bit my lip to not draw attention at what I saw, the boy from 1 still has my spear...it was the same like last time but dipped in blood. I could feel their feet imprinting on the dry mud as if I'm the ground they walk on. The Careers and Andrews' withdraw their shiny artillery, exactly a few inches behind the sheltered shrub.

Yet something stops them. Burning embers of a small bonfire had ignited on my left. I turn to look. Just a walking distance from me is another tribute wanting to stay warm. I felt relieved and a little sorry for this tribute's fate.

Like wolves. They go running after their vulnerable prey.

Minutes later, I squeeze my ears shut to drown out the screams and stopped to hear the sound of the cannon. Not looking to the extinguished bonfire. I quickly retrieve my pack from the higher tree and zip across the branches to avoid walking on lower ground.

During my monkey-like scramble through sheltering trees, I slipped on the missing limb and feel myself falling in mid-air. I close my eyes, preparing for impact. I open them to feel a shooting pang up my spine. Everything around me spins. My body ached all over but hoped really it would bruise and nothing more.

"Hey...did you hear something." spoke the distort voice at a distance. Simultaneously, I revive from the leaves that broke my fall.

Without delay I recover my pack and hurtle through the lofty greenery, away from them. Therefore, I fight off the leaves in frustration every time it whipped my eyes. Suddenly a stench of rancid blood went up my nose and a gagging scent of perfume breathed in my mouth.

"It's her! It's her..." shouted the voice behind me, just a metre away.

This very minute, my lungs felt ice-cold when it exhaled a shaky breath. Slowly, I turned to their empty black pupils and shiny blue weapons. I feel like a fly that got tangled into the spiders' web. Not thinking straight, I perilously run into them. Assuming it would give my adversaries a few slow seconds to react on time.

Implausibly, it did and I made it through the denser woods.

"Where you off too sparkles?" said the supercilious idiot. (Cato)

"You aint going anywhere." shrieked the girl from 1.

I'm deep into the reserve and into some unknown territory even the birds looked slightly eerie under the pale moonlight. Hang on? They don't look like birds. And they're hanging upside down. Moreover the leather-winged creatures are soundly asleep.

Bats! But they're not the ones like in the woods one summer night, oh no. The bats here are big as wild turkeys and lethal the way I'd look at them.

"Must be the Capitol alterations..." I thought while my head flashes of horrible muttations in the previous games. I haul out my knife from my belt, ready to aim...and with one miraculous throw. The chunky knife blade slits one of mutts.

Next a bloodcurdling screech came from those ugly muttations. My rivals skid in a halt, staring and holding up their artillery wildly through the air.

When the screech stopped, I suspected a grisly swarm. I couldn't be even more wrong. It barely stirred them, not one open eyelid or a flap of their wing. I'd been stupid to begin with to think this would work! It was one throw of Clove's knife that snaps me back to the realism of the games. I dodge and head to a capsized log. I slumped on this dead piece of lumber, gasping for air like crazy.

"I can't out run them for long." I thought. "Let me die here." As I smooth out the wooden carcass with my trembling hand.

I dwell alone, ready to die by the blow of a sword or a knife through the heart. Up till now a shriek had sharpened my senses. Screams disturbed the woods behind me followed by the heavy explosion of the cannon.

"Who died...?" I said to no one particular. Well not anyone...I got the audience watching my every move.

"The girl from 4..." whispered the voice through the trees.

I arise. I've thought I was alone, while peering ever corner of the woods. And with nothing to kill or at least defend myself, I strode inches beside the tree and saw a dark but small shadow.

"And Thresh..." the voice murmured. I can pick up that voice from anywhere.

It was on the tip of my tongue until...She walked in the ashen moonlight, my eyes amplified under the dark to know two things. One, this is my fault. And two, Rue the girl from 11 appeared in front of me with sombre eyes.

This could be bad...