Chapter 10
1591 Words
The next morning came faster than ever. I sat up on guard all night and let Tierney sleep. When it was light enough I headed outside to get some hunting done. I caught a small deer, three birds and a few fish that decided they wanted to make an appearance while I was filling up our water. After I had finished with that I returned to our camp and began skinning, feathering and filleting my game before I started a gentle fire to cook some of it.
Tierney had awaken by the time some of the deer meat was well done. I offered her some and she quickly joined my side. That night we ate well and I noticed some of her energy coming back along with a healthy tint to her skin.
"So you are small? How did you win during your time in the arena?" I asked her.
She finished chewing her meat and then swallowed it before she looked at me. She looked like a 6 year old girl in her appearance, it was hard not to let your maternal instincts kick in.
"I have primordial dwarfism, that's why I am small. My father called me tiny tott." Tierney's eyes glazed over slightly and she quickly wiped her eyes. "I didn't do anything to win I just kept myself hidden until everyone else died. I managed to find some edible plants and a source of water nearby and since I was small I was easily able to conceal myself. I was in the arena for 2 1/2 months before the last person died."
My eyes widened as I stared at her in disbelief. "I'm so sorry." I told her
"It's fine, I was able to make it home before my birthday. I was born on a leap year so my true birthday only comes around once every four years." She told me.
"You were born on a leap year?" I asked her.
"Yes so if you count only the years my birthday comes around you would find out that I was-"
"-Three and a half years old." I said amused. I couldn't help but feel more protective over her. Without thinking I pulled her into a hug and began rubbing her back soothingly.
I felt her shaking from what I guessed was fear from my sudden movements, then slowly I felt her reach her arms up and wrap them around me returning my hug.
"I miss my dad" She whispered.
"I know honey, I know."
How was I supposed to take this. This little child in my arms wanted to go home and I wanted her to but I also wanted to see Katniss return home while I also wanted to go home. I was in these games before and I knew how they ended. One of us, just one was going home if we lasted that long.
As I leaned away from her a knife flew through the space between us slicing part of her coat and lodging itself deeply into the tree behind us. I quickly turned my head and saw a girl running towards us. She looked to be in her late 20's and had a few knifes in her hand.
"Get in the tent!" I shouted to Tierney.
She didn't hesitate as she jumped to her feet and ran into the tent. I followed after her dodging a knife by less than an inch only to take the second in my lower back. I winced in pain but quickly recovered as I retrieved my bow and an arrow from my sheeth before I turned and launched it at her. I had meant to make a clean through and through her chest for a quick painless kill but my pain overwhelmed me and I pulled up at the last moment. My arrow soared straight at her piercing her in the forehead.
The girl gasped before she rose her hands up and wrapped them around the few inches of arrow that stuck out the middle of her forehead. For a brief moment I thought she was a gonner but she looked right at me and made eye contact before she snapped the arrow off.
I felt bile rise up my throat as she turned around and I saw the tip of the arrow sticking a few centimeters out of the back of her head. She rose her hands up and grasped it before she pulled really hard. I listened and cringed a sickening suction noise filled the air and then she screamed as the arrow came out.
I chanced a glance and turned away as I spotted a clean hole going through her head. Shouldn't she be dead, I shot her in the brain. I turned and looked at her in disbelief but she just stared. Finally after a few minutes of bleeding out she fell to the ground and twitched for a few moments before the cannon blasted. Finally.
I turned my gaze towards the tent and saw Tierney looking frightened as she stared at me. I walked over to her and knelt down only to just feel intense pain. I reached out to the source of pain that was located in my back and winced as I came in contact with the knife that had hit me.
"You are hurt" Tierney said to me.
I shook my head denying it trying to keep her from getting any more terrified then she already was. "I'll be fine I promise I just have a little flesh wound its not problem. I just need to get this knife out and patch it up, I'll be as good as new you'll see." I took her face gently between my hands and looked at her. "I want you to go in the tent and cover your ears until I come and get you okay. Cover your ears and close your eyes."
Tierney nodded her head before she disappeared into the tent. I checked to make sure she wasn't looking and had her ears covered, I even called her name a few times to make sure. Satisfied I made sure I had a firm grip on the knife before I pulled it out. I couldn't help but scream momentarily from the intense pain. Once I tossed the knife into a nearby bush I ripped a piece of cloth from my shirt and stuck it deep into my knife wound to staunch the bleeding.
After it was securely in my wound hole I headed into the tent and let Tierney know I was fine. She began crying before she wrapped her arms around me.
"Everything is going to be fine." I said before kissing her gently on her forehead. "Everything is going to be just fine." I told her.
I looked up at the sky in time to see a silver parachute fall from the sky. As it landed before us I realized it was a large basket. I opened it and smiled as I found food, a blanket, a small first aid kit, and another water bottle. As I dug a bit deeper I saw that their were two spare uniforms, one for District 9 and one from District 12.
"Look." I smiled as I handed her hers. "New uniforms."
I quickly undressed and went to pull on my uniform before I realized I had a bloody wound. I needed to stitch it or something to keep it from bleeding anymore than it was. I turned my head and looked at the first aid kit. Picking it up I opened it and saw enough items to fix my wound with a patch. 10 minutes of cleaning and bandaging and I was good enough to put on my new uniform without bleeding all over it.
"Does the material feel weird to you?" I asked Tierney as I rubbed a bit between my two fingers.
She nodded her head quietly as she began looking at the bread and rolls in the basket. Picking one up she smiled. "This is from my district I recognize the thickness of the wheat they used to make it." She lifted it to her mouth a took a bite before she handed me the other half of her roll. "Try it, it's good."
I took it from her and bit into it and smiled. "It's definitely good." I reached towards the fire where our meat was and pulled piece before sandwiching it between my roll before I bit into it again. "Oh my goodness Tierney you have to try this."
I handed her the final bit of my sandwich and watched her eat it. She smiled and took a drink of water. We each made one more sandwich roll with the meat we had from dinner and ate in silence.
"What happened to your friend?" She asked me in what sounded like a cautious weary tone.
I looked at her and frowned as the memories of last nights argument flooded back into my mind. "She left." I replied.
Tierney looked at me in disbelief. "Why would she leave? She had food and shelter here."
I shrugged my shoulders. "She didn't trust you and she also didn't want another ally. She said its just more hunting and less for us. I had to choose and I couldn't just send you out there to die. Hopefully she will understand and come back."
Tierney frowned as she looked at the ground. "It's my fault. I'm sorry."
I hugged her gently, wincing a bit from my wound. "It's not your fault."
- Writer
