The Great Hunt (702nd Hunger Games)

Read the 701st Games first if you want!

Unlike the previous games, these will be a regular games, so no main character.

The title of these games is a hint at the arena. Let that help you.

District 1
"Quit it Felix." I moan as I try to go back to sleep. "Come on Justine, it's reaping day! We should volunteer this year, the kid last year did it and he WON!" Felix was saying excitedly. "Alright alright! I'll volunteer. But you better not volunteer. We don't need to both go at once, we can be back to back victors like Cashmere and Gloss."

I got dressed and ready for reaping day. Kids often fought for who got to be the tribute for District 1, and the reapings were normally very violent. But I promised Felix something, and I won't let him down.

"Welcome welcome! I hope you all are ready. It's time to pick one of you to go into the games!" the escort said loudly. "But first, let me introduce the 701st Victor, Uzi Kystrel!" The youngest of our victors stands up and gives a sheepish wave to the crowd who cheer him on. He sat back down and the silence resumed.

"So, let me pick the girls." She drew a name of some 12 year old girl. "I volunteer!" I shout, beating the other girls forward and being picked to go up to the stage. "What's your name dear?" the escort asks. "Justine Leonard." I reply. "Our female tribute, Justine Leonard!"

She then drew the boy's name. As usual, tons of boys volunteered, but I was surprised and shocked to see Felix run up to the stage. "Our male tribute, Felix Leonard. Say, are you two related?" The escort asked. "We're twins." For some reason, the crowd went silent.

"I told you not to volunteer! We both can't win felix!" I mutter to him angrily as we board the train. "I'm-I'm sorry! I just got nervous... scared for you!" he said. "Well couldn't you see I was trying to PROTECT you?" I mutter back. He's at a loss for words as we leave for the capitol.

Day 1, Piper Haywood
"Ha! PIPER! What a GIRLY name. I don't expect you to survive the bloodbath!" the boy from 4 says to me as I'm forced to endure his presence in the elevator. "Maybe if your parents had called you John or something, you'd get to Day 2!" he then laughed and slapped his knee, when suddenly my district partner snapped.

"Shut your mouth! I ain't afraid to put you on your ass if you insult him about his name again!" Posia shouted. The boy's smirk faded as anger replaced it, as he grasped Posia around the throat. "YOU DON'T SAY HUH?" Posia kicked him in the crotch as the elevator door opened up, and the surprised tributes from 7 stared at us.

"Sorry, I just got sick of him picking on you." Posia said when we reached the training floor. "It's no problem at all. You wouldn't want to be allies in the games, would you?" I ask shyly, expecting her to say no. "If we go after that kid from 4? Sure. I'd love to join you."

Some crazy dude in a tall hat jumped up on the podium, apparently our head trainer. "You there! Remind me how you're last years counterpart died!" he said, pointing at the boy from 2. "Um, excuse me?" the boy replied. "Well, go ahead, share with everyone how they bit the dust!"

I wasn't liking this guy much, but the boy from 2 responded anyway. "He was killed by wasps?" the trainer dude did a spin, saying "That's correct! Let that be a lesson to all of you tributes. Never go underwater to escape our wasps. The drill wasps are only reflected by one thing." he paused for a second, before someone finally said "What would that be?"

He then threw a block of cheddar at us all, as it bonked the girl from 6 in the head. "That's right, CHEESE! Now you know the drill, get training or you might DIE... unless you're that bloke from 10 who got a 3 and still won it 8 years ago... but YOU GUYS ARE NOT!"

"What a nutcase." Posia muttered as we went to the fire starting station. "If he were a tribute I'd beat him to death with only my hands... if I could fight bare handed..."

We attempted to start a fire multiple times, and eventually, we got a stable one going. Impressed with our work, we headed to polish what combat knowledge we knew. Posia flourished, and I felt a little embarassed compared to her, as my fighting skills were next to none.

"Alright go to lunch." Some gruff peacekeeper said. The nutty guy led us to the cafeteria, and to some of us, it was an awesome sight. "Eat to your heart's content." the nut said, as he let us go.

"A sight for sore eyes..." I say as a bite a hamburger, finally feeling proper nourishment from the past few days. "I'll say." Posia replied, ripping into a steak.

After the meal, an incident occured in the training room. The tributes from 9 were trying to kill each other, and you wouldn't guess who tried to go in and kill both of them. That's right, the sadist from 4. "YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!" the girl from 9 shouted to her partner, who had a knife clenched in his hands. It took 3 peacekeepers and a tazer to restrain the boy from 4, who had attempted to kill both tributes from 9.

"That there is not a good way to play our games!" the nutty trainer said. "All evil shall be punished in equal amounts!" Suddenly, he yanked a sword from his cane, impaling it's blade through the boy from 4's stomach. "That oughtta teach you, boy, to not cheat ever again. Take him away, punish him DEARLY."

Apparently the nut was not as harmless as I initially thought, and soon, we were dismissed. "What a day." I said, and Posia simply nodded. "At least the boy from 4 won't be bothering us in training anymore." she replies. I was still stunned by how violent the tributes were to each other... for once I was afraid of being attacked next.

Training Day 2, Rita Rios
After what happened to Manta, any sufficiently bloodthirsty tributes knew to be on guard. When I asked about my district partner (whom I honestly cared less about), they said he was on the mend and would return for the games. Not good news, but it was something.

The careers this year were not anything out of the norm. Aurum brought us together, us being the District 1 twins, Ursula, Manta, and myself. A new arrival was the boy from 3, Caspian Mahoney or something like that, and when I met him, he gave me the chills.

"Well careers, let's sharpen up some more on combat. Don't wanna be bested by the antis like the poor lads last year do we now?" Aurum said, even though the winner last year was the career's leader. I knew he felt confident in his abilities to won, but he should know that I'm simply better than him. These games were mine to win.

We were sharpening our ranged skills since yesterday we focused on melee combat though whole time ("Don't want to be outshot like last year. Remember the girl from 5 guys?" Aurum's orders still buzzing around in my thoughts), when I got a disturbing visit from our newest career.

"I like the color brown. It's the color of chocolate." Caspian whispered to me. "Uh, thanks?" I reply, backing up a bit from him. "There's no need to run, consider me a friend." I was getting really uneasy, when thankfully, Aurum got sick of throwing axes at the same target and decided to go somewhere else.

"Traps eh? I got plenty of them here!" Felix said before pulling off his top, pointing at his actual trap muscles. "Please, excuse my brother, he doesn't know what he's doing" Justine said before grabbing him by the ear like a child and pulling him from our sights. This got a good laugh out of Aurum, but he was quick to stop when he saw us all waiting to begin.

"Okay, trap making... Personally, I like using traps, but a certain trap reminds me of a certain scumbag who used them. So, I'm going to demonstrate said trap, as it's very effective." He then picked up some ropes, and after quickly tying them together, said "Ta-Da, a net trap."

I was familiar with the net trap, using them when I fished. I excelled in the trap making, smiling when Felix and Justine returned to see Felix's expression looking like Justine told him santa claus didn't exist.

"Ugh, why aren't the ends tying together?" Ursula said frustrated as her ropes fell apart again. "Here, let me show you..." I say, going over to show her how to properly tie ropes together. "Wow, thanks. I owe you one." she said to me, but I just shook my head. "Nah, consider it a favor."

We moved stations, and I began to get closer with Ursula. I found out she was the youngest of 4, and the only girl. "My brothers, boy, you should see them bicker. Sometimes it's funny, but it can turn violent. I typically try and stay away from the violent ones." she fnishes telling me as the end of training bell rings.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." I say to Ursula, who smiles back and says "See ya." She leaves the elevator to the District 2 floor, as I'm left alone.

I exit from the elevator on the district 4 floor when two large men in dark clothing stop me. "Excuse me miss, but you're from District 4 correct?" the larger one asks. "The best there is." I say smugly. "You wouldn't happen to know about any Waterbornes would you?"

I remembered the family name. Threw a huge fuss after the 700th games, started a war with the capitol and were quickly defeated in 2 weeks. "Didn't the last of them die in the games last year?" I ask. "We thought the same. They've been reports of activity from a few survivors in and around District 4, and we hoped you knew about them."

"I'm afraid I know nothing. Maybe you should ask Manta." I told them. "We did." the smaller man turns his head, revealing a fresh knife wound. "We'll deal with him if he even survives the games. If you find any Waterbornes though, contact us. They need to be eliminated."

They handed me a card, which was kind of humorous considering their shady ways, which was a phone number. However, I grew suspicious about Manta. He attacked the two men after being asked. Did he have connections with rebel remnants from the war that happened 2 years ago? I could only be left in mystery as I went to my room and tried to get some sleep.

Arena
A massive field golden meadow surrounds the cornucopia, which is surrounded on all 4 sides by a large, lush temperate forest. The beauty of the land hides the darkness and evil that is found is one ventures too deep in the woods, when bright and cheery forest turns into dark and dreary swamps. The happy animals will turn into vicious ones. But the tributes don't know that, and advice won't save them from the deep woods.

The Meadow
A bright and cheery golden meadow, where the cornucopia stands tall. The meadow has harvestable wheat for the tributes skilled in farming, and can be used to supply for the whole games.

The Outer Forests
Bright, green, and full of animals, expect to see Deer, Rabbits, Foxes, Birds, and the occasional Turtle, the outer forests are cheery and mirthful, full of non aggressive animals and by far the safest part of the arena.

The Inner Forests
Darker and more dangerous, the outer forests give way to the inner forest as a tribute ventures further from the cornucopia. The peaceful animals have been replaced by more beastly ones, including Wolf, Snake, Bear, and Bobcat, the inner forests are more risky and wild. However beasts here offer more furs and meat, so it's risky and rewarding at the same time.

The Swamps
Soon the ground gives way to shallow dark waters, and the trees grow more crooked and tall to blot out the sun at all times. Surrounded by an eternal fog, the swamps are the most sinister parts of the arena. Populated by menaces including crocodiles, capitol modified tarantulas, and the vile komodo dragon, any sane tribute would stay far from the swamp. The only advantage offered at all is seclusion, for anyone who can kill or avoid the predators will not be bothered by others.

Alliances
Careers: Felix Leonard, Justine Leonard, Aurum Chirp, Ursula Hart, Caspian Mahoney, Manta Li, Rita Rios, Lanni Binary, Veles Koshikadu, Willow Mervall,  Split

Loyalists: Aurum Chirp, Lanni Binary, Ursula Harrt, Felix Leonard  Disbanded

Seperatists: Caspian Mahoney, Justine Leonard, Manta Li, Rita Rios  Disbanded

Anti-Careers : Marvin Xyles, Cliffe Holden, Jacob Woodward, Harry Tores, Oceana Colburn  Disbanded

Siblings: Amy Light, Wheeler Light  Disbanded

Alliance 1: Piper Haywood, Posia Courtier, Jacob Woodward  Disbanded

Alliance 2: Dawn Pyres, Corin Greer  Disbanded

Alliance 3: Justine Leonard, Rita Rios  Disbanded

Loners:  Gossamer Harris, Proserpina Cambric , Cicely Steer , Amy Light , Willow Mervall, Caspian Mahoney , Aurum Chirp , Lanni Binary , Dawn Pyres, Posia Courtierer , Justine Leonard

Games
poop

Marvin Xyles
"Well boy from 5, are you ready?" My stylist who never cared about my name asked. "Listen, it's Marvin. And no, not really." The guy just leans back and lights a cigarrate saying "Too bad." before tossing me my arena outfit. "Wait, I'm supposed to change in front of you?"

"Well yea kid, don't want any tributes sneaking illegal items in there outfit do we now?" Embarassed, I changed in front of the stylist, who seemed to not even care as he threw his cigarrate in an ash tray. "Now get in your tube and don't be my responsibility again."

I was sitting in the tube, annoyed  that I was early as the countdown for rising had even began. Any good stylist would tell their tribute what the arena was, but no, not mine. He could care less if I lived or died, and probably wouldn't visit me if I won anyway.

After some waiting, the countdown finally began. Nervous for the games, knowing I could be in a life or death situation, I stood, ready to face whatever was thrown at me. "Tubes rising in 3, 2, 1..." My tube began to rise up immediately, and soon, I found myself in the arena.

Holy smokes, the arena was gorgeous. A golden meadow seemed to reflect the suns rays, casting a paradisal look only found in District 11 at dawn. "60. 59. 58." The countdown from a minute began. I looked around, trying to gain as much knowledge of the area as fast as I could.

Forestry surrounded the edge of the meadow, and I knew that was my only option to go. The anti careers had never taken the cornucopia from my memory, and I don't think this year would be the first.

The chick from 10 stood on my left, and I knew she wasn't a huge problem. But my luck ran out, as on my right, as the career leader, the boy from 2, who was giving me death glares, saying something probably like "You anti career scum, I'm coming for you first."

"19, 18, 17..." The countdown was reaching the end of it's turn. The others began to get in stances to take a charge at the cornucopia, as I just prayed that I'd get out of this thing alive. "10, 9, 8..." It was coming to it's close. I put one foot in front of the other, leaning forward to get a good push. "3, 2, 1..." a horn similar to one used by medieval hunters sounded, and I pushed off my plate and began a full sprint ahead.

Dawn Pyres
I'm off my plate as soon as the strange horn blows, running full steam ahead towards the cornucopia. I was looking for Corin, who I asked to ally, and she said she'd think about it. I hoped she was done thinking as now it was a life or death situation.

The boy from 12 who looked like a blonde Agent Smith swung his sword at me, and I was forced backwards to dodge. He swung again, this time catching my clothes and tearing them. He followed up with a stab, which I sidestepped as I ran past him.

I grabbed the closest thing to me, which happened to be an ax. I threw the heavy weapon at him, but he shuffled out of the way. It bought me enough time to find the fancy dueling sword I had been training with, and I moved forward, taking the offensive on the boy.

After a swordfight, our blades locked, and he was trying to overpower me with his raw power. "Remember, if your blades lock, pull apart..." the sword trainer's words echo in my head. I pulled my blade free, and the now off balance Harry was easy to push down.

"Sorry Harry, but only one tribute here will wear have shades." I say, my weapon at his throat. "Oh please, just kill me and spare me of these crappy boasts." I complied, stabbing my sword through his neck, pulling it back out as I looked for Corin, running off in search of her.

Posia Courtier
Piper and I fought together, weapons drawn. We were holding our own against the career boy from 7, thought it was taking both of us to keep up with his reflexes. He whirled his ax in a spinning blow, causing both me and Piper to duck, as we thrust our weapons at us again.

He dodged my machete and parried Piper's knife, striking at us again with his ax. This fight was never going to end, we wouldn't escape the cornucopia with this career kid in our way. The fight was abruptly ended however, when a looming figure appeared to us.

"Out of my way, boy." The monster from 4 said as he pushed the career from 7 out of the way. In his hands was a huge bolo knife at least 3 feet long, more like a sword than knife. "Piper.... run." We both took off, the two careers in hot pursuit of us.

I felt Piper fall as something struck him. A thrown ax was stuck in his thigh, thrown by the boy from 7. The boy from 4 was practically on top of us, as I quickly hoisted Piper over my shoulders and ran. "It's only a flesh wound!" I tell him as we enter the forest.

Thankfull the careers dont pursue us into the woods, and I run to a small stream, were I sit Piper down to look at the wound. "It's... it's deep." He moans, looking at the thrown ax. "It's gotta come out..." I say. "Alright, you ready... one... two... three..."

I begin to get it out of his leg. It's terrible as blood gushes from the wound, and Piper's throws his hand at my face, knocking me to the forest floor. "I'm sorry Posia... it's just..." I get back up, the ax still in there. "C'mon Piper... just... grab my hand... it'll be painless, I promise."

He grabs my free hand, as I pull on the ax some more. His grip tightens and I can feel my hand lose circulation, but my trick works, and we get the throwing ax out. "Now about the wound..." I say, realizing we didn't grab a bag or anything.

"Catnip..." Piper says. "Cat food won't help that." I reply. "No Posia, the plant... it'll stop bleeding... it will grow in abundance in this climate... just find some, and apply it to the wound. Trust me, I know plants."

I was a little skeptical, but Piper explained to me what it looked like. A leafy plant with a lot of white flowers on top. I found what I could assume it was, and when I brought it back, Piper said that I had found the right stuff.

"How can I ever thank you Posia..." he says as I apply the plant to the wound, and like he says, the bleeding stops. "That oughtta hold us until we can get some bandages." I say, sitting down. "Well, at least we made it." Piper says to me, and I smile. "Yea, at least we made it."

Aurum Chirp
"Now missy, you should know better than that." I say as I rip my spear out of the girl from 8, kicking her corpse into the grass. "You should've learned that Chirps aren't to be messed with from your buddy Bronze Lucrian. But, I guess he can't tell you cause he died as well."

"Aurum. They're more tributes claiming to be careers. What should we do with them?" Justine asks me. "Let them prove theirselves. We could use more numbers." I say calmly, spectating the chaos around me. "Alright, I will." Justine says before running off.

I see Felix about to kill the boy from 6, before I strut over. "Play dead." I whisper to him as I pretend to slash the back of his neck. He follows my order and lays there. "Here, let me help you up friend." I say, extending my arm to the boy from 6.

He grabs my hand and I pull him up... right into the blade of my sword. Felix stands up, unaware of my trick, and just runs off. "You're so naive. You should thank me 12 year old. I just saved you from a days worth of trouble." I then pull my blade out and leave him in the grass to die.

"Where the boy is, the girl follows. Find and kill Amy Light before she causes problems." I order Caspian who had just finished mutilating the girl from 12. Being the bloodthristy maniac he is, he went searching like a hound, and soon dissapeared. Boy did I love being the boss.

Cicely Steer
I was hiding... quivering in fear. Tributes were dropping like flies, and so far the careers were the strongest, taking down a bunch of anti careers and other tributes. I knew I'd have to make a run for it soon, or I'd be the next dead tribute.

I ran with the only item I got, a whip, and headed for the woods. Was that a mistake. The career girl from 7 was there, and she chucked an ax at me. It hit me hard as I fell onto my back, cursing as I knew the end was coming.

"Good job Willow! You're making a great career!" the girl from 2 said happily as she patted the girl from 7 on the back. Willow began to walk over, to finish the job I assume, as I began to think of a plan. I had to get out of this... but how?

I threw my whip up and whirled a lasso around Willow's neck, pulling her down to the ground as I began to strangle her with the whip. The girl from 2 looked shocked, drawing her sword and rushing forward. Just on cue was the bloak from 8 who shoved Ursula to the ground.

The whip was soon cut however by the girl from 3 who arrived. She flashed me a grin as she pushed the ax into my chest further with her foot, as Willow ripped it out of my chest to throw at the boy from 8. I saw him fall, and looked up, ignoring the bloody hole in my chest.

"I guess the scientific weighing of the odds in these games were against you. For nimrods like you, that basically means... you're fucked." the girl from 3 says with a smirk, before she stamps her foot in my open chest wound and brings her knife down on my head, finishing me for good.

Cliffe Holden
The careers were ravenous, like a pack of wolves. There were just, so, many! They were cutting antis down left and right, this alliance was squabbling. I bet the boy from 2 had researched last games top to bottom, and was targetting us do to how antis beat the careers last year.

Oceana and Jack had fallen... and Jacob was about to. "No way in hell." I murmer, rushing forward and using the momentum of my speed to drive my sword into the career from 7, who had his ax raised and ready to kill. No blood sprays, it's a really clean cut.

"Bastard..." the boy says as he falls. "Come on Jacob, we need to g-" I'm cut off from my final word, as I feel hot blood warm up in my mouth. Something's terribly wrong, and when I look down, I know I'm done. The blade of a sword sticks through my abdomen, a fencing one like mine. "Dawn..." I mutter.

"That's right you cutthroat." Dawn replies. Jacob only watched in horror, I know he wouldn't attack, he couldn't hurt a fly. "Surprised you lived this long... being so easy to push." her blade goes deeper inside of me, before she says in an angered tone "Looks like you're the one being pushed."

Knowing her blade is all the way through me and seeing Marvin arriving, I decide to save my allies. I knew Dawn would hunt them down, so with the blade through me, I pushed myself forward, and got the sword out, whirling around and punching Dawn in the side of the head. "Go Marvin, take Jacob with you!" I shout, before her blade pierces my neck.

I fall on my knees, my last glimpes of life going through my eyes. "I used to think highly of you, Cliffe Holden of District 9." Dawn says as she picks up my sword. "But now I know who you really are." She places both her swords like a scissor on both sides of my neck. "Say hi to Alice." she adds on, before crossing the blades like a scissor, decapitating my short life.

Amy Light
I pray to anyone who will help me. I can't do this much longer, Wheeler has been killed by that stupid boy from 2, and I was left alone... afraid... grasping for what little courage I had as I cowered behind a large crate in the back of the cornucopia. The bloodbath must've ended, cause all the careers were coming into the cornucopia.

"Count our losses." the smug boy from 2 said, obviously expecting it to be zero. "One dead, two injured." the girl from 1 responded. "Damn... who has fallen?" he replied, mad at his failure to keep them all alive. "Veles. Struck down by the boy from 9."

"What of him?" Aurum asks again. "His district partner took care of him. Here's his head." the girl from 1 responded, as I see her hold up the kid from 9's severed head. "Alright, and the injured?" The boy from 2 asks. "It's nothing, just a scratch..." the girl from 7 says, showing him some blood surroundind her neck. "Girl from 10 tried whip-strangling me. It didn't work out."

"Who else?" The boy from 1 stepped forward. "Well, this." Felix says, showing him the back of his neck. "Of course Felix. It's not even bleeding. You played a good part in that plan." the boy from 2 replied, before suddenly they were all interrupted.

"Where the heck is the food?" The girl from 3 shouted. Panic shook the cornucopia as they searched far and wide, barely not seeing me hidden in shadow. "That's what they meant by the great hunt. We have to hunt it for ourself!" The girl from 4 shouted angrily.

"Okay guys, calm down. We don't have food, but that means the other tributes don't either. Remember the traps I showed you in training? Guess what, they work on animals to. We'll set plenty of them up in the woods, and reap the rewards. No problem at all."

I took off running right then. No one expected it, and the only person who saw me and was ready was the girl from 2. I pushed her aside and sprinted into the woods, easily outrunning the whole career pack. They couldn't catch me, the only one who could was my late brother...

I jump up and scale a tree as fast as I can. The careers circle below me, but the boy from 2 stops them all. "Remember last games? 2 careers died in a situation like this. She'll come down, she'll have too. But we aren't camping under this tree until she does. Head back to the cornucopia."

Angered that my full plan had been foiled, I calmed down remembering that I was safe, and alive. I knew I had to win for my late brother. I knew I could do it. I just had to believe.

Caspian Mahoney
Soon after our chase with the girl from 6, the cannons began to boom. One, two, three, four... five, six, seven, eight... then they stopped. "Good job guys, that's a third of the competition." Aurum said, before sitting down. "Rest for a minute, we need to start our traps."

We weaved and wove, hammered and slashed, tied knot after knot, making many contraptions for trapping. Lanni beat us all, being the typical smart district 3 kid, able to make a metal contraption similar to a mouse trap that could kill animals the size of deer.

Me? I just settled for a good ol' bear trap. "Ah Caspian. An impressive trap that is." Aurum says to me, and I just look down. I couldn't take his charming hopsitality, he was going to turn me soft. After all, we careers would have to kill each other eventually.

"Everyone set? Pick your spot of the woods, and lay them out." Aurum orders everyone, and soon, we're all walking around, putting our animal/tribute traps down in many spots.

Felix stands beside me, crouched over as he springs up his tripwire trap. I could take a bite out of him... I slap myself. "You like torture, not cannibalism." I tell myself, just to see Felix looking at me. "Uh, you okay?" he asks. "Yea, just fine..." I mutter, returning to my business.

So, most of us hungry, we try to distract ourselves with knowing that there were plenty of animals and that we were going to be fine. Or so, Aurum tells us. He has most of the alliance wrapped around his thumb due to his innate charm, but I'm not impressed. If he thinks he can "tame" me he has another thing coming.

Jacob Woodward
"These games are going awful! No food! Most of the antis are dead! WHY ME?!" Marvin seems to have finally broken down and is throwing a fit. I just try to keep away from him, as I know he might strike me if I disagree in the slightest.

"It's just... not fair! NOT FAIR!" His panic attack was getting too much. He would attract attention, night had fallen, and people's ears would be more attentive during night. "Marvin, please, you're panicking, just calm it down, or else we might be found by the chick from 9."

Marvin sits down, holding his head and muttering "Why, why, why?" I sit beside him, trying to calm him down. "It's okay dude, I'm still alive, and as much as I'm concerned, we're both leaving this arena that way." He looked up on me. "Really?"

"Yea dude. Just calm down." I reply. "Thanks Jacob." He says, finally calmed down. Midnight must have arrived, as the horns of the anthem begin to play proudly over the arena. "Look to the skies..." I mutter as I watch the first face appear in the clouds.

The boy from 6 appears first. Honestly his chances were low, so it wasn't surprising. He was followed by the career boy from 7, who I knew was deadly, and surprised he was taken out. The male from 8 was next, and I honestly didn't know much of him, and his district partner followed as well.

Cliffe showed up in the sky next, guilt for the death of our leader still plauging me. My district partner appeared next, which kind of saddened me, as I had gotten to know her. Both tributes from 12 appeared, and then the forest's ambience continued.

We both fell asleep, but were waken up late in the night by a noise. "A... fire? Did you start a campfire Jacob?" Marvin asks. "No..." I reply. Something rustles in the bushes. Marvin grabs his spear as I hide in the shrubbery, before the boy from 4 lurhces forward.

I'm horrified when Marvin is ran through by the career from 4. He sputters, trying to raise his spear, but he goes still before he can stab back. '''BOOM! '''"Where's the other one?" the boy from 4 asks. "Manta, I think this guy's alone." the girl from 4 says to her district partner.

"No, I heard two voices." Manta replies, a little aggrivated. "Manta, there is nobody else. The fool started a fire, we killed him as ordered. Let's go back and get some sleep." the girl replies. "Fine." Manta says, before both of them dissapear.

I rush over to Marvin's body, crouching beside it. My last ally, last friend, had just died. I sat there and wathced... did nothing. "I'm... so sorry... Please... forgive me..." Too guilty to bear the site any longer, I pick his spear up and run as far from his body as I possibly can.

Corin Greer
"Dawn, we've ran long enough..." I say, trying to catch my breath. "Corin, if we don't keep moving, those damn careers will catch us. Come on!" She replies, agitated. "I'm not going anywhere until I can get some rest. We've been running since 5 AM! Come on Dawn, please!"

After some begging, Dawn finally agrees, as we both sit down. "Hmm, this part of the woods seems a little more spooky..." Dawn notes as the once cheerful birds were replaced more by distant growls and wolf howls. Eerie, but so far, not dangerous.

After rummaging through the supplies, we found out there was no food. "Really? My luck..." I say as I open up an empty canteen. "Guess we'll have to live off the land..." Dawn replies, throwing the bag over her shoulder. "Guess we can start by searching for animals."

The darker and creepier deep woods was really chilling, and I always felt like something was watching. "A creek just up ahead. We can fill our canteens and maybe find something drinking from it." Dawn says, pointing ahead. Sure enough, a small creek runs gently through the land.

I begin to fill the canteens up as Dawn keeps a lookout for any hostile creatures. I respected my ally well enough, but was concerned about her history with her two friends, one which she killed a while ago and the other during these games. I hoped I wouldn't be her 3rd friend to die by her blade.

"Corin, look!" Dawn whispered. A meaty wolf was drinking from the river, it's body turned away from us. "Alright, you distract it and I'll stab it."

I wasn't real happy with my role, but knew I would have to be brave to get through the games. I walked over, picked up a decent sized rock. "Hey!" I shout as I chuck the rock towards the wolf, watching it hit the ground beside it. "Fresh meat here!"

He leaps across the river, and I wince as I'm expected to be pounced on. I'm not however as the wold falls dead, Dawn succesfully killing it. "Good job Corin." She says, as we both carry our kill back to where we had set up camp. I just hoped killing a tribute would be just as easy...

Piper Haywood
"Wake up sleepy head." Posia says to me, shaking me awake. I attempt to stand, but my leg is unable to hold it. "Dang it..." I mutter as I slump back down, but Posia just hands me a handful of berries. I look at them, and decide to eat them.

"My favorite..." I say, savoring the sweet taste of blueberry. "I found a whole bush full of them. I also wrapped up your leg too, how does it look?" Posia asks me, as I take a look at the wound. It's starting to scab over, and the blood has stopped pouring out of it. "Good." I reply.

I manage to stand with the help of a large stick, as Posia shows me the blueberry bush. We pick berries from it and fill both of our bags up with blueberries, and we return to camp to take a break.

"You know the woods are beautiful at this hour." I say, watching the sun pierce the leafy canopy. "Yea, reminds me of home." Posia replies with a smile. I was growing a feeling for her, but I was too nervous to tell her... maybe I would eventually...

Our peace was interrupted when something crashed through our camp and collapsed on the ground. Posia drew her machete, pointing it at the thing lying on the ground.

"It's a tribute!" I say in surprise as the boy attempts to sit up, but falters and falls back down. "State your business...." Posia says, tapping him lightly with the machete's tip. "Or this will have to go completely through you."

"They're dead... all dead... They took Marvin last night, and they're coming for me next!" The boy said, holding himself as he rocked back and forth. The kid was afraid of something... but who was he talking about?

"Who?!" I ask, curious to know. "The careers. You have to help me, or they'll get me too!" The boy says, standing up. "You will right? You two are the only ones I could find who aren't killers. I need help to save us from them."

I look to Posia, throwing her a confused look. She looks equally confused, so I speak up. "Uhm, I guess? We could use help... so who are you anyway?" I ask the boy, who seems to be calming down now.

"Jacob Woodward of District 10, last anti-career alive." It hits me. The antis were dead. They were only 15 tributes left, 9 of them careers, meaning only 6 people could oppose them. If we didn't do something, they were guranteed to win. I couldn't let that happen.

"Well, I'm Piper Haywood of District 11." I say, dropping my weapon. Posia sheathes her machete, a smile replacing her serious look. "I'm Posia Courtier of District 11." she says. Jacob then gets a mischievous smile. "District partners huh? Most of them who ally almost always end up lovers..." I turn my head away... didn't want Posia to see me blushing...

Willow Mervall
I hurl the throwing ax again, watching it bury in the same tree I've been throwing it at for the past hours. I was training my aim, so I didn't miss. My mentor told both Veles and I to sharpen up whenever we could, that we'd never know when it'd help us save our life.

"Willow, you've been out here for so long..." Ursula says, walking over to me, a worried look on her. "Yea, why don't you take a break?" Lanni, who must've followed Ursula, adds on.

"Well, after Veles was killed, I knew I couldn't follow in suit. He was caught off guard by a loser from the pathetic District 9. I can't let that happen to me." I told them, and it was the honest truth.

"Listen hun, we all know what happened to Veles, but rest assured, Aurum says he won't rest if another one of us dies." Ursula says. How naive she was, she couldn't see the Chirp boy's true intention. He was just like any boy from 2, only in it for the glory.

"Do you honestly believe that? He's got you guys wrapped around his thumb with his false promises and tries to make you feel safe. He wants you to think he's your best friend and will always watch out for you, but the truth is, he's just a lying snake who's in it for his pride."

Ursula held her hand over her mouth, taken back by my hateful words. I was just so sick of everyone praising Aurum, that I had to get my opinion out there.

"Willow, listen, of course he's like that, he's from District 2." Ursula gives her a look that just shouts "Hey!" but not a word comes out. "He's going to want to win for pride of his district, they all do. But he's the best leader we have, and so far, he's only let one of us die. I say he's good."

I rip my throwing axe from the tree's trunk, turning back to my allies. "Whatever you guys say... we'll see if you still think that once we're the last 9 tributes alive." I say as I walk back to the cornucopia. I was ready to ditch the careers, but for the sake of survival, I wasn't going to leave just yet.

Felix Leonard
Ursula and Lanni got Willow to come back, just in time for Aurum to sit down and check us all in. "Noon check, starting now." he then proceeded to walk around, doing a headcount of us all to see if we were all still careers. He was a little clingy in my opinion, but it's okay, I'm still alive.

Justine then whispers in my ear "Don't trust him too much Felix. He's dangerous in his own ways, but for now, we pretend to trust him." I nod, knowing my sister means best, as I listen to what Aurum has to say.

"Nine careers, which is more than 75% of the tributes remaining. Congratulations, you guys have earned it. But I know what you're all thinking... what about food? Lunch would be nice right now, it is noon after all. So, why don't we go and see what our traps brought in?"

I walked over to my trap, dissapointed to see it caught nothing. "Aw..." I say, looking over to Caspian's trap, which was full of birds. "Ugh, I hate feathered things." He says as he looks into his trap, before brutally killing each one of the birds. I turn away in disgust, to see Justine's catch.

"Wow sis, didn't know you were a trapper!" I say as I see her kill the fat fox she caught, throwing it over her shoulder. "Yea, apparently that's the one thing we were taught right." She replied, as every other tribute grabbed what they caught and headed back.

Apparently, Manta was a good cook, and he offered to make the best of our catches. Naturally Lanni had the most catches, 3 rabbits and a deer foal. Aurum and Rita tied, each catching a fox and 2 turtles. Justine was next with her fat fox, Ursula managed to catch a pheasant, and of course Caspian caught his birds, leaving Willow and I out, catching nothing at all.

Everyone at together like a real meal, by Aurum's order of course, to make the careers feel more like a family or something. Ursula seemed to be the only one to love the idea, as everyone else just ate and barely spoke a word to each other.

Well fed for lunch, I decided to sharpen up my blade. "Good job there, see you're a natural." Rita commented as she walked by. "Thanks!" I chirp back, continuing my sharpening. So far, the games were going good... but I feared danger, lurking as the day waned on.

Dawn Pyres
Corin and I kept moving further away from the cornucopia, and soon the ground became muddy and the sun's strength was beginning to wane. "Gross." I say as my boots make a squishing sound as I walk, the mud trying to pull them off my feet.

It gets too dark, so I take my shades off and put them away, and I realize we're not in a forest anymore. "This is not a forest... it's a swamp..." Corin notes as water begins to appear and the trees grow crooked and more dense over the watery floor.

"It's repulsive is what it is." I say, happy I had gotten wolf meat for lunch. Too bad it was all gone now, as we'd have to find something in this crap swamp to eat, most likely something scaley.

We find a bunch of rocks sticking out of the muddy ground, and seeing it as something more solid to stand on, we set up our stuff on them.

"I thought the deep woods were chilling..." Corin says. "It feels like it's night time here when it's not even 2 o' clock in the afternoon!" I can feel for her, as I was terrified of the dark waters behind us, I just didn't show it. I didn't know what lurked in there, and soon my imagination ran wild.

Seeing as the canopy of the forest would blot out any smoke and that we were probably the only 2 humans in the swamp, I volunteered to start a fire. Grabbing branches high on the trees that weren't wet, I eventually got a good wood pile, and I lit a fire with some matches.

"That feels better..." I say, sitting by the fire, the light and warmth of it chasing away the creep of darkness that I felt. Any primal beast wouldn't bother us as long as it stayed alight. The swamp's aura still was there though, threatening Corin and I with tales of darkness...

Manta Li
It was getting to me. The games weren't supposed to be like this. There was supposed to be bloodshed, death, mutts, disasters... nothing of the sort had happened today. The rare bloodless day was upon us, and I hated every second of it.

"Aurum when do we get to kill someone?" I ask, trying not to sound as angry as I really am. "Patience Manta, we hunt as soon as the sun falls behind the horizon. Basically when it turns night."

I grumble and sit down and wait impatiently. The sun was getting low in the sky, it was about 6 PM and night would fall in 2 more hours. But what if we didn't kill anyone? Would the gamemakers get mad and throw something at us like they did many years ago?

The only other person who shared my anxiety for killing was Caspian, who I could tell, was also ready to shed some blood. He was constantly moving, pacing, muttering words I couldn't understand as he walked circles around the cornucopia. I didn't trust him, and I'm sure no one else did... it was just a matter of time before he turned on us.

"Something's bothering you." Rita says as she takes a seat beside me. "Yea, something is. Why do you care?" I ask. "Well, we're both District 4 tributes. Be honest, Districts 1 and 2 think we're the weakest career district. We have to stick together you know?"

I shake my head. "Games are bloodless. I don't like that, screw what the other districts think." Rita didn't seem to listen to that, instead replying "You know, two men asked me about something called Waterbornes. They said they asked you as well."

"Look where that got them..." I grumbled, not caring really. "Manta, they're the only hope for any change at all. They attempted last year, who knows, they might be back in another five." Sick of Rita's positive attitude, I raise my voice, saying "Well only one of us are going to get out and see that aren't we?"

Cue the stares from the other careers. "I'm done waiting, I say we hunt right now." I take my bolo knife and leave. I was going to return, I just wanted the other careers to think I wasn't. Maybe this gambit would get the others to follow as well...

Amy Light
I sat high up in the trees, hopping from one to another to make the careers wouldn't find me again. I'd been eating bird eggs that were in nests up in the trees, and they tasted pretty bad, but hey, food is food. Even if it came out of a bird's butt.

The sun had just fallen and night was upon us. I climb to the canopy of the bright forest, the crickets now taking over the bird's song. The sky is clear with a bright full moon, and many stars dot it's reaches. It's a beautiful sight, even in a dangerous situation like these.

"Wouldn't they have shown the anthem by now?" I hear voices far below me. Careers. Thankfully I'm high enough in the trees that they wouldn't spot me, but I decide to listen to them as they pass.

"They don't show anthems on bloodless days because no one died. Come on Manta you're supposed to know how these games work." a female voice replies to the husky voice. "Well it's not my fault I don't look up the past footage from other games like Aurum does."

Soon their voices fade out as they get further along, but then more careers follow too. "Think we can catch up with Manta and Rita?" a strong female voice says. "I'd say so, they're leaving so many tracks to follow, they better be glad that they're still careers." a suave male voice replied.

Ignoring their chatter, I get comfy where I'm at and stare at the stars. I could remember the days when Wheeler and I looked in the night sky and pointed out the constellations. Good times those were, but it's a shame that I couldn't live those times again.

Jacob Woodward
Careers were hot on our tail. Strangely only 2 of them were chasing us, but they were both better than all 3 of us combined in terms of combat. "Lie down and give up! You can't run forever!" They shout behind us. Thankfully Piper could run now, his leg had gotten much better, but I could still tell it was slowing him.

The woods become darker and more grey, as Posia quickly ducks into a hole inside a large oak tree. "Come on, they'll never check in here!" she says, beckoning Piper and I in.

She's right. Both tributes from 4 sprint by, not bothering to check if we were hiding. We're about to leave, when the rest of the career pack shows up.

"Still hot on the trail, huh Manta..." they're dastardly leader from 2 says, crouching down and investigating the tracks. "It would take a fool not to realize their tracks split from the main trail around this point." he then stood up, looking at his allies.

"Tear this area up top to bottom. They're hiding here somewhere, and if you find them? Kill them without question." Great, we were in a sticky situation. "Posia, got any quick ideas to get us out of this one?" I whisper, but she shakes her head. "Hold on, I'm thinking..."

The boy from 1 got dangerously close to our hiding spot, but thankfully left at the call of his district partner. "Statistically speaking, a human mind often goes looking for the high ground. I'd check the tree tops." the girl from 3 tells her buddies, the girls from 2 and 7.

"Alright, I got it. As soon as those 3 leave, we sneak off and head north. Make sure to not leave tracks and to tread carefully, I'll throw a stone to the left of us to make them think we're heading east." Posia says. "Let's go then." I say, anxious to escape.

We crawl out of the oak tree, sneaking past the idle girl from 1 who seems to be bickering with her brother about something. We tread careful, making sure to not knock any plants over or leave tracks. "Alright, let's start running." Posia says, as she chucks the stone behind us and takes off direction opposite of it.

We run back to our camp spot, everyone of us out of breath. "I'm surprised that even worked!" Piper said, adrenaline wearing off as he remembered his sore leg. "I'm sitting." He states simply, plopping down on the ground. I stifle a laugh, before I roll up in a sleeping bag.

"I'll take first watch." Piper offers. "You need the rest Posia, you saved my skin for the second time." Posia smiles, saying "Thank you." before she too rolls up into a sleeping bag. Soon I'm dozing, running peacefully in my dreams.

Rita Rios
I snap awake, our hunt last night ending in failure. Aurum wasn't happy that Manta and I didn't follow the tracks of the tributes we were chasing, blaming our "stupidity" for causing no enemy deaths. I was getting sick of it and so was Manta, and I overheard talks of mutiny.

"Rita, come here." Caspian says in the back of the cornucopia. That boy freaked me out since training, but since I saw Manta and Justine as well, I felt a little safer. "Okay, good, we're all here. Aurum's been treating us like garbage, has he not?" Caspian began.

"Well, yea." I reply. "It's time we take matters into our own hands. We need to kill Aurum and lead the other careers. He's not getting us anywhere." Caspian whispers in a low voice. "Yea, and we should trust you why?" Justine asks, getting a little nervous.

"Because I know how mutinees work." Caspian says with a sly grin. "Well, I'm in." Manta says. "Might as well change in leaders..." I say, throwing my support in. "Alright fine, if it's for the best." Justine says, all of us pledging support for the mutiney.

"Good. Grab your weapons... we're going to pay our old friend Aurum a visit." Caspian says, grabbing his weapon and heading out of the cornucopia. The rest of us follow in suit, in silence, as we approach the unaware Aurum Chirp.

Aurum Chirp
I watched my fellow careers around me, getting a headcount. Felix was fencing with Ursula, Lanni was tinkering with some traps, and Willow was sitting on the ground, drawing in the dirt. "Where are the others?" I murmmer, turning to see the rest file out of the cornucopia. I knew something was up.

"Why hello there Caspian. Say what a nice day it is, what is it that brings you here?" I ask, faking politeness to make them think I was weaker. "Aurum, it is time we have a new leader. Unfortunately for you, that means we have to kill you."

"Straight and forward to the point I see? That's what I liked about you Caspian. Here that? Liked. Guess I don't like anything about you now." I say, throwing my hands up. "It's too late to surrender Aurum. Prepare to die." With that, he lunged at me, sword drawn.

My hand was on my sword instantly as I locked blade's with Caspian. "Oh, such a petty attempt. Honestly I thought you were better than this." I say, using my words to throw him off balance. "You see, some people approve of my ways."

Ursula, Lanni, and Felix come up to back me. Justine looks horrified at her brother on my side, and I just smile. "Really changes the perspective of things? He wants to be free of you." I say, taunting her as well. "Felix..." she says, horrified. "It had to be done." is all he says. Caspian then swings again, as both sides charge at each other for battle.

Lanni Binary
"You've made a grave mistake allying against me." Rita says as she stabs towards me with a trident. I glide out of it's path and counterstrike with my dual daggers. "Or maybe it's the exact opposite, in your case, you better hope your point is right. But don't worry, I know it's dead wrong."

We continue our fight, as she swings with a broad sword. The strike reflects off my left dagger, but succeeds in knocking it from my grasp. I take the offensive and stab at her with my right handed dagger, but she nimbly backs up to dodge it.

I just needed to draw blood so the venom on my knife could poison her bloodstream. She wasn't relenting though as she struck again. It was only a matter of time before one of her strikes hit me, so I had to think quick. There had to be something about her, a mistake she was making...

I saw it when she stabbed at me. Her foot was always turning inward with each attack. If I could dash to her outside, I could shove her and sprain her ankle, putting her on the ground or at a severe disadvantage, and eventually strike her dead.

I wait for her next strike as I thrust forward, feigning a hard stab. She dodges and slashes at me, nicking my arm, but I dash outside, aiming a strong kick to her side. She falls over and sprains her ankle like my plan, as I begin to stab down at her. She raises her blade in defense, and even while on her back, she was still fighting like a career. This fight would need intervention to end...

Felix Leonard
"Ah! My good ol' friend Manta tee. I always HATED fish!" I say to the giant man I face. "I always hated your stupid ass jokes." he says swinging his bolo knife with a huge amount of force. I barely dodge it, hearing the whoosh noise it makes as it passes by.

I dash in and make a few small cuts with the fencing sword, which just manages to piss Manta off more. His next slash is right at my torso, one that would've cut me in half had I not dashed backwards. "Getting mad Mr. Grinch?" I say, taunting his hair color. He suddenly stops.

"That's ENOUGH!" he yells, charging at me with so many strong blows with his huge bolo knife. They're so many, and I try my best to get through them all. I dodge the first with a good duck, hop over the second, and parry the third. But after the third parry, my blade shatters, and Manta stabs me through the stomach with his blade, shoving me to the ground.

"Not so tough with a wound like that, are you now? I'm going to enjoy drawing this out." He says as he pulls a smaller knife out of his pocket. "How about I cut your eyelids off first?" he says, before bearing down on me. I prepare for the worst, but steel collides with his mini knife, to his and my surprise.

"Do not lay a finger on him, you sadistic piece of trash!" Ursula shouts behind me, her smaller, much more nimble kurki knife in her hand. "A heroine huh? Protecting your little friend. You'll die WITH HIM!" Manta says, as I can only watch as the two fight above me, the wound in my stomach getting worse by the second.

Justine
I couldn't believe what Felix had done, joining Aurum just to be free of me. I was just trying to protect him, not make him feel like a prisoner. I could only think of what I had done wrong to make him hate me, but my attention was turned to the fight at hand.

Willow was chucking axes at both sides, apparently not taking either one. However none of her axes hit their intended target, and instead, she just drew a battle ax, waiting for someone to come after her.

I could see Ursula and Manta dueling each other while one of our own lie in the grass between them, but I could not make who it was out due to Manta and Ursula constantly overshadowing the tribute. I just hoped it wasn't Felix, because I was regretting betraying Aurum.

The main spotlight of the whole skirmish was Caspian and Aurum. Both were so skilled with swords that they couldn't draw blood on each other. Each strike they threw as blocked or dodged, each tactic they used was countered. It was a stalemate.

Lanni seemed to be gaining ground on Rita, who was on her back barely fighting off Lanni's attempts to finish Rita off. If I didn't decide soon, one of them would die, and being sided with Caspian, my loyalty lied with Rita.

I grabbed my blade and ran over to assist Rita, and I slammed into Lanni, catching her off guard and sending her to the floor. Before she could slash me I punched her hard, and whammed my fist into her head several more times until she finally lost conscious.

"Willow..." I mutter, who jumped to the defense over her friend Lanni, swung at me with her mighty battle ax. "Rita, go! Try and find my brother, we're gonna have to run if things don't turn around!" I say, trying to co-lead the seperatists. She nodded and got up, as I prepared to face Willow.

Caspian Mahoney
I was hating every moment of this stalemate. I couldn't land a single strike on him! He kept moving in and out of my slashes and stabs, parrying and blocking each one of my powerful swings, it was just a damn neverending draw of swordplay!

"What's wrong Caspian? Losing your over-inflated ego? Wear and tear getting to you?" Aurum says, still keeping up the psychological game on me. I don't respond, but some of his points are beginning to be correct.

"Limbs feeling stretched thing, joints getting a little lethargic? Muscles about to break down and never rebuild? I hope so, because traitors deserve such things." he says, with a stab which I batter down with my own blade with a little difficulty.

"If you didn't treat us like dogs in the mud then maybe this wouldn't have happened! You should've let Justine been leader and things might be different!" I spat back, fed up with his taunts. "Oh but that's where you wrong, just ask her brother Felix what he thinks about that."

More strikes and blow exchanges, things were getting tiresome on my end. My form began to slip up a bit, but my determination to beat Aurum was much more than the pain of my increasingly strained muscles. I had to keep fighting!

The end looks like it's near when Aurum gets the upper hand and swings a hefty downward blow. I bring my sword up to block, but the blade, apparently taking too much punishment, shatters under the blow. I'm forced to my rear by the force, as Aurum prepares to finish me off.

I don't let him as I sling dirt in his eyes. He stumbles back and I kick the sword out of his hand, using the handle part of my broken blade as a shank and stabbing him over and over in the torso. "Die you... freakin'... bastard!" I say, relishing in my victory. All until a throwing knife buries in my shoulder.

"We can not win in the open field!" Manta says, grabbing my and pulling me from the stabbed Aurum. "Ursula will kill us all with those knives of hers!"

I retreat, knowing Manta's words to be true, getting one last glimpse of the carnage. Justine pushes Willow to the ground and takes off after us, and Rita limps to get to us but manages. All of us are in check, as we break into the woods, a possible victory for us.

Posia Courtier
So far, our day had been peaceful and normal. We had lived off of the many foods that grew in the woods, taking a good share for each one of us. The time had flown, and it was dusk yet again.

'''BOOM! '''The sound of a cannon gets us all on alert. Someone had fallen on the third day, but we knew not who the deceased was. "Who do you think that was?" Jacob asks, worry in his voice, thinking that we're going to be next. "I don't know yet..." I reply.

Twilight had arrived, bringing a darkness over the area. However, the stars nor moon was visible in the sky, only the distant sound of thunder. "Looks like we got a night storm coming..." Piper says with worry, before he leans up against a large oak.

"I just hope the leaves keep the rain off our backs..." I reply, as I quickly douse our fire. Something tells me whatever caused that cannon was still out there, and it wasn't something that I didn't meet.

The notes of the royal panem anthem began to roll, as my allies and I looked to the night sky to see who the cannon was. The sole portrait in the night sky was that belonging to the boy from 1, a tribute I never acquainted with nor knew well. "A career? Dying this early?" Jacob says with surprise.

I wasn't as shocked, but never the less glad that we had one less tribute to fight. "Let's try and get some sleep before the storm." I say. "I got first watch."

Ursula Hartt
Defeat had held our hearts low that night. I buried Felix before the hovercrafts took him, ashamed that I couldn't save him in time. Aurum was injured pretty bad, but thankfully, he would be able to still function, just with bandages around the major areas he was stabbed.

Lanni had awoken from her knocked out state, one of her eyes blackened and her forehead swelling up a bit from where Justine had ambushed her. I was the only loyalist who was in fine condition, and the rest of us where on the mend.

"I don't understand why Willow left. I know she didn't become a seperatist, but she would've been welcome here..." I say to Lanni. "It was Aurum she didn't like. I guess she didn't want to deal with him, but she also disliked the idea of betrayel. She just went her own way." Lanni explained to me, and I remembered when Willow snapped.

"Can't believe that rat Caspian resorted to cheap tactics." Aurum says. "Throwing dirt in my eyes like the underhanded scoundrel he is. I'll make him pay for that."

"At least you have us." I say. "Yea, I guess so. It's nice to know at least 3 of you guys would follow me all the way through. It's a shame Felix didn't live long enough to see it." I nod, and let Lanni respond. "It's a damn shame, that's what it is. Don't worry, you said it yourself. We'll make them pay... we'll make all of them pay...."

Manta Li
Damn, Justine was in grief over Felix's death. I was thinking about coming clean and telling her that I killed him, but she'd probably kill me in my sleep. I'd wait to tell her, or probably never, as if she didn't quit this damn weeping, I'd kill her myself.

"Well, now what? All of our traps are back at the forest edge, we'd risk running into the loyalists if we try and check them. God knows how many traps they have set up for us now. They're no doubt getting the place full of them." Rita says, a little annoyed.

"We move further into the woods. We got to get far from them." Caspian replies. "Well, there's 3 of them, and 4 of us. Not to mention, we did more damage to them than they did to us." I add on.

"They still have knowledge over us. They have trapped the perimeter no doubt and Ursula's keeping a good eye on the field, just waiting to end someone with a well place knife. We can't risk it." Caspian says, trying to keep calm. "We will kill them though... just after we find someone to spring the traps for us."

He grinned deviously. I was intrigued now, using other tributes to set off traps? It was a win for all of us. "Well smarty, where are they?" Rita says, with skeptical attitude.

"Well, like our once friend Aurum said, follow the tracks. Our former friend turned loner Willow has left quiet a few behind..." with the last words, I join Caspian in the grinning. It would be nice to use her for once... for something useful...

Corin Greer
The dark swamp was pretty... well dark. "Why doesn't the sun shine here?" I ask, getting a little stir-crazy going 2 days without seeing sunlight. "Well, the trees' leaves are thicker than any kind of leaves I've ever seen, and it seems to blot out sunlight." Dawn replies, even though I knew the answer. I just hoped she could give me a better one.

The food here was tough and rough, and from the simple cage trap I constructed, the only thing we've ever caught was horned lizards. Their skin was tough and Dawn had to skin them herself, as I couldn't stand the sight of all the blood and organs... yuck.

"Fry me another lizard." Dawn says as she leaves the camp to go search for fresh water. We both didn't trust the swamps water, for one, it was dark and probably poisonous, and for two, we could feel an evil presence coming from it. Something older than Panem itself lurked in them waters... I just knew it.

I took one of Dawn's skinned lizard, frying it over our fire. Thank goodness the rain didn't pierce the swamps canopy, or we would've been left in the dark.

Dawn returns, looking like she'd been in a scruffle. "What happened?" I ask, as she throws down a furry corpse. "We'll see if his friends show up. Seems I wasn't the only one drinking from the stream." she says, as I investigate the grey wolf. Finally, something meaty to eat.

Dawn cuts the animal up, tearing the meat off. She makes sure there isn't any blood on it so I can cook it, which I'm thankful for. The fourth day seemed to be going well enough, and I thought I had a chance of pulling through and winning.

Amy Light
I'd struck it rich yesterday when the careers split. While they fought with uncontrollable rage, I snuck into the cornucopia and grabbed some extra supplies. I could set up traps to use against them and take my revenge for the death of Wheeler.

I was high above the seperatists' camp, constantly watching them and waiting to strike. If I could find a good hornet nest like the boy from 11 last year, I could probably eliminate them, as most of the water was barely ankle deep.

They'd left before I woken up, and they just came back into view. I watched quietly from my perch high in the trees, listening at what they were up to on this day.

"Let me go! I'm not a career anymore!" One of them shouts, and I can see the big boy from 4 dragging the girl from 7 around. "Listen sweet pea you can either follow our orders and be a good little girl or we can kill you. The choice is your's."

"Well I don't want to work for you! Bloody traitor!" The girl from 7 retorts back at the boy from 3. "We had our reasons just as you had your's. Now just follow orders and we'll let you go on your way."

What were they planning on using the girl from 7 for? I crawled lower to get a better view, as I watched them march through the woods, heading towards the cornucopia. It seemed the second battle for the metal structure was about to begin.

Caspian Mahoney
I had my sword ready, and all the seperatists were exicited. Manta led our prisoner Willow at knife point, urging her forward as we neared the meadow.

"I deserve to be treated with respect! Not being poked by some sharp knife!" She complains, stopping suddenly. "Keep moving..." Manta grumbled. "I'd listen to him, after what he did Marvin, he could very well do the same to you." I snap, and Willow finally gets moving.

She springs the first trap, a tripwire that sends a heavy log towards her. Manta backs up and Willow is hit by the log, but is able to stand, obviously dazed. "Ow! Let me go, dang it! I'm not some cannon fodder!"

"Oh but yes you are. You spring our traps and live, and you can go free." I say, my sadistic side kicking in. Rita was starting to look disgusted and Justine was thinking I was crazy. But they knew that my plan was working, so they kept quiet.

Trap 2 was a fatal one. Wooden stakes whirled around a large tree, impaling Willow through the body. She coughed and sputtered blood, but we just left her behind. She served her purpose, and we had revenge to attend to.

'''BOOM! '''Her cannon rang as we entered the meadow clearing. Naturally, Ursula was on guard, knives at the ready. "Alright, remember the plan. We spread out on all sides of the meadow, and surround her. She will probably only get 2 knives off before we kill her. There are four of us, so surround her. Lanni and Aurum should go easy, they're injured."

I motioned for Manta to take the fields northern end, as Rita took the western and Justine the eastern. I came up on the southern, before I motioned for us to charge. My blade drawn, I began sprinting toward Ursula, who now just saw all of us charging.

Ursula Hartt
I saw them charging. I knew I couldn't kill all of them with my knives, they were on all sides. I woke my allies up, before saying. "Seperatists... listen, you guys run, don't look back. I'll buy you some time, just get out of here." Lanni looks shocked, saying "No, we fight together!"

Aurum shook his head. "If we're going to die it's going to be as a team." I urged them to go. "It's a fool's errand! You two aren't in fighting shape! Go and recover, then fight another day. Me? I'm good. I can fight. Just run... they're right here!"

I distracted the seperatists, motioning behind me for them to run. They did with great reluctance, as I faced my enemies, Justine coming first of the four.

Adrenaline takes over as Justine thrusts forward, as I twirl to the left and shove her to the ground. Caspian raises his blade for an overhand strike, but I'm able to use my kukri to parry it as I swing back at Caspian, who is shocked to see I'm fighting four at once.

He slides backwards as Justine raises back up, thrusting forward again. I sidestep and watch as her sword plunges into Caspian, who looks pissed as his own ally hit him. While they're distracted Manta and Rita attack, as I fight them and lead them far from Caspian and Justine.

The battle leads into the woods. Manta strikes but I dodge as Rita stabs at me, striking me in the torso. I brush off the fatal if not treated wound, knowing I had to live to keep my allies a headstart. I ignored the pain, counter attacking by stabbing forward at Rita.

She dodges, as I swing again, this time Manta blocking with his bolo knife. Justine and Caspian are coming back for more, and I know I have done all I can. Me and Manta both swing overheaded slashes, as our blades lock. Rita lunges forward at my exposed chest, impaling it with her trident.

She rips it out of me as I fall on my knees, in agony. I'm barely breathing correctly as blood pours from the wound and threatens to choke me. "Any last words, Miss Harrt?" Caspian says coldly as he looks me in the face. I meet his gaze, giving off a shaky "Burn in hell." as a reply.

"I'm afraid you'll be there first." He then takes Manta's bolo knife, swinging downward with both hands. I feel the blade connect with my neck, and soon everything goes black, my life ceasing to exist.

Piper Haywood
It was late in the afternoon as all of us jumped at the sound of a cannon. '''BOOM! '''That was the second one today. "Bet the careers are hunting." I say, glad that my allies have been in the games with prosperity. We were well fed and nourished, thanks to all of our skills combined.

"You guys have been great allies." Jacob says completely out of the blue. "Well, thanks. You've been a pretty good ally too." Posia replies. "Yea man, we're glad you're with us." I add on, but Jacob isn't smiling.

"It's just, I miss the antis..." He says a little saddened. "I got to know some of them so well over training... but only one of them even survived the bloodbath." I walk over and put my hand on his shoulder. "Look man, we're here. Consider us the new anti careers."

Our little cheering up was suddenly cut short. "Guys..." Posia says as she draws her sickle. "This does not look good." My hand is on my butcher knife instantly, as I look around. Glowing yellow eyes are everywhere, surrounding us. "Wolves." I mutter.

They circle around the three of us, growling as they do. The capitol probably sent them, they probably got tired of us sitting in our campsite for the past days, not contriubting to their entertainment properly. Now, they sent there beasts, and things were looking grim.

"We must go to the meadow..." Posia whispers, and Jacob nods. He yanks a throwing knife out of his bag and hurls it into the closest wolf's eye, putting it down. The wolves then jump at us at once, and we're fighting and running for out lives.

Posia Courtier
I slash outward with my sickle, connecting with a wolf's jumping neck. They kept coming as we kept running towards the meadow. These had happened so many times, and the mutts normally ceased attack once the tributes got out of a certain area. For us, that area was the meadow.

We ran, as a wolf leaped from a rock down at us. Piper took that wolf out, as Jacob covered us with his throwing knives. The kanines gave pursuit as we ran through brush and plants, trying not to be killed by the wild pack of muttations.

One managed to bite me in the leg, but I shrugged the blow off and slammed my sickle down onto it's maw, splitting it in half. I kicked another one away as Jacob fell, scrambling to get up. Before a wolf ripped his throat out, I jumped in and managed to slash it off, helping him up.

The golden rays of the sun shown through edge of the woods. We were so close, we just had a few more feet to run. "C'mon guys almost therre!" I shout to my allies, as so many more things run at us.

We almost break the wood, when a lone wolf jumps from the meadow and pounces on Piper. I can't get to him quick enough as it tears into his throat, ripping it to shreds and blood guzzling everywhere. Jacob finally kills the wolf, as we drag Piper to the meadow's edge.

The wolf's stay at the edge of the woods, snapping at us, but not continuing. "Oh piper..." I say, getting on my knees to see him. I didn't love the boy as he did me, but I didn't want him to die like this.

He was obvious not ready to die, tears streaming down his face as he struggled to breathe. There was no hope for him, and I could see Jacob look away and snifle. "Piper, look... see? It's beautiful isn't it?" I say, pointing to the now setting sun over the golden field.

"Just like home, right?" I try my best to distract him from his death, and it seems to be working. His crying seems to quit, as he looks at the golden rays, watching as the sun sets behind the forest. He gives on last shudder, and soon, he goes still.

'''BOOM! '''Our ally was dead. Jacob looked down out our former friend's dead body, and then quickly looked away. "This is all my fault..." he says, but I reassure him. "No it's not Jacob. Piper died in the company of friends... at least he didn't die alone."

We walk into a different part of the woods, glad the careers in the cornucopia didn't come after us. 3 deaths on the 4th day, and it seemed the competition just kept dwindling.

Aurum Chirp
Lanni slept silently as I looked down at myself. I had been in thought of why everything had been going wrong. Why did Caspian and the others betray me anyway? The thought of Caspian having the cornucopia filled me with anger, as I yelled in denial and kicked the dirt on the ground.

Ursula was dead, and now it was just me and Lanni. We were hungry, thirsty, and in emotional and physical pain. Our only form of shelter was gone now, taken, STOLEN, and we were left alone, to die like animals in the stupid bloody woods.

Day 4 came to it's close as the notes of the anthem overtook the ambience of crickets. I forgot about my anger and hatred momentarily to look to the sky and see who had fallen on the 4th day.

The first one to appear was Lanni. She saved my life, a debt I couldn't repay her for. I already missed her sweet and loving personality, as the next face in the sky appeared. Willow, a damn traitor, showed up. I didn't expect her to last longer alone anyways.

The last face to appear was the boy from 11, who I was surprised even made it this long. If we hadn't split, there would be no tributes from 11 alive. No, Caspian had other plans. Other plans of BETRAYEL! In my rage, I heave a log, waking up poor Lanni.

"Aurum, calm down. You don't want wild animals attacking us do you?" she says irritably, as I sit myself down and look at the fire's dying embers. Nathaniel never had this issue... why should I?

Dawn Pyres
We were starting to move from the swamp. I didn't trust it, something unsettling was coming from the water. "Come on Corin, I don't like this place. If we can just pick it up a bit..." I turn, as my ally don't respond. What was with her today?

"I don't think we should. I mean, no one has attacked us, we're safe, come on Dawn." The swamp was getting to her. Plaguing her mind with thoughts of staying. The capitol were screwing with us, and if I didn't leave with Corin soon, it would turn her mind to mud.

The water began to bubble, something dangerous moving in it's murky form. "Come on Corin. This place is going to kill us if we don't move!" I say, forcefully tugging on my ally's arm. She pulls away and shoves me. "I'm staying." she says firmly standing.

A tentacle shoots out of the water, and wraps around my leg. I scream out as it drags me across the ground, my sword falling from my grasp. It drags me under the murky water, and what little I can see, is tons of sharp teeth, a tentacle pulling me straight for them.

The tentacle relases, as I stand up and get out of the water. Corin picked my sword up and was fighting the beast of the swamp.

"We got to run!" I say, but she just ignores me. "Someone has to slay this monster. This is no capitol creation." She artfully dodges a slamming tentacle, and I know she won't come. I would have to help her, or else, I would be without an ally.

Taking my sword back and giving Corin back her weapon, we both fought the squid like creature. We got the upper hand, as I saw Corin take a deep breath and dive under.

The creature went still. No cannon, nothing... had my ally fallen? Was she drowning? I couldn't take it no longer, as I prepared to go under as well.

She came up, sputtering and gasping, swimming back on the shore. "Corin, are you alright?" I ask, and she nods. "I killed him... stabbed it in the mouth." I smile at her bravery. "Alright you knucklehead, ready to leave the swamp now?"

Rita Rios
"Alright, now the loyalists are down to two members. How are we going to eliminate the tricky and elusive final 2?" Manta asks as we return the cornucopia. "They're obviously going to be a problem later on."

"Patience my large friend. We'll get them stupid loyalists after we have some form of rest. Wound dressing and patching, weapon sharpening, do whatever you need, we'll get them soon." Caspian replies before sitting down.

"Rita, come on, why are we with these two? They're both obvious psychos! They'll torture us when they get the chance!" Justine says to me, worry in her voice. "We need the protection, but after we do end the loyalists, we'll ditch them." I reply, trying to keep quiet.

"So about the loyalists..." Manta asks Caspian yet again. "You honestly are eager big fella. I'll tell you the plan, gather around my friends and allies." Caspian answers with a regal tone, as the 4 of us circle around.

"We're going to strike when Aurum doesn't expect it... while he sleeps. He can't stop a stealth kill, when he doesn't see nor hear it coming can he?" Caspian says in a planning voice, while we shake our heads in response.

"So, like I said earlier, relax, train, do whatever you want. We attack at night, under the cover of darkness. Understand?" We all murmer signs of agreement, before going back to what we were doing.

Jacob Woodward
"I miss Piper." I mutter as I gather more food. "Don't feel bad Jacob. He is in a better place now." I then whirl around, to my breaking point. "What if he's not Posia?! What if he's burning for being wicked?! What if he is NOTHING NOW, HUH?!"

She looks taken aback at my statements. Quick to cool, I hurriedly say "I'm sorry Posia, it's just I've been so stressed since Marvin was killed... I'm so sick of... DEATH!" I say, throwing a knife in anger and watching it bury into a squirrel. Woah.

Finally able to cook meat (man those berries were starting to taste terrible), I was trying to feel better and get over our ally's fate. "Listen Jacob, I knew Piper better than anyone in these games, and trust me, a soul like his isn't going to vanish or burn."

"That's relieving..." I say poking the fire to get it going better. Careers didn't scare me anymore, after our encounter with the savage wolves. At least humans could be reasoned with.

Posia and I both cook the squirrel, turning it over the roasting fire as it burns to a nice, crispy state. Grilled squirrel, something I never thought of ever eating. In District 10, it was always steak and burgers, for the nights we could AFFORD to eat.

"What will you do when you win?" I ask Posia. "Well, I will donate a share of my winnings to Piper's family. Being in the same district, that should be quiet easy." I think of a reply, finally saying "If I win, I'll make sure to abolish the games." I could tell Posia was skeptical looking, and her uneasy okay just proved that.

Lanni Binary
Thanks to my intellect and Aurum's brute strength, we were able to construct a nice shack for shelter, riddled with traps for animals and bloody traitors.

"I'm glad you're with me Lanni." Aurum says patting me on the back. "Thank you. I'm glad you're still alive as well, considering I could only get so far on wit alone." He smiles at this, but I truthfully knew, I could win these alone if it came to it.

Deciding to try and practice climbing trees (just in case our traps failed and the seperatists attacked) I'd have an escape route, and could probably stall them long enough to kill them via bee's nest. It had happened so many times before I was surprised it wasn't considered cliche.

"Careful up there Lanni!" Aurum calls as I get about 10 feet up the tree. "Trust me I'll be fine." I say, climbing up higher. The breeze is a lot stronger up in the tree than it is on the ground, as I just enjoy it for a split second, finally feeling refreshed.

I climb higher, but the branches begin to shake more violently as they got more brittle. "Come on Lanni, keep your eyes to the skies. Don't look down..." I tell myself, a quote I had come up with to deal with my urge to see how far up I was.

I reach for a branch but it snaps, as I let out a yelp of fear. I feel myself falling as I try desperately to grab onto something, hanging barely on the tree trunk itself.

"Hold on Lanni!" Aurum says below. I make the mistake of looking down, and Aurum looks like an ant. "Can't do anything else at the moment!" I shout to him, when I hear the dreadful sound of the branch cracking, before it snaps completely.

I'm falling, and I know this would be the end. An embarassing death, falling while climbing a tree to train. Suddenly, I hit, but not on hard ground. But in the soft arms of Aurum.

"Don't do that again..." he says, going in the shack. Was that worry in his voice? Did someone actually love me or care at the least? A smile on my lips, I followed him in, happier now than I'd been the whole games.

Manta Li
I sit, sharpening my blade. It was still stained in the blood of my enemies, just the way I liked it. Smelled like fresh death, something else I liked. "Hmm..." I hum as I stick my tongue out, licking the blood on the blade. Tasted like corpse. My favorite.

"Manta, enough blade licking. Come on, give me a hand. We don't want nasty tributes busting in on our supplies while we go." Caspian shouts to me as he instructs me to help him move a crate. I grumble but help anyways, just anxious to kill.

We eat lunch, but unlike rule under Aurum, we aren't forced to eat together. I get far from my "allies", whispering foul things as I rip open my food. I liked to "cut it up" before I ate it. Things just tasted better bloody and in many, many pieces of flesh.

I can tell Rita and Justine don't like my ways, the way they constantly whisper about my habits, the way they complain to Caspian about my mental issues. Bah, to hell with all of them! I had more kills than anyone in this stupid alliance anyway. I didn't count Caspian's beheading of Ursula, as that was with my weapon.

"Why doesn't the sun set faster?" I ask no one in particular, boredly hitting my knife against the cornucopia, listening to the clanging sound it made. "Cut that out." Justine snaps at me. "Damn bitch." I mutter under my breath as I walk away. These allies were pissing me off.

Amy Light
My traps were failing way too much. I hadn't eaten in days, and the effects were getting to me. I was always hallucinating a juicy turkey on a platter, and every time I'd reach for it, I'd nearly fall from the tree tops. Man this sucked!

"Come on, catch something, please, I'M BEGGING YOU!" I shout to my cage trap, tying the wood together strong with triple knots. The squirrels and birds always managed to break out by some way, and I was getting sick and tired of it.

Each time I thought of food, I also thought of Wheeler, and how he could be helping me. It took my mind off my empty stomach and back on to winning for him. I would pull through.

Thinking positive seemed to work, and within an hour, I finally caught something. It was a tiny bird, but it was meat nonetheless. I killed it with my dagger, not bothering cooking it. I just ripped into the raw flesh like an animal, but boy, it tasted so good.

I spit the blood and bones out, as I sat back and finally relaxed for a change. Full for the time being, I swung my legs back and forth, looking at the abandoned seperatist camp. They hadn't returned and I only assumed they took the cornucopia back.

Speaking of the devil, I saw them prepping for a career hunt. I spied them at the cornucopia, sharpening blades and packing things up. The rascals were smart enough to block the cornucopia off, and I knew I wouldn't be getting anything out of it today. "At least I got food." I mutter, as I continue my daily tree hopping.

Aurum Chirp
Lanni was nuts, but I had to admit, she was kinda cute. I couldn't show her my feelings though, too many leaders were backstabbed by their lovers. Though something in the back of my mind told me her feelings were genuine, and not fake.

The sun was low in the sky, and the deninzens of the night were no doubt going to come. Not wanting to be a victim of the wilds, I moved back into the shack, rolling up tight in my sleeping bag. I had to get a lot of rest, the days had been too restless...

I'm awoken by shouting and hollering, not by animals. Tributes were making these sounds, as I snap awake, grabbing my sword and looking out the shacks entrance. The seperatists.

"Come out of hiding petty Chirp! Or your friend her dies! Painfully." The bastard Caspian says as Manta holds a knife to her throat, planning on dragging her death out. They killed Ursula, I wasn't going to let them kill Lanni too. Something must be done.

"If in a dire situation, cornered with no way out, turn to anger. Kill as many bastards as you can, fight your way through the enemy." My mentors words hung around in my head. The one thing he may be right about... I had to do it.

"I'm sorry Lanni..." I say, knowing the act will probably get me killed. I fall on my knees, pure anger, hatred, any negative emotion towards Caspian taking over. They weren't going to hurt Lanni, they weren't going to hurt anyone with a sense of loyalty.

Justine Leonard
"Light the place on fire. I want to see it burn." Caspian orders me, handing me his torch. I oblige, tossing it on the shack, watching a flame spread. "Alright Manta, do what you want with her." He tells Manta who holds Lanni, as he throws her down and draws a tiny knife to peel her fingernails off.

Aurum bursts through the door, screaming in anger and hatred. My first instict is to run, run as far away before he butchers me, but I think of Rita. She was my only friend now, and I wasn't going to let her die like I did Felix.

He charges Manta first, knocking him off of Lanni. "RUN YOU FOOL!" He shouts to his ally, as Manta raises up, angry that he just got knocked out of a good torture.

I move to help but Rita holds me back. "Let this play out. We don't need Manta on our backs when Caspian dies." Rita says. I reluctantly stay halted, as Caspian joins in the fray, swinging his blade.

Aurum stabs Manta in the knee before spinning around and slashing at Caspian, who doesn't see it coming and is cut across the chest. He high tails off into the woods, running away like a dirty coward. I knew I'd never face Caspian as an ally again, as I watch Aurum continue on Manta.

He cuts the boy's leg off, laughing evilly as he does. "Can't stand 7 feet tall with one of your legs gone, can you, trashy psychopath." Aurum then thrusts his sword-arm back and stabs his bloody sword straight into Manta's forehead, as the once mighty Li falls back, dead.

'''BOOM! '''I'm too horrified to move, and Aurum looks at us. "You two aren't worth it. I'll destroy you at a later time." he says, before he takes off after Caspian's blood trail. Me and Rita exchange looks, before turning off and running as fast as we can away from Aurum's direction.

Corin Greer
After snapping out of my swamp sickness, I was ready to get as far from the swamp as I possibly could. "You were crazy out there! You killed that octopuss-squid thing, whaterver the hell it was! It was amazing!" Dawn kept telling me as we walked.

"Okay, sure it was amazing, but you helped me, remember?" I answer, but Dawn doesn't seem to acknowledge her participation. "The thing pulled me underwater and was about to eat me, but you, you charged in there and cut it's tentacle off!"

She suddenly stops and holds her hand up. "We're not alone. Keep your guard up." Dawn's sudden change of tone made me on edge, as I creeped through the woods. They were brighter than the swamp yet still rather dark...

A war cry sounded as the girl from 3 charged out of the bushes. I stepped aside as she engaged both of us in combat, her wild attacks targetting both of us.

She was wearing out Dawn with constant and furious blows, I needed to make a decisive move if I was to keep my ally unharmed. I attempted a strike from behind. Boy was that a mistake. The girl from 3 stabs backwards, and I watch as the blade sticks out of my stomach.

"CORIN!" Dawn shouts, as I feel lightheaded. I lose my footing and fall backwards, only able to watch Dawn and the girl from 3 duke it out.

Lanni Binary
I knew this girl was physically stronger than me, and that I'd have to use my smarts to defeat her. Insults threw enemies off, either making them break down and lose hope, or making them so mad that their strikes became more and more heavy.

"Such a fiery tribute from 9! Say, are all of you losers like that?" I shout, watching her dark eyes narrow. "Such a weak tribute from 3, are all of you like that?" she shouts back, swinging a downward strike that I'm able to avoid, albeit narrowly.

Other than Dawn's strength, there was no other physical advantage held over me. We were about even in terms of height, and our speed was pretty equal.

I strike, getting a good, long slash on her left arm with my nightlock poisoned blade. I grinned. She would die from the poison within in a day if she didn't get an antidoate, which only the cornucopia possibly held. I took my opprotunity to flee, knowing my poison would do it's work.

She pursues me, and our fight leads to a shallow river, barely 2 feet deep. "A persistent one, eh?" I say, as I slash at her again to put distance between us. She blocks the strike to my surprise, sliding her blade and disarming me, before she punches me in the head.

I fall backwards with a splash, my head going under the shallow water. I attempt to raise up but the girl from 9 jumps ontop of me, and forces my head back under. Panic began to grab at me, my lungs being cut off from air so suddenly.

I push up, but she's got my held strong. Hatred fills her eyes, as I feel for something, ANYTHING, that I could get her off of me with. My hands clasp a river rock, and I instantly swing it up and smash it into her jaw. She gets off me as I stand up, raising my hands. It was time to fight bare-fisted.

Dawn Pyres
I feel blood trickle from my jaw, as I wipe it off. I stare down my opponent in pure hatred. She raised her fist, and I would do the respectful thing. I sheathed my sword, and did that cliche motion with my hand that said "Come get some."

Lanni charged and surprisingly landed a good punch to my stomach. The breath knocked out of me she kicked me in the knee, but I wasn't nobody's punching bag. I threw a strong jab with my right arm, and felt satisfaction as my fist connected with her neck.

She sprawled back, sputtering as I kicked down, attempting to stomp her chest. She rolled from my attack as my foot stamped into the ground, as I turned to face her again. She threw a right hook, which I ducked under as I struck her exposed ribs, hoping one of them broke.

She was tiring from all my strikes at her airways. I slammed my fist into her stomach, watching her fall to her knees, before I brought my knee to her face. She fell on her back, and I knew I had won the battle. I picked her up and shoved her against an oak tree, punching her pretty little face until she spit out a few teeth.

I then rolled her to the ground, wrapping my arm around her neck, squeezing tight. She pulled and tugged at me arm, but I held on tight, squeezing until I could feel her slow down further and further, before she suddenly stopped. I let go, knowing I had strangled her. She was gone now.

'''BOOM! '''I run back to Corin, who's barely alive. "Dawn... thank god the cannon wasn't you..." she said, grasping for my hand. "Corin, you're not dying, okay, you're NOT DYING!" I shout, not ready to let my ally go. She smiles at me, but then her expression turns to horror.

"You're arm... Dawn, you've been poisoned..." I look at my injured arm, and she's right. The blood has turned green and as my adrenaline wore off, it began to sting and burn. However, I look back to my ally, who's eyes have closed. "Corin? CORIN?!" I say, trying to shake her awake. It's no use.

'''BOOM! '''I hold my head low, then scream to the heavens. The capitol! They did this. THEY KILLED HER! I picked her weapon up, a mere broadsword. I swore I would win with it though, then find the lousy president and cut his head off with it. I would do that or die trying.

Jacob Woodward
Two cannons had rang, and Posia and I were on edge. 8 tributes remained, and soon 5, and soon 1. How was I going to kill Posia? She was my friend, my only friend in this whole arena. I couldn't bear the thought, and thankfully my thoughts were interrupted by an announcement.

"Bloody spectacular! With those two deaths, you tributes have just earned yourself a placing in the final 8! Since 8 is a good number to us gamemakers, we've decided to reward each one of you. Tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises, a feast will take place. All I can say, is Good luck, and may the odds be in your favour!"

With that, the announcement ended. "What is it we exactly need?" I ask Posia, who shrugs. "I have no clue, but it will help us. I say we go to the feast. If we can grab our things we can eliminate the rest of the competition." she states firmly.

I was against that idea. We kill the other tributes, then what? I'd have to turn on Posia and kill her before she turned on me and killed me. I was about to object to her plan, before we heard footsteps pass by.

The boy from 3 was running from something, clutching his chest, but otherwise looking fine. Posia and I crouched in the bushes, looking through and seeing the boy from 2 chasing him. Wait, weren't they careers? They'd already turned on each other?

That meant the cornucopia was probably empty. For once we could be careers! "Come on Posia, the cornucopia must be empty!" She was thinking the same thing, as we ran from our old camp and headed back to the meadow, anxious for supplies.

Rita Rios
I bend over, my breathing heavy. "Just... a... sec..." I say between breaths, as Justine stops besides me, also breathing heavily from running so long.

When we finally catch our breath, we discover ourselves to be back in our old seperatist camp. "Should we go to the cornucopia?" I ask, but Justine shakes her head. "If Aurum kills Caspian, that's the first place he'll look for us. It's too risky."

She was right, as I sit down and rummaged through the abandoned camp we once had, finding a bag full of rotten meat, putrid flies digging into it's flesh. Maggots squirming in it's very bones. I nearly throw up as I drop the bag, stepping far away from it.

"The foods spoiled..." I say, turning back to Justine. "Damn!" she shouts, stabbing her sword into the ground as she sits on a log to think. "Well, there is a feast tomorrow. Maybe there's an unlimited amount of food in both our containers?" I suggest, trying to cheer her up.

"Yea Rita... you're probably right. We're probably the strongest alliance in the arena right now considering the two cannons, so we should dominate the feast." I perk up just from those words. The strongest alliance left. I hoped my district would be proud.

"We should rest now. Relax our muscles a bit, just get settled in here for the night. We got to wake up bright and early tomorrow and win the feast." Justine says. "I agree completely." I reply, rolling up in one of the sleeping bags, glad to find it's not maggot infested like the meat was. It was an odd feeling, sleeping in the afternoon, but I would have to make do.

Caspian Mahoney
I kept running, my chest wound thankfully being rather shallow and only bleeding for a few hours. It still burned like the blazes of a fire though, as I stopped by a tree for a split second to rest before I would have to run some more from that damn Aurum.

Why had Rita and Justine not helped Manta and I? They were probably planning it all along. I knew I shouldn't have tried to seduce Rita in training. I knew it would come at a later time and bite me in the back.

I could hear Aurum's footsteps coming, as I took off yet again, my sword jostling in it's sheathe. I had run circles around the arena, trying to shake the boy off my trail. He was a persistent fellow though, much like the other tributes from 2. He wouldn't give up until I was dead.

I pass over a stream, seeing blood lying around, guessing this was the location of the two cannons. "Why hasn't the hovercraft come?" I wonder as I look over the corpse of the girl from 5, who was leaned up against a tree with a knife in her gut.

"Sorry lass!" I say as I rip the knife out of her stomach, inspecting the bloodstained blade. However, the blood wasn't red, it was green. The blade was poisoned. "I could use this..." I mutter, putting it in my bag as I keep on running.

Aurum Chirp
I was sicking of chasing after Caspian. There would be a feast, and if he didn't want to die of infection from the nice cut I inflicted on him, he would most likely attend it. I would hide there and strike him down, there I would gain my revenge.

I came up on a spot where Caspian obviously was, his footsteps in the mud all around and his movement trampling grass like no other. I kept moving, coming to a halt when I saw a body leaned against a tree. "What have we here..." I mutter, walking over to inspect.

It was the girl from 5, and I instantly figured out what killed her. A bleeding hole was in her stomach, it appeared someone had impaled her. "Such a shame. You were actually very pretty." I say, looking at her face, which was hardly tarnished in death.

I move on, hearing the sound of running water. I followed the sound, ready to fill my canteen up, and set up shelter somewhere. I see more blood, and more tracks. "Caspian didn't do this alone..." I mutter, trying to make out of the imprints in the ground what happened.

The next sight horrified me. Lanni was lying face first in the grass. She had been one of the two cannons. Despair clawed at me, as I shed a single tear. "No... Chirps don't cry..." I say, wiping my eyes and sucking any other tears back in.

"I'm going to find whoever did this..." I say, searching my former ally and nearly lover's pockets. I found several vials of liquid I knew wasn't water on her. "Poison..." I mutter, getting a nasty thought. I filled up all of my canteens, knowing they would last me the whole games. "Let's see people drink from the arena water now..." I say evilly as I pour poison into the river, watching as the water supply was poisoned. I smile, knowing that I could end the games on my own time, letting every drink the poisonous water while I had the only safe flasks of it in my possession.

Rita Rios
I stood by my friend and final ally Justine as we peered through the forestry, spotting each of the bags. "Alright, you know the plan." Justine tells me and I nod.

We were going to stick together as our combined strength could take out any tribute, as most of them were not in an alliance at this point. "Alright, you ready to go?" Justine asks me. I take a long look forward, before replying "Yea, let's do this."

We both sprint to the feast, going to reach the pedestal holding the bags. My feet fly through the golden grass, my heart pounding and my breathing fast. Adrenaline was rushing through me more than ever, as this time, I felt like I was in more danger than ever before.

My hand clasps the District 4 bag, as I see Justine grab the bag for District 1. We prepare to leave, when I'm thrown into the pedestal by a stronger tribute. "Planning on leaving so early? Don't you know anyone who abandons loyalty dies first?"

I look at the attacker, seeing Caspian. I crawl back, glad Justine is there, as she stands up in front of me and draws her sword, taking on Caspian. I yank my trident from the sheathe slung over my back, as I begin to move towards the fighting Justine and Caspian.

Jacob Woodward
Posia wasn't acting quick enough. We couldn't wait in the cornucopia the whole feast! The idea was just insane and it wouldn't work! I kept waiting, watching as 3 tributes entered the area. Luckily, none of them had stolen the district 10 bag, something I was glad for.

The girl from 1 and boy from 3 were dueling blades as the girl from 4 began to help her ally in the fight. They're scuffle was leading dangerously close to the cornucopia. Fear and panic gripped at my throat, and soon, I became to anxious, grabbing an ax and sprinting towards my bag.

"Jacob no!" Posia shouts behind me, but I ignore her, sprinting for the District 10 bag. It was so close, I could feel it in my hands. Just a few more steps, and it would be mine!

"Not so fast." The boy from 2 says, looking down on me as he smirks an evil grin. "Just run home and you will be spared." I was finished taking it from everyone. People always treating me like a punching bag, just laughing and insulting every single day.

I began to shake violently, my grip on my ax getting super tight. I wasn't going to take it from anyone. I WAS AN INDEPENDENT PERSON! I look to the boy from 2, who seems to be getting annoyed by my inability to respond to him. I wasn't taking it from anyone anymore.

I swung my ax forward, and I could tell the boy from 2 was surprised that I chose to fight instead of flee. He dodged my strike as I swung again, rage taking over me as I thought of all the times I had been bossed around. My axe smashes the edge of the pedestal on my second strike as I swing again.

This one makes contact with my enemy. Blood sprays from the boy from 2's shin, as my low strike with an ax hit something. My victory was short lived, when he hopped over my next strike, using the downard momentum of his fall to impale the top of my skull with his sword. All I thought of next, was that I died independent.

Posia Courtier
I held my hand over my mouth as I watched Jacob fall to the boy from 2. I felt immense guilt that I hadn't ran to help him... he was my ally and I failed him, just like I did Piper. "I won't fail anyone else..." I mutter, as I grab my machete and charge into the fray of the feast.

'''BOOM! '''Jacob's cannon. I don't look at his body as I run past it, taking only his district 10 bag. I grab my District 11 bag, looking behind me to see the boy from 3 gaining an upper hand on the two girls he was dueling, while the boy from 2 came up behind them all.

That means 4 of the 6 opposing tributes had arrived. There was still 2 more unaccounted for, as I began to head off into the woods, running away from all the blood and carnage the feast had to offer.

"Hello there pretty." The girl from 9 said, holding her thin sword to my throat. "Now, do as I say and i shall offer you no harm." I look at her, anger in my tone of voice. "What is it that you want from me then, huh?" I retort in anger, as she gets closer to putting my throat out.

"I wouldn't speak so harshly darling. Just drop your weapon, and hand me the bags." she said, giving me a sly grin. I grudgingly oblige, dropping my machete and throwing my bags to the ground. "That's a good girl." she says, but I wasn't going to be stolen from.

When her guard is down as she leans over to pick up my bags, I thrust my foot into the side of her body, knocking her to the ground. Knowing her district 9 bag is still at the feast, I grab both my bags and weapon and take off running. She could chase me and fail to get her bag, or go to the feast. I was betting that she would go for her bag, and I was glad when i turned, to see her off to the feast.

Caspian Mahoney
Dueling both Rita and Justine was a pain. They were a dangerous combo. Justine kept getting up close and personal and striking many short ranged attacks, while Rita stayed a few more feet back, constantly lunging and stabbing at me with her long trident.

I had to work double to avoid being injured anymore. I was sick of constantly being on the defense, and if things didn't shape up soon, these two would overpower me.

I block another one of Justine's short strikes and narrowly avoid Rita's stab. I think of a way to beat them, and I was beginning to catch on their attack pattern. Justine would strike twice, slide back, and Rita would throw herself forward with a strong lunge, before Justine jumped back in for more strikes.

I dodge Justine's overheaded slash as Rita stabs forward. I see the opprotunity, sidestepping the stab as I ram my shoulder into Justine, knocking her to the ground. I stamp hard on her chest, kicking her sword away so she wouldn't get back up.

"Just me and you chocolate gal." I say creepily to Rita, and my words strike fear in her eyes for a brief moment. I make sure Justine's out cold before I attack Rita, using my sword strikes to great efficiency. She was struggling, but holding up, as I went on the offense.

I slashed and underhanded strike, which cut a good amount of her upper leg. She was hindered by the wound as I knocked her sloppy stab away with my sword. She threw her trident at me, the surprise attack working to an extent, as it raked across the side of my arm.

She drew a dagger to fight with, but it wasn't enough to stop my strikes. I slashed a light sideways strike, which connected with her side, causing blood to pour from her wound. She kept fighting, making many quick attacks with her dagger, but it wasn't enough.

I ended the battle when I plunged my sword into her chest, watching as she coughed up blood. She fell backwards as I admired my work, before it was all rudely interrupted by the man himself. Aurum Chirp. I readied my sword yet again, pointing it at Aurum. He charged at me, and yet again, we masterminded a duel. "This is the last time we're doing this." I mutter as our blades clash.

Amy Light
Blood and death surrounded the cornucopia as the feast begun. No one had touched my bag, as I saw the girl from 9 run away with hers, safely making it into the woods. My eyes scanned the action, and from what I had seen, two tributes had already been killed.

'''BOOM! '''There was the girl from 4's cannon, the one the boy from 3 killed rather slowly. I saw the girl from 1 also go down, but she must've been knocked unconscious, not dead.

Seeing my chance as the only two tributes still up and fighting where the boys from 3 and 2, I seized the opprotunity. I ran through the meadow, as fast as my little legs could carry me, seeing the district 6 bag within an arm's reach.

A spear not intended for me struck me in the calf, as I fell in pain. The boy from 2 tried to pull a fast one on the boy from 3 and hurl a spear to end the fight, but it missed him and hit me instead. I had to ignore the immense pain, and the sight of a spear through my leg.

I crawled, pushing myself to the limit, trying to get as far from the feast as possible. I couldn't give up, lest I be killed by one of the two boys still fighting. "Come on Amy, you can do it. Wheeler beleives in you to win, don't let him down!" I tell myself as I reach the forest.

I lean against a large rock, taking a look at the bad wound in my calf. "Thank god it wasn't in a fatal area..." I say, as I tug on the spear, trying to pull it out. After an agonizing amount of pain, I get the thing out, sitting down, tired and exhausted. I take on good look inside my bag, finding exactly what I needed. Fresh food and water, and some neat little bandages.

Aurum Chirp
Clang! Our blades richochet off eachother once more. I wasn't going to fall for his little dirt in the eye trick this time, as I kept watching for underhanded moves. "You were such an awful career leader bird boy! I'm surprised we even lasted to day 3!" Caspian throws an insult my way.

"You weren't much better, your allies left you to die just because they knew of your ways." I retort back, thrusting a strike forward, which is not surprisingly parried by Caspian who threw a stab of his own. We circle each other some more, as we strike at each other.

I throw a heavy sideways slash, cutting into his side deeply, as blood spilled from the grass. His counterstrike was a medium powered stab which went shallow into my left thigh, blood pouring down my leg as I ignored the pain. The toughest of us would win this.

He began to use his other hand as he threw a punch, which I was forced to duck under as he had his sword ready. My dodge led straight into it's blade, almost cutting deep into my neck. He swings downward but I manage to avoid the strike as I dive into his knees, bringing him to the ground with me.

I try to rise up and use my sword to stab into his chest, but he punches me and wrangles the sword from my grasp. Before he uses it on me, I headbutt him in the mouth, disorientating him as I stamp into his hand, making him release the sword.

He uses his free hand to drag me off of him as he gains the advantage over me, getting on top and holding me down with his weight. He grabs my throat with both hands, strangling me slowly. My strength began to wane, and I began to lose hope... this was the end.

"But wait... what was in that bag?" My curiosity kept me going, as I managed to thrust him off me, as I quickly dug into my bag. He ran off to grab his sword and mine, dual wielding both as he came back for more... I knew he would win, I just prayed my gamble to search for my bag would turn out good.

The weapon was familiar... it's handle felt perfect in my hand. This weapon was meant for me... Power consumed me, as I whipped my arm back and threw the weapon with all my might. As if in slow motion, Caspian looked in horror, as the blade imbedded in his chest.

He fell backwards, as I ripped the weapon out of his chest. I looked at my weapon, and smiled a good smile. "Nathaniel's ax... the one he slayed that lucrian scum with..." I look down at Caspian, giving him a smile. "now the blade that slays Mahoney scum as well."

I toss the axe into the air, catching it perfectly as I bring it down on Caspian's head, the blade perfectly splitting through his skull. I smile at my victory, and manage to make it into the cornucopia before I finally fall down, leaving my fate to whomever until I could stand again.

BOOM!

Dawn Pyres
I opened my bag, rummaging through it. It had what I needed, antidoate for the poison that bitch Lanni had put into my bloodstream. I had to act fast though... my strength was waning, my vision darkening around the edges, my heartbeat slowing dangerously.

"Come... on..." I say, barely in a whisper. I could feel my organs shutting down. It was getting very hard to breathe, my blood seemed to freeze... everything was stopping... I couldn't die, I just couldn't... not to some stupid poison, I couldn't.

Through my last bits of vision, I manage to unscrew the cap of the antiodote, pouring it down my throat. I lean up against a tree, as I feel myself revive. My vision begins to lighten and clear, my heartbeat picking back up. Blood flowing normal, and breathing not impaired.

"Thank you..." I say to whoever. Someone in the capitol had saved my life... maybe they weren't all full of scumbags and cutthroat weasels. After the feast at dawn, ,the rest of the day was unusually quiet. It was night time already, and the identity of the 3 cannons that had sounded was about to be revealed.

The anthem started up like it did almost every time, with the first face appearing in the sky. The boy from 3, who I knew was a very strong tribute, was the first to show up. I was glad to have him eliminated from the games, as my chances to win increased.

Another tough tribute, the girl from 4 appeared next. I was also glad to see her go, as I had a strong amount of hope for winning. The final face to appear was the boy from 10, who I didn't really care about. He was a weak tribute, and his death wouldn't change a thing.

Deciding to get some shuteye, I realized I was in the final 5. Back in District 9, it was rare for the tributes to survive the bloodbath, let alone get to the final 5. I was going to win, and be one of the few District 9 victors... we only came about once every 100 hundred years... it was my turn to be the next one.

Head Gamemaker Woody's Pov (lololol Woody... that's right Woody the Cowboy is the Head Gamemaker)
"You! Are! A toy!" I shout to my favorite terminator action figure. I giggle, before my assistant gamemaker comes in the room to alert me of something.

"What is it now Shelia?" I ask, twirling around in my rollie chair and playing around with my cowboy hat. "Uh, sir? It's been about 2 hours, and the tributes are all doing the same thing." I look at her, asking "Doing what exactly?" She then pulls up the location charts of them all.

"They've been sitting in their same spots the whole time. It seems none of them want to hunt each other down and instead wish for the fight to come to them. But since none of them are looking to kill, it won't happen. It's a stalling stalemate, we must do something or the audience will lose interest!"

"Contact the mutt maker Georgina. I'm going to go talk to her about this." I say. My cowboy fantasies could wait, if I lost the interest of the capitol, I would end up like Senator Weird-Beard Crane, someone I really didn't want to be in the first place.

I walk over to Georgina, before asking "Well sweetie I'm sure you've heard the news. Say what do you got for me to draw our tributes together and force them to fight?" She shrugs her shoulders. "I haven't made anything yet." I slam my hand on the table, bringing it back up in pain.

"Aw... it's already red." I say blowing on it. I then remember I had to intimidate Georgina. "Alright you procrastinator! You'll lose your job if you don't have SOMETHING to draw them close together." The teenage Georgina groans, saying "Fine! But it takes hours to make them, so don't expect it now."

I throw my hands up and leave the room. I had to rely on a teenage girl, something that I really didn't want to do. But the tributes would get what was coming to them... if all they did was wait.

Justine Leonard
I sat on a log near a stream, getting a little anxious at the lack of cannons. 3 hours had passed and noon had begun. yet no one had died. My thoughts turned to a games that I remembered when I was a little girl, that after reaching the final 6 on the 4th day, the games dragged out to the 12th day before a victor was crowned. I didn't want that happening.

"Just listen to your mentor's advice... she's kept you alive this long, so what's not to say she'll keep you safe for the next few days?" I tell myself, when it hits me. I hadn't listened fully, as both bags I got from the feast where still zipped up.

I looked in Rita's bag first, a slight pang of grief as I did. She was such a good tribute and friend, and I was mad that I couldn't help her fight off Caspian. Thank god he also perished in the feast, as I didn't want a sadistic person like him still alive.

Her bag had a spool, a thing to get water from trees, and some fish. Being from District 4 I bet the fresh fish would've been a welcome sight for her, but I personally didn't enjoy fish that much, considering one was constantly plotting my fate... wait what? Seemed I was going a little crazy... so I ate the fish.

After enjoying the grilled perch, I opened by bag. It had food as well, but it was warm, golden bread drizzled in honey. A welcome sight, but I knew I'd have to save it for later. There was also a sword as well... when I clicked a button the handle, the blade lit up in flames.

"HELL YEA!" I shout, waving the flaming blade around. This thing was badass! I could kill anything with this! But knowing I was still in a games, I was quick to shut the flames off and sheathe it, knowing any jealous tribute could pop out and attempt to take it from me.

But with newfound confidence came my confidence to stop hiding and waiting, and to end these games myself. Not even Aurum stood a chance now. I skipped along, striding to find any tribute I could defeat.

Posia Courtier
Lay low, it'll keep you alive. That's what I kept telling myself, but I was cautious, looking around my surroundings, thinking there would be something vicious there. Everytime I'd look, but nothing would be there, and soon, I find myself getting paranoid.

I have to move, they'd send something after me. Breaking the advice sent to me, I began to move out of the forest. The cornucopia would be a safe place... if they sent any mutts I could just climb up the cornucopia and hideout while the other tributes were killed.

I broke out of the forest, and was in the golden field. I walked over to the cornucopia, slowly peaking around the corner. Nobody was there. I was clear.

I entered the cornucopia, but boy was I wrong. Aurum had been hiding in the darkness and I had failed to spot him. He whirled his blade and struck at me, but I was able to dodge it. "Ah, Posia Courtier I take it. Shame, you'll die just like your foolish ally Jacob did."

Anger began to boil in my blood. He just insulted Jacob, who was a good person, and had threatened me with death. My response was cold and mean, one that I was glad to have said. "Says the brute from 2, who's sibling was a failure in his own games."

I saw Aurum's eyes widen, before in straight fury he charged at me, dual wielding an ax and a sword and combing them with a whirlwind of blows. They were poorly executed and fueled by blind rage, and I was able to escape most of them. I made a good slash across his cheek, and began to note his poor condition.

He was still bleeding yesterday from his fight in the feast. I could take advantage of his awful wounds, and end up winning if I played it smart. I barely scraped by his second flurry attack, and managed to pierce his still open shin wound.

He howled as I struck again, trying to fatally cut his neck open. It looked like it would succeed, but Aurum caught my machete blade, as his hand began to bleed. "Ha ha, close but not quiet. I am not losing to some lousy District 11 FEMALE!"

He ripped the machete from my grasp and lunged across the cornucopia, drilling his sword through my right leg. Unable to hold my weight, I fall, crawling backwards as the limping Aurum gives a slow, but still scary chase after me.

Fear grabs my heart when my hands feel against the cornucopia's wall. "So this is it, huh. Dying to some career like most District 11 tributes." I thought, as I looked up to Aurum. "It was a pleasure meeting you." he said with faux politeness, as he brought his axe up.

My experience through the whole games went through my thoughts. Volunteering for my family, being comforted by Piper on the train rides. Sticking up for him during training, gathering together one last time in the interviews. Surviving the bloodbath, and Jacob joining our alliance... such happy times...

His axe finally fell, resting upon my skull. My vision blurred, and a few more fond memories drifted in and out of my head. I just smiled, remembering the good times of the past, as I finally died, being just yet another casualty of the 702nd Hunger Games.

BOOM!

Aurum Chirp
I looked at my next kill, pulling the axe from her head. She fought to the bloody end, and for that I had respect for her. Apparently the tributes I thought were going to be the weakest and easiest to best turned out to be the strongest fighters when finally cornered.

However, my wounds I sustained from yesterday just stacked with the ones I had obtained today. I wouldn't last much longer. I had searched every part of the cornucopia just looking for something that was medicine, but I couldn't find anything...

I didn't manage to walk far, before I collapsed, barely able to keep conscious. It was too much, the pain was beginning to get unbearable. The chirps were cursed to never win. To get so close and just to die, that's how it was. That's how Nathaniel went.

Made it all the way to the final day to just die first and get 3rd place. At least he placed higher than that rat Bronze Lucrian... and at least I'd place higher than that traitor Caspian Mahoney.

"Just a little nap..." I tell myself as my consciousness fades in and out. I would promise to awaken... I wasn't goign to be bested by my injuries... I just hoped I would wake from my little nap... and not end up dying instead. I closed my eyes, and found myself easily drifting into sleep.

Dawn Pyres
After another cannon had boomed, only 4 tributes were left in the arena. I still remained hidden at the last place Corin and I had camped out. Nothing ill had come my way.. yet. I was hoping it would stay like that and that my luck would not run out.

I heard a rustle high up in the trees. Drawing my sword, I didn't holler "Who's there?" like most idiots. Instead, I just stood silent, waiting to see if the tribute wanted to fight me or not. I got glimpse of their small frame, and instantly I deduced it to be the girl from 6.

I quietly hid as I waited for her to come down. I wasn't one for killing innocent 12 year olds, but as long as I didn't do it directly myself, maybe I wouldn't feel so bad afterwards. "Lanni, you bloody fool. You got me taking after you." I say, rummaging through my pocket.

A fine vial of green poison, one I had looted from Lanni's body before I began to head to the feast. In case I didn't get an antidoate, my last resort was to drink this poison, in hopes that it would negate the effects of the first and maybe give me more time to cure myself.

Thank goodness it didn't come to that. I kept watching the girl, as she slid down the tree right by the river. "Mentor says this river's poisoned... maybe I can trick someone into drinking from it." I heard her say. River was poisoned? Huh, good to know.

She crossed the river, and sat her bags on the ground. I knew the girl would never expect her feast food to be poisoned... so I knew this plan would work. As she had her back turned, I opened up her bag, lacing each one of her goodies with the poison. Before she saw me I was hidden, watching to see if my plan worked.

Amy Light
I stayed by the river, looking for anyone. My cunning smarts told me that anyone who hadn't drunk water in days would eventually come to the river. I'd act all innocent and stuff, using my cute little girl expressions to offer them some water in exchange for protection.

They'd never see that the water was poisoned, and when they drank from it, it would be too late! I was impressed with my own plan, and after about 10 minutes of waiting, I realized I hadn't eaten a thing all day. "Good thing I got a feast bag!" I say to myself.

I grab a nice chicken leg, and look at it's delicious, meat filled shape. It was still steaming, apparently my feast oven doubled as a microwave. "Man, this here is what I can eat in droves when I win. I'm going to pull it off Wheeler... I've made it to the final 4!"

In celebration I take a munch out of the chicken leg. It tastes so good, the fried skin crunching my mouth as the greasy, yet delicious taste goes from my tongue and teeth, before sliding down my throat. I take another bite, then another, until all that's left is bone.

I lick my lips and smile. My moment of happiness for nourishment doesn't last long though, as soon a sharp, jabbing pain erupts in my stomach. I double over from the ammount of pain, holding my stomach, looking up to the sky. What... was happening?

I rummaged around my bag... taking note of a greenish tinge on my foods... someone had poisoned them! How could I have been so easily fooled? I should've double checked, why Amy why didn't you check twice?! Panic begins to form in me, as I desperately look for anything to cure me...

I don't find anything. "Amy... you fool! How could you've not forseen this?" I tell myself, slowly mouthing "I'm sorry Wheeler... I'm so very sorry..." I feel my throat begin to swell up, and soon I'm unable to breathe. I fall on the ground, trying to hold my breath for as long as I can... when I see a flash of red hair run by me.

Using the last of my strenght, I call out meakly "Coward!" before I cannot take it anymore. I fall, face first, into the grass, darkness consuming my last sight of life.

Justine Leonard
I note the second cannon as I hear it ring through the arena. '''BOOM! '''3 tributes remained... dangerous things happened at 3 tributes. I began to leave the forest, knowing the gamemakers were bound to send something vile my way.

The sun was getting low in the sky, and dusk shined over the meadow. 24 tributes had seen such a sight 8 days ago... and for about 8 of them, it would be their last. This field was also were Felix died, and if I wasn't careful, it would be my final resting place as well.

I approach the cornucopia, when I hear loud coughing. I turn my sword's flame on, slashing around in case someone tried to backstab me. However, the source of the coughing was that of my former ally and leader, Aurum Chirp.

Knowing he was going to die anyways, I felt pity for Aurum. He might've gotten Felix killed, but he trusted me enough to make me his co-leader...

"Ah, the great... and mighty... Justine Leonard..." Aurum said between coughs as I approached him. How he managed to hold in this long with the nasty wounds he possessed amazed me. I knew I would die if I had to bear those wounds for that long.

"Hello Aurum." I reply with no emotion. "That's a neat sword... isn't it..." He says. "Yea, I guess." I reply, igniting it again to show it off some more. "You know, I'm glad you found me before the others. Felix... he was a good... man, wasn't... he?"

I nod, replying shortly "You got him killed, remember?" Aurum just looks at me, before saying "You know Justine, I didn't mean for Felix to get killed. I appointed you co-leader for a reason you know?" I look at him, starting to realize he never planned out Felix's death. It just happened.

"You were dependable, reliable, and were always ready to carry out my requests. It was heart wrenching to see you join Caspian. You were the only person I trusted then, but now... I need you to... follow one more order." Radiant says, before looking directly into my eyes.

"Put me out of my misery..." He slides me his axe, adding on "Do it with that. I'd rather die by a Chirp's weapon than to anything... it would put me at true peace." I pick the ax up, and walk over to Aurum. "Your wish... is my command." I say.

Aurum smiles. "See... you're still a little loyal... remember... I'm rootin' for ya." He gives one last touching grin, before he motions for me to end his life. I oblige with my mercy kill, as I swing the axe right across the top of his head, a quick painless death.

'''BOOM! '''Aurum lays back, and goes still. I was mixed about his death... I kind of regretted it, as he still had some caring heart for us careers still, but I also kind of enjoyed it, because he indirectly caused the death of Felix, a crime with no payment other than death.

Night soon dawned over the arena, as Day 8 ended. The anthem rang out, showing the deaths of Day 8, and who'd I would have to face in the finale. Aurum showed up first, looking just as regal in his death portrait as he did in death. The girl from 6 showed up, and I was really surprised to see a 12 year old from District 6 make it this long.

It ended with the girl from 11, who I didn't expect to live this long. This meant I'd have to face the girl from 9... one I saw take out two tributes in the bloodbath. She was dangerous, but I was a career... plus I had a flaming sword. The finale was here.

Dawn Pyres
"Hmph... Final two huh. Yea, you're coming to me." I say an hour after the anthem. I wasn't going to look for another tribute, especially when I knew who it was. The girl from 1, who was a career, probably equally matched me in my combat skills.

However, being from District 1, she probably lacked wilderness knowledge, which I had an abundance of. I wanted to put myself at the biggest advantage I could think of to fight her off. I was going to fight the girl on my terms, and not on anyone elses.

Soon I fell into a dreamy sleep... filled with strange dreams. The first one is the day Cliffe pushed me off a cliff. "Wait, you're a dead!" I shout to the dream Cliffe, who just smirks. "Dead? You think death can stop me from haunting your counscious!"

I scream as he shoves me and I'm sent falling. The dream quickly sifts to Harry Torres, boy from 12. "Wait, why are you here? You were the first death in the games!" He just looks at me. "Because, you did kill me, remember?" He then took off his sunglasses, revealing his eyes to be gone, bloody cut out holes in their place.

"You know, things have been going great... except for the fact, you know, I'm blind now. Thanks for sending me to the after life to get blinded by demons." I retch back in horror as he melts into the floor, just wishing for these nightmares to end.

I wake up, seeing myself back in the camp. It's still night time, I'd say around 3:30 AM, and I know things aren't going to shape up. "Come on you stubborn girl from 1! Just come get me already! You would've hunted me with your fellow careers!"

However, my response isn't met by her. Instead, a hideous mutt jumps out. It looks like a komodo dragon, except it's teeth are literal daggers, and it's tongue is a fricken spear. I jump back to avoid it's spear tongue as it tries to bite me with it's dagger teeth, as I jump up and cut it's slick head off.

But there's more... tons more. I take off running, knowing the gamemakers intended to draw me closer to the cornucopia. I feel a sharp pain in my left side, as a spear tongue manages to pierce my side. I ignore it and keep running, finally escaping the beasts when I get into the cornucopia field.

Immediately, the whole forest lights on fire. "No going back there..." I mutter, as the light of the flames reveal the girl from 1, her blade flaming just like the forest. How was I supposed to beat that? "Trickery." That voice was familiar... Corin? "Yea Dawn, it's me." Her voice speaks through my head... how?!

"Listen, I know it's mind boggling. I don't have long. Trick her, making her sword extinguish somehow. The boy from 2's corpse is still around, and his blood should extinguish it well enough. But I must go now... please win" Stunned at hearing my dead friend's voice, I turn and face the girl from 1.

She doesn't say a word. Career instinct has taken over her, I could tell. I brace myself for the fight of my life, as I pull out Corin's sword, dual wielding it and my sword to makeup for her flaming blade. "You got this" I tell myself, as I run forward, our blades clashing.

Justine Leonard
Flames lit up the night sky when the forest caught on fire, driving both of us to our fight. I'd prepared to meet with her, and I knew to keep my advantage with my flaming blade over her, and if I could disarm one of her blades, I could beat her.

Cling, clang, metal going against each other. Each time our blades crossed sparks flew from the contact, lighting up the battle even more. I had to strike fast and prepare to block and dodge blows from not one blade, but two, both posing problems for me.

"Prepare yourself Justine, she looks like she's about to go all out." I tell myself, trying to keep my adrenaline out of my head so I could focus. I saw Dawn stand back a bit, as she twirled both her blades, before running at me, starting with a swing from her left hand sword.

I bring my sword to block the slash, expecting her stab with her right hand. I manage to slip away from it, as I bat away her left handed sword, sending a strong kick into her stomach. She stumbles back a bit as I swing my blade forward, catching some skin.

She almost catches fire, but she's smart enough to quickly smother the flames with her gloved hands. The cut is cauterized and doesn't bleed, and I realize this sword's first disadvantage.

Our fight leads from the edge of the burning woods back to the cornucopia, with me on the offense pushing her towards it as she backed up and kept dodging, blocking, and parrying my strikes. I feigned a stab, but she didn't fall for it, and managed to cut my still extended arm. I switched hands, my right arm too injured to hold the sword, as I continued fighting.

Dawn Pyres
I kept leading the girl from 1 to the cornucopia, planning on carrying out Corin's advice and dodging a stab to get her to extinguish her blade with the blood of the boy from 2. After I cut her arm, I had scored a minor victory, forcing her to switch to her non dominate hand.

I kept throwing light slashes and feigns to throw her off, but this girl's career instinct easily saw them, and managed to avoid the feigns and bat the light slashes away. I continued backing up, and found my chance when I saw the boy from 2's corpse, still slumped on the ground.

Taking my chance, I baited a stab from her by slashing an overhead strike, leaving my stomach open for a quick lunge. She fell for it and stabbed at it, but I sidestepped, and watched as her blade plunged into the corpse of the boy from 2.

Blood poured from the stab, the heat of the blade not enough to cauterize the wound. Her blade soon went out, and she cursed, as I took the offense. Swinging with my left and right, she was barely able to keep going. I would win... I would win!

I kept pushing and pushing, getting a successful slash on her left thigh and another one on her right breast. I had it won... or so I thought. My arrogance got too much, and I got a little too cocky, leaving myself open to a dangerous blow that could end my chances for good.

As I stabbed forward with my right, she countered by slashing hard down. The blade would've severed my arm from the elbow down, had it still been flamed. The sight was gross, the deep cut threatening to take my arm, but thankfully, it wasn't going to go.

I dropped my rapier with a clang, and, like her, forced to fight with my left hand. Corin's sword danced with her now extinguished blade, each strike reflecting perfectly off eachother as we continued our blade dancing, striking each direction we could.

Justine Leonard
Both of us forced to fight left-handed was working quiet well. However, my arm was in better condition than hers, and I could still use it to get two handed attacks in, just not enough to hold a sword by itself. I used this to my advantage, sneaking in heavy two handed slashes to try and knock her remaining weapon away.

I led her to the forest's edge, hoping to re-ignite my blade by touching the flames in the forest. However, she was smarter than that, as she saw my ploy and stood her ground, refusing to move another inch. I groaned in anger as I struck at her again.

Fully relying on two-handed attacks now after the one handed ones had failed, I was trying to wear her shoulder joints out with my powerful attacks. I kept repeating downard slashes, forcing her to block, as our blades clanged. For a District 9 tribute, she was a damn good swordfighter.

The moon began to set, as the sky went from night blue to a more light pre-morning blue. I only took notice for a second as I lunged forward, my two handed lunge too much for the girl as my blade went deep into her right thigh. I saw her grimace and nearly fall, but she leaned on her left leg, and continued fighting.

Her injured leg slowed her down, but my injuries were no laughing matter. Blood soaked my shirt from the still bleeding breast wound and my thigh was oozing the stuff in masses. I lost feeling in my right leg, but continued fighting... it was strange, as we pracitcally mirrored in injuries.

Losing motivation as I began to feel weakened, I had to think of something as Dawn struck again. I blocked it, thinking of something, anything, to keep me going.

"What would Felix think of you if you died? Would he laugh at you and call you failure?" By thinking of Felix's possible anger and antagonism to my defeat, I picked back up. I wasn't to let him down and possibly become his failure of a sister. I had to keep fighting.

Dawn Pyres
The end was nearing of the fight... night had ended as the sun began to rise over the flaming trees. I had to end this. I wasn't going to hold out much longer if i didn't kill her. The one thing she had me beat in was her endurance, she wasn't going to give in to injury. I had to make a kill shot.

I slashed a long arc, my blade running straight across her stomach. Her guts came out, a disgusting sight, but she shrugged the wound off, wrapping her injured arm around her intestines to hold them in. How in the world was she still going?!

Her strength was waning, but so was mine. Our prolonged fight was getting exhausting for both of us, and soon, the one with more willpower would win for the will to stay alive. I had to end her life before that point happened, I needed to stab her in the head or heart...

Seeing her blocking ability impaired by being forced to work with exposed guts, I attempted to attack her right side. She struggled to keep my sword from the right side of her neck, and I kept working and working, trying to sever any major blood vessel.

She counterstriked, and I felt blood pour from my head. I was blind in the right eye, and I began to panic. "Had she cut my eye out? Oh god, I don't want to wear an eyepatch..." Quick hand discovery told me, no, my eye was still fine, but she slashed above it, and the blood from that wound blinded it.

Working with only vision in one eye was tough, when I finally had to on the ropes. After her risky strike I managed to throw her off balance with a good slash to her left calf, which she was forced to jump over. She landed funny on her ankle, most likely spraining or breaking it as she fell, when I pointed her sword to her throat.

Then, the monologuing began... but I was surpsied by how... sad it actually was. "Go ahead... Just kill me already. You know, the career academy in one taught us one thing. How we were supposed to be the greatest, the tributes that everyone feared. The ones that would emerge from every games, a victor."

It brought a sole tear to my eye, as I continued listening "They said you would win... never did they mention the death and horror of losing a sibling... just end it already... please..." I was distracted by her sad story, and found out quickly it was a facade.

She lept forward, bringing out a concealed ax and attempting to slam it down on my head. Last second reflex and I moved, as it buried into my shoulder instead. I shoved her in to the flames of the forest, turning my head as I heard her screams as she burned alive.

I couldn't take them anymore, and out of pity, I took the axe from my shoulder and threw it into her burning body, glad that her screaming stopped and she finally died. I looked away from her body, limping back to the cornucopia as I looked in the sky.

"How ironic... I won on the ninth day, I'm from District 9. I won at Dawn... which is my name..." I say, before an announcement rings through the arena. "Congratulations to our winner of the 702nd Annual Hunger Games... Dawn Pyres, of District 9."

I looked to the sky, watching a hovercraft come down. I quickly concealed Corin's sword... planning on fulfilling a promise I made to her. A capitol man held his hand out to me, as he lifted me from the arena. My last glimpse of it was burning woods and that gold meadow, shimmering in the artificial sun...

Death Chart
Don't scroll here without reading. PLEASE DON'TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!