Heart of Ice

Chapter 6

Day 1, 3:22 pm

Thank God. I found a goddamn cave.

I've got my axe in one hand and a rock in the other. I really don't need to settle in and find a bear waiting inside. I toss the rock in, testing to see if there's anyone- or anything, given mutts might be in there- inside. Nope. Just the clatter of the rock on the ground. It's still daylight, so I take the lantern out of my backpack and turn it on, holding it ahead of me as I approach the cave.

It goes straight back for about six feet before curving sharply to the right, opening up a a bigger space. There isn't quite enough room for me to stand up, but the bend gives me a spot where I can camp without being seen by anyone who walks by. I wouldn't trust it to hide the light from the lantern, though, so I turn it off and put it back in my bag.

The problem now is the footprints. The thin layer of snow on the ground gives anyone who's been following me a trail to exactly where I am. I don't have a hope of covering it, unless the light snow now turns heavy tonight.

I've got an idea though.

I leave my stuff in the cave, just taking my axe with me. I poise myself by the exit to the cave, looking around quick before taking off running. I don't want to wear myself out, so I just take a chance to get out my extra energy. I might need it later, but my diet has been supplemented that last week so I've got some extra staying power.

I'm still supposed to be acting scared, though, at least to the cameras since I haven't seen any other tributes. I'm not sure of Henry is alive, but my bet is that he won't try to kill me. It's early afternoon now. The cannons going off earlier gave me a chance to shudder and look scared, but I'll have to stage a good cry tonight.

Should I start a fire? I mean, yeah, I've got a can of beans, but it's probably better to save those. Everyone knows that food gets scarcer as the Games go on. Today, I've got an entire forest at my disposal, and matches to cook with.

Good to start off with tree bark. I take my pocketknife and start peeling off the hard outer layer to get to the edible inner ones. I used to do this back home, when the bosses decided to move lunch back or when Acacia "forgot" to give me grocery money. One of the veterans tipped me off about it. Best tip I ever got.

When I've eaten my fill, I wipe my hands in the snow and use some to clean the sap off some extra bark, which I put in my pocket for later. My next step is to camouflage the entrance to my cave. I need to make it look like an animal or something lives there, without actually inviting one in.

Fake avalanche, maybe? Push some snow down from above the cave? Nah. What I should do is stake out the area and make sure that there isn't a bear that actually does live there, and is planning to come back.

It's still snowing, getting heavier, so I get my stuff out of the cave and pick a tree. I'm on the side of a mountain, so I mainly try and pick one that isn't on a particularly steep slope.

I make a burrow of sorts, packing the snow down enough to make a place to hide and watch the cave, but still be comfortable. It's only a few inches deep now, but I'll keep working as I go. The pine tresses give good enough of a roof.

I'd love to start a fire, but I should really wait until seeing if I've got a roommate in the cave first. I'll be fine with the pine bark for now, I can hunt later. Most of the time, rabbits and that kind of thing stayed away from our worksites, since they were full of noisy people with axes and rumbling trucks. Once in awhile, though, someone would find something burrowed in a place we hadn't been in awhile, or ensconced in a pile of leaves. If we could, we'd kill it and hide it away for dinner. If peacekeepers were watching, it'd just get scared away. Poaching was illegal, but it was relatively easy to claim that the rabbit just got in your way and you weren't planning to eat it if you got caught.

Would I be able to hunt out here? I drink some water to help me think. I've got a pocketknife and an axe. They taught us some basic snares in training but I don't have any rope. Maybe I could dig some type of pit in the snow, and use some type of bait.

If I came across some other tribute, I would have a chance of getting more supplies. Without rope, I can't really set any animal traps, so I'm stuck there. My best bet is to just wait it out, hoping a goddamn bear doesn't come home.

I finish my water, remembering that it's important to stay hydrated in cold weather. I fill more snow in, stuffing it full. I can't really purify it, but if the snow's fresh, and the Gamemakers didn't screw with it, I should be okay.

With a sigh, I settle in to wait.

Near evening, when the sun shines through the trees, I decide that the cave is safe. Nothing was hibernating in it, and hopefully the Gamemakers won't sic a mutt on me this early on. I can't be one of the more interesting tributes, not with the Career pack and everyone else. The death count will let me know if Henry survives. If I can't win, he should. I can't imagine him killing anyone, but he'd do what he had to.

I move back into the cave, laying out my sleeping bag and arranging my lantern. I collect pine needles and spread them on the ground, adding an extra layer of insulation between me and the floor. Plus, it makes the ground a little softer. I cover my footprints from outside, smearing the snow around to cover any deep imprints and letting the gentle snowfall cover the rest. It's been steady since we got here, but shit like this doesn't last long in the Games. People get bored, we'll have this nice weather for a day or two before a storm starts.

I'm not going to build a fire, let someone else get killed the first night. I may be acting weak, but I don't need to act stupid.

I'm eating my dinner of tree bark when the anthem plays. I scramble out of the cave, straining to see over the tree line. The first two to appear are the two from District 5, so that means I've still got the entire Career pack to deal with. Henry doesn't show, so he's still alive. Then both from Districts 8 and 9, the girl from 10, both from 12. So that's... nine.

Nine dead, so fifteen left. Fourteen have to die so I can live. Six of those are Careers.

It rapidly gets dark after the anthem, but I can't sleep. The Careers always hunt the first night. My stomach sinks as I realize they'll certainly check in here if they come around this side. But would they risk the mountains in the dark? The woods, definitely, but there are plenty of risky avalanches.

Besides, who knows what's in these mountains. Sure, bears are supposed to hibernate, but these are the goddamn Hunger Games. The genetically messed up monsters aren't going to be peacefully sleeping the whole damn time.

It's better if I stay where I am. In a narrow cave, armed, I'm better off in here than trying to fight anyone in the open. Only one of them would be able to attack at a time through the cave entrance, anyway. Posing my axe at my left, so I can grab it if needed, I reposition myself defensively and settle in to wait.

I take careful sips of my water to keep myself awake. The snow has melted, but the water still has a chill to it. It keeps me alert. I guess that if I really needed water, I could use one of my matches to hear the bottom of the bottle and melt the water faster, but it'd be a waste. Instead, to kill time, I sharpen a twig with my knife. Maybe I could make a trap.

The night drifts on as I watch the unmoving snow. Every sound makes me twitch, wondering if the cracked branch came from a squirrel or a foot. With the dark clothes I'm wearing, I'll be an easy target during the day- as will anyone else- but maybe the dark of the cave camouflages me against the light of the artificial moon. It hasn't been that long- it's probably sunset for those in the Capital, but nighttime back home. Acacia probably sent Willow to bed, but I doubt she's asleep.

Neither am I. I guess we'll stay awake together.

AN: Hey guys! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and add to your lists if you like it!

Sorry for the long update time, just no inspiration for this chapter. I've got a plan for the next one, though. See you soon!