I breathe in, I breathe out

[moveswithoutsound]

Life in the Seam had never been easy but without his father Gale had little choice but to take tessarae and hunt in the woods. If not then it would be his younger siblings who would be forced to pay and he refused to let that happen.

Hazelle regretted the weight put on her eldest son's shoulders but what could she do, with the new baby and her husband lost in the mine accident Gale was all she had to depend on.

The young man who did not even at this young age resemble a boy moved without a sound through the woods. His snare line had netted some fresh meat and at least a day or two could pass without bellies that roared with hunger, he could dull it. Maybe even get the extra blanket Posy needed.

He was alert to every sign, Gale knew these woods were not safe and yet they were the one place he longed for, because here he felt free.

Here he could breathe, here he was not just another pawn for the Capitol, set to either play in the Games or head for the mines when he was old enough. Either way his fate was mapped out and it meant a life of hard work, followed by Death.

How he wished something could change but he was one young man against the ruling government.

As much as he wanted to rebel, Gale knew that he could do nothing in his current positon.

He had too many mouths to feed, too many responsibilities. He did not sigh but there was a heavy look in his eyes as he slung the game bag over his shoulder.

Comments

[firegirl]

Katniss doesn't hear him. She has entered the woods to do hunting of her own, and there's no sound of anyone else in the woods. There's no sound of anyone who is human in the woods, but she can hear all the rest of the noises that the woods bring.

If she could, she would never leave this forest.

She would never go back on the other side of that electric fence, but her sister is there. Prim is there. Katniss will do anything to ensure she doesn't starve.

They all nearly did starve.

She's not going to let it happen again.

Katniss will hunt. She'll get the food her family needs, and she will survive. It's all anyone can do in District 12. There's no way for a kid to rebel on his or her own, not that rebellion is even a thought that occurs to her as angry as she might be at the situation they've all been forced into.

It's not as important as surviving.

She can't afford to think beyond that.

Her little sister can't afford for her mind to stray.

Katniss hears the sound of something further into the woods, and she takes the bow and arrow into her hands, ready to find it, to aim, and to fire.

Her muscles are tense but focused on the task at hand.

[moveswithoutsound]

He heard the rustle of footsteps, his own making no sound Gale knew the difference between an animal and human steps and he stiffened. Had the Peacekeepers finally gotten brave enough and decided to give him a hard time? He doubted it, because they wanted the meat he had to trade as badly as his family needed it.

Gale slipped around behind the sound of those steps and moved in close. He saw the girl and raised an eyebrow, he could see she knew how to handle the bow, but her foot was about two centimeters away from one his snares.

"Might want to watch your foot, before it gets caught."

[firegirl]

There's the sound of the voice in the woods, which she listens to. Her feet don't move from their position, but she turns toward the sound of it with her bow and arrow raised. It's an automatic reaction, and she doesn't know why. It's not like she has ever killed anyone before or ever wants to.

Surviving is different than being willing or able to kill people.

It takes her a moment to see who it is, and she lowers the bow and arrow after a moment, because she recognizes him from school, she thinks. He's older than her by a couple of years.

"What are you doing here?"

...after a second, the answer to that question seems incredibly obvious.

[moveswithoutsound]

When she asked the obvious Gale almost smiled, not quite but it was pretty close.

"You going to use it or just point it?" He held his hands up in a mock surrender gesture for a second. He had seen her at school, if he remembered right she was two years behind him and had lost her father the same way he had.

"What's your name?"

He watched her, pretty certain she was not going to shoot him so he remained wary, a bit stand offish but just a bit curious since they both seemed to have the same idea to care for their families.

[firegirl]

Katniss remains on her guard and steady even if she recognizes him. It helps that she does recognize him from the same explosion. She swallows. Talking isn't something she does well, and she was dying not long ago.

"Depends," she says only a little shakily before she forces that out of the tone of her voice. "Are you going to do something that'll make me want to use it?" It's fairly clear that she's joking in that dry way of hers before she lowers the weapon.

"...Katniss Everdeen."

She looks at him expectantly, taking the arrow away from the bow so he at least knows she won't shoot him with it. "You're... hunting."

[moveswithoutsound]

"Interesting name Catnip. And unless you count getting food for my family as a reason to shoot, then no, I won't" He had to strain to hear her and of course overheard her name wrong. The latter part of his response a return on that dry humor.

This was more than he had spoken to anyone outside of his family in awhile and he was not certain how he felt about her being out here.

What if she got busted and told the Peacekeepers about him, yet at the same time, he did not think she honestly would.

"Have to eat." And he gave her a look that said she was doing the same thing as him, just in a different manner. Gale could use a bow, but he preferred his snares.

[firegirl]

Her mouth forms a thin line. "It's Katniss," she says, shaking her head. No one has ever misheard her name so much in the past, and she feels the need to correct him on it quickly. "I'd have to shoot myself if I did."

It's more than she's said to anyone outside of her family too so she understands that.

Her voice sounds strange to her own hears. If she busted him, she'd be busting herself too.

"Yeah." Katniss says, because she can't say anything else. It's exactly what she's doing and why.

[moveswithoutsound]

He just shrugged at her correction, and moved over to inspect the snare she was only a few inches away from.

"Should pay better attention, unless you've got a knife to cut yourself out of one of these." Because unless you knew how his knots worked Gale did not count on someone being able to escape his snares, even if they were set here for animals only.


It was strange, someone in the woods with him, it was not what Gale would call unpleasant, but there was that cautious part of him, he had so much that depended on him.

[firegirl]

Katniss looks at him, mouth becoming a firm line as she does so.

"I didn't know anyone was out in the forest setting out snares." It is not something that had occurred to her at all though she was trying to be as aware of her surroundings as she could be. It was difficult though not knowing she should have to be aware of something like that.

It interests her though given that she would like to learn how to make them, how to catch animals in them for food.

But she's not one to ask for help easily or at all unless she's starving.

"I know... about plants," she says after a moment, thinking if nothing else, they can trade information.

[moveswithoutsound]

"If you're not looking you'll miss a lot." It was just a statement, a reminder that these woods were anything but safe.

He had to admit, he respected her backbone and the determination he saw there. It was impressive and he had to figure she did not have ot any easier. Trying to survive was not a simple thing, no matter your age.

Gale studided her a few moments after she said this, arms coming up to fold over his chest. On instimct he wanted to act as if he did not know what she was suggesting. But, survival came first, even if it meant risking his own survival in order to get the things his family needed. It was their survival not his that he fought for.

"Like what?" He would relent and work with her, just sometimes he could be stubborn.

[firegirl]

"I was looking," she responds with, that fire in her eyes for a moment.

There is determination and a little bit of anger too. She is not going to not be taken seriously by some guy in the woods.

Katniss breathes in, tightening her hold on what she has in her hands. She looks at him, tilting her head to the side for a moment and shaking her head.

"All kinds. The kinds that can kill you, the kinds you can eat, the kinds you can use for medicine." It's useful information, and she's never forgotten anything her dad has taught her.

[moveswithoutsound]

He could respect that and while Gale remained a bit aloof and distant, but he made his mind up to at least let her see he intended to take up her offer.


It was a gamble, but anything he could learn that would help his family or trade his skills to obtain was a something he would not turn away from, they would always come first for Gale.

"Let me guess, you want to learn snares?" If she said yes, he would accept the trade, if not they could go about their time in the woods, trying to not bump into each other. Something Gale did not think was likely, game trails lead where they lead, a hunter follows.

[firegirl]

Katniss watches him. There is still that suspicion in her eyes though there's no reason to keep it anymore. They can't tell on each other without telling on themselves.

Even if they could, they could make it harder to cross the fence. She has no interest in getting him or anyone else noticed by the Peacemakers.

"I want to learn," she confirms, nodding her head as she looks at him. Katniss would rather gain something from him as she offers something in turn than to try to avoid him in the woods. It gave their interactions purpose and meaning, and she knows she has a lot o learn still.

[moveswithoutsound]

Gale studied her a moment longer, it would be different for him to interact with someone out here. He was a solitary young man but the knowledge was needed.

Finally he stepped forward, the young man came close enough to hold his hand out to her.

"You've got a deal, I'll teach you snares, you teach me plants." It may help with the expenses at home and if not, it would at least give them a little more food in their bellies and perhaps medicine the otherwise would not have had.

[firegirl]

It would be very different. It would mean keeping her walls up when she is usually very comfortable out in the woods.

However, they don't have to meet all the time or everyday. They can meet, share information, and part ways again. They could work out separate times to go into the forest if they needed.

"Deal," Katniss agrees, nodding after a moment before she settles the bow behind her back. "Otherwise, we stay out of each other's way, right?"

This will end up changing obviously, but she has no idea about that now.