Training It Out - D7 (Open to All)

THUD. Juniper smiled at the perfection. The perfection of her axe stuck deep into the wood of the tree. She had been practicing that for a while, and it was beginning to pay off. She could now throw an axe accurately from quite a distance. Juniper rotated her shoulder, testing to see whether she had hurt it. As she walked the distance to the tree to retrieve her axe, she thought about her condition just a few short years ago. She had been afraid, so afraid. Unable to get out of bed, unable to lift an axe, and most importantly, unable to defend herself if she was reaped. But not now. Never again.

As Juniper reached the tree she staggered her legs, setting herself to pull out the axe. She gently laid her hand on the weapon, caressing it. Suddenly Juniper clamped down on the handle with a death grip, and ripped the axe from its place in the tree. When she did, she whirled around and swung her axe in the air. But it stopped, mid-air, blocked by another axe.

Juniper searched for the wielder of the axe, and her eyes met those of a boy. He was tall, buff...and young, very young. You wouldn't know to look at him, but a person's eyes almost always tell their age. Juniper swung her axe to her side, bringing the boy's axe down at the same time.

"Strong swing," she said, nodding at his weapon. She looked him up and down and decided to just ask her question. "How old are you?"

The boy's answer confirmed what Juniper had already guessed. He was young, and he looked uncomfortable, a little awkward. I guess most teenage guys are though. Juniper reminded herself.

"Yourself? Oh, and what's your name?"

Well at least he's not so uncomfortable that he's rude. He's not exactly friendly though. Juniper thought, but when she replied she smiled. Just like a frightened animal. You do what you can to convince them that you're not a villain.

"17. And I'm Juniper." As the boy tripped over a rock Juniper offered a bit more conversation. "Don't often see other people training out here...I assume that's what you're doing anyway. What's your name?"

"No, I just come out here because I don't like trees, they're a sin against nature, what do they do? Create Oxygen, keep us alive, big whoop..."

Confused, I look questioningly at the boy. I'm used to sarcasm and all that, but there's something else in his tone. He must have noticed my perplexity, because he immediately jumped back in with an explanation. "It's a joke. No, I train. Can never be too prepared in case you get reaped, huh?"

I nod my assent, and he promptly begins to tell me his name. "Oh, me? Pine. Pine Di-Cresta. After the tree, my mother loves the spell of Pine needles. And I've heard that Di-Cresta comes from a country called It-ali. It had population about 700 years ago. People liked the food."

He's rambling. It's not a big deal, but I hate it when people don't feel comfortable around me. He seems to suddenly realize what he's doing, and he gets himself under control.

"So what do you do in your spare time? Apart from training. I can see that you've been doing that for a long time. You like School?"

"Love school. Not that we learn anything worth knowing, but the fact that we're learning anything at all..." I shrug and smile, "knowledge is power. Besides, even if you don't like what we're learning, there's still the social aspect. And as you get older your teachers give you a little more freedom. It also helps if you can get your teachers to like you. They let me do whatever the heck I want." Now I'm the one rambling. It all came out easily, engagingly, and it didn't actually sound like rambling. But it was more than I had meant to say. Might as well finish answering his question. "Other than that, I work with my dad. He's a lumberjack."

It's silent for a moment as Pine processes all the personal information I just threw at him. And then he asks another question. Maybe he thinks it's the only one that can be a true judge of character. The words come out harshly, "And what about The Capitol. On a Scale of 1 to 10, how much do you hate them?"

So even at 14, this kid is already one of them. One of those children who can't deal with our life and the horrors that fill it unless they have someone who they can hate wholeheartedly. Now if there's anyone who deserves it, it's the Capitol. But at the same time, that mindset doesn't help anything. "I don't hate them. What I feel about them is on a seperate scale. I find them horrible, grotesque, outrageous. They're pathetic, and I pity them. Love, Hate, Fear, all three emotions place the Capitol at the center of your existence. I don't know about you, but they don't deserve any place in my life, and I don't plan to give them one." This was my opinion. I was careful to avoid saying it preachily, it was just the way I viewed things.

We had been making a fair amount of noise, and the whole time I was speaking I was somehow subconsciously aware of someone approaching. A voice broke through the forest. "Hmn...so I'm not the only one who finds himself out here huh?"

I turned to look for the owner of the voice and my eyes landed on a boy. If the guy next to me was a giant, grown past his years, the boy before must have been some sort of elf or fairy, so fair and small was his appearance. The slightly effeminate turn of his features made me decide that he looked like a fairy prince from the old stories. Except for the blindfold. And the scars. Those were a little weird.

I responded immediately. Leaping across the forest floor, I came to his side and shook his hand before he had time to withdraw. I was genuinely curious about this kid. "Apparently not. I'm Juniper, this is Pine. What's your name?" I paused for a second and decided to ask the question that really interested me for the second time today. With an ironic smile that only Pine would appreciate I added, "And how old are you?"

(Ill just slip back out the way I came.)

'What?' I think out loud. Wasn't he just there. And now he's gone..." My voice trailed off, that kid distracted me, there was something about him... something strange.

"Well that was creepy." Juniper said, she wasn't sure what to think, from what I could see. "Did you see that, or am I hallucinating?" She asked me.

"We could be high." I say amusingly, but she seems confused. I remembered that not many people know about stuff like this, I only learnt from a friend. "Oh, there's a rumour that these things called 'Drugs' in the Capitol are being selled illegally. They make you a little strange, spaced out, or see things. They can also kill you."

I'm not sure whether Juniper thinks I'm lying or not, but from what I've heard, it's true. There was an awkward silence, before I had a sudden thought.

"Let's go look for him." I say quickly.

Juniper is so startled like this, she can barely answer, but I'm past the bush the kid came through, I'm finding him.

"Well are you coming or not?" I ask.

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