Birds of a Feather [Closed to Clove]

Waking up while the stars were still out was a habit of Donovan's. Early bird gets the worm, that's what they always say. In Donovan's case, the early bird gets all the tough labor to do because no one else is willing. Not that he really minded. Just sometimes he worried that something or someone would pop out and send adrenaline rushing through his body and his knees would buckle and the certain bird he had been holding would fly away. He had to compensate for those birds which cost the equivalent of a tessera. How convenient for the Capitol.
Walking down the path, still in a daze, Donovan made for the road that led into the square. They were running low on mice and other small prey in their area, but he had struck up a good deal with a rabbit breeder. As if rabbits needed a breeder anyway.
The sun was just climbing over the horizon when the dirt roads smoothed into cobble stoned streets. Donovan paused a moment in front of TV stationed in the window of a shop in the square. It was Caesar Flickerman filling everyone in on some of the tributes. They were going over their names, their districts, their interviews. Just a recap of the rituals that had already happened. Something popped into Donovan's mind that told him how easily he could have been one of those tributes, and how thankful that he was not.
The early morning sun cast a gentle pink light over the square, softening the extreme corners of buildings and signaling the people of District 5 that is was time to start work for another day.
Donovan, remembering why he had come here, started towards the other side of the square but was distracted yet a second time. It was the small candy shop, no wider than three people standing side by side. After a moment of thought, Donovan climbed its narrow steps and went inside, making the little bell posed at the top of the door jingle. The boy had some money, and one of his birds he had named Temple, after the famous Hunger Games announcer, had a passion for sugared fruits.
The Crater kid slapped the tarnished bell on the front counter waiting to be served.