on-duty soldier | niko, day 1

niko






































Forcing himself out of the sand, he ran and ran until he couldn't no longer. It was a miracle, he was alive. In the distance, he could still hear the clanging of metal against metal and pained screams as tributes fought each other. He looked down, inspecting himself, surprised to find not a single drop of blood on him.

He is fine.

He is different than all the tributes who came before him who died because they had stayed a moment too long. Hopefully that will give him an edge up on his competition, but the painful awareness of his lack of supplies counters his hope.

Looking to the distance, he sees the dangers that lay ahead. To his left, he sees a calm looking pond. To his right, he sees a body of water leading up to the mountain. In front of him stands an ominous body of knee-high plants and steep wetlands leading to a colorful forest in the distance.

He knows that choosing one of the two peaceful looking options would probably lead to certain death, and he had to make his choice quickly. The sounds of tributes exiting the bloodbath were quickly approaching. With much internal protest, he moves forwards, reaching the edge of the fields.

Grimacing, the boy places his right foot in, and then his left. Thankfully, the boots he was outfitted with provided some protection from the muddy ground.

As he moves through the forest of plants, the wet air felt constrictive and the squelching of his boots threatened to drive him insane. He was about to begin making his way towards the mountains, but as soon as he turns in that direction, he sees the clouds churn dangerously.

The bloodbath must be over, and there are no deaths. The odd weather pattern must mean the gamemakers are looking for another way to get their pittance in souls.

His heart starts pounding as he watches the storm clouds make their way down the cliffside, past what must be the stream in the distance, and around him. It settles over the far-off sea of pink.

It was beautiful. For just a moment, he wishes his sister could see this in person. It was better than the view she normally had to sketch: worn down factories and oil rigs. Niko knows it's for the best that she's not in a match to the death, but the thought still stuns him. Why can't they make picturesque, powerful displays of weather like this in district five and give them something more interesting to look at.

Shaking himself out of his trance, he fixes his gaze away from the swirling colors and back on watching his step. He knows the clouds mean one thing, you're trapped.

It was a good thing he managed to shift his focus away from the scene. A few steps later, he almost tripped over a hat--which must be helpful for the cold-- and a long, curved sword. Finally, something he could protect himself with.

After placing the hat on his head, brushing off some of the dirt, he picks up the sword and tosses it from hand to hand. He hated the thing.

"Better than nothing," he mutters to the weapon, knowing his voice might be the only thing he hears over the next few days, "That'll be your name until I find something better, better-than-nothing."

After continuing his trek onwards, he stops. Glancing around once to assure that no tributes are nearby, he collapses into the ground. His lips are already parched and he feels the exhaustion setting in. This is where he'll have to stay for the night.

He's had worse sleeping situations before. Imagine getting blackout at a party, waking up behind the justice building with minimal clothes, seeing peacekeeper sentries rounding the corner, and needing to sprint through the streets of district five. Niko didn't have to imagine.

Just as he feels himself about the collapse, he jolts upright. In the mud about twenty feet away, a light is slinking towards him. There's something under the wet, muddy ground. Leaping to his feet, he pulls the blade from its sheath and prepares to fight whatever beast the gamemakers sent to torture him.

However, when the glowing animal sprouts from the earth, it's giving no indication that it wants to attack.

"What are you?" he wonders silently, putting his sword to the side. It looks familiar, maybe a relic from another games.

It comes up next to him, and he raises his sword for another moment before it nuzzles the side of his leg. It's warm. It's adorable.

He lowers his sword and gets on his knees, the mud caking his pants. He pets the creature in wonder. It's not quite-solid, but he can't place a name for what type of creation it is. He doesn't remember anything about them in the mutt taming courses at the training center.

"Okay, then, if you're coming with me, you need a name."

He thinks it looks up at him.

"Let's go with Bean," he says after studying the glowing mass for a minute. That's what it looked like, a bright, liquid bean.

He thinks it seems pleased.

He can't really tell what it is, honestly, but it seems to become just a little brighter at that.

Just as he's about to say something more to the mutt, a new fright emerges.

We can't catch a break, he thinks as he sees the whirring mass of disgustingly huge bugs hurtling towards him. As they fly over him and the fields of grain, he ducks down, covering his ears as bugs shoot over him. His face scrunches up as he tries to block out the cacophony of sound. What feels like forever after, their buzzing fades into the distance and he uncovers his ears with a long sigh.

Sitting back down on the ground, he carves a place for him to lay down among the plants and the mud. He knows he shouldn't sleep, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be comfortable.

Bean, curling up--or at least oozing up--next to the boy from five, casts a warm glow on the ground.

After an hour or two of sentry duty, Niko feels himself dozing off in the setting sun. Despite his best efforts, he can already feel his will failing as Bean keeps him warm.

There are no tributes, there are no more mutts besides Bean, and there are no more signs of an oncoming attack.

But no, he can't let himself sleep. He knows full well that if he even takes a moment to truly rest, the gamemakers will find a way to ensure he never wakes up again.

And so, sitting in the mud next to Bean, the boy from five forces himself to stay alert for the night.

(using camouflage so don't jump niko <3)
[picks up Katana]
[picks up rice crackers]
[picks up straw hat]
[sponsored a backpack]
[stuff in maint!]

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