decadence | niko, day 4

At first he had been suspicious of the billowing beams of light, poking them gently with the tip of his foot. When he didn't fall to his death, he took a deep breath and planted both of his feet on the bridge. After taking a few steps towards the first of many flying islands, he grew more confident. At least, he was confident, until he looked down.

When Niko glanced down at the ground beneath him, his vision seemed to widen and the cherry blossom trees looked like they were rushing towards him. His breath catches in his throat and his heart quickens. He's frozen in terror for a moment, and he's about to turn around and walk right back to solid ground.

A canon in the distance rocks him back to reality. Heights are the worst, but he knows if he could get to one of the floating islands, he could see someone coming from a mile away- there's not much covering the bridges. Besides, the terrain was made for a reason, so there must be something here that can help him.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before he continues on his path. When he's looking right ahead at his destination, the walk is almost calming. The gently blowing wind and sweet smell of cherry blossoms is a stark difference from the smoke and bugs consuming him earlier in the day.

Bean traipsing alongside him also calms his worries. If a mutt is fine walking along the unsteady path, it has to be safe, right?

When he reaches the largest island he'd been eying, he stops and sits in the grass. Off the edge, his breath catches once again, but not because of fear.

Beneath him, small gusts shake the pink blossoms in mesmerizing patterns. Beyond that, he sees the cornucopia, the large pond, and the fields of grain. There's the stream leading up to the mountain, and then there's the mountain itself. He can see terrains he had missed on the way to the top, fields of glowing plants and some odd, ruined structures.

What interests him most though are the small figures. He can see clumps of them, tiny dots in the distance, some near the stream leading up to the mountain and some, slightly closer, near the ruins. It must be other tributes fighting.

At least they're far enough away. Maybe he could get some actual sleep tonight.

A glint of light catches his eye and he sees what looks like a glowing fox in the distance. It's beautiful, but he doesn't want to find out what it could do to him.

He breaths out, letting himself have a moment of peace in the sweet-smelling wind. Finally, some quiet amidst the chaos.

[using camo]
[stuff in maint]

---

bean

[kaitlin]