A Late Night Hunt (OPEN)

One could easily get lost in the beauty of the forest at night. So tranquil, so mysterious. So dangerous. A snap of a twig could mean a rabbit, providing one with a meal for the day. Of course, it could also mean a man-eating monster bred by the Capitol to eat young hunters while out on nightly strolls. I usually take the sound to mean the first option, but you never know. You’ve just gotta be alert. You’ve gotta be attentive. I myself have trained my body to be alert while in the forests. I don’t want to be mauled to death because I wasn’t paying attention to the sounds around me. That’s stupid. So I’ve taught myself to always listen to the noises that may prove to be a fatal creature in hiding – for example, the crackle of leaves or a rustle of the branches above me. I know the sounds and generally, I am prepared for what nature decides to chuck my way.

Unfortunately, I haven’t quite taught myself how to perfectly react to unknown human voices calling out to me while I am wandering throughout the woods at a dangerous hour of the night.

Which is why I guess the sudden sound of the girl’s voice had nearly given me a heart attack. I’m not one to be skittish, but I honestly had not expected another soul to be trekking towards the forests at this time of night. Well, unless you count the peacekeepers. But I kinda doubt they have souls.

“Who’s there?” she calls out. I remain silent, summing up the situation quickly in my head. From where I am standing I can see her silhouette faintly illuminated by the moonlight. She doesn’t seem too tall, but she definitely is holding a weapon of some sorts. These forests are not things to be tread through while unprotected.

From my quick observations I guess that she seems safe enough to approach. Likely just another hunter out for a nightly trek. Her voice doesn’t sound too threatening and she definitely isn’t old enough to be an adult, who would probably only end up scolding me for being out so late, so hey, what the heck? I was spotted, so I decide that I may as well not try and hide the obvious. I’d probably only end up freaking the girl out if I decided to slink off into the shadows anyhow, so I figure it’d be best to just let her know I’m not some rabid animal lurking around the dimly lit woods.

“Just a fellow hunter.” I call out. I try to keep my voice down. I’m not sure if it works. I won’t give my name to her unless she asks, I quickly decide. At this late hour I can’t even tell who exactly the person is. “And you are?” I kind of doubt she’ll give me her name, since I didn’t giver her mine. But hey, one can hope, right? Well, then again, she might already know me, especially if she’s seen me around the District before. But right know, I honestly don’t know who this girl is. You know, sometimes I wish the night was lit by something brighter than the moon.