Tundra Trouble <Closed>

DAY TWO

Colton could hardly see. His vision was reduced incredibly. He cursed this fact. It meant that he hardly had any clue where he was going. He could be heading farther into the tundra that he was now positive surrounded him, or he could be making his way out. Colton wasn't sure what to think. It was snowing heavily and it was extremely cold, but from what he had seen of the rest of the arena, it was all like this. Snow everywhere, cold encasing your bones, water supplies turning to ice. His own water jug in his backpack was under all of his layers to keep it warm. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if some of the tributes had already gotten frostbite or something. It was artic weather for these Games.

Back to the matter at hand. The wind was blowing hard against him, but this didn't mean anything to District Five's tribute. He had no clue what tundra weather was normally like. His face was already red, and he had recently lost feeling in his nose. Of course, that meant he was constantly rubbing his nose. It was probably a few different shades of red. The snow was up to his knees, and his progress was slowed. He was trying to get out of here, but he had no idea what he should do. The only option he found was to keep wandering in the direction he was heading towards, hoping that he would be able to find his way out of this god-forsaken area.

An hour or two later, he was still stuck in the snow, and he still couldn't see anything except for snow. It was snowing even harder now, something he hadn't thought possible earlier. Apparently he was wrong. Of course. Colton had almost given up on moving forward at all. The snow was blinding him with white, and he hardly could even tell which direction he was walking in anymore. His throat was dry, but eating snow was almost out of the question. It was just too cold. Perhaps a bit later, when he was more desperate. At least he had the sunglasses, which were prevented the snow from actually getting in his eyes.

The wind was blowing the snow in a swirl around him. It would have been quite pretty, if it wasn't causing Colton to freeze himself to death. I've never had it this bad...

Colton's mind faded into memories of the years in the wilderness he spent with Sherif.

It was a particularly cold day in District Five. Unfortunately, a ten-year-old Colton and his horse were stuck in the blizzard that had begun. Sherif couldn't even really move anymore, the weather was so insane. Colton knew that they would have to find a safe place for the night. He had been gone since early morning, and his parents were expecting him back by the afternoon. It was almost dusk now. He wondered if they would be out looking for him, even in this weather. Of course they will be, he told himself, they're my parents.

Colton managed to find an area in the forest under rather thick foliage that prevented too much snow from tresspassing. Obviously, they were still being bombarded with snow, but it was safer than the other places he saw. He walked over to a tree and laid one of the two blankets he had with him. One was currently on Sherif's back, and the one on the ground had been in one of the three packs with him. He had one on his back, and two were carried by Sherif. His lunch and snacks had been in the sack opposite of the one holding the blanket. Colton had finished up his lunch earlier, but, luckily, he hadn't remembered to eat earlier when the storm started. He still had some bread and vegetables to eat. It wasn't much, but he felt satisfied after eating some of it.

Being the loving master he was, Colton let Sherif finish off the last of his snacks. He also fed him the last carrot of the three he had packed in the morning. He wished he hadn't chosen to go out today. His thighs really hurt. That was the weather's fault, though, not Sherif's. How was he supposed to know that snow would come down on him in a brilliant fury?

Colton also searched for a sugar cube, and it pleased him when he found one. He instantly fed it to Sherif, who was laying down on the blanket Colton had spread out earlier. Many people didn't actually know this, but horses often laid down for short rest times if they felt comfortable enough. Sherif probably wasn't that comfortable in this weather, but he had to be exhausted after their ride today; it was very tiring. Colton's own body and mind were hardly functioning. He was hardly a decade old, after all! An entire day of riding through hard conditions wasn't easy.

Colton curled up in a ball next to Sherif, welcoming sleep. But it wasn't coming to him...it was too cold. He tried to get even warmer by pulling part of the blanket on Sherif's back over his own body. That was a bit better, but he was still cold, even though he had a thick winter jacket on. He couldn't make a fire because the snow was still coming down hard.

After about a half hour, the young boy sighed and finally resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. The thing that he hated, though, was that he couldn't continue on. He and Sherif was too tired, and the snow was basically washing out this part of the world. Colton worried that he might not be able to get home tomorrow, even after the storm. He hated feeling trapped...

Colton was trapped right now. Stuck in this stupid arena.

God, he had been cold that night. Almost as cold as he was now. Bone-chilling, hallow stomach cold.... He literally had no warmth left in his heart. He tried doing little things to keep himself warm, but it was taking all of him enery, exhausting himself more. What was he going to do? He had to stop.

Colton sunk to the ground in defeat. He couldn't keep going in this weather. He was hardly moving anywhere. He'd be warmer just burrowing in the snow, creating a shield from the wind with the one thing he hated more at the moment. Well, besides the Capitol. But maybe he could created blocks of snow and camp out in a sort of ice/snow hut.

He rolled his eyes at his desperation. He needed to be more determined than this. He had to keep going. He couldn't stop know. That's not what he told himself he would do. Colton Brax had promised himself and his father that he wouldn't give up, not even at his lowest point. Not even when he wanted to die. Not now.

He couldn't find the energy to push himself up, but he continued to crawl, ignoring how cold his hands were. He would probably have to chop them off later, but he couldn't even bring himself to care. So much more was at stake. People had already died, and he could easily be one of them. What was a little cold?

With that thought, a burst of energy ran through him. Well, if cold was only a little thing, so was fatigue. He could continue. No one else was crazy enough to be here, so he was safe and alone in this section of the arena. He knew it. He just had to be.

He stood up and continued his march with more vigor than before. Colton had to have something more than snow and cold in his future.

That's why he felt victorious when a cliff and the mountains came into sight.

{{ooc: Will be continued in The Fissure. Currently at the border between tundra and cliff/fissure/moutains/mud slide area. }}