An Afternoon Walk | Open

Since Zeus volunteered for and died in the Games, I've been spending a lot more time in the woods, much like he used to, but with a different purpose. He would bring his axe or his knife into the woods and kill animals. When I go into the woods, I come in peace. I go there to wander and to observe. Most importantly, I go there to learn.

I pick berries and bring them back home to identify them with the books and charts that I have. It's become something I'm quite good at. I even test my answers to see if I'm right by eating the ones that I've deemed safe, and thus far, I've got one hundred percent accuracy. That's definitely a good thing, as having the wrong answer could kill me. I don't want to be the idiot who dies eating poisonous berries because they were the wrong shade of red.

Wandering in the woods within Seven's boundaries today, I picked some berries and started filling up a little pouch I had with me. Twigs snapped underfoot a couple of times, but I was so absorbed in what I was doing that I didn't focus on my surroundings as much as I likely would have on a normal day.

Then, something breaks my concentration. Someone is nearby, and they cleared their throat. Then, someone spoke.

“H… Hello? Who’s there?” her voice squeaks out at me. I step out of the brush to face the girl.

"Er- sorry to scare you. I'm not here to hurt you," I said, which is a much different response than what my brother would've had.

"I'm Fuse. Fuse Prank." I decided it was best to introduce myself to her. Perhaps that would calm her nerves a bit. I wasn't in the Games, and therefore, I wasn't planning on hurting anyone.