running with the wolves {3 duowolf + Riptide Day 3}

" 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒈𝒐. "

Six had a hard time falling asleep last night. As he gazed up at the night sky he hoped that nothing would be there - though he had a gut feeling he was wrong. Then it happened. The face of Estelle shone out into the night sky. And suddenly, grief hit him. This was worse than when he had found out Emerson died or even when he killed the dart jaguar. He didn't know Estelle well, but that didn't matter.

He felt a sense of loyalty to Estelle since they were both from Eleven. And then there was the fact she was an Izar. Vasco and the rest of that family had been through enough, and they were adding another body to the pile. He felt a mixture of sadness and anger. Sadness for Estelle's family and friends, sadness for Vasco, and sadness for the entire district. But, the anger was still there.

Sure, some of it was directed at Estelle. He didn't understand why she would volunteer given her family history. Even without it, he didn't understand why anyone would volunteer. Estelle, Evan, Thad, any of them. He had a feeling that he would never understand it. But then, he realised something. He shouldn't be mad at a dead girl. That was wrong on so many levels.

No, he wasn't mad at her. He was mad at the Capitol. He was mad at the society that made these games some honor you should want to volunteer for. He was mad at whoever came up for the idea of these games in the first part. Before the reaping he was starting to question his parents blind faith in these Hunger Games. But now after experiencing them?

He was going to make sure to tell them how wrong they were, even if they got mad at him. And even if he died he'd use his dying breath to say anything he could to make sure his siblings knew that this was not a positive thing. He wanted to protect them from making the same mistake as Estelle and Evan and all the other volunteers.

Once he did manage to sleep, it hit him all at once and there he was, curled up next to Thad. At this point, he didn't see a difference between Thad and Lock or Prop or any of his other brothers. Evan he was still getting some bad vibes from, but he guessed it was just a difference in personality. He didn't see what Thad did when it came to the danger that Evan was. Regardless of that danger, Evan had saved Six more than once so he had no reason not to trust him.

Unlike the previous morning, Six wasn't up before the trumpet call. He jolted awake once he heard it and then got nervous once he heard the thunder. He wasn't necessarily scared of thunder, but it certainly didn't comfort him like it comforted some people. And the humidity from the last couple of days had made his already curly hair even more frizzy and poofy than usual. And with the lightening strikes so close, it was probably a good idea to try to find some sort of shelter.

Once they showed up to the cabins one word popped into Six's mind. Shelter. This seemed like a safe place to stay for the day, especially if the storm was going to pass tomorrow. He didn't see any other tributes, at least not yet anyway. Though, this arena as a whole was so expansive another tribute or two could definitely be nearby without him knowing. Regardless, the last thing they needed was to be struck by lightening considering Six had already been shocked the previous day (and he was thankful he was sponsored combat boots to protect him from the urine).

"This seems like a safe spot to wait out the stor- mutts!"

Six had noticed a mutt coming out of seemingly nowhere and lunging at him. In record time he blocked the mutt with his machete. He was glad his sleep was so deep, otherwise if his reaction time was lower he could've gotten bit. He noticed two more coming, but he didn't give Thad and Evan enough of a warning to block it or dodge like he did. He quickly swung at the mutt that had attacked him. He wanted to help Evan and Thad, but Ivan told him not to turn his back on an enemy like that.

" 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒈𝒐. "

Six let out a cry of pain when the wolf sunk it's teeth into his leg. It wasn't the tearing of his flesh or the sharpness of it's teeth that got to him. It was the force and strength in it's jaw. He could see it happening. The wolf biting with such force his leg snapped - he was just thankful it bit his right leg instead of it's left leg that broke day one. Or maybe when it pulled away it would rip off his leg as it did so.

He watched as one took off Thad's ear and Evan's finger. He felt a mixture of fear and adrenaline pump through him. His brain told him to run. To leave the two of them. That he was way over his head and that he promised Fly he would try his hardest to come back. But his heart told him to stay, that he couldn't betray them like that. And Six is one of those idiots who listens to their hearts.

He wanted to jump in and help Evan or attack the wolf focusing on Thad, but he couldn't. Besides, this one was already injured and him and Thad could hopefully finish it off. He just hoped that they finished it off before the wolves ripped them to shreds. Maybe another tribute would encounter the wolves gnawing on his bones after they eat off his flesh. The poor O'Malleys would be left with nothing to bury of Six, just a photograph at home.

Speaking of the O'Malleys, he wondered if they watched these parts of the Hunger Games. Did they to make sure he would be alright? Or did they just face away from the screen and pray, knowing that if he died they'd soon find out from everyone around them? He hoped if it was the latter that it was someone like Vasco who broke the news, he could try to comfort them the best he could. But then, who comforted Vasco and others like him? Who was there to make Lock smile in the hard times when Lock himself became upset?

He decided that if his family was out there in the square, watching that big screen, he'd give them something to watch. He wasn't going to break his promise to Fly. He was going to try his hardest to win until the bitter end. Sure, he was terrified right now. But he let his adrenaline and even his fear drive the swing of the sword. And he prayed that this time he wouldn't miss.

" 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒈𝒐. "

For the first time since entering the arena, he genuinely believed he was going to die. As the wolf tore into him again, the other two attacked his allies. They weren't doing near enough damage fast enough. He couldn't think of a strategy or even about whether or not he should just run. All he could think of was that he didn't want to die.

He didn't care if he had to kill these mutts or other tributes or anything. He just didn't want to die. But here he was, being ripped to shreds like so many tributes who had come before him. He just hoped that his family had something to bury for some sort of closure. He wanted them to be taken care of. Maybe one day they'll even be able to move on. As long as no other O'Malley had to go through this.

But, he wasn't dead yet. He had a feeling he was destined to die in this arena. But, he could help Evan or Thad get home. Maybe they weren't destined for his fate. They were stronger than he was - physically and mentally. He wasn't born to do something like this. He just wasn't.

As panic filled him he began to hyperventilate slightly and he tried to get his breathing under control. A few loose tears spilled out as he moved towards the wolf again. He had to find a way to do this, to survive. He had barely done anything this entire time. They all couldn't just die here like this. What would his family do? Or Thad's little brothers? Or Evan's family?

Please God. Please. I can't die here. Just let me live. Please let me live. I don't want to die. I don't want to die.

" 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒑𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒈𝒐. "

Six didn't mourn the death of the duowolf as he had previously mourned the death of the dart jaguar. Maybe after the fight had ended he would, but right now his body was pumped full of adrenaline. He actually did something useful. He protected himself and Thad. He was alive. He felt truly alive as blood covered him. He was in pain and scared, but in that moment he was truly living.

Six's lungs felt like they were on fire. He was deafened by the pounding sound of his own heart. His muscles burned and his wounds stung. But all of that only made him more determined. He had prayed to God for help and Gods answer was a stab in the foot to the mutt and then both mutts missing the tributes. And now God was reminding him that he was alive after he asked to keep living.

Now that that Mutt was dead, he went to try to help Evan. He tried not to look at Evans hand just as he looked at avoiding Thad's ear. He knew the only reason he could keep going was his adrenaline and seeing his friends with missing body parts might mess with that. He just wanted this to be over with. Not just the fight, but the Hunger Games as a whole.

More than ever he wanted to be at home on the farm. And these mutts were standing between him being on that farm. And that was a sin he couldn't forgive them for. He needed to be at home. He missed his moms pancakes and his brothers playing and his sisters and everything. He missed the long days and the hard work during harvest time. He even missed the sunburns and the farmers tan.

He thought about everything he missed as he swung at the duowolf that Evan was fighting. He knew it was on deaths doorstep. And later he may regret this. But right now? Right now he didn't care. He could smell the pancakes and hear Lock's laughter and feel the sheets of his bed at home. And that's all he needed to find the strength to keep fighting. To end this thing.