Thread: A Mockingjay Fettered (HeavenSundered & Randomname)

With all of the remaining bandits having turned their attention to Troy, who clearly represented the much bigger threat, it was easy enough for Katniss to sneak up on one of them from behind. Scooping up a large rock on her way, she slammed it against the back of the man's head. Not hard enough to kill, but enough to send him stumbling forward into the ground, moaning and writhing weakly as he barely clung to his consciousness. When he eventually regained enough of his composure to move, he noticed that his companions had fled and opted to do the same, awkwardly crawling and hobbling away. Having gained in confidence now that the tides had turned in their favor, adrenaline still pumping heavily through her body, Katniss turned back towards Troy, ready to take on any of the remaining bandits only to realize that they were all gone. She was immediately faced with a new problem, however, when he eyes dipped down to the knife handle sticking out of the boy's side and the dark red stain on his shirt all around it. When he asked her if she was okay, Katniss shot his back a perturbed glare, wondering if he was crazy - he was the one with the knife sticking out of him, after all, not her - but most of all she was extremely concerned. Oh no, shit, shit, shit! she blurted out, rushing over to him. Katniss moved to his right side, supporting the muscular and much taller boy as best as she could, easing him down into a sitting position against a thick tree. Then she quickly circled around to his left, which was the side that the knife was stuck in, trying to get a better look at the wound as she knelt next to him. The good news was that it appeared to be some sort of skinning knife with a relatively short blade, so even through it been shoved in to the hilt, it probably wasn't deep enough to hit a vital organ. Still, it was bleeding like hell, causing a wave of panic to sweep over Katniss as she tried to figure out what to do. The girl did know some first aid basics that he father had taught her, but they were suddenly very difficult to recall when the situation was dire and the pressure was on. Bandages, first of all, she needed bandages, or anything that could make a passable substitute since she wasn't carrying any on her. Without any hesitation, she hastily removed her jacket before pulling her dark grey shirt up over her head, leaving her wearing nothing but a white bra from the waist up. Bunching the shirt up, Katniss wrapped it around the handle of the knife and pressed down, applying pressure to hopefully slow the bleeding. Troy? Troy?! she called his name, trying to make sure that he wasn't in danger of passing out from the blood loss and also to get his attention. I need to pull the knife out, okay? Not wanting to alarm him, Katniss did her absolute best not to sound half as nervous or scared as she felt. Still applying pressure on to the shirt with one hand, she grabbed the handle of the knife with the other. Take a deep breath and get ready, on three. One, two... Before she'd even finished with the two , Katniss pulled the knife out as quick and straight as she could to minimize any more damage. Ignoring Troy's cries or screams, if he made any, she tossed the bloody weapon aside and went back to applying pressure with both hands, looking into his eyes to try keeping him calm. Alright...alright... she breathed, more to herself than to him as she tried to think of the next step. I need you to keep the pressure on, like this, okay? Katniss asked, taking Troy's hands one at a time and placing them over the shirt. Once he agreed, she got up and frantically scanned the area, looking for her quiver. Spotting it a lying on the ground not too far away, she went over to retrieve it. It wasn't the arrows that Katniss was interested in at the moment, but rather the leather strap used to sling the quiver over her back. After disconnecting the strap from the quiver, she ran back over to wrap it tightly around Troy's torso, over her blood-soaked shirt, providing a more permanent source of pressure. Can you walk? Without waiting for a reply, Katniss was already circling back over to Troy's uninjured side to help him up. I think I managed to slow the bleeding, but we have to get you home, fast. My mom's a healer, she'll know how to take care of you. The girl tossed a single hesitant glance back over her shoulder at the deer carcass that was still sprawled out on the ground, finding it difficult to leave her prize behind, but Troy's well-being was obviously far more important, so she shook her head to disperse any disappointment and instead focused on getting him back to her house safely.