Thread: A Mockingjay Fettered (HeavenSundered & Randomname)

The morning had been as unproductive as it was bleak and grey, barely any hints of dim sunlight occasionally shining through the thick blanket of dark clouds overhead. It wouldn't be too much longer before the storm came, and Katniss would much rather not be caught out in it if she could avoid it. Unless she found some suitable game soon, however, she might not have a choice. Her mother had been forced to sell most of their reserves at the market just to pay the mortgage on their house, so there wouldn't be any food on the table at supper unless Katniss brought some back. The wild forest was packed with enough wildlife that she generally didn't have much trouble, but today was different. She kept running into tracks - human tracks, and several sets of them, too. At least four that Katniss could count. Probably some amateurs that were making far too much noise and scaring off any potential prey, if she had to guess. Huffing with frustration, the sixteen-year-old pulled up the collar on her leather jacket to better protect herself from the chilling wind as she headed in the opposite direction of the tracks, expecting to have more success that way. That assumption proved to be correct. Even more so than Katniss could have anticipated, in fact. Peering into a small clearing through the thick foliage of a bush, she spotted not just the usual squirrel or rabbit, but one of the rare and prized deer that could occasionally be spotted in the forest. Katniss had only ever seen one maybe three or four times herself, but she'd never managed to get close enough to land an arrow. With a silent gasp, she carefully retrieved the bow from her back and drew an arrow out of her quiver while finding a way around the bush, not wanting to risk startling the animal by rustling any leaves. Katniess couldn't help but admire the beautiful creature while she made her approach, part of her feeling a tinge of guilt for what she was about to do. Still, her first priority was towards her mother and little sister. She had to keep them safe and fed, even if that meant taking the life of an innocent and noble animal. Just like she'd done thousands of times before, Katniss nocked her arrow, held her breath while pulling back on the bowstring, and finally released what was probably the most important shot of her life thus far. The sharpened projectile whirred briefly through the air before sinking deeply into the deer's side. The poor creature took off running, but it barely made it fifty feet or so before collapsing. Running over to it, Katniss put it out of its misery quickly with her knife. Next, she had to figure out how to actually bring her catch back home with her. This wasn't something that happened every day, so she wasn't exactly prepared. At first, Katniss considered building some type of rack or sled for the carcass out of branches and rope, but she ultimately decided that it would take too long and probably wouldn't help much anyways. The deer was small enough that she should be able to drag it by the leg. It was difficult, but not impossible. She'd made it about three quarters of the way back already when the sounds of voices nearby caused her to look for a place to hide. With how close the voices were, there was no way that Katniss could get out of sight fast enough while dragging the deer carcass behind her, so she was forced to leave it and hope that the strangers she heard passed by without taking notice. Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky. Hey, check over there, what's that? one of the men alerted his buddies before the group of four headed over to the deer. What the...must be our lucky day, boys, another one commented, kneeling to inspect the deer more closely. You got any idea how much one of those is worth at the Hob? We'll be set for at least a month! the first man added excitedly. Well, don't just stand there, idiots! Grab it and let's go! the one kneeling, apparently the leader, commanded. That was when Katniss jumped out into the open. No, don't touch it! I killed it, it's mine, she exclaimed, holding out an arrow with a bloody tip in her hand. She realized how dangerous it was, challenging four grown men all in their early twenties by herself, but there was no way that she was letting them steal her biggest catch ever. A couple of them started laughing. Put your arrow away, little girl, that doesn't prove anything, the leader replied brashly. We're the ones who killed this deer, and we're the ones who're gonna collect the rewards, so piss off before collect a little something from you, too. Without thinking, Katniss allowed her anger and frustration to get the better of her as she drew her bow and swiftly shot an arrow, planting it into a tree trunk just an inch away from the leader's face as a warning. Sadly for her, it had the opposite of the intended effect as the four men all came rushing at her rather than running away in fear. She clipped the first one in the face with her bow, sending him reeling before one of the others grabbed her arm. Twisting her body to face him, Katniss drove her knee between his legs, drawing a pained grunt from him as he let go of her and doubled over. By then, the other two were on her, though, and she wasn't able to fight them all off. A hard backhand across the face dazed her long enough for the men to throw Katniss over a fallen tree, one of them holding her down by her arms while the leader got behind her and roughly pulled her pants down to her knees. NO!!! she howled when his hands reached for the waistband of her white panties, and she managed to knock him back with a wild kick. Still having to free herself from the other guy holding her down, Katniss bit him hard on the arm as her most desperate survival instincts took over. Cursing loudly and angrily, the man let her go, and she immediately rolled off of the log, landing on the cold forest floor. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! She screamed at the top of her lungs while struggling to pull her pants back up so that she could stand, praying that someone else might hear her, as unlikely as it probably was. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!