Arden Osterly

## Bio

*Arden Osterley (they/them). Tribute. District Seven. Twenty-one. Liv Hewson*.

TW: Death Mention, TW: Child Death Mention

   What was their childhood like?

Arden Osterley was dead. Actually, they had died at least three times that they knew of—some more than others—but at least three times. After three one tended to lose count.

It was a shame, really, because Arden was born so alive. They had tufts of red hair to match one older sibling and all seven of the siblings that would come after them. Red hair and lungs that bellowed a cry their parents swore could be heard for miles. Arden learned to climb just as easily as they learned to walk, maybe even more easily, and climb they did. They climbed every tree that wasn’t already being struck with an axe. They climbed in the way that only children can climb a tree to reach the top of the world. Arden was always in a tree, and no one thought twice about it, until one particularly damp spring and the climbing of one sick, weak tree.

They were seven years old the first time they died. That was the death of most significant importance. After that, death was just something that happened from time to time, never with much fuss at all. On this day, Arden was determined to climb the highest tree they’d ever attempted. They were so steady, moving from branch to branch with a grace birds would be jealous of and a speed the squirrels would envy. The goal was to make it to the top, but Arden decided to take a rest on a branch in the middle. It was the tree who’d asked them to pause. It was the forest who’d assigned a fate to them, a calling maybe, a gift.

The branch creaked and snapped beneath them until Arden was falling, no longer held by the tree. Their little body hit the ground, and they died. But they also lived, healed. They spent several weeks in bed while their bones slowly mended, and their bruises faded. Eventually, they learned to walk again, regained their voice and their wit. It took a very long time, but their body became recognizable once again. Arden’s life regained a sense of normalcy in school and in play, except for the fact that they were dead, and they were alive. The trees promised Arden that those two things were not so different, and slipping between them was a special gift that they had. It was so perfectly clear: the spirits of the forest had gifted this to Arden. Arden could speak on behalf of the spirits, and in turn, the spirits would guide them and protect them through various states of being—dead, alive, something perhaps in between.

   How do they feel about the Games?

Arden is possibly one of the few people in the outer districts who isn’t scared of the Games. Arden is opposed to cruelty, and instead prefers kindness and openness between people. However, they are not afraid of death in and of itself. Birth is death, and through death one is simply reborn. States of being are never fixed, and if you’re lucky you do not have to close a door that’s been walked through. Arden believes that tributes do not have to sacrifice a merciful heart to participate in the Games, it is only fear that brings people to cruelty. Arden is not afraid.

   What is their personality like?

Arden is calm, connected to nature and the self. They have a deep respect for all living beings and a deep belief in life as something both finite and fluid. It ends and it begins, and not in any particular order. They thrive in connecting to others in meaningful ways, and while they may not necessarily seek the good in others, they do seek the value in everything they do.

   What is their district token?

Arden’s token is a Dara Knot woven into a bracelet of twine. There is no beginning or end, and it pays homage to the trees.

   Three strengths and three weaknesses.

+Empathetic, open minded, intuitive

-Impractical, impressionable, muddled

**PENNED BY: HAIR**