Jagged Starchuck

## Jagged

“I’m glad we can finally agree on something. I’ve been told that again and again, but this is the first time someone’s put it into words.”

- Jagged to Sheri, after she insults him

## Backstory

Like many other cats in District 12, Jagged’s family was very poor and struggled to get by. His father, who worked all day to bring back barely enough money for the family’s survival, was injured in a mining accident and was partially disabled because of it. In the same accident, Jagged’s older brother, Drift, perished. This was a massive blow for them all, not only because of how tragic the event was, but because Drift was eighteen years old, meaning that he was the only one who could perform well in the mine. Jagged’s parents were so shocked that they somewhat gave up on themselves, since their younger son was only eleven at the time and it would be many years before he, too, could get a job.

The effect on Jagged was that he began to feel neglected and ignored by his parents, supposing that they would have replaced him for Drift any day. The young cat began to develop a strong hatred for anyone who was more fortunate than he was, and eventually even those who weren’t. Bullying others became the only thing that could fill the dark hole in his heart left by Drift’s death and his parents’ rejection. His primary target was Finch, who had a relatively comfortable family life as well as a tendency to never fight back.

When the small cat turned twelve years old, Jagged being fifteen at the time, the older tom teased him about how weak he was and wished aloud that Finch or his older sister Kestrel would be chosen as one of the tributes. Positive that it wouldn’t happen, Jagged merely wanted to give him a scare and enjoy the satisfaction it would bring him. However, the name that was read out on that Reaping Day was indeed Finch’s. Horrified, Jagged tried to apologize to him, but was silenced as Kestrel scarred him on the cheek and volunteered to accompany her younger brother without hesitation.

Jagged didn’t talk to anyone for the most part of the year. When Finch and Kestrel both died in the Games, he was too ashamed to go to their funeral. All his time was spent refining the fighting skills that Drift had taught him when he was alive, and he’d stay up late at night writing his dark thoughts down in the form of poems and quotes. A lot of the time he wouldn’t even feel pain or hunger. It was only as the next Reaping approached that the answer was clear. In order to give his life a sense of purpose as well as give Finch and Kestrel a final apology, he’d volunteer as tribute.

As this fateful day approached, Jagged decided to finally talk to the parents of Kestrel and Finch, apologizing for all the trouble he’d caused them in the past and telling them about his plans to volunteer. The evening before the Reaping, he left a letter for his parents, in which he sourly noted that he’d do his best to make them proud, and that, if they were lucky, no one in District 12 would ever see him again. ‘Good riddance’.

## Training

As training began, Jagged realized that the solution he’d come up with wasn’t exactly written in black and white. One of the female tributes was Halle, a cat he’d known and teased in the past because of her blindness and of her mother’s disease. She reminded him that, while his intentions may have been good, he was still going to have to kill cats in the arena. Feeling like he had with Halle a chance to make it up to Finch, Jagged promised he’d use his skills to protect her and others who deserved to go home more than he did. And if he did win, he’d distribute his wealth to help her mother, and many other families in all of the Districts.

While in Training, Jagged spent most of his time fighting the holograms, as he felt that this station would bring him the most preparation for the Games. He met several cats and made quite a few allies, some of which were impressed by his obvious talent in fighting. Others, however, could see right through him and find his true lack of confidence in his decisions. Jagged was still haunted by nightmares while he slept, seeing Finch and Kestrel and feeling as if they were reminding him that, no matter what he did, it was too late.

At the Tribute Parade and his interview, Jagged didn’t fail to wow the Capitol and gave off the impression that, like many other career tributes, he was here for the glory it would bring him. While this wasn’t the case and he never dared to elaborate on his shameful past in the public eye, he knew that it would pay in sponsors.

(WIP!)