HI! Thanks for reading! Oh My GOD! We ended the chapter with Scarlet KILLING DAWSON :( I mean... we know Scarlet and we know she didn't want any allies...but he literally just saved her life. 

(I'm super curious if anyone reading thought that this would play out like the original in that Katniss didn't want allies, but then allied with Rue and then watched her be killed) 

But I'll take this opportunity to remind you: Scarlet is not Katniss. If you compare them, Scarlet is so much more selfish, pragmatic, and desperate for survival. 

Kindly Vote!

Take care and stay safe! ~CANGEL

***

Scarlet Wolfe

     Dawson jerked away from her, looking down at the wound in his stomach in shock. Scarlet did as well for a moment seeing blood gush from the wound, staining his jacket red. Before he could react, she grabbed his hair, and pulled his head back as she ran her blade across his throat. Blood spurted out from his newest wound, splattering her face and shirt before she pushed him to the ground.

     She watched his body struggle for a moment, blood pooling from his mouth and throat. His eyes stared at her accusingly before his entire body grew still. His chest didn't move anymore, but his grey eyes continued to stare at her.

     He was the fourth to die by her hands since the beginning of the games.

     Scarlet didn't waste time or stop to think about what she'd done. It's done. Dawson was already gone. She gathered the small pack that was set a foot away from them, the bow, and the sheath of arrows from under his body, trying hard not to think about what she was doing.

     She glanced over at the Cornucopia, seeing the Careers and Crimson going through the salvageable supplies. The fire was out, but smoke still billowed from the shelter, and she wondered if they would try to sleep in there tonight or suffer out in the cold like the rest of them. 

     If they tried sleeping out in the open, even with a fire, they'd freeze to death, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. But it was a kind of pretty image that formed in her mind just then, the image of the Careers huddled together for warmth in the woods while the Cornucopia remained completely empty.

     Scarlet sat in the snow, a few feet away from the dead body and the rapidly growing circle of red around him. She pulled off her shoes from around her neck and pulled off her gloves so that she could work the knots with her nails before relacing both of her boots. Next, she pulled the dry socks over her feet before shoving them one after another into her dry boots. Her frozen feet stung, as they warmed inside the socks and boots.

     Ignoring the discomfort, she tucked the bottom of her pants into the tops of her boots and tied the laces as tight as she could around the boots with the hope that this would keep the snow away from her ankles and help to keep her socks dry.

     Next, Scarlet shoved the smaller pack into the larger one, without going through them. She slid the razor wire over her jacket on her arm for emergencies, and let the ice picks remain around her neck, hanging down her chest. The bow and arrow got strapped to her back, covered by her larger pack. She kept her holster of blades at her waist and held the spear in hand as she crawled out from the underbrush, as careful as possible not to shake or rattle the branches and cause notice.

     Once she was sure that she was ready to move, and that everything was as comfortable and secure as it would be, Scarlet started walking away from the Cornucopia. As she walked with cautious steps, she glanced up at the bright sky, partially obscured by the tall pines surrounding her, and noted the position of the sun. Still well before noon. She guessed around eight or nine in the morning, but she could be wrong. She hadn't done so well in navigation or telling time. 

     Regardless, she still had most of the day until the fallen tributes' faces would play on the night sky, and until then she wouldn't be able to start making plans for tomorrow in terms of how to handle the remaining tributes.

     In most Hunger Games, the Careers were the only ones that hunted. The rest hid, and only fought when needed. While there wasn't anything wrong with that, that wasn't how Scarlet intended to act. She wanted to go on the offense. She would set traps for the Careers.

     She'd done everything in her power to infuriate them, and without Ambrosia around to keep them level-headed and focused, she knew it was only a matter of time before they came for her. She wanted them to come. When they did, she intended to have a welcome ready for them.

     Fifty feet into the woods, Scarlet spotted a fallen branch with quite a few smaller branches hanging together in the end. She held the thicker base of the branch with one hand, hooking her fingers behind a broken nub, and allowed it to drag behind her, masking her tracks in the snow.

     Before night fell, Scarlet would need to sort through her haul to see what supplies she had to work with, but right now, she just needed to create distance between her and the Cornucopia. She needed to find a shelter that could keep the wind from her during the night, and find water, if she could.

     There was snow, everywhere, but she didn't believe that it wasn't poisoned, and she didn't want to take the chance to find out. Almost anytime water or food was plentiful, there was a string attached to their generosity.

     Scarlet's breath fogged in the cold air as she trudged through the deep snow. Her mouth was parched, her throat, paper dry and scratchy from the dry cold air that surrounded her, and Scarlet was reminded of how easy it was to become dehydrated in the cold. She continued her slow advancement, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement.

     She was used to silence; she was used to relying on her other senses to help her survive in District 14, but here, in the Arena, the silence was deafening. The arrow protruding from Ambrosia's neck between blinks ran through her mind on repeat. No one had seen it coming. A reminder that one wrong move, one threat missed, and she would be dead before she could react as well.

     A small clearing appeared ahead, dappled with the weak afternoon sunlight filtering through the dense canopy. Scarlet paused, crouching low behind a thick pine trunk. She surveyed the bare area, noting the tracks of small animals in the snow. Squirrels, perhaps, or maybe rabbits, but they were long gone. Her stomach growled, reminding her of the scarcity of food.

     A morning without food would never have bothered her before becoming a tribute, but the days prior of overindulging seemed to have already rewired her brain and her body. She would need to find food soon, after she found shelter and went through her supplies.

     As she continued deeper into the woods, Scarlet's fingers brushed against the bark of a low hanging tree branch, shaking it slightly, searching for signs of life. Her eyes caught sight of a squirrel darting up the tree, disappearing, and the branches of a neighboring tree shaking. She wouldn't stop to try to catch it yet, she didn't have time to start a fire in order to cook it, and she wanted to continue putting distance between her and the Cornucopia. But at least the sight of the squirrel confirmed that there was game inside the Arena.

     Scarlet continued on from the trees, stumbling upon a shallow depression in the ground, dusted over with fresh snow. She brushed the snow aside with her boot, revealing the slippery, frozen ground beneath. No water, but the signs of a streambed were there. Scarlet followed it for a while, hoping that she might find some running water, however, the snow-covered ice disappeared about thirty minutes later and any water that had been there, was long since gone.

     Hours later, Scarlet spotted what she thought was a small game path cutting through the woods and the underbrush. She followed the trail of packed snow. Her shoulder ached after pulling the heavy branch behind her for so long, it was a relief when she finally let go. She shook out her stiff fingers and rolled her shoulders, wincing at the slight twinge in her lower back.

     The trail should be enough to prevent her tracks from being obvious, but Scarlet still kept a keen eye on the trail behind her, and on the area around her. Scarlet felt like she was in the middle of nowhere. Everything around her looked the same except for an occasional thicket or pile of dead branches. A few openings in the dense forest, but for the most part, Scarlet was surrounded by the scent of pine, and an endless sea of trees.

      As Scarlet spotted a pile of brush just off the trail she was following and contemplated going in there, seeing if she could make it a shelter, at least for the night. Was it a naturally formed shelter from the forest that an animal had utilized? Would the Capitol have put something awful in there for unsuspecting tributes? She thought that it was either a natural or animal-made shelter, but she didn't like that it was so close to the trail. Even if a tribute wasn't intentionally following her, they could stumble across the brush pile and seek shelter. Scarlet wouldn't see them coming until they were already face to face with her.

     With reluctance, Scarlet continued past the brush pile, walking until her legs cramped and her shoulders ached from the weight of the supplies she carried, and she needed to stop for a moment.

     Scarlet shoved the hood back away from her face, and ran a gloved hand through her tangled hair, letting the freezing air reach her damp skin hidden underneath her thick hair.

     Let's braid your hair for the Arena. Keep it out of your way when you're in there.

     Cassandra's face flickered through Scarlet's mind for a moment, along with the sting of pain that followed with the reminder of why Cassandra hadn't been there to braid Scarlet's hair.

     Shaking away thoughts of outside the Arena, Scarlet allowed herself to take only another minute to rest as she caught her breath before she started moving once more.

     After walking for another half hour or so, she came across a group of three trees with a large snowbank behind them. As Scarlet circled around the snowbank and trees, looking around her immediate surroundings, she decided that this would become her shelter, at least for tonight.

     Already, she could feel the temperature falling with the lowering sun at a rate that wasn't natural. She still had several hours of daylight left and the temperature drop shouldn't happen until the sun disappeared, but the Gamemaker's weren't exactly known for showing mercy to those inside the Arena.

     Taking one more look at her surroundings, Scarlet dropped the bag of supplies in the snow at her feet. She let the ice picks and rope from around her shoulders to the ground, followed by the bow and sheath of arrows. She let out a breath and rolled her shoulders, stretching her sore muscles, as she ignored the throbbing ach from her back,

      This morning, the lashes that had pierced through the layers of her skin had scabbed over, but now, she could feel the back of her shirt stuck to the damp skin of her back. She didn't think it was just sweat and hoped that she wouldn't have to remove her shirt anytime soon.

     Scarlet kept the holster of blades strapped around her waist and scanned her surroundings again, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. To her eyes though, she could make out nothing out of the ordinary.

     When she was sure that she was alone, Scarlet dropped to her knees in the snow and started to dig into the snowbank. It wasn't long before her fingers started to grow stiff and cramp from the cold leaching through the gloves. Miraculously though, no wetness penetrated through the fabric.

     If the Capitol wanted to, they could so easily change every single life in District 14.

     The thought wouldn't leave her mind as she shook the stiffness from her fingers before continuing to dig out the inside of the snowbank.

     If all the citizens in District 14 had shoes, gloves, and clothes of the quality she had on now, no one would freeze to death even in the harshest winters. Did the Capitol care so little for the districts that provided all of its finery and luxury?

     Of course they don't care! You're inside the Arena, Scarlet. Fighting to survive by killing other children while the Capitol bets on your odds.

      Scarlet worked until she was satisfied with the space now big enough for her to get her entire body inside with all of her supplies leaving a foot between her and the opening. She stood up, hands on her hips as she surveyed her hard work, pride bursting from her.

     A snow cave.

     She walked around the snowbank, satisfied that from every point of view, except the front, it remained looking like a giant snow pile, blocked from being moved by the group of three trees. Scarlet stopped at the back of the little snow cave and dug a small hole between the trees so that she would be able to view the back.

      She returned to the entrance of the cave and gathered her supplies, pulling them into the shelter. Scarlet arranged her belongings, making sure everything would be within arm's reach.

     Scarlet kept her blades at the ready and the razor wire around her wrist as she left the cave, hunting the nearby woods for another branch that she could use to erase her footprints from the snow.

     A flash of brown out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, without pause, Scarlet spun in the snow and threw the blade in her hand. Her heart thundered in her chest, her now empty hand shook from the adrenaline coursing through her veins as she stared at rabbit, frozen in fear on the snow, her blade three inches above its tucked head. 

     She and the rabbit stared at one another, or so it felt, unsure of how to proceed.

     Scarlet could throw another blade, killing it. But she had no fire yet, and she didn't want to light one next to her shelter and with night fast approaching, she didn't want to risk getting lost in the woods and separated from her newly formed shelter. As her thrumming of her heart calmed and she slowly relaxed her stance. As if sensing her decision to let it live, the rabbit bounded off, disappearing into the thicket, leaving only tracks in the snow.

     After fetching her blade from the tree, Scarlet returned to her snow cave and used the thick branch to cover the entrance. Hopefully, any creatures or tributes that did happen upon her location, would think it was nothing more than a snowdrift and a fallen branch.

     Inside the small snow cave was cold, but wind-free. Packed snow surrounded her on every side, but her insulated clothes kept her warm and kept the wet snow from seeping through to her skin. She set her blades within easy reach and pulled the large pack closer to her. Opening it, she pulled the smaller pack out first, dumping the contents of both packs onto the ground, looking over everything she had.

     It was a good haul, and Scarlet was glad that she had risked going into the Cornucopia. It would be hell out here without the supplies she now had.

     Scarlet grabbed the heavy flask first, unscrewing the lid with impatience as she brought it to her lips, the expectation of water reminded her of how thirsty she was. Nothing came out though, and Scarlet tossed it to the ground, frustrated. Of course.

     With the flask on the ground of the far side of the small cave, she once more considered using the snow around her to satisfy her thirst. The snow around her looked clean. She scooped up a handful and brought it to her nose, smelling nothing but regular snow. The temptation to taste it was nearly too much to bear.

     Drinking untreated water from streams and rivers greatly increases your chance of getting an infection and becoming ill. No matter how pristine a mountain stream or other water sources look, it can still be filled with tiny pathogens. Your best option in the Arena is to drink only disinfected water.

     Scarlet tossed the snow to the ground as the words of one of the Experts from the Training Center flashed through her mind. Scarlet grabbed a small metal cup, tossing it up into the air, before catching it with one hand. Tomorrow, she would find a place away from her shelter and build a fire to boil some of the snow in it.

     Setting the cup down, she found three small packs of crackers. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. She could feel her body burning through calories her body didn't have, just to keep warm in the bitter cold that surrounded her. The few extra pounds that she'd gained while in the Capitol wouldn't last long in this Arena.

     She opened one of the packets of crackers, taking a small bite. Scarlet coughed at the dry, bitter aftertaste that filled her mouth. Oh, ugh. She buried her face in her elbow as she coughed to muffle the sound. A shiver ran through her entire body. The taste lingering in her mouth with no water to wash it away with. Ugh. She wiped the remainder of the crackers off her tongue with her sleeve.

     She would almost rather starve than put any more of that inside her mouth again. Almost. And despite the temptation to throw them outside of her cave, Scarlet placed them on top of the pack, next to the cup. If she were desperate enough...

     Another shiver raced through her. Hopefully, she never got that desperate.

     With one final disgusted look at the two and a half remaining packs of crackers, she turned her attention back to the remaining supplies.

     A single bag of dried meat. Scarlet wanted to eat that right away but decided to save it. If she didn't find food tomorrow, she'd want the small bit of protein then.

     Two packs of matches and a small glass container of kerosene were placed on the pack next to the crackers and the metal cup on the flattened pack.

     There was an insulated sleeping bag, which she stuffed to her side. Tributes that hadn't grabbed any supplies were going to suffer tonight if they hadn't found the right shelter. She found two more blades, which she tucked into her knife holster at her waist, a working flashlight, which would be very helpful if she were ever forced to move in the dark, which would be near impossible otherwise with Scarlet being deaf.

     Scarlet grabbed the small white metal box that was lying in the snow. A red cross was stamped on the front of it. She felt like it should mean something to her, like it should tell her what was inside, but to her, it was meaningless. She opened it hesitantly, half expecting something terrible inside. But when she opened it, Scarlet's eyes widened as she took in the sight.

     Inside was a medical kit, complete with bandages, antiseptic wipes, a numbing salve, and a stitching kit. Scarlet didn't dare use any medicine for the wounds on her back, knowing that she was meant to suffer from them. Still, the medicine could mean the difference between life and death if she was injured while inside the Arena. 

     She closed the box securing the lock carefully before setting it down next to the other supplies. She had rope, two icepicks, Dawson's bow and nine remaining arrows. Ten throwing blades, Crimson's spear, and the razor wire around her wrist.

     Scarlet took a moment to look at the supplies laid out before her. Each item represented a tool for her survival, a means to continue the fight. The rope and ice picks would help her traverse the icy terrain and set snares to hopefully catch some small game. The bow and arrows gave her a long-ranged weapon, though Scarlet hadn't been very successful in the Training Center, it might be enough to cause some pause in any approaching tributes though.

     It was the same with the spear. She just didn't have the same talent with the weapon that Crimson had, yet it sent a prickle of satisfaction through her, knowing that her having the spear in her possession meant one less for Crimson to hold. The throwing blades provided the most comfort to her though. She'd practiced with them for years and honed her skills in the Training Center. She could use them at a distance, as she'd proven in the bloodbath, or up close, if needed.

     Scarlet ran her fingers over the razor wire around her wrist, feeling its cold, deadly promise. A sharp sting followed by a bead of red welling from the small cut, and she was reminded of the stakes and of the brutality of the Games.

     With all of her supplies gone through, she began sorting the supplies, placing the most important ones in the smaller pack. The one that would be more manageable for her to grab, and bolt should she need to.

     In the smaller pack, went the first-aid kit, flashlight, flask, cup, matches and kerosene, the small pack of meat, and the sleeping bag. In the larger pack, she placed the extra weapons, including the rope, icepicks, spear, the bow and arrows, and the disgusting crackers.

     Scarlet glanced over her shoulder, looking out the small hole at the back of her shelter, and realized that it had gotten far later than she had anticipated. The trees outside were barely visible now in the dim light that trickled through the trees less and less and the sun lowered. It would be completely dark soon and Scarlet needed to get a clear view of the sky so that she would be able to see the fallen tributes of the day.

     Despite Scarlet wanting nothing more than to curl up in the sleeping bag, she hefted the small pack over her shoulders, now that she wasn't in the midst of the bloodbath, she could feel each wound on her back as the pack scraped against them, pressing the tender flesh. She clenched her teeth as she resettled the pack across her back and crawled toward the entrance to her shelter. 

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I hope that you have enjoyed!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reading your comments! 

Kindly remember to VOTE!

Take care and stay safe! ~CANGEL