The Life of A Victor || Finnick Odair

CHAPTER 45

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"What?" Finnick asked confusedly, not remembering Melo's games enough to identify the metallic object.

"I'd completely forgotten about that! Do you mind?" Katniss asked, holding a hand out to Dove, who nodded and placed the spile on her hand. "It's a spile. Sort of like a tap. You put it in a tree and sap comes out."

"It has to be the right sort of tree, though. That's what Joseph said," Dove muttered as Katniss looked at their surroundings.

"Sap?" Finnick asked again, as incredulous as he was before, or maybe even more. "To make syrup. But there must be something else inside these trees," Peeta intervened.

Finnick immediately tried to hammer the spile into a green bark of a massive tree, but Katniss stopped him just in time. "Wait. You might damage it. We need to drill a hole first."

"Katniss, I think I saw an awl between the things you got in the Cornucopia. We could use that," Dove said, causing Peeta to nod. He got the awl from Katniss' belt and drove it straight into the bark. After a few minutes, the spile was wedged in the tree and water ran down the lip.

As the rest took turns, Dove noticed one basket she had done earlier. The grass was so tightly woven it could hold water. They filled it with water, passed it around for everyone to drink, and eventually cleaned their faces.

Once the thirst was satiated, everyone finally realised how tired they truly were. Katniss, in case they had to flee during the night, took the spile from the tree and tied it to her belt with a few vines.

"I'll take first watch," Finnick announced, to which Katniss nodded and asked him to wake her up whenever he felt tired. Peeta lied down on the floor of the hut, closely followed by Katniss, who laid next to him. "Dove, go to sleep. You must be exhausted."

Dove sat at the hut's entrance, looking at him, before replying with a light chuckle. "As if I could sleep alone." Finnick didn't argue any further. He knew perfectly well that, even if she fell asleep, nightmares could strike at any moment, causing her to scream or yell, which could get the attention of various threats. It would be better to wait for Katniss to take over the guard to sleep together for a while.

"How are you feeling?" Dove asked a few minutes later, still sitting at the entrance of the hut as Finnick stared outside. "A bit tired. I'm all right, though. How about you?" He asked.

"I'm OK. But there's something that's been bugging me for a while. Don't you think this arena is weird? First, the nuts that appeared in other games, then the spile from Melo's year. Either the Gamemakers are running out of ideas, or this is going to be a really fucked arena." Dove declared, glancing at the sleeping couple inside the hut.

"I know what you mean. Do you think something from our Games will appear too?" He questioned, glancing at her for a second before redirecting his eyes to the surrounding trees.

"Probably. Although, I'm not sure what will happen from my games. There were many mutts and other threats. I just hope they don't use the stupid birds again. I swear I'm going to hate birds at this point if they continue using them as weapons," she replied in a light tone, trying to make him chuckle, or at least smile.

"I wouldn't bet on that. Birds are the Gamemarkers' favourite weapon," he replied with a chuckle. Hours passed by slowly, but no conversation surged again. The silence made them concentrate on their task, protecting Twelve.

Something similar to the tolling of a bell roared around the Arena, waking Katniss up in the process while Peeta continued to sleep soundly. "I counted twelve," Finnick said, getting a nod from both girls.