Return of the Mockingjay

Chapter 40

The next morning I feel fully refreshed and ready for the fight. I know that we haven't the weapons to beat the career pack but I've already figured out how I'm gonna get round that. I put Cato to work stripping down some old mouldy mattresses for wire which we found on the top floor of the building we're hiding in. If he can salvage enough wire I can use it to build snares out in the forest. While I watch him rip the rotten material apart I question him about the arena, other things he might of been told that he might not of mentioned to me.

"As far as I can see we've visited most of the arena, the only part we need to search is the north east sector, opposite to where we are now" I say as I watch from the doorway.

"I don't know anything about that sector, the gamemakers never mentioned it" he replies.

"I'd like to go there today, before nightfall. I've a nagging feeling that we might find something that could be useful to us"

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, I was thinking about the brambles when I woke this morning, yes it's designed to trap and kill us but we can use them as a weapon against the careers, the same as we can use the water spider as a trap. All we have to do us lure them in and let the arena do its work"

"But Peeta and the others know about the spider, they know it's the only food source so they'll keep it alive for now. They'll never use it as a trap for us and Peeta would expect us to do the same"

"Exactly, I say excitedly. But we're not gonna use the spider as a trap, we're gonna kill it!"

Cato stops what he's doing and looks at me with a look of confusion. "Why would we do that you'd be killing us all, we'd starve to death"

"No, there is another food source in this arena, the Gamemakers only told you about the spider but there is another, something you never even thought about, but first we've gotta kill that spider for my plan to work"

"Okay, but I don't see how I can kill it, it's too big and we've only a sword and 3 arrows. I need something heavier and larger"

"How about a trident?" I say as I step to the window and look down at the forest below. Cato comes to my side and follows my gaze to the small mass of bloody blond hair of Finnick trapped in the brambles far below us.
"How are we gonna get it, he's trapped in the brambles with his trident, there's no way we can reach it without getting caught in those weeds"

He's got a point I guess, but looking closely I can see branches from a nearby tree overhanging the brambles, I can't see how strong they are from this high up but they might be useful.

"Let's go and see, it's worth having a look" I say shrugging my shoulders.

*

We couldn't reach the trees from the street so we had to skirt round the brambles which took much longer than I'd hoped, mainly because of the distance but also because of our caution. We don't want to get ambushed again, especially after the last time when Clove was killed.
When we finally reach the edge of the bramble thicket I look round for any trees that might be useful to us. Cato follows my eyes and figures out my plan.
"You wanna reach down from a tree and grab it don't you?"

"That's the idea, we'll have to see if we can find a tree that's close enough though"

I turn away from Cato and start climbing the nearest tree to the thicket of brambles, I don't have to climb that high as I still need to reach down to the thicket and pull Finnick's trident from the weeds. When I get high enough to look over the area I immediately see a problem. Finnick's body lies some distance from the tree I'm in,  he's still stood upright, his body held fast by the weeds and I can see his blond hair entangled with brambles.  There's no way I can possibly reach him although there is another tree which overhangs his body. I stop for a second and try to think of another option as to how I can reach that tree. I can't climb from the ground up as the trunk is surrounded by brambles, I'll have to try and jump from my tree to the next, but if I fall....