The Hunger Games Rue's Point Of View

Chapter 14

Two days. That's how long it takes Katniss to snap out of it.

The days she was in a coma, I got busy. I snatched some idaes from a bush not to far from us, some leaves for her tracker jacker stings, and a lot of water. We're about a mile away from the nearest water source, the river.

I eat the berries and suck mint leaves for a while to feed myself, but I decide to break out my crackers. It's a long skinny package, and it holds maybe twenty crackers. The loud plastic seems to beckoning the Careers to come kill me.

Finally, on the second day, I notice Katniss stirring an unreasonable amount for her to be asleep. I book it. I hear a little rustling, then the sound is gone. She's slowly walking away, towards the river. I follow her, trying to be as soundless as her.

She bathes, then cleans her new bow and arrows with a hand full of moss, it looks like. Then a groosling goes down. I never really noticed them here. She cooks it and I must have shifted, or my stomach might have growled too much.

"You know, they're not the only ones that can form alliances." I startle, and stick my head out, barely.

"You want me for an ally?"

"Why not?" I'm surprised. "You saved me with those tracker jackers. You're smart enough to still be alive. And I can't seem to shake you anyway." Oops.

I try to make a decision, quickly, but my brain soon lands on one thing: food.

"You hungry? Come on then, I've had two kills today." Its almost too good to be true. But against my worst fears, I step out and say: "I can fix your stings." She looks a little longingly for relief for her stings.

"Can you? How?" I pull out the leaves and she sighs almost.

"Where'd you find those?"

"Just around. We all carry them when we work in the orchards. They left a lot of nests there. There are a lot here, too."

"That's right. You're District 11. Agriculture. Orchards, huh? That must be how you can fly around the trees like you've got wings." I smile. She's landed on one of the thing I'll admit pride in.

"Well, come on then, fix me up." I stick a bunch of leaves in my mouth and soon spit them out on her knee. She sighs.

"Do my neck! Do my cheek!" I finish that and she notices a long burn, still there from the fire, maybe. She whips out a can and puts a little medicine on it. We talk about sponsors for a moment, then the question leaks out:

"You weren't joking, about having me for an ally?"

"No, I meant it."

"Okay," I agree, and we shake hands. "Its a deal."

Yay, another chapter up! Happy Hunger Games readers!