Return of the Mockingjay

Chapter 42

We rose at dawn and made our way back to the lake and the water spider. As Cato said the night before he just needed rest and his burns have healed to a soft pink scab that he says doesn't bother him. To me they still look incredibly painful and old memories reignite the pain I felt from my own burns back at the City circle, the day Prim was killed.

It's a warm sunny morning with a few puffy clouds drifting past when we reach the waterside. Cato quickly scouts round the lake for any other tributes while I wait in the tree line.

"There's nothing, although there were some tracks that seem recent, most likely yesterday"

"Where were they headed?"

"Back toward the cornucopia, maybe to try and find us"

"Okay, we should be safe then. Let's get started"

Cato takes a stone and throws it into the calm still water. The ripples spread out to the lake sides but there no reaction from the water spider, is it asleep or is it too deep to hear us?

I fire an arrow in a high arc so it splashes down in the centre but as before there's nothing. Cato stands ready with the trident but there's a strange stillness in the air, as if the forest is still at rest from the night before.
With lightning speed a tentacle bursts from the water and grabs Cato round his waist lifting him clear of the ground. In shock he releases the trident and tries with all his strength to prise the tentacle apart but it's got him stuck fast. The spider climbs from the water and walks to the shallows, it's legs supporting its bulk while the tentacles flail around. Cato gets lifted even higher and he screams as the jaws of the spider open up ready for its feed. I string an arrow and shoot at its head, missing one of its eyes by a fraction. It recoils back slightly and releases Cato who falls through the air landing on the muddy shore but when the spider turns back it lunges at me.

Its tentacles grab for me but I dive back toward the trees to stay out of its reach and it walks forward into the tree line. I shoot an arrow, then string another and shoot again each of them finding their mark on the spiders body. It screeches in agony as it bursts forward at me again, I'm in among the trees so I'm reasonably safe as its too large to get through but those tentacles still manage to twist themselves round the branches trying to get to me.
I relax slightly knowing that I'm out of reach when two tentacles wrap themselves around the tree in front of me and rip it from the ground and toss it clear. I suddenly find myself completely exposed, I string another arrow and shoot but this time a tentacle gets in the way and the arrow sinks itself into the soft flesh. Another tentacle grips my leg and yanks me off my feet and starts dragging me forward toward the waiting spider which backs up toward the lake. I lose my grip on my bow, and claw at the muddy shore as I try to stop myself from being pulled along but I can't get a decent grip on anything, I get pulled further from my bow and panic starts to set in. Then I feel the tentacle release my leg and I look up at the huge spider to see Cato astride it's back, stabbing it with his sword, where is the trident?

The tentacles all reach up and behind the spider's head to get to Cato, I look round for the Trident, the last I saw of it was when Cato was first hoisted into the air by the water spider, he dropped it. I look past the spider and see it sticking out of the mud on the other side of the battle. Cato's still on it's back trying to ward off the attacking tentacles with his sword, its a losing battle and I know it'll only be a matter of time before they get through his defences. I look again at the Trident, just a short distance away but blocked by Cato and the Spider's fight right in front of me.
I have an idea, I'll just have to take a chance. I get up and run head long toward the Spider, this time it doesn't see me as it's too involved with Cato to notice my run. I dodge between its legs all the time getting soaked through from the water which still drips from its body. In its fight with Cato the Spider inadvertently kicks out with one of its legs and knocks me off my feet, I land in the shallows still under the spider but quickly roll to my side as a huge foot comes close to stamping on me. I get to my feet and run again, feeling a sense of victory as I run out into the sunlight, I'm just a few feet from the Trident when a tentacle grips my leg and pulls me off my feet and back toward the spider, I thump the muddy water with my fist in anger, now past caring with my own safety.