It has been years after the Games that changed her life ended, and she is doing her favorite past time: hunting. Ever since the Games she has been plagued by thoughts and nightmares of the dreadful events in the Games, and no matter how hard she tries to ignore them. Only the busyness and concentration of hunting helps her thoughts from straying to unwanted areas.
She has stalked a deer and nocks an arrow, pulling the string back so her thumb touches the tip of her mouth.
Suddenly, she hears a melody. A melody that is strikingly familiar. Four notes, light and sweet, that must be coming from the throat of a mockingjay. Rue's melody. Katniss's breath catches, and her whole body freezes. It must have been carried by the mockingjays from District 11. The tune is repeated by another mockingjay, and Katniss finds tears flowing down her cheeks.
She remembers Rue, clear as if it were only yesterday, talking to her. She remembers when they made their alliance, when Rue just began to trust her. And she remembers Rue, a spear protruding from her stomach, laying in her arms and taking her final breaths.
The arrow slips from her numbed fingers and falls to the ground. The deer looks up, startled, and dashes off. Katniss doesn't care that she just lost a prey. She is engulfed in her memories, of all the moments of Rue that she had.
Yet another mockingjay repeats the melody, and Katniss falls to her knees, too miserable to stand. The bow falls from her hand and she cries. She mourns for her lost friend, the friend who helped her survive, and an unbearable sadness overwhelms her.
The melody trills again. Mockingjays are friendly birds, but for Katniss, just this once, they seem to mock her.
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timeasmymeasure
mockingjay
She has stalked a deer and nocks an arrow, pulling the string back so her thumb touches the tip of her mouth.
Suddenly, she hears a melody. A melody that is strikingly familiar. Four notes, light and sweet, that must be coming from the throat of a mockingjay. Rue's melody. Katniss's breath catches, and her whole body freezes. It must have been carried by the mockingjays from District 11. The tune is repeated by another mockingjay, and Katniss finds tears flowing down her cheeks.
She remembers Rue, clear as if it were only yesterday, talking to her. She remembers when they made their alliance, when Rue just began to trust her. And she remembers Rue, a spear protruding from her stomach, laying in her arms and taking her final breaths.
The arrow slips from her numbed fingers and falls to the ground. The deer looks up, startled, and dashes off. Katniss doesn't care that she just lost a prey. She is engulfed in her memories, of all the moments of Rue that she had.
Yet another mockingjay repeats the melody, and Katniss falls to her knees, too miserable to stand. The bow falls from her hand and she cries. She mourns for her lost friend, the friend who helped her survive, and an unbearable sadness overwhelms her.
The melody trills again. Mockingjays are friendly birds, but for Katniss, just this once, they seem to mock her.