The Dark Wood

Another day meant another chance to hunt, to score another kill, which meant food for the day. the solitude of the wilderness was Isi's favorite part of it, given District 12's small population and the vastness of the untamed forest.

crouching behind a tree, she saw her prey out of the corner of her eye. she pulled out a tomahawk, crudely made out of little more than a sharp rock tied to a stick, but a working weapon nonetheless. she prepared to throw it, but as she analyzed her surroundings, noticed that there was a large shrub that obscured most of her view. she could probably throw right through it, but didn't want to take that chance. she jumped up and changed her position, noting the location of the deer, and quietly shifting through the growth, her bare feet making almost no sound against the forest floor.

suddenly, she found that she was only a few yards away from a larger boy with his bow pointed at her--well, not directly at her, but in her direction. obviously it was slightly unnerving, even if Sacagawea knew that he was probably aiming for the deer. it was rare that she ran into other hunters, and usually the situations ended without incident. if not though, her dad had taught her how to fight. besides, there were more dangers out here than just other people--they weren't usually the problem.

nonetheless, Isi habitually threw her hands in the air, though she held on to the tomahawk she had in her one hand, and the real hatchet that was in her other. she wasn't a very imposing figure; just a shorter girl in a baggy shirt and scruffy cargo pants, her messy hair covering part of her face, and her feet bare. she opened her mouth as if to say something, but instead just left it hanging, not really knowing what to say to the boy. communication was not her strong suit.

Isi smiled slightly after hearing his remarks. "ja." she replied, "than..."
but before she could finish, he had tackled her to the ground.
"WH--" she began before she heard it very clearly. a hovercraft.

instinctively, she shut right the heck up, hardly even breathing, let alone moving. her ears remained perked, and her mind was racing.
"but would they really kill us?" she thought to herself, "or wouldn't they rather ship us off to The Hunger Games where some tribute with a sponsor could just brutalize us? time will tell, I guess..."

she was still hardly breathing, not moving at all, listening keenly for the sound above them. she had dropped her homemade tomahawk on being tackled, but had subtly stuck her hatchet inside her clothes. that had been her only movement, and now she was basically playing dead.

Isi slowly pulled herself off the ground, and took his hand to get back onto her feet. that had been a close one. she shuddered for a moment, to shake a few dirt particles off.... just the bigger ones. the smaller ones could join their fellows on her face and clothes. she wasn't exactly a clean girl.

"I think I just finished staring death in the face..." she ruminated, "death or whatever sort of other hellish brutality The Capitol and the 'Peace'keepers could come up with... that's such a blatantly ironic name. eh. anyways... back to the issue at hand, I suppose..."

she glanced back over at the boy who was now laughing. she smiled sheepishly.

for a moment Sacagawea was silent. she wanted a good amount of it as well, especially because she was pretty strong; just very quiet.

"uh... how about 50-50?" she shrugged. charisma was not her strong suit, but she was also pretty stubborn. her breath was also quick from the near-death experience she had just had; her form was a myriad of colors in the moonlight, mostly greys from the light of the moon against the dark particles of dirt and such that covered her body.

"uh, what did you say your name was again?" she asked, not even sure the two had properly introduced.

Isi muttered a few things under her breath, but nodded approvingly.
"he must've gotten 'em when he was on top of me... still... guess I need to be more careful... even with being out here in general. if that was how close I came to getting snagged by a hovercraft... I really need to stop up my game."

"well..." she looked down at her bare feet, "don't steal from me, please... I've barely anything worth stealing."
the contents of the little coin pouch were just a few brownish coins, with only two grey ones mixed in with them.
"My name's Sa... Isi." she replied. "call me Isi."
it wasn't that she disliked her first name, just that it was long and some people made fun of it, and Sacagawea wasn't the most confident girl in the field. Isi, her middle name, was much simpler and easier to remember anyways.

as he began stringing up the deer, she watched him, observing his movements and calculating things within her own mind...

Sacagawea chuckled sheepishly and looked down at her bare feet. she didn't mind not having shoes, though she might not mind some for a few places she might go.
"heh..." she blushed in the darkness, "thanks."

she approached the sack, taking a couple of apples and one of the turkeys.
"so, uh... how often do you come out into this area?" she asked curiously. she wondered what the odds of them crossing paths were.

"I come to this area a few times a week." she replied, "it's a good spot."
she shook some of her messy curly hair out of her face, and brushed a bit of dirt off of her shirt again. "thanks again for all this, by the way." she repeated, her cheeks still a bit pink. this was a lot to generously give, or at least, it seemed that way to Isi given how poor she was, and her humility had her always remaining grateful for a good turn.

Isi's eyes widened. "I... uh, I see."
"well... that's intriguing." she thought to herself.
"nothing wrong with pinching a few coins from someone who won't miss 'em though... but, uh... it was nice to meet you, Rook."
she shyly held out her hand, though didn't make eye contact. an introvert did not simply become an extravert, nor did a shy introvert suddenly become outgoing in the blink of an eye.

Isi smiled, shouldering the sack. despite its weight, the small, scruffy girl seemed to lift it with no problem.
"sounds like a plan." she nodded, following him back, "last thing I want's to get spotted again."

"as if that first incident wasn't close enough... best not to get buzzed and get caught."