Running from Death [Finished]

[Deleted]

My eyes are set on one goal. Getting as far away as possible from everyone else. Before it is too late. Greenery towers above me as my feet lead the way. I dodge the large branches that are spread across the dirt, being careful not to trip. I do so a few times, but quickly pull myself back up. I wonder if Iris is close behind me. Is she following? Does she know where I am? But I am quite deep into the forest now, and I hear no footsteps in the distance. Though, I am quite sure we will meet up very soon. My feet keep moving. They are unstoppable. My breathing starts to become heavy after a long period of running, so I hesitantly slow down and walk. My throat becomes dry, so I grab a chunk of snow and let it melt in my mouth. Once I am regenerated, I begin running again. I switch off, running and walking. Luckily, the wind from earlier has subsided. But it soon decides to return. After a long number of hours, the cold breeze has swept through the arena, and I can feel my toes and fingers starting to get cold. I realize that I am extremely deep into the forest by now, and even so, the other tributes I had seen entering the forest during the bloodbath had gone the other way. I look around me to find a sturdy tree and succeed. I climb to a medium point of the tree, slipping a bit on the ice as I climb. Once I am up, I zip open my pack. I'm hoping that there's something useful. But before I can even take a glance, I am startled by the loud cannons that pound through my ears. 5 shots. I know who 2 of them belong too, but I don't even know if I want to figure out which tributes own the other three.

[tardisgirl]

I take off after Ruby as fast as I think is safe, considering I want to travel far today, but I don't catch up. Boy is that girl fast. She has told me before that she is, but I never expected that much speed.

After what seems like hours I slow my pace from the fast jog I've been using to a slow one. I look back at our two sets of footprints. That will never do. Getting chased down by the Careers is not high on my list of things I want to happen today. So, I grab several of the pine branches that litter the forest floor and begin to walk backwards, wiping away our two sets of tracks as I go.

After a long amount of time I hear something. Something is following me. But it's not human, it's to quiet, and not the right pace to be human. That leaves me wondering what it could be. In case it's a threat I keep my eyes open, but whatever it is seems intent on not revealing it's identity.

I keep walking, looking over my shoulder to make sure that I'm lined up with Ruby's tracks. Thank goodness she's slowed down.

After a few more minutes I see her tracks come to an end at the base of a tree.
I look up at the tree, and, the tree being still at least thirty feet away from me, I can't see a thing.

Suddenly I hear the cannons go off. I suppose the bloodbath is over. I find myself hoping for the safety of several Tributes, and trying to guess who is still living. I make myself not think about it, because really, I don't want to know.

I walk closer to the tree, still covering our tracks. "Ruby?" I call up softly. I still can't see her, but I'm fairly sure she's up there.

[Deleted]

The shots conclude and then I hear my name, faintly, down near the ground. I instantly recognize the voice and start climbing down the tree, the pack in my hands. "Iris," I say, as she suddenly comes into sight. I brush the leaves away and then take my last step towards the ground. Iris stands only a few feet away. I am so glad we finally met up. "Well, I guess the first thing's first," I say. "We should probably take a look in our packs to see what we got. I'm desperate to know what's inside." We both sit on the ground and go through our packs. Inside mine, I find earmuffs, socks, a hammer and a number of nails, broth, and another hammer. Luckily, being from District 7, the district of construction, I had a knowledge on hammers and nails. We had taken many courses in school on construction. Socks and earmuffs were okay. At least they'd keep part of me warm from the nipping ice cold air.
"What's in your pack?" I ask Iris.

[tardisgirl]

I hear a slight rustling in the tree, and then suddenly Ruby is within my veiw, perched on the bottom branch of the tree. "Iris." She says, obviously happy to see me, and then she jumps to the ground. I grin at her as she walks up.

"Well, I guess the first thing's first. We should probably take a look in our packs to see what we got. I'm desperate to know what's inside." Ruby comments, so we sit on the ground and look. Inside Ruby's are earmuffs, socks, a clawed hammer and 14 nails, broth, and a normal hammer. The hammer and nails are good, Ruby being from 7 will know just how to put them to use. Also, that big metal bowl with a lid that the stew is in will be most helpfull.

"What's in your pack?" She asks.

"Well, let's see." I wink at her and then proceed to pull out the items one at a time. "I've got a very nice pair of boots and a matching set of gloves," they are really good. Both made with a waterproof plastic type material on the outside and lined with fur on the inside. The plastic on the gloves is thinner and more flexible, but obviously they go with the boots. "a nice thick T-shirt," I continue. "a hatchet," yes! A weapon! "And..." I pull out the last item, and when I see what it is I burst into laughter. "Chocolate, they gave me chocolate!" I toss it to Ruby. "I suppose it must be for sudden, very short, bursts of energy." I say, trying to think of some possible use, but my shoulders are still shaking with laughter, albeit silent laughter now.

I lean back and grin over at Ruby. "M'kay, so now that we know what we've got to work with, I think we ought to set up a shelter. I can do that, because I've got something I need you to do. I need you to go hunting, kill two rabbits or more if you can." I say.

I'm being mysterious for the audiance, and just in case there are any Tributes near by who might overhear, unlikely as that is. Still, I know I can't ask her to do this with no explenation, so I lean close and whisper it. The audiance will have to wait to find out what we're doing, and they'll find out soon enough.

[Deleted]

Iris leans over and whispers into my ear. I nod my head at the statement and then stand up to go hunt. Hopefully I can get a little something. I take the hatchet, knowing Iris won't mind and head a bit away. At first, there are no animals in sight, but then I spot a few rabbits. I kill two and top it off with a large squirell. Then, I collect the rabbits and squirell and bring it back to the camp.

(OOC: Sorry it's so short)

[tardisgirl]

OOC: It's fine.

Ruby leaves, taking the hatchet, and I get to work. First I walk around looking for a good location. I find some sizeable sandstone rocks in a hill about a five minute walk from where I met up with Ruby.

There's a little cleft in one of the bigger rocks. It's a nice solid foundation to build off of, so I get to work. I start by collecting limbs. Lots and lots of them that have fallen from trees. They practically litter the forest floor. I need some sapplings for the foundation, but I'll need the hatchet for that. I pass the time untill Ruby comes back by digging down and finding a nice supply of mud, and locating a particularly sappy tree.

Then I head back to the camp, where I find Ruby waiting for me with two rabbits and a squirrel. "Good job!" I smile. "I've found a good place to build a shelter, let me show you." I say, gesturing to her to follow me.

I lead the way back to the rock and tell her my idea. "See, we can use this as a back, and then we can cut some sapplings, usethem to make a frame..." I explain the set up of the shelter, and how I plan to camaflauge it.

[Deleted]

"Good idea," I say. "I know a bit about camoflauge from training, so I can help on that part." I return to the original camp and grab our packs, and bring them back to the rock. The cold is finally starting to get to me. Slowly, the day is wearing out and the evening is setting in. I pass Iris her gloves. "You might want to wear these. It's getting pretty cold." I shiver slightly and reach for my socks. I put them on my hands. They will suit me well as mittens. We work on the shelter for a bit in silence. It's been a long day, but we've still got so much ahead of us. Soon, I break the silence and lean over to whisper in Iris's ear, "So then, what about the you-know-what?" I know that the audience is dying to know what the you-know-what is, but in case there are any sly, sneaky tributes around, I don't want to say anything private aloud.

[tardisgirl]

OOC: *Bursts into tears* Awww! You did the Rue thing with the mittens. *Sob*


"Good idea. I know a bit about camouflage from training, so I can help on that part." Ruby says. She heads back to camp for our packs and I take the hatchet and get to work on some saplings. I make sure I walk far from the camp before cutting them down, and cover my tracks on the way back so there will be no evidence of where we are. I get back and start to work on the frame. In a minute Ruby appears with the packs and sets them at the foot of the rock, then she comes over to help and passes me my gloves.
"You might want to wear these. It's getting pretty cold." I look up surprised. My body is very well adjusted to the cold. Naturally I take cold better then heat, and it's a bitter winter right now in my District, so I'm very used to it. I take the gloves and slip them on, and then I glance down at Ruby.
She shivers slightly and then bends down and opens her pack. She pulls out her socks and puts them on her hands, like mittens. I bite my lip, feeling guilty. The poor kid has got to be freezing.
We work on in silence. I'm trying to think of the best way to insulate our shelter when Ruby leans over and whispers in my ear, just loud enough for the audience to hear. "So then, what about the you-know-what?"
Yes, I'd better get on with that, but we need the shelter to be finished, or at least mostly so, before we take action. "Well,” I whisper back. "I think we can get started just as soon as we finish the basic camouflage for this shelter."
Yes, after we're finished with insulating and tightly packing the walls, we can camouflage it. Right now it looks like a small green cave made out of pine needles, but it'll be warm inside I'm sure.
We work on for a few minutes, and finish the shelter. Then we get to camouflaging it. We use the mud I dug up to coat the entire outside, and then I go scrape a lot of sandstone dust off the underside of one of the rocks further down in the woods. I take it back and we mix it in with the mud. I sit for about fifteen minutes, and mess with the outside. It's like I’m painting it, and when I'm finished, it's just about perfect. The entrances are at the sides, and I've taken some rocks and painted over them too. When we get inside we'll just pull the rocks over the entrances and our shelter will appear just another lump of rock.
It's not quite perfect, but it's good enough to fool anyone who's further then five feet away. I can adjust it to full perfection by messing with the texture later.
"Okay." I turn to Ruby, gesturing at our handiwork. "It's done, for now." I toss her a wink. "I'm going to go put the plan into action. It'll be best if I start off alone, but I'll signal you with a mockingjay call when I want you to come." I demonstrate a little six note favorite mockingjay tune, very quietly. If they hear me, they’ll all start singing, and we'll have to use a different set of notes. It'd be impossible to use a normal mockingjay song usually, but they're mostly quiet tonight, and Ruby has a good ear, so she'll be able to recognize my singing voice now that she's heard it. "You'd better get inside and start work on a fire. I got materials that won't smoke almost at all when burned, but they haven't been assembled into a proper fire yet." I point to the pile of “Also, if you could make a little fire pit inside the shelter, that'd be good." I smile. I know she can do it; she's one of the most capable girls I have ever met. "If you need me, use the same call." I wait to hear her sing it, since I'm going to need to be able to remember her voice in case the mockingjays get a little more into the singing spirit tonight.
I'm itching to get started. I'm going to love this.

[Deleted]

OOC: I know. *sobs*

Iris leaves, and then I'm right to work. I gather up the pile of tinder that Iris showed me and bring it into the shelter. Then I collect dry grass and form it into a small nest for the fire. I place all of the tinder on the dry grass and then try my hardest to create that tiny spark with friction. It takes a few tries until I finally create an ember. I drop it into the tinder and blow on it until it rises. I keep blowing a bit until it's size enlarges. I wipe the dirt away from my hands, impressed with my work. Iris was right when she said the material let out little smoke. For about an hour, I sit next to the fire, just staring into the flames, my mind blank. I start to think about home, but then I wipe the memories away from my mind. I feel much warmer by now, next to the fire. Then, I hear the six-note tune and I quickly put out the fire, in case it might decide to burn down our shelter, and grab our packs too, just in case. Then, I scurry out, listening to the tune again. I follow the sounds as they repeat and soon, through the darkness, find Iris.

[tardisgirl]

When I’m satisfied she’ll be okay I head off. I’ve got one of the rabbits with me, all cut up into raw meat strips. I wonder for a moment if it will be enough, but it was a nice fat rabbit, so I feel pretty safe in my decision.

I walk for about ten minutes before sitting down. I take out a piece of meat, hold it for a minute, just looking at it, licking my lips and making humming “yum” noises. Then I see it, a slight movement in a bush about ten feet away. Then I hear a sniffing noise.

Good, you’re hungry. I thought so.

I toss the meat at into the bush and the movement stops. Silence. A minute goes by. Rustling. Chewing. I take out another piece and repeat the process. This time it’s only about ten seconds until I hear it being eaten. I do it once more, and practically hear it caught in the air. Then I toss a piece right in front of the bush.
Silence. Sniffing. Hesitant movement. Then, a nose sticks out and gobbles up the meat. My heart leaps. I’ve done this more times then I can count, but I still get a thrill from it.
I do it again, this time a little further from the bush. This time he has to stick his nose out.
I barely keep myself from gasping. I was expecting a wolf, yes, but not one this big, not…A buffalo wolf.
I quickly regain my composure and repeat the process. Eventually I get him all the way
out of the bush.

He’s big, great big, but very thin. Still, he has muscles, a handsome grey-brown fur coat, and bright healthy eyes. He looks up; those wild wolf eyes with such depth seem to be looking into my soul, judging if I’m a threat. He obviously decides I’m not, because he comes a step forward and points his nose at my hand, which is holding a piece of meat, obviously saying “well, you going to give it to me or what?”. It reminds me so much of my collie, out of whom every single bad habit except that of begging had been removed, I want to cry, but I don’t. Wolves can sense emotions, so I act and feel friendly towards him.

He’s a lone wolf. A young one at that.
This is good, this means he must have been kicked out recently, and is probably lonely and insecure. I feel more like a psychiatrist then an expert wolf trainer right now, assessing him this way, but it’s important. It’s very good that he’s lone, because wolves are very social, and he’s probably lonely. Being social with us, his new pack, will be much easier since he’s a lone wolf.

I toss him the meat and he catches it in the air. He takes two steps forward. I toss another piece. This time he watches it fall the the ground, sniffs it, picks it up, chews it thoughtfully, and walks forward again.
I begin talking slowly and softly. In tones I know he’ll like. I make friendly movements and hold out a piece in my hand.
He walks forward and takes it.
Chills run down my spine.
I hold out my hand, slowly. I let him sniff me.

I spend at least an hour working with him. Finally I get him to the point where he’ll let me pet him, so long as I don’t move in a way that looks threatening, and he’ll follow me when I walk away from him.

Another half hour and I’m satisfied with my work. He’ll need more work, doubtless, but he’s no longer a threat, if he ever was. Now he’s an ally, a protector, a pack member. I decide it’s time for Ruby to meet him so I let loose with the call. Quietly, so as to not startle him. I know the mockingjays will hear and replicate it and it will get back to Ruby.

It does.

In only about a minute Ruby appears. She must have been running to have made it here so quickly.

I crouch down next to my wolf, which I’ve temporarily named Flash after my collie, and say softly and reassuringly, “Flash, this is Ruby. She’s good. She’s a friend.” I look up at Ruby. “Walk forward slowly, when you get close enough to reach out and touch him sit down, take one of the strips of rabbit meat out of your pocket, and hand it out to him. Talk to him too, like I am. Soft and reassuring. And move slowly.” I cram every bit of information that comes to mind into that sentence in the same calming voice I talk to Flash in.

One she does that, we’ll go through feeding a few times, I’ll put my arm around her shoulder to show it’s okay to touch her, and then I’ll work on getting him used to her touch.

[Deleted]

Flash, what a nice name, Ruby says to herself. “Walk forward slowly, when you get close enough to reach out and touch him sit down, take one of the strips of rabbit meat out of your pocket, and hand it out to him. Talk to him too, like I am. Soft and reassuring. And move slowly," Iris says all in one sentence. I nod. I've never interacted with a wolf before, so I feel a bit anxious, but excited at the same time. Slowly, I let one foot place itself in front of the other, and then I feel myself walking carefully and gradually towards Flash. I feel a shiver run down my spine as Flash growls a bit. I step back, my heartbeat growing, my knees shaking. I look at Iris, and she reassures me that it's okay.

I take another step forward and reach into my pocket. I pull out a strip of meat and sit down in front of Flash once I'm only a tiny bit away. Then, I carefully reach out in front of me, and give Flash the meat strip. He licks my fingers with his cold, wet tongue, and I giggle. Then, I let my hand slightly glide down a few strands of his fur. He growls and I pull my hand away quickly. I stand up, but then he takes a slight step towards me. I try reaching out my hand again, just to barely brush him with my hand, and this time he is a bit calmer.

I pull out another strip of meat and let him gobble it down. I smile at Iris and giggle again. It must be fun living in a district where you get to see these wonderful creatures every day. Soon, Iris walks over to me, and explains how she needs to show Flash that he can trust me, so she puts her arm around me. Then, she takes my hand with hers and guides it slowly to pet Flash. This time, he doesn't hesitate. I let my hand glide down his back. I just adore the feeling of warmth he brings me. Soon, I can tell he trusts me much more. I say to Iris, "It's getting really late, and I think we should get at least a bit of sleep, especially because of the long first day in the arena. What do you say?" I pet Flash gently as I wait for her reply.

[tardisgirl]

Ruby nods and walks forward slowly. I feel Flash tense and start to make rumbling sounds deep in his throat. A low growl emerges him and Ruby takes a step back, obviously un-nerved. Don’t be scared. I think. He’ll sense it. She looks over at me and I give her a reassuring smile.
C’mon Flash, she’s okay, it’s okay. I whisper in an almost silent tone.
Ruby takes another step forward and reaches into her pocket. She takes out one of the strips of rabbit meat and sits down in front of Flash. Thankfully he is more civil when there is food involved, and decides not to growl.
I see him perk his ears forward curiously as Ruby holds the meat for him. He takes it in one gulp, and then licks her hand to make sure he didn’t miss anything.
I grin at the sight, and Ruby giggles as his wet tong moves across her fingers.
She reaches out her hand then, to try and pet him. He doesn’t see her hand move until she’s only inches from him, and reacts in surprise with a growl.
She jerks her hand away quickly. Not the most reassuring move, but maybe the smartest.
She stands up, and even then she’s almost on a level with this massive buffalo wolf.

Flash, who seems to be regretting having scared her, takes a tentative step forward. She reaches her hand out again and just barely touches the tips of his fur with her fingers. He’s much calmer this time, and I sigh thankfully inside.

Ruby pulls another strip of rabbit meat out and gives it to Flash (who promptly gobbles it down). She smiles at me and giggles. Really, she has done an excellent job with Flash, particularly having been from a District so devoid of animals. I’m extremely impressed.
I decide it’s time for step to, so I walk over to her and explain how I’ve got to let Flash know it’s okay to touch her. I put my arm around her shoulder and glance at Flash to make sure he noticed. He did, he’s watching us like a hawk. Then I take Ruby’s hand and set it on Flash’s back. I guide her hand down his back, smiling at the look of happiness on Ruby’s face and the way Flash actually seems to be enjoying himself this time.
We continue for awhile, and by the time we stop to take a break I’m fairly sure that Flash absolutely adores Ruby. She’s so much smaller then him, it must make him feel like her protector.
Ruby looks up at me and says "It's getting really late, and I think we should get at least a bit of sleep, especially because of the long first day in the arena. What do you say?" And then goes back to petting Flash.
I grin. “Yes, we should.” I glance down at Flash. “I’m not sure he’ll want to come in with us. It’ll be crowded, even though we made it big on purpose so it’d have room for a wolf, it’s just that we weren’t expecting a Buffalo Wolf.” I glance away from Flash and look back at Ruby. “Still, if not he’ll find some place near by and settle down for the night. I don’t think he’ll be leaving us any time soon.”
I don’t, I don’t think he’s going to even let Ruby out of his sight.
I toss Ruby a big smile. “So, let’s head back. When we get there we can cook that squirrel and have some of that broth. Who knows? We might even have a little of my super-special chocolate.” I wink at her teasingly and then turn in the direction of our camp and begin to walk, remembering at the last minute to take some pine branches and brush the snow clear of our tracks.

[Deleted]

“Yes, we should," Iris says. “I’m not sure he’ll want to come in with us. It’ll be crowded, even though we made it big on purpose so it’d have room for a wolf, it’s just that we weren’t expecting a Buffalo Wolf. Still, if not he’ll find some place near by and settle down for the night. I don’t think he’ll be leaving us any time soon.” Iris smiles at me as I slowly pet Flash. “So, let’s head back. When we get there we can cook that squirrel and have some of that broth. Who knows? We might even have a little of my super-special chocolate," Iris says teasingly. I giggle a bit, and we begin our journey back to the shelter. Flash seems to want to stay by us a bit longer, for he follows us a bit. I keep my hand on his back, wanting to hold onto the warmth as long as I can, but he's so tall and big, that he overtowers me.

The darkness around us starts to deepen, and the noises of the night become much more distinguished. I'm hoping that Iris and I will even be able to find our way back to the shelter. Barely anything can be seen. We keep moving though, back in the direction we had both come from, as Iris silently hides our footprints from behind us. I look in all directions and then turn right, sure that it's the correct way. Once we are about halfway back to the shelter, Flash leaves, motioning to us that he won't be far. As he runs, he gives a loud howl, and I know that if any other tributes were even close by, they would probably be frightened a bit and eager to move farther away from the noise. Finally, we find the shelter and get inside.

I gather up some of the tinder that I hadn't used yet, and some more dried grass that I had stacked in a pile, and start to build another fire. Iris helps me until it is complete. This time, I have her create the spark, since it can sometimes be difficult, and we both need the experience. Once the flames are arising from the fire, we cook the squirrel until it is well-done. We split it up, and gobble it all down. The food feels so refreshing in my mouth. Though, the squirrel being so small, we also eat the broth. We figure, there are a lot of animals around to hunt, and plus, I had seen some berries earlier.

By the time we are finished with the broth and the squirrel, our stomachs are satisfied. At least we can know that we won't be hungry for a while. I take the empty bowl that the broth was in, and exit the shelter. Then, I scoop up a bunch of uncontaminated snow into the bowl and reenter the shelter. I take the bowl and boil it over the fire. It takes a while, but it's worth it, because soon, the snow has melted and the water is purified. We both take sips of the water, and figure it'll hold us off for a while. "I'll stay on guard first," I offer. "We can keep the fire running for a little bit, just to keep us warm. I'll make sure it gets put out though sometime soon." I grab the socks from my pack and put them over my hands, and then put the earmuffs over my ears as I prepare.

[Tori]

The camera zoomed in at the silvery object now falling from the sky. Only moments ago a mentor had purchased a much needed item for a tribute. The silver parachute floated slowly down to the tribute, stopping to rest at her feet. Once more, the camera zoomed in, getting a glimspe of the four 150-170cm boards, made of birch wood. On top of those lay a blanket, and a single throwing knife.

Awarded:
-one tiny silver parachute
-one throwing knife
-one blanket
-one 150-170cm long boards, made of birch wood

[tardisgirl]

We walk back to camp together. I drink in the silence and stillness of the night, the shimmering stars in the clear sky, and the feeling of security that I get from the two being beside me.
We walk on in silence for a bit. Ruby, with her hand on Flash’s back, and me, covering our tracks. The darkness deepens and the air becomes clear with the sounds of nocturnal activity. Visibility is low, but we have our tracks to follow to help is get back to camp. Ruby turns right and we continue on in that direction for a bit. After awhile Flash decides to explore the night time sounds. He rubs his head against Ruby to show her he’ll come back and then trots off into the woods. I’m sure he won’t go far. As he disappears into the trees he gives off a loud hunting howl. Good, this might scare other Tributes off. If any are nearby. I doubt they are, we traveled so far today and in a different direction from any of the others we could see.

We finally reach the shelter and go in. Ruby gathers the un-used tender up while I organize our items, and then we build a nice fire. Ruby has me light it this time, since I need the practice. I get it done fairly quickly and silently thank the Lord that I took that fire building class.

Once it’s blazing well we take out the squirrel and cook it. Once it’s done we split the portions and eat it. It’s not very big though, so we drink the broth too after deciding it’ll be easy enough to get game to eat and Ruby mentions she saw some berries earlier.

I do my best to eat it slowly, and by the time I’m finished I feel quite satisfied, full, and comfortable.

Ruby takes the empty bowl the broth was in and fills it up with some clean snow from outside, and then boils it over the fire.

It takes awhile, because I only remember the survival tip about putting the snow in a little at a time after the pot has already been on for a bit.

While Ruby melts the snow I walk outside and bend down into the snow. I’ve got this crazy idea, a crazy idea that might just work. I ball my hand into a fist and draw a picture in the snow. My mentor and I have a system worked out, kind of like a code system. I use it now, drawing four lines in the snow. Next to the lines I draw a mountain. It’s a crude sketch, but I hope my mentor get’s the message. I stand up, shake the snow out of my hair, and then return to the shelter.

Once the snow is melted we take turns sipping it until we feel re-hydrated. Then we sit back and relax for a few minutes. Ruby breaks the silence after a bit. "I'll stay on guard first. We can keep the fire running for a little bit, just to keep us warm. I'll make sure it gets put out though sometime soon." She leans over and takes out her socks and puts them on her hands for warmth, and then pulls the earmuffs over her ears.

I feel so guilty. I know she’s colder then I am. I’m built to withstand cold. And yet she’s got so much less clothing for warmth than I do. I quickly make a decision. “Uh, uh.” I say with a smile. “You can’t take guard duty like that. Here,” I reach into my pack and take out my t-shirt. “Put this on under your jacket to keep warm, and I’ll trade those socks for my gloves.” I have already taken my gloves off, and I toss them to her. “There,” I smile. “Now you can keep watch in a semi-respectable fashion.” I tease her with a wink. I’m about to say more, but that’s when I see it. I’m looking out one of the side entries, and I see a silver parachute descending from the sky. “Oh look!” I exclaim, running outside to see what we’ve got. The silver parachute contains four long birch boards, a throwing knife, and a blanket. I let out a muted “whoop!” and turn to Ruby, laughing happily. I bend down and pick her up, and then spin in a circle. I set her down, still quietly laughing with elation.
My mentor got the message.