When the Forest Falls-- (Asher/Phoebe/Otis)

[Asher Rainer d7m {Royal}]

Asher Rainer

District 7

17 Years of Age

The sun crested the horizon as it crept ever higher as Eric and I walked the vast forest, axes in tow.

I had woken up at 3:00 AM to Eric knocking on the door, my personal alarm clock disguised as a human. He was missing his left hand, his axe in his right, and not any less eager to make some extra profit before in the morning before the family realizes he's gone, because, technically, what Eric was doing was highly illegal. After his arm was hacked off by a large hacksaw on the job site, he has been collecting disability. Since he has been doing that, the Peacekeepers have been expecting him to lay around and collect bedsores.

Eric isn't like that at all. And since I've known him since we were babies, I don't mind waking up in the wee hours of the night or very early in the morning to aid him in supporting his family.

I had grabbed my ax and followed him straight out the door, sticking to the shadows as we crept out of town and into the vast forest. We've been walking for an hour so as we don't cause commotion and wake anybody up.

"Here." Eric states, setting his ax down to a particularly large oak tree, where the branches hang over a small valley. "Should make decent profit."

I nod and set my gear up, hoisting myself up into the tree. I rise slowly, Eric's remaining arm tying me to the tree carefully, and I reach the top.

The sight took my breath away. The expanse of forest was so large, and so great. Far away in the distance, the city was seen shrouded by the morning mist.

"Beautiful. . ." I breathed, grinning.

Then I heard it. The noise. No. . . not just a noise. A sound. A beautiful tone, a song. Something I haven't heard in a long time. I reached out, as if I could touch it.

Eric yelled up at me. "What's that sound?"

"Singing. Beautiful!" I say, smiling.



"Hurry up! We don't have a lot of time!" Eric yells.



I shrug and realize he's right. I hack at the tree, taking the top off in two strikes. It topples, shaking the ground, making a loud rumbling noise as it slams onto the ground.



The singing stops.

       

[Arrows]

<>Phoebe Sawdust<>

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The light of morning drizzled carefully through the beaten blinds. It's elegant glow illuminating an empty bed void of any life or movement. It's host long gone, vanished into the mists of morning. Her heart beating calmly as it swooned to the beat created by her soft steps. Her hands buried deep with the cervices of her white sweatshirt's pockets keeping the cold all but a distant memory. Her face however gleamed brightly embracing the chill the dances around her cheeks and swirled around her long brown locks of hair. Waking up at two in the morning had become a normal day thing for Phoebe, something that was as much as a habit to her as tying her shoes before leaving the house. It wasn't chore or something she was forced to do, it was her choice and hers alone. The forest called to her as the fog beckoned with its outstretched hands. She never did have the will to resist things that compelled her with such passion.

Even though the winds still carried the whips of winter on their long strides the white canvas that had inwrapped these trees was nothing more than a distant memory. Now her boots sludged across the dew covered mud that laid silently plastered against the trees as their roots burrowed even further into the Earth's soil. However, unlike the people of the Capitol getting some mud on her boots wasn't something that caused Phoebe to break down into an emotional fit. This kind of filth was something she was use to. It was like another special colored layer on all of her boots. It was as if the mud was her own signature color.

A crunch of a nearby leave sent Phoebe's head swiftly to the right as she searched to see what could possibly be near her. Another human? Most likely not since most were hibernating the early morning away, cursing it with words of hate as their dreams stirred wonderous thought inside their craniums. It wasn't that Phoebe didn't enjoy her own dreams, it was just that the nature of the life that surrounded her was just so much more appealing than some land created falsely by her own imagination. Here she could hear real birds sing, see real breath taking sights, and here she could truly be all on her own, away from the business of everyday life. Here was a place not marked for milling just yet. A place where she could just sit back and breathe.

As it would turn out the creature that had been the source of the sound was a small chipmunk that sped off the moment Phoebe's soft eyes met with his own. Part of Phoebe grew sad to see the little creature vanish but then again she was glad to see life flourishing untouched by human hands. It was all just, right. Phoebe smiled as she approached a nice large and suitable tree. With a long sigh she began to pull herself up the tree and through its vibrant branches until she reached a small perch and she laid her back softly against the main tree column.

Time transcended from her mind as the scenes of morning grew and danced beautifully, she couldn't help herself when her voice began gliding gently through the normally still crisp air.

"Oh silver trees so light and bright,
 Care for the broken children tonight,
 Take them into to nature's care,
 Remove the pain that they all share,

  Oh mornings light take flight,
 Create a wave of happiness,
 Help the broken bodies walk upright again,
 Let the wandering souls find home-"

Her voice trended off at the sound of constant and nearby, thunk. thunk. thunk. Phoebe's eyes shifted to a next door tree just as it fell with a cataclysmic smash. Before stopping herself Phoebe was on the forest floor racing over to the two boys who had just felled this beauty of nature. Her eyes fell on the broken body of a light blue bird. Her heart swelled with sorry as her hands cupped the little body. With a face as red as a freshly grown tomato she looked up at the boys. "Do you not realize this is a zone not scheaduled to be chopped until at least another year!" Her body shook as tears dared to fall from the edges of her eyes. This poor little creature had been broken by the cruelty of humans. It was always humans.

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Lyrics by amillionarrows's The Last Forest

[Asher Rainer d7m {Royal}]

ASHER RAINER
17 YEARS OF AGE
DISTRICT 7

I lower slowly, happy with my work. I look down, grinning, until I see a girl standing in the clearing, right next to the fallen tree. And she didn't look very happy at all. She stood next to a small blue lump. A bird- a blue bird. I grimace at the death of the small creature. I don't like it when things die. Especially when it's my fault. I'm used to the satisfaction of the working corps back in 7, where they first remove all wildlife and relocate them to safer place. . . like right here.

"Do you not realize this is a zone not scheduled to be chopped until at least another year!?" The girl squeaked, angry at the death of the small bird.

Eric looked immediately annoyed. "A single tree, lady? Seriously? I mean, people got to eat right? How do expect an amputee like myself to make a profit? You know disability cuts people, right?"

I lowered, but Eric was already moving forward, about to tell this poor girl his entire life story.

"ERIC, NO!" I yelled, but it was to late, his right arm jerked the string I was attached to, and I shook mid-air, swinging wildly back and forth. I slammed into the trunk of the tree, immediately making my nose bleed.

"Shit!" I yell mid-air. Eric gazed up in horror at my figure, but he couldn't save me now, but he sure did try, as he grabbed the rope, but at that moment, it snapped.

I immediately plummet.

I have a strategy though, as all lumber jacks do, since it was taught on the first day of work. I try to grab any branch I could, anything to break my fall, but I'm to far out from the tree to find anything of use. . . Until I see the large branch below me. I slam full-force with my stomach, taking my breathe away, then I fall backwards, only 6 feet to the ground. . .

I slam into the ground, right in front of the girl, breathe gone, raspy breathing, and a bloody nose. I look up into the sun, but in front of it is the girl, and with a realization I can see her, her voice, as if it is a physical form. She was the one singing. The amazing sound.

Then the ax fell. It plummeted right above me, spinning in an irregular fashion. I roll sideays just as the blade pierces the ground, inches from my head, and centimeters from the girl's foot. 

[k!ah]

O T I S  C A S T I L L O

[attr="class","itsabox2"]

[protecting your own blood]

THUD! THUD! THUD! Instantly I bolt up in my bed, my blankets falling away from my frail body as the booming sound echoes throughout the small shack that I call home. The sound comes again and I am on my feet, slipping into some worn out shoes before peaking into the room next door where my brother slept soundly. It relieved me to see him asleep, his face not screwed up in fear but relaxed, peaceful. It is such a good site to see that I almost forget about the booming echoes until they snap me back out of my thoughts, like a cold bucket of water had been tipped over my head. I shiver slightly and pull away from my brother sleeping form, my feet carrying me over to the exit where I slip past without a noise. I didn't want to wake him. It was not often he could sleep without the nightmares of our past creeping up on him, eating away at his happiness leaving him shaken and alone with only me for comfort. 

The sounds soon stop and I tell myself that there is nothing to worry about. To just go back inside the house, to sleep it off. But I cant. There is a nagging inside my chest that tells me that I cannot let it go. That this forrest that I have thought to be safe for years might not be as safe as it seems. Sighing I push the thoughts f a warm bed and more sleep to the back of my mind, my feet making no sound as I begin my fast run into the depths of the forrest. 

My eyes dart around the whole time, looking for anything, anyone that might cause a threat to me and my brother and it doesn't take me long to find them, their raised voices- shouts and screams- guiding me like a bright light in the darkness. 

I come to a halt as I see a body fall from the shies, landing just a few feet away from a girl, cupping something small, something injured. I feel my heart begin to race in my chest, my mind telling me to turn around, that these people weren't safe, but I cant move- because if these people weren't safe, weren't they a danger to Cyrus? I couldn't let them know about him. I couldnt'. Gathering my courage I step into the ring of people, just as an axe comes falling from the sky, landing only centimetres away from the girl and the guy on the ground- they were insane.

"what the hell is going on," I whisper, almost to myself, my eyes traveling from the girl with the bird to the boy on the ground (blood dripping from his nose, his chest heaving in efforts to breathe) to the guys with the one arm, his face painted in horror.

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[Arrows]

<>Phoebe Sawdust<>

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Phoebe's lips twitched with annoyance at the arrogance of the one crippled boy. How dare he be the one accusing me of doing something wrong? She was merely stating facts while he was the one who had blatantly taken the poor bird's life. Yet he seemed to unphased, as if killing didn't even bother him in the tiniest bit. If he was so in love with killing why couldn't he go be sent off into the games instead of the poor souls who have taken his place so far? He was a ruthless and sick bastard who cared nothing for the world he lived in. Instead just like all the other denizens around here he enjoyed cutting and killing nature. He didn't care what results would occur, but then again, did anyone besides her?

Another pair of approaching footsteps caught Phoebe's attention as she turned towards them. Her eyes fell upon the body of a younger looking girl. Her hair a lighter blonde but her brown eyes were just as dark as Phoebe's. Just as with the two boys in front of her, Phoebe also did not recognize this girl. Never once had she seen any of them when she use to before and she certainly never saw them out and about in the district. No these people were much like her, forest dwellers. Some of the rare few who hide in the forest's foliage. Except two of the three were highly content on killing their own sanctuary.

A sudden grunt of pain and a scream of distress caused Phoebe to whip back around towards the boys. One of them was now lying pained on the ground as the other brought down his axe towards his head. At this point Phoebe's heart was soaring faster than any human organ should be. Her body shook rapidly as she scrambled to her feet and back beside the other girl. Her hands had dropped the dead bird in her panic but that was not of importance now. The one guy was insane, a killer, he was going to kill his own friend! What kind of world were they all living in!

Taking a deep breath Phoebe forced herself to calm down. With a quick side glance to the other girl she walked forward to the boy attacking his friend. Then without holding back at all she sent her fist right at his face. This dipshit needed to back the hell off and learned that one pissy old cripple isn't going to make the world a better place.

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[Asher Rainer d7m {Royal}]

Asher Rainer

District 7

17 Years of Age

It all happened at once.

A new girl in the distance, peeking from the bushes as if we would hurt her.

WHACK!

Suddenly Eric was on the ground, spitting blood, the singer standing over him, looking triumphant. Well, she might hurt the frightened girl.. I rise, slowly, putting pressure on my hand for support. My bloody nose seems to be bleeding more. It hurts so bad but I don't mind it. We have more pressing matters. My chest hurts, as if I cracked a rib or something.

I steal a glance at the newer girl, fright played on her face. I think about telling her we're not dangerous, but how do we really look? I mean, I just fell from the sky, and the singer just socked my best friend. Hell yes were dangerous. But why was the singer punching Eric? What he said wasn't derogatory towards her at all. If she got angry. . . well, that's being irrational.

I didn't like irrational.

"STOP!" I yell, trying to shove as much authority into my voice as possible. I see the flicker of anger on Eric's face as he rises. I for to long have played as his personal anger manager. But he won't take shit from anybody. Especially someone trying to stop him from benefiting his family. He rose, making the singer look very, very small, and his chest swelled.

"Oh shit. . ." I mumble and charged.

I collided with Eric with such force we both slammed into the ground, rolling twice and landing beside each other. We look at each other, and Eric growls.

"Oh shit." I repeat, as he readies to hit me.

[k!ah]

O T I S  C A S T I L L O

[attr="class","itsabox2"]

[protecting your own blood]

The girl beside me says nothing, just glances in my direction before darting forwards, her fist connecting with the face of the guy with one hand. A loud thud of flesh colliding with flesh fills my ears (images of a dark room, a room where the walls were damp, where the air was stale fills my mind. A boy sits in the corner as the door is wrenched open followed by an angry man, his fist flying into my side as he tells me that t is all my fault. I struggle for air, the words 'father please' slipping past my lips as his foot goes flying into my side. I cant breathe. The air is too thick, my father presence is too strong. All my fault.) The next thing I know the one armed guy is on the ground, his face painted with sheer anger as he nails the girl with a deadly look. 

My lips separate, ready to scream at him, at her, at all of them to stop but the words never make it as the other guy comes flying out of no where, words which are not audible slipping past his lips as he collides with his friend. They roll into the dirt for a moment, muscles bulging until they are laying next to each other, chests heaving as they fought for breath. (The boy screams, his voice filling my ears as father walks up to him, his fist balled, his breath stinking of alcohol. Desperately I try to climb to my feet, my vision slightly blurry from the pain that surged through me. 'Father please, please leave Cyrus alone, hit me, hurt me, please.' Father stopped, turning around, flinging his glass bottle at my body. It hits, shattering into pieces, his faced filled with rage.) 

The two boys look at each other for a moment, their bodies tense and I can tell from the way their bodies move that the cripple is about to strike. I move, my body flying forwards to shield the boy on the ground, my eyes wide as they looking into the eyes of the man who is about to strike. "Don't. Stop. Stop." Maybe I had made the wrong choice, maybe stepping forwards was the wrong thing to do but I couldn't watch any longer, this nonsense had to end. 

"Please, no more." I turn a pleading eye to the boy, hoping, praying that he would listen, my eyes momentarily landing on the girl in the corner, hoping that she too would no longer take this violence any further. 

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