I AM NOT AFRAID // [Annora Standalone]

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Chop chop, we gonna build a cabin
Up top on a pretty little mountain
Fuck off, all you people on the ground

My allies are beat to hell.

It figures – we weren’t exactly picked for our survival skills so much as selected for our looks, and I doubt Someith Krearns – God bless his soul, if it exists – has got enough brains to figure that one out. He’s got brute force, maybe, and an attitude, surely, but that doesn’t make it any better. Weaklings have won the Games before, but they’re in the minority.

I’d rather end up on the winning end of things.

We spend some time healing each other after we get some distance away from the bloodbath. I piece Hannah back together, poor thing, and hand off the needle and thread to Someith when he gives me a look. Much as I wanna keep it for myself to use later, all I’ve got is a nasty-looking bruise on my arm, and that doesn’t warrant much healing. So I give up my supplies to my allies and look down at my uniform, inspecting it for blood.

Spotless.

Whether this is a good thing is yet to be seen, but I guess I’d rather be clean and sparkly than covered in my own blood, much like my allies do.

It’s only been a little while, and they already look like hell.

I tell myself that I look clean and nice, but there’s no mirror to look at. When I touch my lips, a splash of red sticks to my finger, so I know my lips are still painted all nice. But what about when the lipstick fades? How will I look when the Arena takes its toll on me?

I don’t wanna look like a nobody in front of the cameras, ‘cause I’m somebody.

A part of me wishes for a tube of lipstick, but then I think about all the other things I need – a jug for water, more medical supplies, some food, and I can’t help but wondering what’s just over the horizon, sitting at the bloodbath. Has the carnage been completed?

If it’s safe to go back, I wanna give it a shot.

”I’ma go lookin’ for supplies,” I state matter-of-factly, walking towards the Cornucopia without a second thought.

Nobody follows.

...

Those wimps. 

Roll for Word:
wpkKMVWX1-4

Roll for dowsing rod:
1-3

[[Annora does First Aid on Hannah and gives her needle and thread to Someith.]]

1-4�1-3

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

The woman emerges from the fog like a dream, and I can’t make out the features of her face through the mist. She floats above the ground like a ghost, her feet engulfed by the fog as she stands there, staring at me with silver eyes.

I can’t see her face, but she is beautiful.

Drawn to her presence, I step forward – closer to the Cornucopia, closer to the bloodbath that might still be raging on – and in that instant she disappears as if she had never set foot here in the first place.

In the sky above, a flock of pretty birds descend from the clouds, drawn towards the fog. When they reach the spot where the woman stood, they circle it like birds of prey honing in on a kill.

Or something else.

Curious, I step towards them, and unlike the silver woman they do not disappear out of sight.

[Word Attempt #2]
fsMBCwUV”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

The bird flies just out of my grasp, and though I stand tall I cannot grow wings to fly out of this hell. I can only look up at the pretty birds and hope to be one of them, though admittedly I’m frustrated that I can’t grab ahold of one. I don’t even think about using them for food, though I should. I remember these birds bein’ used in the last Arena, bein’ carried along by the tributes, and they’re so pretty.

I am drawn to pretty things.

Reaching my hand up into the air, I hope that my stillness will make the birds calm. More willing to come close to me, more willing to be caught.

[Word Attempt #3]
GeNLUgeh”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

Just out of reach of my fingertips, I can feel the gentle beat of the bird’s wings against the air as it passes right above me, hesitant. They are afraid of me, I realize. But they shouldn’t be – I have no intention of killing them, but there’s no way for a little bird to know that even the roughest hand can be harmless.

To them, everything is a predator, and I am not an exception.

”Come on, little thing,” I say to the smallest bird – the one that’s flying lowest to the earth. ”I’m not gonna hurt ya.”

[Word Attempt #4]
PW92Xswq”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

”That’s it, little thing,” I say, gently perching the bird on my fingertip and giving it a little boop with my nose. It lets out a loud honk that scares me shitless, but when the surprise wears off I smile at the bird and perch it on my left shoulder. Its talons dig into the cloth of my jacket, and I give it a pat before I reach up for another, hoping that the trust of one will mean the trust of many. It doesn’t occur to me that maybe these birds might not be harmless on their own, but right now – without a threat to their lives – they seem wild and beautiful. The kind of thing I want to keep around.

[Word Attempt #5]
E_g6O3PX”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

”If only you could call to them,” I tell the little bird, pointing at the ever-growing flock above. Some birds take notice that their comrade is gently perched on my shoulder, while others only fly higher, taking to the winds with elegant grace and rising back up into the clouds. They’re looking for the silver woman, I think. The birds are my only proof that she existed in the first place – not a hallucination, not a dream – and I wonder what I could do to bring her back.

Curiosity eats away at me, but it’s beaten out by my quest to surround myself with all of the pretty birds.

[Word Attempt #6]
JMFNO|4j”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

Little Thing shifts around on my shoulder, and I turn my head and give her a look, searching the ground for.. for something. I don’t have anything for the tiny bird to nibble on besides my finger, so I offer my left pinky and turn my attention to keeping the bird by my side. The problem with wings is that they’re the perfect escape tool, and I would feel foolish if the only bird I’d caught somehow gets away.

”Do you eat meat?” I wonder casually, staring at the bird’s little beak.

If all else fails, I can always offer them the fingers of the other tributes.

[Word Attempt #7]
i1UXFKVv”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

Little Thing nips at my pinky a little too hard, and a tiny scratch releases a drop of blood to the Earth. I watch it fall and wonder at the fact that this is my first drop of blood made to soak the dirt of the Arena, all from a harmless little bird. I don’t swat at the bird to punish it, but I pull my finger away turn my attention more to summoning its friends.

When I look up, the silver woman has appeared again, and the birds – dozens of them – are flocking around her figure as if they’re … worshipping her.

Before I can ask ”Who are you?” she descends back into the mist, but the birds linger behind, sounding ever-louder. I flick my wrist up into the air and hold out my finger for a perch, only hoping that another bird will give me its attention.

[Word Attempt #8]
xH6l5Md9”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

No luck.

”Bring me your friends, Little Thing,” I say, picking up the tiny bird onto my pointer finger. With a wave of the hand I toss the bird into the air, hoping beyond hope that she’ll come back to find me again, bringing others.

In the Arena, beauty is a rare thing, and I intend to surround myself with it. The flock of birds sends a feeling of pride rushing through my heart, and as I hold my head up to look at them soaring above the Earth, I feel like.. like I have something to hope for.

[Word Attempt #9]
dyHg9Riw”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

A huge smile breaks out onto my face when I see two birds descending from the sky. My Little Thing and one of her friends. It’s a goddamn miracle that I’ve even earned even a little bit of their attention, and my Little Thing lands gently on my left shoulder while her friend lands – somewhat less gracefully – on my right.

”You goof,” I say, reaching to straighten the bird out and give it a sense of stability. ”You need to work on your landing.”

Hopefully, perhaps naively, I tilt my head up and wait for another to follow.

[Word Attempt #10]
273u58yV”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

A third set of gently flapping wings falls from the sky, and this bird is larger than the other two. She’s darker, too, and she’s got a sharper look to her. Her bravery stands out more than anything, because she doesn’t slowly make her way down into my reach so much as.. dive. Right above my head, she circles, and eventually she decides to land on top of my hair.

I laugh, and now I can’t look up at the other birds without dropping her to the ground. So I keep my head steady and reach out my hand, closing my eyes in the hopes that when I open them, another bird will be perched in my grasp.

[Word Attempt #11]
m3kG4zt1”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

When I open my eyes, another bird is not within reach.

The largest of the three – the one perched atop my head – makes a loud noise that startles me, and the other two follow suit. I like to think that they’re calling for their friends, calling them to me, but perhaps they’re just excited to be so close to the ground, feeling safe.

Little Goof opens and closes her wings, honking louder than the other two combined. She’s got a voice on her, that’s for sure, and I smile at their ugly song as I roll my eyes up to try to get a look at the Brave One.

”Tell those cowards to get down here,” I say with a smile, knowing all too well that nothing I say will make a difference.

[Word Attempt #12]
NojeSynO”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

Alas, the birds can’t hear me.

Even so, my newfound friends are worth the struggle. Little Thing is perched on my left shoulder, nibbling at the lobe of my ear, and the Brave One stands resolute on top of my head, probably looking like some sort of odd feathery hat. Though I left my alliance in the search of supplies, I realize I’ve found friends that are better than anything I would have found at the Cornucopia, and I stand just out of reach of the spot where the battle took place.

I don’t know how many have died because I was not listening, too preoccupied with the birds to notice the sound of the canons, if there were any.

Little Goof takes a step and falls off of my shoulder, and I gasp and try to catch her in my hand, but she tumbles to the ground awkwardly. Shrugging off the other birds temporarily, I pick the other one up and set her back down on my shoulder. The others I release into the sky to bring back reinforcements.

[Word Attempt #13]
6kjtsWrJ”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

While they’re gone, I inspect Little Goof for any injuries she might have sustained during her fall, but her wings seem to be intact and her everything’s all nice and in order.

”You aren’t a careful one, are you?” I ask, and in response she lets out a loud honk that could wake the dead.

”It’s okay,” I tell her, smiling up at the sky to check for my other birds. ”Neither am I. Back when I was little I used to run into things all the time, but now it’s just.. being risky. I try not to be afraid of things, ya know?”

She honks.

”Silly bird,” I laugh, ”Being afraid of things is the difference between life and death.”

[Word Attempt #14]
p3ZIXb0K”1-4”

”1-4”

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Mother, make me
Make me a bird of prey
So I can rise above this, let it fall away

Gazing up at the sky, I search the clouds for the birds that gave me their loyalty, but they’re lost among the crowd of wings.

When I look down again – only feet away – a silvery form is perched on a rock. It’s not a woman anymore, but the large form of a hawk, glowing silver and shifting around like some sort of hologram. Immediately, the flock above takes notice, and they stop circling so high up. They fly only feet above my head, their eyes glued to the silver hawk, and I can’t take my eyes off of it.

”Well, aren’t you a goddess,” I whisper to myself, and when I say the words the silver hawk takes to the sky just above my head, soaring with wings spread wide.

[Word Attempt #15]
5ahKJO79”1-4”

”1-4”