The sun had set so many hours ago, it seemed. Katniss had stood outside the humble home that she had created with Metaphor. She watched as the sun finally set, the last rays of the day gone forever. It was a vision of beauty the way the sky turned shades of pink, purple, red, and orange. Katniss had never been one to truly stand and admire the environment, but she cannot help but do so tonight.
So many things have happened over the last few weeks. She has been reunited with Metaphor, the one who knew all of her secrets. She had been matched with Finnick, the harpy eagle happy and content to watch over his new friend. Isra had been taken and Raum had turned traitor and taken over a court that was never meant to be his. So many feels were swirling within the trapped confines of her mind, so many feelings that Katniss felt as though she could not talk about.
Eyes look to the small bed of hay to find Metaphor’s chest rising and falling in a rhythm that indicated sleep. He looked so peaceful and it made her heart content. But ever restless, the mare did not want to wake her beloved and so, she stepped from the modest home and headed on a walk - a walk that she did not know the ending point to.
Finnick hears her stir and he awakes from his own slumber, leaving his perch within the home to settle on her back. Katniss looks to him with a soft smile and silently, she shares her appreciation that he has chosen to join her. The walk is silent, neither one making a peep, only listening to the sounds of the night: the crickets chirp, the brushing of cougars against the plants in the forest, and the soft squeaking of bats as they fly overhead.
Her leg hurts her, a reminder of what happens when she goes against a king. While it had been a spar, Katniss cannot help but wonder if Asterion took it too personally. She makes a mental note to go and see him when the drama dies down…when Isra is found. But the pain in her leg would last a few more weeks, yet, a constant reminder of the warrior she wants to be. She is older and her body more achy. In her youth, she had been a fierce warrior and queen. But now, now Katniss feels insignificant here. She might not say those words out loud, but she says them in her heart.
Her path heads towards the mountains, the place where she had found Finnick. The bird seems to recognize this place, and takes flight from the back of his bonded to do some hunting. He stays ever close, though, always looking out for Katniss.
The is a rustle of the earth and the warrior stops. Ears flick back as her neck turns slowly. It is there that they rest on the red mare, Moira. She recognizes the mare from the meeting, but she does not know the woman on a personal level. “Has sleep betrayed you too?” Her voice is soft as her pace halts so the mare can catch up with her should she desire.
@Moira
