Provider (Hunger Games, Katniss)

[Dusty15]

I've had this one in progress for a while, and I'm quite pleased with how it ties into the book and film. I hope you like it!

For those who have not read the series or seen the film, there are no spoilers for the actual games or any major book events. There is one reference to a plot point, but it's not a big spoiler, so you could read this without having finished the series or read it at all, if you wanted!

Provider: A Hunger Games fic

by Dusty15

---

Survival in the Seam depends on playing the black market game. Everyone knows that you have to either trade, hunt, steal, or barter to get what you need. Me, I've always been a hunter. Along with my friend Gale, I shoot and trap in the outer lands beyond our District. Between the two of us, we've covered nearly every possible safe area in which to hunt in the land past the fence, but there are still a few unexplored places.

It's spring in District 12 and out in the woods, the trees are heavy with green leaves. Moss coats every fallen log and flowers dot the grass in the occasional clearings. My bow slung over my shoulder, I follow Gale closely as we track a small grouse that's hiding in the nearby bushes. Gale has a trap set just down the path and we're hoping the bird falls for it. I'm ready to shoot, just in case, but with smaller game, it's better to trap them. An arrow causes too much damage sometimes and wastes valuable meat.

We crouch, obscured by a tree, waiting. I rub my nose discreetly, trying to quell an itch. I've always suffered with mild spring allergies; an incredible annoyance when you're trying to be stealthy in the woods. This year, though, my symptoms seem stronger. I used to just get a little bit of itchiness, but this morning I woke up with red eyes and a dry throat. We've been in the forest just over an hour now, and my eyes are swollen more, gunky and blurred.

The grouse makes a move, turning away from where the trap is set.

“Shoot!” Gale whispers.

I rise slowly, hands gripping my bow as I take aim. The arrow releases and skims the air about six inches shy of the bird. With a squawk, the grouse takes off and I fire another shot, missing again. Beside me, Gale groans.

“What's the problem, Katnip?”

I'm too angry to reply and I stomp off to retrieve the arrows. One has hit a tree and split, rendering it useless. I pull it out of the wood and toss it angrily to the ground.

“We'll catch something else,” Gale says, approaching me. “No need to make a fuss.”

“It's my damn eyes,” I snap, rubbing my left eye in frustration. “Allergies.”

“You've never had much trouble before,” Gale says.

“Well, I do now. Let's go. I bet there's rabbit down in the meadow.”

We walk, following the familiar path to the clearing. The early morning air hangs heavy with humidity and a dense cloud of pollen floats in the sunlight. I rub my nose again, feeling it begin to run. The itch is unlike anything I've felt before, burning hot and unbearably.

I stop for a moment, letting my bow slip back on my arm as I raise it to shield my face. I try desperately to be quiet, not wanting the impending sneeze to scare off any game.

Eh'tsxhtt!

The ticklish sneeze does little to stop the itch; in fact, it almost worsens it, as if I've started some sort of chain reaction. Gale stops and turns to stare at me. I feel his eyes watching my nose wrinkle as another sneeze builds, and a blush spreads across my cheeks.

Huhhs'ghstttt! Ehh.....hehh'tscxxttt!

“Bless,” Gale says, a hint of laughter in his voice. I'm irritated with him but my nose is distracting me too much to say anything. I sniff wetly and trudge onward, wiping the sleeve of my hunting jacket across my upper lip.

Huhhhrrr...hhh'tsghttt!!

The sneezes keep coming, harsher and wetter. My eyes blur with tears as I continue stumbling forward, leaving the woods into the vast meadow where we hope to find rabbits.

“Katniss, stop,” Gale calls, catching up with me. “Here.”

He's holding out a rather grungy looking handkerchief with several holes and stains, but I'm desperate, so I take it and fold it over my nose.

“You look awful,” he says, squinting in the spring sunlight as he surveys my face.

“It's never been this bad,” I say, blowing my nose with a wet gurgling sound. I've known Gale nearly my whole life, but I feel a little embarrassment at this display of weakness. And I'm frustrated too. How am I supposed to help my family if I can't manage to be out in the woods without sneezing? There's no way I'm going to be able to hunt if this keeps up.

“Maybe your mother has a remedy,” Gale says hopefully. “I'm sure you're not the only person this happens to.”

I hope he's right because my nose is so swollen now that it hurts to touch and it's difficult to breathe. My eyes are sticky and blurred with gunk that clings to my long eyelashes. The sneezes are not finished yet, evidently, as I raise Gale's handkerchief to shield my face.

Huhhr'stschhhhh!

“I think if we want to catch anything, you ought to turn back so I can track the rabbits without you scaring them off,” Gale says, knotting a bit of vine to set a snare. Sniffling, I close my itchy eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose to ward off more sneezes. Gale goes off into the long grass and I turn back into the woods, finding a small spring where I can wash my face.

Sitting on a log, I cup my hands and collect a small bit of fresh water, scrubbing it with my palms across my eyes and around my nose. It gives me only a little relief. I sit in the quiet forest, slowly running my tongue back across the roof of my mouth, satiating the allergic itch in my throat. The sneezing has stopped for now, thankfully, but I'm still quite congested and I find myself constantly pushing the tip of my nose back to help me breathe. By the time Gale returns with two rabbits, I'm frustrated and tired.

“Any better?” he asks.

“Not really,” I reply, standing and wiping my hands on my pants. I can feel a thin stream of moisture slip down my upper lip as my nose begins to run. I swipe it away with the sleeve of my jacket, as Gale's handkerchief is too soggy now from overuse.

“I'll get a scrap of fabric from my mother to give you,” I tell him. “I'm afraid I've kind of ruined yours.”

“It's just a square of a grain sack,” Gale replies. “Don't worry about it. Let's go home.”

We walk back to the perimeter of District 12. I'm slower than usual, pausing to scrub furiously at my nose, massaging it in circles to ward off the sneezing. Every time I rub, it grows more sensitive, but the itch is unbearably persistent and I keep trying to stop it.

Back through the fence, we part ways as Gale heads off to sell our rabbits, promising he'll give me my share in the profits tomorrow.

I go home, keeping my head down and hiding my red nose. My sister Prim is sitting on the front steps, brushing her beloved cat. It hisses at me and hops from her arms, circling.

“Shut it,” I say with a sniffle.

“Are you sick?” Prim asks.

“Allergies,” I tell her. “Don't worry, little duck. I'm sure mother has something that will help.”

But mother's remedies don't help much. I barely sleep, too bother by congestion to breathe properly, so I lie awake and stare at the ceiling through dry, itchy eyes. In the morning, my stomach rumbles fiercely, but we have nothing of substance to eat. I usually keep a small scrap of meat, like a squirrel, for us to cook for dinner, but it's been days since I've had anything substantial. And my nose still feels like someone has shoved stinging nettles up it.

I'm restless and frustrated, but determined to get through it all. I shoulder my bow and stick several patches of fabric from my mother's sewing basket into the pocket of my hunting jacket before I sneak off towards the woods again, this time without Gale.

I'm barely into the fields outside District 12 before I cannot fight off the sneezy feeling anymore. I crouch behind a bush, burying my face in my hands, giving in to the explosion of ticklish sneezes.

Hehh...ehh'cxxttt! 'Ehxttt! Tsh...hehh'tsghxxtt!

A rabbit moves in a nearby bush, freezing as the sound of my sneezes startles him. Our eyes meet and I raise my bow, fighting off more sneezes. The rabbit darts and I crook an arrow, squinting to follow it as my eyes tear. I lose sight of the brown fur in the leaves and I lower the bow just in time to turn my nose into the sleeve of my jacket.

Ehh'tscGHTT! 'Tsghht!

The congestion is so thick I can barely breathe and I sit back down on a nearby rock, wheezing as I reach for a fabric scrap to blow my nose. Above, a flock of birds flies overhead and I curse under my breath, knowing that if it weren't for these allergies, I could take several down with ease and have a meal for my family.

Today, my nose is going to make everything impossible. I resign myself to gathering a handful of berries just to stop my stomach from growling and I head back to the District, feeling incredibly put-out. I can't begin to imagine how my family will survive this spring.

By the time I cross under the fence back into the confines of 12, I've lost count of my sneezing and my eyes look like I've been off crying somewhere. Too miserable to face my mother, I sink down to sit under a tree in the town square, hiding from the watchful eyes of passersby as I pinch a clean square of cotton over my nose and blow unproductively.

Ehhh'tsghtt!

The sneezes are weakening in strength as my body gives up in the fight to expel the allergens from my sinuses. And I'm hungry, which isn't helping matters either.

Suddenly, above me the skies grow dark and there's a clap of thunder. I squint upwards, watching clouds gather. Another thunderclap sounds and I stand, raising my face to the impending rain. It begins to fall in a steady downpour and I let it clean my face, laughing. I'm so relieved and exhausted that I nearly start to cry and I stumble back under the tree, sinking to my knees, letting the rain soak me.

Across the square, a sliver of light appears in the door of the bakery where my classmate Peeta works for his family. The stocky blonde boy appears in the rain on the porch with several loaves of charred bread. His mother's voice shouts from inside and he tosses one of the loaves to the pigs in the pen adjacent to the house. Then, he turns to me. Our eyes meet for a brief moment and he tosses a loaf in my direction. It bounces on a tree root before I grab it, but it's mostly unmarred. He nods and scampers back inside.

I rub my still itchy-nose and look at the burnt loaf, grateful for something to eat, even if it isn't meat. I break it across my knee and the inside is perfect; soft and doughy and still warm. I scoop out a bit and eat it before tucking the rest under my coat and hurrying home to give some to mother and Prim.

My mother is waiting with a small cup of pungent medicine which she gives me in exchange for the bread.

“Lochne says that this is good for allergies,” she tells me, referring to one of the other District women skilled in medicine.

I force the liquid down (barely...it's horrific) and sit Prim in my lap, braiding her long blonde hair as she eats a bit of the bread. Things are right once again, or as right as they can be when you live in District 12. It's still early Spring, a few months before the reaping, and all will be right. It has to be, because if I think any other way, then what's the point of even trying?

[jezebel215]

this is sweet - a side of Katniss I hadn't seen

[Purple]

Oh my goodness, Dusty! You just.. SO MUCH LOVE!!<3

I literally finished reading the first book a few days ago, so it's still fresh in my mind, and THIS just feels like a continuation of the book! (Except, much more awesome, of course). Such wonderful writing, as always. Keep up the amazingness, you! <3

(Also, on a slightly unrelated note..MOTHEROFGOD, your signature...)

Edited May 26, 2012 by Purple!

[Dusty15]

Thanks, ladies!

(On a slightly unrelated note....I had to tone it down a bit 'cause I was so distracted by it. One McAvoy is as good as 4!)

[Chanel_no5]

I'm not familiar with this fandom (either - I know no fandom at all, it seems!! ) but my GOD Dusty, that was hot!!!

Ohh, girls with pollen allergies....

[NoV]

Thanks so much for posting this Have not read the books or seen the film yet, but uncontrollable pollen allergies are always hot

[matilda3948]

Oh, this is fantastic! Your writing style is perfect and the sneezes are just wonderful

Edited May 27, 2012 by matilda3948

[BootyBurgers]

This is crazy good! I love Katniss! and her having allergies amazing!

[SexyGodlikeHair]

Omg; this was fantastic!!! I love every thing about this fic; Katniss, the allergies...everything. Thank you for writing this!

[haruherohirahara]

Bless you, Katniss!

Man.... It's so sad. All she wanted to do was shoot some arrows

[riyona_ebooks]

Omg,I love this.

[Semeeenov]

This is fantastic!

[Blessing Queen]

Loved it!Awesome fic!

[riyona_ebooks]

Dis good story.