"mika petrowski." the voice would call over the speaker. his name echoed of the walls, coming back to him a multitude of times. the eyes of the few remaining tributes burned into it, as if they urging him to hurry up and throw bugself into whatever nightmare was waiting for it behind those doors. slowly, mika hesitantly pushed himself forwards. his paws felt weighted, held down by invisible shackles that begged him to stay back. though, bug couldn't. peacekeepers would make him do so if it refused. swallowing hard, bug'd push itself inside. what greeted him wasn't all too unpleasant. a dense rainforest, adorned with many towering trees. damp leaves slicked bug's mottled coat as he passed through into the clearing. bug's eyes caught side of a tiny creature. it seemed to be a bird, adorned with dozens of glossy emerald green feathers as well as a couple of flowy tendrils that sprung from its back. a smile laced mika's maw at the sight of it. with caution, the tribute would slowly advance towards it, holding out a paw. excessive feeding of the mockingjays back in eleven had led to some of them becoming particularly tame if you remained still enough, perhaps this bird could sense that he were no threat. it was stupid, believing that such a wild and probably capitol made creature could sense something like that. clearly, it couldn't. in a flurry of screeching feathers, the bird took flight, darting off into the trees. well, that was a fail. a light series of giggles would come from mika's lips. what on earth did he need to do in here? did the capitol expect him to start showing off some outlandish battle moves on some defenseless animal? it glanced back at the bird, which was now poised on a high branch a couple metres away. bug's attention was quickly diverted however. whitewater began to surge into the arena, mowing down the shrubbery. the merciless waters happened to be headed straight for mika. in the moment of shock, mika couldn't scream. it could only run. bug sprung to his feet, running as fast as one his stature could. the torrent continued to advance, pooling around his feet and pulling bug under. tumbling through the water mika couldn't exactly tell what was up and what was down. it simply flailed about at awkward angles, hoping to find something. eventually, his foot struck the earth, allowing him to resurface above the whitewater. bug had to get out and quickly. the trunk of a tree was approaching on his left. frantically, mika would paddle towards it; constricting his arms around the trunk, it'd clamber up to safety, perching on a thin branch. thank goodness he could swim. bug's breaths were shallow, pretty much gasps at this point. within his chest, it's heart thrashed wildly with panic. though the gamemakers were watching. he couldn't seem scared. mika would allow a mischevious grin to form on his jaws, though his eyes betrayed his confidence, pupils still wide with fright and tainted with tears. oddly enough, the water seemed to have stopped rising. it was calm, almost stagnant. what had stopped it? mika's answer would come to him almost immeadiatly. hopping about in the branches above happened to be that same, gemstone coloured bird. the avian flared its wings, springing from branch to branch away from mika. slowly, the tides would begin to rise, evolving into whitewater once more. bug's stormy opticals would widen with realisation. being close to this flighty creature would stop the rising waters. gently lifting a mitten, the tribute would secure his grip on the branch above him. with a light grunt, bug'd haul himself up. the next few limbs were easier to scale, only requiring a bit of leg-movement and stability. the bird continued to move farther and farther up the tree. though, trees couldn't go on forever. climbing was somewhat easy for it. mika had recieved plenty of experience back at home in the districts. bug was moving quickly, scaling the branches as if it were as easy a jumping hurdles. beneath bug, the whitewater continued to advance. droplets sprayed at the tribute's ankles, sending shudders through it. light began to shine down on bug. the top of the canopy was nearing. he could see a very familiar figure at the top. though it was close, the torrent didn't seem to want to back down. mika had to wrap this up, quick. a loud screech would part the bird's beak as it raised its wings, preparing to take off. panic would ensue. he could not let this bird get away. gathering strength, mika would leap, claws outstretched. bug's paws found the creatures body, constricting his claws around its feeble frame. the screaming died down and the avian fell limp in mika's grasp. mika is plunged into cold water. its not rough like it was before, its almost soothing. slowly, it'd begin to disipate, lowering bug onto the now damp earth. the other tributes would probably get what happened when it returned soaking wet.
