How It All Goes Down
- Katniss is wracked with fearful nightmares: Prim dying, her father too. When she at last wakes, she is damp, in a hole filled with leaves.
- How long has she been out? Who survived the attack? No way to tell.
- Katniss plucks the nectar from a honeysuckle to get the foul taste from her mouth and is reminded of her talk with Gale on the last morning. You know, the one where he suggested running away together
- Then she thinks of Peeta. Did he really save her life? Does that mean he actually does love her? Nothing makes sense.
- Confused by all the boy stuff, Katniss focuses on the positive: she now has bow and arrows! This makes her a predator instead of prey.
- After treating her wounds with the ointment, Katniss heads out for water and food. She kills a rabbit and then finds a stream. After washing, Katniss kills a bird and follows the stream for a bit and then cooks her food.
- That's when she hears a twig snap. Who is it? Rue.
- Katniss gives Rue some food and Rue treats Katniss's burns with some leaves she's carrying. Rue is from an agricultural district, so she knows all about treating tracker jacker stings.
- The two form an alliance. Katniss knows this would probably make Haymitch groan, but in all honesty the little girl reminds her of Prim.
- The two eat groosling – the bird Katniss killed. Rue is stoked to have so much to eat because, as Katniss learns, food is scarce in her district. The two talk about the differences in their districts and Katniss wonders if the Gamemakers are censoring their conversation.
- The two combine food supplies and Rue has collected quite a few berries. Score!
- Rue also sees the sunglasses that Katniss had in her pack and shows her how to use them: they're actually night vision glasses. Sweet.
- The two settle in a tree for the night and Katniss shares her sleeping bag with Rue. She also finds out that she was knocked out by the tracker jacker venom for two days.
- Katniss also tells Rue about Peeta saving her life. Rue says she's been spying on the Career Tributes and that Peeta is no longer with them.
- Katniss tries out her snazzy night vision glasses and Rue tells her that the Career Tributes have two pairs of their own.
- Rue is worried that the Career Tributes are too strong, but Katniss tells her that she and Rue are strong too. Just in a different way. She and Katniss are strong because they know how to be hungry.
- Rue points out that the Career Tributes aren't hungry because they have so many supplies. This leads Katniss to start formulating a plan.