◆ ❝Can anybody find out, any other way...❞ As soon as the water touched Laika's back paws, she broke into a sprint. Speed had never been her strong suit, but stamina? That was something that she could keep up. She only hoped that the black and yellow bird in front of her couldn't compete with that. She chased after it, letting out a frustrated growl as it flew up higher into the canopy. Laika braced herself, shaking out her fur as she launched herself up the tree, trying to ignore how the branch below her shook under her weight. She gripped the branch with her claws, crawling along. It was a difficult feat, maintaining an even weight spread across the tree whilst keeping up a steady pace to get away from the torrent of water. The brown tribute's head lifted as she saw that familiar flash of yellow feathers above the canopy on a leafless offshoot of the trees. What a curious little creature - she supposed the closest thing to that in District 12 would be one of the sun-coloured canaries they used for the mines. Laika gave a gasp as the branch beneath her let out a worrying crack, to which she swiftly leapt to the next. Though it seemed she'd overestimated its resilience, as it gave a *creak* before snapping off completely, sending the tribute tumbling down into the watery depths below. *Shoot, shoot!* Laika began to thrash and panic, her thick fur only serving to drag her further down. But utilising her massive paws, she was able to push herself up through the current and to the surface, gaze narrowing in on a lone tree. There. She just had to grab onto that, climb up, get the bird. Laika swam hard, barely able to keep her head above the surface. The tribute reached out, digging her claws into the bark of the tree and snarling in pain as one of her claws ripped against the bark. *Ignore it. You should be used to that by now.* Laika hoisted herself up the tree, barely wasting any time once she, again, saw that familiar flash of the metallic sheen of the bird's 'tail', beginning to sprint directly up the trunk. And as the bird finally descended, passing her tree, Laika launched herself off, snapping it up in her jaws mindlessly. Panting as she landed in another tree, she let the bird fall from her maw, quietly observing as the water subsided. Good. ◆ ❝They're hanging from the dead trees, like burning butterflies...❞ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CREDITS: ┊Art: (me) ┊Program Used: Clip Studio Paint EX + Wacom One ┊Character: Laika Volkova (owned by me) ┊Audio: Golden Antlers - Glass Animals
