It's been a VERY long time since I've published anything. I recently got some inspiration from DnD however and decided to go with it. All characters belong to Suzanne Collins and the Shifter Race belong to Wizards of the Coast's Eberron. Hope you guys like it!
The Hunger Games existed for pure entertainment at the population's expense. 12 Districts, 1 boy and one girl for each, every year. The twist? One contestant might be a shifter. A shifter was someone who could morph their human form into something more animalistic or different then their regular form. Similar to the legend of the werewolf. There were six classes of shifters: Beasthide, Longtooth, and Swiftstride were the most common. The least common where Wildhunt, Thoughtwalkers and Smilechangers. Shifters typically came into their powers at the age of twelve and could naturally control themselves at age eighteen, thus limiting the games age range to match. The Hunger Games was also the government's way of letting the public know they weren't alone and to keep their superstitions high, eager to turn in shifters. It was expected that once a shifter was found, they would be controlled. In the instance they were found in the Games, it guaranteed them a winner as they would be no match for the other contestants and then they could be controlled. Of course, it wasn't always the case that the shifter won and sometimes… there could be more than one shifter. Then all bets were off. Madge leaned forward as the faces flashed on the screen. "One… two… three… four… five" she counted under her breath.
"We've only had two games in all 74 years with more than one shifter and this year there's five?"
"And two from one district two… it must be rigged."
"They don't know who's a shifter or not! They can't rig it like that."
"You don't know, I'm sure they have all kinds of surveillance."
"Then why never this many before? This is far more entertaining!"
Madge tried to ignore the Capital citizens who had come to share her home for the extent of the Games. Just as she tried not to glance at their score sheets as they renumbered who and what their money was going to go to- bets, aid, further entertainment or obstacles. She couldn't stand it, she had two friends in the ring this time. Which kind of shifter the four were had only been revealed from one, Cato Hadley, District 2. He was a Longtooth shifter, one of the more common of the six shifter classes. He had taken the form of a mountain lion the first second of the game. He had beat everyone to the cornucopia and had killed several contestants from the start. Now he paired off with a pack, Clove, Glimmer, Rosemary, and Marvel. The Careers. Careers were the ones who could afford to train and volunteer for the Hunger Games. The shifters within those groups were able to hone and come to understand their abilities making it impossible to beat them. Most of the winners in the past games had come from Districts 1, 2, and 4. Yet, Cato also travelled with Peeta Mellark which was a surprise and thrill for all who watched. Madge had been told some citizens had even started to sponsor his braveness.
Shifters were rare in Panem, mutations left over from the toxic environmental disasters' years ago. The government had no way to control them so they set a tax and control on those who could shift. Forcing those in poorer districts to live in poverty and in pain from not shifting and those in more affluent districts come to understand their powers. Most hid their abilities from watchful eyes as to not be forced into the dismal existence. She was sure that there were those who lived with shifting abilities in District 12 who couldn't afford to take on the tax for their already poverty-stricken families. Those like Katniss and Peeta. She had known about Katniss, but she was able to mask her knowledge with surprise of Peeta's shifting abilities. Shifters who found themselves in the games shifting for the first time were often those who were hunted for sport by the other contestants. Shifters like Peeta. Katniss had trained with her father and later Gale Hawthorne while she was growing up to control and harness her abilities in the woods beyond the legal limits of the district. Peeta she was sure never had such training. Which kind of shifters they were hadn't been revealed to the viewers but to the judges, each of which knew the talent or lack of talent each shifter possessed.
Madge didn't want her worry to show so she slumped back against the couch. "When are they going to have their forms shown? I'm bored," she complained, "oh Dazzle do make the game interesting!" She battered her big blue eyes at the woman with the deepest pockets. The woman blinked in response and then laughed, tossing back her bright gilded hair. She stepped away to make a phone call.
"My dear you will have the show you've asked for," she said tapping Madge on the nose when she returned, "and you won't have to wait very long!" Madge instantly regretted her decision as she feared the worse from those who tossed around money.
"I hope one is a Smilechanger like that Finnick Odair."
"If only we could get so lucky!"
"I doubt any of them will be something so rare."
"There has to be one! There are five shifters in the arena!"
Madge glanced over at her father, blocking out the chatter of the people around her. Her father who was now on his second glass of straight bourbon, flashed her a weary smile. Smilechangers were those who could shift their form into another human. They were deadly in the area as they were able to mimic and become their competitors. Madge had only known one, her aunt Maysilee Donner. Panem officials tried to create similar mutagens which resulted in Jabberjays and Mockingjays, used as spies for the Capitol. Madge turned her attention back to the screen just as a fog rolled in.
"Oh! Here it is," Dazzle clapped her hands together and sat forward. Madge tried not to do the same in anticipation. It affected the career group first. Both Cato and Peeta dropped to their knees, slowly transforming to their forms. The others watched in mixed horror and fascination at Peeta becoming a black bear. It wasn't long before Cato noted him as a threat and went at him, taking out his back leg with a hard bite. Peeta, unable to hold form, reverted back, clutching at the wound as the others left him behind. Madge closed her eyes feeling the weight of her actions settle on her shoulders.
"A Beasthide!" Heart cried to the others, "I'm so pleased, I get money from my bet I placed!"
Madge tried to not get sick to her stomach as the camera panned to Finch, the female tribute from District 5. She was carefully hidden and successfully shifted into a fox without being noticed. Madge tried not to glance over as one of her guests check off Swiftstride on their chart. Thresh from District 8 seemed to have surprised them all when he turned into a boar.
"I hadn't pegged him as a Beasthide, I had hoped for another Swiftstride."
"With those shoulders? No way, I thought he was a Wildhunt."
"That girl from 12 will be a Swiftstride no doubt."
"She got a close to perfect score. She must something rarer."
As if on queue the camera panned to Katniss. She had just scored the deaths of two tributes from quick thinking and tracker jackers and had made her daring escape from the careers. Now just a few paces away from them she broke down. With horror and amazement Madge watched her flash between wolf and bobcat. Katniss was a Wildhunt, able to shift between creatures. Able to control herself, Katniss was able to still disengage with the Careers, heading deeper into the arena from them.
"She's had practice," one remarked with a quirking of eyebrow, "how interesting."
"Did you know her Margaret?"
Madge laughed, "a Seam girl? Hardly." She caught her father's pleased reaction out of the corner of her eye. "Now if you excuse me, I need some air from all of this excitement!" The others nodded, all parting from their seats to get more refreshments and food. Madge left the house at once, letting the cool air hit her face. She breathed deeply in the garden for a moment before turning her sights on the forest beyond the fence. Madge couldn't stop herself as a face appeared in her thoughts. She needed to talk to Gale Hawthorne.
Let me know your thoughts! xx
Erin