Mockinjay
Legacy Name: Mockinjay

Once Upon a Time...

My family has inhabited the forests of Panem for generations, combining the intelligence of our jabberjay fathers with the melody of our wild mothers. Song keeps our families united, no matter the distance between one mockingjay and the next.

Our forest is rich with plant life, granting us an abundance of sweet berries and tangy insects to satisfy our hunger. We are careful to teach our young the distinction between tasty wasps and devious tracker jackers. Far too many fledglings have lost their lives to these abominations.

I am there to witness the fall of my cousin. He is young and bold, golden feathers flashing as he darts into the open sky to bask in the warmth of the sun. There is a sound like lightning and his charred body drops, plummeting to break on the great golden horn that humans have raised from the earth. We mourn his loss as a song of warning is passed to every member of the family beneath the dome. The humans in white place their devices among the leaves of the forest floor, appearing and leaving again in the belly of the silver beasts that fly despite their lack of feathers.

We are wary of the children that appear in our home for good reason. On their first day, many fall in a bloody melee over a number of iron-tipped sticks and bags filled with human food. Alarm cries cannot compete with the boom of cannons.

I cannot soothe my curiosity by keeping my distance, as so many members of the family do. I watch the girl with golden hair carry her silver bow in an awkward grip, dropping it to the ground as a sinister black squirrel darts across her path. The red-headed girl is so much like the fox that once slunk beneath our trees that I want to raise an alarm cry for the nesting mothers to check on their nests. The dark-haired girl moves with a grace that is rare to humans. She does not smell danger on the wind, walking right into the flames my family takes wing to avoid.

I do so hope she survives. She's interesting, for a human.

We settle into our winter nesting grounds despite the greenery surrounding us. There is another girl child who flits from one branch to the next, almost like a bird herself. Her voice rises in a little song with four notes and before I can think, I am repeating that sweet song.

My sister picks up the melody and it rises, spreading through the forest much like the flames that die suddenly. Even the hatchlings are able to repeat the simple chain of notes. We are in awe of the girl with wide brown eyes.

I keep a careful eye on the bird child over the next couple of days. She knows how to use the forest as an ally rather than an enemy, falling silent when the animals do and using the trees to hide her small frame while larger predators pass beneath. She convinces the dark-haired girl to drop a tracker jacker nest without acquiring one sting.

I want this child of nature to return to survive the predators that stalk her, but it is not to be. My family watches in solemn silence as the bird child falls, a spear planted in her chest.

"Can you sing?"

The dark-haired girl kneels at her side, cradling her and singing softly.

Deep in the meadow, under the willow
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow...

The forest falls silent, as if even the predators are holding their breath in this moment.

...Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you.

In a brilliant burst of song, every mockingjay takes up the melody. When the girl's body is taken by great silver claws, my family swoops in to gather the flowers that fall from her small form. They will adorn our nests until winter comes and we will keep the memory of the pair alive in the songs they have given us.

Credits: Profile by: Ringo

Story by Pureflower
Quote and inspiration from The Hunger Games series.