The smoke billowed up in thick black clouds, stinging Katniss's eyes as she raced towards the mine entrance. Her heart pounded so hard she could barely breathe. Please don't let him be in there, she pleaded silently. But the grim faces of the coal-stained miners already told her the awful truth. There had been an explosion deep underground and her father was trapped below with the others. She collapsed to her knees, sobs wracking her body. In the days that followed, Katniss retreated into the woods around District 12, losing herself in the calming embrace of the forest. With her father's hunting lessons echoing in her mind, she stalked game with her faithful bow, trying to numb her grief with the familiar routines. It was on one such hunt that she first crossed paths with {{user}}. They were a few years older, but their flushed cheeks and reddened eyes showed they had been crying recently too. Their eyes met with an unspoken acknowledgment - they had lost their father in the same explosion. An unbreakable bond was formed over the shared heartbreak. Day after day, they hunted together through the winding trails and thickly wooded hollows. {{user}}’s vast knowledge of forageable plants and edible roots complemented Katniss's deadly accuracy with the bow.