Difference between revisions of "Heathcliff Travers"

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Heathcliff Travers was a tribute in the 73rd Hunger Games. She is notable for being the joint-youngest tribute, realising that she was transgender during the Hunger Games, and for being a fierce and loyal ally, retaliating in defence when her allies were attacked.

Early Life

Back in District Two, Heathcliff trained as a dancer from a young age. After he was abandoned by his own parents - his father leaving at his birth and his mother giving him up due to her drug addiciton - he was taken in from a community home by his dance instructor, and trained under her well-disciplined campaign. His close relationship with his foster sister, who was adopted from the same home, first got him thinking about his feminine characteristics, for example a love of beauty and makeup. Although this played on his mind as he grew older, he did not fully embrace it until the Hunger Games. (Heathcliff's biography)

Before the 73rd Hunger Games

The Reaping

Heathcliff volunteered alongside Achilles Muto for the 73rd Hunger Games. Initially, Torka Hammerfell was reaped as the District Two Male, and when Heathcliff volunteered it caused a stir due to Torka's influential family name and his relation to Orion Hammerfell, a previous tribute. Heathcliff's reason for volunteering was curiosity about chance and fate, and an opportunity to finally grow up and out of his childish beliefs. (District Two Reaping)

Justice Building and Train Journey

In the Justice Building, Heathcliff was visited by Asa Benyon, who commended Heathcliff on his bravery for volunteering. Asa himself had wanted to volunteer for the position but had quieted down when he saw Heathcliff moving forwards. However, Heathcliff was unsure how to respond considering he didn't know Asa personally, and was uncomfortable being in a private room with someone who could be violently envious of Heathcliff's privilege. (District Two Justice Building)

During the journey to the Capitol, Heathcliff had his first proper meeting with his District Partner, Achilles, although the two were more concerned with their individual thoughts than with each other. (District Two Train Thread)

The Training Centre

Heathcliff tried to interact with as many other tributes as he could in the Training Centre. Considering that most of this year's crop were also volunteers, Heathcliff knew he had no advantage over them by being seen as brave. Additionally, being one of the youngest tributes, Heathcliff certainly had more to prove. Heathcliff's first encounter was in the small Training Centre prayer room with Renée Perdris, who he instantly connected with. The two were both non-Careers from Career Districts, both volunteers, and both deeply contemplative on death, religion, and beauty. (Heathcliff meets Renée) The two decided to ally, along with Iris Flower-Oak and Emmery Johnson, who they met just before going into the Bloodbath. Heathcliff also encountered Roger Strangways-Teach in equally unique circumstances, offering to read his fortune from cards, and trying to find his future in them. (Heathcliff meets Roger) At the camouflage station, Heathcliff met Weaver Rhodes. The two had an amicable rivalry, with Heathcliff helping Weaver with his resourcefulness. They got on extraordinarily well, with Heathcliff considering Weaver to be a true friend before they parted ways at the end of the session. (Heathcliff meats Weaver) Heathcliff found he got on just as well with Lucrezia Eckhart, though the two only met briefly, (Heathcliff meets Lucy) and had a similar experience when he encountered Bailey Truus in the archives. (Heathcliff meets Bailey)

Private Training Session

In Heathcliff's private training session, he used the private time to express himself and discover more of the soul he had previously suppressed. He first made up his face using natural ingredients from the camouflage station. Then he began to leap around the space, using his dancer's strength to propel himself gracefully through the air. Heathcliff focussed on throwing knives, missing with one but landing the second solidly, impressing the Gamemakers watching above. His flexibility and strength were evident in his finishing move, and his efforts earnt him a 6. (Heathcliff's Training Session)

The Final Night

The night before the Bloodbath, Heathcliff mused alone on his balcony about what was to come. He thought of his allies, his past friends, and his future fate, too. (Heathcliff before the Bloodbath)

The Hunger Games

Bloodbath

NB: At this point Heathcliff's pronouns changed from "he/him" to "they/them"

Heathcliff woke up on the morning of the Bloodbath as soon as the sun came up. They spent some time looking at their own body before dressing and eating - the beginning of the evolution that the Games would trigger as they realised their true identity. After eating heartily, Heathcliff waited silently for their podium to rise into the arena. When it did, the fighting became a blur. Heathcliff managed to find their allies, and began to attack as they scooped up items. For a long time, the Spelunkers managed to avoid any attacks at all, staying away from the main fray as they landed blows on those tributes rushing past them. This didn't last for long, however. Machaon Amador and his all-male allies descended on Heathcliff's friend and ally, Renée. Their female counterparts, led by Petra Vipointe, launched a similar attack on Iris. Both Renée and Iris fought back bravely, but it wasn't long until Renée fell - stabbed clean through the eye by Percy Delacroix. Distraught, Heathcliff lashed out at Percy as she tried to flee the place where Renée had fallen. Their attack was clean and true, and Heathcliff killed Percy by stabbing her in the eye with his own knife, just as Percy had done to Renée. After the double-killing, one in cold blood and one in retaliation, the Bloodbath began to simmer down. Heathcliff and their allies fled with their bags full of useful supplies - although tragically they were still without water, which they knew they would eventually have to find, or die. (The Bloodbath).

Day 1

After the carnage of the Bloodbath, the remaining Spelunkers and a host of other tributes brought together a funeral for their fallen ally, Renée, at the Arena's pool of molten gold. Lowering her body into the pool before her hovercraft came to carry her away, Heathcliff - now emerging as a more neutral persona, Travers - spoke a eulogy for her. At the same time, Travers realised her true self. (Renée's Funeral)

Day 2

On the second day in the Arena, the Spelunkers stumbled their way to the pool of boiling blood. They were ambushed there by three demonic muttations of the Gamemakers' design. Travers attacked one of the two cave spiders that crawled towards them, and she landed a serious blow on its body, killing it. Travers continued to land serious blows, soon turning her attacks onto the Loch monster which attacked them. Under Travers' blows, the loch finally fell, and the allies fled without too much serious damage. As they left, both Emmery and Iris received sponsorship parachutes, leaving Travers feeling lonely, and tending to her wounds on her own. Finally, Travers received her own parachute, with healing salve. Feeling safer and more secure, she let her allies lead her away, hopefully to safety. (Day 2)

Day 3

That night, a storm roared around the allies as they huddled in the caves. When they woke, they found two tributes from two of the larger alliances come to rest near them: Daniel Tate and Minos Vallanso, and Weaver Rhodes and Iona Holbrook. Emmery, Iris and Travers decided it would be advantageous to form a truce with the former pair, who seemed stronger in spirit than the others, and who the Spelunkers had bonded with more solidly in the Training Centre, and at Renée's funeral. Although Emmery was the first to strike, and aimed her early attack at Iona, Weaver leapt to her defence and descended on Travers. Iona followed suit, even though Travers had not yet drawn her weapon, and Travers was seriously wounded from the early stages of the fight. Travers was intensely taken aback at being targeted, regretting ever trusting Weaver in the Training Centre and calling on him accusingly, and for mercy. She grew increasingly vengeful as she spoke and thought, and when she lunged at Weaver, there was rage behind it. Although Travers only managed to cut Weaver's leg, Weaver retaliated fiercely, embedding his axe deep in Travers' back. Around them, the other tributes attacked each other, with Emmery and Iris precisely darting their blades on Iona. Their blades were nothing compared to Daniel's accuracy with a bow - Iona fell as one plunged through her neck. As her cannon fired, chaos ensued, with all the tributes turning on each other regardless of truces. Travers could feel herself growing weaker, but still managed to keep swinging at Weaver. Finally, it was Emmery's knife, plunged into Weaver's back, that dealt the blow he couldn't survive. The remaining tributes fled in different directions, terrified for their own lives from the other teenagers, who now had the scent of blood in their nostrils. As she fled, Travers heard Minos cursing her from behind her, promising to kill her himself. Travers stayed strong, perhaps still filled with the insanity that adrenaline drew up inside her. (Day 3)

Day 4 and Death

Travers awoke early from terrible nightmares of the deaths she had witnessed. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and fear at the faces and voices that plagued her sleep. However, she awoke with the determination to live another day - and to keep supporting her allies. The trio headed back to the Cornucopia on the fourth day in the Arena, lured there by a mysterious glowing light that pulsed through the entire arena. When they arrived, although they prayed to stay undisturbed, they encountered tributes they hadn't seen for days - Justice Fray, Atlas White and Machaon Amador and the District Four duo Scout Krigel and Roger Strangways-Teach. Furthermore, they had an even bigger problem; the enormous dragon muttation, Flemeth. All the tributes were horrified by the appearance of each other and the monster, but Travers felt that same rage she felt the previous day, and cut Flemeth's leg clean off, striking true. While Travers and allies focused on the dragon, Machaon and Justice attacked Travers. Roger tried to strike Justice to turn his attention back to the muttation, but was blocked. Travers expressed her confusion and furiosity at the Bros' attacks, but wasn't distracted by their attacks, and turned to Flemeth again. Justice seemed to understand Travers' anger and retaliated to Roger's blow instead, but Machaon continued directing his blows to Travers. Travers herself remained determined and continued to fight the dragon. Finally, the monster grew weak, and Iris slashed her knife at it and killed it. However, instead of turning to run, the other tributes carried on attacking Travers, and her allies. Travers didn't even have a chance to flee - Justice struck her at the hip and cut her leg clean off. The wound was too much for Travers, and she fell without another word. Fortunately, her allies got away - that at least gave Travers some peace, in her dying moments. (Day 4)