I followed up stream the smeared blood, splattered, and smudged across the rocks. No no no, Peeta where are you! I wanted to scream it loud enough for it to echo throughout the arena. I wanted to hear it bounce off the walls, or whatever it was that was keeping us caged, like animals. I suppose that's all we really are to them. Animals locked in cage, used only for their entertainment. My eyes searched my surroundings realizing exactly where I was. Half drenched, with a foot inches under the water following a bloody trail, of Peeta Mellark. The boy who kept me alive, who risked a beating form his mother just to help me when he hardly new me. He'd done everything to protect me, and I'd done nothing for him. I stepped forward quickly. My foot slid off the side of a rock sending me into the creek. I froze for a second listening for the sound of footsteps, that I was sure I was about to hear racing through the woods to kill me. After a moment of silence I stood up and scramble out of the water. The rocks surrounding me were smeared with mud now, hardly any blood was left and I began breathing heavily, not sure if this was a good thing or not. I felt numb, and slow, like everything was pushing against me trying to keep me from him. I tripped several times, leaving myself soaked and sore, but I kept going until the creek opened up onto a muddy bank. There were smaller rocks around me now. Not the big boulders I had passed, the bank was slippery and so I sunk down to the ground. "Peeta!" I whispered loudly. "Peeta!" I called over and over.
There was a noise to my left, almost inaudible, but there. I turned slightly reaching for my bow. My eyes searched the ground, then the trees and I rose slowly. I was tense and I was ready to run at the slightest noise. I took a hesitant step forward. "Over hear." My body went rigid and I spun towards the noise, my bow up to my eye ready to release the arrow. It was silent other then the slow breathing I heard. My foot came down slowly into the mud and it sank. "Well don't step on me." Peeta! I recognized his voice but it sounded weak. I looked down at me feet and saw nothing. "Peeta!" I said out loud. A pair of eyes appeared in the mud. They were so white against the black mud. Peeta's eyes and nothing else of him were staring up at me.
I fell to my knees right next to him. My bow dropped into the mud next to me. "Peeta." My voice was shaky and quiet. I put my hands gently under his eyes and into the mud, I could feel him smile underneath my hands as I scraped the mud away. Soon I could see the familiar shapes of his face. It was still covered in mud but he was alive. He talked as I cleared the dirt away. He said he knew I would come, and he watched the sky every night praying he wouldn't see me there. He explained what happened from the last time I saw him. All I could do was thank him and thank him for staying alive. I couldn't phantom the idea of being alone any longer. "I did it for you Katniss, I never wanted to see you alone." He said close to drifting to sleep.
"Katniss…Katniss, wake up." Someone was shaking me. I felt weak and stiff against the cool rock I was leaning against. I felt Peeta's hand on my shoulder, "Katniss, wake up!" I could have slept there for ever slipping in and out of dreams, but his voice had an edge to it. I forced my eyes to open, and rolled my head around to see Peeta. He was propped up on his elbow where I had left him to sleep and rest his leg. My eyes snapped open and I gasped when I realized where we were. "Oh I fell asleep, I can't believe I did that. I left us unprotected out in the open. It's a wonder our faces aren't being projected across the sky right now." It would have been my fault. I thought to myself. We've both come so far, and survived under the worst circumstances. "Hey. Katniss, it's fine. You need to sleep too." Peeta's hand gently brushed my cheek. His face was creased with concern and he tried to comfort me. He put both his hands on my cheeks, and stared into my eyes.
Even thought, the situation we were in, I felt safe with Peeta. Sitting on the cold hard ground, with people hunting us, I felt like I was suppose to be there. I hadn't felt safe with someone since my father died. Even in the woods, far away from the electric fence surrounding District twelve I could feel safe with my father. I was meant to meet Peeta that day in the rain, and we were mean to be here together now. "I know we're going to make it out of this." I said so determined to get us both out alive. I stood up searching for a safe place to go.