A/N: My first shot at a One-Shot. See what I did there? Yes... I know... Terrible, but that's me for you all!
Disclaimer; I do not own anything to do with the Hunger Games (Not Foxface/Vixen, Katniss, Peeta or nightlock) as that honour goes to Suzanne Collins.
I watch him thud through the trees, pushing the undergrowth aside on his path of destruction. He reaches out and pulls off a couple of red berries. Instantly I recognise them; nightlock. He turns away from the river starts returning to the food.
Jumping down silently and following him to the pile of his and Katniss' food is simple. Stealth is my only weapon; it's the only thing I've had to rely on for these entire games. The only thing I'm certain of now. He's off again now, causing havoc with the surrounding nature and scaring off all the animals within a twenty metre radius.
I crouch down and take a small scraping of cheese and some of the berries.
I'm struggling, I know it. The prominence of my rib bones terrifies me and I know I'll never see Five again. There's no point in me fighting any more. I can't win, I can't bring myself to kill anyone and even if I had it in me I have no experience with hand-to-hand combat and no weapon to finish the job. They've already underestimated my ability, the surprise emitting from the Careers when I wasn't killed on day one told me that. Cato would kill me slowly, giving the bloodthirsty Capitol audience the death they want. Plus there's Katniss and Peeta to get around too. She's got her bow and arrows now, I watched her take them from Glimmer's repulsive body.
I follow Peeta back to the lake where he plucks more berries, his own idiocy possibly bringing him down. I don't want that to happen. When he turns round his eyes open wide in surprise, bright blue in the bright sun. "Foxface?" he croaks.
"Foxface?" I repeat, "What sort of a name is Foxface?"
Peeta shrugs, "It's what Katniss nicknamed you. What's your real name?"
I hesitate. Should I tell him? It won't make any difference to the outcome of the Games; I'll be dead in three minutes. "Vixen."
"Vixen... So close to Foxface. A vixen is a female fox," he tells me. I'm not stupid, I already know that, but don't bother telling him.
"Yeah, it is," I give a weak smile. "Those berries are poisonous. They'll kill you in a minute; you'll be dead before you can vomit it back up."
I didn't think it was possible but Peeta's eyes opened even wider, "You sure?" I reply with a simple nod. "Thanks," he returns my smile.
"I took some cheese. I hope you don't mind," I admit, "But don't worry, I won't be around for much longer." I show him the berries in my hand.
A four note whistle slices through the air. "It's Katniss. She'll be expecting me now," Peeta tells me.
I quickly formulate a plan. Katniss can't know I saw him. "You'll need to take some of the berries back. It'll explain the missing cheese. Go back to Katniss and pretend you never met me. Continue to call me Foxface when the two of you get out of here and act like you don't know the true potential of the berries. Just don't forget me Peeta Mellark. Don't forget me," I choke out, tears springing to my eyes. Peeta just nods quickly.
The tune sounds again. Peeta gives an apologetic smile and places a hand on my shoulder, "I promise Vixen. I promise I will always remember you as the girl who saved my life. I need to go now though." He turns on his heel and hobbles away from the stream, berries still in his hand.
I follow him again, always staying a little behind him. He flings the berries into the undergrowth and flinches as Katniss' arrow flies into the oak tree next to him.
"What are you doing?" she yells, "You're supposed to be here, not running around in the woods!"
"I found some berries down by the stream," he says.
"I whistled. Why didn't you whistle back?" she snaps at him.
"I didn't hear. The water's too loud, I guess," he shrugs. He walks to Katniss and places his hands on her shoulders.
"I thought Cato killed you!" she shouts.
"No, I'm fine," Peeta wraps his arms round Katniss but she doesn't respond. "Katniss?"
She pushes him away. "If two people agree on a signal, they stay in range. Because if one of them doesn't answer, they're in trouble, all right?"
I don't find out whether it's all right or not because I've turned away to find a happy place to die. I walk about a hundred yards and decide this is the place. I roll the berries around in my hands and lift one to my mouth, savouring the final smells of the arena. They don't deserve to say when I die or not, I decide that. I could have died at any point through choice, ran into the Career's camp or eaten any of the other poisonous substances in the arena because believe me, there are a fair few.
"Goodbye Panem. Goodbye District Five. Goodbye Peeta," I say relatively quietly, placing a berry in my mouth and swallowing it.
I close my ears and wait for death. It will be my final relief, the calm and gentle world of the dead.