Quick little Cato/Rue drabble I've had for a while. Not much background, but I thought I should post it considering the lack of Cato/Rue fanfiction on the sight. Enjoy and tell me what you think.
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It shames him to admit that he might not have ever noticed if he hadn't been so attuned to her from the beginning. She's a quiet little thing. Quick too.
When she moves it's like wind through the leaves and Cato knows he's the only one who's noticed. She's been following them. A dangerous, yet ingenious move. If she stays close and keeps them in her sight, there's a good chance that no one else will come after her. Since they don't know she's there she'll be safe until they run out of tributes to hunt. Cato doesn't quite know what he'll do when that happens.
He doesn't give any indication that he knows she's there. He doesn't want to spook her because if she leaves then he won't know where she is. He won't know if she's safe. Or at least as safe as possible in this hell. At least with her right above him he knows that the most dangerous predators in the forest are nowhere near to taking her life.
He's almost sure she doesn't have any sponsors, or if she does they probably won't send her any food. He can't stand the thought of her slowly starving when he has so much in front of him, so that night he makes sure to be the first on watch. When everyone is asleep he takes an apple and some dried meat and walks slowly to the edge of the clearing where he thinks-hopes- she is. He tries not to look too aggressive and simply leans against the nearest tree. He takes a bite from the apple and eats a piece of meat before dropping the rest on the ground. He briefly contemplates leaving but he needs her to know that this is for her. That he knows she needs this. This is going to cost him dearly and he hopes to holy hell that no cameras are on him right now. He just can't help himself.
He probably spends hours staring into darkness before he meets a pair of fearful golden eyes. She's frozen and she probably thinks he's going to tear her out of her tree and rip her to shreds. He doesn't. He can't. Their gazes stay locked for what seems like hours but could only have been minutes. Finally he sees her glance quickly towards his discarded food. He nods briefly before ripping his gaze away and stalking back to camp.
By the time he's able to go that way again the food is gone and the sick feeling that had settled in his gut was lessened. But not by much.
The next morning he gets a note from his mentor. He takes one look at it and throws it into the fire to burn. The words written on it stay with him for the next hour. The thought he had the moment he read it stays with him all day.
"End her."-Brutus
"I'd rather die."
