'Ello, fellow tributes! This is the first one-shot I've posted here, so I hope you like it! Note: Old.
Disclaimer: If I owned the HG, wouldn't this be in the book instead of here? But the song is mine.
Cato stared at the crowd below his feet. It was Reaping day, and he had just volunteered. He felt proud to represent his District in the Hunger Games. He had waited his whole life for this. This moment. The moment when he would volunteer and the crowd would cheer for him.
"Cali Catalias!" The escort called. As the escort read the second name, Cato froze. He froze because he knew there could only be one winner. And he couldn't let the person that got called die. Why? Because that was Cato's sister.
"Wait! I volunteer!" A voice in the crowd called. Cato winced. He knew that voice by heart. It was Clove.
Pushing through the crowd, Clove yelled, "My name is Clove Robins, and I volunteer to be the female tribute for District Two!" She emerged from the crowd, showing her face. She looked up at him. Cato looked her in the eyes, his glare full of anger.
The small room in the train was filled with tension. Cato and Clove stood in the room. Cato glared at Clove and she glared back. But their glares were different, yet the same. Cato's glare was full of anger, Clove's was full of frustration, but the glares shared one thing in common.
"Clove, how could you? I told you not to volunteer!" Cato shouted in anger.
Clove shook her head. "Cato, it was either me or your sister. Who would you rather lose?" Cato fell silent, for they both knew the answer to Cato's question. Cato could never lose his sister.
"But Clove! You know how our District works! Someone else would have volunteered! Everyone wants to be in the Games!" Cato curled his hands into fists.
"No, Cato. Don't you understand? No one else would volunteer because they're scared of you. They know that either you'll turn on them at the start or when it comes down to just the careers, you'll kill them. And they're right." With her last sentence, Clove looked down, her voice becoming somber. Clove plopped down on the ottoman of a chair.
"Clove, you know-"
"That that's exactly what you would do. Don't lie to me, Cato. We both know that I know you better than anyone else, so don't deny it." Clove looked at Cato, her eyes clouded with sadness.
"You're right, Clove," Cato said.
He walked over to the ottoman and sat next to Clove. He put his arm around her shoulders and breathed, "Clove, don't worry. We'll get through this somehow. Together."
Then Cato remembered a song the ancient stonemasons would sing to each other at funerals. At his uncle's funeral, they had sung it. He took a deep breath and softly sang:
This place,
May be one dull face,
And these stones,
May look like bones,
But with me,
You'll be safe.
It's been a long day,
And I say,
Today was a hardship,
But here's a tip,
Stay with me,
And you'll be safe.
I can hear the heavens cry,
Because they know that I,
Will not break,
When I know my fate,
Because in your arms,
I am safe.
And when I die,
I'll look at the sky,
And I'll see your face,
Knowing I'll see you again someday,
Because in your arms,
I am safe.
These stones,
May look like bones,
But with me,
You'll be safe.
Stay with me,
And you'll be safe.
And when I die,
I'll look at the sky,
And I'll see your face,
Knowing I'll see you again someday,
Because in your arms,
I am safe.
Clove rested her head on Cato's shoulder. Cato kissed her on the cheek.
The Games had been easy enough so far. Marvel, Glimmer, and the tributes from 4 were dead. Cato and Clove were still alive, even though they knew that one of them had to die.
Right now they were beside the lake, eating berries and bread. The berries were delicious and the bread was warm, a gift from their sponsors.
"Attention all tributes!" Claudius Templesmith's voice boomed through the arena. "There has been an exception in the Game's rules! If two tributes are from the same District are the last tributes remaining, both tributes will be crowned as victors!"
Cato and Clove's mouths dropped. They hugged each other tightly, unable to believe the news. They could both live. They could both live.
Cato and Clove were ready for the feast. They needed the armor, and even from a distance, they could tell that it was in the bag marked with the number 2.
As the gong rang, something emerged from the Cornucopia. It was the fox-faced girl from 5. She snatched her bag and hid in the forest. Smart.
Cato tapped Clove on her shoulder and nodded. The plan was that Clove would take out Katniss and Cato would grab the bag and take out anyone else if he got the chance. Clove darted off towards the Cornucopia.
Clove ran towards the Cornucopia and tackled Katniss, who was running to get the 12 bag. Clove pinned her down and drew a knife. But then something unexpected happened. Thresh came.
Thresh picked up Clove and screeched, "You killed her! You killed the girl from my District!" He pinned her to the Cornucopia and picked a rock up from the ground.
"Cato! Cato!" Clove screamed. Cato ran out from the bushes, but he was too late. Thresh slammed the rock into Clove. She fell to the ground, still alive.
"I'll let you go this time, Everdeen! But just this once, because you saved Rue." Thresh pointed at Katniss, who nodded and ran off.
Cato drew his sword. He yelled a battle cry. Before Thresh knew what was happening, he was dead. His cannon fired.
Cato ran to Clove and picked her up in his arms. She was bleeding heavily. "Clove, you can't die! We've come this far, you just can't!" His eyes started to tear up, threatening to make him cry.
Clove reached her hand up and wiped away Cato's tear. "Don't cry, Cato. Don't cry." Her voice was hoarse and weak. Cato did as she said and held back his tears. "Cato, just do me a favor. Make sure you kill loverboy. He mocks the concept."
Cato nodded. "Whatever you say, Clove." Then he got a sudden urge. "Clove, sing with me. Sing with me this one last time." Clove weakly nodded.
So then and there, their voices, one strong, one weak, one alive, one dying, both sad with love's thorns, sang:
I can hear the heavens cry,
Because they know that I,
Will not break,
When I know my fate,
Because in your arms,
Then Clove started to cough. Her body racked heavily and then stopped. A cannon fired. Cato finished, "I am safe."
Cato was holding loverboy in a headlock on top of the Cornucopia. Clove's wish wouldn't go unfulfilled. He would kill loverboy. He would kill loverboy and die with him, returning to Clove in the stars.
He was about to dive off of the Cornucopia with him when he felt a searing pain in his hand. An arrow. He lost his balance and fell of the Cornucopia towards the wolfmutts.
All of the pack hung back except for one wolfmutt. It was Clove's wolfmutt. The wolfmutt walked up to him and howled, then the pack attacked.
Cato suffered for hours, unable to get bitten fatally due to his armor. After hours, the wolfmutts left. Then he was alone looking at the stars.
He softly sang to himself,
And when I die,
I'll look at the sky,
And I'll see your face,
Knowing I'll see you again someday,
Because in your arms-"
He was cut off by death. An arrow pierced his skull. But after he died, the wind seemed to whisper, "I am safe."
Not my best, but still good, I guess. Thanks for reading!
~Haymitch-The-Hobo