I squat down next to the cat, with Katniss's warnings about wild creatures close to my ears. "Don't ever go near an untamed animal, Prim," was what she always said to me. "They might seem sweet on the outside, but at any point they might snap and harm you." Those words are permanently burned into my memory, but even so... I can't ever imagine the cat being harmful to anyone, or anything. How can a small and innocent cat, barely awake in the snow, ever bare its teeth to anyone?

The winter is harsh this year, hordes of snow plummeting down to District 12. Almost everyone are left to freeze at nights, huddled with family members under all the blankets and clothing they can manage to spare. My family is no exception; every day, the temperatures chill us to the bones. Although nothing health-invoking has happened yet, news of citizens frozen to death arrive every day.

My sister worries for me even more.

I examine the cat carefully, even tentatively reaching out a hand to pat its wet fur. Night falls rapidly during this time of the year, so I can't see every detail, but out of the darkness his eyes glow. In a way, I almost feel like Katniss, a loving guardian protecting her underlings. I smile fondly at the cat, hoping that the charisma that has defined me so far will appeal to him too.

"What's your name?" I ask the cat.

I get a meow in return.

"Hmm... Well, I can't call you that, can I?" I bring the cat out of the pile of snow it had been sitting on and set it down on dry ground, swept clean minutes ago. "But I guess I should tell you my name, then. I'm Primrose Everdeen, but you can call me Prim. I have the most amazing sister ever. Her name is Katniss, and for years she's been running our whole family! Isn't she amazing?"

The cat squirms in my grip, and I let it go. "What's wrong? Do you have a family? Where are your parents and siblings?"

Its head droops towards the ground, and I feel that I've hit a sensitive spot. "Oh... you don't have one anymore, then?" I follow its gaze an stare at the gravel with it. "I lost my father too. He passed away in a mining accident... I'm sure that he did all he could to get out, but..." Hot tears roll out of my eyes and freeze instantly in the bitter cold. The accident was years ago, but it still brings tears to my eyes. "He didn't make it through. For a long time, our family starved, but... eventually we found a savior." I smile, remembering the sight of the bread sitting on the table. "And I'm sure that one day you'll find a savior, too."

I rise, and the cat's head rises with me. I look at it from above, watching the miserable look in its eye, almost nostalgic... "Oh, you want to come too?"

The cat continues to look at me with its longing look. "Well then, it's all decided!" I hoist the cat up and start spinning around, almost slipping on the gathering ice. "You've just found your savior! Tonight, I'll take you to a brand new home and show you my sister and my mother!" I can't help but grin at the prospect. Convincing Katniss will be hard, but she can't say no. "You'll become part of our family!"

I slow down from the spinning and manage a more serious expression on my face. "From now on, your name is Buttercup. Like the flower. The beautiful yellow one." A faint smile reappears, and I start walking home, carrying Buttercup with me. "Now we're all named after plants! Just you wait, Buttercup. I'll make sure that we'll be the happiest family ever!"

A/N: I know that I haven't updated any of my stories in like, forever, but... *shrug* Like I said, huge case of writer's block and art block and everything's block these days. The only reason why I wrote this is because this is a kiriban award for *PresidentSnowFangirl over on deviantART. Uh. Yeah. It's really short, but... come on. I wrote this at two in the morning.