Heroes
Disclaimer: Hunger Games is not mine. Any spelling/grammar mistakes are mine.
Part I: The Feast
There is nothing more satisfying for Clove than watching her knife hit the target. Watching it spin through the air and then hit with that 'thwack' sound she's already so familiar with.
Her knife flies and hits Fire Girl right in the back and she falls, the cannon sounding as soon as her body hits the ground.
She would have loved to make a show out of her death, but the feast was a dangerous thing. Someone always dies and she wasn't going to put her self out there. She runs toward the table and takes her pack, a large on labeled '2', also grabbing the one labeled '12'. Quickly, she returns to where she and Cato have been staying.
As soon as she arrives, she sees him.
"What the hell, Clove! I said no feast! I thought that cannon was for you!" Right. They were allies and they would win together. Become legend in Two.
They argued about the feast the night before. She wanted to go, since she had a ranged weapon and was faster. He said it wouldn't be necessary, they'd get food from sponsors. Clove told him she'd go because she wanted to and he said he'd stay up keeping watch all night if he had to.
He fell asleep before the sun rose and Clove slipped away quietly.
"Quit your whining, I'm here aren't I? That cannon was for Fire Girl. And I have this." Clove lifts up the packs. He's still angry, but he takes one, the small orange one for 12.
There's a syringe inside, probably medicine for loverboy's leg.
"The wound you gave him must be killing him." Clove tells him. "We'll keep it just in case."
Clove sits on the ground and opens up the pack meant for them. Cato sits across from her.
The first thing she pulls out is a body suit made of stretchy flesh colored fabric. Body armor. Its small and Clove assumes is for her. There's another and this one's a lot bigger. She tosses it to Cato and he, too determines it to be armor.
Food makes up the rest of their bounty. There's some bread, dried fruit, and multiple strips of dry meat.
"That should be enough for a few days." Cato speaks for the first time since she got back. Clove nods and then stuffs the food back into the bag.
"What now?" She asks.
"You said Fire Girl is dead. We have the medicine and it's only a matter of time until loverboy goes. Eleven and Five are still out there."
"No point in going after loverboy. Five is sneaky, though, and it's more likely we'll run into Eleven. He's still hiding in the field." Clove points out. They hadn't dared to go in there, not even when the pack was whole. The grasses were tall and anything could be hiding in there.
"We go after Eleven. That's why we got the armor." She states.
They change into the armor and then begin the walk to the edge of the field. That night, the faces of both the district Twelve tributes light up the sky.
Part II: A Fight
The Capitol wants some epic fight and in order to achieve that, the Gamemakers made it rain. Not a light rain, a heavy down pour that seemed to have no end.
"What way?" She yells. It was getting hard to see where they were going. Not only was it raining, but night had come.
She sees Cato use his spear to point to the left. "I think there are some trees over there! He could be trying to use them as shelter!"
Clove walks ahead, wanting to be the first to catch a glimpse of Eleven. That would give her the chance to strike first and she wanted to make up for Twelve's boring death.
The rain is ,too thick and there's no way she could have seen it. Clove steps into what is most likely quicksand. She doesn't panic, she's seen it before and the more you move, the faster you sink.
Cato notices that she's stopped and he looks at the ground. Her feet have been swallowed up by the ground.
"Get me out!" She demands. He doesn't hesitate in trying to pull her but she's stuck and Clove thinks she's sinking faster.
"Find a branch or something!" She's panicking.
"There's nothing! Brutus, send us something!" Nothing falls from the sky. Clove is almost waist deep in the sand and she calls out to Enobaria. Still nothing. Then she see the spear in Cato's hand.
"Use the spear!" It should be strong enough. She knows why Cato didn't use it before. They could lose it to the quicksand.
He extends the spear out, the non-lethal side and she grabs on as best she can. It's still raining and its hard to keep a grip but she has to try. It takes a lot of pulling, but eventually she's free. They're both breathing heavily, lying on the wet ground. Clove lies down completely, wondering how she came that close to dying and how she had to rely on Cato to save her. She won't thank him, but she doesn't like owing him her life either.
They don't move until the the sky lightens and the day starts. It's not very clear, but Clove feels it's slightly better than trekking in the dark.
The fight with Eleven was long and bloody. At first, she wanted to just hit him from a distance but she couldn't get a clear shot with the rain. Cato still had his spear but his aim was not as good as hers.
"I'll go first." He says.
"I'm not staying back. You can't tell me what to do." She responds.
"I'm trying to help you. You almost got killed by sand." He reminds her.
"I don't need your help. I'm earning my own crown."
After that, they both get closer to Eleven. The battle begins when Cato throws the spear at Eleven, only hitting his leg. They can't hear the cry of pain, but they watch as Eleven pulls out the spear and runs. Clove grins, she likes a chase.
Eleven is armed with a sickle and nothing else. Now that Cato is spear-less, Clove has only her knives. Still better than Cato, who is left with only one knife and his fists.
Clove decides to let them fight for a bit, deeming it unsafe to go in while Eleven has his sickle. Cato actually manages to disarm him and now they're evenly matched. He doesn't use his knife, wanting to beat him with his superior fighting skills.
Clove doesn't want this to drag out, so she runs full speed at Eleven. Her momentum is enough to momentarily distract him but she is shoved to the ground. Eleven locks on her but is then attacked by Cato. Clove stands and readies a knife, not for throwing, but to attack once more.
She runs into the brawl and she's being pushed away. For a second, she thinks Cato's doing some of the shoving but that's ridiculous. She focuses on stabbing Eleven, avoiding anything vital. She wants to slow him down and then take her time in killing him.
They succeed after Eleven loses blood and he's ,too weak to try to kill either. She draws patterns on his skin. Writes her name and her district. She's even nice enough to allow Cato to write his own name. Then, she takes one stab at his heart and it's over for Eleven. The cannon is lost in the storm.
Only then does she realize how tired she feels. She has a few bruises and some cuts, caused by her own knife, but she's in good shape. They decide to find some shelter and rest until the Gamemakers arrange a finale. The Capitol got their fight and she earned a break.
Part III: Victory
They're allowed only one day off before the Gamemakers throw in the twist. It's pitch black in the arena and the two tributes are out looking for Five. Clove had to give the girl some credit, she was an excellent hider.
There's a low growl coming from somewhere near by and they stop.
"There." Cato points to a near by bush. They wait to see what's hiding in the foliage and Clove is startled when a wolf like creature leaps out. She manages to jump out of the way and quickly, she takes one of her knives and throws it at the creature's throat. It's movement stops. They hear howling and Clove scrambles to get up. She and Cato both have the same thought: run.
They run full speed toward the Cornucopia. Five is no where in sight. While she runs, Clove looks back and sees the wolf mutts chasing them. One stands out. It has dark fur and steel grey eyes. Didn't Fire Girl have grey eyes?
The gray eyed mutt appears to be focused on her and it leads the others. A blonde one with baby blue eyes. Another small one with chocolate brown eyes. The biggest has golden eyes that can only belong to Eleven. The mutts are the dead tributes and they're coming for revenge.
"Five!" Cato calls. She just broke through the forest, running from some mutts. She's heading for the Cornucopia,too.
They reach it first and Cato climbs up before she can. Clove struggles a bit, but Cato pulls her up. It takes a few seconds to get her breathing to slow and then she moves to look over the edge. Five is closer now.
"It's them." Clove heaves. "All of the dead tributes. Those things have their eyes."
Cato shakes his head. "Not possible." Clove doesn't bring it up again.
Five appears over the edge and she's out of breath. Clove and Cato allow her time to catch her breath. They won't fight someone who can't fight back.
"Since it's just you, I'll let you chose your demise." Clove says once Five is up on her feet. The red head is weaponless and she takes a few steps back. She stands at the edge of the Cornucopia, the mutts waiting below.
"You can let the mutts rip you apart or you can let Cato and me do it. What's it gonna be, ginger?" Clove tells her.
Cato laughs. "I should tell you, I think dying by mutt would be less painful." Clove smiles.
Five looks at the two of them and smirks. Clove is confused by her actions and she looks over at Cato. He shrugs.
"I'll take my own way out." She says. She reaches into her pocket and Clove doesn't move, she watches. The girl takes out a handful of something and stuffs it into her mouth. She closes her eyes and lets herself fall. The cannon sounds.
Both Clove and Cato rush to the edge of the Cornucopia, to see what happened to her body. It's a gruesome sight, the mutts are tearing her up and Clove thinks she might vomit. She doesn't see mutts, she sees the dead tributes attacking. The Capitol is sick sometimes.
Clove had no idea what she ate but it killed her. And she ate it willingly. It was an outstanding show of bravery. There had been a lot of that this year; bravery shown from the lower districts.
The mutts leave and the Gamemakers change night into day. Five's remains are picked up by a hovercraft. They both climb down the Cornucopia and wait for the announcement of their victory. Claudius Templesmith's voice is heard in the arena.
"Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," he says. "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."
Clove is shocked and angry. How dare they? They can't revoke the rule change! They promised two victors and Clove planned to be one of them. Obviously, Cato would be the other one and district Two would be proud to have two victors in one year. They both fought for the glory of the district and nothing could be more glorious than two winners. They'd be heroes.
Now the Captiol denies her the glory and Clove is furious.
Her anger and shock vanish when she remembers that Cato is standing a few feet away from her. She turns to stare him down, a knife gripped in her hand. She's ready to throw. It's a miracle that he hasn't attacked her yet.
He stands there, not reaching for the knife he has tucked in his belt. He stares at her, too. Just waiting. Clove lifts the knife into the air. She can aim right for the heart and end it. He's not fast enough to dodge.
But she can't. She doesn't think it would be right. She remembers almost dying in quicksand a few days back. Cato did not let her die. He could have, no one would have blamed him. He would have been the sole victor. In two, they were taught to pay their debts and she hadn't paid hers. There 's another reason why she can't do it, but its blurry in her mind. She ignores the voice that whispers something about friendship and trust.
The Capitol. They're cheaters and they lied to them all. They probably would have done the same if Twelve was here. They would like to see the lovers try and kill each other. Maybe Fire Girl would have killed loverboy, but Clove would not let the Capitol win this one. They said to victors and now they'd have to keep their promise. She just had to push them a bit.
"Grab your knife!" She commands. Cato probably thinks she's insane if she wants to fight him, but she repeats her words. He does, grabbing it by the blade as if her were going to try and throw. They both know he'd miss.
"Don't throw it, you idiot!" As she says this, she turns her knife and lets the blade hover above her chest. It's a few centimeters from her heart.
Cato's eyes widen in surprise. "Clo-"
"Shut up! Do what I do." She's not asking. She hopes she won't have to explain the plan but that's in vain.
"They promised two victors and we'll help them keep that promise." She says. He finally understands, placing the knife above his heart.
"One" What if the Capitol lets them die?
"Two." What if Cato lets her kill herself and takes the crown?
She pulls the knife back and is ready to plunge it into her chest. She takes a deep breath.
"Thr-"
"Stop! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Clove Kentwell and Cato Hadley! I give you — the tributes of District Two!"
The knife falls from her hand and she lets herself crumble to the ground. She's laughing hysterically-smiling so much, her face might be stuck like that forever- and she can hear Cato cheering.
She did it. She's a victor. District Two has the first dual victors in the history of the Games and it's all thanks to her.
She can see it now, the people of Two all waiting to see her. To catch a glimpse of her. A hero's welcome.
AN: I feel like this is all over the place and I wrote it in a rush. I wanted to get it out quickly so I could focus on my other stories.
I would want something like this to happen if they were the last one's left. Traumatic events bond people together and the arena is pretty traumatizing. They would at least be friends and friends don't want to see each other die. You see Cato trying to keep Clove alive. Clove tries to justify her inability to kill him by putting the blame on the Capitol and her disire to bring glory to her district. She does know she does not want him dead and she won't do it. So she does the knife thing, since she has no berries. I like Foxface and I think she was brilliant. She gets to defy the Capitol, too. Thresh deserved an epic fight scene, in my opinion, and mine sucks. It worked out a lot better in my head, sorry I couldn't quite put it into words. Anyway...this is for you guys so read and review please! :)