If she hadn't volunteered, he wouldn't have looked twice at her. There wasn't much to see: short, bony limbs paired with the dark hair and grey eyes that almost all of Twelve's unlucky tributes shared. She sure wasn't anything special.
But she had volunteered, even if it was for her pitiful younger sister, so Cato watched her very closely indeed. Katniss Everdeen had a certain spark about her which under any other circumstances he would have found intriguing at the very least. She could have been something special, but she would end up a cold slab of meat, just like everyone else here. The rules said one winner, and he wasn't going to let some Twelve bitch steal it from him, no matter how interesting she might be.
"She just got scared shitless when she saw her sister get reaped, Cato. You know she won't win." He wished he had Clove's confidence.
.
Two days in, he learned that his friend's certainty had been misplaced. With venom pulsing through his veins, he was just present enough to hope his mother and sisters didn't hear the things he swore to do to the Capitol's precious Katniss Everdeen. Cato thought that even if they had, they might have assumed it was an empty threat, but they'd be wrong. That bitch didn't deserve to die with a merciful snap to the neck like the Three boy had. No, he was going to carve her, slice up that perfect, scarless skin until no one would be able to tell it had once belonged to a human. Maybe he'd have a bit of fun with her first. She didn't deserve any better.
.
He imagined her face as he lodged his sword in the tree. Because of her, he didn't even have Clove. She hadn't been the best of company, but at least she was something. "Fuck her," he screamed as he hit the tree again, not caring that the other tributes might hear. He wanted her to know what was coming. That fear could be delicious.
Cato didn't want to admit that admiration and a hint of attraction lay at the root of his hate, but more and more, he suspected they did.
.
It wouldn't last more than another minute. He squeezed the boy tighter, waiting for his air to run out. He gave Katniss a toothy smile. Even with her bow, she couldn't stop him now. She'd been so good these last few hours; maybe he would allow her a quick death after lover boy was gone.
When the arrow hit his hand and he fell towards the hounds, he wasn't sure if his injuries or that fact that she'd caused them hurt more.
.oOo.
A/N: Written for Day 2 of Caesar's Palace Shipping Week.