Author's note: Hey again, readers! (I'm happy that I even have any) Thanks again to the people who reviewed! I'm trying to keep some things that were actually in the book the same, even thought Katniss and Gale aren't in the Hunger Games (you'll get what I mean later). Also if you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to say them! Please R&R!

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own The Hunger Games, or any recognizable characters!

THE OPPOSITE OF DISCLAIMER (claimer?): I own everything else including the author's note, which I am, in fact, really proud of ;)

-Chapter 2-

KATNISS EVERDEEN'S POV

It's funny, that it was only this morning that Gale and I were eating blackberries on our hill. Now, District Twelve is in a burning mess; while we're on the run. But, even though I'd say my situation is somewhat bad, the woods will always be my favourite place, and I'd so much rather be here than in the artificial masterpiece of the realm of the Hunger Games. Sunlight falls through the spaces left by leaves and branches, leaving in it's place something that could never be man-made (or Capitol-made in my case).

Birds come alive with unearthly melodies, even as we peacefully come crashing by. I look up and see a mockingjay. They're really amazing birds, and a little reminder of rebellion comes along with them. They weren't meant to live; so that's something of a slap in the face to the Capitol. I could sing to one of them right now; but there are 3 reasons that keep me from doing so. One: Singing reminds me painfully of my father, and I'm not one for revisiting bad memories. Two: Right now would definitely not be the best time to sing. Three: It will chase away any game that hasn't already run far, far away from us.

"Should we stop? I don't think Prim can go too long." I whisper to Gale.

"I guess that would be a good move, no one's following as far as I can tell," I hear Gale say.

I'm grateful he agrees, because even though our families aren't weak, we have to remember that not everyone is used to the woods like Gale and I are.

Even though I know I shouldn't be, I feel strangely relaxed. A bow in hand, and Gale's hand to grip in my other -which I still haven't let go of-… I would choose this over the Games any day.

"Let's look for somewhere high."

We travelled fast… but we haven't travelled that far. It's far enough that I don't recognize this part of the woods though, which probably means that this is further than where I go to hunt. I look around, and I can feel a slight incline upwards, so I follow straight. Valleys make me feel trapped; I prefer higher ground, where I can see anything approaching.

"This feel's alright… why don't we stop here?" I ask.

"Sure, we have to rest sooner or later," Gale says.

I like this part of the woods. The trees are green and thick, which provides shade from the sun. The main reason I have a good feeling about this place though, is because there's a pile of giant rocks that form a cave-like structure, which will be nice to have if there's rain. We crossed a lake too, about a three minute walk from here. I've already spotted some berry bushes, and that will be useful in terms of food… but I'll have to check some. A quick rule about berries: don't eat it unless you're sure it's okay. One false mouthful, and you won't live long enough to see the morning.

"Hey, we're going to stop here for a while, can you start to unpack?" I say, addressing my mother and Hazelle, pointing at the cave. They nod.

"How long are we stopping for?" says Rory (Gale's younger brother). "I'm really tired."

"After the night is over, and then we'll have to move. No telling if the Peacekeepers have completely given up on us. Actually, it's a good guess to say that they haven't," Gale says.

I wish I could forgot about that part… this almost feels like another hunting day.

Prim walk's over to me and taps my arm. I lean down.

"Katniss, I'm hungry. Do you think we can eat any time soon?" Prim's puppy eyes almost send me marching immediately into the thick of the forest.

"Want to hunt now, Catnip?" Gale asks quietly.

"Sure, but let's start with gathering. There's a bucket's worth of berries out there."

As we walk, I can't help but think of what's going to become of the Hunger Games this year. Will they act as if nothing happened? Will they draw another name? Will they cancel the Hunger Games? No, I already know the answer. To punish as many people as possible… they have no choice but to strike back. To tell them that everyone from all the Districts are still under their rule. That the Capitol has the power to destroy each and every one of us if they wanted to. Just like they did to District Thirteen. It's just how they'll do it is the question.

Gale falls into his velvet hunter's tread… and I automatically do too. We sense game nearby. Surely enough, behind a willow tree, I see a full grown deer. It's so impossibly unreal, that for a moment I forget about hunting. Then a mockingjay trills out a melody, which is what brings me to my senses. Two arrows strike into the dear a second before it realizes danger. A second too late. It falls, two arrows having stuck its body; making it lose its grace. Gale quickly runs over, and slits its neck. To make sure it's dead, we wait a moment… and as we see that it doesn't move, I run over.

Gale grins.

"What luck." I say, and smile. But I know it doesn't have much to do with luck. Even if two other people had weapons, being able to bring down deer isn't easy.

"Yeah, this can keep us going for days," Gale says.

And just as we're about to carry the deer back, I hear something to my right. Gale does too, and both of us load our bows, getting ready to strike.

They've found us, I think. But let them come; they'll be dead in seconds.

"Peacekeepers," I whisper to Gale.

He nods.

A foot steps into the clearing, and I'm just about to let my arrow fly, when the rest of the body comes into view. A child. Bet she couldn't tip the scale of 70-pounds either, even soaking wet. But also, what makes me stop is a reason I don't say out loud. She looks so much like Prim.

First, she seems to see only the dear. Then she looks up to find a boy and a girl. Already prepared to kill her. She gasps, and as she runs up a tree, she also brings out a weapon. A sling-shot. Home-made too.

"Gale, look. She doesn't seem like a bad person."

"Do you think we should drop our weapons? Her sling-shot won't do much damage."

And at that we drop our weapons, looking straight at her. Waiting for her next move.

"Who are you?" The girl asks timidly, still clinging to her sling-shot and 20 feet up in a tree.

Slowly, we come to trust each other. Gale and I learn that her name is Rue, and that she's from District Eleven. Like us, she's on the run, and knows a fair amount about the woods. When we ask her what she loves most in the world, she replies, of all things, "Music."

She sings out a sweet four-note tune. The mockingjays nearby pause politely, and then pick up her song. Slowly, the music swells, and I recognize the brilliance of it. As the notes overlap, they complement one another, forming a lovely, unearthly harmony. For a moment, I forget where I am. As I get used to her tune, I sing those 4 notes again, in a clear voice. The music transforms the forest into a song, and I realize that I haven't sung in a long time. I've given up practice since my father died. I had forgotten how wonderful it was to sing. A smile makes its way to my face, and I vaguely realize Gale has joined in.

We agree that Rue can stay with us, not because of pity, but because she has a lot of knowledge we don't that could keep us alive. At least until we reach District Thirteen.

When Gale and I –Rue with us- trot back to the cave, we see that it's been transformed into somewhere anyone in District Twelve would like to live. Well, not everyone in District Twelve… just the desperate people from the Seam.

There are three blankets knit from the large leaves laid out in a layer of pine needles in the cave. More towards the opening are the two sleeping bags that I assume to be for Gale and I to use when we keep guard at night. Rue has a tiny sleeping bag that she sleeps in every night, and when I see it, I realize it's very thin, before Rue tells me it reflects body heat. She had managed to steal one of those high-tech sleeping bags before she ran from her District.

Everyone seems relatively surprised when we bring home a tiny girl when Gale and I were supposed to be hunting. Soon enough though, her knowledge on the fruits and greens in this area is priceless. Prim seems to get along very well with her, and that makes me somewhat relieved. Prim will not have to worry and stress over everything if she has a friend to take all of that off her mind. The thought that sweet, little Prim will be more cheerful brings a smile to my face.

Cooking is definitely not my strongest suit. My best dish is soup: which mainly involves tossing things in a pot. Therefore, I sit and chew mint leaves beside Gale, while Hazelle and my mother work on the deer.

Tonight, everyone is unusually full; but we still have over half of deer and herbs as leftovers. We don't throw them away. I shudder as the weirdly coloured Capitol people appear in my mind. Eating way more then they need to, just to throw it all up again to get more. Don't they realize that over half of the population of their country is barely making it by? That many of us kneel over from starvation everyday while they happily stuff themselves sick? I carefully make sure no disgust shows on my face, otherwise my family will worry; and that's the last thing I need them to be doing right now.

We're all gathered around the fire, when it's little Posy that reminds us we should sleep. Our family won't be able to go long without rest, so crashing right now isn't a bad idea.

Gale and I make our way towards the sleeping bags; I'm still griping my bow, in case I need to use it at a moment's notice. Gale has his knife, and Rue has her sling-shot. This relaxes me more, knowing that two other people have my back; that I don't have to completely fend for myself.

"Do you think it's safe for us to sleep now?" I whisper to Gale.

"Well, the Peacekeepers have had a fairly exciting day… and they can't last too long without sleep. They're still human, although even that is hard to believe." Gale replies.

"True."

"I can take first watch if you want, I slept this afternoon," Rue suggests kindly. There's something about her that trusts her wholeheartedly enough to let her take over what could possibly be the watch of my entire family's lives. I nod.

I crawl into my sleeping bag, and it's then that all of today's worry comes out of nowhere, and hits me with full force. What if Gale hadn't mentioned the idea of running away at all, and Prim was in the Capitol by now? No, that wouldn't have happened. I had volunteered anyway, I would be there instead. Would I have a chance? No, definitely not. Another thought strikes me. What if Gale's family and mine were murdered while we were running? I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

I'm in the sleeping bag for about an hour, when I realize it's futile to try and sleep. Eventually, the thought of my family and Gale's, all safe with me here, is the one that sends me to sleep.

No.

No.

This can't be happening.

"Prim!" I scream. "PRIM!"

I see Prim mount the stage; her name was drawn.

No.

"I volunteer!" I gasp. "I volunteer as tribute!"

But no one is listening to me. Prim is then whisked away. Leaving me behind.

I wake up screaming, but then I realize what I'm doing, and quickly shut up. Did I wake anyone?

I look around, to see my family sleeping peacefully. Gale's family the same. I'm relieved that I didn't cause anyone trouble, when I notice that I did. But only one person.

"Katniss, are you alright?" Gale asks, clearly unnerved, one hand gripping his knife.

"Oh Gale, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" I ask.

"I'm alright, I wasn't asleep anyways. What happened? You were screaming like there's no tomorrow."

"I'm okay, Gale. Just a nightmare. I'm sorry that I scared you. 'Night."

"Okay. 'Night Catnip."

I turn around to sleep, but I'm shaking. And it's not from the cold either.

"…Gale?" I whisper.

Gale turns towards me and sees my expression.

He knows I'm not scared easily. That my dream much have really shook me. He smiles, but only slightly. Without talking, he gestures to his sleeping bag… and without hesitating either, I climb over. Gale pulls me closer to him, and even though I think there's nothing romantic between us, his body is familiar to me- the way it moves, the smell of wood smoke, even the sound of his heart beating I know from quiet moments on a hunt. But this is the first time I really feel it, lean and hard-muscled against my own.

I almost immediately fall into a quiet, dreamless sleep. Reassured by my closest friend; the one person I fully trust. The one person (exception: Prim… sorry! Sort of ruined the moment) I know I love.

Please R&R! :) Hope you all have a lovely day!