Cato: Who He Really Is

By: Haley Alexandria – I Do Not Own The Hunger Games, Just My Character Willow Ashberry

Chapter Four - The Games

Cato's POV

The games have begun…. I'm stuck in this pit of hell waiting for an open door, something that will let me out, let me free. But that's too much to ask for. Everyone looks at me and sees this killer, this fearless creature of the night that has control over them. I'm just a normal 18-year-old boy, who gave me the right to lead these people to their deaths? To lead these people anywhere?

My head hurts all the time, and I feel like breaking down but I know that it'll just make me an easy target. Glimmer, she's been kind of attached to me ever since the game started. I told her that I have a girlfriend back home and she said that my girlfriend was home not here, and then she kissed me.

We have the boy Peeta from District 12 in our group. Since he's in love with the girl Katniss, we figured we could use him to find her and kill her. I don't mind them, and would prefer that others kill them. But that's not who I'm supposed to be in this game. So earlier tonight we found the girl and chased her into a tree, she has to come down sometime.

I lay here below the tree with Glimmer. She's laying her head on my arm sleeping. I guess I should get some sleep too. I close my eyes and fall asleep without even really trying.


Willow's POV

"There are only two tributes left! This will be interesting. After tonight we'll know who wins!" Plutarch Heavensbee announced. It was Cato and Marvel. Both of them had made it this far, and now it's a fight to the death. Marvel threw a spear towards Cato, but he dodged it and grabbed his sword strapped on his back. Coming directly in front of Marvel and slashing at his throat, he missed. And as Cato pulls the sword back to stab Marvel in the stomach Marvel grabs another spear and jams it into Cato's throat….

"No!" I scream and sit up. It was only a dream. That's the forth dream I've had where Cato dies. I'm breathing heavily, and then all the emotion comes and I place my head in my hands and cry.

"Cato…." I whine and grab his pillow from beside me and squeeze it against my body. I begin to shake and I force myself to lie down and shut my eyes, even though it's just going to bring another nightmare.


Cato's POV

A painful stab in my left arm wakes me up. Tracker-Jackers! Katniss cut a nest out of the tree so it would fall on us. The rest of the careers and I jump up and run off into separate directions while being followed by the Tracker-Jackers. So poisonous it causes hallucinations. I find a small pond and jump inside trying to escape.

I hold my breath underwater until they leave to go poison the others. I come to the surface and gasp for breath. I got stung at least 5 times and my body is killing me.

"Cato?!" someone screams at the top of her lungs, she sounds scared.

"I'm over here!" I call back. It was probably a bad idea because if anyone else heard me they could come find me. A moment later she comes running out from the trees.

"Willow?" I gasp. Why is she here?!

"Thank goodness Cato! I thought you were dead!" she runs into the water and hugs me. I can't believe it.

"Willow? What are you doing here?" I ask her.

"I came for you Cato." He voice changes to a low growl and I push her away to look at her face. Instead of hazel eyes she has pure black ones.

"Will…."

"Shh, it's better if you don't talk." She smirks and then pulls her arm back to reveal a knife. She does it so quick that I don't have time to block it. The knife straight in my chest. The pain is unbearable, I know I'm dying. Then she's gone. She fades into the air like a gust of wind, and I'm fine. There's no knife, I'm not injured, all but the stings. It was all a hallucination.

I look around me to make sure no one is there. I'm too vulnerable right now. I spot a low tree that looks easy to climb so I go for it, it won't do me much good during attack, but it'll be good enough for me to watch from until the venom wears off.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know is Clove is throwing rocks at me.

"Cato! Wake up!"

"What is it?" I moan.

"I just saw Peeta helping Katniss escape." She tells me.

"What?" I slide down from the tree and grab swoard. "Where is he?" I ask.

"Just back there." Clove points behind her, and I'm off. It takes about 15 minutes before I catch up with him.

"Hey! District 12!" I yell. He turns around to look at me. "You really think you can betray the careers and not get caught?" I ask him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He lies. He's good at lying, but what Clove said makes sense. If Peeta was really in love with Katniss then he would help her.

"Don't lie Peeta." I tell him. I see him swallow and then reach for a knife strapped to him back. Before he can grab it, I swipe at his belly. He jumps backwards and holds the knife in front of him.

I'm sorry Peeta. I think. I pull back my sword, getting ready to stab him. When I shove forward he jumps back again. But this time him leg flies up and I end up stabbing him in his thigh. Even though it's a pretty deep wound he forces himself to get up and run. I decide not to chase him, I don't want him to be my first kill in these games, he has Katniss, he wants to be there to protect her, just like I want to come home and protect Willow.


Willow's POV

"Peeta Mellark escapes!" Plutarch announces.

"No! You should have killed him son!" Cato's father screams at the TV. I disagree with him, but I don't say anything. Mr. Hadley doesn't know his son like I do. He expects Cato to be this ruthless killer, but I know that Cato doesn't want to kill anyone, he's just playing a part of the regular District 2 tribute, the person everyone expects him to be.

I watch as Cato stands there, blood dripping from the tip of his sword. He looks good. Other than a few cuts here and there, he looks fine. Right now, he has a good chance at winning this thing…. He has a good chance at coming home.


Cato's POV

Four Days Later

The rest of the careers and I have gathered all the food we could find and put the mines around the pile so if anyone tried to take something they would be blown to bits. I looked around the clearing and saw smoke rising from the trees.

'Guys! Look!" I yell. Everyone looks in that direction and without any orders we all start to run in that direction. The boy from District 3 starts coming with us, but I give him a spear and tell him to guard the food.

I can tell that we're getting close to the fire, but there's no one, and when I look around I see another fire.

'It's a trap." I tell the others.

"What?" Clove asks.

"No one's at this fire, and there's another one over there. It's a trap for us." I explain to them. They see the fire and understand what I mean. "Marvel, can you track whoever's doing this and set a trap for them?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure." And with that he runs towards the other fire and the rest of us walk back to the camp. About 20 minutes later we arrive and see that the food is blown to hell. The boy from District 3 stands there wide-eyed, he didn't see who did it.

"What the hell happened?!" I scream and run towards him.

"I-I don't kn-know. It just blew up." He tells me.

"Nothing would of happened if you were paying attention!" I yell at him. I pull him towards me and grab his hair in one hand, and his chin in the other.

I'm sorry kid. I think. Of course I'm mad about the food, but that doesn't mean I want to kill anyone. That doesn't mean I'm afraid to. I twist his neck until it snaps and his body goes limp. A moment later the gong goes off signaling that the boy's dead.

"Damn it!" I yell. "Stupid kid!" I scream. Faking my anger towards the kid so people continue to believe that I'm a killer.

"Cato. Calm down." Clove tells me, reaching out to touch my shoulders. I jerk away.

"Calm down?! We just lost all of the food! We don't have anymore Clove! We'll have to hunt, and, is it just me, or do all of you notice that there aren't anything other than birds?!" I ask them. They don't answer. "Huh?!" I add.

"No Cato. None of us have noticed anything other than birds." Clove responds.

"That's what I thought." I take a seat on the ground and stare at the charred food pile. Then there's the gong again.

"Who do you think it is?" Clove asks.

"I don't know…." I roll my eyes and look away from her. It could have been a number of people. Finch, the redheaded girl from District 5, Katniss or Peeta from 12, Marvel, Thresh, anyone who's still alive that's not standing right here, I don't really care, I'll find out tonight.

Everyone else around me takes a seat and a few minutes later another gong goes off. Two tributes are dead now.

After the sun went down the Anthem started playing and the faces of Marvel and Rue, from District 11, flashed above us.

"Marvel…." I sigh. "Anyway, we should get some rest. The numbers are getting thinner, we might have to fight tomorrow." I tell everyone. "I'll keep watch." I add. Everyone around me lays down and closes their eyes to sleep and I stand guard, waiting for someone to come running through the trees to kill us.


"Attention all tributes! Congratulations to the 6 that remain! I have some news! There has been a rule change! Both tributes, if they are from the same district, will be declared winners if they are the last two alive!" There's a pause from Claudius Templesmith pauses for a moment before adding, "Once again, both tributes, if they are from the same district, will be declared winners if they are the last two alive. Good luck! And happy Hunger Games!" and that's it.

Clove and I can pair up, and win together! There's a better chance of me going home!


(A/N: So, better chapter? Willow parts were kind of just to explain what she was feeling about the whole thing.

Any questions?

I have a question for you. Those of you who thought the ending to the last one was cheesy, could you tell me which part? Because I have an opinion on what part, but I want to know what the viewers think so I can get an idea of how to write better. Thanks!)