He found her in a tree one night. She had a bloodied hand and an array of cuts across her face. Her eyes were closed to the sky's vast image and her head hung limply from the branch. Not that it mattered that her lids were shut; that darkness of soggy clouds and moonless night was uninteresting. The capitol had taken all the stars away, leaving only the thin sheet of the dome to satisfy their stares. There was not one glimmer of light to touch the skin or graze the pupil.
A slight breeze tickled the grass and the feathered edge of the arrows shivered. One slid from the leather's grasp and sliced the ground with a silent swoop, causing a soft movement in the girl's hair.
Cato's feet started to move forward. His tread was gentle, well practiced were these quiet pads. The academies weren't all about the use of cold steel. Years of Cato's life had led up to the perfection of the silent predator. You press your weight to your heel and you learn to almost forget your intentions, since memories of them can cause any man of cold heart to falter.
His eyes appraised her. Her and her milky skin and sharp boned hips. Malnourished but beautiful in heart. That muscle was tender from the flames that licked it, warming her sense of love and bravery. No one in Cato's district would have ever volunteered for the safety of another because they were all of selfish ilk who choose to dwell in the bloodiest places of glory.
He picked up the arrow.
" Cato!"
ASDFGHJKL;'#
There are only four of us left now: Me, Cato, Lover Boy, and The Bitch and ,yet, Cato's infatuation has continued to burn him from the inside out. When there were many of us his eyes used to search the sky, narrowed and his muscles tense. It was her face that he craved. Stupid boy. I'd always thought that Cato would be the one person that wouldn't make me sick.
Oh, how wrong was I?
To think that Cato, the man of pride and vile thoughts, would be the one to fall. And for a rat, none the less.
Which is why I'm at the place of the river now, following his path.
Oh, sure, gone to collect wood have you?
Liar!
He has endangered us both with this fallacy of his besotted heart.
Ah, and to trees we come, were the bitch has lay her bed.
Just one step closer, Cato, and you could have her by the throat. Oh, but you wouldn't, would you? Obsession has weakened your muscle of ice to a wet puddle of soppy love. And your pride only makes it worse; too proud to admit to anyone you want her and too proud to truly admit it even to yourself.
I'd had enough!
" Cato!"
The call was not much more than a whisper but it was of enough volume to turn his head. It was full of pure venom and anger. You disgust me! You stupid, stupid bast-
It's funny. I didn't really feel it. It just kind of slid in and made my eyes go hazy. There was no pain; it was only the warmth I felt: the warmth of the gushing red and the smell of copper.
Then I fell.
"Clove!"
And then he fell to.
I saw the arrow protruding from his abdomen and watched as his eyes shed the first tears I had ever seen travel down his cheeks.
But, as I felt myself leaving my body, those eyes weren't looking at me. Those beautiful eyes were staring up at a small, bony figure. They held a look of respect and admiration. They admitted defeat and closed before he could press a hand to the murderer's cheek.
I saw her eyes widen.
The Bitch On Fire.
I'm aware that this isn't much but I didn't feel right letting something that could so easily be finished not get finished. So, I hope this is a decent ending to the story. Thank you to all of you who have reviewed (you've made me very happy) and I'm sorry for the very long hiatus. If anyone also read my other story, I can't promise that'll I'll finish that one due to it intentionally being a large chaptered story and, after the summer holidays, I will be going into year 10. That means GCSE's. Therefore, I probably won't have a lot of time on my hands. But thank you to anyone who has favourite, reviewed, put on alert and any others I have missed out.
