Again, apologies for not updating sooner. Have been busy with work and, you know, enjoying summer. :) This is when Peeta is injured by Cato. I am also planning to do the scene when Katniss finds Peeta. Review and favorite for updates. I do hope to do Catching Fire and Mockingjay scenes from Peeta's POV, too.
I'm a bit ahead of Cato when we take off, and I don't run directly back to the tree where Katniss was, instead veering off to my left. My vision is still strange, and I find myself feeling off-balance, tripping over roots and rocks and I definitely wasn't before the venom must have hit my nervous system. Things take on an eerie quality I can't quite describe. It's like everything is sharper and yet my senses are dulled. I don't know where Cato has run off to, but I'm guessing he's gone straight back to the area where we slept to see if he can salvage any of the supplies or weapons we left behind as we fled, and also check which of the girls have survived. The moment I have this thought, I hear another cannon boom and the noise startles me. Logically, I know this must mean that both of the girls are dead from the tracker jackers, but I feel a surge of panic rise in me. It could be Katniss. Cato could have found her. I push myself to run faster, and I hear something in the woods ahead of me. The foliage is dense, and I use the spear to hack away at some of it, clearing a narrow path. Before I know it, I'm in a small clearing, and Katniss is directly in front of me, doubled over as if in pain.
"What are you still doing here?" I hiss at her. There's no time to explain that Cato is nearby, and no way for me to hide her. She's dazed and I realize the tracker jacker venom has affected her ability to get away. "Are you mad? Get up! Get up!" I tell her. "Run! Run!" She finally rises and gets her bearings, then takes off in the opposite direction of the lake. Before I am fully aware of what just happened with Katniss, Cato slashes his way through the greenery a few feet away from me.
"Did you find her?" he asks.
"Find who?" I ask as innocently as I can manage under the influence of the venom.
"Don't play dumb!" he shouts. "Your girlfriend!" I open my mouth to say something-anything-but Cato steps closer to me and continues yelling, "I'm not stupid, you know! I know that you're trying to protect her! But you can't!" He jabs his sword in my direction, but I'm still a few steps out of range. I'm about to take off running when he lunges closer and makes contact with my leg. Adrenaline immediately hits me, somewhat sharpening my senses and lessening the effects of the venom. Unfortunately, I'm not fast enough for Cato, and he trips me as I try to escape his reach. "I'm going to win this, Lover Boy, and don't you forget it!" He slashes my leg, and while I scramble to try to get up and realize the amount of blood I'm losing, I decide my better option is to play as though my wound has caused me to pass out and, ultimately, die. This apparently doesn't take much effort, because the next thing I know, I'm coming out of a dream. I know it must be a dream because I'm momentarily with Katniss, back on the roof in the Capitol. I try to hold onto this vision, but I'm pulled toward consciousness and am looking up at a heavy canopy of leaves and a bit of blue sky visible beyond that. Having passed out may have saved my life. I shift slightly and nobody is in sight. It seems Cato has taken off, probably thinking he'd killed me.
