"Come on, damnit, move. Move, you useless piece of meat." Cato growled, sweat sheening his forehead and upper lip, teeth grit at the effort he was exerting. His arm, the object of his intense focus, barely moved. His fist clenched subtly, but held no power. He doubted anything would remain in his grasp, no matter how tightly he closed his hand. It had been days since he had awoken in Katniss' home and he had spent every moment of it trying to regain some semblance of control over the injured parts of his body. While his lacerated arm seemed to be recuperating just fine, the arm and shoulder mangled by the muttation was steadfastly remaining a waste of tissue.
Irritation scrunched his face and he knocked the pillow roughly from the bed, ignoring the thump of the rough cushion falling to the floor. He stood, pacing the small room as his confinement made his very skin crawl. He was sick of being trapped within these four walls, sick of surviving only on what Katniss delivered to him, as though he were a helpless child who had to be cared for entirely. Even still, she barely stayed in the room with him and often deserted him without a word, even seeming to wait until moments when he was asleep or detained in the shower to make her deliveries. Often he would come back into a room to find a freshly filled basket waiting for him as though some sort of fairy had replenished his supplies then disappeared, her good deed completed.
Cabin fever was taking its toll though. In such a short time he already began to resent the sign of the delivered goods and brief visits. He was a man of action and this entrapment with no goals was leaving him in a permanently irate state, but in his mind he could not blame himself for why Katniss so often refused to even look at him. To him, she was being irrational and childish. The second pillow was struck from the bed before his pacing resumed, his good hand lifting to rub over his face. The only thing he could do in this place was his own physical therapy, and with the results being meager and unsatisfactory, Cato felt every second pass by like the long stretch of a hallway that never seemed to end. The light was out of his reach and the blackness was leeching into his core.
The front door opened and closed, Cato fell completely still and listened. Katniss' soft footfalls began to move through the house and he relaxed, but did not move. If she believed him to be asleep, she would venture further in than if she knew him to be actively prowling. He felt her presence drawing closer and he smiled, the expression did not reach his eyes.
Soon Katniss was in the room, her delivery perched in the crook of her arm and her jacket draped over the other, it was unseasonably warm today. When Katniss was far enough in the room to be trapped, Cato moved like swift, silent lightning and closed the door, blocking her only way out. She froze, but maintained a calm façade as she turned to look at him. He could practically hear the thudding of her heart within her chest, but did catch the barely perceptible hitch of her breath.
"Good morning." He said gently, the softness of his voice belying the look of irritated determination upon his face.
"Good morning, Cato." Katniss replied, remaining still and eyeing him with the same suspicion she had had when he had first woken from his pain induced sleep. Though he had grown used to the look, it still caused a faint twinge of sadness deep inside of him where the emotions he would never share went to fester. The pair stood awkwardly, sharing not a word, for what seemed like hours before Cato leaned back against the door, unable to even put on his usual intimidating expression when his useless arms wouldn't cross in front of him.
"You have been avoiding me."
"I have been here every single day."
"Yes, you have. Like a thief in the night and then you flee like you're running from rabid Peacekeepers."
A loud sigh emitted from her lips and she did cross her arms, staring at him point blank for the first time in days. She tapped her foot once, twice, three times upon the floor before tilting her chin up slightly, willing herself to try and get the upper hand.
"What exactly is it that you want, Cato?"
"You said you would be taking me somewhere else, somewhere safer. Would that mean I would no longer be locked inside like a dirty family secret?"
"Yes. It's completely out of sight of everyone, even the nosiest of Peacekeepers. It's too risky to move you now though, there's a lot of focus on District 12 lately." Her shoulders lifted in a slight shrug, eyes dropping to the floor as she told the half-truth. The reality was she was hesitant to share her private space with him just yet; it felt like an invasion of what gave her such peace. Cato, however, only saw her lengthening his imprisonment. Several steps, expedited from his aggravation, brought her directly in front of him until his breath was blew warmly against her skin and she trembled ever so faintly at the close proximity of their bodies.
"Look, I don't know why you are both helping and trapping me, but I can't stay here anymore. I feel like a wild animal that has been shoved into a tiny cage and left alone for days on end without even the space to spin in circles to ease my restlessness. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be confined like this? I am trapped. Trapped! I can barely breathe in here and I feel like any moment the walls are going to collapse in on me and I will suffocate!"
A strange look crossed Katniss' face before her body straightened, her eyes lifting to meet his. For the first time she not only stared him straight in the eyes, but leaned toward him, forcing him to tilt back or have their noses bump. For the first time, Katniss was challenging him, he would have felt admiration had his nerves not been at wits end.
"You have absolutely no idea what entrapment and suffocation feels like, Cato. None whatsoever. Be glad for that." Her eyes shot sparks at him, making the grey light up like fire glowing from within. Her name suddenly seemed to truly suit her and Cato had to fight a smile as he eyed her with appreciation. Another sigh blew from her lips and he found himself looking downward briefly to eye the fullness of her mouth before looking back up to her eyes. "I'm sorry; I know this isn't easy for any of us. I can't stand being locked indoors either." Her gaze shifted away from him to look outside, watching the groups of people indulging in the Capital's extravagant gifts for the winning district. "Tonight. I'll get you there tonight. Tomorrow I'll show you how to survive there so you will be able to handle yourself when I have to tour."
"I can survive just fine." Cato responded, hackles rising a bit at the question of his ability to provide. Katniss slowly smiled, looking back at him. Almost instantaneously a peace washed over Cato and he couldn't maintain the effort of remaining irritated. He was too busy admiring the way the smile stole away any vestiges of sorrow and the weight of her responsibilities, leaving behind a young woman on the verge of stealing the breath from his lungs. He took a quick step back, struggling to regain control over his rapidly changing intentions. "Well, I had better get a head start on packing if I need to be prepared to leave by tonight."
Katniss started, unable to stop the short bark of a laugh that came as a response to unexpected joke from Cato. The tension between them dropped dramatically and the two grinned at each other before Katniss quickly moved away, confused at this new version of Cato standing before her.
"Pack lightly, Cato. It's a long walk and I'm not carrying anything for you." She shot him one last mischievous look before moving around him and leaving. Cato listened for the closing of the front door before moving to sit down on the bed. Outside he was back to projecting a mask of indifference, inside a kaleidoscope of emotions was churning into a mass of unidentifiable confusion, child's playroom with too many toys and too little motivation to sort through them. Cato turned to look outside, watching as Katniss disappeared into the crowd with stealthy ease. He looked at his mangled arm and, once again, began working to get the limb back into working order.
Night had fallen a few hours earlier and Cato paced the room, his favorite activity of late, waiting for Katniss to return. Impatience had consumed him again and he grunted discontent under his breath, masking the fear that she would not come for him at all. Just when his body was becoming overrun with nervous energy, he heard the familiar sound of the door and immediately went to meet her. She was alone, which surprised him, though not as much as the backpack slung over her shoulders. He eyed it and looked to her, cocking an eyebrow upward.
"It's easier to just stay there with you tonight…" Katniss answered his unspoken question, a hint of a blush crawling up her neck. "Less likely to get caught going back and forth too many times." She cleared her throat, shifting her weight from side to side before raising her hands up. "Are you ready?"
"Ready enough that I am about to barrel through this door if you don't lead the way now." His eyebrow lowered and his expression turned mockingly serious. She rolled her eyes in response and left, leaving him to extinguish the last lamp in the house before following after her. They moved in silence, unwilling to risk a conversation that could pique the interest of a late night dweller. Katniss' eyes darted around them constantly, her feet accustomed to the journey. Cato followed swiftly alongside her, though he had to pay close attention to his feet, the dark and foreign surroundings robbing him of some of his agility. He sucked in a full breath of air, enjoying the freedom of being outside again, even if that meant taking in the tainted, bitter air of the coal district. They approached the district boundary and Cato waited for her to stop, instead she moved alongside the fence before slipping through a small opening and continuing. It took a moment for her to realize he wasn't following and come back.
"What are you doing?" She whispered, the sound harsh from her attempt at remaining quiet yet discernible.
"This thing isn't electrified? How is that possible?"
"The Capital doesn't tend to pay much attention to us. Most of us are too starved to have the energy for a fight." Their eyes met through the fence, another moment where Cato was left to fully feel the implications of what their upbringings had done to them. Without another word Cato climbed through the fence, his larger frame catching painfully on the fringes. Their trek continued. The thick woods made even Katniss slow down and they made their way at a reduced pace. At one point she had him stop before she moved away, he listened to her rustle about for a moment before she returned, bow and arrow slung over her shoulders. They continued again, silence remaining their companion as both focused on remaining upright.
The trees broke and a clearing became visible. The moon reflected as brightly below as it did above and Cato realized there was a large lake as still and clear as glass. Slowly he walked up to the edge of the water, inhaling deeply the scent of cool, crispness and rich vegetation. Feeling far more at peace, Cato turned to Katniss as she watched him curiously. Her arm lifted to indicate a bit farther away and he saw a concrete cabin, small, but sturdy. Vines and moss grew over it like a large stone set deep in the forest. They walked together to the cabin and Katniss set her lamp down on the table inside. Down went her backpack and the bow and arrows she had collected inside the woods.
"What is this place?" He asked with interest, eyeing the little fireplace and basic supplies about the room.
"My father's cabin. He used to take me here when I was young, taught me how to hunt and fish. Some of the best moments of my life were spent here." She refused to look at him as she spoke, feeling some of her soul being bared to him as she spoke. Instead she focused on laying out what she had brought: matches, fishing tools, basic cooking gear, some clothes for him. Cato watched the growing pile of items and was again amazed at how quickly she had taken to caring for his well-being when only a week ago they were hunting each other with deadly intent. He also did not miss the sorrow coloring her words.
"What happened to him?"
"An explosion in the mines, they collapsed." Her eyes remained averted though her hands were now only toying with the items on the table, having nothing further to unpack. Cato understood the rest and felt like the scum of the earth for his earlier remarks.
"I'm sorry." He said softly, for both her loss and his crass words spoken in ignorance.
"Let's get some sleep. In the morning I can show you how to make good use of this place." With that she set up his sleeping bag, hers already prepared on the opposite side of the room. They settled down, her body quickly lulled into a fitful sleep, his too amped to allow him the luxury of rest. Instead he listened to her steady breaths that eventually grew into a rapid tempo of chaotic fear and memories. She rolled, mumbled, moaned in fear, but did not awaken. Without thought Cato slipped from his spot on the floor and moved to her side, his voice mumbling barely coherent sounds of comfort and helplessness. Slowly he raised his good arm, fingers lightly grazing up the softness of her cheek and into the hair that had fallen free of the braid. He felt its silken texture and closed his eyes, inhaling the subtle sweetness of her scent. He continued to caress softly, allowing himself this unguarded moment of appreciation for the girl who had done so much for him and demanded so little in return.
Eventually she fell still, the nightmare passing into the night and replaced with the soft tones of his voice lulling her into a quiet slumber. Cato went back to his sleeping bag, looking into the darkness until he too was finally welcomed into Morpheus' embrace.
He awoke as the morning light stabbed through his eyelids. Opening them, he spotted Katniss braiding her disheveled hair. His lips twitched into a smile at the memory of touching that softness in the dark. Katniss finished and looked to him, seeing his stare, she shifted uncomfortably. Without a word she gave him a piece of bread, a luxury she still treated with reverence despite not having faced down hunger since returning from The Games. They ate in silence and then Katniss showed him how to prepare the fishing rod then they went outside to hunt for insects that could be used as bait. Cato watched in amazement as Katniss handled worms, beetles, and other crawlers with ease when his own mother would have squawked in fear at the sight of the harmless creatures. Another thing to add to the list of her admirable qualities, another reason he doubted any girl in Two could live up to her.
When it came time to bait their hooks, Katniss stabbed through the worm and carefully looped it around. He clumsily moved the hook at his worm and watched over and over again as it danced away mockingly, unscathed. Katniss watched the growing frustration on Cato's face and stifled a giggle, earning a warning glance from Cato as she tried to fix her face into one of complete seriousness.
"Would you like some help?" She asked, moving a bit closer to him. Cato shook his head, mumbling under his breath about not accepting defeat against a worm. Another grin from her and several minutes later Cato triumphantly lifted his fishing rod to show off the badly mangled worm on the end.
"Great." Katniss said, wondering if there was enough worm left to even entice the skinniest of fish. They then moved to the edge of the lake and she showed him how to cast, her own lure falling gracefully into the water at a decent distance, his nearly scratching her cheek the first time and tangling against itself the second. Soon enough they were both waiting for a tug to happen, remaining in companionable silence. Cato grew impatient, foot tapping against the ground as he waited.
"You're going to scare them all off if you keep stomping like that."
"What's more likely is the strength of it will just rock them out of the water." He replied without even looking at her. She looked at him, trying to figure out his humor. His face gave nothing away and he remained turned away from her, watching the smooth water for a hint of life. More time and several re-casts later and Cato excitedly tugged his fishing rod as he reeled in his first catch. Katniss tried to show him how to set the hook; instead he gave a hard pull on an empty line and lost his balance, falling into the lake water with a sharp cry of surprise. The loud splashed resonated around her before he loudly sputtered water from his mouth and got to his feet, water dripping heavily from his clothes and murderous intent in his eyes.
Katniss couldn't stop herself; within seconds she had bent slightly and laughter burst from her lips. Cato stared at her in both surprise and rage, embarrassment making his good fist clench and unclench repeatedly. But as her laughter continued and her face brightened with joy, Cato couldn't help but see the humor in the situation and began to laugh with her, his heavier chuckles blending with hers. For the first time the pair stood as regular teenagers, laughing happily in the sun without a care in the world.
