EStrunk: I'll admit I really didn't want to write out the whole scene just to keep it within the rating. I was planning on having it be a good 'pulling out' skill or not even getting there in the first place. It's more about being together than it was actually sex. Does that make sense? Thanks for the constructive criticism it's really making me think about my writing!

Gale Lover: Absolutely on point comment. That was what I was thinking. Although it doesn't matter anymore just wait and see. Posy is by far my favorite to throw in.

"How…" Gale answered, glancing between each of them. "Where… did you come from?" He stammered, his gaze lingering on Madge. She stepped forward, an arm's length away from him.

"I'm all for a reunion and everything," she shrugged, "but I have a couple of questions first."

"I-" Gale startled, looking dazed and confused.

"Hang on, Madge," Thom murmured and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She brushed him off.

"What happened last night, Gale?" She practically demanded. Gale stared and Thom protested. "Something bad, right?" She confirmed.

"Yeah," he choked and cleared his throat, "we were attacked."

"By who?" Madge asked.

"By what," Gale spat, "mutts- three."

"Wolves?" Madge asked.

"No… mutts. I've seen wolves- these- these were not that. They were hybrids. Designed."

"From the Capitol?"

"I don't know," Gale said and pulled his hand across his forehead.

"Had to be," Madge said under her breath, "we just saw Peacekeepers in Victor's," she said glancing back at her group.

"What?" Gale asked, "Why were you in Victor's?"

"We were starving, we are starving," Madge explained.

"There are five of you."

"No there's not," Gordie spoke up, "we have a whole camp filled."

"How many do you have?" Thom asked, sounding hopeful.

"If you had asked me yesterday I would have said 35 but now…" he took a deep breath, "I've recovered 15 of us."

"That's it?" Madge asked, stepping closer to him.

"I don't know yet," he told her, his eyebrows knitting together in worry.

"We'll bring them back to our camp," Thom told Gale.

"How will that be any different?" Gale asked him.

"We have walls," Jordan said, drawing an invisible perimeter in the air.

"We don't have much food or anything," Rogers updated, "but we can make do."

"I can hunt," Gale said, "I can help." Madge stared at the ground, thinking.

"Have you been hunting?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I've been teaching as well," He told her, "we had plenty to go around."

"Each night?" She asked him, "or did it accumulate?"

"I tried not to overhunt but not many are used to have a large meal so we packed and saved some. We didn't want to hunt every day."

"That's why they attacked," she said.

"What?" Gale asked.

"The mutts, the meat all in one place- you included- they must have gotten your scent." Gale was silent for a moment. "It makes sense, right?" She asked the group, looking to each of them. "They wouldn't necessarily have to have been sent, they could have been here already." She glanced up at Gale.

An emotional shadow covered his face, his eyes were sad and his hands shook, "are you telling me…" his voice shook with quiet rage, "it was my fault?" Madge pulled back.

"No," she whispered, "no, Gale, no."

"That's exactly what you're saying," he whispered. Thom reached out and pulled Madge behind him.

"That isn't what she meant, Gale," Thom said talking him down.

"She was just saying there could be another explanation," Rogers agreed.

"How could you have known?" Jordan nodded.

"This wasn't my fault," Gale acknowledged again. "I didn't build walls but I do care, did care, have cared for the people around me. There was nothing I could have done."

"No one is denying that," Madge murmured and pushed past Thom again. "I didn't mean it like that. You know that," she jabbed a finger at his chest. "You should know that," she repeated softly and her hand fell back to her side.

Gale sighed but continued, "We've since moved from the original camp," Gale explained, taking Posy's hand. "Now we have a makeshift campsite by the strawberry bushes." Madge tried to hold back her smile but failed.

"When?" Madge wondered.

"When the attack ended, we worked through the night to secure this area."

"How did you know it was over?" Madge asked, falling into step with him.

Gale made a grim face, "when the screams stopped."

"That's dramatic," Rogers murmured'.

"I can make it more so," Gale threatened, balling his hands into fists. He glanced over his shoulder. "It's not likely any of us will forget the details."

"We understand," Madge said and threw her own cautious look over her shoulder. Rogers put up his hands in surrender. "Did you try and stop the attack?" Madge asked, looking up at Gale.

"What was he supposed to do?" Thom asked her. "Three against one… not likely Gale would have won."

"That's right," Gale said and stopped, focusing his attention on Madge. "I did manage to hit one with an arrow. I just wounded it and although it didn't do much damage, it did distract it for a while. It gave us enough time to find shelter."

"The 15 of you," Madge confirmed.

"No, 8, including me."

"Where was everyone else?" Madge whispered.

"Fending for their lives… lost… running…" Gale recalled, "We went searching after we had made a camp. We didn't expect to find anyone."

"So there could be more out there?" Madge asked, "more than the 15?"

"You're asking a lot of questions, Madge," Thom murmured behind her. She ignored him, waiting for Gale's answer.

He glanced over at Posy and lowered his voice, making eye contact with Madge, "if you want to recount the body parts with me you're more than welcome." She stopped breathing, feeling her heart crash to her stomach. Madge stopped asking questions. Gale kept walking.

Thom grabbed her arm and pulled her against him, "happy now?" He asked. She shoved off him and fell into step behind Gale, staring at the ground.

"It's right through here," Gale said. They hurried to his side and moved through the brush and into a clearing. It wasn't a large area but there were boulders for shelter. Gale led them to the furthest point, an overlook of the forest beyond, surrounded by strawberry bushes.

"Where is everyone?" Thom asked.

"When we left them everyone had a job, no one accounted on finding you," he told them, "they'll be back soon. For the time being make yourselves at home. When everyone gets back we can figure out our next step." Everyone went off in different directions, including Posy, who curled up on a blanket on the far side of camp, watching everyone. Madge stayed where she was, leaning up against a boulder, away from the others.

Here, she watched Gale. It was easy to pick him out from the other men. He was taller than them and had a crisp blue shirt, the color of water. It was since covered in dirt and grime but the blue still showed through in places. He also kept himself busy. He poked the fire, moved the packs so they hung up in the bushes away from animals, and then he talked to Thom. Gale pulled him into a short hug and the two men talked quietly to each other. The conversation picked up and their voices became more heated and confused by the second. An argument in the making. Madge walked away.

It wasn't long before her walk and silence were interrupted, "are you a fairy?" Madge jumped, slapping a hand on her chest in surprise. Posy stared up at her.

"What?" She breathed and calmed, "no, Posy, I am not a fairy."

"If you're not a fairy… how do you know my name?" She countered.

"I know your brother, he talks about you a lot," Madge grinned, it was a stretching of the truth but it would do. "Besides if I were really a fairy I would have wings."

"Oh," Posy sighed, defeated, "you're right."

"I'm Madge," she introduced. Posy smiled widely and took her hand.

"Want to play a game?" Posy asked.

She started to answer but was interrupted, "Madge doesn't want to play a game right now, Pos." She looked over her shoulder, watching Gale get closer to them.

"How come?" Posy whined and dropped Madge's hand.

"There's work to be done and people are getting back- go help Ma." Posy brightened at the prospect and ran off towards the campsite.

"I would have played a game," Madge smiled at him.

"I know," Gale smirked. Their smiles dropped.

"So…" they said at the same time. Madge rubbed her arm and Gale rubbed the back of his neck.

"You first," Madge said.

"So… you're some kind of Peacekeeper?"

"Excuse me?"

"Thom said-"

"Back up…"

"I am"

"Thom said what exactly…"

"He said you have some kind of intense training and you're running the show."

"Are those his exact words?"

"Err no but… wait… come back! Oh, hell's teeth."

"Thom!" Madge called and stepped back into camp. She scanned the small crowd for his mop of black hair. She got closer, weaving between a couple of people. "What did you tell Gale?" She grabbed a hold of his shoulder. As he turned towards her Madge caught a glimpse of his lock-lipped position. She staggered back.

"Madge!" He breathed, surprised.

"I…" she started but looked between him and the girl. She was just shy of Thom's height and her hair was long and dark along with her skin, which Madge pegged as the common Seam look.

"Bristel," the girl smiled, introducing herself and pulled away from Thom, "hey- aren't you the Mayor's daughter?"

"What a pleasant reunion," Madge said under her breath and walked away.

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