Some terrible Cargan sex thrown in here for no reason. Sarah will be happy :P enjoy the chapter!

"You've got to make sure the knot is tight," Kendall instructed. The two of them were kneeling in the undergrowth, by a small, thin tree. That morning, Kendall had woken up to find James had disappeared. He'd jumped down from the tree and packed everything up,senses on alert. But then James had returned only a few minutes later with some more roots. And Kendall decided that for the advice James had given him, he would give some in return. Which was why he was now showing James how to make a basic snare to catch a rabbit. "Got it? Are you listening?"

"Oh, yeah I'm listening," James replied vaguely. He wasn't; he was playing with a blue flower he'd plucked from the ground, twirling it between his fingers.

"Do you wanna learn how to catch a meal or not?" Kendall snapped. "If so, pay attention."

"Sorry, sir," James chuckled, looking up. "I'm listening, continue."

"Okay, so as I was saying, make sure it's tight." Kendall turned back to the snare and finished tying it firmly. "But don't strain it too much or it'll go off before it even catches anything . . ." His voice died out when he felt something smooth and silky brush off his cheek and push back his hair. Turning back to James with a puzzled frown, he saw James's empty hands and realised the brunette had put the flower in his hair.

"Um . . . why?"

"I dunno . . . I guess I wanted to see what it would look like," James said softly, cheeks turning slightly pink. "It makes you look gentler . . ."

"Gentle won't get us anywhere here," Kendall just about managed to reply. He didn't know why his voice was sticking in his throat so much.

"I know." James sighed, leaning over. His fingers brushed over the curve of Kendall's cheekbone as he reached for the flower and plucked it from behind his ear, dropping it onto the grund. Kendall found he couldn't breathe very well.

"So," he said briskly, once he managed to pull himself together and quickly get to his feet. "We'll leave that alone for a while. You were going to show me the berries and other things you found?"

"Yeah, come on." Kendall followed James across the woodland, keeping his footsteps quiet and slow and cautious as he did. Hunter's instinct always took him over when he was in places like this.

"Here they are," James smiled, stopping at a bush covered in the berries. "But listen, see these little red stalks that are hanging off some of them?"

When Kendall nodded, James continued. "They fall off after a while but if they're still on, it means the berries aren't ripe enough. They won't poison you but you could get a bit sick from them."

"Okay." Kendall carefully picked some berries with no stalks on them and popped them into his mouth. "They taste so good," he couldn't help moaning. "Do you get to eat these all the time back home?"

James nodded, picking his own handful and chewing them happily. "We pick them off the bushes by some of the quieter roads. They're really good for you too. There's a lot of vitamin or something in them. I'm not too sure."

"Okay," Kendall laughed, picking some more and placing them the small front pouch of his backpack. "Thanks for the tip, I'll remember it."

"Good."

They continued walking, exploring their surroundings. They went back towards the river for a while, the sun beating down on their heads as they drank from the clear water. Until James stuck a hand in and tossed a handful of water on top of Kendall. Kendall squealed in surprise, before using both his hands to fling water right back at the brunette. And they messed around for a while, splashing each other and laughing. For a bit, it seemed like there were no Careers, no dangers, no Games, just the two of them, out in the woods for a day.

Then reality came crashing back once they heard a cannon go off.

"Who do you think that was?" Kendall asked quietly, running a hand through his spiky and wet hair, looking down at the ground.

"I don't know. Could've been anyone."

"Maybe we should move . . ."

"Yeah, maybe."

It was getting to be late afternoon now, so Kendall decided to go back and check on the snare he'd set up.

"If you can copy what I did," he said as they walked. "You should have no problems catching food once we spit up."

James didn't want to hear about when they would split up, so he only nodded and smiled.

Kendall returned to the snare, grinning when he saw it had been a successful trap. He untied the rabbit and held it up. "See?"

"I see." James looked a little squeamish.

"What's wrong with you? You had no trouble plucking that bird yesterday."

"Yeah, but . . . that was different." Scratching behind his head, James at last admitted begrudgingly, "Birds aren't cuddly."

Kendall sniggered. Although there was something oddly endearing about this. He'd never thought of many animals as cute or cuddly; he hadn't let himself. He knew there'd be a sense of guilt when he had to kill them to keep his family healthy. So he just smiled and said, "Then you'd better stay clear when I skin it. I'll cook it tonight and wrap it up for tomorrow."

"Okay," James nodded, forcing a smile onto his face. Kendall just chuckled and moved on.

"How do you think this is going to play out?" Kelly asked softly, watching the screen. Kendall and James no longer held its attention; but every few minutes or even seconds it would flicker back to them if nothing else terribly exciting was going on. They just fascinated the audience with this 'forbidden romance'. Though she couldn't see much romance there yet. At least not openly. "Their alliance, I mean."

Gustavo shrugged. "It could do them favours. It could tear them down."

"That's not a helpful answer!" she said shrilly.

He just chuckled, sipping his beer. It wasn't supposed to be."

But of course, he hoped the odds would be in Kendall's favour.

"Gustavo, look!"

It was later in the day now; the last time Kendall had glanced up at the sky, he guessed it was around five or six in the evening. He and James found a clearing and built a fire, once again unafraid of the Careers seeing it. They would put it out when it got dark, anyway.

Kendall turned the bird over carefully on the spit, listening to the twigs cracking in the fire. He started when he suddenly felt James's hand on his arm, before wrapping around his shoulders. Kendall turned to gape at him, breath catching in his throat as James leaned close to him.

Is he going to kiss me?!

Yes please, please do!

Of course, Kendall had been kissed before. By Carlos. By Griffin a little, though he'd felt nothing in that incident. But this was so different; he could feel his cheeks turning pink every time James came closer by even a millimetre.

And then James's mouth moved towards his ear. Kendall felt the soft exhale as he whispered, "There's someone watching us. Three o'clock."

Kendall tried to pretend he hadn't been blushing and his eyes flickered in the direction James had told him. He spotted a small boot-clothed foot, behind a tree. There was a slight flicker of movement as a twig cracked between these tributes feet.

Kendall got to his feet, picking up his bow and drawing an arrow. "I can see you," he called determinedly. "Show yourself!"

The girl did, brushing a strand of curly dark hair behind her ear and grinning. Kendall grinned back, lowering his weapon. "Cam!"

"Hi," she replied, walking over. "Don't worry, I'm alone. Scout's honour. I smelt the cooking and got a bit curious." She chuckled. "I'm glad you and James are here and not the Careers. That'd be the end of me."

"You're telling me." Kendall sat back down beside James and Camille sat with him, without hesitating. It was one of the things he loved bout her.

He turned to glance at James. The brunette's eyes were focused on the campfire. He looked disinterested in anything the two of them were saying. So Kendall just decided to turn to Camille and say, "So how've you been? Seen anything interesting?"

"I've been walking around, mostly. Hiding, picking berries. Making my way." She gave him a warm smile, but he could see that she was starving. Her skin looked dry and pale, almost like paper. She looked tired.

Kendall turned the bird again, deciding he only needed to leave it on for another minute before it was cooked enough. "Do you wanna eat with us, Cam?"

"Is that fair? I didn't help catch anything."

"I certainly don't mind. Do you, James?"

"Nah. She can stay."

Kendall gave him a grateful smile, and the older boy's cheeks turned pink.

Kendall took the bird up, tearing chunks of the still burning hot meat off with his fingers and handing them to James and Camille. James dug into one of the legs, mumbling a thank you through a mouthful of the juicy meat. Before he ate his, Kendall picked up the skinned rabbit and arranged it on the spit, before tossing a bit more wood onto the fire and letting the new meat cook. It wasn't until he'd eaten half his portion of the meat that he spoke again. "Tell me, Cam. How do you feel about alliances?"

Camille's eyes lit up. "They're a clever way to get further in the Games. But obviously, it can only last a certain amount of time. There can only be so many players left before the alliance needs to seperate, and it becomes single players only again."

"I completely agree." He dug around in his pack and took out some berries, dropping some onto Camille's lap before eating what he had left in his hand. "So, suppose you were offered a position in an alliance of three. Would you be interested in taking it?"

She popped the berries into her mouth. "Hmm, I think I would." Camille pushed another thick strand of hair behind her hair. "I guess we can all offer each other different skills and knowledge."

"We definitely can. James has already taught me a lot." He turned to nudge James in the side. "Haven't you?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." James smiled at them at last, and Kendall smiled back warmly. "And he's taught me too. One more can't hurt."

"Great!" Kendall grinned at her. "We have a deal then." He turned the rabbit on the spit and left it to cook a bit more. They continued to eat in silence.

A while later, Camille was the first to speak up again. "I haven't had much meat at all since we got here," she moaned appreciatively, digging into her own piece. "The only time I got anything substantial was when I took it from the Careers."

"You managed to steal from the Careers?!" James gaped at her. "How?!"

"It wasn't that difficult. They were arguing at the time."

Kendall took a large gulp from his water container and offered some water to Camille, who didn't seem to have anything of the sort. She took it gratefully. "Thanks. I managed to get some stuff from the Cornucopia, but this wasn't one of them."

"Well, what did you get?" Kendall asked, suddenly noticing the small black pack on her back. He couldn't help smiling at the realisation that both of them had ignored Gustavo's word. Both had followed their gut. He'd always had a good feeling about her.

"A sleeping bag, a knife. Some crackers. But nothing to keep water in." She gave the container back to Kendall and ate more of her meat. Once she'd swallowed, she said, "The Careers have all the good stuff."

Kendall was surprised when James nodded in agreement. Then he remembered he was there when they killed Heather. "They've got it all down by the lake, in a huge pile."

"You never told me that."

"I didn't think it mattered. Does it matter?"

"Think about it." Kendall tossed the bones of what they'd eaten into the fire, listening them crackle. "There are six Careers left. They're all pretty tough and well-built, from a better background. I doubt they could survive on as little as we do. And it'd be difficult to catch or find enough food to keep them all happy." He smirked, biting his lip. "It's called the Hunger Games for a reason, right?"

Camille was starting to catch on, and was grinning in delight. James still looked slightly puzzled. "So, what do you plan to do? Go down to the lake and steal all their stuff?"

"Steal? I dunno, maybe. Or burn it. Eat it. Throw it in the lake. We'll see how well they cope without their little backup pile."

"I like it," James chuckled. "Finally, something useful to do instead of wandering around picking berries. So, let's make a plan . . ."

They planned their sneak attack out carefully, Kendall drawing a small map in the dirt by their feet for good measure, telling them where they needed to be. He brushed the map away with his foot when they were done and then got up to kick dirt over the dying fire, cutting up the cooked rabbit meat and wrapping it tightly in the sheet of plastic. "It's starting to get dark. I know there's three of us now, but I think it'd be better if nobody knew that."

"I'm with you on that one," Camille said, standing up and helping him put out the fire. James did the same, and when they were done they stood in the darkening clearing, packing up their things.

"I guess we should try and get some sleep," James said at last, glancing up at the trees. "Wanna try and find a good branch, Kendall?"

Kendall nodded, turning to Camille. "You'll be okay, right?"

Camille nodded. "I've been sleeping up there too, I'm used to it now." She found a tree on the other side of the clearing and climbed up with ease, disappearing beneath the leafy canopy.

Kendall and James found a suitable tree and climbed up to the branch they wanted and,repeated the complicated ritual of trying to manoeuvre their way into the sleeping bag without crashing down to the ground. "That went better than last time, anyway," James chuckled, lying on his side and making himself comfortable. Kendall nodded in agreement, snuggling closer to him and leaning his head on his shoulder, like the previous night. James's cheeks flushed. Maybe it was just because they didn't have a lot of space, and Kendall wanted to make sure they didn't fall. Yeah, that was probably it.

"Night," Kendall mumbled sleepily, eyes shut.

"Goodnight."

The last thing he heard and saw was the National Anthem playing and young Tyler's face appearing in the sky, before he fell asleep. Eleven tributes left.


"I forgot how peaceful this place was."

Logan and Carlos were walking through the woods, a good distance from the fence. Logan was hobbling alone on his cane, his other hand intertwined with Carlos's. It was dark out but for once they were unafraid. It was a good feeling.

In a sudden moment of impulse, Logan turned to Carlos and pulled him in for a hard kiss. Carlos kissed back eagerly, hands looped around Logan's waist and pulling him close. Logan gave a small moan in response, one hand looped around his neck.

He pulled back, breathless. "Carlos . . . how far do you wanna go with me?"

"Huh?" Carlos was too startled to come up with an answer. Though of course, he knew the answer. "I d-dunno . . ."

"Because I kind of, I mean . . ." Logan's cheeks were red but he looked earnest. "I want to, I know we haven't been together long but I just . . ."

"Shh." Carlos chuckled. "You're babbling."

"Sorry," Logan said softly. He smiled sweetly. "So . . ."

They kept walking, and Logan stopped when he same to a clearing that had a view of the district below them. Carlos recognised it immediately. "How about here . . .?"

"No. It's a little bit open out there," Carlos said quickly, leading him away from the clearing. "It gets really cold and windy. Not a good place to strip."

"Right, sorry," Logan laughed slightly nervously, limping after him. "I guess I'm not used to this. I haven't been in these woods in years."

"I know," Carlos replied softly.

They sat down under some trees and Carlos took his jacket, laying it out on the ground. Logan raised his eyebrows at him, smirking a little.

"What?" Carlos couldn't help smirking too. "It makes the ground more comfortable."

"I'm sure it does," Logan sniggered. He lay his cane down and pushed it aside, pulling Carlos down on top of him. He pulled him in for another kiss, and Carlos kissed back eagerly.

Their shirts were tugged off and tossed to the ground. Carlos wondered if they were gonna get dirty, then he decided he really didn't care. Logan's hands were opening his trousers and trying to tug them down. Carlos helped him and tossed them aside, before moving to Logan's. He saw a look of nervousness in the boy's eyes, but knew it wasn't because of sex. He just gave him a reassuring kiss and tugged the trousers down and off.

This was the first time Carlos had ever seen Logan's leg unclothed. His fingers lightly traced over the skin; it was scarred and slightly bumpy, lines visible where stitches and cuts may have been. His hand lightly brushed over it, fingers tracing the bumps and dents in his skin.

Logan's cheeks were pink. "I know it's not pretty . . ."

"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," Carlos replied honestly. "Really. I guess, even though I know it's impossible I was expecting it to still look torn up and nasty. Infected, even."

"No," Logan chuckled. "It's all good."

"Yeah, I see that . . ." Carlos's cheeks flushed, and he pulled Logan in for another kiss.

Logan kissed back eagerly, pulling Carlos to lie on top of him again, between his legs. "Come on." He smirked. "How much longer are you gonna wait?"

"Sorry," Carlos laughed, pressing light kisses to Logan's pale neck as he tugged the older boy's underwear off, before removing his own. He bit his lip, eye wandering down Logan's fully naked form. For a moment, a part of him felt weird, doing this. But he tried to ignore it and held out his fingers towards Logan's swollen lips. Logan opened his mouth and sucked on them, tongue wetting them as much as he could before Carlos pulled them out and traced them down his body.

"Have you done this before?" he asked.

Logan shook his head, biting his lip.

"Ever done anything vaguely similar?"

Another shake of his head. "Who wants to sleep with a guy that has a bad leg?" he sighed.

Scooting down, Carlos pressed a kiss to Logan's flat stomach and said softly, "I'll be gentle."

Sliding down a bit further, Carlos pressed the tip of his finger against Logan's entrance. But as he pushed in, he leaned down and pressed his tongue over the head of Logan's cock. Logan gave a shaky moan, of both pain and pleasure Carlos would've guessed. He started to stretch him as his mouth descended further on hs cock, hollowing his cheeks and sucking it to distract Logan from the pain.

Logan was moaning and whimpering, hips jutting down a little on Carlos's finger. So Carlos decided to push another one in, and then another. He'd always preferred to get it done quickly but as painlessly as possible.

Kendall had always agreed with him.

Pushy that thought aside, Carlos scissored his fingers and bobbed his head up and down on Logan's cock. Moaning loudly in the silence around them, Logan ran a hand through Carlos's hair and tugged on he dark strands, hips bucking up a little against his mouth. Then Carlos pulled off, chuckling at the glare Logan gave him. "Okay, you stopped way too soon."

"Only because I stretched you," Carlos chuckled, getting up on his knees. He scooted forward and lifted Logan's good leg around his waist. The other he held by the thigh, worried that if he tried to move it it might hurt Logan. "Now we actually have to fuck."

"Fuck me then," Logan retorted, though his cheeks had flushed again, and Carlos could tell he was both flustered and nervous. Cute shy Logan and his insecurities.

Lining himself up, Carlos slowly pushed inside. Logan's head fell back as he moaned loudly, eyes scrunching up. Carlos held his hip with one hand, the other still holding his thigh. "You okay so far?"

Logan nodded, smiling sweetly up at him. It made Carlos's heart pound in his chest. "You can keep going. I'm alright."

Carlos pulled back and thrust back in, hand gently caressing the skin of Logan's thigh to distract him from any pain he might feel in his leg. Then he repeated his action, sliding in and out of Logan's tight heat and moaning at the sensation. Logan was gasping, hands moving to grip Carlos's biceps. And then his shoulders, and he pulled him down for a rough kiss. Their tongues clashed as Carlos picked up the pace. His hips gyrated against Logan's, slamming in and out of him hard and fast. Logan was whimpering into Carlos's mouth, nails scratching down his back. Any other time Carlos would've protested. Now he felt too good to even notice.

"C-Carlos," Logan moaned shakily, eyes shut and mouth hanging open. "Oh god, f-fuck . . ."

Carlos sped up, grunting as he gripped Logan's hip tighter. Sweat gathered at the back of his neck as he panted and moaned and kept going, slamming into Logan's prostate. Logan's fingernails dug hardly into his shoulders. He wrapped a shaky hand around Logan's cock, pumping it quickly and trying it keep in time with his thrusts. But it was difficult. He let out a loud, shaky moan as he came hard, filling Logan up and collapsing on top of him, panting. He felt something warm between their stomachs as Logan came too, whimpering and clinging onto him.

At last Carlos moved a little, glancing down at Logan. Logan was breathing heavily, looking up at him with bright eyes. He gave a shy smile and pulled Carlos down for a kiss. "That was good," he murmured softly when he pulled away, gazing up at Carlos with what could only be described as wonder in his eyes.

Carlos smiled back dow n at him. "Yeah. It was."


They had built three green wood fires, all set up in different locations. Their plan was that Kendall and James would go down to the lake and destroy the supplies. They figured they might be safer and faster if there were two of them. Meanwhile, Camille was going to light the first fire to lure the Careers away. Then she would light the second fire, and then the third. They all knew that by the time the Careers reached the second fire, unless they were complete idiots, they were bound to know that something was up, and would return to check on their supplies. Kendall and James had to be gone by then.

"Let's not try and rush back to our meeting place," Kendall said as they prepared to leave the clearing where they hoped to meet again when they had finished. He opened the plastic and divided the rabbit up between the three of them, nibbling on one of his own pieces for a bit of energy. They had some substantial walking to do. "If we do manage to destroy their stuff, they're gonna be pretty pissed off. We're better off staying spread out and separate until tomorrow. We can meet here in the afternoon."

Camille nodded in agreement. "What if one of us gets held up?"

"Let's use a signal," James suggested. "Like we used to do back home. Well, the kids did, working in the orchards. But I always heard it." James tilted his head up towards the trees and softly whistled a simple, four note tune. Instantly, the trees around them echoed with the chirps of the mockingjays.

"That's so cool," Camille whispered. She looked astounded.

Kendall grinned. "Okay. That's the signal for if me and James, or if you get delayed, but everything is okay. And you're on your way." He paused, trying to think of something suitable. "And if one of us is delayed because we need help, we can use this." And he sang out two notes; one low, one high. And the mockingjays repeated it.

"Perfect." James smiled. "We'll see you tomorrow, Cam."

Kendall and James made their way through the woods, quickly and quietly, their weapons raised and ready to fire if necessary. It was still early morning, and they could feel the damp chill of the air, even through their clothes. Soon the sun would be higher in the sky, and it would be brighter and warmer. That was roughly when they planned to begin their attack.

"So, where were you hiding when you saw Heather and Ozzie?" Kendall asked at last as the lake drew ever closer.

"This way. From here, let's stay silent." They crept along the undergrowth, past yet more trees and more bushes. Then James told Kendall to get down on his knees (which made them both blush, though neither of them realised) and they crawled the rest of the way, into a copse just at the edge of the plain where the lake was, along with the Cornucopia. They were well-hidden. And Kendall knew there was no way they could be seen by the Careers from here.

He saw the six of them, sitting by the lake. A good bit away from them, their supplies stood in a massive pyramid. It was strange. "Now we wait," he whispered. From where they were, they would be able to see Camille's second fire. Not the first one, but they'd be able to see when the Careers spotted it and took off.

Then Wayne jumped to his feet and shouted to the others, pointing into the trees. There was the fire. Picking up their weapons, they all ran off into the undergrowth, crashing through it. "Let's wait another minute or two," James said. "Just to make sure they're gone."

Kendall nodded, when he spotted some movement in the distant trees, on the other side of the clearing. Then someone sprinted out of the trees, nothing with her except the clothes on her back. It was Jennifer, the blonde one. Her hair was tied back from her face as she kept running, coming to a sudden stop a couple of feet away from the pyramid. "What's she doing?!" James hissed.

Jennifer was hopping back and forth on the ground, towards the pyramid. Very precise little hops and steps, wobbling a bit on her feet every now and then.

"She's certainly figured out the trap, Deke! Very good!"

"Clever girl, now I wonder if our other two little tributes will . . ."

Kendall watched as Jennifer snatched a couple of things from the various boxes of food, shoving them into her pockets. He had to admire how clever she was. He hadn't realised it before. Suddenly she glanced in their direction. She stood there for another second, before grabbing some kind of large plastic water container, which must have been full giving how heavy it seemed to be, and hopped back the way she'd come. To Kendall's surprise, she left the container on the ground, and ran back into the trees.

"That was strange," James said, crawling out into the clearing and standing up. Kendall followed him, and they walked over to the container. "Do you think she saw us?"

Kendall knelt down, opening the container. He gave a small sniff, and frowned. "Definitely." He stood up. "That's not water that's in there. It's oil. She wouldn't just take it and leave it here for no reason."

"So, she knows what we're planning to do?"

"Maybe not for sure, but she certainly made a good guess." Kendall picked up the container, and handed it to James. "So . . . what should we do? Set it on fire?"

"Sounds like a plan. But let's not get too close. There must be a booby trap of some sort. Though I have no idea what it is."

Kendall nodded, taking an arrow for his quiver. Then he decided that he needed two more. "So, what if we just pour some of the oil onto the stuff, and I fire in these three flaming arrows? It's bound to catch, and when it does it should spread easily enough."

James nodded, holding the container up carefully. He was walking around the pyramid, carful to keep the same perimeter around it as he'd seen Jennifer do. He tossed oil from the container at the pyramid, soaking some of the lower boxes as he did, and getting some of the highers ones too. When he deemed he'd done enough, he put the container down on the ground.

"I'm gonna need to wind something around the head of the arrows so they'll light," Kendall said. "Some grass or something."

"I'll do it!" James ran to the edge of the clearing and came back with long stalks of dry grass, some leaves from the nearby bushes, and thin twigs. "Give me the arrows. Come on, I can see Camille's second fire."

Kendall turned and saw he was right, quickly handing James the arrows. He watched in fascination as James wound the grass and leaves around the arrow heads, tying various little knots to make a bundle over each one. He must've been used to doing things like this. He handed one arrow back to Kendall, who lined it up and raised the bow. "The matches are in my pack," he instructed.

James got them and lit one, carefully setting light to the bundle. A small flame flickered over the tips. "Wait until it lights a little more," James said, putting the matches away. "So we can be sure it'll stay lit."

"I know," Kendall replied. He focused his attention on the pyramid. He raised the bow again, drawing back. He had his target chosen; a wooden box with a decent amount of oil sprinkled over it, as well as some surrounding containers. The best chance he'd get on this side. He could go around with the other two arrows.

He exhaled slowly, relaxing his muscles. And he released.