(A/N: Back with Chapter 11, hope you enjoy!)
Peeta and I both looked to each other for answers, but it was clear neither of us had any. The terror on his features sent chills up my spine; seemed his emotions were contagious. Our dimming fire only illuminated a limited circle, if I stuck my hand out I would barely be able to see the outline. Obviously it was safer this way, we didn't need any night hunters spotting us from a distance. I crawled over to the lone boy with haste, shaking him gently by the shoulder and making his coat shuffle against the tree trunk his body rested against. Peeta had turned his attention away from me and was frantically looking at random spots in the empty air, muttering words mindlessly. When I was able to identify the repetitive shapes his lips were making, I understood the reason for his quick breathing and panic. 'Katniss…' He was mouthing. Peeta was growing more agitated by the second, and he didn't start trying to stand with a spear in his tight grip until the cannon sounded. Earlier in the day the same cannon had sounded but the sound repeated twelve times. Twelve had taken their last dying breath during the bloodbath, and I was the reason for one of those cannon booms.
"Peeta, stop!" I pulled down on his sleeve.
I knew he wasn't taking in what I was saying, he was doing anything but thinking straight. And what worried him more was the timing. Pitch black skies, thousands of trees obscured by the darkness and anything could be out there waiting…or anyone. Still I grasped his free hand and insisted for him to sit back down and rest.
"Peeta, it wasn't Katniss! If the Career's return to see you panicking and Katniss isn't dead, they're going to think you don't know where she really is. They will kill you, and you won't be able to protect her," I warned him.
Thankfully my last words seemed to bring him back to Earth; luckily he realised I was right. Leaves and twigs began to crunch and snap all at once, signalling the Careers were returning to our temporary base. Their laughter was too loud for your average Tributes, but they were far from scared so early into the games and would take the risk. The four weren't just chuckling together, but mocking the sounds and pleas of the girl who had met her unfortunate fate tonight. Bounding through the bushes, they bathed in their achievements of their individual kill counts. Cato dropped his sword beside the fire and trod over to me while the other's took their seats. Releasing Peeta's hand, I took the one offered to me by Cato. With ease and grace he pulled me up from the ground and close to his body, his lips smashing against mine while he cradled the back of my head. Surprised by this sudden action, I melted slowly into the delightful kiss. Unwillingly a quiet purr escaped from the back of my throat as his teeth gently tugged at my bottom lip. Parting my lips ever so slightly, I allowed him to shortly enter my mouth with his eager tongue. Cato's strong hands moved gently to rest upon my tinting cheeks as he pulled away with a desperate need for air. A swirl of emotions danced in his eyes, the dominant one being passion, though I couldn't tell if that was from the kiss or from the kill. Pride still radiating, Cato guided me to sit beside him, arm snaking around my waist as he explained where he'd ventured off to.
"We just made our first night kill!" He cheered, the other Careers joined in with claps and laughter. "Oh Morgan, you should have seen the look on her face. It was that stupid girl from District 8 I think, lit a fire right in an open space with no protection or anyone to guard her. Princess was a dead girl," He licked his bottom lip as his grin spread.
"The scream you got out of her was impressive, wish I could have been there to see it," I smiled, guiding his lips to find my own again.
The fire in the pit of my stomach burned furiously, brighter and stronger than the flames we used for warmth and light. I don't know what came over me, but here I felt safer with Cato than I had before I even entered the arena…before I had even been chosen for the Games. I had gotten so used to being alone, I forgot the happiness another human could bring. But this, this fuelled something inside me, not just the long forgotten emotions of love and hints of lust. But hope. Cato effortlessly gave me hope that we'd get through tonight safely. What he made me feel kept me stuck in the moment, helped me take it one day at a time, forget the future and live in the now. Feeling his fingers run through my hair and his lips move to brush against my ear was electric.
"What have you done to us Ashwood," He whispered sensually. "I should be planning to kill you to win, yet I don't want to let you go,"
A pang of sorrow hit my chest. But no matter how much he distracted me for our inevitable fate, he also reminded me it wouldn't go away.
"Are you two done? We've got a few more hours of night left and I want to get some sleep," The annoying, ratty voice of Glimmer sounded accompanied with a death stare.
Hopefully that girl would be my next kill. Cato insisted I slept and he keep watch of our team, and I didn't object. Sleep deprivation would benefit no one. At first I settled besides Clove, but after her teasing me about the answer to her earlier question being 'clear as day', I rolled my eyes and moved to a spot near Peeta. He had decided not to say anything about the girl from District 8, which was probably a good thing. It brought some comfort to see him relax when I took my sleeping spot near him. He looked to me, doubt and fear still present.
"Sleep. Katniss will be fine," I muttered, satisfied by the closure of his eyes and the slow rise and fall of his chest.
So I did the same.
Awake at the first peak of sunlight, I took it upon myself to separate supplies, giving us each a fair share of food (mainly bread) and enough water to last a few days. Except Glimmer, I made sure to give her less of everything just out of my own bitterness. If no one had looked into the bags previously, I would have taken anything that could be used as a weapon and kept it to myself. Hiding them away in my own backpack wouldn't go unoticed. I did risk taking one of Clove's knives, a few arrows from Glimmer and a serrated knife I found among our stuff. Letting out a satisfied breath, I closed up all the bags and put them in a pile. Birds chirped and sang to each other high up in the tree tops, and a few cautious creatures ventured out from hiding to wander through the arena. The morning chill nipped at my cheeks, but my body stayed protected by the coat and the cool morning air and mixtures of woodland smells soothed my nerves. The slit in my leg had healed overnight thanks to the Capitol's magic mixture. Suppose the Capitol were good for something. The setting was bliss. It was just like being back at District 7, sprinting through the maze of bark towers as fast as I could like a wild gazelle. Except day dreaming there wouldn't put me in danger of death. At the sound of a bush rustling my senses heightened; it was too loud to be a simple curious animal. Zoning in on where the sound came from, I trod over Marvel's resting body, careful not to stir the District 1 Tribute. Staying vigilant, I reached down and felt around for the handle of my axe, gripping it tight once my fingertips found it. Tip toeing forward, I wasn't taken by as much surprise as the horrified boy from District 4 would have expected. His trident stabbed through the bushes and towards my abdomen, failing to impale me and only alert me of his position. I grabbed the trident and yanked the boy who attempted to murder me through the bush and into clear view.
"You ruined my nice morning!" I cried out, booting the small and terrified Tribute in the stomach, disarming him.
Tumbling backwards, it seemed he had given all he had with the trident jab, the optimism being replaced by regret. Tears streamed down as he raised his arms to shield his freckled and pale face. The boy's fight or flight responses seemed to kick in, his new flaw-filled plan being to turn and start running back where he came from. Though it didn't matter. My hand shot out and got a firm grab on his curly locks, dragging his quivering form back into my shoulder. Sweat mixed with salty tears as I rested the blade of my axe against his bobbing Adam's apple.
"Nothing personal," I said softly, before mercilessly slicing the slick blade across his throat, feeling each lump of each artery and ligament.
Blood surely started to seep from the fresh opening, as I pushed his weakening body forward into the bush. District 4's male Tribute wouldn't die instantly; unconsciousness would come before death. But that wasn't a problem, he wasn't going anywhere. Choking and gurgling noises replaced the chirps of the birds and the stench of fresh blood filled the air. With a sigh I wiped my trusty axe blade along my sleeve to cleanse it. Turning around I was startled to see my alliance were fully awake and watching me. The expressions directed towards me were mixed; some taken aback, unfased and even disbelief (disbelief being Peeta). I pursed my lips and strode to my bag like nothing had happened, tossing it over my shoulder just as the cannon went off.
"I packed our stuff earlier so we're set to go. The hovercraft will be here soon so we have to clear out as soon as possible," I announced. "You know which direction Katniss went in right?" I motioned to Peeta.
A single nod was all everyone needed. I retrieved the ownerless trident and threw it towards the baking expert who caught it mid-air. Cato snaked an arm around my waist, placing a light kiss into my dishevelled hair and rubbing my side.
"Nice job sweetheart," He complimented. "Now we have a girl on fire to hunt. And you're my hunting partner," Without releasing my waist, we walked side by side with the other Tributes.
Day two of The Hunger Games meant Tributes were calmer in their hiding spots, but more aware of their surroundings. Some may already be suffering, left empty handed after the Bloodbath or even wounded. Both had been reasons for natural deaths in past games. I remembered one Tribute who had refused to eat or drink from when she arrived at the Capitol till the beginning of the Games. She sure regretted it, basically sentenced herself to death. After a while, the amount of leaves scattered on the ground began to decrease and instead we were treading through moist soil and icky moss. Not missing a detail, I noticed some strange marks in the ground. Closer observation proved they were indeed the human made markings of fresh footprints.
"Hey, there's footprints leading off to the right. Maybe we should follow those and see who we can find," I suggested, bending down to examine the consistency and dampness of the squashed mud.
Peeta was about to speak up before Cato interrupted.
"Katniss is our biggest threat, we should keep following Lover Boy and get rid of her first," He countered, not waiting a moment for a decision to be made before continuing to walk in that direction.
I knew that once we found Katniss, Peeta would be the next target. Once something's fulfilled its purpose, why keep it? I stood and furrowed my brow in confusion. Clove looked between us both as she debated about who to follow, while Glimmer bolted towards Cato, taking the opportunity to get closer to him. Marvel only exchanged shrugs with Peeta. He never contributed much to group decisions or discussions; he just went with the flow. Recently he's been agreeing with Peeta more than anyone else. I wouldn't reveal that Peeta actually had no clue where Katniss was, but I would do my best to convince them to follow my path.
"What if these footprints belong to Thresh? They're pretty big, too big for someone else like his District partner. I think he's a bigger threat. We should get him before he manages to get Sponsors and new weapons to defend himself with," I called out, satisfied when Cato came to a stop.
Cato pivoted to look at me, though I was some distance away I could tell he gave a fed up sigh by the rise and drop of his shoulders. Back in the Training Centre it was clear he liked being challenged in combat, never turning down the chance to show off his killer abilities. But I had no clue how he would react to someone questioning his personal decisions. His dead pan expression was enough to tell me he wasn't pleased with the disagreement. Something told me I wasn't going to win this disagreement.
"Katniss scored an eleven, Thresh scored a nine. I can take that oversized coward by myself, eyes closed," He glared, all comfort and sweetness he showed before was gone along with my satisfaction.
"Take whatever route you want, I'm following these tracks," I stood my ground.
Even if I did agree with Cato, I didn't want to give him the idea of me being a follower and giving in to every command. Cato was tough, and his strength probably did outmatch that of Thresh, but if they fought he wouldn't come out unharmed. Today was the day I planned to murder Glimmer, and from that kill on I would continue my emotionally difficult mission. So the more people we had to ambush Thresh the better. Instantly Cato was marching towards me, jaw tensed and strides large. He grabbed my upper arm firmly, not intent on causing pain, just to gain my full attention. The other's had a habit of not jumping in when they should, like they saw us as the leaders or something. I was far from a leader though; I didn't know how to take care of other people. My whole life had been about fending for myself.
"We need to stick together, you can't just decide to split up, he'll kill you before you even realise you've found him," His eyes were searching mine for any sign of compliance.
I took that as an insult about my capability and strength. But there was something else, Cato wasn't just trying to assert dominance as the male who felt he always needed to prove himself; the Tribute of muscle was concerned. Specifically for me and my safety. But I shook my head, I trained for these Games just as much as he did (well, probably not) but I knew what I was doing. Plus, if Thresh was gone it would be much safer when going after Katniss. All heads snapped in the direction Cato wanted to go when the sound of splashing water sounded loud and clear. Everyone's legs kicked into a steady jog, weary of the slippery moss and rocks dotted randomly on the ground; Everyone except Cato and I.
"You gonna follow us Careers? Or are you going to wander off and get lost, Princess?" He mocked.
Princess was what he had called me when we first met, when we started despising each other and saw the other as nothing more than another person to rid of. Princess was what he referred to the girl from District 8, who him and the others slaughtered in the dead of night. Princess was another insult. At least coming from him. I jerked my arm from his grasp.
"Don't, call me Princess," I seethed, taking off in the same direction our other alliance members ran.
Cato stood there stunned for a moment, unsure how to take my response. He was aware of the types of people he called Princess. People he thought were weak and unworthy of his time; damsels in distress. But he only called her that because Morgan was behaving childishly, refusing to follow the group down their decided path. Cato had his own plan for these Games, but only half of it had been figured out. But if Morgan kept this stubborn act up and continued to be reluctant to listen to anyone else, she would get herself killed. He let out a harsh breath through gritted teeth and armed himself with the sheathed sword he kept on his back. Deep down Cato knew that Morgan was a tough cookie to crack, and trying to get her to just agree with a lot of what the group decided would be difficult. It was clear The Careers thought differently from those in regular Districts. But he wanted her to make it through as far as she could. However, the further the two got in the Games, the less people there were to ensure they didn't have to fight each other. Of course he didn't want her to die at all, Cato wished that both of them could live through this hellish nightmare and perhaps make this relationship work properly…but that couldn't happen. Savouring the time they had left would be the most romantic thing to do, the Capitol would be a sucker for it. But that wasn't how he worked, District 2 had trained him to survive, to kill anything that stood in his way. Just the need to protect her way back at the start caused distress for him. His feelings for Morgan could be the difference between life and death if the worst came to worst; it was the exact same in her case. Cato could only hope that he wouldn't end up in that situation. Maybe something would happen where they both escaped, she could move to the District 2 Victor's Village with him and he could continue training as a Peacekeeper. He tried to imagine it, two people on the Victory Tour, visiting each District and being the first pair of lovers to live on. Cato snorted to himself, 'if only'. Shaking his head free of these thoughts, took off running to catch up.
Our group came to a cluster of boulders which stretched out into the lake where we heard the displacement of water. Searching the area curiously, I could see the excitement returning to The Careers as they mentioned it possibly being Katniss herself.
"There she is!" Marvel repeated, pointing to the right side of the lake.
Squinting my eyes, I made out the panicking figure thrashing about in the water. It was Katniss. Laughter filled the air, amusement caused by her struggling motions. I couldn't help but feel a jolt of the same excitement, the power I had over the boy from District 4 was thrilling, it felt nothing like killing Memphis. Just hearing him cry, pressing the blade against his thin throat was exhilarating. The chase began. Expertly we hopped from rock to rock, running with weapons in our grasps towards the forest opening Katniss had escaped into. I let out a laugh as the wind kissed my face and pushed the strands of escaped hair out of my vision. Adrenalin surged through my veins, I wondered if this was how The Careers felt when they rose up on their platforms. Cato sped after Katniss, leading us all through the new area. Glimmer cheered from behind him and I trailed after her. Leaping over logs left as obstacles and holes dug by animals, nothing could slow us down. It was like five wolves targeting an injured deer, the odds being in our favour. That was until the deer did the impossible and slithered up the tree trunk to the highest point she could manage. However, even if Katniss was out of reach, she was still trapped by our pack circling the base. There was one member of our pack who wasn't up for the hunt; Peeta. As soon as he saw her flailing in the lake I bet he started cursing himself. With no clue where she really was, he still managed to lead us right to her. I picked up on how she ran, limping every now and then. The girl on fire was hurt. How? We didn't know that yet.
"That's not gonna help you up there Katniss!" Glimmer yelled up.
Everyone was calling up to her, taunting the trapped Tribute until she settled on a sturdy branch and clung to the tree for her life.
"Climb after her! Kill her Cato! Kill her!" Clove pushed lightly on his back, encouraging him to step up.
The hunger in their eyes was like that of someone who had become addicted to Morphiling and received their next supply. They needed to see bloodshed to satisfy their needs. I was excited to see how this would end, I couldn't protect Peeta forever. I probably shouldn't have in the first place considering he was of no use. But I did, because he was a nice kid…that was it, and it sounded like a pathetic reason. I soon joined in with cheering Cato on, impressed by how fast he could move up that tree. Determination was plastered on his features and I was almost certain he was going to make it. However his mistake of reaching for a skinny weak branch resulted in the loss of all grip he had. I almost jumped at the 'thump!' made by his body hitting the solid ground. His failure to get to Katniss made everyone go quiet. He pushed himself up from the ground, cheeks going red in either embarrassment or anger. Glimmer grunted at his failure and retrieved an arrow to accompany her bow.
"I'll do it myself," She spat.
For a moment I actually had confidence in Glimmer. She shot at me in training with an arrow and if it wasn't for Cato, she would have hit me; Katniss was an easy target. But…all my faith and belief in her and Cato's ability to use a bow and arrow quickly faded when they both failed to even scuff her dangling legs. It certainly brought happiness and relief to the girl camping up top.
"Maybe you should throw the sword!" She chuckled.
I couldn't help but giggle silently behind the back of my hand at her daring comment, even Peeta cracked a smile. Cato snapped his head around to glare at me.
"Ashwood, you're from District 7. You climb the tree, dealt with them all the time back home right?" That stupid smirk appeared.
My laughing was cut short. I had no excuse as to why I couldn't at least try, my leg was all healed up and I had indeed climbed many trees in my time. Averting my gaze to look at my target, Katniss was breathing heavy and staring down at me in confusion. I doubted she could hear what we were even saying, her being so high up. Of course I could climb that tree. I squeezed past Cato and Glimmer, tucking my axe securely into my leather belt.
"You guys train for these Games your whole lives, and you can't even climb a tree? Better take notes big boy, cause you're gonna watch and learn" I teased, poking Cato playfully in the chest.
Instantly I was journeying up the rough bark, ignoring the multiple splinters I could feel embedding themselves in my rough palms. After a minute or so, I took a rest on a branch only a few down from Katniss'. Examining our surroundings, I found a vital reason to talk to her. Though I need to do it without her trying to kill me, and without making The Careers suspicious. Luckily they were all conversing below, oblivious to my pause. This gave me the opportunity to gain Katniss' attention. I called up to her, resuming my climbing but slowing my pace as the distance between us lessened.
"Katniss! I'm not going to hurt you, just listen to me. Peeta is with us to protect you, if we try and kill each other Cato will see to it that he dies. Don't look now but there's a Tracker Jacker nest above you," I cried out as I slipped back down the tree a metre, regaining my footing. "When I give you the signal you're going to find a way to get it to fall. It'll get us out of your hair, Peeta will know you're safe and Glimmer will be gone for good. I'm letting you go this one time girl on fire, for Peeta," I explained clearly, satisfied when she gave a wary nod and didn't question me.
Now that's what I called seizing opportunities. Whether she would do it or not was a risk I was willing to take. But if Katniss went along with it, I'd make sure the Tracker Jacker nest resulted in Glimmer's end. I wondered what the watchers all around Panem thought of me now. District 1 were probably screaming at me, shocked by my plan to rid of the blonde headed bimbo. How her family must be reacting, unable to warn their precious daughter of the dangers to come, hoping Glimmer would only catch on. It would bring me joy to watch her go. Definitely would keep her away from Cato too; she was getting too close for comfort. I glanced back down to check what they were up to. Cato stood below the tree, eyes glued to me while the other stacked up twigs and sticks. Damn it, I needed to get down but I couldn't just simply climb back as if I didn't even try to attack Katniss. However, I didn't need to come up with a plan, because along with my next reach for a branch came Katniss' boot kicking at my hand. Successfully she sent me tumbling down, just like the man before me. Though I slammed straight into him, sending us both to the ground. Cato let out a grumble of pain followed by breathless laughter and I felt the guilt that had built up go away. Laying on top of him like this reminded me of the time back at the Training Centre, right before Glimmer shot at me. Except this time, he hugged me and continued to laugh.
"Note one, watch out for falling girls when in the woodlands,"
I pushed myself up to straddle Cato, placing a hand on his chest to prevent him from rising. Although I was just kicked off of a tree which would probably result in several bruises, I was only focused on the chance to kill Glimmer. With a sly grin forming, I ran a finger down from his chest to the hard outline in his shirt created by his bottom abs.
"I think tonight, these Games are going to get very interesting," I bit my lip.
"You and me both, sweetheart,"
(A/N: End of this Chapter! My longest Chapter yet and I'm pretty happy with it. I recently finished the Mockingjay book and the sadness yet happiness at the ending was intense. Be sure to tell me how you found this Chapter in the comments, what you think might happen, I'd like to know! Thanks a lot guys, hope you stick around for Chapter 12)