Hey everyone! I am SOOO SUPER SORRY it took me so long to update! It seemed like every time I sat down at the computer to write something would come up and I'd have to leave again! I have band camp all this week, so once again it may be a short while before the next chapter:( But hey, it might go a little faster if I have some reviews to encourage me..*hint hint*...Thank you all so much for reading and to those of you who have reviewed! Sorry if this chapter is kind of boring, the next one will be very exciting with a twist in the original plot between Clove and Thresh...hehe. Please enjoy and review! :D
Clove's POV
I roll over on the rough ground, expecting Cato's chest to support my sleepy head. All I find though is cold dirt. I look up and see my husband sitting over a small fire with a pair of eggs in his large hands. Slowly I sit up and watch how his attempt at cooking turns out. He tries to gently crack the first egg on the edge of a rock, only instead accidentally shattering it into the dirt. He grumbles and hastily grabs the other egg. Carefully he splits its side and the ooze gushes onto the flat rock he is using as a pan.
"Since when did you learn how to cook?" I inquire loudly. He jumps and turns around, a goofy grin on his face.
"Figured I'd make my beautiful wife a decent breakfast," he replies. I stand and take a seat next to him as he tries to use a stick to flip the eggs. "How did you sleep?"
I reply with a yawn, "Good, no nightmares?" He looks down at me with a joy in his eyes and shakes his head.
"There are only five of us left," I comment.
"We should try to track down someone today, anyone," he suggests.
"What about Peeta and Katniss? You know after the rule change they'll be together. And if Peeta's leg is as bad as you say, they won't be getting very far," I say as Cato hands me half of the egg on another smooth rock. I tell him it's the best egg I've ever had, it actually is if you ignore the egg shells crunching their way down your neck.
"I agree. He'll probably be down by that pond near the Tracker Jacker nest." The last thing I want is to go back to that place where Glimmer met her ugly end. But if it gets Cato and I home sooner, then I'm all for it.
"Let's get going then."
Cato's POV
We trudge through the underbrush, trying to be as quiet as possible. I still can't believe we are married. It seems like only yesterday we were in District Two, telling each other good luck before the Reaping. Clove leads us through the thicket of trees towards the pond since I have no sense of direction whatsoever. We reach the spring of cool water and silently look around for Peeta and Katniss.
"Check the trees," Clove murmurs. I look high into the green canopies; there is no one there.
"He must've dragged himself somewhere else," I say. "He won't make it much longer though with that leg. Infection must've set in by now; I cut it all the way to the bone." Clove nods solemnly and takes us in the direction of the lake; maybe he went there to find water and camouflaged himself. We slice through the tall water plants with swords, finding no sign of anyone being here. There are no trails of blood or any footprints.
"Maybe we should just head back to camp, it's getting dark and the Gamemakers are probably getting bored with no deaths today. They might send something to…" Clove doesn't finish her thought but I can fill in the blanks myself. Trying to lighten the mood, I scoop my Clove up into my arms and carry her to camp. I set her down on a log surrounding the fire. She takes out her knives and begins to sharpen them with a rock. I do the same with my two swords.
Clove's tense voice breaks the silence through the darkening evening. "How are we going to kill Thresh? He's just as big as you and probably just as talented with weapons."
"I'm going to kill him after we kill Katniss and Peeta. While I'm busy with him, you are going to be safely tucked away on top of the Cornucopia where no one can reach you." I know she is going to refuse, but I can't let her try to go up against that giant. Even if she managed to get a knife thrown at him, he'd have her necked snapped before it reached him. The image makes me tense up and I sharpen my swords even quicker.
"In your dreams. I'm going with you, Cato. You're my husband. Wherever you go, I go too," She returns with firmness saturating her tone.
"We'll cross that bridge when it comes," I decide. We continue to take care of our weapons in silence, only the sound of mockingjays and crickets filling the night air. The anthem rings out and my head snaps up. No deaths again. Even after the first wedding to take place in the Hunger Games, the audience will be getting bored. Something better happen fast, or else some mutt will probably appear and stir up some 'fun'. "Clove, why don't we sleep on top of the Cornucopia tonight. It would be a little safer, just in case." Her eyes don't look up at mine while she nods and quickly gather her knives and our sleeping gear. I know she is probably trying to hide the fear in them. We toss the gear on top of the horn and help each other up. She hops into the sleeping bag and I follow her, making sure to set my swords within reach. Instead of leaning into me though, Clove turns on her side and curls up into a ball. My heart fills with almost physical pain at the sight of my love so terrified.
"Clove," I whisper. "Do you want to talk?" She quickly rolls over and buries her freckled face in my shirt, wrapping her arms tightly around my chest. I embrace her in my arms, trying to cover her face from the many cameras I know are watching.
"Why do we go through this?" she whimpers. I don't know what she means. "Why do they send us off to die every year? Why do we waste our childhood learning how to be murderers instead of being loved and playing? Why is the Capitol so evil?" Her voice rises to a strangled shout at the last part. I look around wildly. Those words could be considered treason. I pray my arms muffled them enough to hide them from the listening ears that control how long we both live.
"Clove, everything is alright," I whisper. "Just go to sleep, I'm watching over you."
She grips my shirt tighter and digs her face into me more. "You don't get it. I don't want to go to sleep anymore. All it brings is death and more death and I don't want that anymore. I don't want to watch myself kill them again and watch them take their vengeance out on you. I can't do it anymore."
Her pain grips me. I do get it, I'm going through the same thing right now. "I know Clove. But they're just nightmares. I'm here and won't let anything happen to you,"
"Cato I can stand watching them kill me in my dreams, I deserve it. What I can't watch is them torturing you and murdering you again and again and again!" she cries. My arms tighten around her small frame. She has lost weight since we got here. I don't know how to comfort her, so I let her sob in my arms until she falls asleep. I know exactly how she feels. I dread sleep and the faces of my victims that accompany it. I look down at my wife, trying to remove the bloody thoughts from my mind. The moonlight softly illuminates her gorgeous face. Clove's long eye lashes match the color of her chocolate hair, the same hue as the freckles spotting her face. I kiss her forehead and look around at the trees. I will stay awake all night. I will be there if someone, or something, tries to attack in the darkness. Whether it be a tribute, a mutt, a nightmare-I will always be here to protect my sweet little girl.
Clove's POV
My eyes snap open for the hundredth time tonight after watching Glimmer dismember my husband again. Cato's arms are still wrapped around me, and even at this late hour he is wide awake. His eyes shine like stars down at my tear streaked face. Crickets chirp in the distance and something splashes into the lake.
"Another bad dream?" he whispers. I can tell his lack of sleep is taking its toll. He'll need all of his strength for these final days in the arena.
I reply quickly, "I'm fine. You really should get some rest. I'll stay up and make sure nothing happens, okay?"
"Clove it's alright. You go back to sleep," Cato yawns. He is so cute when he's tired, his eyes all watery and droopy.
"I don't want to have any more dreams," I state. "Now go to sleep; I'll wake you if anything exciting happens." Silently he sinks down into our sleeping bag, nuzzling his nose into my neck. "Good night," I whisper with a gentle kiss on his disheveled hair.
"Good night," he mumbles back. I lay there for a while, listening to the sounds of the night from our perch on the golden horn of the Cornucopia. Insects buzz while a lone Mockingjay whistles a quiet tune. I wonder what our fellow tributes are doing right now. I wonder if Katniss found Peeta, she probably did. If they're together, Peeta has a way better chance of living. With how resourceful she appeared in training, she probably has a wide knowledge of healing plants. We need to get rid of them fast. Thresh probably has a tiny encampment set up over in the grasslands, waiting around for us to come hunt him down. The girl from District 5 with the red hair…she could be anywhere. Cato and I have a good chance of winning. The girl from 5 should be easy, if we can find her. If we kill Peeta, which will be a piece of cake, Cato and I can take down Katniss together without breaking a sweat. Thresh will be a tough nut to crack.
I lay there in the darkness for a while, contemplating our chances of making it home. The sun's rays begin to peak over the pink horizon, a few clouds momentarily blocking their light from the arena. I watch as it makes its quick ascent into the blue morning sky, its heat beginning to set in around eight in the morning. Cato lifts his head slowly, looking around with a confused look on his handsome face. He sees me and then smiles, squinting his eyes in the sudden light.
"It's morning already?" he whines. I roll my eyes.
"You've been asleep at least five hours," I point out.
"So what's today's agenda? Hunting?"
I think about it. "I think we should strategize today. Make plans for how to continue, you know? Ration out food, plan attacks; the Games are almost over you know."
Cato nods and drops his head back with his eyes closed. "Does that mean I get to sleep a little bit longer?"
I laugh and in response to his question dump the ice cold contents of our canteen on him. He jumps up as if bitten by a snake, howling in shock. I almost fall off the edge of the Cornucopia laughing so hard, which makes us both laugh even harder. After we've regained some control, we hop down to start our day of planning. When I enter the horn to find something for breakfast, I realize that we ate our last bag of food last night for dinner.
"Cato, we have no food," I state, kind of in a shock. In all that's been going on, neither of us thought about food storage. We've just been eating what was left here by the Gamemakers.
"Really?" he asks, turning away from his sword practice. He comes up next to me and looks at what supplies we have left. One extra sword, two extra knives besides the six I have in my belt, two canteens…but no food. "Well then, I guess we'll have to go hunting."
Cato and I trek about a quarter mile into the woods before finding a nice plump rabbit that could serve as both lunch and dinner it's so fat. With one knife to the skull, Cato and I have found our next two meals. Once we return to camp and have eaten our delicious and fatty rabbit, Cato and I spend the evening devising our Game plans. We decide to hope that Katniss and Peeta or Thresh kill of the girl from 5. If they don't, we can find her after the rest of the competition is eliminated. The pair from 12 probably is by the river feeding the spring; they must be near a water source. If we kill Peeta first, Katniss will probably be so distraught she'll practically kill herself. That takes care of that.
We have no clue in the world what to do about Thresh though. Cato could take him, but there's no telling who would win that battle. I could help, but Thresh could overpower me in the blink of an eye.
"We need something to protect us, like a shield or something," Cato suggests just as the sun begins to set in the synthetic sky.
"We can figure it out tomorrow, I'll set up our dinner," I declare. Just as I hand my husband the last rabbit leg, Claudius Templsmith's voice booms out across the arena. He simply announces that tomorrow morning a feast will be held at the Cornucopia. Something each of us needs will be in backpacks with our District number on them. Then his voice is gone, followed by the anthem and no faces in the sky. No deaths. I look at Cato. "If the feast is here, why don't we camp at the lake tonight?" I imply.
"Let's get to it then before it gets too dark," he concurs. We gather up our sleeping back and weapons, then head to the lake. There's a clearing within the cattails that should hide us from anyone seeking us out in the night. We lay our few supplies next to us, then crawl into bed.
"I'll keep watch tonight okay? I'm not tired at all," I say. Cato nods and slinks down next to me.
"Clove?" he asks sleepily.
"Yes?"
"What do you think will be in our backpack?"
I hadn't really thought about it. Something we need…that's it! "Maybe it'll be a shield!" I enthuse.
"I hope so, we're going to need one. Who do you think will show up?"
I send a silent prayer up the sky that my prediction will come true. "Hopefully everyone but Thresh."