The animal in me tells me to run, but opposing instincts tell me to investigate. The animal takes over once again and I find myself sprinting away from the sound of the wolves, sword in hand. I can't outrun them, I think to myself. My eyes dart back and forth, looking for a place of refuge, and finding none.

The creatures are gaining on me, the sound of their footfalls becoming louder and louder. My mind races, trying to think of a plan when suddenly, an idea hits me; the Cornucopia! As soon as the thought comes to me, I trip over a rock, falling to the ground. While struggling to get back on my feet, I get my first glimpse of the dogs.

My line of vision immediately goes to their gnashing teeth and I scrambled to get up, my heart pounding. I make a beeline for the Cornucopia.

Adrenaline pumps. Sweat drips. Head spins. Muscles scream. Heart beats. Closer; the beasts are getting closer.

Katniss and Peeta come into sight as I break from the forest. She raises her bow and shoots an arrow at my chest, but it bounces off. Thanks to the armor, her weapons can't touch me. I run right past them – I have bigger problems to worry about. I reach the Cornucopia and scramble to the top of the golden horn, the hot metal burning my hands. I pull myself as far away from the edge as I can and lie there, doubled over from exhaustion.

I hear the star-crossed lovers of District 12 help each other to the top, escaping the beasts. I look down and see one of them snarling at me. What caught my eye, however, was the collar around its neck. It read "2". The realization hit me like a wall of bricks. The dark hair, the dark eyes, the lean figure, the collar – it was Clove. I look around below me and see that they all resemble the deceased tributes, and I look away. The Capitol turned Clove into a beast; they turned her into a mutt.

"Can they climb it?" I say almost unintelligibly to my competitors on the other side of the horn, coughing and sputtering all the while.

Lover Boy and the girl on fire exchange a few words, but the blood pumping in my ears is too loud for me to hear them. Realizing that now is the perfect time to end these games, I muster up my strength and pounce for the boy from District 12.

This is it. It's now or never.

We both struggle, hands thrusting out at each other other's throats, knife clashing against sword, neither of us gaining the upper hand. If those mutts hadn't worn me out just minutes ago, I would've killed Peeta and Katniss by now. Katniss loads her bow and pulls back, poised to shoot. This distracts Lover Boy and I twist him around and put him into a headlock.

"You shoot me, and he comes down too." I say with a smile, knowing by the look on Katniss's face that I am winning this battle.

The mutts assemble around the Cornucopia, impatiently waiting for their prey. They paw the ground, gnash their teeth, and howl at the dark sky. They're ready for the kill, and so am I.

As I'm choking Peeta, something brushes along my hand, and I comprehend what's going on a moment too late. The arrow cuts through the air and straight into my hand – the only place that wasn't covered by my skin tight armor.

I let go off the boy and topple over the side of the Cornucopia, now at the mercy of the mutts. My sword falls down, too, and I immediately grab its hilt and swing it about, not-so-strategically. The beasts start to tear into me, my armor starting to falter.

Panic sets in. There will be no coming back from this, but I am not going down without a fight. I owe that to my family, to my District, and to Clove. No matter how much it hurts, I will not scream. I refuse to give the star-crossed lovers that satisfaction. I refuse to let my brother and sisters see me that way. I refuse to be another piece in the Capitol's games. Although, I always was, wasn't I? They had me convinced that this was the only way that I could avenge my uncle, the only way that I could restore what little family I had left, and the only way that I could bring honor to my district. Now I can see that I was raised for the slaughter. All I am is entertainment to them, and I just fueled their sadism by willingly killing children for their enjoyment.

If only I had realized this when I was 12.

My sword clatters to the ground, and the beasts drag me into the Cornucopia. I force myself to open my eyes and look into the eyes of my killer. What I find sends my head spinning – it's the Clove mutt. It may not actually be her, but I could never fight against this muttation. I guess I lied that one night before the tracker jacker incident; I would never be able to kill her. Not even if she was the beast hovering over me.

The dogs sink their razor sharp teeth into my skin again, and I let out a scream. I can't take it anymore; the searing pain is too much to bear. I scream throughout the rest of the night as they tear me limb from limb, lying in a pool of my own blood.

What feels like hours later, the mutts leave, and I am left alone in the Cornucopia. The only thing that I can do is moan.

"Please." I groan, begging for Katniss or Peeta to end my life.

I had never wanted something so badly.

"Please." I plead, crying now.

From the lip of the Cornucopia, I see a head drop down and fire an arrow into my neck. And as my world fades to black, I realize that I never was the predator; I have always been the prey.

Author's Note: Well, there you have it! BUT don't forget that there is still an AU and an epilogue to complete! I'll be picking up from the Feast Scene and writing it my own way, so I hope that you enjoy it. Reviews are deeply appreciated :)