Katniss
She had finally woken up before the sun today. The air was close to freezing outside the house. Katniss stomped her feet for a moment trying to stay warm when some body ran past her. She was so shocked that it took her a minute to realize it was Cato.
He reached the end of the victor's village and then turned down the street and kept going. Katniss was shocked when she saw he was only wearing a tight tank top and shorts. He must be freezing.
Not knowing what to do about the situation she made her way to the old house where she store her better hunting gear. Katniss had just made it to the seam when she saw a flash of movement and turned to see Cato coming from the other direction. His pace had picked up.
Katniss stepped in front of his path half expecting him to eight run around her or plow into her. She was surprised when he simply slowed down and stopped less than a foot away.
"Aren't you cold?" She asked. But then she saw that he was covered in sweat. The bead of moisture ran down his face and arms creating interesting designs. His shirt was soaked through and stuck to his chest. She noticed he had lost some of the muscle definition.
"I was an hour ago." He pulled the edge of his shirt up to wipe sweat off his forehead and Katniss got a good look at his chest. Despite the bulk going away he was still every much an excellent specimen. She felt heat on her face the longer she looked.
"How long are you planning on running?" She wondered how often he had done this since arriving and how many times she had missed because she was still sleeping.
"Three or four hours." He shrugged.
"What do you do after?" She asked.
"Weights. There is no weapons course here." He huffed and lifted his arms over his head and interlaced his fingers on top of his head.
"Is this what you used to do in the gym?" 'And before?' She thought as she asked.
"Every day except during the games since I was thirteen." He admitted answering both questions.
"Want to come to the woods instead?" Katniss asked before she could even put together what she was saying.
"I walk like a bear." He grinned between giant breaths.
"I can walk really far behind and shoot all the squirrels and rabbits that run from you." Cato laughed at that a little. It was the hesitant laugh she was starting to recognize, he did it when he wasn't entirely sure if it was funny.
"As long as you don't mind." He shifted his weight uneasily.
"It will be fun." Katniss walked into her old house to retrieve her worn hunting jacket. Cato followed with out a word. He didn't say anything about the state of their old house. He didn't point out how small and covered in dirt it was. She was thankful for that.
"Follow me." Katniss headed out towards the meadow and the fence that was never on. Cato paused looking at the fence. "It's never on, and when it is there is a very loud hum." He looked at her for a second and then followed her through the wires.
Katniss retrieved her bow and they headed out. For the first hour or so Cato was completely useless. He knew nothing about tying snares and just stood off to the side watching the trees.
When they got farther in though he was rather useful at throwing rocks into bushes to startle the pheasants. They had three of them when Katnis heard the howls. She turned trying to figure out where it was coming from.
"Cato. We need to run." She said taking off.
"Why?" He asked catching up to her.
"We are being hunted by a pack of wild dogs." Katniss headed for an area where she knew there were sturdy trees.
"What?" Cato picked up his pace and was now a step a head of her.
"You act like you have never had to run and then climb away from a pack of wild dogs." She laughed a little and launched at a tree she knew she could get up.
"No Katniss I have never run from a pack of wild dogs. Where would I have possibly done that in the past?" He sounded mad. Katniss laughed from her perch near the top of the tree.
"You might want to climb faster." She tried to encourage. He growled something at her and pulled himself up to the third branch or so. He was still pretty low when the dogs appeared. "You coming any higher?" She asked.
"No. I saw Maze try that, we weighted about the same. I learned that lesson." Cato pulled his legs up from the snapping dogs. "What now?"
"Now we wait." Katniss called down.
"I don't know if you have noticed but I am not very good at waiting." Cato shouted up at her.
"Sorry no vases here." Katniss smiled at the look he gave her.
"Very funny." He shook his head in a mock laugh.
They sat in silence for a time while the dogs circled the tree. It was an hour or so before the dogs gave up and left. Katniss was all the way down to Cato's branch before he started moving.
"You might want to go down now." She suggested.
"Ladies first." He held his hand out.
"Are you using me as bait?" Katniss asked getting a feeling that he didn't think the dogs were gone.
"If I am are you going to shoot me?"
"No. At least not today." Katniss smiled and then climbed down first. Cato followed her slowly. After that the rest of the day was uneventful. Cato didn't really talk much unless she said something first. But he did look less tense out in the forest. She wondered if he had ever been in the woods before.
Katniss had had a forest arena but Cato had battled it out in a grassland with little cover and nothing to make weapons out of. Katniss had not seen the whole of the games, only the updates at school and only then some of them. She had not seen every moment of Cato's time in the arena. Watching him move in the woods now, the way he hugged trees as he walked made her want to see everything that had happened.
Cato spoke again when they reached the fence. He was carrying the bag of strawberries while she handled the pheasants and rabbits. Katniss pushed their spoiles under the fence when his voice stopped her.
"That was, it was nice." He paused and seemed to look around. "Thank you." Katniss heard the rest. 'I needed that. I am glad I got to see your sanctuary.'
"No problem." Katniss gave him a small smile and squeezed under the fence.
They went to the Hob to trade some of the animals for other things Katniss knew the Hawthornes needed. People stared at Cato the moment he entered but he didn't even acknowledge the attention. He stood next to her silently while she haggled with Greasy Sae. He held the trades she made never making eye contact with anyone.
They were all the way back to the victors village when Cato explain in his way his behavior. It wasn't like him to be that submissive. Sure in the Capitol he just ignored people but there had been open animosity in the Hobb.
"The boy and girl from twelve the ones I killed, they had dark hair." He said in the space between their houses.
"Yes." Katniss remembered them. Both had been from the Seam the year before.
"I killed their friends. They aren't going to like me any time soon. Don't let it upset you. I am not expecting to make friends." He had put together that most people in Twelve with dark hair were from the Seam and that the Hobb was where most of them got their food.
"I am not upset." She snapped. But she was. Cato had done so much for her and her friends were being horrible to him.
"Sure." He pressed his lips together like he was trying not to smile.
"Don't you have a car to build?" She was going for nonchalant but it came out boss. He did smile this time.
"Oh yeah." He headed for the back of the house. "Goodnight sweetheart." He laughed a little at the use of the nickname.
"Night Charming." She called after him as he rounded the corner. She could hear his laugh still as she went inside.
"You had a good hunting day didn't you?" Prim asked as she walked in.
"What makes you say that Prim?" Katniss pulled off her boots.
"You look happy." Prim gave her a quick kiss on her cheek and then danced off. Katniss wasn't sure if happy was the word for it, but she felt better than she had in days.
So how many of you are like about to die of happy? And how many are freaking out and demand I make them kiss? I mean she was totally checking him out. Things are moving along.
Next chapter is either some quality time with Haymitch or the Mellark encounter. Not sure yet which one my fingers are going to put on the paper yet.
New art is up for the story on the tumblr. Sponsorshipcatoniss. And come play with me. Bookbabble. Other than that keep the feed back coming. -E