DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.
Words not spoken in English will be italicized.
Chapter 38-Found
Gale managed to keep his mouth shut after Katniss's request. He cursed himself for caring about the Peeta situation yet again. He was not surprised that Katniss still couldn't let him go and he knows she never will. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't fair to Peeta, to expect him to be waiting for her when and if she ever returned to District 12. Did she expect him to be waiting forever?
But he didn't, he agreed that too much time was wasted for them by being apart for the last seven years. What mattered was that she was moving forward and reconnecting with her mother-without Peeta. At least for now. He was proud of her.
While walking back to the hovercraft, Katniss asked him, "So-I saw in the picture you have a dog?"
"Yeah. Harper-I got him while on a business trip in District 10. I've had him since he was a puppy."
"Is he your dog or Dez's?" It took a lot for Katniss not to say her name in a condescending tone.
"Definitely mine. But Dez has helped raise him. But Harper would get along with anyone. He'd even like you." Gale says with a wink.
"Well, I would definitely prefer a Harper to a Buttercup."
"Whatever happened to Buttercup? Do you know?"
Katniss gave Gale a sad look. Forgetting that he wouldn't have known. "Believe it not—Buttercup came back to the house. Right after I got back. He looked all dirty. He was looking for Prim."
Gale stopped walking and turned to face Katniss. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm sorry."
Katniss smiled softly at him and said, "Buttercup and I—came to an understanding after he came back. He became my cat believe it not. Well, as much as mine as he could be, he still kept to himself but he stayed at our house."
"So he's still there?"
"He's in the backyard—Peeta buried him by the primrose bush that he planted when he came back. Buttercup died almost five months ago."
Gale grew silent. That meant Buttercup died right before she left District 12. He wondered if Buttercup's death was part of the reason she decided to leave. His thoughts then turned to Peeta and how he planted a primrose bush. Gale started to feel a tinge of jealousy stir. Of course Peeta would plant a primrose bush. It was those kinds of actions that won Katniss's heart.
Katniss's eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "What are you thinking about?" she questioned.
Gale's grey eyes met hers, the same exact color of eyes staring back at each other. "Hearing that Peeta planted a primrose bush, makes me realize, I never could compete with him when it came to you."
Katniss sees a look of sadness in his eyes. "That's not true. Prim loved you. She really liked Peeta, but she looked at you like the brother she never had. Don't think that didn't matter to me."
"I loved her too."
"I know you did. It is because of your relationship with her, that—that I did what I did that day in the Capitol."
"I miss her. When I see Rory, I think of her sometimes. She'd be almost as old as him now."
Katniss nodded. "I thought the same thing."
"I'm sorry about Buttercup, about Prim, about everything."
Katniss was surprised but touched by his apology. She leaned up to hug him, he leaned down to meet her halfway, putting his arms around her tight. She was surprised how tightly he was holding her, but the action was not unwanted. She felt some tears start to form, determined not to let them fall. She closed her eyes tightly.
"I missed you" she whispered into his shoulder.
She could feel him tense. She wondered if she said something she shouldn't have. Then, she heard him say just as softly, "I missed you too-so much."
She smiled into his shoulder, still holding him tight. It felt good to be in his arms again. It always did.
He abruptly leaned back up, ending the embrace. He looks over to the hovercraft, she following his gaze, some of his soldiers were trying to look busy, but she could see, they were looking at them.
She didn't care that they saw them. 'Let them talk' she thought to herself. It was none of their business anyway.
"Well look at that. Looks like the Commander is getting just a little too cozy with the mockingjay" Abraham said scowling.
"She has a name you know" Spencer said nonchalantly.
"Everyone in Panem knows her name. I just choose not to call her by it" Abraham responded.
"That is a really long hug going on there" Hance said eyeing them.
"Maybe the Commander's fiancé should be worried" another soldier said with a laugh.
"Cut it out you guys. They were friends once." Spencer was getting annoyed and didn't want to make it too obvious he was defending their behavior.
"Friends don't hug like that" Hance said in a matter of fact tone.
Spencer chose to remain quiet. He couldn't deny it seemed more than just a friendly hug. The Commander was holding Katniss as if he was trying to squeeze the life out of her. He saw a big smile on her face.
He was secretly happy to see them like that. While he didn't want anyone to get hurt and he knew better than anyone relationships were complicated, he always thought what Katniss and Gale had seemed special. It was a relationship so dangerous the Capitol had to make up a lie in order to keep the focus on Katniss and Peeta. For the first time, he saw what the Capitol didn't want the rest of Panem to see.
It was decided that only Gale, Katniss, Red Bear, Abraham, Robin, and Stone were going back to try to find the missing squad members, with Penny flying the ship. Gale wanted Red Bear with them in case they ran into the Arikara. The two Native females along with Blackmoon and Silver Horse would stay behind with everyone else with Spencer in charge of the group.
"We will wait here for you, in case you don't want to come back—in that" Blackmoon said with disgust in his voice to Red Bear while pointing at the hovercraft.
"I trust Killing Bird. She says it will be fine. I choose to believe it will be alright" Red Bear responded.
"We won't tell Strong Wind about this" Silver Horse said.
"Thank you" Red Bear said appreciatively.
Gale decided to have Penny circle the entire area after they arrived back three hours later. The two of them didn't see anything. He continued to radio each squad member, desperately hoping for a response. Nothing but silence continued on the other end.
"God fucking damn it" Gale said loudly throwing his radio to the ground.
Penny jumped, startled by his outburst. She had never heard him swear like that.
Gale ran his hand through his hair, sighing heavily. "Can we go just a little further?"
"Sure" she responded, moving the ship left. "Why don't we get Abraham in here as well, another pair of eyes to help watch."
"Good idea, I will get him" Gale said exiting the cockpit.
After Gale and Abraham returned, they continued to search for another 40 minutes, then finally, they spotted something that caught their eye. Penny slowed the ship until it stopped, hovering above. Down below they saw bodies-scattered about.
Penny landed the ship and everyone got out except for her. Gale, Robin, Stone, and Abraham had their weapons ready, while Katniss and Red Bear both had their bows ready.
They saw what looked like the Jay Killers, all of them dead. The bodies scattered around. Gale recognized this was the group that had injured men. They all had arrows in their bodies, some even had arrows right through their necks. No doubt they were killed by the Arikara. He wondered if any of the Natives had been killed, some of the men had their guns in their hands.
Gale had all of the remaining weapons collected. He knew he should bury them but there was no time. He had to keep moving, the rest of his team had to be near.
After they got back into the hovercraft, Katniss came up to Gale and said, "You okay?"
Gale had a blank look on his face and said, "Do you think I should have buried them?"
Katniss's face turned into a scowl, a revolted looked apparent on her face. "No, I don't. This group—they're animals. The way the one raped Rain, forcing himself on her" her voice started to crack.
Gale looked sternly at her and said, "We will find them—all of them."
Katniss could only nod in response. Gale opened his mouth to say something when they heard Abraham shout, "Commander! Come up front—now!"
Gale looked at Katniss then quickly moved past her and jogged to the cockpit. Once he got there he saw Abraham pointing to three bodies on the ground. All dressed in black.
"No" Gale cried out.
Penny landed the ship and Gale and the others went running as fast as they could once the walkway hit the ground. Katniss and Red Bear lingered behind looking at each other with worry.
Three of Gale's soldiers laid on the ground, arrows in their necks and backs as well. Gale fell to his knees, visibly upset. He wasn't crying, but hung his head in shame.
"I never should have sent them out" he said.
Katniss slowly approached him, wanting to console him. While displaying affection was not common for her, she knew she had to be there for him. She put her arm around his shoulder and said, "You couldn't have known, you knew you had to go after the Jay Killers."
He responded by grabbing her hand and holding onto it, still staring at the ground. Katniss looked up and saw Abraham glaring at her. Giving her a look that said she had no right to console him.
"Commander, we can't find Sloan or Reggie. We don't see their bodies anywhere."
Gale looked up at Abraham, snapping out of his trance. "What?"
"Sloan and Reggie, they are not here."
Gale let go of Katniss's hand and got to his feet. In his brief moment of grief he had forgotten that five squad members were sent. Four males and one female-Sloan. If Sloan and Reggie were not here, perhaps either they escaped, or the Arikara captured them.
"Let's get them on the ship. We need to keep searching for Sloan and Reggie."
The bodies were bagged and brought onto the ship and put into the supply room. They all sat back down in their seats as the hovercraft took off. Katniss was relieved Abraham was in the cockpit with Gale. She was afraid she would soon lose her cool and say something that would ignite an argument if he was around.
After an hour of flying around, Gale came out of the cockpit and walked up to Katniss and said, "I need you to ask Red Bear to take us to the Arikara."
She saw a look in his eyes as he said it. She hadn't seen that look since they were in District 13. A look of determination to find them at any cost. She always thought Gale's loyalty was one of his greatest qualities, but it was that determination driven by loyalty to do what he felt he needed to that concerned her the most.
