DISCLAIMER: HG characters do not belong to me.

Words not spoken in English will be italicized.

Chapter 41-Kill the Bird

'Did I just call her Catnip?' Gale thought to himself as he walked back to the others. He was pretty certain he did. 'Old habit' he told himself. He felt slightly guilty about it. He wasn't sure if he should look at it as a slight betrayal to Dez or not. After all, she was the only one he used any type of nickname for. But then again, Katniss wasn't in his life while he was with Dez-now she is.

He decided not to feel guilty about it. They were friends again, the Catnip nickname started off as a joke, there was never anything flirtatious in nature about it. So why did it bother him when he realized he started calling her that again?

He decided to hang back with Sloan and Reggie while Katniss walked ahead with Red Bear and Walks without Sound. Abraham and Spencer walking behind them. He wanted to talk to the two of them alone.

He asked them how they were holding up and what happened after he sent them after the Jay Killers. They explained how they tracked and followed them, but when they finally caught up to them, they found them all dead. They knew it was a Native attack and turned around to leave the area, but it was too late. The Arikara immediately started shooting arrows at them, they managed to run and scatter about, Sloan and Reggie ran off together. The Arikara however managed to find all of them and brought them back to one area. Reggie explained how when they got to the area, they had seen that the rest of the squad had been shot multiple times by arrows, he guessed because they tried to fight back and were shooting at the Arikara. Reggie said when he and Sloan were found, they didn't try to resist capture. They were then brought back to their village, stripped of their clothing and given Native clothing to wear. Sloan said she saw the Arikara burn their weapons and clothes, and that they seemed pleased their weapons could be burned. They said for the next few days they mostly stayed in the tepee and were only brought out at meal time. The Arikara gave them work tasks while in the tepee, they had them work with some of the women preparing food. Sloan said it at least made the day pass by.

They also informed Gale that right before he came, they heard a lot of commotion coming from outside, the dogs barking excessively. They peaked out of the tepee and saw the dogs barking into the sky, and that they saw the tracking locator overhead. Because the dogs were making so much noise, the Arikara saw the object and immediately lit an arrow on fire and shot it out of the sky.

"When we saw that, we knew it was only a matter of time before you came" Reggie said to Gale in an appreciative tone.

Gale smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I wanted to come sooner, but we had to wait for Walks without Sound to arrive."

"I don't think I'll ever get the image out of my mind what I saw and heard today" Sloan said in a sad tone.

Gale shook his head in agreement. While he witnessed one of the most horrific things he ever saw, he had mixed feelings about it. They Jay Killers were Panem's enemy, they wanted to overthrow the President and harm Katniss. Geffen's group was the definition of evil, yet, watching them burn didn't bring him a sense of relief. Seeing them die in pain was hard to watch and Geffen was still out there. Gale had no idea which direction he went in, he could be back in Panem by now if he has the right resources.

He used to think in more black and white terms, but after today, he started to wonder if he will be constantly fighting a battle that is unwinnable. Panem will always have enemies, how many more people will die in this struggle to move forward in building a new society.

It made him hate Snow and the former Capitol all the more, if that was even possible.

While continuing the walk back to the hovercraft with Reggie and Sloan beside him, he occasionally catches Katniss glancing back at him-smiling at him. He smiles back, glad to see she seemed to be feeling better.

He sees Abraham has noticed the smiles between them and he doesn't look pleased.


They finally arrive back at the hovercraft a little over 4 hours later. All of them exhausted from the journey. Gale and his soldiers immediately go on the hovercraft to get food, but Katniss decides to hunt for food with Red Bear and Walks without Sound. Gale looks at her like she is crazy when she tells him what she is doing.

"It's night! They won't eat our food?" he asks incredulously.

"Gale-are you really asking me that?" Katniss said annoyed. She was way too tired to be arguing about what the Natives will and will not do when it comes to things related to the Capitol.

"Fine-go. But be careful."

"We will, I think we are just going to go to the lake" she responds before turning around and heading off the hovercraft.

They return not even an hour later with fish in their hands and lots of it. They cook the fish outside and Gale and some of the others come outside to eat, the smell of fresh food too attractive to ignore.

"And you thought we were crazy for going out" Katniss said smirking at Gale while he devoured his food. He shoots her a satisfied smile as he chews on his food and doesn't respond.

That night, Katniss fell asleep pretty quickly. Instead of dreaming about Gale like she has come to expect, she dreams about Rain.

She is back in District 9, at Rain's house. She is sitting in Rain's kitchen like she did when they first met. Rain is sitting across from her and says, "Who are you?"

"Killing Bird" Katniss replies.

Rain nods in approval. "Yes, the name my tribe decided to call you. Kill the bird-forget your past, start fresh, start new."

"How can I just forget about my past?" Katniss asked, not seeing how that was possible.

"You let the horrors of your past consume you. Push it far from your mind. Think about moving forward-away from District 12, away from the Capitol."

Katniss ponders her words, mulling them over in her mind. Can she really just push her thoughts and feelings in the back of her mind like that?

"I miss Prim, I miss you, and I miss Cinna and Finnick and my Father. How can I just-forget about them?"

"It is not forgetting about them. Torturing yourself in sadness thinking about them is not helping you, it is hurting you. You need to move on, move forward. Look towards the future."

"I just-I don't want them to fade from my memory-that makes it final."

"You need finality-it is the only way to move on. Remember what your mother told you as a little girl, we never truly lose the ones we love, they always hold a special place in our heart."

Katniss wakes up, she sees dawn approaching on the horizon. She realizes she doesn't feel sadness by the dream, instead she feels a sense of hope.


Katniss is eager to meet the Cheyenne tribe, she feels she needs to see acts of kindness after yesterday. Katniss asks Red Bear if the three tribesmen from the Sioux would be there by now. He informed her that they probably will reach the Cheyenne tribe by today if they are not there already. She asks Red Bear if he will come with her, but he says he prefers to journey back with Walks without Sound to the Sioux village with the one horse remaining-not feeling comfortable having Walks without Sound going alone.

"You will like the Cheyenne tribe, they are good people." Red Bear says to her as he gets ready to depart with Walks without Sound. He informs her who to look for and where the meeting place is.

"Be careful, I will see you when I return to the village." Katniss says then hugs Red Bear goodbye. Watching as he and Walks without Sound take off.

Gale decides the whole group will go with Katniss to the Cheyenne tribe. He wants to send out tracking locators to see if they can find Geffen and the remaining Jay Killers since they will be moving south.

When they arrive, Katniss walks with Spencer and Abraham to the arranged meeting place. As expected, she sees the three Sioux tribesmen-Hawk, White Wolf, and Many Smiles. Katniss runs to Hawk and White Wolf-happy to be reunited with her friends again. Many Smiles is the tribe member who speaks the Cheyenne language, both his mother and aunt are from the tribe.

The six of them head for the Cheyenne village. Like the Sioux, the Cheyenne reside in a large meadow area. Only this meadow is much larger than the Sioux's. Katniss was told by Red Bear that the Cheyenne tribe had almost 200 members, Katniss thought they maybe had more than that based on what she saw. Like the Comanche, the Cheyenne had a lot of horses. Unlike the Comanche and the Arikara, when Katniss, Spencer, and Abraham arrived, they got looks-but not unfriendly ones. Many Smiles went straight to the tribe's chiefs-for it appeared there was more than one and explained why they were there.

While Katniss, Hawk, White Wolf, Spence, and Abraham waited, the Cheyenne went right to work at making them feel comfortable and provided food and water. Hawk and White Wolf were able to communicate with them a little, and they taught Katniss a few quick words to learn such as "Thank you" and "please". The tribe members seemed impressed she could speak Sioux and catch on to their language so quick. Katniss found the two words they taught her were not that much different from what she had already learned speaking Sioux.

A little while later, Many Smiles returned and said, "The Cheyenne leaders would like for you to remove the cameras, if that is alright."

Katniss got up and informed Spencer and Abraham they were to begin. "Of course it is alright, it's why we are here" she said.

Spencer took out the coordinates and began studying them with Abraham. "It looks like there are two cameras here. One on each side of the meadow" Spencer informed Katniss.

Katniss warned Many Smiles what to expect and then he translated for the tribe. Katniss and the tribe watched as Spencer and Abraham took out the circular object and hoisted it into the air, Spencer using the remote to control it. The object quickly found the first camera-hidden at the very top of a tall and thin tree. The meadow was surrounded by these kinds of trees. The Cheyenne reacted the same way the Comanche did when the object changed shape and blew the camera out of the tree. Falling the ground in flames. They then found the second camera on the other side of the village, again hidden in one of the tallest trees, too far up for any tribe member to ever see it.

Spencer and Abraham collected both cameras once the flames burned out. Katniss approached Many Smiles and said, "We are finished."

Many Smiles informed the Cheyenne and spoke again with the tribe chiefs. He came back a few minutes later and said, "The Cheyenne thank you, and invite you all to dinner tonight. It is their way of saying thank you."

Katniss translated the words back to Spencer and Abraham. She was about to tell them they could go back to the hovercraft if they wanted but Abraham surprised her by saying, "Heck, I could go for some fresh meat tonight, what do you think Spence?"

"Sure, that sounds good. I will radio the Commander and let him know we won't be back until later tonight." Spencer then proceeded to walk to the outskirts of the village, making his radio call.

Katniss, Spencer, and Abraham had a good time with the tribe that night. They had a good meal and got to watch the tribe perform a tribal dance. Katniss stuck close to Hawk and White Wolf while Spencer sat with Abraham. She still was not on friendly terms with him though today went better than she was anticipating. She figures it was because Gale was not there with them.

Many Smiles informed her that a lot of the tribe members were asking what Katniss's story was and why she was with the Sioux, he told her they were impressed by her ability to speak Sioux so well. After hearing that the Sioux considered her an official member of the tribe, they presented Katniss with a gift before they left. One of the tribe's females, a woman who looked similar in age to Katniss, gave her a beaded necklace. The beads of the necklace were mostly green and had small patches of yellow, orange, and black in small patterns throughout the necklace. Katniss loved it.

"You told Many Smiles I like the color green didn't you?" she asked Hawk who nodded in response.

Katniss had Many Smiles translate to the tribe her gratitude for the necklace. She immediately put it around her neck, touching the beads. "Any friend of the Sioux tribe is a friend of ours" Many Smiles translated to her. Katniss smiled brightly, truly touched the tribe had been so kind.

Hawk, White Wolf, and Many Smiles had decided to stay at the village for a couple more days to rest and then head back to the Sioux village. Katniss informed them she would see them soon.

"I will probably get there before you. Be careful on the journey back" she told Hawk and White Wolf hugging them goodbye.

"Until we meet again Killing Bird" White Wolf said as she turned and began walking with Spencer and Abraham back to the hovercraft. She turned around for one last glance, nodding goodbye.


When Katniss, Spencer, and Abraham return, they see Gale waiting for them, sitting peacefully in a portable chair. A drink in his hand. He informed them the group decided to open up a large bottle of wine they had brought with them from the main base.

"The group decided getting Sloan and Reggie back was cause for celebration" he said. Spencer and Abraham quickly went onto the ship to see if any wine was left.

"So-how was it?" Gale asked Katniss once they were out of sight.

"Good, real good. For once we went to a tribe that didn't give such hostile looks." Katniss began telling him about the dinner, the tribal dance, and the gift she received, showing him her new necklace.

"It's green" Gale said smiling at her. She smiles back, happy to see he remembered green was her favorite color.

"So, how was your day?" she asked.

Gale's face grew serious. "We sent out tracking locators, all of the ones we had, they were out there for hours, the trackers didn't pick up any movement. I'm afraid finding Geffen will be like looking for a needle in a haystack at this point."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Tomorrow I am going to call the President and see what her orders are."

"You know I am planning on returning to the Sioux, the Capitol can no longer watch on cameras."

"I know." Gale said in a worried tone.

"I'll be fine Gale. You know the tribesmen are good fighters, you saw what the Arikara did your soldiers. The Sioux can protect me from Geffen, but, I think he went back to Panem-to regroup."

"He probably did, it is what I need to talk to the President about."

Spencer came down the walkway, interrupting their conversation. "Sorry to interrupt, Katniss, you should get in here, we have very little wine left!"

"Go on, I will be there after I finish setting up the motion sensors." Gale says to Katniss. She turns and heads up the walkway with Spencer.

She sees Sloan, Reggie, Abraham, Penny, Stone, and Robin playing cards. Spencer pours her the last glass of wine and hands it to her. She quickly gulps it down, surprising them.

"Damn mockingjay, didn't know you were such a drinker!" Robin says enthusiastically.

"I'm not. But after the last couple of days we all had, I figured why not let loose a little" she responds.

Robin nods in approval. She sits down and joins them for a round of cards. Gale comes up the walkway and into the hovercraft after they finish their last round and says, "The motion sensors are up, how about we turn in for the night alright."

Reggie and Stone groan but get up and follow Gale's orders. Everyone begins gathering their stuff to put up their tents outside. Katniss gathers her things and begins walking down the walkway when Abraham comes up behind and says, "Do you know why I dislike you?"

Katniss turns to him, totally caught off guard by his remark. She smells the alcohol on his breath, knowing he wouldn't be having this conversation with her if he was sober.

"No-I don't actually" she says in a curt tone.

"For one I never got people's obsession with you, I think you are as interesting as an Avox. Second, I don't like how you take advantage of the Commander. He has a fiancé, yet here you are, all over him."

Katniss couldn't believe his nerve, slightly intoxicated or not. "Excuse me, I am not all over Gale. We're friends. You do know what it is to have a friend right?"

"I have friends, female ones too. I don't hug them the way you hug him. And I don't flirt the way I saw you flirting at the Commander when we walked back to camp yesterday."

Katniss had not noticed that Abraham was watching her and Gale on the long walk back. She wondered if Gale noticed.

"Look-what I do or do not do with him is not your concern." Katniss turned and started to walk away, she was done with this conversation.

"The Commander doesn't deserve to be caught up in your web of drama-yet again."

"Excuse me" Katniss roared.

"Come on, I know you two were never cousins. I don't know what the deal was between the two of you but I know it was more than just friends. He seems happy with his fiancé, don't go ruining it."

Before Katniss could respond Gale called up to them, "Abraham, Katniss-you coming down?"

Abraham moved past Katniss purposefully knocking her out of his way as he descended down the walkway.

Katniss glared at him as she saw him walk down, too stunned by his comments to do anything else.


The next morning Gale informed the group he had spoken with President Paylor and that the squad was to return to the Capitol. But first, they would be dropping Katniss off at the Sioux tribe.

When the hovercraft arrived at the outskirts of the village, Spencer and Gale walked with Katniss down the walkway.

"Good luck and take care of yourself. Don't do anything too reckless, like try to hunt a bear by yourself" Spencer said teasingly.

"I'll miss you" Katniss says, leaning in for a hug.

"Here, my number in case you ever need to reach me in the Capitol, though who knows where my next assignment will be" he says handing her a small piece of paper.

"Thanks." Katniss says and then watches Spencer walk back up the walkway.

"Remember-use the distress watch and activate it should you need me for any reason, especially if you get attacked by a bear."

Katniss chuckles and says, "Thanks-for everything, I mean it."

Gale nods and says, "Be careful."

"I don't know how long I will be there, but I plan to go to Rain's house in District 9 and then onto District 4. I will have to call my Mom from Rain's house and arrange for train ticket."

Gale hands her a piece of paper as well, Katniss takes it and looks at it. She sees a couple of phone numbers listed-the first his office number and the second the number to his apartment.

"Let me know when you arrive back in Panem" he says.

"I will, I promise. Goodbye Gale."

"Goodbye Katniss."

She leans up and hugs him, he instantly putting his arms around her. He holds her just as tight as he did that day by the lake.

Realizing it might be a while before she sees him again, she gets the sudden urge to raise her head up and kiss him, but she doesn't, Abraham's words burning into her mind, 'he seems happy with his fiancé, don't get ruining it.' She really wanted to put that theory to the test and see if Gale really was happy with her. But, the possibility that he is stops her.

She ends the embrace and turns and walks away, turning around for one last glance, seeing a look of sadness on his face. She smiles back at him in return. She sees a small smile form on his face in response.

She begins walking to the village, anxious to move forward with Rain's suggestion in her dream-kill the bird-and find a way to move forward.