Hey everybody! It's me! How's everyone doing so far? Update that updates are going to be somewhat scattered and far apart what with work really kicking into high gear and hours being insane and the side projects I'm working on to hopefully either help advance my career or just de-stress from reality cause life just sucks sometimes and you gotta do what you gotta do to make it not suck.

Also, screw Disney live action films. They may be brilliant cinematography wise but they always miss the point of the story or just make second rate versions of the animated films we grew up with. And yes, I'm talking about Mulan. I didn't watch the film cause I've learned my lesson after Aladdin, but I've watched clips and trailers and I was not impressed at how Chinese culture was represented and I was even less impressed by the changes in the story that were made. Don't even get me started on the themes and the story elements that they ended up using. Mulan is my favorite Disney character not just because she was Chinese, but because she of her character growth and also her thematic journey. You would not believe how much I related to the song "Reflection" as I got older. Also, if I wanted to watch a Chinese fantasy/wuxia film, I would go watch an actual Chinese fantasy/wuxia film and not one that was made by America. Rant done.

Like always, I enjoy any comments, except for those that are just full of negativity and not constructive at all. Just give me something to work with instead of just "It's bad." I also appreciate any positive constructive criticism since I'm always looking to improve my writing and storytelling capabilities.

Thanks for continuing to read this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.

Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any worldbuilding that has not yet been officially stated by the books or the movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.

Warning: No beta, we die like Rue.

Chapter 3: Moving Forward and Letting Go

He spent the next few months relearning how to be a functional member of society again after being alone for so long.

Luckily, Cato began to fall into another new routine, one that he infinitely enjoyed more if anyone were to ask him.

He spent each day waking up early in the morning to help Mrs. Everdeen (cause it was still much too early and much too awkward to be calling her "mom" though maybe he will, one day) with breakfast.

She taught him many fancy cooking tricks to try in the kitchen, under her supervision of course. A few recipes she insisted every child his age has to know, even though he wonders when he'll ever have to worry about cooking his eggs twenty different ways.

Surprisingly enough, she taught him how to develop a deep awareness of his surroundings so if a wandering little girl or stealth mode grown man tried to steal a taste, he would be aware enough to wack them with the business end of the wooden spoon Mrs. Everdeen seemed to always carry around with her everywhere. Cato had yet to receive such treatment nor would he ever like to.

He was sorely reminded of the iron pan his own mother had taken to carrying around, always at the ready for whenever his dad (god he missed his dad) did something she said was stupid. Cato was once worried about his dad after a particularly nasty hit from said pan. But his mom said his dad's head was too hard to cause any real damage cause his dad was too bull-headed, whatever that meant.

Then in the afternoons, Mrs. Everdeen patiently instructed him on how to make different kinds of medicine and remedies from the variety of plants that Cato had only read about before Mr. Ed brought him on his first official scavenging trip to help Mrs. Everdeen stock up her supplies.

Cato sits by the kitchen counter with Prim held securely in his arms. The little girl was gently snoozing away in the afternoon sunlight. He watches Mrs. Everdeen as she prepares different herbs to make remedies for the cold that's been making the rounds through the Seam.

And man, it's kind of depressing that District 12 would be separated into two different sections all because of their physical appearances and their social status. Shouldn't the district have a united front where everyone was trying to help each other? Not turn their backs on those who obviously need help? 12 was considered the poorest district in all of Panem and anti-Capital sentiments ran high here. Guess that's just not enough to unite the people.

Money really does make the world go round.

But he digresses.

Cato returns his attention back to Mrs. Everdeen just as she finishes washing all the herbs, separating them into different piles. He watches with fascination, absorbing her every word as she explains what each herb does medicinally while preparing them for consumption.

"Rosemary," she explains while carefully picking apart the leaves and stems, "Is said to stimulate the circulatory system which is your heart and blood. It helps the blood flow and can even relieve headaches since blood also flows through the brain. If you inhale the scent of bruised stems and leaves, it can help clear the sinuses, making it easier to breathe."

She takes two plants, one from two different piles, and carefully bundles them together in a specific amount.

"Sage is good for the first tickle of a sore throat. It is also known for killing bacteria, which is what most illnesses come from. If you make tea with it and combine it with some thyme, it does wonders for your well-being."

Finally, she takes the last pile of herbs and starts to evenly cut them into small pieces.

"And finally, lemon balm. A gentle and kind herb for a cold. It helps in sweating out a fever and even has some properties that help prevent the development of illnesses."

Mrs. Everdeen then takes some lemon balm and drops it in a cup of boiling water that she had set off to the side. She carefully eyes the cup as it slowly changes into the color of tea. With an instinct cultivated through years of work and study, Mrs. Everdeen scoops the herbs out of the cup and hands it to Cato.

"Would you like to try some?"

Cato nods and carefully cradles the hot cup in one hand while the other holds Prim close. She's now awake and watching the tea with a fascination only small children can muster as their formative years were when they truly experience the world for the first time.

He blows on the tea to cool it down a bit before taking a sip.

"Well? How is it?" Mrs. Everdeen asks with a smile.

Cato smiles at her as Prim claps in delight.

It was the perfect cup.

In between breakfast and afternoon medicine time, Cato would go out hunting with Mr. Ed and Katniss before she was sent home while Mr. Ed brought him to the Hub to learn how to trade and haggle.

In the beginning, Katniss wouldn't talk to him for a solid week once she found out that he was the one who stole her bow.

"It was supposed to be MY birthday present," she cried out, stomping the ground like a petulant toddler having a temper tantrum just cause she couldn't have the last cookie.

Cato tried apologizing in what felt like a million different ways but was actually just 5 cause he's a walking human disaster of a kid okay, please leave him alone.

Eventually Cato managed to wear down Katniss enough to the point where she no longer intentionally sabotaged him whenever they went out hunting. Little things like nudging his back as he pulled back the bow string and snapping branches whenever he got close enough while stalking his prey.

Now she did those unintentionally cause she was a nine year old little girl with no impulse control so to speak of whenever she was out in the forest where she didn't have to suppress her most childish desires in fear that a Peacekeeper having an off-day would catch her and thus punish both her and her family.

Soon though, Cato could see how frustrated she was at not being as good a hunter as him and her dad. So Cato decided to give her a little motivation.

Katniss shouts in frustration as the rabbit bounces away quickly. The arrow she had shot a whole five inches away from where the rabbit had originally been.

"It's alright dear," her dad said, "You'll get it next time."

Katniss just huffs and crosses her arms with a pout. She turns away from her dad before he can try and lie to her again.

'It's not fair,' she thought.

The angle she's turned to allows her to see her big brother, Cato, his flower name still to be determined though she's not going to give up until she finds the perfect name for him, swiftly pull back the string of his bow and hold steady as he tracks the movement of a squirrel hopping through the tree branches.

After a moment, he lets go and Katniss hears the arrow land with a soft thud following after. She turns and sees the squirrel dead on the forest floor with an arrow through its neck.

"That's great, Cato!" her dad says, praising her brother as he walks over to pick up the squirrel.

Cato smiles brightly at the praise.

"Yeah but I still got a ways to go before I can get'em through the eye every time like you."

Cato and her dad exchange hearty laughs, making her pout turn into a scowl. She kicks at the floor, leaves flying up and catching their attention.

"Ah come on Katniss," Cato said, trying to play the mediator, "You're still young and you just started a few weeks ago. It makes sense that you won't do as well as you'd like. If you keep practicing though, you'll be better than the both of us."

Katniss kicks at the floor again.

"I wanna be better now! Or at least, I wanna be able to hit something that's not a tree or the ground."

Her dad moves to speak but her brother shakes his head at him.

Cato stares at her with a calculating expression. He then smiles like a fox who's managed to figure out both a way into the henhouse and how to escape with a full belly. Katniss watches him warily.

"Okay then," Cato begins, "If you're so set on getting better than us, how about a trade?"

She perks up in interest, "A trade?"

Cato shrugs, "Yeah. A trade. If you manage to hit your prey, then you get to decide what we do for the rest of the day. If you don't, then I get to decide what we do. Where you hit your prey and what kind of prey you hit, determines how much we let you get away with."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, say you hit a deer in the leg. It's a big target so hitting them in the leg is easier than hitting a squirrel in the leg. So if you hit a deer, you get to decide the next forest excursion. If you hit a squirrel you get to decide what's for dinner. Stuff like that."

Katniss nods along.

"And if you manage to improve enough to the point where you hit each prey in the eye at least 3 times in a row before I can, then the trade's off and I'll give you my desert and help you with your chores for the next year as a special prize."

Katniss pauses and then nods her head vigorously.

"You're on, Cato!"

Katniss rushes to her dad and starts tugging him away, eager to get started.

Her dad laughs loudly in amusement and Cato just shakes his head, exasperated.

Good news, it took her awhile to finally land a hit on her targeted prey so he didn't have to get dragged off every day to play with her and Prim. Bad news, she'd started to hit the eye at most two times in a row before messing up, giving Cato both a run for his money and a constant sense of dread at the thought of having to help Katniss with all her chores and give her his desert for a year.

Overall, Cato was just having a jolly good time with his new found family.

He and Katniss had their long running trade (cough competition cough) that allowed them to bond further as they explored the forests outside the District. Cato was surprised by how much he enjoyed Katniss' company. It probably had to do with the fact that her no-nonsense attitude, feisty personality, and enduring spirit reminded him heavily of the girl he left behind in District 2.

Primrose definitely had him wrapped around her finger from the moment he first met her. Always running after Katniss and Cato whenever either of them were having a bad day. Always smiling with such joy and innocence that everyone in both the Seam and the Town couldn't help but fall for her. Cato had only been her older brother for not even a full six months yet, but still long enough that if anything were to happen to her, he would kill everyone involved and then himself.

With Mrs. Everdeen, in the beginning, Cato was somewhat uncomfortable being around her and especially calling her anything but Mrs. Everdeen. She never faulted him for that though. She only encouraged him to learn more about her apothecary practice and to eat more because he was looking too skinny in her opinion. Her patience and motherly ways allowed him to slowly become more comfortable and open with her. He thinks that for sure one day, when he's finally moved on from what happened to his family, he'll call her mom.

And while he'll never have the same relationship as he did with his own dad, the one he built up with Mr. Ed came pretty close to the one he had lost. Mr. Ed was always willing to lend his ear to Cato's troubles and to offer advice whenever he felt Cato needed it the most, which must be a dad thing cause his own dad always knew what to say when he needed to hear it. He especially enjoyed the hunting excursions and Hub trips that were similar to the sparring practices and market explorations of the past. Cato was glad that even though he and Mr. Ed were doing things that were parallel to what he and his dad had done in the past, they weren't replacing those memories. Mr. Ed had promised as much after all. He only wanted to give Cato a new family, not replace his old one.

Of course, everything came to a head when the anniversary of his family's death landed unexpectedly upon them.

He can't believe he actually forgot the anniversary of that day this year. But to be fair, he was too caught up in the whirlwind that was the Everdeen family to notice or remember.

But now...he does remember. And the memories smack him down like a raging train, leaving nothing left behind but stains and bits of remains.

He just lays there on his bed with a too hard mattress (it's not soft, not like the one back in his dad's room) and scratchy sheets (his skin still remembers the softness of the handmade quilts his mom always made for the winter season) with a wooden frame that creaks with each small movement (the sounds ring loudly in Cato's ears whenever he lies awake because the memories were just too much, tOo MuCH, TOO MUCH).

"Cato?"

Cato sluggishly turns his head to see Katniss crouching next to him. Her face is full of worry.

He turns away. He doesn't want to deal with anyone or anything. Not today.

Ha can hear Katniss scurry away. He doesn't bother thinking further about where she's going but his unasked question is answered when he hears two other people enter the room alongside Katniss.

"You alright, son?"

Mr. Ed enters Cato's field of vision. Mrs. Everdeen stands next to him in worry with Prim nuzzled securely in her arms.

Cato can only look away. Mr. Ed sighs. He then sits on the bed next to Cato.

"It's today...isn't it?"

Cato's silence answers his vague question.

"Just let us know whatever you need whenever you need it. Even if it's just to be left alone for the rest of the day, heck even the rest of the week."

Cato turns to him in surprise. Mr. Ed just smiles reassuringly.

"Even though you're not blood, family is family. And family, especially this family, always looks out for each other, no matter what."

Cato takes a moment to register his words. He then turns away from the Everdeens. His body starts to shake from the tears he's attempting to hold back. Mr. Ed and Mrs. Everdeen share looks of understanding. Mr. Ed pats Cato reassuringly on the back and gets off the bed. They gently guide Katniss out of the room and leave Cato alone to grieve for the rest of the day.

The next day, Cato had felt, for the first time in what felt like a long time, unburdened, maybe even a little bit more free.

He walked into the kitchen in a more positive mood, much to the surprise and relief of the Everdeens.

After breakfast, Cato told them everything.

He told them of how he was originally from District 2 and his dad was a Victor of the Hunger Games. He spoke of how the Peacekeepers kept knocking on their door as he got older, demanding that his dad allow him to join the Career Academy no matter how many refusals were given.

He then told them of what happened on that fateful day. How on his 10th birthday, his entire family had gathered and afterwards his dad took him out back to gift him his mom's prized pin. He told them of the talk his dad had given about how morally wrong the Hunger Games were and that no one, even the Victors, ever truly won. That there was no glory to be found in killing other kids like him.

Then Peacekeepers stormed into his home and killed everyone.

Mr. Ed clenched his fists in silent anger. Mrs. Everdeen looked at him not in pity but in empathy. Katniss straight up lunged into his unsuspecting arms for a hug. Cato took a breath to steady himself as tears gathered in his eyes.

He continued to speak of how the lead Peacekeeper told his father of how they had discovered that his dad was a rebel, a fact that Cato hadn't known until that day, and because of that, his mom was killed painfully despite the fact that she was already suffering from a terminal illness. And because her death hadn't detered his rebellious actions, his dad had to choose between having Cato sent to the Academy or getting killed by the Peacekeepers.

His dad chose neither and told him to run, to get as far as he so he could to live and fight another day. To survive and then thrive.

And he did. He survived long enough to be taken in by the Everdeens and then thrived under their care. He will always be forever grateful to them for everything they have done.

The Everdeens only brushed off his fervent thanks, telling him again that even though he wasn't blood, he was family. And family does anything and everything they can for each other.

After a moment, they all embraced each other. Cato broke down again as he was surrounded by the feeling of familial love and warmth that had been missing ever since his family died.

He never realized he had been subconsciously distancing himself from the Everdeens, like he was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now he knows that there never was a shoe to drop.

So he thanked them again, this time, finally calling them his mother, his father, and his little sisters. He finally accepted them as his family, which was all they had wanted from him.

The embrace grew tighter and there was not a single dry eye when they finally let go of each other.

In the afternoon, Ed took him on a trip to the Justice Building.

After a couple hours and a lot of fibbing around which did not amuse the Peacekeeper on duty at all, Cato walked out of the building as Valerian Cato Everdeen. It had taken quite a bit of searching but Ed and Katniss helped him find a plant name that they all thought suited him and their family well.

The Valerian flower meaning to be strong, to be healthy, and readiness due to the heavy faith placed on its medicinal properties in treating many maladies due to its calming effects. Which seems to fit the running theme of pretty plants used for survival the Everdeens had going on. He kept his first name because it would be rude to his dad if he just dropped it completely but he didn't want the traumas that came with it to define him anymore, so it became his middle name. He dropped Evans for Everdeen because new beginnings and all that jazz.

And just like that, he had a new name, a new family, a new life.

It took some time to get used to but hey, at least he has a family to help him back up whenever he falls. It might not be the same family he had when he first came into this world. But he wouldn't change a thing.

Oh how he spoke too soon. He should really learn to shut his mouth and stop jinxing himself.

Hey look. It's the classic foot in mouth, jinxing, internal monologue that always leads to bad things happening troupe. I will never get tired of that troupe cause it just lends credence to Murphy's Law. Ya know the one - anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Now that I think about it, most of the time, life is just Murphy's Law and how we respond to it. Do we rise up to the challenge? Do we roll over and let bad things continue to happen? Or do we just pull up covers and decide to get to it after a few more hours of sleep and some food?

I'm of the mind set of if I don't have to do it, I won't. Oreki Hotaro from Hyouka is my spirit animal and his quotes are the gospel I live by. Anywho, I'll hopefully be able to get the next chapter out in a timely fashion. If I don't, then it was probably because of Murphy's Law. Also, all of the flower and herb knowledge was just stuff I googled online so if it's inaccurate. All I can offer is a shrug and the excuse that it's the internet. Until next time!