Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? We have finally arrived at the climax of the story. And wow was it hell to write. I had way too much trouble with this chapter what with having an entirely way too long list of events to write without making it feel like I'm dragging on and on and also making sure it doesn't get boring. Because this chapter is where the emotions are supposed to hit and shit gets real so it would definitely not be okay if you read it and you get bored. Also, my need for perfection kept smacking me upside the head while I wrote so, yeah. Please enjoy my month long headache and I hope I managed to make it worth the wait.
Like always, I enjoy comments, in fact I thrive off of positive comments and love constructive critique ones cause it shows an author that their readers are actually paying attention and enjoying their work.
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 world building 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 19: Hail and Farewell
XXXXXX
It took some time but Val manages to get his body back into working order after being unconscious for three days. The first order of business that needed to be completed upon his rejuvenation is the resupplying of their inventory.
None of the girls were able to adequately hunt and gather as they needed to stay close by in case any tributes got funny ideas and tried to go after his unconscious body. They only managed to stay afloat with his catch from before things went to shit, Rue's amazing luck when it came to foraging, and Thresh's occasional appearance to drop by supplies he thought Rue would need.
Val decided to lead the girls to where he believed his circled territory to believe, going entirely off the directions Rue gave to bring them back to the clearing where everything blew up spectacularly in their faces. It was only by chance they managed to come across the river he ran to after that still completely unnecessary fireball incident. Then it was just a matter of pretending he knew which way he ran from the fire and crossing his fingers for luck before they somehow managed to reach his sleeping tree.
Thankfully, in the three days he'd been gone, the traps he set out did indeed catch some prey. Val made swift work of the squirrels and rabbits with Katniss making sure to turn Rue away from the sight of his methodical killing of cute woodland creatures.
Then the small group set out to the small river to refill their bottles and get some "fresher" water in them. The four tributes relax on the smooth river rocks as the bubbling of the stream fills the air.
"So how are we going to deal with the Careers?" Clove asks as she sips her water.
Val raises an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?"
Clove seals her bottle as her expression turns serious. "The biggest threat right now is the Careers. Any one of them could easily win this if we don't do something to hinder their chances."
"And how exactly do you propose we do that?" Katniss asks, the skepticism clear in her voice, "It's not like they have any obvious weaknesses we can hit as easily as I can nail a squirrel through the eye."
Rue grimaces as the mention of Katniss' hunting prowess.
Clove scowls at her question. "Well why the hell do you think I'm asking you guys?"
"Shouldn't you know how best to target them though? You were a Career yourself and you spent a lot of time with them during training," Val points out.
"Well sure except I was just the knife girl. Kai made it very clear what my role was and strategic thinking was definitely not on that list. Also, preemptive strikes are so not my strong suit or did you already forget all the bullshit I got us into when we were kids?" Clove deadpans to which Val sheepishly grins before he panics at her mention of their shared past.
"Clove!" he quietly shouts out, his eyes darting around for any signs of cameras or audio devices.
Clove merely rolls her eyes and mimes the motion of zipping her mouth and throwing away the key, though her eyes do betray some of the guilt she feels at her little slip.
"So anyone got any bright ideas?" Clove asks only to be answered by silence. "Or just any ideas whatsoever?"
Silence again.
"Well don't all answer at once now," she mutters petulantly.
Val and Katniss both roll their eyes in unison. The siblings' mirrored annoyance and crossing of arms has Clove cackling and Rue giggling at the sight.
"I brought apples," Thresh says, expression as stoic as ever as he suddenly appears right behind Val. He holds up a net bag with a bunch of shiny, red apples inside.
In the next few moments, many things happen at once. Katniss and Clove jump to their feet and an extra foot into the air in surprise. Katniss somehow manages to jump into Clove's arms in a bridal carry to which Clove immediately drops her unceremoniously onto the ground. Katniss glares and retaliates by hooking her foot around Clove's ankle and pulling. Clove falls onto her back, glares at Katniss, and the two engage in a mini catfight.
Meanwhile, Val screams, voice pitched to a high register that he will forever vehemently deny sounded feminine in any way, shape, or form, as he clutches his metaphorical pearls in an attempt to calm his racing heart.
"What the hell, Thresh?" Val shouts at the towering stribute.
Thresh tilts his head to the side and does his best impression of a confused kitten. "I brought apples?"
"Thank you, Thresh," Rue chirps as she bounces excitedly over to him. She quickly turns to give a pointed look at Val that just screams behave before returning her attention back to Thresh and the apples. "Where'd you get them?" she asks.
Thresh grunts as he gently hands the apples over to Rue. "I got them from the Careers. Unlike that girl from 3, the boy is a real pushover."
Rue nods knowingly as she opens the net bag and starts passing out apples to everyone. The apples snap the other three tributes out of their shocked fright. Once everyone's got an apple, they all wash and wipe them clean before taking a bite. The subsequent crisp crunches attest to the freshness of the apples.
"Damn, these are some good apples," Katniss compliments as she takes another bite.
Clove nods in agreement as she closes her eyes to enjoy the sweet juice of the apple in her hand.
Val nods appreciatively at Thresh. "Thanks for bringing us these apples, Thresh."
Thresh gives a minute nod, the corner of his mouth twitches and if one were to look at him under different lighting with their head tilted ninety degrees to the left, one might even think he was preening under their praise.
"What were you all talking about anyways?" Thresh asks, once everyone finished off their apples.
Clove wipes off leftover juice with the back of her hand before sticking that hand in the stream to wash. "We were trying to come up with a plan to screw with the Careers. They're the biggest threat in the arena after all."
Thresh nods in understanding. "Have you come up with any ideas yet?"
Everyone looks to each other with a frown which is enough of an answer for Thresh. "So then does anyone have any ideas yet?"
Clove scowls when the only answer to greet Thresh's question is silence, again. "Come on, guys," she whines out like a child one step away from a tantrum. "We gotta take care of the Careers before we can even think about what could come next. And how can no one have any ideas? At this point, even a stupid idea is better than no idea."
Rue and Val look vaguely uncomfortable at the subtle jab from Clove.
Katniss frowns at the reminder and her frown deepens when her brain keeps coming up short on ideas. She knows that there's something niggling at the back of her mind, something important that could be used against the Careers. But the emotional rollercoaster of the past three days managed to mess with her brain. She shrugs to herself. If it was really important, she'll remember it in due time.
"What about destroying their supply pile?" Thresh asks, breaking everyone out of their thoughts.
"Their what pile?" Val asks, confused since he'd been out for half the Games already. The girls respond with blank expressions as they too, didn't know what Thresh was talking about.
"The supply pile," Thresh says as if it explained everything before a shared confused glance between Val and Rue prompts him to elaborate. "The giant pile of supplies that the Careers gathered up by the cornucopia during the first day? Where did you think I got the apples from?"
"Well I thought you just grabbed them off of Noah who just so happened to have them as part of the stuff he nabbed. But since Noah's a Career," Val says as he nods to himself, "Yeah, it'd make more sense for the apples to be a part of the pile and you just shoved your ways towards them."
Then Katniss and Clove both smack their foreheads in realization.
"Oh shit! How the hell did we forget about that giant ass pile?" Katniss asks, silently berating herself since this was the thing that her brain had been niggling at her to remember.
Clove sighs as she palms her forehead at her forgetfulness. "To be fair, I think we were both too worried about boy martyr here to properly remember something like that."
Then the two older girls' eyes go wide in shared realization.
"We can use the mines," Clove breaths out as a plan slowly but surely starts to formulate in her mind.
"The what now?" Val asks, confused, again, and growing more exasperated by the moment, "Can someone please just give a straight answer with a clear explanation instead of just hoping everyone knows what the hell they're talking about?"
"Alright then, listen up cause I'm only gonna explain this once," Clove says as shakes a finger in Val's direction. "So the Careers, aka Kai, decided it'd be a great idea to gather all the leftover supplies into this big pile by the cornucopia. Now I know this decision is usually a common one that can go either way," she continues, holding up a hand to block Val's inevitable question about the intelligence of certain Careers, "But Kai, miraculously and unfortunately, had the foresight of putting Noah's capabilities regarding technologies to use."
"Meaning?" Val gestures for her to continue.
"It means bombs," she deadpans, "Bombs from the pedestal that are only supposed to go off when a tribute steps off too early were removed by Noah and then repurposed to act as landmines around the supply pile."
The three tributes not in the know, take some time to digest that information.
"That sounds like a good idea in theory. If someone tried to steal anything from the Careers, they could get blown up if they're not careful," Rue comments thoughtfully, "But couldn't it also be used against them in the same way?"
Val's eyes widen in realization. "You're saying we should blow up the pile."
Clove nods with a wide grin. "Yup!" she chirps, "Blow up the pile and you've taken one of the two main advantages any Career tribute has since it's not like our training focused on actual survival." She shrugs. "What's the point of knowing how to find food when you can just kill anyone who'll go after the pile you've hoarded for yourself?"
"How do you propose we go about doing this though?" Val asks, "Blowing up the supplies without some form of a plan is just waving a sign up in the air asking for the Careers to come kill you."
Clove waves off his questions. "Oh don't you worry," she responds, "I've got an idea. It's rather brilliant if I do say so myself." She dramatically wipes an invisible tear from the corner of her eye. "Mr. Stefnu would be so proud, he might even shed a tear at how amazing it is," she warbles, sharing a smile that speaks of old inside jokes with Val.
"So?" Katniss asks impatiently, "What's the plan?"
Clove grabs a nearby stick and begins drawing diagrams and figures onto the ground. "Alright," she says as she continues drawing, "Here's my ultimate plan on how we're going to weaken the Careers and make sure we all escape safe and sound."
Once she's done, everyone looks down at what she's drawn. Then they all tilt their heads in unison as they try to make heads or tails of the shapes, lines, and stick figures that litter the ground in a haphazard non-pattern.
"You know, I always wondered why you'd get barely passable grades in Tactics considering you're one of the better strategic minds of our grade whenever your temper wasn't a contributing factor. Now I know why," Val comments dryly as he gives her drawings a judgmental stare. "No offense though," he tacks on as an afterthought.
Clove scowls at him. "Offense greatly taken! I'll have you know that my drawing abilities are amazing! The best in the class!" she defends vehemently.
"The class of what? Orangutans?" Katniss throws out with a teasing grin. Rue giggles and Val snorts at her joke. Thresh's mouth actually twitches into a smile but it's like a blink and you'll miss it which seems to be the aesthetic he's got going on.
"And how would you know what an orangutan is?" Clove retorts, crossing her arms defensively. "I don't even know what that is and I'm from District 2!"
Katniss shrugs nonchalantly at her. "Eh, I just read it in a book somewhere. It sounded funny so I've just been waiting for the right opportunity to use it. You just happened to be the lucky victim."
Clove opens her mouth to protest, her entire demeanor showing how she's ready to throw down with Katniss right here and now. Val quickly jumps in between the two before another bloodbath could occur.
"O-kay guys. I think we're starting to get a little side tracked here," Val interjects in a calm tone. He holds up a hand in each girl's direction in hopes that it'll be enough to remind them to not do anything stupid like fight allies because girls and their petty vendettas or some shit like that.
When he's sure that neither one will jump at the other's throat. He turns to Clove and gestures at her...drawings.
"Why don't you just explain to us what exactly your plan is instead of hoping we can somehow make sentences or even words out of shapes and lines," he suggests.
Clove scowls something fierce before begrudgingly agreeing to his suggestion. "Fine," she bites out, "But I'm only going to explain it once so listen carefully."
Her expression is now dead serious, no signs of indignation or joking anywhere. The others nod because it's time to get down to business. Clove grabs the stick to point out her battle plan.
"Alright, so first, we need to set distractions to draw the Careers far away from the pile so that whoever's setting off the mines doesn't have to worry about them," she says before pausing at a sudden thought, "Well maybe you'd have to worry about Noah but he's a complete wimp compared to the others so just give him a good shove and you'll be in the clear."
She points at two images that vaguely resemble fire if you squinted and maybe hung off from a branch while upside down. A circle that probably represents the pile rests in the middle of the fire symbols.
"The distractions will be two different fires set in locations that are noticeable enough by the Careers, but not big enough to seem like traps. Just some smoke that'll draw them to different locations for "easy kills". Plus it's been a while since anyone's died so Kai will definitely be antsy for some action regardless of whether it's a trap or not."
She taps a small stick figure with curls and a big stick figure with a frown.
"I'm thinking Thresh and Rue will be the ones to set the fires since Rue's capable of escaping to the trees in a flash and Thresh seems to have somehow mastered the art of invisibility despite his dark, hulking body."
Rue giggles at Clove's description of Thresh while the tribute in question minutely scowls.
"And even though we don't want to admit it, the Careers are smart when it comes to battle. They'll be able to fight themselves out of a pinch or use a trap to their advantage," she explains with a frown, "So to counter any surprises, someone will accompany Rue and Thresh to their destinations. Just in case a fight breaks out, two tributes are better than one when combating a Career."
"Hold on," Katniss interrupts, "What if all the Careers decide to go to one destination or they split evenly and now it's two v two instead of two v one?"
Clove taps the ground thoughtfully before shaking her head. "While it may be possible, the probability of that happening is really low. Kai's got too much hurt pride right now to go hunting with the other Careers and Noah for sure will be left behind because he can't contribute anything except doing guard duty."
"So then who's going to pair up with Rue and who's going with Thresh?" Val asks.
Clove taps a stick figure with a crudely drawn knife and another with a frown and a pair of angry eyebrows. "I'll be going with Rue since I can provide ranged support and deter any Career from following after her," she says as she draws a line from the knife stick figure to Rue's stick figure.
She then thoughtfully taps the angry, frowning figure before drawing a line from it to Thresh's stick figure. "And for Thresh, I think Katniss would be the best fit since she's also a strong melee fighter like him so the two can just tag team and combo any Careers who happen to be unlucky enough to be in their path."
Katniss looks vaguely offended that she's the stick figure with the angry eyebrows and scowls when Val grins cheekily at her because it was such an accurate physical depiction of her. The two engage in an elbow-shoving match.
Clove ignores the siblings and points at a smiling stick figure with a bow and draws a line from it to the pile circle. "And you, my dear Val, will be heading to the pile and setting the explosives off when the Careers are far enough away."
She x's out the circle with a triumphant smile. "Then we can all meet up back here, bada bing, bada bang, the Career's lose their supplies and we'll have escaped scot-free having just pulled off the most successful sabotage in the history of sabotage!"
The others nod thoughtfully at her plan. It is indeed a great plan with contingencies in place to ensure the highest probability of all of them coming out safe and sound. However, there was just one issue.
"How are we going to communicate with each other though?" Katniss asks. "Cause considering how dangerous this plan can be, communication would be greatly appreciated."
Clove tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well, like how are we going to let each other know we're safe or that we need help or even to let others know not to come because it's not safe yet and such," Katniss explains.
Clove frowns. "Huh, I didn't think of that," she says as she taps her chin thoughtfully, "How would we communicate with each other?"
Rue's hand shoots up and waves eagerly back and forth in the air.
"Yes, Rue?" Clove tilts her head towards Rue, who puts down her hand and asks, "What about the birds?"
Clove, Katniss, and Val all stare at her confused. "Birds?"
This prompts Rue to share a mischievous look with Thresh and sing out a short melody. While the melody sounded cheerful and bright, it only served to confuse the other three even further. But before anyone could ask what that was all about, the exact same melody. with the same tone, pitch, and everything as Rue, echoes throughout the forest from high up in the trees. It only takes a moment for it to click in Val's mind.
"Mockingjays?" he asks, tone a mixture of awe and confusion.
Clove glances at him sharply before turning to Rue. "Mockingjays? Here? In the arena?"
Rue smiles and nods. "Yup!" she chirps out, "We have a bunch of them back home in 11 so when we found out there were some in the arena, it made communication really easy."
Realization dawns on Katniss' face. "So that's how Thresh was always able to find us even when we were moving around."
Both Rue and Thresh nod in agreement at her revelation.
"So that's how we're going to communicate? Singing and humming?" Clove asks skeptically, "Cause I gotta be honest with you all...I am as tone death as a brick wall and cannot carry a tune to save my life."
"Well you don't have to sing or hum or anything like that," Rue says, "Can you whistle?"
Clove nods and gives a demonstration, whistling out a few bars that form a jaunty sort of tune that sounds oddly familiar to Val. Only a few moments later, the mockingjays replicate her tune perfectly.
"You know, if I didn't know a thing about mockingjays, this would be down right creepy as hell," Katniss comments. Then she shivers slightly as the echoing tunes fade away. "Nope. It's still creepy as fuck."
Rue grins at her before turning to the others and asking, "So what kind of songs or tunes should we be using?"
Val taps his chin thoughtfully, "How about we each have our own unique tune to say that we're safe and then have a shared one for danger don't come, help needed, and such?"
Everyone nods at the idea.
"Alright then," Rue says, clapping her hands together to get everyone's attention, "Let's all come up with a unique tune and then Thresh and I can show you some of the songs we use in 11."
"That would be really helpful, Rue. Thanks," Val smiles at her gratefully.
Rue beams under his praise. "Alright, so who's gonna start?" she asks.
"Why don't you start, Rue? Then Thresh can go next and we can continue around in a circle," Clove suggests.
Rue nods and hums out the same melody as before. The bright and cheerful song echos around them before fading away. Thresh goes next albeit reluctantly and only an elbow jab from Rue has him whistling a few short notes that come out harsh but with a charm that is uniquely Thresh's. He steps away from their impromptu circle, an embarrassed flush on his face that was so light you could only see it if the sun hit his dark skin at a certain angle. Rue giggles at him which causes the blush to deepen just a smidge.
Clove whistles the same jaunty tune as before, not really as creative when it comes to forming melodies nor finding the desire to come up with anything new. Val rolls his eyes at her unoriginality because he had just realized where he'd heard that tune before. It was one of those songs his parents would hear in the bars they had frequented in their youth and would randomly sing whenever the mood struck. Clove grins back at him, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as he shakes his head in fond exasperation.
Val steps up to hum a few bars of another jaunty song from his youth that has Clove's grin growing wider. He can only scowl at her, silently telling her to shut up to which her grin gains a shit eating edge to it. He huffs as Clove quietly laughs at him. The others simply watch the display with varying confused expressions.
Then Katniss steps up and sings a short melody that Val recognizes as one of the lullabies their father would sing when they were little. A lullaby that carried many fond memories and would only ever be requested by Prim a million times a night whenever she was feeling particularly cheeky or restless. Rue and Clove stare at her in wonder as the forest seemed to instantly quiet when she sang. It took more than a few moments for the mockingjays to pick up the tune and repeat it around them.
"Wow!" Rue gasps in awe, "You have a really nice voice, Katniss!"
Katniss blushes slightly at the compliment. "It's no big deal but thanks I guess."
"Uh, yeah, it's a big deal," Clove remarks, "If you'd been born in one of the higher districts or even in the Capitol, you'd be able to make so much money just singing. You've got real talent."
"Everyone working the fields would appreciate your voice," Thresh grunts out with a slight, soft smile.
"Katniss definitely gets her voice from our dad," Val proudly brags, much to Katniss' chagrin, "Whenever he sang, the birds would always stop to listen and the same thing happens when she sings too. She even managed to snag her boyfriend with just her voice."
Katniss blushes further as she waves off the compliments. "Oh, stop it."
Then Clove glances slyly at Val. "And what about you, Val? You got any of that music juice in you?"
Both Val and Katniss bark out a laugh at Clove's question. "Ha! No, I can whistle and hum but I can't carry a tune like her," Val responds.
"Yeah, the last time he tried, we had to make ear plugs because of how bad it was," Katniss snarks, shooting a teasing grin at him, "But he is a surprisingly good writer when it comes to poems and such."
"Poems?" Clove asks skeptically, "I don't think I can see it."
"Well you also didn't think Thresh could sneak around the way he does so..." Katniss shoots back, trailing off at the end as Clove turns red and looks away with a huff.
"Getting back on track here," Val interjects as he silently laments as to why he's constantly playing the middleman for his sister and his best friend. "What tunes are we using for the other signals?"
"Well there's three signals I think we can use," Rue states as she begins to list each signal with a demonstration of its song.
"The first one will be the danger, don't come signal." Three sharp notes sound through the air, short, clear, and an obvious alert for danger.
"The second will be for help needed, please come." Three notes again but longer and connected to sound like more like one continual note instead of three. The middle note is a higher pitch then the first and last.
"And the third will be safe to approach." Four notes of varying pitches that form a soft melody meant to reassure.
Val, Clove, and Katniss nod along with each tune, making sure to copy Rue a few times to ensure that they knew how to make each tune and would remember what they meant.
"Okay! I think that's enough for now," Clove interjects, clapping her hands together to signal that she is done. "If we keep going, my musical abilities are going to drop into the negative hundreds."
Val nods. "Yeah, I think this should be good for now. We don't need too many signals, otherwise we might forget some."
"And having too many could overcomplicate the plan," Katniss chimes in.
"Keep things simple and complications will never be a thing," Thresh grunts out in agreement.
"Alright! The plan has finally come together and all we need to do is execute it," Clove says, "All in favor of doing it first thing tomorrow morning?"
Everyone nods or voices their agreement. Clove nods to herself.
"Then we have a plan! The meeting is now adjourned and our break is over," she says way too cheerfully as she starts ushering the others to pack and get up. "Come on, guys," she says when Katniss starts grumbling about wanting a longer break, "We need to get some food and water so we can be in the best possible shape for tomorrow. You can't blow things up on an empty stomach after all."
They all sigh and follow along with Clove's orders, grumbling at her good-naturedly and indulging in small talk as they resume their hunting and gathering trek through the forest.
XXXXXX
The Tracker Jacker alliance sits around a small campfire that slowly dies as the sun sets. It's quiet save for the crackling of the fire and the occasional sound of the forest around them. Everyone's on alert for any potential threats coming their way but they're mostly tense because of the anxiety of tomorrow.
What if things don't go as planned? What if things go horribly wrong immediately from the get go? What if their contingencies don't work? What if someone dies?
These thoughts race through everyone's minds, they slowly grow more and more tense with each suppressed fear and insecurity now cropping back up to the surface. Every single one of them is a bowstring about to snap, a bomb that's about to explode, if someone doesn't do anything.
And then someone does.
"I wonder what my little brother and sisters are doing right now," Rue says, her soft voice breaking through the tense silence like a battering ram shattering a concrete wall.
"Probably eating dinner that your mama made after your uncle tried and burned it, again," Thresh grunts as he whittles away at a thick branch with his knife.
Rue smiles wistfully at his response. "Yeah, mama always said that Uncle Roy had the best green thumb of us all but he could never cook worth a damn and would always set water on fire."
Katniss chokes on her laughter, trying to hide it behind coughing. "Really? I thought everyone in 11 would have a decent knowledge of how to cook considering you guys are where half our food comes from."
"You'd think right?" Rue says as she shakes her head in fond exasperation, "But cooking's something only a few of us actually have a talent for. The rest either learn how to or are forever banned from the kitchen because they decided to try a new way of cooking oats that had "never been tried before!""
"I feel like there's an interesting story behind that rather specific example," Val says with a light smile, "Wanna share with the class?"
Rue's smile grows wider as she nods. She proceeds to regale the others with tales of the misadventures of her younger siblings. How the girls would always find a way to prank the farm hands in the fields but would always make up for it by helping them load their harvest at the end of each day. How they'd always beg her to do their hair in different fashions every morning before taking turns doing hers. How the only boy of the family would act as polite as can be, using his manners as he had been taught but not because it was the nice thing to do. He'd use his please and thank you's and how do you do's to charm his way into the hearts of every old lady and then work his way into their kitchens to have a taste of that cookie dough. Rue's mama would always say that her brother would grow up to be such a heart-breaker.
Then on Rue's prompting, Thresh continues the impromptu sharing. His low voice sounds oddly soothing as he talks about his days working on the field. How his supervisors would always let him take home any leftover stock that wouldn't be sent to the market. How he was the oldest of twenty kids in the orphanage where he grew up. By the time he was sixteen, they were all essentially running the place by themselves as the matron had grown too old and wasn't able to get around like she used too. She still did her best to ensure the well being of each orphan who passed through and that the orphanage would continue to stand for years after she was gone. Up until his reaping, Thresh was their guardian and protector who made sure they were safe and loved in the orphanage and if they were adopted, he made sure it was to a loving home.
Clove shrugs when they turn their attention on her, the next person in their circle. She already said everything she wanted about her life in her interview. There were no lies even though there were many omissions and implications that you'd only realize if you listened carefully to what she said and how she said it. The only new thing she offered up was her friendships throughout the years. She talked about the friends she made in the academy. How the girls in her class strong-armed her into moving on after her best friend's death. They taught her that it was okay to say goodbye, as long as she kept him close to her heart and never forgot. And how could she ever forget him? He always looked out for her even when she didn't ask for it and made sure that she had a home with his family. When he first brought her to meet his parents, she'd been so nervous she ran and hid away not once, not twice, but five times. In the end, he dragged his parents to her and she'll never forget how they welcomed a scrappy, little girl who was so angry at the world into their house and loved her like she was their own.
Katniss chimes in next, deciding to focus her thoughts on Prim and Peeta since her brother is literally sitting right next to her and her mother is still a sore subject. So Primrose and Peeta bragging time it is. Val watched in amusement as Katniss gushed twenty page essays about them, silently wondering where this eloquence was whenever they had a writing assignment for school. She talked about how much of a pure soul Prim is, with her bleeding heart that took care of every stray that crossed her path and made even the iciest of hearts melt before her pure sunshine self. Of course, she could do without the demon cat Prim insisted on keeping but she could never say no to those wide blue eyes that just screamed of innocence and gave everyone "must protect" vibes.
With Peeta though, Katniss was a bit more guarded when talking about him. When Clove and Rue asked how they met, Val had to chime in and tell the riveting tale of a little girl who almost knocked out a sweet little boy because she thought he was a creep and the loaves of bread he gave her the day before were some form of pity charity. Katniss' face is almost a permanent red color as Val crowed about how it took an actual physical shove from him and Prim for her to talk to the stuttering boy who looked at her like she hung the sun, moon, and stars. She slapped him, telling him to be quiet and not ruin her jaded survivor reputation. Val laughed, clutching his stomach as he attempted to catch his breath. Once he did, she only said that she will forever be glad for Peeta because just being with him allowed her to dream of a fairy tale ending of true love and happily ever afters. An ending that she thought she'd given up on when their father died and left nothing but an empty shell of a family that her brother desperately did his best to hold together with sheer will and too many sacrifices. Then she clamps her mouth shut as tightly as possible and gestures for Val to go.
But there really isn't much for him to say though. He can't talk about his family from 2 for obvious reasons, even though Clove's loose lips might've made it all moot at this point. And Katniss just spoke at length about Prim, a prominent feature in his life, and Peeta, who is just a sweetheart and if his sister hadn't already staked her claim, he might've gone after him instead of Gale. Oh, yeah. Gale. He almost forgot given the fact that he was in the Hunger Games and all. So he talked about his best friend whom he didn't trust at first because his family just recently died when they met. However, he craved any form of human interaction so the ever charming, but don't tell him he said that cause it would only inflate his ego even more, Gale became his best friend.
Then Katniss got her revenge by chiming in how the two started a "will they, won't they" dance that didn't end until Gale jumped the shark and kissed him during their reaping goodbyes. Clove smirked at him and Rue tsked her disappointment that he didn't lock Gale down sooner so then at least they could've had time together. Val agreed with her, he did waste time and he will always regret doing so. But he will never regret his decision to volunteer because the Everdeens did so much for him when the patriarch decided to take a chance with the sad, little boy who lost everything in one day. He will always cherish his memories of their family, of how their mother would teach him every trick that she knew about apothecary. How their father taught him valuable survival skills and even happily endorsed the little competition Val started with Katniss to help her out of her slump. How they opened their arms and let him grieve and mourn his family before offering, not a replacement family, but one he could be a part of while still loving the one he had lost.
Once he finishes speaking, the conversation sort of dies and leaves behind a mood that's lighter and no longer as tense as before.
"Hey Rue?" Val asks, tone somewhat hesitant since he doesn't really want to ruin the mood but he just has to know one thing.
Rue hums her acknowledgement, prompting Val to ask, "So why did you want to talk about our lives before all of...this?"
When she frowns, he quickly adds on, "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, of course. I'm not going to force you to answer. I was just...curious."
Rue's frown then becomes a melancholic smile. "I guess I wanted someone to know my life. To know the me that existed beyond a name and number in the games. I want someone to know that I existed as a real, living person who had fears and dreams and things that I lived for." She laughs to herself, almost sounding self-deprecating as she does so. "I guess I sound a little selfish for talking about the before and then making you all do the same..."
The other shake her heads, telling her that she wasn't selfish, that it was surprisingly mature of her given her age, and that they didn't mind. It was fun talking about anything but the Games.
She smiles, more genuinely this time. "I guess in the end, I want to live on in someone I could call a friend and know that I will never be forgotten, that I will always be in their memory." She hugs herself tightly as if to ward off the cold that began to settle as the fire died. "Because it's scary. Being forgotten."
For a moment, no one speaks. Their expressions all varying degrees of resignation and sadness.
"I can think of worse things," Thresh says, in a tone so low they almost couldn't hear him.
"Like what?" Clove asks, curious of his answer.
"Being remembered but not as the person you really were," he responds, "Just living on in history as the person they wanted you to be."
Rue leans against Thresh in silent comfort as Clove gently pats him on the knee. "Then I hope you never let them change who you are," she says.
"Yeah, same to you all too," he agrees.
"Let's get some sleep, guys," Val says, as the light mood is replaced by a tense one once again. "Tomorrow's a busy day after all."
The others voice their agreement and everyone settles into an uneasy sleep as the Panem National anthem plays as their only available lullaby.
XXXXXX
It's quiet the next morning as everyone rises with the sun and slowly goes about preparing themselves for their respective tasks of the day. The mood is solemn and weighs heavily like chains trying to drag them down to the ground. No one says anything, only giving acknowledging looks and lingering glances as if to sear the very image of each other into their minds in case this was the last time they would ever see the others alive and well.
When all the preparations are done and there's nothing left to do but execute the plan, they all gather and look to each other, one last time.
"Good luck out there," Clove casually tosses out as she does her best to mask the worry that creeps through.
"Stay safe guys," Katniss adds because she'd probably explode from not doing something, saying something, before she leaves.
"Let's make sure we all make it back okay?" Rue lightly suggests though her voice betrays her resignation and acceptance of what might possibly come their way.
Thresh doesn't even bother to say anything or even make a sound. He merely nods his head at each one of them, his eyes hard like steel and staring them down as if the sheer intensity of it will somehow make sure they're all protected through his will power alone.
"And we all know where we're going to meet up, right?" Val asks. Everyone else voices their agreement and Val smiles as encouragingly as he can, hoping it doesn't come off as a grimace to the others. "See you all on the other side," he says before turning away and setting off to the cornucopia.
His journey through the forest is quiet, yet swift with a sense of urgency to complete his mission as soon as he sees the signals since the subsequent loud explosion will draw the Careers away from his allies and straight to him.
Soon, he reaches his destination. Val crouches behind a bush as he cautiously watches the Careers goofing off by the cornucopia. Even though he could never begrudge anyone a silver lining in a terrible situation like this, he still feels somewhat disgusted at how carefree they were acting. Like the Hunger Games were some kind of vacation and not a free for all tournament to the death overseen by sociopathic rulers.
His musings come to an end when he sees smoke rising in the far distance. It's grey trail thin enough to catch the Career's attention but not thick enough to cause any alarm. He watches Kai point excitedly at it with a wide, bloodthirsty grin. Then that grin turns positively feral when a second smoke trail raises opposite of the first.
Kai, Marvel, and Amber quickly gather their weapons. Val watches as Kai directs Marvel towards one of the trails, making some vague up and down, closing fist gesture that Val has no clue what it could mean. Marvel smiles as he salutes and rushes off in the direction Kai pointed at. Val worries at his lip a bit since the trail he set off on is the one Clove and Rue set, but he knows that the two would be able to handle one measly Career.
Then Kai gestures for Amber to follow him and the two swiftly trek towards the other smoke trail. Val's a little more worried this time since that's the direction leading to Katniss and Thresh and Clove said that Kai would be too arrogant to take anyone with him. He tries his best to temper his fears though, to have faith since his sister would be smart enough to leave before any Careers arrive. And if she tried to stay, that Thresh would be enough to drag her away kicking and hopefully not screaming.
Noah is left behind to stand guard of their supplies, just like Clove anticipated.
Val fidgets a bit as he waits for the other Careers to get some distance in between and for Noah to lower his guard. Finally, after many moments, Noah sits down on a crate some distance away from the pile with his back turned to it and his spear laying loosely on his lap.
Val scans the pile, trying to look for some objects that could trigger the mines as he'd rather not try and guess which of the many, many mounds had a mine and which didn't. Suddenly, a nearby rustling catches his attention.
Val quickly sinks back behind the bushes and peeks through to see Finch cautiously make her way towards the minefield. He holds his breath and tenses when she jumps around to various spots, seemingly at random, swiftly making her way towards the pile. Somehow, she manages to arrive at the pile and quickly snatches a small bag next to a bundle of apples. She then turns and jumps back the way she came before booking it back into the forest. Noah never notices her the entire time.
While Val is deeply impressed by Finch's stealth, his focus mainly rests on the bundle of apples. The apples were in a net bag where just a single cut would have the whole thing tumbling down which in turn would set the mine field off.
Perfect.
Val nocks an arrow onto his bow and draws it back. He takes a deep breath in as he aims, vision tunneling onto the strands of the net bag. He breathes out as he releases the arrow and watches as it cuts through the air and imbeds itself into a crate. He watches with bated breath as the net bag splits open and the apples tumble out, thumping their way down the crates and onto the ground.
Then everything explodes. Fire and smoke climb into the air as the pile is reduced to flame and rubble. The force of the explosion manages to knock Val flat onto his back. His ears ring as he struggles to pull himself up and shake his sudden disorientation away.
He manages to drag himself back behind the bushes just as Kai comes storming back into the clearing. Kai roars in fury at the sight of the destroyed supplies. He marches over to where a shaking Noah falls to his knees and pleads for mercy. Tears stream down his face as he continues to babble words Val can't hear to the enraged Kai. Kai's expression shows how little of a shit he gives to the tearful begging. His hands grasp Noah's head and gives it a sharp twist.
Val flinches as the sound of Noah's neck snapping echoes throughout followed by a cannon firing. Kai roars with fury again and Val's about to run off to the rendezvous point when his mind finally register's the Career's appearance. Kai is no longer as clean and blemish free as he was when he first left. His face has a large bruise blooming across his jaw and his arms and torso are cut up and bleeding. Amber is not with him and there were no preceding cannon fires before he arrived.
Val pales when he realizes what this means. He quickly sets off in the direction of Katniss and Thresh's fire. As he races through the forest, the tune of three long notes sweeps past him. He stops running to turn to the direction of the distress signal. It was coming from the direction of where Clove and Rue were. He starts running again, pumping his legs as fast as he can. His heart thumps as anxiety builds up in his stomach at the confirmation that despite everybody's best efforts, shit has now gone completely sideways.
And all he can do is hope to every higher power in existence that they all come out of this alive.
XXXXXX
Katniss cackles to herself as she watches the fire burning before her. The smoke's intensity is carefully controlled through the steady actions of Thresh who watches on. His face is still neutral but eyes betraying how unsettled he feels at the sight of his "partner" laughing like some villain from the dollar store books one of the girls, Rosaline, always liked to read when she thought none of the older kids were looking.
"We should be leaving soon. The cornucopia is not as far from us as you might think," he calls out, cutting Katniss off mid-cackle.
She frowns as the maniacal fantasy of the glorious expression of despair on Kai's face fades away. But she does nod as she returns to reality where the dangers of discovery and death were still very, very present.
"Alright, alright, I'm done," she says with a wry shake of her head. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."
Thresh barks out a quick laugh as they leave that has Katniss stopping to gape at him in shock. She had never heard any range of emotion from him beyond fondness for Rue and blank faced neutrality with the occasional grunt of something unidentifiable tossed in to spice things up.
"Oh my god," she whispers out in awe, "You really aren't a robot."
Thresh scowls at her words which she flinches at. She quickly apologizes because even though Thresh apparently is a human with emotions, he's still built as hell and very intimidating without any effort.
He smirks at her reaction and she immediately scowls at having been played by him of all people. She opens her mouth to retort when the sound of a snapping branch makes the two freeze in place. Their bodies tensing as the sound of two sets of footsteps get closer and closer to their location at an alarmingly quick pace.
Then before they can move, Kai and Amber burst through the trees.
Thresh and Katniss are both frozen, like deer caught within the eyesight of a hunter. Their bodies tense and ready to spring away for escape if the Careers so much as sneeze at them. Even though Katniss has her short sword drawn and Thresh is a weapon all on his own, neither one of them wants to fight, yet.
Likewise, Kai and Amber are both ready for a showdown. Their bodies tense as they look for the slightest hint of weakness or the briefest glimpse of an opening that will allow them to strike. Kai's long sword is clenched tightly between his hands as he smiles all feral like at the two. Amber's fists are cocked back and ready to lash out. She wears brass knuckles that are most definitely a gift in appreciation of her secret brutality. The metal glints in the sunlight and draws attention to the browned stains of blood on it.
A standoff commences as the two pairs of tributes stare each other down.
No one moves as both sides refuse to back down and are just begging the other to give them any excuse.
Finally, Kai's patience runs out and he charges at Katniss with a savage cry, his blade rising above his head to chop her own off. Amber takes her cue from him and rushes at Thresh with a crazed smile stretched wide across her face.
Katniss barely manages to raise her own sword in time to stop Kai's and the clashing of blades rings out just as Thresh grunts from being knocked over by all one hundred and twenty pounds of feral crazed Amber.
Two different battles form between the pairs of tributes.
Thresh and Amber tussle with each other. His superior strength and large body versus her berserker state of mind and flying fists. It's an even clash where neither tribute gains any sort of ground but Thresh is still stuck holding her off as she does her best to land blow after blow on him. And while he's never had any trouble with a smaller and weaker opponent, in a fistfight, Amber's crazed blood lust and brass knuckles unfortunately balance things out.
Meanwhile, Katniss is stuck on the defensive, doing her best to block and parry each strike from Kai. She grits her teeth as each of Kai's strikes grow heavier and heavier as he does his best to either knock her blade out of her hands or hack her limbs off her body.
"What's wrong, Everdeen?" Kai shouts as he continues to rain down blow after blow, "You can dish it out but you can't take it?"
Katniss stumbles back a bit at one particularly strong blow. She's quickly losing ground on her defense and Kai can smell the blood in the water.
"Guess you really aren't the fire cracker I thought you were," he says with a perverse grin and all teeth showing front and center, "What a waste of a pretty face too. If only you had stayed long enough for me to tame that little spirit of yours."
"Back the hell off you fucking pervert," Katniss shouts back as she manages to land a blow against his sword that has him stumbling back. She's now on the offensive as each strike manages to cut him here and there, much to his growing anger. "At least I'm not some sad little boy with insecurity issues up the wazoo and blames a dead person for all of my problems like a little whiny bitch."
Kai growls as his strikes grow in strength and frequency. When their blades lock again, Katniss manages to shove him back and only through luck did he happen to stumble and trip over his feet.
Katniss quickly glances over to Thresh to see that he's still doing his best to hold Amber off. He is clearly the more uninjured of the two with only a few noticeable bruises here and there whereas Amber is starting to look closer and closer to the aftermath of a bad fist fight. However, Thresh is starting to tire at the unexpected endurance match and Amber's still not backing down. She's laughing psychotically in a way that raises the hairs on the back of Katniss' neck. It's clear that Amber is slowly losing it and given how she has yet to stop, she's likely to bring the two of them down with her if they don't manage to leave. Now.
'Come on, Val,' Katniss thinks as she glances worryingly in the direction of the cornucopia, 'What's the hold up?'
Was he not at the cornucopia yet? Did something happen to her brother? What if Noah had more fight in him than Clove had anticipated?
Luckily, before she could fall down into that mental rabbit hole, a cacophony of booms sound throughout the arena. Multiple explosions rock the ground, making the four of them pause to steady themselves so as to not fall over. Kai whirls around and stares in shock at the rapidly climbing smoke, fire, and spraying debris coming from the direction of the cornucopia. Even Amber's berserker haze clears enough for her to gape as well.
"No!" Kai cries out. He then whirls back around to face Katniss. "What the hell did you do?" he shouts out even though the answer is as clear as day.
Katniss smirks. "Knocking you all down a peg or three."
Kai roars in fury and jabs forward with all his enraged strength. Katniss stumbles back, unprepared for his sudden attack. She tries her best to parry but the strike is too strong and he manages to stab her on the left side, barely missing her kidney. She cries out in pain and quickly raises her sword up and knocks him across the face with the pommel.
Kai stumbles back, clutching at his face as a bruise blooms sickly blue and purple across his lower jaw. The cuts Katniss managed to make are bleeding sluggishly though he has yet to grow groggy from blood loss.
Kai growls. "I don't have time for this." He turns to Amber and shouts, "I'm heading back. Make sure you finish them off."
Amber grins in response and cackles as she redoubles her efforts to beat Thresh to a bloody pulp. Katniss watches as Kai turns and runs back to the cornucopia. She doesn't move to follow him and can only hope that Val manages to leave before he arrives.
She turns her attention back to Thresh and Amber, the former now tiring out much faster than before and in danger of being knocked out by the psychotic Career. Katniss whips her head around until she spots a large branch on the ground. She quickly snatches it up and runs over to them.
"Hey!" she shouts.
Amber whirls around, ready to punch the living daylights out of her only to be met with a tree branch to the face. The swing is hard enough to knock her out and break her nose for good measure.
Katniss and Thresh pant from the unexpected exertion of having to fight for their lives with two of the deadliest Careers. They take a moment to recuperate staring down at Amber's bloody and bruised face as the adrenaline leaves their bodies.
"Let's send out our safety signals and then get the hell out of here before she wakes up," Katniss pants out as she wipes the sweat off her face.
Thresh grunts as he stretches out the soreness of his limbs while trying to catch his breath. Then the two freeze when a tune of three long notes travels through the air and echoes throughout the forest. They turn to the point where the signal came from and Katniss' heart almost stops beating.
"Oh no," she whispers, trembling slightly in fear. "Clove! Rue!"
The two immediately rush towards the location of the second fire, doing their best to ignore the feelings of anxiety and fear that encourages the adrenaline coursing through their veins. The only thought running through her mind now is the desperate hope that she and Thresh will make it in time and no one will have to die today.
XXXXXX
Rue squirms desperately in the net she's trapped in while Clove tries to get her out.
Everything was going fine up until this point. The two girls arrived at their intended destination and immediately set to work on building the distraction fire. They even joked around and made small talk as they did so. Then as they were leaving, Rue took a wrong step and ended up triggering an unexpected net trap that dragged her high up into the air.
Unfortunately for them, Rue didn't have a knife on her and Clove couldn't climb a tree at all. Add in the fact that they were still within shouting distance of the fire and that was when the panicking began. Even though they both logically knew that the only way to get out of this situation was to keep calm, fear and desperation can do wonders in clouding someone's judgment. Especially when soon after, Marvel appeared in the middle of Clove's attempts to cut Rue out of the net once she managed to get it within arm's reach.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here." Marvel drawls out as he saunters over to them, "A traitorous bitch and a helpless fairy caught in our trap. Guess those rope lessons really did pay off in the end."
"Back the hell off Marvel," Clove snaps as she cuts at the ropes with renewed vigor, "We both know you don't have the guts to kill me. You've never had the balls to follow through."
She turns her back on Marvel to really add insult to injury. He snarls at her blatant disrespect. "I'll show you balls."
"Clove!" Rue cries out when she sees him charge full speed, "Watch out!"
Clove whirls around as Marvel charges at her with his spear at the ready. She quickly hands off the knife to Rue and dodges as he jabs the spear at her. She keeps jumping back as he continues to jab, pushing her further and further away from Rue who's now frantically cutting the ropes of the net.
In between jabs, Clove does her best to defend by throwing her knives at him. But the match up is unfortunate for her in every way possible. Out of all the Careers, Marvel was the best in terms of armed combat, his long reach and flexibility allowing him to wield the spear like a god of war. And given Clove's small build and her weapon of choice being throwing knives, it was all she could do to not get stabbed anywhere important.
Clove stumbles back onto her ass when a dodge from a particularly quick jab has her tripping over her feet. She scrambles to grab another knife to catch the spearhead and lock it in place before it could pierce through her skull.
Her arms tremble as she holds the spear in place while Marvel continues to add pressure to break her weakening hold. Clove refuses to back down though, gritting her teeth as she diverts the forward motion of the spear to the side. Marvel, quickly realizing what she's doing, twists his spear just so and manages to get the knives flying out of her hands.
He grins viciously down at her as he points the spear at her throat. "End of the line, bitch. Any last words?"
Clove grins viciously in turn. "Yeah, I got two words for you, buddy," she says before spitting in his face, "Now, Rue!"
Marvel snarls as he wipes at his face in fury and confusion. The momentary distraction is enough to allow Rue to jump onto his back. The little girl starts tearing and scratching at every inch of him she can reach as he thrashes about to dislodge her.
Clove scrambles up to her feet and behind Marvel who's still clawing to get Rue off of him.
"Come on, Rue! Let's go," Clove calls out frantically.
Rue nods as she pulls up her legs to use Marvel as a springboard with the bonus of knocking him onto his face as she jumps off. Clove grabs her hand and the two run as Marvel climbs to his feet with a roar of fury.
Clove chances a glance behind her and sees Marvel storming after them like a raging bull who won't stop until he's gutted his target. She watches as he pulls his arm back and launches his spear at Rue.
"No!" Clove shouts as she knocks Rue to the side. She cries out in pain when the spear slices across the side of her neck. The spear imbeds itself deeply into the tree beside them. She quickly presses a hand against the rapidly bleeding wound. Rue crouches down to help her but Clove shakes her head and quickly gets up.
"Go, go, go!" she shouts out weakly as she pushes Rue to keep running. Rue does so, glancing fearfully at Clove before whistling out the distress signal up to the trees. The birds immediately pick up the tune, sensing the urgency behind it as it spreads through the air in a repeated wave. The girls continue to run while Marvel's distracted trying to wrench his spear out of the tree.
Clove doesn't know how long or how far they've been running. The only thing she can think about is keeping Rue safe long enough for them to reach the others.
Finally, they reach a clearing where Katniss and Thresh burst through the trees looking around frantically for any signs of them.
"Guys!" she cries out in relief, catching their attention.
Katniss and Thresh turn to them and they visibly sag in relief when they see Rue uninjured if only a bit scared.
"Clove! Your neck!" Katniss cries out in alarm.
"Oh this? This is nothing. Only a flesh wound," Clove says weakly, hand still pressed tightly against the wound as she glances down to see a large portion of her shirt stained with blood.
Katniss moves to protest when Val bursts through the trees and enters the clearing.
"Val!" Katniss cries out in relief at seeing her brother safe and uninjured though a bit dirtied up.
"Guys," Val breaths out as the tension visibly leaves his body, "You're alright."
Then he gives a thorough once over of them all and immediately balks at the sight of Clove's injury.
"Clove! Your neck!" he cries out in alarm.
"Wow you guys are really siblings. It's like an echo chamber in here," Clove comments weakly, growing paler by the minute. "I'll be fine. Just gotta patch it up a bit and I'll be right as rain."
Val gapes at her in disbelief. "Unbelievable," he says with a roll of her eyes.
Clove chuckles weakly in response as he shakes his head at her. "Come on, then. We need to patch you up as soon as possible before you really do bleed out."
And then, in accordance to Murphy's Law, anything that could go wrong today, continued to go wrong.
Marvel bursts through the trees. They all turn and the next few moments occur in slow motion.
Marvel pulls his arm back and aims. Katniss and Thresh rush over in an attempt to stop him but just as they reach him, he launches the spear. Val can only watch in horror as the spear flies through the air towards Rue who stands frozen in place. Clove tries to move to push Rue aside but the blood loss finally catches up to her and she collapses onto the ground.
Val and Katniss cry out as the spear pierces through Rue's torso. Rue looks down in disbelief as red spreads like a blooming flower across her shirt. She collapses onto the ground as Val rushes over to her. Thresh and Katniss turn their attention to Marvel and in their anger, have at him.
Marvel's cries of pain and the sounds of breaking bones and hacked flesh echo through the air but sound only like white noise to Val's ears as he falls to his knees beside Clove and Rue. A cannon fires but no one's any paying attention to Marvel's bloody and broken body. Instead, they focus their efforts on saving Clove and Rue who were both bleeding out and fading faster than any of them would like.
Katniss pulls the spear out of Rue's body and Thresh presses his hands against her wound, doing his best to stem the rapidly flowing blood. Val desperately presses his hands against the wound on Clove's neck, the bleeding now slowing because there isn't much blood left to bleed.
"Come on, Clove. Don't do this to me now," Val says, his eyes grow wet as his hands press harder against her neck. "You don't get to leave me like this, you knife happy kitchen menace."
Clove smiles weakly at him. "Haven't heard anyone call me that in a while," she chuckles, voice sounding suspiciously wet. "Your mom always did have a way with nicknames." She coughs, almost choking on the blood that's now dripping out of her mouth.
"Stop talking, Clove. You need to conserve your strength," Val says as he frantically digs around his pack for something that could double as a bandage. "Anyone got a cloth or something I can tie off like a bandage?" No response. "Anything?" he asks again, voice sounding meek as it cracks at the end. "Please?"
Katniss looks up from where she's gently cradling Rue in her lap. She shakes her head sadly as tears trail down her face. Thresh doesn't respond at all, continuing to murmur softly to Rue while still applying pressure on her wound.
But Val refuses to give up. He reaches out to grab another pack and roots around it with growing desperation. When he finds nothing again, he tosses it aside with a yell of frustration. Clove reaches out to place her hand over the one of her neck. Val looks to her, tears falling freely now.
"It's okay, Val," she says as she grips his hand tightly to move it away.
Val shakes his head as he resists, pressing back against her push. "No, it's not," he says tearfully, "It's not okay, Clove." He bows his head down towards her as he wipes away the tears with his free hand, streaking his face with her blood. "I'm sorry," he chokes out, "I'm so sorry that I never came back for you."
She shakes her head at him. "You don't have to apologize."
He tries to protest. "But-"
"Don't you dare apologize," Clove snaps back as sharply as one in her condition can. Then her tone softens, "Don't you ever apologize because there's nothing for me to forgive." She smiles cheekily at him. "You know I'm not the type of girl who's gonna wait around for her knight in shining armor."
Val snorts at that. "Yeah. You're the hero of your own story. I've always just been along for the ride."
"Damn right I am and damn right you are, lightning rod," she says with a teasing lit.
He scowls at her. "I thought you'd stop calling me that after all this time."
"Ha! Never. Not as long as you continue to act like one, in fact," she trails off as she shifts her head enough to look at Katniss. "Hey Katniss!"
"Yeah?" Katniss calls back, turning towards them with the expression of one desperately trying and failing to hold themselves together. "Whatcha need, Clove?"
"Make sure you look after him for me, alright?" Clove says as her smile grows more weak and strained. "He has a tendency to be self-sacrificing to such a degree that it's terrible for his health and he's got a heart much too big and soft for this world. He'll need twenty four seven supervision if he's ever going to live past twenty. Can you do that for me?"
Katniss chuckles back a fresh wave of tears as she nods. "Yeah, I think I can do that."
"You know I don't need a babysitter, Clove," Val gently admonishes, unable to find the will to actually be indignant at her.
Clove somehow manages to smile widely, her face almost completely pale from blood loss. "You know that's not what I mean. I'm just looking out for you, just like you've always looked out for me so...take care of yourself...Cato..."
Her words grow weak at the end. The blood loss is too much and her eyes flutter shut.
"No! No! Clove! Come on! Stay with me!" Val shouts desperately as he checks for her pulse. "Come on, wonder girl. Stay awake! Who else am I supposed to rag about terrible adults with? Who else is gonna drag me into every conflict she sees and has to rectify without even knowing the full context!" He finds a pulse but it's weak and fading with each passing moment. "Who else is going to be my best friend in the whole wide world for the rest of time and all eternity, protest now or forever hold my peace?" he asks, voice quiet as a whisper as Clove slowly goes limp in his grasp.
He gathers Clove into his arms and holds her tightly as the tears flow earnestly and he clenches his jaw so tightly his teeth might be cracking. Katniss can only watch helplessly nearby as her brother clutches the dying body of the best friend he had only just reunited with. She looks away and turns her attention back to Rue, bitterly thinking about how cruel the world can be.
"Katniss," Rue says, her voice so weak it comes out as a whisper.
"Yes, Rue?" she responds just as quietly.
"Would you sing for me?" Rue asks, smiling sweetly with eyes wide and innocent as can be despite the still bleeding wound on her torso.
Thresh gasps softly to himself at her request, catching Katniss' attention. His lip trembles faintly and his tight press on her wound is slowly released with shaking hands. He closes his eyes and looks away, but still reaches out a hand to clutch one of Rue's tightly. Katniss' heart sinks when she realizes what this means. A hand reaches out to lightly touch her cheek. She turns her attention back to Rue who's still looking at her with such an innocent yet heartbreaking expression.
"Can you sing for me? Please?" Rue asks again, her voice still quiet and it trembles slightly, but her eyes are full of acceptance.
Katniss can only nod to her request. What else can she do but comply?
"Alright," she agrees, trying her best to keep the tremor out of her voice and the tears from starting anew. "There's this lullaby that Prim always loved to hear me sing. You heard a bit of it when I was picking out my safety signal yesterday."
Rue's smile grows even wider at that. "Really? I'd love to hear it. It sounds like a really pretty song."
Katniss chokes on her tears, no longer able to hold them back anymore. Rue turns her gaze to Clove who's still clutched tightly in Val's arms. She reaches a hand out towards them, catching Val's attention who watches, bleary eyed, as Rue's hand grabs Clove's and holds it as tightly as she can. Somehow, even when unconscious, Clove's hand grips tightly back in response. Rue turns her gaze up towards the sun that shines down through the trees.
Then Katniss begins to sing.
"Little girl running through fields of golden grass,
Flowers of all colors twirl around you.
The winds dance joyfully beside you,
The sun paints the light blue sky,
With the eternal colors of its rise."
Val gently loosens his grip on Clove while Katniss does the same with hers on Rue. The siblings maneuver the two girls until they're lying side by side, next to each other.
"Know that you are safe here,
Know that you are loved here,
With my arms wrapped gently around you."
The rise and fall of Clove's chest grows slower and shallower. Rue's eyes grow bleary as Katniss's voice slowly becomes a gentle melody of white noise. Thresh let's go of his death grip on Rue's hand and instead clenches his fists tightly as tears roll down his face. Val bows his head as he holds a hand up to his mouth to cover the sounds of his cries. Katniss chokes back her tears as she struggles to finish the song.
"And even when they're not,
Even when I'm not here beside you,
Even when you've gone somewhere that I can't reach you,
As long as you continue to run,
Through the flower fields of this eternal dawn,
You will always be happy, be safe, be warm,
In this golden field of your dreams forevermore."
As the final notes of the song rings out, Clove's chest stops moving and Rue's eyes close. As the final note of the song fades away, two cannons fire, one after the other.
Katniss cries in earnest once she sees that Rue's no longer breathing. She clutches her head as she rocks back and forth, Rue's blood leaving streaks behind in her hair.
Val screams as he slams his fists into the ground. His hands become bloody and bruised with each strike. The tears fall down his face without an end in sight.
Thresh makes no sounds as the tears fall. He merely clenches his fists so tightly that blood drips between his fingers.
Finally, the tears do stop. And all that is left is a feeling of numbness as Val and Katniss stare down at the sight of Clove and Rue still clutching each other's hands tightly as if to say not even death could separate the two sisters in all but blood.
Suddenly, Thresh stands. The siblings watch as he marches over to a tree and, without warning, punches a hole into it with a shout of rage. He stands there for a moment, not a single muscle twitching. Then he retracts his fist, somehow still intact with only a few scrapes and bruises and a hole in a tree as evidence for what he just did. He moves to leave.
"Where are you going?" Val asks, somehow managing to get his voice back though it's hoarse from all the screaming and crying.
Thresh pauses in his tracks. For a moment, Val thinks he's just going to leave without an answer.
"I can't stay here anymore," Thresh finally says. His back is still turned to them.
Val's brow furrows in confusion. "What do you mean you can't stay here?"
"I mean I can't stay here and do nothing," Thresh responds, "We may have crippled the Careers, but they're not out for the count yet."
For a moment, Val's confusion persists. Then a light bulb goes off in his head as it all clicks.
"W-wait a moment," he sputters out in disbelief, "If you're doing what I think you're doing, then I'd like you to know that what you're doing is basically a suicide mission."
Thresh shrugs. "I only survived long enough to ensure that Rue would." Then he squares his shoulders with resigned resolve. "Now that she's dead..."
He shakes his head. "The alliance is over anyways." He turns to look over his shoulder at the siblings. "Thank you though, for everything you've done for her," he says sincerely, "It's more than she would've gotten."
Then he turns away and leaves the clearing without a second glance.
Val and Katniss just kind of sit there, next to the cold bodies of their dead friends, not really knowing what to do now.
"We should clean them up," Katniss says suddenly, breaking Val out of the dazed state he had slowly fallen back into again.
He nods. "Yeah, we should. Maybe even put a few flowers down for good measure."
She smiles weakly at him. "It's a plan."
The siblings, albeit a bit shaky in the knees. Katniss almost falls over because her legs had gone numb from where she'd been kneeling beside Rue. Val catches her but almost falls over himself because of how weak he feels as well, like the strength to do anything had left when Clove did.
They stand there for a while, just holding each other, supporting the other and doing their best to hold back their grief for later.
Finally, after what feels like years but was really only a few minutes, the two separate and go forth on their separate missions. Val meanders over to a nearby field of flowers that sway gently in the breeze. There were a surprisingly large variety of flowers of all colors and species in the field. It was the one time Val was glad that the Game Makers had a hand in creating the arena.
He takes out a knife, one of Clove's that had still been in her hands, and carefully cuts away bundles upon bundles of flowers. Alstroemeria for an enduring friendship that managed to last the separation of distance and time. Freesia for unconditional love for his best friend and the surrogate sister he'd only known for two weeks. Hydrangea for gratitude, grace, and beauty of two girls who were taken from this world much too soon. Lisianthus for appreciation and gratitude, a thank you for all that they've done for him.
Meanwhile, Katniss rifles through one of the backpacks and pulls out a water bottle and a spare shirt. She wets the shirt with the water and gently wipes away the blood from Clove and Rue's faces. The blood wipes away with little resistance until finally their faces are clean. Katniss is silently thankful that neither girl has any bruises in visible places. She didn't know if she'd be able to stand looking at the dark splotches of color stand out on their cold skin.
After she finishes cleaning away the blood, she straightens out their clothes, making them neat and tidy. She never moves them though, not having the heart to break apart the hands that still clutch the other as they lie on their sides, facing each other with gentle smiles still on their faces. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that the two were just...taking a nap and soon Rue would wake up and ask her for a song while Clove would wait until Katniss was closer before springing up with a shout just to scare the crap out of her.
Katniss pauses for a bit, blinking her eyes rapidly to hold back the tears that were threatening to gather and fall again. Val walks back with armfuls of flowers that he places between them as he silently waits for Katniss to gather herself again. He lays a hand on her shoulder and squeezes it to provide even a modicum of comfort.
They each grab a bundle of flowers and begin placing them on and around the two girls. As they do so, Val opens his mouth and speaks. In a solemn tone and steady voice, he recites the entirety of the last rites poem he read what felt like ages ago, in the District 12 library. The poem that along with a salute and a song, had long faded away from recent memory but the meaning of which can never be forgotten.
"Carried through many nations and over many seas, I arrive, sisters, for these wretched funeral rites, so that I might present you with the last tribute of death, and speak in vain to silent ash, since fortune has carried you, yourself, away from me."
Katniss chokes back a sob that threatens to rip itself out of her throat as she places the flowers around them like a pillow of soft colors. Val places his on their wounds, making sure to cover their neck and torso so it's almost like they were never hurt in the first place. The last few flowers, the siblings place under their clasped hands. Then they step back.
"Alas, poor sisters, unfairly taken away from me, now in the meantime, nevertheless, these things which in the ancient custom of ancestors, are handed over as a sad tribute to the rites, receive, dripping much with familial weeping," he says as Katniss reaches out to grab his hand. The siblings are locked in a trance as they look down at the colorful grave of their friends.
Rue and Clove lie on a bed of flowers, hands locked together and expressions soft and peaceful. Flowers curl artfully around Clove's neck and pile gracefully on Rue's torso. Their interlocked hands framed by a few of each of the different flowers that were cut. They look like two sisters, holding each other peacefully in their sleep, locked together in an eternal embrace that nothing can break apart. They look innocent. They look young. Too young to have died the way they did in the place they did.
The whirling of an engine catches Val and Katniss' attention. They look up in the sky to see a large hovercraft approaching. The siblings quickly leave, not wanting to deal with anyone from the Capitol or see the bodies of their friends taken away by the ones who killed them. Because even though Marvel was the one to throw the spear, the Capitol was the one who put that spear in his hands.
Once the siblings are a safe distance away, they watch as the hovercraft lowers itself over where Rue and Clove were. A few moments of silence pass before Val opens his mouth and speaks.
Katniss' grip on his hand tightens as the tears flow again. Val grips her hand back just as tightly as a solitary tear trails down his cheek.
The hovercraft turns as it slowly lifts up into the sky, its task completed. The siblings stand vigil and watch as it flies away. Katniss lifts three fingers of her right hand up to her lips as Val does the same with his left. They lift their hands out in salute as the hovercraft fades into the distance and Val finishes reciting the poem.
"And forever, sisters," he speaks with a tone of finality. Katniss' voice rings out besides his own as they lower their raised hands. The sun sets, casting a looming shadow over the siblings.
"Ave atque vale."
"Hail and farewell."
Roll credits! And a cookie for anyone who got that reference. So? How was it? Was it an emotional rollercoaster cause that was what I was trying to go for. Also, I didn't feel like flipping through a shit ton of songs to look for one that'd be appropriate for the dying scene and to be honest, I thought "Deep in the Meadow" did not sound great at all in the movie. So I decided to try writing a song that's definitely more like a poem cause I don't got a creative musical bone in my body and I really wanted to write something that would be more appropriate instead of using someone else's words to fit a mold it might not be able to naturally fit into.
Hope this chapter was alright, that it didn't bore anyone, and was worth the wait. Now things are gonna be picking up cause we only got three more chapters left before completion! So until next time!