Author's Notes:
Long time no see everyone! I am done with my finals and have much more time to write, but I don't think I'm the best at the game part. It's more like a transition to when Cato and Katniss begin to actually feel for one another.
Thank you for your patience and enjoy~ reviews and suggestions are much welcomed.
Chapter 6: New Dawn
Katniss was momentarily blinded by the light before coming to her senses as she scout the terrain from her place on the pedestal. 60 seconds is all she has before the peace between the 24 tributes, that have shared the same building for the past few days, becomes irreversibly broken. That peace won't be restored again until only one of them is left.
Katniss took note of the woodland that stretches beyond her sight, it surrounds almost half of the parameter of the clearing they stood in. To the North is a field of wheat, similar to the one she saw as the train to capital flew past district 11. It wouldn't do for her to traverse into that section of the land, it belongs to the large brooding male tribute of 11. She knows that better than anyone else, just like she knows it wouldn't do for any of the weaker tributes who finds themselves wondering into her woods unknowingly.
Yes, her woods, because once she grabs hold of the glistening bow that laid 5 feet outside of the mouth of the cornucopia, the huntress will claim the woods as hers.
Her attention snaps back from the terrain around her as she stands down into a ready posture, eyes fixated on her bounty ahead. It calls out to her, enticing her to run headfirst into the bloodbath ahead. But just before the gong sounded, she meets eyes with a boy with golden hair and cold eyes, who shakes his head and mouths the word no to her.
And just like that, she missed her chance to her prize. She watches as the boy dash forwards into the cornucopia, disappearing from her view for a few seconds before reappearing again, armed with a gleaming sword that seems to beg to be stained in crimson.
Katniss realized that her body has carried her forward in her moment of distraction, but she knows its too late now. Her prize is gone and her best chance at survival is to grab anything that's useful and run to the woods.
She reaches for the orange backpack that lays just a few steps ahead of her, but it was not a tussle free win. A boy she vaguely remembers from the tribute parade had his eyes on the same item, a sharp sickle in hand. Katniss debated within herself momentarily to leave the fight, but before either of them could even make a move, she felt something warm and sticky on her face. The liquid slowly trailed down her face as the boy in front of her falls down limply, exposing the small girl 15 feet away from her. Katniss knows she is within Clove's throwing range, she knows how deadly Clove could be from the times she spent watching the careers at the weaponry stations.
It's too late to run now, leaving her back unguarded in front of Clove is the last she would want to do at this moment. So she lunges forward and grabs the backpack before raising it up as a shield. Katniss feels the impact of the hit almost immediately and leaps up to sprint in a zig-zag formation toward the woods. Her heart beating thunderously inside her chest, she didn't dare to sneak a look back at the clearing, a place where her life was on the line twice in only 5 short minutes.
But just as she reaches the edge of the woods, she briefly twists her head back to look at the cornucopia. She saw the neatly trimmed grass they stood upon only moments ago marred by a rich crimson and caught a reflection of the sun from a sword before it was brought down mercilessly into a body.
She didn't dare turn back to the direction of the cornucopia for the rest of the day, choosing instead the direction opposite and trekked until twilight. She found no sign of water her entire journey but chose to scale up a sturdy tree for the night instead of searching. She knew from watching the past games that the careers will choose to hunts throughout the first night when all the tributes were still close to the cornucopia. They will have a superior advantage over all the other tributes at night, with their supply pile that will bound to include night vision goggles to make their hunt easier.
Of course the game makers will include that in the supply pile, thought Katniss bitterly, anything to make the game more entertaining for the audience. She will have to continue her search tomorrow. With that plan in mind, she drifts off into a light slumber on her place atop the tree, hidden from sight by the leaves.
Upon waking, there is a brief moment of confusion, as she meets the rustling leaves around her instead of the comfort of the training center. Katniss slowly blinks the sleep out of her eyes before gazing around for the source of the noise that woke her. It didn't take her long to find the fire that is the cause of the low crackling in the air. She could see the light through the dense leaves below, a stark contrast from the dark night.
"Damn it" she swears under her breathe, you gotta be either suicidal or a moron to start a fire in the middle of the night in the game, she didn't need night vision goggles to locate the silhouette of the district 8 tribute afar. Maybe she would go for her if she had a bow in hand. But seeing the only weapon she has now is the knife Clove threw at her earlier in the morning, she would rather avoid confrontation with another tribute.
Judging from the distance between the two of them, Katniss is confident she could get away without the other knowing. She begins to undo the rope around her, tying her to the branch of the tree, it was a security measure she learned to take after falling out of a tree while hunting in her youth. She could still remember the dull pain in her lower back that followed her for weeks afterward, but her mother was too far lost in her own mind to help her elder daughter. But she had to keep on going, for survival and for Prim.
Gritting her teeth at the thought of Prim, Katniss begins her descend. But before her foot even touches the ground beneath, she scurries up the tree again, as fast as she could whilst trying to not make a sound. She could hear them, the loud and unnatural crunches of the leaves, it's the footsteps of a group, it could only belong to the careers. Straddling the branch she was sitting in moments before, she would have gone higher, but the footsteps are getting close, so she settles for the same spot and carefully lowers her body till it touches the brach beneath her. She carefully peers through the leaves, it would be good to observe the careers, access their number and their strength. Though she could probably guess who is in the alliance without seeing the pack with her own eyes.
Soon, the rhythmic footsteps became frantic, Katniss knows they've spot their prey. Not exactly a stealthy bunch, but she wouldn't complain about it, the louder they are the better it suits her. She watches as the district 8 tribute jumps up, hearing the footsteps as well, unfortunately, she noticed the threat too late, before she could make a break for it, she was already surrounded.
Katniss could see the predatory glint in each of their eyes, even Cato's usual cold demeanor has an edge to it. Katniss sighs, not even one day in the arena and his already in full game mode. But what else did she expect, his not going to have mercy on anyone in the game, after all, didn't he said so himself last night. A small part of her had hope though, had hope that he is different from the rest of them, had hope that he isn't a monster. Because from their short moment on the roof, he has her convinced. But as she turns her attention back to the scene down on the ground, that small part of her withered, as she watches him plunge the sword into the defenseless girl without any hesitation.
She dreaded what will happen next, because she knows the logical thing for them to do is to continue their search, and unfortunate for her, that means they will pass beneath her tree. Katniss willed them to change course, but the group gathers together after searching the girl's belonging and continues in her direction. She presses herself even closer to the tree and lightens her breathe, she could hear their conversations clear as day now.
The three girls walked in front as they make jokes and giggles about the district 8 tribute's death. Katniss didn't even try to make out their conversation, disgusted with their apathy and morbid sense of humor. She has her eyes trained on the boy towing behind the group, Peeta. How on earth did he get himself into that group? She wasn't aware of any interactions between him and the careers during training.
She tries to search for an answer in his face, but could only see the back of his head from her position on the tree. Katniss inches closer to the gap between the leaves, but freezes.
"Did you guys hear something?" Clove says as she stops in her track.
"No, did you?" Glimmer asks, confusion sounded in her voice.
"Shhhhhh, be quiet Glimmer, I heard something rustling." Clove says while looking around.
"Uh, hate to break it to you Clove, but I think we should be thinking about something we haven't heard, the gong," Marvel says as he joins the girls.
" What are you trying to suggest Marvel?" Cato said quietly, "I killed her."
"Well, if you did we would've heard something by now wouldn't we." Marvel retorts back, "Someone is feeling merciful today." Katniss could feel the air straining, but before the pretense of civility could break within the group, Peeta breaks in "here, I'll go check and finish her off if she isn't dead."
"I said I killed her." Cato repeated his word, "Check if you want."
As Peeta turns to leave, Clove asks the question Katniss has been wondering all along. "Cato, remind me again why we are letting lover boy in on the deal?"
So it was Cato's decision to let Peeta join? Katniss thought incredulously, what is he trying to do? He didn't come off to her as the welcoming type.
"He said he can help us find her." Betrayal flares up within Katniss, she didn't need to hear the name to know who his referring to, her.
Not a day in the arena and Peeta has already gone back on his words at the interview. She didn't believe he was for real, but never in a million years did she expect Peeta to willingly play a hand in her death either, trading his knowledge on her for safety and protection from the career. She didn't think they were friends just from the few days they spent together living in the same apartment, but he was the only thing that reminds her of home since their departure. He was always so gentle and easy to talk to, was it all an act?
"We could do that on our own Cato, we don't need some weakling trailing behind us." Clove argues back, "Plus why are you so dead set on finding fire girl?"
She wants to know the answer to that too.
"Because…" Cato pauses briefly before answering "she's a threat."
"Some scum from district 12?" Marvel laughs at that, "Please Cato, we will take care of her in no time when we find her. I can do it if you are too scared."
Katniss fumes at the remark, how dare he. Marvel will pay for his arrogance in this game if he continues to overlook tributes from lower districts, she just knows it.
"Shut up Marvel." Cato bristles at the remark as well, "I said we keep him to find her, that's final." Cato says sternly before walking forward, brushing shoulders with Marvel as he passes the group.
Marvel fell back a step at the impact, Katniss could see the anger on his face, but the subtle display of power shuts him up and he let's go of the issue.
The gong sounded as Peeta walks back to the group and the careers carry on with their search. Katniss breathes out a sigh of relief, tying herself back to the brach, she decides to remain in place for the night, since the careers likely wouldn't take this path again tonight. But her mind is swimming with too many thoughts for rest. So that's what he was talking about, that damned 11, that must be why he's searching for her. She felt so stupid for talking to him on the roof the other night, for believing him to be more than a ruthless monster. A familiar feeling rises within her again, anger. This game has just gotten a lot more personal.