The Cornucopia's supplies is further secured beneath the golden horn. It's an easy task that the Careers decided to do when they wake up. They were still rather weak from the bugs and now down a member – Glimmer- so a simple task that kept them busy for the cameras was what they needed.
Marvel and Jason throw a tarp over the last of the crates, securing the posts and then settling down. The District 4 girl was still missing which left Marvel, Clove, the District 3 boy, and Jason.
A circle of dirt was clearly visible around the Cornucopia now and when Clove needed a bandage to apply the medicine her sponsors sent her she had to jump up the tail of the Cornucopia before crawling forward and dropping down inside. After she got what she needed she climbed the crates and then slid down the tail. There was only one small patch of ground safe to walk on. Fall off that and boom, you're gone.
She rips open the medicine before dunking the rag in and applying it to the last of her stings. It hurts for a moment before slowly soothing the pain away.
She smirks as she looks over at Marvel who's clearly uncomfortable. No sponsors yet.
Jason had received medicine as well, though it came in a lower quantity than her own.
She settles down into a foldout chair and looks at the tree line. Maybe a Tribute would save them the time and simply come to them to die. It's happened in other games.
She suddenly thought of Cato then, somewhere out there with the little Seam Rat. She had to give him credit for that move. As a Tribute she admired the dedication to wanting to live. As a faithful citizen of Panem she was uncertain.
Cato wrinkles his nose when the District 11 girl, Rue, spits out the leaves and shyly applies it to his Tracker Jacker stings. He couldn't argue with the results though.
They were only out for one night and in that time only Glimmer had died. Inadvertently Rue had killed the blonde. She tried her best to look like it didn't bother her but it was clear to both Katniss and Cato that she was going to break down at any moment. Still, healing their wounds seemed to be a good distraction for her.
It was just past noon when the three allies began to move out. They didn't go very far before a cannon sounded. A hovercraft appeared about 3 miles away before lifting the body away. Katniss felt a sudden fear that it was Peeta they were taking away. There'd be no way of knowing until they showed the fallen that night.
They moved at a slow pace for over an hour. While Rue had managed to avoid being stung she was still much smaller and much slower than the others.
Above them the mockingjays began an unchoreographed tune that Katniss, without thinking, began to whistle along with.
Both Rue and Cato looked at her and then the birds.
"You got them to harmonize." Rue says in wonderment. "We try that all the time in the orchards but nobody can ever do it."
"Oh." Katniss hesitates, mostly embarrassed that they thought her whistling was so interesting. As far as she knew she'd always been able to do it. A long-lost memory surfaces of her in the forest with her father. She must've only been four because her mother was still pregnant or had just had Prim. It was hard to remember that detail though. What she does remember was her father whistling in the quiet of the forest and then hundreds of mockingjays suddenly doing the same.
After he died she didn't bother trying until one day when Gale was sick and she was alone in the woods and there were just so many mockingjays around her that she couldn't help but whistle a few simple tunes. Some had listened and some had ignored her. By the end of summer she'd gotten them all to whistle along.
It looked like both Rue and Cato were waiting for an exclamation of how she did it but after a long pause they turned and continued on.
Finnick stacks the sugar cubes into a neat little tower before popping one into his mouth. Last night had been another long one in the Capitol and for a moment he wished that the booth he was sitting in would collapse and swallow him deep into the earth.
He shook the thought from his head. As soon as the Hunger Games were over, assuming his Tribute didn't win (unlikely), he would be permitted to go home for at least six weeks. Just in time to go to his sister's wedding and his mom's birthday. And of course Annie. She would be waiting for him when he got home and ignore the bruises on his knees or the bruises on his neck and simply welcome him home with a kiss on the cheek. She made it all worth it.
The tavern he was sitting in was a small one on the outskirts of the Capitol. The few citizens that went to it were drunks themselves and preferred the company of a bottle as opposed to a Victor. The thought was comforting.
Finnick enjoyed one bottle of beer and was ready to leave until he saw an unusual pair coming in. Maybe not so unusual though, now that he thought about it.
He stood up and nearly cried out but managed to suppress it at the last second. They were rough last night.
He made his way to the bar, putting on his fake smile and throwing his arms around Haymitch and Brutus. "So how are the kids?"
Brutus scowled and shoved his arm off of him. Finnick couldn't help but let out a little hiss and immediately regretted it when he saw the look of pity on both men's face.
Haymitch got his usual bottle of liquor while Brutus went for a glass of whiskey.
Finnick took a seat at the bar beside the men and watched the TV for a moment. Their Tributes were on, as usual, only now there was a little girl with them. "What an odd thing to see."
"I've seen worse." Brutus snaps. It was obvious to Finnick and Haymitch that he'd been defending this alliance for a while now.
They watched in silence for a while but there wasn't much to see. Haymitch and Brutus's tributes were obviously still weak from the kids stunt and forcing themselves to keep moving.
"Anyone else die today?"
Brutus cast a look at him. "Your girl got that boy from District 7 earlier."
Finnick shrugged, she'd have to do something extraordinary for the Capitol to let her win. The camera switches and Haymitch is no longer interested in his drink as he watches his blonde tribute forage for some food. No luck yet.
Now they see the Careers and Brutus downs the rest of his drink. "Fucking little traitors. I wish Cato would go and kill them now."
"You know they'll save that for the finale." Haymitch groans. He must hear a lot from Brutus these days, Finnick thinks. He also thinks that maybe Haymitch enjoys the company. Just a little, anyway. It has to get lonely, no family, no loved ones, no fellow Victor's from his District. Just a bunch of dead Tributes and good ol' Chaff.
Suddenly the screen snaps and the three Victor's stare intently as Haymitch's boy comes back on display.
He's no longer foraging but instead standing only a few feet away from the boy from District 11 who has a good half a foot on him.
Haymitch grabs his bottle and takes a long swig before forcing himself to watch the television.
"I don't want to kill you." Thresh says solemnly.
"But you have to." Peeta mumbles, his nerves getting the best of him and Finnick can now see the sweat coming down his brow. No fight in this one, only a long accepted truth that many Tributes seem to feel.
There's a moment where they simply stare at each other, just waiting for the inevitable to happen. Finnick shakes his head and wonders why the Capitol allowed the first half of the feed to show. They probably hoped the blood would make up for the obvious human emotion.
The boy raises his weapon, a very sharp and intimidating sickle-like-knife, and is about to bring it down but stops when a spear nearly decapitates him. Peeta falls out of the camera shot and it's hard to tell if he was hit or not.
Finnick's Tribute was smart to strike while Thresh was distracted but she should've waited another minute because the boy still had his weapon that Finnick could now tell was clean of blood.
Peeta darts into the woods but the camera's only show this for a moment.
She's immediately charges and begins to fight Thresh and everybody knows that this is the fight of the day, the one that will appease the Capitol beast until it gets restless for more.
Finnick can't help but feel impressed. He should have paid more attention to her. She clearly had more fight in her than he gave her credit for. It's a long struggle, at least two minutes with the cameras always trained on them, when she finally knocks his weapon away. She pins him to the ground and is about to bring her knife down when the strangest thing happens. Thresh's weapon is now embedded in her skull and her death is so instant that the canon is long shot by the time she hits the ground.
A shameless Jason stands above her before smirking down.
"How'd you like all the Careers gone?"
Lots of Catoniss? No. But a few plot points just opened up if you look between the lines.
KatieDesignerShades: I hope I get my ticket to Catching Fire soon. Went to the Hunger Games midnight showing so I hope to go for this one.
Guest: I'll give up The Eighth Deadly Sin when Mockingjay Part 2 is out of theaters (aka, I'm going to finish that sucker).
krystalMage: You made me smile.
Thanks everybody else!