AUTHORS NOTE: Hey guys… okay so I posted a chapter like a long while ago… but only my AN showed up when I looked at it recently. A few of you guys have noticed it too but some can see the chapter so I'm sorry. It happened to my one-shot I posted as well. Hopefully this chapter shows up. Please forgive how long it's been since I could update though enjoy you're much over-due chapter(:
Previously:
He wants to spend the rest of his life with her, but would she want the same?
Walking down the tabernacle, Katniss fiddles with her shirt.
What is wrong with me? Katniss asks herself again for what must have been the millionth time. Maybe I need to leave camp. Prim will be alright. No one will notice if I'm gone for the rest of the summer. Except maybe- no can't think about him.
Looking up, Katniss catches a glimpse of black hair. But the next instant, it's gone, as if turning invisible where it stood. Shrugging, Katniss approached the exit, opening the door and walking out towards Prims cabins. She'd be upset, but nothing worse.
Walking down the gravel path, Katniss kicked at a few rocks. The light from the moon lit up the sky in a dark, mysterious way. Clouds blocked her view of most of the stars but other than that, it was a beautiful night. It was the kind of night Katniss sat out till dawn, watching the clouds shift, changing the sky in the simplest of ways.
The door to Prim's cabin stood agape, the placemat missing. Worrying, Katniss ran to the cabin the rest of the short distance. As she got closer, Katniss's heart skidded to a stop. Where the placemat should have been, claw marks replaced it. And the poor mat was shredded to bits. Blood marred the walls. Chunks of meat lying horrendously around. Bile rose to the back of her throat at the sight.
"Prim," She whispered but steadily got louder as she drawled the name out with a cry.
Katniss wasn't on for crying, and if she was, she knew right then would have been the time and place she broke down and died inside. But some animal took another life she loved. And the killing calm had settled over her.
Numbed from the grief and madness, Katniss stared out through the door. Picking up the small mocking jay pin she had given her a long time ago, Katniss let out an animalistic growl.
Crouching on one knee, Katniss looked to the floor. From the way blood was smeared, Katniss could tell the animals had drug at least three of the girls off for later.
Hunter instincts kicked in and Katniss followed the path of blood until it ended, searching the woods for any signs of an intruder. But everything was untouched. The faint smell of blood met Katniss's nose and she followed until it got fainter, then she traveled back to where she could smell it at its strongest. Looking along the ground for some kind of hidden hole or cave, Katniss sneered.
There was still absolutely nothing to led her to where her sister could possibly be. Fear climbed at the back of her throat, wanting to escape in a terrified scream at what had happened. She started feeling hysteric, her toes feeling the pin-pricks and her fingers vibrating with the determination to hunt and kill.
This animal had never once come across a predator like her. For taking her sister, it'd have a better chance at happiness in hell than in her hands.
Leaves crunched from a distance and twigs snapped repeatedly. From her years of experience, Katniss could tell something was trying to throw her off. Rocks were being thrown to trees, making a pecking kind of noise. Branches fell from the highest of climbs, thudding to the ground with intent to damage.
This animal was smarter than any other though, Katniss realized. It covered it's tracks well, leaving no trace.
Searching the ground once more, Katniss spotted something she hadn't spotted before. I tiny black feather was trapped from underneath her foot.
So it's a bird, Katniss pondered. Then realization dawned on her once again. She remembered seeing large shadows at the midnight hours. She stared at them for hours once. Every night she spent up, sleep not able to overcome her. This wasn't any normal bird if it could carry three people off and still have the strength to mess with her. Not to mention its strange size and shape. There was a possibility that it wasn't the same thing she was thinking of but her gut believed in it so strongly, desperate to find her sister, she just went with it. It had to be it.
Searching the trees, Katniss squinted. The trees were too thin for that bird and whatever else it had with it. But the deeper she ventured into the woods, the thicker the trees got, and the taller they were as well.
Walking as fast as she could without any branches or roots broken up from the ground to slow her down, Katniss set off deeper. Keeping her eyes trained to catch any slight movement, she grunted. She was just thinking about leaving Prim at this camp all by herself. How could I have ever wanted to do that? She cried in her head.
Suddenly, a swooping shadow leaped from one tree to another, catching her attention. It was right ahead of her, she didn't know how she could have missed it. It was slightly windy, so it could have possibly blended in easily with the swaying branches but other than that, Katniss didn't know. How could a creature think so carefully to do something like that?
Katniss picked up her pace to meet the creature's leaps, catching the momentum she needed to jump up onto one of the strong lower branches. She swayed momentarily but kept going, leaping from one tree to another, copying the animal. Up this close, Katniss could see it was bigger than she originally thought. And closed in its mouth were three girls, just as she had guessed.
Their hair hung but the one in the middle caught her attention, spurring her even closer to the creature. It was two braids, swinging with every movement. Tears sprung to her eyes and relief flooded her body but Katniss pushed it back. The animal could accidently drop her and shed fall to her death or she's already dead. Those possibilities she couldn't face with a floating heart.
"Stop!" Someone from her left called. Katniss stumbled, almost risking the voice a glance but kept going, even faster than before.
"Don't do it!" A woman's voice called next. Where are these people? Why are they even out here? Katniss thought, looking aro8und this time, searching the woods while trailing after Prims captor.
"Katniss! Katniss where are you? Someone help!" Prim's voice called. This time, Katniss stumbled, gawking up at the creature above her.
It had stilled up on a branch, dropping down to the stronger ones, before settling into a wide hole at the base.
Katniss could see Prim and the other two girls clearly now. Rue was among them, but the other girl she had never met before. Blood dripped from Prims open mouth and she had a huge gash on her forehead. Katniss couldn't see if there were any other wounds but she could see her chest moving slightly. Rue was in a little better condition and her breathing was more prominent.
This bird opened its beak and Prims voice screamed through the trees, calling for Katniss.
This wasn't a mocking jay.
It was a Jabber Jay, at its peak of growth.
Katniss had heard legends about these creatures. Terrible horror stories were told around campfires about these monsters but no description could exactly fit this beast. Its claws curled around themselves then poked out to a sharp, deathly point. Its beak extended outwards, till it was almost two feet from its body. Its eyes were a black almond shape hole, staring straight through you.
Shivers erupted in her spine as she looked at the razor sharp teeth coming out from under the beak. Blood dripped from the tips and it was completely void of life. It was like a skeleton but with feathers.
It let out a roar before stepping over the girls, to Katniss. Its feet were completely transparent, looking they were made out of a bunch of shattered glass. The ends of its toes were sharpened as well as its talon. When she looked back up to the creatures face it gave her a wicked grin or some sort. It was almost like it could hear her inter dialogue, smell her fears, and almost taste her blood.
Maybe that's what it was imagining.
"You shouldn't have followed," the demon looking bird spoke, giving her another grin. But this time, when he spoke, it wasn't the voice of someone familiar or someone she was close to. It was a deep and cold voice, one that only spoke softly in the scariest of nightmares. A voice that made things happen.
"You can talk," Katniss spoke back in the calmest voice she could imagine.
"Yes, I can." It spoke again, locking its gaze with hers, stepping closer. "But your sister will be dead soon, and so won't you. The only reason you're not dead right now, is because you're going to have to watch me and the others tear her to bits. Then it's your turn."
"That's where you're wrong," Katniss spoke, her voice shaking with rage, "I will kill you, and anything else that tries to prevent me from taking my sister back."
"Is that right?" It asked in amusement. "Tell me girl, how will you fight when you have no legs?"
"No legs?" Katniss asked, confused. A split second later its claws came down upon her legs, sashing through the skin, lodging into her bone.
She dropped instantly, turning her head to face the monster once again. The creature had turned some of its attention to the girls, picking them up and dropping them back down behind it. It took her a moment to regain as much composure as she could in that moment but when she could keep the tears from spilling over her cheeks she spoke.
"You are smart, but you are a coward. No matter," Katniss paused, "I don't need my legs to fight."
The bird turned its full attention to her, glaring.
"I am no coward." The bird spoke. "If you are so capable, then fight. Stand on your two legs and fight. You don't need them, is what you said."
"No, I don't," she hissed through her gritted teeth.
Grasping behind her for something, anything, to defend herself from the monster, Katniss gripped a rock.
"Defeat me, if you can. My family will be here soon enough." The demon spoke, trees swaying along with his voice.
"Is that one?" Katniss pointed to a branch above the bird. She scooted closer to it, being as quiet as she could. The monster was still searching the skies and the branches for one of its members when she finally reached its foot.
Raising her arm up high, Katniss's hand came crashing down, effectively throwing the bird off guard as he shrieked with at least seven different voices. Numerous others wailed back and the bird laughed through his pain. What Katniss was hoping would happen was if she brought the rock down hard enough, she'd smash its whole foot and maybe use the sharpness as a weapon but she got even more than what she hoped for.
"There they come," It laughed, stomping backwards. One of the dug up roots caught the foot she was aiming for and the bird fell, impaling itself on one stakes that had put up a while back when they surveyed this part of the woods. The foot shattered like the glass it looked like it was made of and a piercing cry cut through the night.
Picking up a jagged edge, Katniss held it close to her chest.
Some of the legends spoke of the gigantic birds' saliva being able to numb you from back for a little while. Nothing could ever heal you just like the snap of a finger like in other stories, but that was a nice thought right now.
Crawling towards the dead beast, Katniss brought her hand up to grab one of the fangs. She gripped hard, slicing her hand a little, and yanked the tooth out. Most of the blood from earlier had either dripped off or was swallowed by the bird but none the less, Katniss was still grossed out.
Looking back at Prim, Katniss gripped the fang even harder and drove it into her leg. The pain fled and the feeling of needles stabbed at her.
The story was right.
But it was so hard to stand, not to mention walk. Her legs wobbled and even through the new numbness Katniss could still feel her muscles grinding on each other. Blood seeped into her sock, soaking it.
Stumbling, Katniss fell over Prim. Blood covered her entire torso and Katniss wasn't sure if it was all hers or not. Brushing the hair out of her face, Katniss whispered to Prim,
"Prim? Primrose, it's me. It's Katniss. You're going to be alright." She gasped through tears of joy.
Checking on Rue and the third girl, Katniss walked back to the skeleton bird. Ripping three more fangs out from its already decaying beak, Katniss pushed it in each of the girls' skin, trying not to bruise.
The girl she didn't know moaned and opened her eyes, looking at Katniss in a bewildered way.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Katniss."
"Where am I?"
"In the middle of nowhere," Katniss said after a pause. She looked back down to both Rue and Prim, assessing their wounds.
"Did you do this to us?" The girl asked, shuffling away.
"You don't remember what happened?"
"No. All I remember is waking up in the middle of the night soaked in my best friends' blood. Then something hit me hard on the head." The girl said, sniffling.
"I'm sorry to hear that. But no, it wasn't me. This girl right here, Prim, she's my sister. And this is Rue. You should try to help me if you can." Katniss stated, tearing her shirt apart to wrap tightly around Prims waist.
Another caw met their ears and a second bird landed, right beside the girl. She looked up, terror written all over her face and passed out. Katniss quickly grabbed her foot, dragging her back towards Prim and Rue.
"Another damn bird," she grumbled under her breath, standing up to face it.
Screaming filled the forest as soon as it opened its mouth and you could practically see the sound waves coming from it. Wincing slightly, Katniss charged towards the bird, hoping to catch this one off guard.
It worked. The bird swung around, batting at her with its wing. Katniss took her weapon from this first one and met its rib cage with a nasty crunch. A silvery liquid burst from its chest cavity, splashing Katniss. It felt like acid hitting her, full force, but she didn't say a word as the spray lessened slowly.
It trembled once before falling forwards onto Katniss, taking her to the ground with it.
Pulling herself out from under it, Katniss reached the girls again. She couldn't carry them all at once. Looking around on the forest floor again, Katniss searching for things to make a barrel like structure.
She gathered sticks, and using the sharp nails of the dead Jabber Jays, Katniss was able to cut planks out of trees. Tying the wood together with long strips of grass, Katniss hauled Prim, Rue, and the third girl onto the top.
With all of the trees, it was going to be a challenge to get all of the girls out, but Katniss would do it, or die trying.
Walking to the front, Katniss bent down and snatched up the two makeshift handles, lifting it, and the girls, up from the ground.
Then she slowly started her trek back to camp.
Sweat pored off of her, collecting in her cuts and the numbness from the birds' saliva was wearing off. Katniss had taken more fangs of course but those were for the girls. Her aching muscles cried with the demand of relief but none would come. Her mind screamed at her to stop, to rest. But her heart encouraged her to keep moving.
Never, in a million years, would Katniss have thought she'd be put in a situation like this. Never.
She fought off at least two more death birds, and by now she probably looked like death itself. She knew she'd come close to being dead a couple times. Globs of hair were torn out from where the third monsters talon had reached out and got caught in her brown locks. Almost all of her clothes were on the girls, assisting their wounds. She couldn't do much else but numb and put compression on them.
This moved her to an even faster pace, recognizing the thinning of woods.
She started hearing people screaming, calling out all of the dead girls names. Above all, Katniss could hear her name, screamed by the one voice she would have died to hear about then.
"Katniss!" It was a choked, but heart-breaking scream and Katniss almost fell to the ground right then.
"We're here! Help! They're bleeding!" Katniss yelled hoarsely with all her might. She held at her throat, yelling louder.
Some of the noise lessened as the people from camp tried to figure out where her screaming was coming from.
"Over here!" She yelled again, picking up the handles to her raft, dragging them a bit closer.
When she saw the first person enter her line of vision, she nearly passed out from excitement and relief. Then three more people came and she did fall to the ground.
"Here," She called, but less loudly. "Help them."
"Katniss!" A shriek met her ears. It was Annie, running towards her. Then more calls came and suddenly a pair of blue-green eyes were staring down at her.
"Finnick," Katniss whispered.
"Katniss," Finnick whispered back, pulling her hair out from her eyes.
"Take care of Primrose for me, please," She spoke, smiling slightly. "Tell her I love her."
Darkness was clouding her vision and she could no longer see Finnick through the haze.
"Katniss! The blood… you're bleeding too much. How much have you lost?" He asked, panic evident in his voice as the sound of the ripping of fabric followed.
"She really is something else Finnick," Katniss whispered, her eyes full of love as she looked up to the sky. "She's my world. Don't give up on her."
"Katniss please, just please keep your eyes open, please stay with me," Finnick called desperately, wrapping her wounds tightly. He grasped her hand and with his other one, held her cheek, making her look at him.
"Finnick, promise me." Katniss pleaded, tears shinning in her eyes.
"You can't leave me Katniss, please," he sobbed, letting his tears run freely.
"Promise me," She repeated, bringing her hand up to cradle the side of his face.
"I promise Katniss," he spoke, bringing his head down to kiss her cheek.
"I love you…" Katniss trailed off, her eyes finally clouding over.
A strangled scream tore through Finnicks throat. He held her tighter and begged her to come back.
"I love you too, Katniss. So much," He whispered, placing a kiss upon her lips. There he sat for the rest of the night, holding her as she died in his arms.
YOU HAVE TO READ THIS! DON'T SKIP THE END BECAUSE THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
All three of the girls were better in the morning. Prim still had no clue her sister had died. Everyone at camp was being sent home early because of the deaths and Finnick was forced from Katniss.
So he sat in the infirmary room, watching the girls heal.
He had his rope with him, and so many times he thought about making himself a noose and hanging himself just to be with Katniss but he made her a promise. No one really knew what happened to any of them.
The only one that knew something was the third girl among Prim and Rue. She didn't go to camp. She just randomly shown up. She said her name was Dawson, but no one knew who she was. Katniss had also been carrying these strange type fangs. Dawson said she remembered her injecting each of the girl with it, and it took away all their pain momentarily.
Finnick felt more like a walking zombie than anything. And he only walked because he had to. He spent a lot of time in the room where they put Katniss until she'd be prepared to be put in a coffin.
But today, he sat in a chair, watching the nurses flutter around the girls, carrying pitchers of water and anti-bacterial wipes around the place. Then, the door burst open and Peeta came thundering in, out of breath.
"Finnick! Finnick, it's Katniss… she's alive."
AN: Hey everyone… so this is the ending of this story… did you like that little cliffhanger? I thought so(: I needed some inspiration for this story and I really don't know what happened. It was like my writers block vanished and I had this really weird idea that I had to write about. But yeah, I'm very sorry for the long wait, I loved all of your reviews! Not just on this story either xP Thank you guys(: Um I was thinking about making a sequel to this, what do you guys think? Should I just leave it there, or just write one more chapter and be done with it? I think I'm also going to change the summary just a tiny bit xP Err sorry there wasn't a lot of Finnick in this chapter tho xP If theres's another chapter, I can assure you, it will be REALLY cheesy for all you romantics.
This is the longest chapter I have ever written, so you all should feel really special. It's 3,754 words long. (Including the AN's) Ermm tell me what you guys think? Please stay in touch, I'll be updating my other story, Robin Hoods Identity, next!(: