Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay in posting! I meant to put up another chapter with a warning of my absence before I left, but then I got too busy to do that. :P Anyway, I have been on vacation and am now working on getting settled into my new apartment in Florida for college! Despite all the transition, turmoil, and rigorous study that is about to commence, I will try really hard to keep the chapters coming at a consistent speed. Thank you all for your patience. Please remember to leave me some feedback; it'll help motivate me to keep on working! ;)

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My main concern as I trek through the woods is that I have not angled in the correct direction, but I am very pleased to find my fear is unnecessary. Just when the sun's first light is showing in the east, I can see the clearing and the large structure of the Cornucopia. I stay just inside the tree line to look for any guards that might have been left by the Careers, and sure enough I see the boy from 3 sitting beside a huge pile of supplies, carefully patting down some mounds of dirt.

I am dismayed that I can't actually light the supplies themselves on fire, but I don't waste time trying to think of a way to do it with a new plan. Katniss is relying on me to get her out as soon as possible, so I have to stick with our strategy. As I walk a few yards into the brush, I do wonder what in the world that boy is doing around the pile.

I go about twenty yards into the woods so that I am far enough away from the Cornucopia to work without alerting the guard and close enough that the Careers could think this is a fire near or on their supplies. I gather up large branches and begin creating quite a large mound of fuel. When the tiresome work is over, I begin to find the more leafy, green branches to set on top since they will make the most smoke. Just as I sit down to begin producing the fire itself, I hear a cannon and stand up.

Was that to signal Katniss' death? Did the Careers find a way to get up in the tree and kill her? The unknown is perhaps more deadly than the solid facts, and I am suddenly torn between starting this fire and returning to see if Katniss is alright. After a brief moment of inner turmoil, I feel my feet carrying me back to Katniss and the Careers. Then I'm not walking, I running, trying hard to reach the scene.

A rustling in the trees ahead of me is the only thing that brings me to a halt. It sounds loud, like more than one set of feet, and I quickly scale a tree and try to see who is coming my way. After a moment, I see five figures sprinting in the direction of the Cornucopia. No, they're angled slightly away, probably making for the lake. Then I hear the buzzing and put two and two together. The tracker jackers.

I don't even wait for the Careers to get out of sight before rushing down the tree and towards Katniss. The tracker jackers have followed the Careers, and I must hope that there aren't any left near the nest. It seems to take longer than it should, but finally I'm back at the tree. Katniss is not here.

I think the grotesque and swollen body on the ground belongs to the girl from District 1, Glimmer, but I notice that her fingers are broken. Didn't she have a bow? A hovercraft is nearby, probably wanting to pick up her body, so I clear out and try to find any signs of where Katniss would go, especially since she is now armed.

I am no hunter, and I don't know how to find someone's tracks and look for them, so instead I just take to the trees and look around for any sign of movement. I am relieved to see Katniss only a few minutes after beginning my search, but she doesn't seem to be entirely lucid. Maybe she's been stung, too. A cannon goes off, and I guess that another Career has died of their stings somewhere. This was a lethally smart idea.

I make my way to Katniss and drop down near her. She almost shoots at me, though I hardly think she could have made the shot in her condition, but she holds back when she sees it's me. It seems like she's trying to decide whether or not to trust me, but the poison must be impairing her thoughts, because she just keeps looking confused.

Suddenly I can hear the Careers returning, and I step towards Katniss as slowly as I dare. I hope she's coherent enough not to consider this advance a threat, but I don't really have the time to worry anymore.

"Katniss," I say as strongly and clearly as I can. "Katniss, we have to leave right now!"

Her brow creases as she tries to get a hold on reality, but by the time she lowers her bow, it's too late. The Careers are upon us, and in one last and desperate act, I hold forth my spear and prepare for the end. But then something happens to make me almost as confused as Katniss.

"Katniss, go!" Peeta yells from the front of the Pack. "Get out of here, go!"

He then begins to fight Cato, who has just realized Peeta's betrayal. I want to stay and help Peeta, but he would want me to protect Katniss, so as she begins to follow his advice and run, I run with her.

Her strides are not consistent, and several times she nearly falls down. Finally, she can't go on anymore on her own, and I grab one of her arms and throw it over my shoulder, bearing some of her weight and pulling her along with me. In this awkward manner we continue to move as fast as we can through the forest.

I am always expecting to suddenly feel a knife or sword in my back, but it never comes. Fear is the only thing keeping both of us on our feet, and that dissipates increasingly as we put distance between us and the Careers, who are undoubtedly being affected by their stings, too. At last, Katniss collapses, and I, being unable to carry her, plop down on the ground. I see a large boulder a few feet away, and I drag Katniss, who is now unconscious, next to it. Although the protection it offers is minimal, it's better than being in the open.

After a long rest, in which I nearly fall asleep many times, I decide to give my ally a more thorough inspection. Because I have seen them before, the tracker jacker stings do not cause me to be sick, but they are still pretty bad. Luckily Katniss must have had the sense to pull out the stingers. I find three stings, each about the size of a plumb, and I know that I should do something to treat them.

It takes a few minutes of racking my brain for me to remember what the herb looks like that we, the orchard workers, had to search for when someone disturbed a tracker jacker nest last year. When I call the image to my mind, I seem to remember having seen a bit of it in the Arena, so after covering Katniss with some branches and leaves, I set out to find the herb.

It takes almost half an hour for me to collect a decent supply of the plant, and when I have enough, I return to Katniss. She has not even slightly stirred, and I know she will be out for a while. I chew up the leaves into mush and pack a layer of it on each sting. Then, after a bit of thought, I dig through Katniss' bag and apply the ointment to her leg burn and, after noticing the minor burns on her hands, her palms, too.

It's already past noon, and I am very tired, very hungry, and very thirsty. But I know that I still have more to do, so I hurry about my work. First I make a much more camouflaged shelter for Katniss, who will have to stay in the ground until she wakes. This takes a while and is a pretty delicate job, but finally I finish. Then I strike out in the general direction of my river and am glad to find a runoff stream where I drink a lot and fill up my bottle. Then, gathering edible berries and roots along the way, I head back to my ally.

When I have arrived at the boulder, I figure that I should hang out in a tree since it will give me the best vantage. I sigh as I force my exhausted arms to weave another nest. I don't bother making it very well; just enough to keep me safe in the tree. I know that sleep is dangerous right now, but I can't stay up much longer anyway, and the Careers are probably still suffering terribly at this moment from their stings. Thus I am not too worried as I climb the tree nearest the boulder and find a good wedge of branches in which to set my nest.

Before allowing my eyes to close, I eat some nuts and berries. They do little to satisfy my hunger, but I'm grateful for them nonetheless. Then I snuggle up under my blanket, which I have wrapped around me despite the warmth of the day, and fall asleep almost instantly.

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