Disclaimer: The Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins. This is a parody fanwork by fans for fans. No money was made off of the creation of this fanwork.
Patchwork: Cruel Game
by Fanfic Allergy
oOo
Title: Cruel Game
Theme: Don't Leave
Words: 728
Summary: For the first time in his life, Cato begs.
oOo
He comes back to the clearing angry and dripping with sweat despite the chill in the early morning air. Stupid meat from Five. Stupid meat got away.
He's angry at himself and Clove for not getting to the Cornucopia earlier. For not thinking like their prey and checking the nearby hiding places before settling down to wait for the start of the Feast. For not reacting quickly when the meat from Five darts into the woods not fifteen feet away from him. For a second he freezes and that is one second too many.
It takes Clove punching him forcibly in the arm and shouting, "You get Five! I'll take Lover Girl! I promise to make her squeal."
He nods and sets off after the meat.
But it is smart and knows its way well. Unlike him. It darts through thorny bushes and clumps of willows without getting tangled. Something he is unable to do. He finally loses the meat when it runs through a copse of closely clustered birch. When he emerges from the trees, he isn't able to see the fleeing meat anywhere. He slashes at undergrowth before growling and heading back to the clearing.
He hears the screams of a female and grins. Clove is keeping her word. He breaks into a run so he can get back in time to watch the festivities.
Then everything changes. He hears Clove shout his name in desperation.
"Clove!" he yells back and wills himself to run faster.
It doesn't take long to get back to the Cornucopia, not at the pace he sets. But it's still too late. He trips and falls on the overgrown plants on the edge of clearing. From his vantage point, he can see Eleven standing over Clove and Twelve with a bloody rock in his hand.
"Clove!" he calls again desperately, wasting precious time getting to his feet.
She doesn't respond.
When he finally breaks through the shrubs surrounding the edge of the clearing a horrible sight greets his eyes. Clove is down and the two meats from Eleven and Twelve are fleeing the scene. He doesn't even consider chasing after them.
Clove is down.
His Clove. His district partner and friend is down. More than a friend, his heart tells him. The only woman he's come to respect and care for because she is as deadly as he is. The woman he was beginning to fall in love with is down.
He runs to her, abandoning all pretense of being a deadly killer. He drops to his knees next to her and pulls her smaller frame into his arms, the spear he's carrying falling to the ground beside her.
"Clove! No! Don't leave me!" he finds himself exclaiming, surprising himself with the depth of emotion in his voice. "Don't leave me, you hear?"
She doesn't respond.
"You're not allowed to leave me! You got that? Not allowed." He's rocking her back and forth in his arms as he talks to her. "We're going to take down the rest of the meat and then we're going to go home. Both of us. We'll be the greatest victors that ever lived. Greater than even Enobaria or that poncey Finnick Odair. You and me, Clove, we'll be the best!"
She doesn't respond.
He brushes a few stray hairs that have gotten loose from her ponytail away from her face. He winces when his fingers encounter something warm, wet, and sticky. He doesn't look at the digits. He doesn't want to believe that it's blood.
"Come on, Clove. Open your eyes. We've got meat to kill. Please. Open your eyes!"
She doesn't respond.
Somewhere in the distance a cannon sounds. It must be for one of the meat. Possibly one from Twelve. The one he stuck or the one Clove bloodied. The cannon can't be for Clove. Not for his Clove. She's still with him.
"Please, Clove. You've got to say something. We don't want the Capitol to think we're weak."
She doesn't respond.
He holds her, pleading with her all the while until her body grows cold in his arms. It's then that he realizes that Clove is gone. He lets out a scream full of anguish, anger, and despair. Because for the first time since he volunteered for the Games, he understands just how cruel of a game the Hunger Games really are.
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AN:
Written: 11/18/13
Revised: 11/21/13
Beta Read by RoseFyre
Just a quick little thing to get me into the mindset of the Careers. I don't feel sorry for Cato a lot in the books, except for this one time when he's begging for Clove not to leave him. The few sentences Collins spends on his reaction still guts me to this day.
I hope you enjoyed!
Tell me what you think!