Okay, I had to update it right after Chapter Seventeen. You guys deserve it, after all. So, ENJOY!
Chapter Eighteen.
"I'm hungry." Peeta says after they've been walking for what feels like hours. Cato stops, turning to him. He tilts his head to the side and takes Peeta in. Peeta blinks and stares at Cato, wondering what was going through that head of his. Right now, he was a hunter, looking for his next piece of prey and Peeta feels a bit nervous. But he trusts Cato fully and so that's why he keeps following him around like some love sick puppy.
"I thought your name was Peeta." Cato finally says.
Peeta feels that familiar warmth fill him. It always happens when Cato says his name but he feels annoyance come after it. He frowns. "Cato." he says sternly.
Cato rolls his eyes. "Take a joke, 12." he says, looking around. "I think I saw a berry bush back some way so let's go that way." this time, Peeta leads the way and they come upon a bush, with berries as black as the night, glistening in the sunlight pushing through the trees. Peeta picks a berry and stares at it as Cato grabs one and brings it towards his mouth. In that moment, a memory comes back to him. At the plant station, he remembers being told to avoid berries just like these. Nightlock. Just one bite of this and you'd be dead before it reaches your stomach. He can also recall his father telling him about them, telling him if they receive any berries of this kind, to throw them away immediately. Nobody wanted a Nightlock pie unless they were holding a grudge against someone, after all. He looks to Cato and in a flash, he smacks his hand, just as the berry is about the touch his lips. The berry falls from his fingers and rolls down the front of his body and falls to the dirt below. Cato looks at him, annoyance flaring on his features. "What the hell, Lover boy?"
Peeta frowns at him. "Cato, did you not go to any of the stations but the weapons?" he asks, beginning to glare at him.
"No." Cato scoffs, like it was stupid to do that.
"Oh... in that case, go ahead, enjoy these berries that will kill you." Peeta deadpans, not liking how arrogant he had gotten. It's almost like he looks down at Peeta for actually attending the other stations.
"12, it isn't too late for me to go through with cutting your balls off."
"I think you'll do other things than cutting them off that won't have me complaining." Peeta says and grins when Cato's cheeks grow darker.
He shakes his head, crossing his arms and looking away, obviously flustered from Peeta's words. Peeta finds it adorable but doesn't say that. "Anyway," Cato says, looking back at Peeta and glaring some. "Killer berries?"
"Nightlock." Peeta corrects, picking the one he dropped up and rolling it between his fingers. "You'd be dead before it even touched your stomach," he whispers, repeating the words he's heard from his father and a second time at the plant station.
"Well then." Cato turns away, beginning to walk off. "Let's go find some good berries, Mr. Berry Man."
Peeta drops the berry and follows Cato. "Now we're on the hunt for berries." Peeta says, as he walks beside Cato.
"Yep." Cato nods, checking out every bush they pass.
Peeta's getting more hungry, his stomach beginning to cramp in pain at the hunger. He tries to ignore it but it's getting harder as he moves on. He looks at Cato and doesn't understand how he's doing it. He knows Cato is probably as hungry as him, possibly hungrier, and he's barely slept. How is he even walking straight or even looking as strong and scary as he is now, twirling that damn sword in a circle with a small grin playing on his lips? It makes no sense to Peeta. Cato is like a machine and sometimes, it's a bit frightening to think about.
It happens so fast, Peeta almost misses it. A flash of red darts in front of them and pauses for a second, obviously not expecting to cross anyone's path. As the flash of red looks back, both Cato and Peeta see who it is: Foxface. Before Peeta can even react, Cato's on the run after her and all Peeta can do is chase after. Foxface is fast, her footfalls as quiet as the air, her feet almost gliding across the ground as she runs. Cato's fast and is on her tail, much louder but just as graceful. Peeta's barely behind Cato but somehow, he's keeping up and managing to not fall on his face. He's been getting use to running through the woods as of late. Foxface takes a sharp turn around a tree and the rest happens in slow motion. An arrow wheezes right past Cato's head and flies above Peeta's head. Thank god he's shorter than Cato. Cato and Peeta freezes and they realize they've been led into a trap. Shit.
Katniss is standing there, another arrow notched in place, pointed at Cato, Foxface behind her, panting. They teamed up? Peeta expected Foxface to stay on her own but no, here she is. And if things couldn't get any worse, Thresh bursts from the thicket beside them and slams into Cato, pinning him down to the ground and holding a scary looking, rounded axe to his throat. Peeta reacts, completely forgetting about the arrow that could be released any moment, and jumps on Thresh's back, wrapping his arm tightly around his neck and cutting off his air. Nobody touches Cato and nobody especially puts something sharp against his neck. The fury Peeta is feeling is almost dizzying and all he sees is red. He's ready to kill Thresh. He's vaguely aware that it seems all three of them have teamed up to maybe take down him and Cato but all that's on his mind is Cato and protecting him.
"Let him go!" Katniss yells as Thresh is on his feet, trying to shake Peeta off, clawing at his arm. "Let go, Peeta, or I swear, I'll shoot Cato!" those words make Peeta freeze and he releases Thresh, sliding down his back. Thresh spins around and his elbow connects with the side of Peeta's head, sending him into the dirt. Everything tilts dangerously and he hears an angry noise and he can make out two Cato's slamming into two Thresh's, both of them falling to the ground. "STOP!" Katniss screams and Cato freezes. Peeta knows he knows the danger of Katniss and that arrow. Thresh shoves Cato off and stands, ready to finish Cato. "Don't," Katniss demands and Thresh sends a glare her way but backs off. Everything is still tilting and Cato crawls over to Peeta, cradling his head and looking at the side of it. A bump is raising but besides that, it seems okay. The earth is slowly straightening back in place and Peeta blinks, looking at the last three tributes, beside himself and Cato. Cato releases him and glares at them, slightly hovering over Peeta, ready to protect him. And Peeta was ready to jump up and protect Cato, no matter how badly his head was pounding now.
Katniss is sending daggers at Peeta. She's hurt, it's written all over her face, and her arrow is pointed at Cato. "Why?" she asks, staring Peeta down. "Why did you do this to me?"
Foxface and Thresh exchange looks. It's obvious they want to get this over with but they both stay back, observing. Peeta blinks, his mind a bit slow from the blow Thresh gave him. "Because I love him," he finally answers.
Katniss' eyes grow wide and he sees how glassy they are. He doesn't feel guilt, he only wishes he didn't have to use her. Nobody deserves to be heart broken. "No, you don't!" she says, pulling the arrow back more and looking at Cato. "No. He's a bad person, Peeta. He's us-"
"I love him too." Cato speaks up firmly, glaring Katniss down. "I love him and don't you dare fucking doubt it."
Peeta's breath catches. Cato's said it to somebody that isn't him. They've only said it to each other once, last night, such a beautiful night, and now Cato's admitted it to three people who'll be dead soon. Because Peeta's determined to not let them touch Cato. He wonders when it comes down to him and Cato, if he'll take his own life or if he'll turn on Cato. The latter won't happen. As he glances towards Cato, sees how angry he is, he knows he'll take his own life so Cato will win. He knows he'll do anything for Cato.
"No! You're a liar!" Katniss shakes her head, refusing to believe the passion that was present in Cato's voice when he spoke of loving Peeta.
"Katniss, we need to move this along." Thresh says. Move this along so we can go back to hunting each other, he might as well say.
Katniss nods, grimly. "You're right." she whispers and locks eyes with Peeta, but her arrow is pointed at Cato. She gives a sad smile. "I thought it would be me and you at the end, Peeta. I thought it would be. But I was wrong." Peeta knows she'll never trust another one. She let Peeta climb over the walls she built and allowed him inside, to see her emotional and caring and loving, and he just turned his back and climbed back over the wall. She's hurt, so badly, but he finds himself not caring. Because that damn arrow is pointed at Cato and he refuses to let it kill Cato. He refuses to let Cato die. He wonders if she'll kill him but he has a feeling she won't be strong enough. But Katniss is surprising so maybe she will. Their eyes are still locked and he sets in jaw in place, puts his weight on his hands, ready to spring up when she releases that arrow, the tip ready to dig into Cato.
He won't let Cato die. He won't. He refuses it. And he knows Cato's thinking the same about him. "I guess this is goodbye," she whispers and glances at Cato before releasing the arrow. It's whizzing through the air and Peeta pushes himself up the last second, positioning himself in front of Cato. Cato screams his name, grabs him, but it's too late. Peeta feels the pain of the piercing arrow and he can hear Cato calling his name, the panic, the fear, the thickness of it. He doesn't know where the arrow got him, all he feels is pain as he falls back against Cato, everything blurring. Katniss is staring open-mouthed at him, her face pale white, and he can feel Cato shifting, laying him down on the ground, on the side. He still can't pinpoint where the arrow is, pain is just throbbing through his whole body but he feels blood, from somewhere, coating him. Somewhere on his upper torso. He sees Cato charging at the three tributes, who are ready for a fight.
He reaches out weakly as Cato slams into Katniss and he can vaguely hear a sickening snap, he sees Thresh lift his scary rounded axe, and Cato's name is on his tongue but before it can leave his lips, everything goes black.
...
There we go! Tomorrow, expect Chapter Nineteen, the second to the last chapter. And then it's Chapter Twenty, the last one. I'm so sad for it to come but also excited for you guys to finish it! Much love. Till next time, my lovelies.