I'm running.
I don't know where. I don't know why. Most importantly though, I don't know what from.
Roots rise up from the ground, making me stumble and trip. But still I carry on sprinting through the trees, casting a look back to see what is chasing me. There is only darkness. Dodging a large oak tree, I hear a high-pitched scream and immediately head towards it. I know I'm heading right towards danger but some innate desire is pulling me towards the scream. My chest heaves as I breath harder and harder, panting the oxygen into my lungs. By now my legs are numb but the screams are louder, piercing my heart every time.
Running into a clearing, the first thing I notice is the small boy, tears streaming down his cheeks with an expression of pure horror. He had climbed up to a high branch in one of the trees, seeking safety. And then I notice why he needed to be safe. The base of the tree is surrounded by mutts.
Without a second thought, I charge at them, momentarily wishing I had my bow and arrows. The closest pounces towards me, jaws snapping wildly. Delicately, I dodge it but put myself in the path of another. I have just enough time to climb a few branches high up the tree before the mutts are circling the base, growling low in frustration.
I climb higher, towards the boy. It's only when I'm on the same branch that I realise how much he resembles Peeta; the same shaped face and bone structure that defines his cheeks with its normal blush; the same beautiful eyes that melt whenever he sees me. But he is my thick dark brown hair. Instantly I reach out to stroke the young boy, not entirely sure why.
He flinches, losing his footing and falling off the branch before I can get a hold of them. It feels like he falls forever, but the truth of it is he falls halfway down the tree before grabbing a stray branch and holding on for dear life. The boy looks up, pleading me for help with his tear-filled eyes.
I want to help. I move to help. But the mutts distract me. Their eyes are familiar and then I realise. They are Peeta's eyes too. My heart contracts, painfully aching and full of fear. They are snapping ferociously, smelling that the small boy is close and I want to tell the mutts to leave him alone. But my voice is lost.
And then he loses his grip. He falls, breaking thin branches that couldn't even hold the weight of a squirrel. An alien scream echoes through the woods and it is seconds before I realise it's my own, hoarse and breaking. But it's too late. The boy lands on the floor with a thud and the mutts pounce, Peeta's eyes flashing with rage and hunger.
I turn my head away in disgust and feel dizzy and sick. Tear are staining my cheeks so I clamp my eyes shut and feel myself float into nothing until all I hear is my name reverberating through the darkness.
"Katniss!"
In the distance, a scream, long and shrill, pierces the silence. It seems to echo as I gather myself. My eyes fly open, recognising the living room of the Odair household. A warm fire burns brightly near the foot of the bed, casting odd shadows over Peeta, who is hovering above me.
And then I see his eyes. The screaming accelerates, growing in volume to the point where it's all I can hear, pounding on my ears. Peeta's face draws back warily and I realise that I'm the one screaming. All because of Peeta's eyes – the eyes of the mutts of my dream.
My lips slam shut and the screaming fades into silence. There's a throbbing ache in my voice box, as if I've tried to make myself heard all the way back in District 12. I groan involuntarily, sitting myself up. Pealing the covers off my sweaty body, I take a few deep breaths, watching my chest inflate with air before falling, before looking up at Peeta shamefully.
His eyes are glazed over, slightly darker in the light of the fire. But I can no longer hate them. They are beautiful, warm, welcoming and loving. Instantly, maybe even instinctively, I fall into his arms, feeling them curve around my body familiarly. His heartbeat drums comfortingly and already I feel myself relax, shaking off thoughts of the little boy in the tree.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he whispers, his voice betraying his emotions, tainted with worry and distress. I shake my head quickly, burying myself into his chest. His arms drop to the bottom of my back and effortlessly, I'm lifted into his lap, curling up into a small ball the fits perfectly with Peeta.
I don't know how long we sit there. I don't know if Peeta managed to get any sleep before I woke up screaming. I don't know when I fall asleep either. But darkness surrounds us and I know I fall asleep in Peeta's arms – where I belong.
Author's Note: I apologise for the late update. Loads of stuff has been happening but slow and steadily, I have been adding to this story. I know where I'm going, I just have to get there.
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