Okay so here it is, Chapter 6, warning you now there is a little bit of gore later on but it is outlined by authors notes in case you want to skip it. Hope you like it all the same!

Chapter 6-The Hunt

Clove's POV

"Cato. You ready?" We've been planning for hours now, taking a few naps along the way, we all agreed that we'd want to start hunting at sunset then the real fun would begin.

"When have I not been?" He sits up properly, having been sharpening his blade for about an hour now whilst lying casually on the floor.

"Good."

"Oi! 2! Get over here!" I grab my knife jacket and shrug it on before standing at Glimmer's oh so sweet command. Bitch. Cato soon follows suit and we walk towards the two from 1. In his hand, Marvel wields a spear, whilst Glimmer holds a bow, which instantly triggers the memory of her in the training centre and how she missed by around 10cm. Pathetic.

"Oi! 12!"

"What?"

"We're leaving, come on." 12 instantly shoots daggers at Cato as he shouts at him like all he's doing is imagining killing him in his sleep.

"Don't even try it 12…" His gaze instantly flicks to me and even though he's bigger than me I can tell he's intimidated, as he should be.

Cato quickly comes behind me his sword out and ready as he glares at 12. I have to admit he's become a lot more protective in the arena, though I'm the only one he trusts, and he's the only one I trust, especially against this kid. He says he can help us find the girl, 'the girl on fire', but I can't trust him, she got an 11 so we know she must be a threat even if we don't know what she can do, but why does he want to help us? So we take out his biggest threat? I'll just have to wait and see…

We've been walking for what feels like hours with no sign, though all of us have been on lookout. I told them hours ago that Katniss went this way but she's had over a day's walk ahead of us, and apart from a few animals, one of which Cato killed just for something to do, there's been no apparent signs of life.

"Clove are you sure she went this way?"

"I saw her alright!"

"Then why didn't you kill her"

"I tried to Blondie!"

"Wait, Clove… you missed?" I glare at Cato now. Thanks for reminding me. "But you never miss!"

"I didn't 'miss' she blocked it, with her rucksack that she got from the other kid I killed okay?" Now I'm pissed, I saw her, and Blondie here just won't believe me. Much to my annoyance, I can see where she's coming from, we haven't seen any signs of her this whole time.

"Why haven't we seen any snares 12…?" Marvel starts speaking now, his tone annoyed and cruel, which is surprising as he usually just spends all his time making sure Blondie doesn't get a splinter.

"I don't know, she hides them well anyway, we'll be lucky to see them and she'll only make them around her, not all over the place." When we first started heading this way, hoping to find her, Cato instantly asked how she'd got an 11 in her private training session. 12 soon explained that back in 12 she went out of the boundaries and made snares a lot with her friend, bringing food back for the district and something about a 'hob' whatever that is. Apparently she can make them pretty elaborate, so we've been careful were we've been walking for a while now, none of us wanting to fall prey to some rope.

"Hmph." That's all that escapes from Marvel before he begins walking again, apparently satisfied.

"There!" My head is the first to whip around at my friends voice and I instantly see him pointing above us at a thin trail of smoke. He looks to me smiling menacingly, almost manically at the prospect of prey. I look around and see Blondie about to speak and instantly cut her off, shouting "Let's move!" She glares at me, but I don't care, I'm gone, running quickly towards the smoke, two knives already in my hands, Cato practically next to me. Behind him runs Coral, who's been quiet most of this time, then Glimmer, Marvel running protectively alongside her and 12 pulling up the rear.

I quickly skid to a stop and crouch, the rest quickly following suit as I hold up a hand for silence. When it comes to killing, I am the one to take charge… and anyone who defies me can end up as my target. I look around at the others and at Cato, then nod, before quickly pointing at Glimmer and Marvel, motioning them to go round behind them, then to Coral motioning for her to take the left, 12 the right. After 3 minutes, I feel sure they're all in position and look to Cato.

"Me first… wait 20 seconds." He smirks at me and nods, as I stand up and walk towards the girl.

"Well hi there." She quickly screeches and looks up at me terrified; she seems… what, 14? No wonder she started a fire, anyone older would know how stupid a move this would be, but, oh well, not like she was going to win. I smirk as she scrambles away then goes to get up but Marvels there now and smirks down at her as she screams ago and goes to turn, but there's Coral. She's whimpering now, terrified, and goes for her final option to only be blocked again.

Cato comes up behind me smirking, whilst Glimmer stands giggling behind Marvel. "Aww she's crying, how sweet!"

"Isn't it?" Marvel smirks and goes to kick her and she coughs and crumples in pain. The fun has begun.

Okay, light-hearted readers may want to skip this next bit as it is a little bit gory… they are careers after all, so just scroll down to the next authors note a little while down if you don't want to read it.

Cato advances and quickly brings his sword down in one motion, straight through her leg. There is a horrid cracking sound as I hear the bone snap and practically rupture as the blade goes through it, just below her knee.

She screams and screams as I quickly advance and put my arm to her throat, pinning her head down to the floor. "P-please let me go."

"Let you go? Hmm… I don't think so." I slowly draw my knife across her cheek smiling maliciously as she continues moaning and screaming in pain from all of our attacks. "You know… maybe we will…" I get up and begin to walk away and the others look at me confusedly, 12 is nowhere to be seen and 4 just looks disgusted.

"What are you doing?" I smirk at Cato, and he instantly gets the message, as Blondie and Marvel cautiously follow us, though we don't get far. I stop and look back to the girl as he tries to crawl away, then smirk and look to Marvel. I drop my voice and mutter "Can you make your spear go through a knee joint?"

He smirks maliciously, though Blondie just looks annoyed I didn't ask her, though why would I? She'd only miss. I watch as he draws back his spear, and releases and instantly, even though I saw it with my own eyes, know its hit by the scream that meets it and the second sickening crack. I take out a knife and fling it at her shoulder as she falls screaming in pain.

"Enough!" I look to 4 and glare but smirk. "Fine." Cato walks up to her as she writhes on the floor amongst her own blood, and his sword plummets through the air and through her stomach as she stops moving.

Okay gore's over, sorry about that but I thought that as they are careers they're unlikely to kill simply, sorry!

"Let's go…" I nod at Cato as he hands me my knives, and Marvel his spear, both of which he pulled out after he stabbed the girl. We turn and head off, 12 not far behind us, where'd he come from?

"Why hasn't there been a cannon….? Are you sure she's dead Cato?"

"Of course I'm sure! I killed her didn't I!?"

"Well then why hasn't there been a cannon!" I look to Cato and Blondie annoyedly about to speak when 12 shouts over all of us "Oh I'll go okay?!"

He's gone for about a minute, before a cannon goes off and another minute before he reappears. "She dead?"

"She is now…"

"Good."

"Suns about to come up, let's head back and get some sleep, Cato, Marvel, you're on first watch, then Coral and 12, then me and Glimmer, got it?" They nod and we head back quickly, wiping our weapons on the bushes as we go in order to clean them of the girl's blood. I pause just before we get back as I go to wipe my knife of the grass and watch as the blood seems to glow in the moonlight, but it isn't red… it seems almost… black. I look at it confused, as a pang of guilt hits me, apart from today, I'd never killed before but it seemed natural, something that had to be done, and I have been trained to do it all my life but didn't people always say killing was wrong? I suppose rules don't matter in the hunger games…

"Oi! Clove!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm coming." I suppose it's survival of the fittest and the weak have to die so the strong can succeed.

Cato's POV

"Coral."

"What?"

"We'll wake you in one and a half hours, got it?" She sighs but nods, before crawling into her sleeping bag. We forgot all about the kid from 3 and were surprised when we got back to find out food piled high not far from the cornucopia and 3 burying his last mine.

7 and a half hours until we get ready to hunt again, and I can't help but hope that we don't find Katniss. I want to kill her, I do, she's showed Clove and me up far too many times this past week, but I want her to suffer. The Capitol love her, that's' obvious enough, and if I want to be liked, I need them to like me, but killing the favourite straight off the bat will do me no good… No, I hope that Katniss is the last to die, and it's just me and her left.

My eyes drift over to Clove and I can't help but feel a pang of guilt, I imagined it with just me and Katniss and forgot about Clove completely and in order for me to be in the final 2 with her, Clove will have to die as well as everyone else in the alliance, but what would I do if she died? Clove's been my friend for years, and even though all my life I've been trained to kill, trained for this day, I don't know what I'd do if she died. Worse, what if it was us 2 in the final showdown? Would I be able to kill her? No matter what, neither of us have family to return to, not really, both families hate us. I suppose I at least have my siblings which my winnings could help to look after but Clove? She has a sister who she's not seen in years, and another one who's married and even though talks to her, never really sees her, though she was the only one to come see her at the justice building. Even if her other sister has wanted to come, I doubt her father would have allowed it.

"You like her, don't you?"

"What?"

"Your district partner. You're great… friends, right?"

"Yeah… yeah we are."

"How long?"

"8 years I guess… give or take." Marvel sighs and leans back on his elbows.

"Looooonnggg time."

"Yeah I guess… what about you and her?" I nod over to where Glimmer is sleeping, her shimmering blonde hair framing her face in an almost angel-like fashion.

"Oh um, we don't, I mean she doesn't really… well, I've seen her around in 1 before I guess." Yeah… he likes her. No doubt has been watching her for years.

"Yeah, I get it…" He nods to me, and we spend the rest of our watch talking about menial stuff that neither of us really cares about and he keeps glancing back at Glimmer, in an almost protective fashion, would he die to get her out? She wouldn't for him that's for sure, but who knows.

My eyes find Clove, her small form curled up in her sleeping back, her knife jacket beside her, one knife missing, which I know for a fact will be being held tightly in her hand. Do I know too much about her? Or have I just been around her that long… I don't know… but if I want to get out, she has to die, or will I get her out? I can't decide, she's my best friend or… is it more than that?

I sigh and look back towards the trees, and to no surprise find no movement. These are the hunger games, and no time for such thoughts, and with that, my mind empties all thoughts of Clove, at least for now, and I look forward, waiting out my remaining time on watch before I too can fall asleep and forget the world and all that awaits me in this hellhole.

Okay so I hope you liked this chapter, sorry for the gore bit but I hope you see how Cato's having his doubts, will he start to think of Clove as more than a friend? Or will he shut her out completely? See in my next chapter! Review pleaaseee ^^

-Tara
xxx