I am startled awake by the sound of growling. Wait... growling? That can't be good. I reach for my bow only to realize that it isn't by my side. Damn! I grab the next best thing: a rock. It won't do much good against a vicious beast, but maybe my death will give the others a chance to escape.

Peeta stirs beside me. "What's making that noise?" He looks to me for an answer, but all I can do is shrug. It can be anything.

I crawl out of the sleeping bag and make my way toward the entrance of the tunnel. I peer out into the main tunnel and nearly shrink back in fear. A cougar is standing about three yards from me, sniffing at some blood left by the deer I killed earlier.

I see movement in my peripheral vision and quickly realize it's Peeta. "What are you doing?"

"I think I can get to our weapons without it noticing me," he says.

"No," I whisper angrily. I know how predators work. As soon as he moves, the cougar will see him and attack. If he runs, it will give chase. "Let me handle it."

"You can't be serious. All you've got is a rock!" He makes an attempt to take it from me but ends up knocking it out of my hand. The rock slips through my fingers and crashes to the ground.

We stare at the rock in stunned silence. My temper flares and I'm about to yell at him when I remember the situation we're in. The cougar has already been alerted to our presence, and my voice will only draw more attention to us.

Peeta's hands are shaking as he bends down to pick it up. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

I see a strange determination in his blue eyes, as if he has made up his mind about something. What is he planning to do? I search his face for answers, and that's when I see the sad smile on his lips. He's going to sacrifice himself for me!

He walks out of the tunnel before I can stop him. "Katniss, I love you."

The cougar's eyes lock onto his, and they stare each other down for what seems like hours. Then the beast takes a few slow steps forward, making a low growling sound. It stops about a yard away from him and waits patiently for him to make the first move.

Peeta stands motionless in front of the cougar, his arms raised defensively. It's going to kill him! He's going to die saving my life, and that is not okay with me. How dare he be so willing to sacrifice himself for me! My life isn't more important than his.

The beast decides that it's tired of waiting and gets ready to pounce. At the last second, I leap out from my hiding spot and tackle Peeta to the ground, successfully protecting him from the lethal attack. "Peeta Mellark, how dare you consider leaving me!" The words are barely out of my mouth when I feel its paw on my back. This is it. It will go for my neck, and I will die rather quickly.

I brace myself for an attack that never comes. The weight lifts from my back, followed by a thud. The cougar is lying on the ground, dead from a wound to the chest. Haymitch saunters over to it and retrieves a knife that is lodged in its body. He wipes it clean.

"Did you ever think of killing it?" he asks angrily. "Coming back from scouting the area to find one of you dead and the other crying isn't something I want to deal with!" His face softens when he sees our frightened expressions. "I get it. You were just trying to protect each other." Haymitch grabs the cougar and drags it outside before we can respond.

Peeta forces a laugh. "Did he just lecture us on how not to fight a cougar?"

I can feel my anger rising again, threatening to spill out of every pore in my body. "Don't you ever sacrifice yourself for me." Then I do something unexpected: I slap him across the face.

"Katniss..." He touches the red mark I left on his cheek.

I swiftly get to my feet and retreat into the forest before I start crying in front of him. The tears are streaming down my face by the time I reach the trees, where Haymitch is disposing of the cougar's body. He gives me a hard look, as if asking me what I've done now.

"I don't want to talk about it," I say as I pass by.

I find a nice tree to sit in while I cry. The cougar attack made me realize just how powerless I really am. Without my bow, I couldn't even protect Peeta from an overgrown cat! I would have died if Haymitch hadn't shown up. If I die, who will keep the others safe? I can't rely on Haymitch, because he brought his liquor with him. My mother doesn't know much about the forest; and Prim and Lavash are just kids. That only leaves Peeta...

I don't want to leave this weight on someone else's shoulders. The burden of keeping my loved ones alive is mine to bare. I've done a pretty good job so far. Lavash has a broken arm, but it will heal; my mother has a head injury, but it isn't too severe; Peeta nearly died from hypothermia, but I kept him warm. I can protect them. I have to protect them.

We have been wandering since we escaped District 12, but that ends now. I will find us a permanent place to live, somewhere we can call home. We will build shelters to sleep in; an infirmary where my mother can treat the sick or injured; and a pantry where we can store food. It will be like our own little town.

After hours of solitude, Prim comes to visit me. "Everyone is worried about you, Katniss."

I climb down from the tree, my eyes swollen from crying. "I'm sorry to worry you, little duck."

She offers me a small smile and holds out her hands. "Here. For you. I thought you might be hungry." Prim drops some blackberries into my palm, and I quickly stuff them into my mouth.

"Thanks."

She notices my puffy eyes and frowns. "Why were you crying? Is it because of us?"

Truthfully, I had been crying because I was unable to keep them safe, but I have kept them alive. I've never mentioned my fears to anyone, let alone my little sister. There isn't any reason for her to think that. "Of course not."

"Even I know that you're better off without us," she says calmly. "You could easily survive in the forest alone."

It's true. I can survive on my own, but what would be the point of living without the others? I brought them with me to keep them out of danger. District 12 has become a place of cruelty and violence. I didn't want any of them to be tortured by the peacekeepers while I escaped alone. "I could never leave you behind."

"I know what you're doing. You're looking after us, but who will be looking after you?" She reaches out to take my hand. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you."