A/N: Hi everyone! I know I've been gone a good long while. School got overwhelming out of nowhere and this fic got pushed to the backburner. When I finally came back to it, I just wasn't happy with the way I had things playing out for a while. So then, I thought the most logical thing to do was to rewrite the whole damn thing. But… the more I went through my notes and previous writing the more I loved the story as it was. Anyways, I'm back with a new chapter if anyone still wants it!
Also, this chapter is very long (because I feel bad making you guys wait so long) and gets pretty gruesome by the end. So please beware!
The cold metal of the cornucopia against his broken, marred body was a feeling he knew all too well. A thousand moments played in his mind as he watched the blood seep out of him onto the golden metal. The artificial moonlight reflected off of it, creating swirls of light across the crimson pool he was laying in. His vision was blurring, his head pounding, his body going numb, his final moments playing out right in front of him.
Is this what it feels like to die?
"Cato! You have to move! Please! You have to fucking move!" A muffled voice called out to him over the distant sounds of growls and snarling.
He couldn't move. He was dying, and the mutts below him were waiting impatiently. He could feel their excitement in his bones, biding their time, torturing him with the promise of what they will do to his body when he finally let go.
How did this happen? How did everything go so wrong?
Two hands gripped his shoulders roughly, pushing him closer to the edge, closer to the certain death waiting for him below.
"Cato! NO!" A voice called out for him, laced with desperation. It sounded like Katniss. His Katniss.
It couldn't be her. He was sure she had died. He watched them drag her away from him, heard the cannon fire in the air.
I failed. I failed. There's nothing left for me.
She was calling him to her, he was sure of it. Waiting for him in whatever laid beyond this world. Her face flashed in his mind, memories of their final day spent together playing in his head once more as he felt himself slip from the edge of the cornucopia and into the waiting mouths of the mutts below.
"We're nearly out of food Cato. I have to hunt." She was scowling at him. The sun fell over her tangled braid, shining with tiny hints of gold and red weaved through her black hair. He didn't want to let her out of his sight, not after coming so close to losing her. But she was right, there was only 5 of them left, and they needed the energy for the final battles in the upcoming day.
"Just let me come with you. I know how to be silent." He argued.
"You? Silent?" She scoffed at him, a small tinkle of laughter left her lips before she continued, "I could hear you coming a mile away."
"Promise you won't go too far." He resigned with a sigh.
"I promise. Now go find some berries or something. Fill every bottle we have with fresh water. We're going to need it." She gave him a peck on the cheek and disappeared into the woods silently.
He took to work. First, he had to wash off his shirt. It clung to him now, dried blood and sweat smeared across it. Katniss had done her best when she washed it just a day prior, but his wounds were still bleeding. They were nearly out of bandages and he needed to be wearing something clean to avoid infection. He winced as it was pulled over the makeshift splint Katniss had put on his arm. Cato laid it to dry on a rock by the riverbed after getting it at least somewhat clean. He could hear the voices from the Capitol in his mind about him walking around shirtless. Those pigs loved it.
"They want a show, might as well give them one." He scoffed to himself as he filled each of their canteens to the brim.
He took his time gathering various types of berries. It had been a while since he had studied the different types, which were safe to eat and which were not. Even then, he remembered the gamemakers poisoning random things in the arena to kill off more tributes. His mind flashed the Haymitch's games, the second Quarter Quell. A beautiful arena, rolling landscapes and brightly colored fruits and flowers at every corner, but the gamemakers had poisoned nearly every bit of it. To be safe, he gathered them into respective piles on the small cloth he laid on the forest floor.
As he pulled some dark purple berries off of a bush, he could have sworn he heard a soft crunch of leaves behind him. His hand flew to his sword, gripping the hilt of it as he turned his head.
"Katniss?" He asked quietly, only waiting a few moments for her reply before whipping around. There was nothing there but the soft quiet forest. He let out a breath, shaking his head as his eyes scanned the forest.
"It must be getting to you, all this time spent in this goddamn arena. You're finally fucking losing it." He mumbled to himself, turning back towards the berries. He had only picked two more before the shot of a cannon nearly wiped him off of his feet.
"Katniss!" He heard himself screaming, a muffled noise in the back of his head as the sound of the cannon echoed in his ears. He didn't care who could hear him. He barreled through the forest, his sword in his arm, screaming for her over and over again. The berries he held in his hand had been completely smushed.
"Cato!" He heard her call back; the sound of her voice was like being pulled from the water while he was drowning. All of the energy drained from his body as he collapsed to his knees on the forest floor.
She appeared out of nowhere, crashing into his side and flailing her arms around him. She was shaking, her nails were dug into his back as she gripped him tightly. It wasn't until he tried to speak that he noticed the tears streaming down his face and the lump in the back of his throat.
"I thought you were dead." She croaked out; her head shoved into the crook of his neck.
"Katniss." Her name left his lips at no more than a whisper as he finally found the strength to move again. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking her into his chest and forcing himself to take a deep breath. He held her as if he could just keep her close to him, keep her tucked away in his arms, keep her there forever and keep her safe. The berries he had been squashing in his fist slipped out of his hand next to her.
"Cato! That's nightlock!" She screamed forcing herself back from him as if he had burned her. Her eyes were angry as she pushed him back to sit on his heels, "You'd be dead in a minute".
Images of the deadly berry flashed in his head, the same berry that was now crushed beside him. He glanced at the cloth of berries he had collected, sitting only a few feet from him. He had gathered an entire pile of nightlock.
"I'm sorry." His voice came out softer than he intended, "I was having trouble keeping track of all of the different ones in my head. I forgot. I'm sorry."
Her face softened once more, pulling him back towards her as she sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I was just scared. Just scared. That's all." She whispered to him.
She pecked his lips quickly and rose to her feet, offering a hand to pull him up. The second he was standing he scooped her up in his arms, lifting her up and crashing his mouth onto hers. The kiss was heated, desperate even, their fear a lingering taste in their mouths.
"Well, If I knew you were going to kiss me like that every time you get scared of me dying, I'd go hunting more often." Katniss chided when they finally broke apart, her feet back on solid ground.
He threw her a glare, "Not funny."
It was then that they noticed the redhaired body in the distance, crumpled to the ground with the same dark purple berry juice all over her hands.
"Foxface." Katniss said, plainly.
Cato took pity on the girl. That could have been his own fate, if only he had chosen to pop a berry in his mouth as he picked them.
"She must have been following me." He answered, "I knew I heard footsteps."
Katniss only nodded at him, "Come on, let's move so the hovercraft can come."
She bent over to gather her bow and forgotten pack, and Cato moved towards the berries he had gathered. He moved to brush the nightlock off of the cloth, but something stopped him. If he could lace his sword with it like Clove had with her poison, all he would need was one nick to take out his opponent. When going up against Thresh, or even Peeta, that would be useful. He shoved them in his pants pockets quickly before wrapping up the rest of the berries.
"You ready?" She called to him.
He stood, shoving his sword back in it's sheath on his hip and turning to face her.
"Yeah, let's go."
-
"You know what would go great with this rabbit?" He asked her, popping another piece of the greasy meat in his mouth.
"What?"
"Some bread." He answered with his mouth full.
"Ooooh, or cheese." Katniss looked as if she was almost dreaming about the cheese at that moment.
There was barely any light in the cave. The temperature in the arena seemed to be dropping drastically as the sun was setting. It was now dusk, the soft blue light pouring in from the cracks in the cave's disguised entrance shined on their laps as they ate.
"I have an idea." She smiled at him, putting her food down to crawl into his lap. Her legs were on either side of him, her body flush against his. He groaned involuntarily at the contact, her hands brushing across his shoulders.
"Oh well thanks, I was getting cold." He choked out, trying to force himself to joke.
"Shut up and kiss me." She answered, crashing her mouth down to his.
He knew this was for the cameras, but he didn't care. The fire that spread through his body was too much. She moaned softly in his mouth, grinding her hips down on his a little. He moved her lips down to her neck, kissing his way down to her collarbone and back up again.
"Cato." She said his name softly before their lips met again, and he fought the urge to throw her on her back right then and there.
His kisses turned frantic as the growing hardness in his pants increased. Katniss wasn't helping at all, with her soft moans and moving her hips. Their tongues danced, softly gliding over one another as they kissed. His heart filled with love for her, a passion he had never felt before seemed to be taking over his every move.
"Cato." She spoke against his lips, trying to pull back. He cupped her cheek, keeping her lips on his and sliding his fingers into the plaits of her hair. His other hand slipped beneath her shirt, his fingers drifting over her back where the tape and bandages met her soft creamy skin.
"I love you." He breathed, dipping his head to plant more kisses on her neck.
"Cato!" She pulled away from him, two tiny hands on his shoulders pushing his back into the cave wall.
"God woman, you're going to be the death of me." He groaned, leaning his head back and taking a deep breath.
"Do you hear that?" She asked.
He sighed, "The cameras, I know. I'm sorry, you're kind of hard to resist."
"No dumbass" She tapped the side of his head, right above his ears "Listen."
The soft ringing of a parachute, a sponsor gift, was flitting about in their cave. Katniss sprang off of him when she noticed the recognition in his eyes. She pulled it through the narrow opening they left in the cave, revealing a picnic basket full of various breads and cheeses and a thermos.
"Oh my Katniss, you evil little thing!" He chided, "You used me for bread and cheese."
Katniss said nothing, already shoving a roll smeared with a creamy white cheese in her mouth with a moan.
"Well, I feel just absolutely dirty and used." He joked, with a fake look of disgust on his face.
Katniss leaned forward, her mouth still full as she pecked him on the cheek, "Shut up and eat."
"Well, they definitely want us all together." He sighed, squeezing back into the cave with the empty canteen.
"What's the matter?" Katniss looked up from her position on the floor, packing everything back into the packs.
"River's bone dry. If I had to guess, the only water source left would be the lake." He answered, picking up one of the smaller canteens and taking a sip.
"Oh." She answered, a strange look on her face, "Well, I guess we're heading towards the lake then."
He could tell she was afraid. He was afraid. He could feel it in the air when he woke up this morning. This was it. It was all coming to a head now, and anything could happen.
All it would take is one moment, one mistake, one twist from the gamemakers and they would both be dead.
Katniss stood, throwing the pack over to him and swinging her own on her back. She strapped her quiver on as well and slung her bow over.
"Did you know we have this?" She leaned over, picking up something from a rock.
"What is it?" He asked, adjusting the straps on his own pack.
"I think it's a real splint, and some pills. Probably painkillers. I totally forgot that you got a pack from the feast too." She motioned for him.
Her hands shook as she unwrapped the makeshift splint from his arm. She frowned at the bruised skin, running the tops of her fingers over his wrist. He barely noticed the pain, only the fire spreading up his arm where she touched. She leaned forward gently, placing a feather light kiss on his wrist.
To anyone watching, they would have seen the absolute love and adoration in his eyes as he looked down at her. He couldn't remember the last time he felt loved, cherished, had someone there to take care of his injuries and place healing kisses on them. In the face of what lay ahead, that tiny action gave him a renewed sense of hope. He would never allow anything to harm her, and if he died, he could die knowing that, at least for one moment, he was loved.
He winced in pain as she tightened the strap on the new splint, sucking in a breath between his teeth. "I know, I'm sorry." Katniss said softly, securing the Velcro in place. She popped two little white pills in his hand and was met with a smile as he took them. She didn't respond, just looked down at the rocks below them.
"Hey" He put his finger under her chin, tilting her head up to him, "Where'd that fire go, love?"
She frowned, her eyes meeting his, "I'm afraid."
"I know, me too. We'll be alright. I promise I won't let anything happen to you." He reassured her; his hands cupped her cheeks as he placed a kiss on her forehead. A silent promise.
"I don't want to do this." She whispered, so low he could barely hear it. She rested her forehead on his chest. He knew what she meant. Only Peeta and Thresh were left, two people that didn't deserve to die. She didn't want to kill them, neither did he. Voicing this was certain to piss off the gamemakers, so he said nothing. Just nodded his head so she knew he agreed.
"We don't really have a choice, Kitty" He smiled. He could nearly feel the fire rush back into her body.
"What did I tell you about calling you that?" She pushed away from him, that all too familiar scowl on her face.
"Ah, there's my girl." He smirked, earning an even deeper scowl. He leaned forward, placing a quick kiss on her forehead, and grabbing her hand.
"C'mon girl on fire, let's get this over with."
-
The arena was quiet, too quiet. No birds, no wind, no rustling leaves from the small animals roaming about. Cato was on high alert, walking as quiet as possible next to Katniss with his eyes scanning all around them. It wasn't until darkness started to fall quickly at what would have been 1 pm that his heart started to race. They weren't far from the edge of the forest. His hand found hers, both sweaty and clammy. He looked deep inside himself, trying to find the person he became when he fought Clove.
"What's happening?" Katniss whispered to him. Instinctively he pulled her in front of him, eyes scanning all around.
His voice was solemn when he answered, "The finale."
Thousands of voices rang out in his head, every trainer he ever had at the Academy, Brutus, his father, Haymitch, it all led up to this moment.
Suddenly, the wind blew. Hard and fast, and the sound of leaves rustling filled his ears. He flipped around, drawing his sword. He could hear Katniss knock a bow, and there they stood. Back-to-back, with their eyes scanning the forest around them, their breath came in heavy pants masked by the wind blowing around them.
Off in the distance, there was a sound of footsteps. Not people, mutts. A soft growl in the distance was all it took for them to spring into action.
"RUN!" Katniss screamed. He let her lead the way, sprinting as hard as they could as the sounds grew nearer and nearer. There was a log in their path, and Katniss gracefully hopped over it. It was Cato who tripped, his eyes glancing backwards for only a moment.
"Keep going!" He called out for her, forcing himself to his feet and letting them gain on him instead of her. But she stopped, taking aim on something behind him and firing within seconds. By the howl of pain and whimper behind him, he could tell she had hit her target.
"Let's go!" She called out, continuing to run. A figure jumped out of the dark, windy forest. He barely even registered it, big-toothed jaw snapping, a snarl, shining black fur. He plunged forward with his sword slicing the dog's neck before it reached her. The wolfs and howls behind him were growing louder and louder, and he kicked the mutt off his sword before sprinting forward once more.
When they finally broke the tree line, they saw that they were not the only ones in danger. Thresh, helping along a limping Peeta, was running into the field as well. Blood was pouring from both of the boys as another pack of dogs followed and nipped at their heels.
"Get to the cornucopia and climb Katniss!" He screamed for her, his voice barely carrying over the wind. She knocked another arrow, firing at one of the mutts chasing Peeta and Thresh and landing it directly in the skull of the mutt.
It was at that second all hell broke loose.
Another group of mutts appeared by the lake, cutting both sets of tributes off from reaching the cornucopia. Cato could barely make out what was happening around them as a mutt jumped forward at it. He swung with his sword, slicing the beast's paw off and then twisting around to stab its neck. He heard another coming up behind him, and he slung his pack off and threw it to the left, hoping they would go after the smell of the food. He stabbed the second mutt just as a third jumped on him, knocking him to the ground and digging its jaw into his neck.
It's eyes. Dull, green eyes with a dirty blonde coat, a golden collar around its neck with a shining tag.
1
Marvel.
He turned his head, avoiding the spray of blood as he shoved his sword upwards into its chest. He could see Thresh go down as well, swinging his sickle as a red-haired mutt forced him to the ground, tearing at his leg.
Foxface.
He could see Peeta barely making it to the cornucopia, scrambling to get a grip on the smooth metal as a mutt grabbed a hold of his leg. He screamed out as pain as Cato forced himself to get to his feet.
"Katniss, where are you?"
Another mutt ran at Cato, met with a brutal swipe from his sword, and ended up decapitated. He spun around stabbing at another that swung forward with its claws and scratched at his eye. He could feel blood pour from the wound marring his face as he forced his sword into its chest, only then noticing the golden number 2 collar on its neck and the silky black coat.
Clove's revenge.
He spun around, charging at another mutt when an arrow shot out and hit it directly in the heart. He followed the source of it. His eyes found Katniss only as a mutt tackled her to the side. Its claws ripped at her skin, blood spraying as its jaws sunk into her side. His blood boiled, he ran faster than he ever had in his life, slicing through another mutt that got in his way as he heard her blood-curdling scream. He charged at the overgrown dog, blood clouding his vision and sank his blade directly in its back. He stepped in front of Katniss's nearly unconscious body and charged at another mutt. Just as he swung at it, a blonde-haired mutt charged at him from the side, knocking him to the ground and digging it's claws in his chest. He screamed in pain as he stabbed the disgusting recreation of Glimmer and forced himself to his feet once more, but when he turned around Katniss wasn't there. She was screaming, kicking, and flailing as a curly black-haired mutt drug her with its teeth sunk in her arm. Its vicious brown eyes glared at him as another one began running towards him, and he didn't need to see its collar to know that the mutt that had Katniss was Rue.
"NO!" He tried to scream, tried to run to her, but sharp claws dug deep in his leg and threw him to the ground. He watched as multiple mutts ran towards Katniss surrounding her with growls and snarls as he forced himself forward. The mutt's claws scraped down his leg, but all he could hear was Katniss screaming.
Another mutt pounced on him, digging its teeth into the same leg the first one had. Cato felt his flesh ripping blood pouring from the wound as his bones snapped.
And then the cannon fired. Blood was pouring in his face, but where there was once a swarm of mutts surrounding Katniss laid only a mangled, bloody mess of a body.
His scream of pain had nothing to do with his leg. He forced his sword into the neck of the mutt on him and tried to run to her. His leg barely moved. Pain. The worst pain he has ever felt in his life as he forced himself to stand. Another pack of them were running towards him, forcing him back in the direction of the cornucopia. He turned and swung, slicing open the chest of the mutt that was about to pounce on him, and nearly running directly into the cold metal of the cornucopia. He could barely think, barely breathe, his body was running solely on instincts as he grabbed a hold of the horn and forced himself to the top.
Just as he got his chest on the very top, one of them jumped its deadly claws slicing open his arm as he swung his sword into its chest. He forced himself to the top of the cornucopia and collapsed in pain. It could have been physical, it could have been emotional, all he knew was he would have been better off dead.
"Peeta, stop!" He heard the sound of her voice again as his legs began to dangle over the edge.
Peeta?
He lifted his head, only to see the blonde baker boy over him, pushing him farther and farther. And beyond him, Katniss with her arrow aimed directly at Peeta's skull. At the sight of her, he scrambled fighting against the boy and gripping onto the sides of the cornucopia. But the blood, there was too much blood on the surface, and he couldn't get a grip.
"I'm sorry Peeta" He heard Katniss cry once before the telltale sound of an arrow piercing through the air. It landed directly in his shoulder, sending the boy flying over the edge and into the swarm of dogs below. Cato grappled with the edge when a small bloody hand grabbed his own, a beautiful voice crying out in pain as she fought to keep him on the structure. The all too familiar fire rushed through his body, cleansing him of the pain, and giving him a new strength to pull his body back up.
There was a flurry of movement around him, rolling him onto his back, crying, a kiss planted on his cheek. He could barely see her, only the bright light from the moon shining down on there.
"The moon." He croaked out, feeling himself grow weaker and weaker and more blood flowed out of his body. He wasn't convinced she wasn't an angel.
"I said I would give you the moon, Katniss." He was delirious, the pain coursing through his body. He felt something being wrapped around his leg, tiny nimble fingers. The sound of the mutts below, Peeta's screaming, growling and snarling caused tears to finally start falling from his eyes.
"I don't want the fucking moon; I want you to stop dying." Her voice growled at him, just before she yanked on the tourniquet, tightening it around his leg. He screamed out as white, blinding pain shot through his entire body. All he could do while she worked was scream. He cried out in pain as she wiped the blood from his face, forcing him to hold pressure on it with his one good arm as she tied another tourniquet on his other arm. He could hear her sobbing as she worked, finally forcing himself to stop screaming.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I love you. I'm sorry" She cried out, tying off the second tourniquet.
"I thought you were dead." He croaked out, feeling the pain start to subside a little.
"Thresh saved me." She answered, placing her hand on top of his before crashing her lips onto his. He could feel her tears dripping in his face.
The sound of the cannon fired: the final cannon. Katniss sobbed against his lips.
"We won." He sighed, wrapping his only free arm around her.
"We won!" She cried against him, letting out a deep breath against his neck.
"Here, help me sit up." He cried out in pain as she wrapped her arms around him pulling him upwards and into a sitting position. Adrenaline coursed in his veins as he wrapped his arms around her, a strangled laugh left his lips as the cloth fell away from his face.
"Why aren't they announcing it?" She said into his shoulder. Just then, a voice rang out in the arena,
"Ladies and Gentlemen: The previous rule change allowing one male and one female tribute to be crowned together has been revoked. May the odds be ever in your favor!"