I put the fanfiction app on my phone again- something I perhaps should have done long ago- so now I have SOME notifications at least! Emails and view counts are still not working but you know what? I'm over it now. I have bigger problems.

(Read and review) (please)

Primrose

I wake up early, again. This time it's not from Hiron's face mere inches from mine. It's Rye's urgent call, panic that threatens to pull me under. I sit bolt upright, ignoring my creaky neck and sore legs. It takes a moment to remember where I am, another to figure out why I'm so scared. Rye is crouched at the mouth of the cave, pointing shakily.

Jewel is with him. The first thing I hear her say is, "…and they definitely know we're here."

My voice shakes. "What knows we're here?"

Before either of them can answer, the first wolf leaps into the cave, spraying rocks at grit everywhere. White with red eyes, bigger than I ever imagined a wolf could be, snarling with fury.

I scream, ensuring Maris and Hiron wake up too. We all scramble to our feet at the same time, while Rye and Jewel jump back. The wolf isn't alone. There's a whole pack of them, squeezing into the cave and gnashing their teeth.

I can feel my heartbeat in my entire body. I'm paralyzed; I can't do anything but continue to scream. Hiron grabs my arm. "Into the cave! NOW!"

"We're already in the cave," Maris mutters, still only half-awake.

Hiron yanks on her arm too. "Deeper into the cave! Hurry!"

"You mean where the bear is?" Jewel hisses, even as she shoves past us.

"There is no bear!" Hiron insists, and even if he's wrong, I think one bear is preferable to a dozen freaking wolves!

I'm still frozen. Hiron has to shove me into the crevice. I scrape my hands catching myself, but the wolves snapping at our heels prevent me from being upset about that. I pick myself up and look around- I thought it would be dark; it's not dark. There's a dim glow that lights the room- I have no idea where it's coming from and no time to find out. We have to keep running. The wolves are giving chase, and why wouldn't they? We're the only decent prey in this godforsaken arena.

I never swear, but I'm thinking every bad word I know right now.

"This way!" calls Rye. I've never thought of him as very fast, but he's leading the pack now. Adrenaline, I guess. I know it's doing a number on me.

The cave system is much bigger than I realized. It expands into chamber after chamber, with forks and wonders that we don't dare explore. We need to stick together, now more than ever. I wish I'd thought to bring my weapon. Maris did, and she wallops one of the wolves that gets too close, buying us a little more time.

I don't know how long or how far we run. Different chambers and crevices, scrapes and scratches for everyone, and a chill seeping into my bones despite my burning legs. Maris defends us from the back. Rye keeps us moving forward. I pant and wheeze and try to keep up.

"I don't think-" I pant. "I can't make it much longer!"

Hiron snarls at me- for a moment, it feels like we are enemies. "You don't have a choice!"

His words jolt through me and I find another burst of energy- but adrenaline will only keep me going for so long. We never seem to get ahead or behind, either. The wolves are playing with us, I'm almost certain. They match our pace easily, nipping at stragglers but never actually clamping down. They're going to insist on having us cornered before they end the fight.

But how long can we avoid being cornered? In the dim light- or in some cases, no light at all- you don't know where the wall is until you hit it. Someone's going to make a mistake and get dragged down.

I stumble after Hiron into a round, oddly well-lit room. The lighting rapidly becomes the least interesting thing about the room. There are no exits. There are also bones everywhere, and I'm just about knocked out by the scent of bear and decay. I have a strong stomach- the role of a healer demands it- but the smell plus having sprinted for what feels like hours nearly makes me vomit. I guess I should just be grateful there's not an actual bear in here with us.

The wolves are right on our heels; we can't turn back. I knew they'd corner us eventually. I fight the urge to scream again (realistically, I'm breathing too heavily to waste any of it on screaming) and press my back to the wall of stone. I'll face it head on, at least. That's all I can do; I have no means with which to defend myself.

I just hope Katniss will be proud of me.

"I'll hold 'em off!" yells Maris. Brave Maris and her shovel are the only thing standing between us and certain death. I know from experience she's quite fierce, but still; I do not like those odds.

She puts up a good fight; she really does. But there's a lot of wolves and only one Maris. She gets knocked down with a yelp that doesn't sound like her at all and the first wolf leaps into the cave. Now I do scream and cover my head with my hands. Cowardly, I know, but I'm in no position to care about being called a coward. I was never going to be "Primrose the Brave" anyway.

Just when I've decided death is inevitable, life surprises me yet again. Instead of attacking us, the wolf cries out- not the pained yap of being hit with a shovel, but a high-pitched whimper of fear. I dare to peek between my fingers. What does nature's ultimate predator have to fear from a cornered quintet of kids?

I quickly realize it's not us. It's the cave, and more importantly, the reek of bear scent. I don't know how smart wolves are, but they apparently have some margin of common sense because they turn tail and run.

A couple heartbeats. I'm aware of nothing but my own ragged breathing. They're leaving. We'll be fine. They're leaving. I'm okay.

But wait. Enough about me. What about Maris?

My healer's instincts kick in and I rush to her side. There's a good deal of blood on her face, but she's already scrambling to her feet. I don't bother telling her to sit down to be examined. I know exactly how that would go. "Are you okay?" I ask instead. "That was really brave."

She just shrugs. "Death before dishonor."

I'm sure she means it. I'm not sure if she's trying to make me feel bad about myself or if it's just one of those fun tidbits Maris likes to share about herself. Even if it is the former, the won't work on me. I'm studying the gash on her eyebrow; it's not bleeding very much but there's a flap of skin hanging off that worries me. "Eesh. Maris, you should probably-"

Maris ducks away. "Leave me alone!"

"If I don't treat it, it'll scar."

"I hope it scars!"

I try to be patient with her, although with the way Maris picks fights, I'm sure she has more scars than she needs already. She has an attitude I typically only associate with the old miner men Mom and I have to fix up sometimes. Many of them try to refuse medical treatment too, but that's dumb and they should just sit still and let me work.

There's not much point getting into it with Maris, though. She'll do whatever she wants anyway, and there's not much I can do for her until we get to the surface, anyway.

Ifwe make it to the surface.

"Is everyone else okay?" I call tentatively. "Okay" is kind of a strong word, to be honest. I'm still shaking like a leaf. Hiron's coat is split down the back, presumably from a set of claws. And every single one of us has run into a wall in the last ten minutes.

"As okay as we can be!" Hiron replies in a chipper tone, ever the optimist. "And at least now we know the bear is really dead!"

I personally don't have any optimism in me right now. "You're all okay?" I ask again. "Everybody?"

There are a couple vague murmurs of "fine". I let my shoulders sag. Then I turn to the far side of the room and puke my guts up.

§

It's hours before we're brave enough to venture back to the surface. Jewel scouts ahead before calling the rest of us out of the den. Even so, I'm nervous, looking twice around every corner. It's not that I don't trust her. It's that I've never been this close to dying before, and I never want to be again.

Even when we make it back to the entrance chamber, the shakes persevere. I know the wolves are gone- the first thing Maris does is check the exit for wolf tracks leading away from us, and there they are. The first thing Hiron does is gather up his precious mines, which got scattered everywhere when the wolf pack came through. All the fish we had stockpiled is gone too. It wasn't much, but it was something, and my stomach is growling in protest.

"I think we need to be more aggressive," Maris declares as she saunters back into the cave. Her eyebrow wound is already swelling up. I desperately want to get it cleaned up properly, but I know interrupting Maris could kill me just as easily as the wolves.

"Aggressive is good," Hiron agrees. He turns one of the mines over in his hand. "I'm sure I can still get these in working order. I just need more time."

It is abundantly clear that's not what Maris meant. She scoffs at him, then winces because of her torn brow. "Seriously? You still think playing mad scientist is worth our while? We need to actually get out there and quit messing around!"

Hiron frowns- even though I've only seen him under the worst circumstances, I know it's rare for him to frown. "Of course it's worth our while. If I can get this right, we'll take out the rest of the competition without even lifting a finger!"

Jewel looks dubious too, but she's ever-controlled and doesn't raise her voice at all. "How do we know this isn't a trap, Hiron?"

It makes me shudder just to think about it. I've gotten too used to considering Hiron and all of them my friends, even Maris. I guess I need the reminder that someday, probably sooner than later, we will all have to learn to be enemies.

"It is a trap," he confirms. My blood runs cold for a second. "...but not for you guys. We'll lure Seven, Eight, and Eleven right into a minefield. I'll be with you every step of the way, I promise."

"Or we could just go beat them with shovels right now," Maris puts in. She's a real problem-solver; I have to give her that. Completely disregarding her penchant for problem starting. "Why waste time?"

My first thought is why not? The longer we wait to take the rest of the competition out- provided we are even capable- the longer before we have to turn against each other. Naive as it may be, I want things to stay the way they are for as long as they possibly can.

So I say, "I'm with Hiron."

That earns me a dirty look from Maris- why am I not surprised? Rye gives me a little nod- we are teammates, after all- and Jewel eventually relents too. Mines it is, for better or for worse.

"You guys are ridiculous," Maris mutters under her breath. I know how much she hates being beat. "I can't believe you think the stupid bombs are going to work. Maybe you'll all get blown up, and I can win."

"Statistically speaking, you have a chance at winning no matter what," Jewel puts in. "Maybe slightly more, if you continue to work with us."

"As long as you don't get attached, of course," Hiron puts in with a smirk. I guess that means it hasn't been a problem for him. It's not so easy for me.

For whatever reason, this seems to irritate Maris, and she pulls back her fist as if to punch him. Hiron ducks away reflexively, proving he does still possess something akin to common sense. "Okay, okay, I'll be quiet. Let's forget about the mine thing for now- I'll go get us some breakfast!"

"At least you're good for something," Maris grumbles, storming off.

"Prim, you go too," Jewel orders. "Somebody needs to stand guard. We'll get camp cleaned up and start a fire."

"Me?" I squeak. "Are you sure you want me to stand guard? Shouldn't it be someone, y'know, bigger?"

"Aww, Prim, you're ferocious in your own way," Hiron tells me, nudging me with his elbow. You'd think he'd be keener on having someone tougher as his guard, but I can't pretend to understand Hiron. "Let's go before they change their minds!"

Hiron is a tornado; I am an uprooted sapling. Without having much of a choice, I go along with him while Jewel and Rye begin to tidy up. I pick up one of the shovels we left in camp and Hiron grabs his homemade fishing pole- fortunately, the wolves left that alone.

I sneak one last look at Rye before we leave. It feels wrong for us to separate. He's my only real ally; even deciding to trust Hiron doesn't change that. But I guess that's just one more thing I'm supposed to be a grown-up about.

I have to squint when I first step out of the cave. I've spent too much time underground- the mild daylight hurts my eyes. Hiron, of course, doesn't seem to be affected by it- he sets off at a brisk pace and expects me to follow. I jog to catch up. Vision or no vision, nothing is worse than being alone.

The snow crunches pleasantly under my boots- we haven't quite worn a smooth path to the lake yet. Maybe that's better, maybe that makes it less likely other tributes will track us back to our camp. But if they really wanted to, they could. So I just hope none of them want to.

I thought being out in the open would make me nervous, but I actually feel oddly safe. I think being cornered by wolves has ruined enclosed spaces for me. Being able to see in every direction- albeit with some blockage from the pine trees- puts me at ease.

A couple mockingjays flutter overhead. Hiron immediately takes to whistling, trying to catch their attention. The birds don't seem to notice, but I grin, despite the situation. "My dad used to do that. But when he sang, the birds would actually stop to listen."

Hiron shrugs. "Well, that's singing. I'm just whistling. Totally different."

"You could try singing."

He laughs. I think, if i was a bird, I'd stop and listen to that laugh. "No way. Not in front of you!"

"What, you're not good at it?"

"Not even a little," he says wistfully. "You, though. I bet you're great."

I shake my head. "No, I'm awful. My sister Katniss, though- you should hear her sing."

As always, thinking of Katniss makes my heart ache. I miss her so much, and I wish she was here. Even though she'd probably be mad at me for revealing her secret singing talent on live TV. Katniss hardly ever sings anymore.

"I think I'd rather hear you," says Hiron. "No matter how bad you are."

I'm so flattered I have to look away. "Nope, your tricks won't work on me. You're not going to hear me sing, no matter what."

"Some other time, then."

"Sure." Realistically, neither of us has much time left at all. But it's nice to pretend. "Some other time."

I'm not at all enthusiastic about stepping onto the ice, but I really want to do a good job of standing guard for Hiron, so I do it anyway. It seems to hold us just fine, although I stay tensed and ready to leap back at any moment. I fully expect to die in this arena, but it's not going to be from drowning or hypothermia. I'd take the wolves over that any day.

We settle around the hole Maris chopped in the ice and wait. I don't know much about fishing, but I know patience is a key element- not my strong suit, unfortunately. It makes me worry there won't be any fish at all, and we'll have to go hungry for the day or hope someone will sponsor us, which seems unlikely. We're here as punishment- the Capitol is probably blocking any and all attempts to help us, making it all the more likely we're the first to lose.

"So you have a sister," Hiron states. "What's she like? Would I like her?"

I pause, picturing Katniss in my head. It feels like it's been so long since I've seen her or spoken to her, and I miss her so much it hurts. "Well…you might like her. She's very stubborn, but she's super smart and a great sister. She definitely wouldn't like you, though."

"Impossible!" he declares.

I shake my head. "Sorry, but it's true. She'd think you're weird."

"I am not weird," Hiron replies indignantly. "I mean...maybe a little weird. But still likable."

"Well, okay," I concede. "Maybe she'd like you a little, just because we're on the same team."

For now hangs in the air determinedly, neither of us willing to speak it out loud. The tension dissipates when Hiron whoops excitedly and hauls his first fish out of the hole. I don't know enough about fish to identify its species, but it's gray and big enough to feed two or three of us, so I am overjoyed as well.

"Do you think I'm weird too?" asks Hiron, once his hook is back in the water.

I shrug. "Not in a bad way. In a fun way."

"I can live with that, I guess." He gives me a cheeky grin that lets me know he's just joking around. I appreciate that, even though things are bad and we'll probably be dead within a week, he's still willing to try and have fun. I can't imagine Jewel or Rye doing that.

"Do you want to try?" Hiron asks once he's caught a second fish.

I'm hesitant, but I take the pole from his hands and give it a shot. It didn't look hard when he was doing it, but I still mess up a couple times. Mainly, I start pulling the line up when there's not actually anything biting, just a nibble or a current messing with the hook. "Just wait for my signal," Hiron tells me encouragingly. He is unerringly patient, something I could never claim.

"I used to do the same thing, when I was learning how to fish with a pole," says Hiron. I think he's trying to distract me from just staring down my line, but I'm willing to let him. "I was only four or so; I guess that sort of makes a difference. But I drove my sister nuts, scaring all the fish away while she was trying to teach me."

"I bet you were better at four than I am now," I joke.

He shrugs. "If I was, it's only 'cause they started me when I was three. Just with a net in the tide pools, but still, it was something."

I can easily picture a three-year-old Hiron toddling around on the beach with a miniature net in hand. The thought actually makes me smile.

"Hey! Hey, that's a bite, Prim, pull up!"

I instinctively yank upwards on the pole, but apparently there's supposed to be some nuance to that as well. It gets the fish out of the water, yes. But it flies off the hook and slides across the ice.

Hiron bursts out laughing, even as he's scrambling to his feet to catch it. Well, not "catch" it, exactly. More so just to put it out of its misery. The fish isn't really going anywhere, just flopping around like, well, a fish.

"I'm so sorry!" I cry, nearly dropping the pole as I scramble to my feet. Hiron has yet to stop laughing, so typical of him.

"It's alright, Prim," he tells me as he adds my fish to his collection. "That's not exactly how I'd suggest you do it, but you got the job done, right?"

My shoulders sag in relief. I don't know why I thought he'd be mad. "I guess I did, yeah. But I feel bad for flinging the poor fish around."

"I'm sure he forgives you. I mean, he would if fish had the mental capacity for that sort of thing."

That makes me feel a little better, but I still refuse to look at the trio of dead fish he's carrying. If I had a choice, I wouldn't eat any animals, I think, even fish. But just like everything else in my life lately, I don't really have any choice at all.

§

Jewel keeps her promise. By the time we get back to camp, a fire is roaring outside the cave. Maris is tending it- she doesn't look thrilled about it, and her brow is crustier than ever- and Jewel is sharpening a stick with rock. Despite her best efforts, the stick still looks about as sharp as a chair leg.

"Breakfast is here!" Hiron calls cheerfully, waving the fish triumphantly. "Well…lunch. Or dinner? I don't know what time it is."

"About time," Maris mutters under her breath. Jewel, much more polite, takes the fish from us and forces them onto her not-at-all-sharp roasting stick. I have to look away for that too.

I sit down by the fire, eager to get warm again. Hiron doesn't join me- he runs off to talk to Rye, probably re-enacting my launching of the fish. Great. The real surprise is that Maris joins me, sitting cross-legged a mere two feet away. Again, she does not look thrilled. But she is here.

"You look like you had fun," she says sourly, staring into the fire instead of looking at me. She's hunched over like she's really mad about something. Given that I've never seen Maris anything other than "really mad", this checks out.

"It wasn't fun; I was on guard duty!" I protest.

She rolls her eyes. I'm sure this pains her but for Maris, there is nothing more important than being snippy. "Oh, please. Anyone with eyes can see it."

See what? I take a deep breath and determine that this must be a test from the universe, and being nice to Maris is probably the greatest source of karma known to man. Maybe I can accrue enough to get me out of here alive. "Speaking of eyes, Maris, I really wish you'd let me clean up that gouge. Yes, it's going to hurt, but if it gets infected…"

She eyes me suspiciously. "…how much would it hurt?"

I figure there's no point lying to Maris. "A lot, probably. It looks deep, I think you've already got dirt in it, and I see pus, so I'm going to really have to scrub."

She nods sagely, as if this is a test and I have passed. "I'll bite down on a stick."

And just like that, she has agreed.

I wish I had some method of sanitation and not just snowmelt, but we're making do with what we have. Maris sits with her back against a tree and jams a stick between her teeth. I'm as gentle as I can be, but there's not really a nice way to scrub out a wound like this. Maybe if it was fresh, I guess, but not like this.

To Maris's credit, she actually sits very still. She snarls at me like an animal, but she more or less lets me work. I'm relieved to find that the wound isn't as bad as it looked on the outside. Once all the debris is gone, it actually seems relatively minor. The trick will be keeping it clean without any sort of bandage, but at least we're surrounded by clean snow.

Maris tosses her bite stick and spits out a few pieces of bark. She doesn't thank me, but she does give me a small nod that makes me think she might be grateful. It's Maris. I've learned to hold her to different standards.

The fish is ready; we all sit around the fire. Rye hands me my portion, and I'm so hungry that I can't even complain about having to eat with my hands or the fact that Hiron missed a few scales when he was cleaning the fish. We're in a whole different world right now; my standards have no place here.

"Your eye is disgusting, Maris," Hiron tells her cheerfully. "You should get a patch for it!"

I expect her to, at the very least, threaten to kill him, but she actually seems to take it as a compliment. "You think so? I want people to see the scar, though. If it scars."

"It'll scar," I promise her. I can tell it's what she wants to hear, and as a bonus, it is true. "You might have to shave your eyebrow if you want people to see it, though."

"I can live with that." I don't think I've ever heard her sound so cheerful. Thank goodness for bodily harm, I guess.

We only brought back enough fish for one small meal- Hiron theorized that the wolves may have come because they smelled the leftover fish in our cave. Even though a stockpile of food would be nice in case something happens to the supply in the lake, we will not be making that mistake again. I think we're all still hungry after the food is gone, but we stay around the fire and chat anyway. None of us relish hunkering down in the cave again.

"There's something else," Rye announces. "When we were in the bear's den, did anyone else notice there were bones everywhere?"

Now that I think about it, I do remember some unpleasant crunching under my feet. It hadn't seemed important at the time.

"So that means there must be some kind of prey in this arena," Jewel deduces. "Besides fish. Bears eat fish, but those weren't fish bones."

Thank you for the bears lesson, Jewel.

"They were probably wolf bones," I put in. "The wolves were scared of the bear. So the bear must hunt the wolves."

"So that's no good to us, then," Hiron sighs. "It'd be great to have another source of food, but there's no way we could hunt wolves."

"Hey, if I got one alone, I could take it!" Maris says heatedly.

"What are the odds of that, Maris?!"

Ooooookay, we seem to be getting a little bit cranky. "I hope we just never see the wolves ever again," I declare. That's something everyone can agree with, right? Right?!

"Yeah, you're right, Prim." Thank God for Rye. "…but regardless, I think we should double up on watch tonight."

We all groan, even though we know it's a good idea. The last thing we need is more wolves crashing the party.

"I'll take first watch," Hiron offers with a good-natured smile. "I want to work on my mines, anyway."

That brings up a second round of groans- we're all tired of hearing about mines, even if they are realistically our best hope- but Hiron doesn't seem to notice. As always, he is in his own little world.

Hope you likey