𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨

☇ 𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙠

THEY WERE HOARDING THE GROUP CLOSER, KATNISS FLINCHING WHEN SHE HEARD NOISE BEHIND HER. Peeta stepped back, slashing a monkey before it could even reach the girl's back. That seemed to set off the rest of the animals, forcing Katniss to shoot arrows deep into two monkey's chests. Cedar's heart picked up, feeling a scratch on his arm as one leaped towards him, having a knife lodge deep into his throat. The monkey splashed into the pond, Finnick stabbing one in the chest with his trident. Peeta continued to slash the few launching themselves in his direction, Cedar getting dragged down.

He fell into the water, Katniss only being able to glance back at the man before she had to fight again. A monkey roared, shoving the man's head underwater. He coughed, his orifices filling with water as he couldn't see anything. Messily, he managed to get one of his knives from his waistband, stabbing the monkey's head. Shoving himself up, Cedar coughed, pushing the monkey's body away from him as one ran towards him. Before they could even touch, Cedar slit the monkey's throat, blood coating his face. Spitting gently, he heard a shriek, glancing back at his sister.

A monkey held her down in the same way, the girl starting to thrash in the water. Without a second thought, Cedar limped forward. Katniss gasped when a hand grabbed the monkey's mouth, dragging it out of the water. Sitting up, Katniss coughed out water as she watched Cedar step on the monkey's chest, stabbing it's neck. "We gotta get to the beach!" Peeta called, and gripped Katniss' arms, pulling her up. "Cedar!" She called, the man following the two down the clearing. Monkeys chased them from every angle, and Cedar was breathless as one caught his ankle, pulling him down. Finnick was the one to save him, slashing his trident against the animal's back. It whined in pain, Finnick kicking it off of Cedar so he could stab its heart.

Katniss and Peeta were gripped by a monkey, separating the two on the way down. Peeta lent back against a thicket of trees, a monkey running its way towards him. Someone sprung out from the trees, defending Peeta as Katniss managed to get the monkey away from her. The unknown saviour suffered a bite to their neck from the monkey, who was soon stabbed to death by Peeta. "Who is that?" Katniss rushed out, Cedar glancing at her. "A morphling-" "Help me get her!" Peeta demanded, the woman heaving.

Katniss helped quickly, the two dragging her away as Cedar grunted in pain, one monkey managing to sink its teeth into his shoulder. Kicking it back, Cedar heaved, knife swiping to slit its throat. Another launched at him, Cedar expertly stabbing its head as Finnick swiped his trident at any incoming. "Come on!" Finnick called, dragging Cedar along as they both ran. He felt monkeys reaching for his wetsuit, but Finnick managed to pull him away onto the beach before they could hurt him any more. Katniss and Peeta were with the morphling in the water as the monkeys stopped just at the entrance to the jungle.

From his spot, Cedar watched Finnick scramble up, trident thrusting itself at the animals before he relaxed gently. They wouldn't come any closer. Glancing back, Finnick watched a light dash of blood stain Cedar's wetsuit. "You okay?" He asked, and Cedar just scoffed before shaking his head. "Bastards got me twice." He let out, Finnick moving closer before inspecting his injuries. "You should thank them for not getting deeper or you'd be dead." Finnick remarked, Cedar pulling himself up without a word.

He heard conversation at the water, seeing Peeta and Katniss hold the morphling as she choked on her own blood. "Look at the pretty sky, there we go. It's okay." Peeta encouraged, the two silent as they watched the woman slowly go limp. Peeta gently let her go into the water, a cannon firing as Katniss glanced back at Cedar and Finnick. They all watched the monkeys travel back into the thick jungle, Cedar shaking his head.