Under The Stars

Chapter 1

Peeta

As Claudius Templesmith finishes speaking, it sets in. Katniss and I can both win. She'd be a valuable ally, even injured, which I know she is. I got that much from hearing Cato boast while I was hidden and spying on them. Her mother was a healer though and if she's injured, she'd know how to treat herself. The real problem is the face that I've made a clear effort to avoid her since she made her announcement at the interviews.

I had no idea that she loved me. I guess there were some looks and stares, stolen glances that make a lot more sense now. A kiss on the cheek after the tribute parade. But I must admit, she hid her feelings well.

I look at the sky and see the beginnings of sunset begin to stain the sky. If I'm going to find her, I should do so before dark. I go back to where I last saw one of her snares and find a faint puddle of blood. She was here. This is where Cato attacked her. I look for more, but Katniss covered her tracks well. If I didn't know better, I'd think I missed her face in the sky.

"Katniss," I call softly. "I know you are around here somewhere. I also know you're hurt. So why don't you show me where you are so I can help you?"I look around, searching for some sign of movement when I hear a crack above my head. I look up just in time to see Katniss tumbling through the branches and landing with a yelp a few feet from me. I go over to her and see that her leg is tied off with a scrap of bark to try to control the blood seeping from her leg. Her other leg is twisted at an awkward angle from the fall and she's covered in scrapes and burns.

"Are you okay?" I ask when I realize she's conscious.

"Do I look like I'm okay?" she snaps. She reaches for a root and pulls herself to a sitting position with my help. "Though I'm better know that you found me." I look at her, trying not to be to awkward. Her little confession could get us both sponsors and is most likely going to be our ticket home. And I don't want to screw it up.

"Well, I'm here now," I say. "Now let's go get you cleaned up." I try to pick her up and she groans as I touch her ribs. I set her back down and lift her shirt slightly to see that a few of her ribs may be broken. I touch one and she winces. "Does it hurt?"

"I'll manage," she says. "There's a stream nearby. If you get me that far, we should be okay." I try to lift her again and she clutches my arm again as she fights back a scream. "Wait!" I set her back down. "You have to pop my leg back in place. I don't think I can get back to the the stream without giving us away." I look at her leg and notice how it seems to be barely attached to her by anymore than skin and muscle, laying limply and twisted awkwardly.

"I don't know how," I say. She reaches behind her and with great difficultly rips one of the young low branches hanging above her. She grabs my hand and places it in graciously on her hip.

"Brace yourself there," she says. "Then grab my leg above my knee and twist it the right way until you feel and hear it pop back into the socket."

"What's the stick for?" I ask.

"I don't know, maybe to muffle my screams when you do it?" she snaps slightly. I gently but firmly grip her leg and look up at her pained face, streaked with blood and dirt.

"Ready?" I ask. She places the stick in her mouth and braces herself against the tree before nodding to me. I wrench her leg and hear her screaming through the stick, but I don't dare stop until I hear the sickening click that tells me her leg is in place. She falls back against the tree and I see tears in her eyes. The way she was screaming and the nail marks in the bark of the tree make me impressed that she didn't pass out.

"Come on," I say, picking her up carefully this time. "Lets get you cleaned up so I can see how bad off we are."

"You could leave me," she says. "I wouldn't blame you. At this point I'm just a vulnerability for you."

"Why would I do that?" I ask her.

"I'm not stupid," she whispers just barely loud enough for me to hear. "I know that you don't see me how I see you. I also know very well that I don't have much of a chance of surviving. So I want you to take my supplies, run, and never look back. Just promise me you'll look in on my sister from time to time."

"You aren't dying," I insist as I lay her by the stream. "Not if I can help it." She takes a knife from her pocket and begins cutting off the pant leg where it was torn quite obviously from a blade. She pushes the rest of her pant leg up as far as it will go and stares at me with intense, storm grey eyes.

"Really?" she asks. "Well take a look, and tell me if you can help it." I look down and fight my lunch in my throat. The cut in her thigh is deep, so deep I think I can see her bone. Puss seeps from it and it is dangerously swollen. The skin is red and shiny and all around, it looks very painful.

"How did it get like that?" I ask her.

"I was cut by a dirty sword and then after getting up that tree, I couldn't get anywhere to clean it. I could barely keep the bugs out of it," she says and then she looks at me pitifully. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I can't stomach to clean it and if you insist on saving my miserable life, you're going to have to draw some of the infection out."

"You hunt, yet this sickens you?" I say.

"I'm a hunter!" she says. "Not a healer! I don't do infections. There are some leaves in my bag. Clean it with them." I carefully remove her pack and jacket before getting to work cleaning the wound. She slips off her t shirt and starts to use it to wash the grime out of the scratches she earned falling out of that tree. It's odd that she's so comfortable sitting there with just the fabric of her bra covering her, but she must be beyond the point of caring. As I try to clean the wound, her tattered pants keep getting in the way. I look up at her hopelessly and she just stares at me pointedly, her gaze steady.

"Take them off," she says. I look at her nervously. "Its okay. I know it's the only way Peeta. I trust you." I gently unbutton her pants and carefully pull them off her. She watches me closely as I finish cleaning the wound best I can before going through her bag and finding bandages to wrap around it. I hand her her jacket and she gratefully takes it.

"Will you be okay while I look for somewhere for us to sleep?" she nods.

"I have my bow," she says. "I'll just try to clean my clothes a little."

"I won't go far," I promise before standing and venturing into the forest. I look around for somewhere, anywhere I could at least hide Katniss. When I do find it, I nearly fall and break my neck. It's a cave at the bottom of the ravine. Nearly invisible if you weren't looking for it. It not necessarily clean, but it's perfect for what we need. I go to work, going through Katniss' and my things, trying to find something to make a decent place for her to sleep. I lay down her tarp and then lay out my sleeping bag, hoping that will be enough until I one of our sponsors sends more. I go back to Katniss and she nearly jumps out of her skin.

"There's a cave not very far from here," I say. "It's hidden so I think we'll be safe there." She nods and I very gently pick her up. She lays her head on my shoulder and falls asleep before I get her to the cave. I lay her down and make sure she's wrapped tightly. I'm about to get up so I can keep watch when she grabs my hand weakly.

"Thank you for finding me," she mumbles. I look at her tired grey eyes and smile. I'd be lying if I said she wasn't pretty, even scuffed up the way she is. I feel my heart flutter a little at her words, though I don't know why.

"No problem," I reply. "After all, we're a team right?" She nods and I gently kiss her sweaty forehead and go to the edge of the cave to keep watch.