In The Meadow

Eighteen

"Katniss!" Peeta was shouting at me as i grabbed a book bag, hoping it had food in it and ran towards him. i tripped over a few holes in the ground, one almost had me thinking i was going to face plant on the found but a pair of arms caught me.

"Are you okay? did anyone hurt you?" he asked shouting over other tributes screams. I guess some werent running to safety they were running after the others. i look up at him and around, knowing my dave is probably showing every emotion possible and peeta is trying to read them. 10 minutes ago i wouldnt have considered us to be lethal, again, until i just killed two tributes quicker than i could even blink.

"C'mon Haymitch, nobody decent wins the games"

"Im fine, lets get out of this rain" i say while handing him his knives and i grabbed his hand and we took off. we werent sure what the woods held. monkeys? no were in a forest, not a jungle. fog? no, it wouldnt last well in the rain. blood rain? no this is normal rain. drinkable too which tells me there are no other water sources here. i hear the clinging in my back pack and i hope it's water bottles. its like the game makers were hinting, fill them up now. I think back to the games when dehydration set in and even though im standing in gallons of water pouring around me i can still feel the dry patch placed on my tongue.

after about a mile of running and slipping in mud i see a small cave similar to the one we were in, in the first games. I look into it and this one seems different it, its more in the ground. we slide down in it quickly holding our weapons out ready to face whatever was there but it was vacant. I can almost promise tributes jumped quick into the death traps, the caves, that surrounded the cornucopia. But this one wasn't made for us, it was home for an animal that would most likely be returning. I sat all of our stuff in order making it known if we leave we would know if someone came and snooped around, like foxface, if only this was a different time and games id be sure to watch out for her. but shes gone and dead like the other 22 tributes.

"be right back" i whisper to Peeta still unsure of how many tributes are around and who could be around, "no!" he says back grabbing my arm. i shake him off of me and tell him my suspicions of this is an animal home, "im just going to set up a few snares around, to help capture whatever will be returning later" i say and he nods but as i walked around the perimeter, peeta stood at the entrance watching my every move, making sure to kill if something or someone comes my way. although this is peeta were talking about, he wont kill. he will try to negotiate a further alliance or promise leave us alone and we will leave you alone, for now. because no alliance and no promise lasts in these games. Peeta and I know that better than anyone here.  

i climbed back in the cage after setting a few snares up, the ones ive learned from past games and times in the woods with gale, and even new ones oakley and i have made together. Peeta had gotten all 6 of our water bottles out of the pack and let them fill up outside. It didnt take long for them to because the water was coming down so quick. i looked around my pack more and i saw a few cans of soup and a sack of apples. similar to the pack my arrow cut to blow up the careers stash of food and weapons.

i shutter at the thoughts back to those games and i ran my hand past my ear, making sure i could still hear.

"You okay?" Peeta asked, after he concealed the opening of the cave up the best he could from the rain, animals, tributes, game makers, and the list goes on and on. he does this with a few rocks some tree branches and leaves. he sits next to me and pulls his arm around me and i lean my head on his shoulder. i dont answer, "katniss?" he says again and i nod, no im not okay, "yeah im okay" i say and he kisses my head.

"We have apples and a few cans of soup, that will last us maybe 2 or 3 days if were careful. Although those are what we should save for when the game makers try to speed things up and take away food sources just as they will with the rain eventually," i nod towards the small amount of rain seeping through the small cracks of the cave, "we should try and hunt and gather till we cant anymore. save this for later" i say to my husband, father of my children, and again fellow tribute.

"Friend, lover, victor, enemy, fiance, target, mutt, neighbor, hunter, tribute, and now ally"

Peeta thinks over my thoughts before nodding while looking over our stash of supplies, "Yeah, I think so too" he says before returning his bright blue eyes, with no cloudy look, into my grey seam like eyes.

"what was your token, katniss?" he asks and looks back towards the opening of the cave as we listen to the crack of thunder. I think of how scared willow is of thunderstorms. I think of Finnick. and im not sure why he comes to mind but all that can fill my thoughts afterwards is, "nightlock, nightlock, nightlock" and maybe that's because id rather say those words and blow up rather than show peeta my token, "i didnt bring one" i shrug and he nods, "i did" he whispers and i look over to his hand that he was holding up for me to see.

"Your wedding ring?" i ask and think about how bad that looks to not have mine on, he nods and smiles, "yeah wouldnt want any of these older tributes thinking they could steal me away from you" he laughs and so do i. even in the times of horror his humor always slips through. his words make everyone feel better. Even if they just had their chest clawed out and are struggling to breathe his words calm then.

"peeta" i hushed him as he was rambling on and on about how this is the worst arena hes ever seen and how no action will take place in the storm like this.

One...two.. those cannons going off were from me and the rest, i have no idea, six...seven..eight...nine.

nine tributes dead. that should hold us over for the night before its time to start flushing us all together. I dont dare to look out into the storming dark sky to see the faces of the dead kids and adults. i just close my eyes and take in the warmth of Peetas embrace. But not only does warmth from peeta fill through me but so does rage and jealousy. thinking of a time that will come where more likely than not, another girl will feel this warmth and safety.

"You're still trying to protect me. real or not real?"

"real" i say back to peeta, "its what you and i do, protect eachother"