[IC] Beyond a Fire's Embers

[Genkai]

While the idea of rain was a welcoming one, Katniss was very apprehensive about it. She knew rain could be the last thing anyone wanted, if the Capitol made it something crazy like acid or blood or boiling. Of course, she tried to tell herself that they wanted a good show, the best entertainment around, and thinning the remaining Tributes with some cursed rain would be a terrible move on their part. And the more Katniss considered it, the more she became inclined to believe that they might make it rain when people in the arena needed it the most, to give them some kind of double sided event, provide hope but remind those still alive, who was in control.

But thinking about the inner workings of the wretched Capitol wouldn't give them any sort of an advantage, if anything, it would just tire them out and she didn't want to waste her thoughts on what would happen and why it would happen. They were all stuck in the arena and the only feasible way out, was to win. A tiny part of her wondered if another way was ever possible but then again, she didn't know what may even happen if they somehow burrowed their way underground and out of the arena. The idea was preposterous and she looked toward Haymitch when he mentioned he'd test the water, if it came down to it. Katniss didn't need to speak to show her disagreement there, she just gave him a look and they kept moving on because moving meant surviving, one step at a time.

The soggy open space seemed to keep stretching as they tracked their way through, trying to keep moving at a reasonable pace that gave them progress but didn't tire them out. Moving between thick mud, dried mud and strange marshes, was difficult on the body but Katniss was fine and looking forward to getting out of it, whenever that may be. Brightly colored frogs kept them company for most of them time but Katniss wasn't hungry for them, having a bad feeling about what they could do to someone. Her constant paranoia, she knew was due to many things but unlike anyone else, President Snow hadn't personally been keeping tabs on her.

She didn't put it past the old withered asshole to order the Gamemakers to give her special sorts of surprises. As they kept moving, watching where they stepped, Haymitch noticed the fog first, perhaps due to his taller stature. "Fog?" She questioned and looked from where she had been trying to kick the crusted layers of mud off of her boots, to where he was looking: at the horizon. Another stab of fear hit her in the stomach and Katniss licked her drying lips. "I think so." She confirmed and took another step closer. "It's moving." Of course she knew fog moved but this fog was clearly unnatural and she didn't like it. "It's coming toward us, we need to get the hell out of here, now." She said and looked off to the side, spotting the tips of trees off to the east. "Come on!"

She took off running, not caring about how off course they were being forced to go now.

Gale wasn't sure what they might be hiding but it was possible.

"I don't know, I just don't want us to be led anywhere that they want us to go." Gale said. "They send out these things, make traps and I heard someone say, last week during lunch, that they send some things if tributes are getting too close to the edge of the arena, or water, or if they want us to run into other tributes." He said. It didn't surprise him but Gale didn't want to miss a good chance to get game for food, if those pulling the strings wanted him to cross paths with killers instead. Like Peeta, Gale wasn't fond of being used as something. Their plan had to work and the only way it would, was if they didn't fall for tricks of get distracted by other things.

So far, they were able to look carefully and see what could be of use to them, but Gale wanted to make sure they weren't nudged somewhere. He wanted their choices to be their own. The pair continued to make progress and it was then that they saw the chance for food, protein. He held his breath, trying to figure out a way to catch it. They could camp and set traps nearby from things they could find around them but Gale wasn't in the mood to leave it to chance. It was right in front of them and getting it caught and eaten, would give them not only fuel for the next day or two, but it would also be a great boost for morale. "I think we should." He nodded and let out a long sigh. He had the skill to catch it but he had a better idea in mind.

They remained still and watched it move. Gale was trying to assess its pattern, it could be roaming further or it could have a sort of home in the area which meant things would be easier for him and Prim. "I think I should go after it, try to get it to where you can use your knives to hit it." It was a very tough task, even for the seasoned hunter but Gale knew he would be shaky with the knives. Prim had more training with them than he did and he trusted her to be able to hit it. They had to at least try, if they tried and it go away, Gale would still consider it a positive encounter. "You'll want to aim for head if you can, if not, maybe try the tail or feet to injure it, slow it down or just pin it down." He told her quietly.

"If you end up hitting the chest, it will ruin the meat." He told her. "But even if you did hit that, it'll be fine, we'll still be able to use it if we're careful about skinning it and cooking." Gale gave her a smile. He wasn't trying to put pressure on her, but just offer as much information to her as possible. "This little guy," He looked back up to it. "seems to like that tree a lot, I'll try to make sure it ends up there when it's time." He said and placed a hand on her shoulder as he lifted his sword with the others, hoping to use it to scare the squirrel when he took off after it. "Are you ready?" He asked her.

[mmidnight]

Seemingly normal things that turned out to be a deadly trap was something that Haymitch, unfortunately had experience with. Thinking back to his own games, he remembered the mountaintop, how so many people and the careers had flocked toward it hoping for safety and in the end, they had all died in an explosion. At the time, there was no love lost for the careers, always so vicious and brutal, but for the tributes who had only been trying to survive, the trick could only be described as evil. Seeing the fog only brought back those memories for Haymitch, and logic told him that this was an ominous sign, and that he and Katniss had to run. It was hard to tell what would happen if they stayed in the swamp any longer, but Haymitch didn't want to find out.

Before Haymitch was able to say what he was thinking, Katniss said it for him and took off in a sprint toward the east. Immediately, he followed behind her, ax in hand and chopping at the tall reeds that got in his way. They swatted at his legs as he ran, each point of contact still managing to sting despite the light-weight fabric covering his body. If a little discomfort was the price to pay for staying alive, then Haymitch was willing to run through the grass for the rest of the day. “Maybe if we,” he panted, “climb those trees.” If the Capitol wanted to kill them, though, Haymitch had no doubts about the fog being able to rise and bend at the will of the Gamemakers.

Looking over his shoulder, the grey mist seemed to be gaining speed and in the distance, someone let out a horrifying scream. They hadn't been alone in the area and now he and Katniss knew that the fog was harmful, possibly even deadly. The scream sounded again and Haymitch forced his body to move faster, his legs burning with each step across the soft, uneven terrain; the trees weren't going to cut it, it would only be a waste of energy. Up ahead, the swampy wetland seemed to be thinning out and transitioning into something drier—Haymitch could only hope that running would be that much easier on solid ground where he didn't have to dodge large puddles of open water and the whirlpools they contained.

The fog seemed to take on a mind of its own and before Haymitch knew it, the mist was at his back. With Katniss a few yards ahead of him, he was the first to feel the harsh sting against the exposed skin of his hand, the searing pain and bubbling of his flesh forcing him to run faster, harder. He gritted his teeth, doing his best not to cry out, not to alert Katniss that something was wrong. “Run faster!” he called to her, but failed to keep himself silent as the fog licked at his hands once more. If this was being broadcast, Haymitch was sure people were expecting him to die.

Apparently, practicing with the knives during training was enough for Prim to be considered some kind of expert. Although she felt confident enough to defend herself, the precision that came along with hitting a target that had the potential to scurry away was something that she lacked. Looking to Gale, the blonde gave him a skeptical expression, one eyebrow quirked and giving off the slightest air of defiance, as if to say: this isn't going to work. Still, not trying at all seemed rather foolish when there was no guarantee that they would be able to find anything edible later on and so far, the arena felt rather scarce on food while the Capitol had obviously spared no expense on traps and various tortures.

This was much different from the deer that she had killed by accident in the woods, this was much more deliberate and Prim couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Of course, she knew that food could have been the difference between life and death in the arena, but safety seemed like a more pressing matter. “Yeah, I'm ready,” Prim nodded and looked away from the squirrel sitting idly in the tree and then back to Gale, who was ready with his sword. Slowly, the blonde withdrew one of the knives she had and gripped the handle just to get a feel for the weapon all over again.

When Gale charged for the squirrel, intending to scare it, the small animal ran down the trunk of the tree with a surprising amount of speed. Slightly unprepared, Prim threw the knife at the animal and missed by a good foot or more. She cursed under her breath and chased after the squirrel, its bushy tail a dead give away for where it was headed and again, she drew another knife and threw it at the animal's body. This time, she caught it by the tail and the squirrel flailed as it was pinned to the ground. Prim frowned, feeling rather sick and sorry for the inhumane way that it was going to die. “Can you...do it?” she asked Gale, not giving him much of a choice before doubled back to gather her last knife.

In the distance, Prim heard a scream and the sound caused her to straight up immediately, now on guard for whatever was to come. It sounded female from the pitch, but Prim wasn't sure until she heard it again—what an agonizing sound. “I don't think we're safe here,” she said, sheathing the knife in her hand. “We really should move on.”

At least they had dinner now.

[Genkai]

A large part of Katniss wanted to return to the city.

It could provide them with ample shelter and a base to collect themselves. It was risky but it was possible. Anything was possible if it meant staying alive. As the pair continued to thunder towards any outlet of safety, a horrifying shriek was heard but Katniss didn't dare waste energy or movement to look to where it had originated from. Right now, they couldn't get distracted by anything else or anyone else. It seemed the mysterious mist was capable of moving and she knew who was clearly behind the blatant attack. Sure, she knew there would be more things thrown at her but she didn't think it would happen so soon.

"Come on!" Katniss urged, not wanting to let the pesky Gamemakers win. Not so soon, but not ever if it could be helped. Up and to the left, she saw that the few trees were turning into something else, like a wheat field. She was sure some kind of fire could be spread but if it could keep the mist at bay, she'd take that gamble. Thankfully Haymitch's idea of climbing trees could be scraped, as she wasn't very confident in the notion of doing something with haste, only to corner themselves at a dangerous height. For now they had to run until they couldn't anymore, or until the mist finally got them, or when it relented, if ever.

Her heart was racing as Haymitch called out, telling her to run faster. Something was wrong. She craned her neck to see it right on top of them. "Shit!" She sped up and saw the dry long strands of grass inching closer and closer. She leaned back and grabbed hold of Haymitch's hand and pulled him along. Finally, she could feel her ankles being tickled by the beige colored grass and she turned to see the mist linger in place before retreating slowly. She finally allowed her knees to rest as she fell to them and then rolled backward onto her butt as she tried to catch her breathe without dry heaving too much. "Are...are you alright?" She asked him.

The mist hadn't gotten her but she was sure it had gotten Haymitch, and based on the screams they had heard not too long along, she was sure he was hurt. She could tell but she was just being polite in asking while she caught her breath. When she finally did, she patted the dry dirt beside her so he could sit down for her to take a look at what injury he had sustained. She had almost lost him, so easily and she was ready to be alone. As much as she wanted to crack a joke, she didn't have the guts to be stupid right now. "Come on, let me see." She said softly and pulled her pack around to her lap.

Prim's skepticism was understandable, but unhelpful.

As silly and as implausible as the idea was, it was all he could think of right now. If she had a better idea or a reason to move on, he'd listen to her. But Gale knew the value and rarity of finding a live creature in their situation and he would want to do anything to give them an advantage, as opposed to often being at a blind disadvantage. They couldn't exactly rely on Peeta for food and drink. They had to survive on their own and while Prim was still new to knife throwing, he trusted her far more than himself when it came to wielding knives and other small delicate things. "Don't worry too much." He tried to assure her.

Prim gave a vocal cue as well as taking out one of her knives. He offered a smile before he looked back to the tricky task at hand. He then went after the tiny little fur ball. The squirrel ran down and Prim made her first attempt. He didn't expect her to get it right off the bat, but if she kept up with it, he was sure she'd be able to have another chance to try again. On the other hand, he knew they couldn't spend too much time or effort on the task or it wouldn't be worth it in the end, even if they were successful. He went after it and Prim did as well. She managed to take it down and he slid his sword back away behind him, in its sheath. "Good job." He huffed softly.

The effort wasn't too tiring on his body but it had been enough to get his juices pumping again. He was ready to keep moving now. "Sure." He gave her a nod and crouched down by the animal and quickly twisted its head. As he was putting it away for safe keeping, for nightfall, they heard a very troubling, chilling cry. He quickly rose and looked to Prim, hoping she was okay. Trouble was coming and she wasn't sure if it was in the form of a blood thirsty Career or some kind of beastly creature with fangs and wings, or some kind of lab created monster. "Right, we'll keep moving then." They had no choice unless they wanted to be reckless.

He started to jog but felt an odd drop in temperature. Why? Another person screamed and he swallowed. Where was the danger coming from!? He motioned for Prim to keep close to him. "We'll lose our bearings if we're not careful." What was important, was staying together and being safe. The outermost area with the cliffs could wait. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glittering wave of silver mist coming toward him. At first, it didn't seem all too bad. "That can't be it-right?" He laughed a little but as soon as it began to descend, he felt a searing pain touch his forehead. "Run! Run!" He yelled and put a hand to his head as he turned to get them as far away as possible. The skin was already beginning to redden and form boils, panic was now fueling him as he knew full immersion would be a painful death for sure.

[mmidnight]

Out of all the games that he had watched in his life, and the one that he had participated in himself, Haymitch had never seen anything like this mist before. The Gamemakers were always coming up with something new: clever traps disguised as everyday objects, normally docile animals that turned out to be deadly, patches of serene landscape that swallowed a person whole—but this mist was different. The chemicals used to create the rapidly advancing cloud had no smell, nothing to give away its position but the injuries that it left in its wake could possibly be deadly. The Games had just started, and Haymitch didn't want to die on the first day, or any of the following, but he had trained too hard and given up too much to be taken down by a smokey haze.

When Katniss grabbed his hand to pull him along, Haymitch cried out again and tugged his hand back. The skin there was already blistered and painful, and the pain of having his hand crushed between another was almost more painful than the initial burns. Still, the extra pain spurred him on and he and Katniss crossed over from the wetlands and onto drier ground. Haymitch fell to his knees at the edge of the area, breathing heavy as the palms of his hands rested on the dry dirt. He expected to be overtaken by the fog, to have his senses overload from pain while Plutarch and his men readied a cannon for him—but the mist didn't come. Haymitch looked over his shoulder, still breathing heavily, and saw the mist hang there in the air. The traps were kept separate and now that they were in a new area, Haymitch had no idea what fresh hell awaited them.

Next to him, Katniss had rolled into a sitting position after asking if he was okay. It was a stupid question, although one that was only meant to be polite but it took every ounce of patience that Haymitch had left in order to avoid snapping at her. However, he did eye her for a moment, silent as ever before she tried again. Running had taken a lot out of him, and it was one of the first times that Haymitch realized just how old he'd gotten. Twenty years ago, a run like that wouldn't have left him gasping for breath, but now, he was going to need more than a few minutes to recover. Out in the open, stuck straddling kill zones, that wasn't good.

“I don't know what that was,” he finally said, a little less winded as he moved from his knees to sit down and inspect his hands. The blisters were pale in color, very different from burns from a fire but already swollen and hideous. With one finger, Haymitch reached out and poked one of the bumps, only to be met with more pain as the firm flesh dimpled beneath his touch. As requested, he held his hand out to Katniss, wondering if there was anything that either of them could do. Peeta was out there somewhere, and Haymitch only hoped that the sponsors felt bad enough to send him a gift.

Looking at Katniss as she looked over his hands, Haymitch swore quietly. “We have to keep moving,” he stressed, trying to look around over the wheat-like grasses surrounding them. There was no telling what could be hiding all around them.

In the arena, staying in one place for too long was a good way to get killed—Haymitch had taught her that early on and Prim believed him now. She and Gale had only been hunting by this cluster of trees for twenty or so minutes when a cadence of screams interrupted the joy of having food for the night. The blonde girl looked around the area, squinting past the hazy glow of the sun through the clouds to try and catch a glimpse of whatever was scaring people. Of course, the thing that worried her the most wasn't the Capitol's tricks, but rather, the fact that she and Gale hadn't been alone. Although the arena was large and vast, other tributes had been within striking distance of them and put Prim off of stopping to hunt anytime soon.

“We can still see the mountains,” Prim responded with a nod, hoping to keep moving and put those screams behind them. Together, the two began to jog but when Gale paused to investigate a rather out of place fog that was coming their way, Prim backed up. “Gale, come on,” she urged, holding her hand out to him. Nothing was ever as it seemed in the arena—that was something else that Haymitch had taught her and the blonde was inclined to believe that as well. “Don't mess with it,” she added warily as he laughed. However, as the shimmering fog began to descend on them, Gale was hit with the worst of it. Running was about the only thing that they could do, but the mist had started to close in on them and going through it wasn't an option. Reaching for his hand, Prim pulled Gale along with her as she ran back toward the town at the center of the arena. There had to be places to hide there, something to take shelter in and hopefully, the careers had gone out to hunt the other tributes.

[Genkai]

Her question was bound to be rebutted with agitation but Katniss didn't care. She was going to ask it, regardless of it being pointless. She wanted to know how he felt, even if that meant him firing some nasty words her way. If it helped with the pain, she didn't really care how he replied to her inquiry. And his reply was silent and she was a little thankful for that. When she attempted with a new route, he finally complied which made her happy. It was a small dose of happiness, yes, but it was tiny moments of reliance and hope that would keep pushing them through the blood and broken bodies. And in their case, manufactured mist.

Haymitch settled down and first mentioned that he didn't know what it was. Katniss didn't really care about dwelling on it. Sure, they may surely see it again soon but she didn't care. What it was didn't matter. It was dangerous and could move on its own. The only thing she needed to know was to keep out of its reach, unlike Haymitch. He inspected his own injury first while she pulled the blue tarp out of the bag. As much as she wanted to openly bark at Peeta to give them a gift, something to help with the pain or blisters, she knew that was bad form. No sponsor would give them anything if they flat out asked for it.

So for now, they had to hold on until Peeta got them something useful. "Don't touch it." She told him as he prodded the bump. Prim was the healer in their family but Katniss had picked up some useful tips from her younger sister. Katniss knew they should leave it alone and just bandage it as is. If they touched the injury, it would only get agitated and have a higher chance of becoming infected. When he finally let her check it out, she leaned down to get a better look. It didn't smell rotting, which was a good thing. "Yeah I know but right now, this is priority." She told him. There was no sense is moving forward if an injury could just slow them down.

In her mind, they needed to treat it now, rather than leave it unattended. She swallowed down the urge to mention Peeta, as she was sure he was already working sponsors for a gift. "I'll just bandage it up and we can get moving again." Katniss told him as she used the sharp end of her arrow to cut a small bit of the tarp. She then reached down and tore off part of her pants and put that under the scrap of tarp which would repel water and add as another layer of protection. She then used the bit of rope to tie the makeshift bandage in place. "It's not great work but it'll protect it from bugs, blood...you know." Katniss then shoved it all back in the pack and got up. "This setting feels a lot better to me." She said, eyeing the dry thin forest as it kept getting more green and wild down the way.

"If we're lucky, we'll find food." She felt exposed but ready to get moving again. And as much as Katniss wanted to ask Haymitch again if he was okay, she didn't and just headed into the woods, listening for anyone or anything nearby, hoping they hadn't fallen into another trap.

The pain had been so sharp, he almost fell to his knees. The last thing his body felt like doing, was running. It felt like hot knives were cutting through his skin, slowly.

He could feel Prim pulling him along as he gritted his teeth and tried not to moan too much. His steps were uneven and hard. His mind kept telling him to move, to just keep moving but his body wanted to shut down and give in. The two of them kept trying to evade the mist's reach by retreating to back where they had started. As the area began to melt back into the city, the gravel under his feet crunched and slide as he struggled to keep his legs in motion. He tried to look over his shoulder but couldn't. Gale and Prim didn't stop until they hurried into an abandoned building which had lost a door, as well as the glass on its windows. The building was just a cold shell but it was better than dying out in the wild.

Gale tugged his hand out of Prim's hand and finally fell to his knees. The pain was still there but it had diminished slightly. Though it still hurt enough to make him vomit. He couldn't see how bad the injury had been but he could feel it, and it was bad. Gale tried to catch his breath as he propped his back against the wall facing the door. He didn't want anyone to surprise them with an ambush. There was a thick concrete staircase on the other side of the room but he didn't think they needed to check it out yet. If someone was up there, they'd show themselves. And if it was empty, it may provide the duo with a way to look out.

Sure, it wasn't the height of the tree, but it would so. Gale turned his head to look at Prim, hoping that she was okay in their quick retreat. Normally a sprint like that wouldn't do much harm but with the pain his body felt, he didn't see himself moving for at least ten minutes. Another worry was if the mist had gotten deeper, had somehow been able to get into his skull or brain. It was hard to imagine but for him, it had to be considered. Thankfully, he had Prim by his side, someone who could make sure the mist didn't bring him down somehow. "How bad is it?" He asked her.

So far, the man had been toying with touching it or not. It was a big temptation. He wiped his hand on his pants and lifted it to his forehead. He touched the side and slowly made his way to the middle, wincing. It felt bad but it didn't feel deep or bloody. That had to be a good sign right? Gale let out a long sigh. "This is one of the times, I'm glad to be taller than you." Gale didn't want Prim feeling this way. Eventually, his legs stopped shaking and Gale flexed his arms and legs, trying to adjust to the pain, as opposed to resisting it. Outside the door, he heard nothing. No more screaming or running. "I think we may want to stay here until tomorrow." It wasn't ideal but he didn't want to risk too much on the first day. "At least here, we have shelter."

[mmidnight]

During the last games that Haymitch had participated in, he had suffered through and walked away with worse injuries than a smattering of boils covering his hands and wrists. The pain that crept over his skin was nothing compared to the white-hot, burning sensation of being cut open like a freshly gutted deer. Back then, there had been a raw determination inside of him, something that had forced him to continue until the end, to not let the Capitol win. This time, there was none of that and while Haymitch's stance on the Capitol and President Snow still hadn't changed, most of his motivation for staying alive was sitting right next to him, her sure and capable hands looking his own over. There was real concern in her eyes, a worry that knitted her eyebrows together and Haymitch wished that he could ease those fears.

While Katniss decided on their next course of action, Haymitch made a point not to argue with her. He stayed quiet as she drew some tarp from her bag and cut a section of cloth away from her pants, along with some rope to hold everything in place. He held his hand out to her, biting back a hiss as the smooth fabric became too much for his blistered skin. Being cut open and holding in his guts was one thing, but chronic discomfort quickly ebbed at morale. If Haymitch was going to continue to be his barely pleasant self, Peeta was going to have to intervene and send him something.

“Thanks,” he said when Katniss had finished, blue eyes looking over the makeshift bandage. The blisters were still lighting him up with pain, but Haymitch knew there wasn't much else that could be done. He offered the dark-haired girl a small, grateful smile before getting to his feet and surveying their new surroundings. He had to admit, this was much better than the deadly marshes, and it was hard to tell what else could have been waiting for them in the water. “At least it's dry,” he added and reached to pick up the backpack that he'd set down upon their arrival. To the south, Haymitch could still see the mist—silent and toxic as it continued to hover over the wetlands.

In front of them, however, were small clumps of trees and greener areas of grass that surely spelled dinner. Their first day in the arena would shortly come to a close now that the sun had almost made its way across the sky—finding food and shelter for the night was imperative. “We can probably make camp there too,” he said, falling into step beside Katniss as they continued on.

The trek across the newest area was deceptive and landmarks that looked close enough, doable, were much farther than Haymitch had anticipated. His hands were still giving him trouble, and it was difficult for the former Victor to leave the boils be. Once he and Katniss stopped to share some water from the canteen, Haymitch was loosening his bandage. “See any animals?” he asked, not wanting to resort to their chocolate ration for the night. When the half-full canteen was passed back to him, Haymitch dampened the section of cloth and pressed the cool fabric to his hands. There was instant relief, small puffs of smoke left his skin before the boils were gone entirely. “Well, that solves one problem,” he said, his tone unimpressed as he repeated the process on the other affected areas.

Running all the way back to the starting point of the arena was tough when they had already come so far, but there was no other way out of the mist. After the pain that Gale had experienced by just a single wisp touching his forehead, Prim didn't want to take her chances by going through it. As they ran, she kept a tight hold on Gale's hand, feeling the uneven sway of his feet and she prayed that he wouldn't fall down—if he did, he was done for and the blonde didn't think she could handle being on her own so soon. Pushing those thoughts from her mind the same way she pushed herself to run, Prim continued on toward the barrier, able to see the radio tower growing closer.

Finally, they had found themselves a bit of shelter, and the mist had stopped in its tracks from one area to the next. The building that they found themselves in wasn't much of anything but Prim didn't have time to look around as Gale fell to his knees and attempted to catch his breath. She knelt down beside him, a look of concern on her face as she touched her hand to his back. “Let me look at it,” she requested softly, hoping that no careers were lurking nearby. The makeshift town almost felt as unsafe as being out in the open, and Prim was hardly okay with the possibility of being cornered, waiting like sitting ducks.

Soon enough, her breathing returned to normal and Prim crouched down by Gale as he leaned back against the wall. There was a cool breeze filtering in through the smashed out window, providing some relief from the damp sweat that was currently shining on her skin. However, Prim ignored her own discomfort and reached out to cup Gale's face in her hands, looking at the cluster of boils that were currently marring his otherwise flawless skin. “It's not bleeding, but...” she trailed off, watching with a frown as Gale touched his wound. She fought the urge to smack his hand away.

Offering a sympathetic smile, Prim couldn't say that she felt the same. There was no part of her that wanted to see Gale hurt, and she was sorry that it was him and not her. “All night?” Prim asked, wary of the plan as she dug through the backpack that Gale had set down. “The sun isn't even down yet—that's a long time to just...sit here.” The building they were in was home to an upstairs, but not having a clear exit wasn't something that Prim wanted to deal with. At the very least, the outside was quiet for the moment and the momentary peace allowed her to concentrate.

Picking up one of her knives, Prim slashed off the end of her shirt sleeve and opened up the seam so that the fabric provided more surface area. After, she balled up the cloth and got it wet with some water from the canteen and used it to clean the area around Gale's head. Much to her surprise, the blisters were quickly vanishing. “Does that feel better?” she asked, unsure if Gale could feel any relief or difference.

[Genkai]

Daylight wasn't normal in the arena, it was man-made. Katniss knew they would need to make camp for the night. She wanted to find water and build a shelter but right now, they could only do so much. Glancing to Haymitch, Katniss knew he must be feeling the pain and she wished she was as smart as Prim, able to make some kind of herbal remedy but she couldn't think of anything right now. She could only hope Peeta could act soon and give some relief to the pair. Katniss could sleep easier and Haymitch's wound would be patched up. Of course she had to wonder about Primrose and Gale and how they may be faring. Then of course the other four Tributes she could tentatively consider allies, were also nowhere to be seen and she hoped none of them had been slain.

When Haymitch mentioned camp, she gave a nod. Even though he wasn't in the best of moods, she understood why and hoped that making a fire would at least give them some comfort. While they traversed the woods, she kept an eye as well as an ear out for anything noteworthy yet so far she hadn't seen a sign of an animal and she wondered if the Gamemakers had done so on purpose, most likely. As they walked, she finally gave into temptation and had a bit of water. She passed it to Haymitch, knowing he needed it more than her, given the circumstances. She didn't want to down it all yet, not when a new source had yet to be uncovered.

Katniss was sure there would be clean water somewhere nearby. There had to be, it was logical Of course the arenas didn't need to cling to logic, not when those pulling the strings were obviously deranged. "Thank god." She looked to see Haymitch had found a way to deal with the boils. She had considered doing that before but she was glad Haymitch had tested the theory himself. Now she felt more relieved but still couldn't shake the loose the knot in her chest. She missed her sister and wanted to know Gale was keeping her safe. But she also had to worry about the present and Haymitch who was by her side for the moment. If she was all alone, trying to find someone, she wasn't sure if she could actually take that kind of mental torture.

"I'm glad I've got you." She found herself saying before she could censor the sentimentality flowing past her lips. She really was though and she didn't care if those watching thought it was cute or cheesy, Katniss just knew he was why she could stay so calm when being pushed back into the arena she thought she could finally leave behind. And she knew it was selfish of her to ask him to take Peeta's place, but she was so glad he did and she wanted even more now, to get Haymitch safe and far away from the Capitol. "I don't think these trees are good enough to climb up and sleep in, we should take our chances and make camp now, maybe try to light a fire and get food." She said as she set her pack down and began to kick some leaves away with her foot into more comfortable piles. "Would you be alright with me leaving to scout around?"

Even though it hurt like hell, he knew he should be considering himself lucky, as he hadn't died or had anything other severe reaction to the evil mist. He wasn't up to going back out, not after he saw that mess. He was sure some shy Tributes were in the city strife but he didn't think it was too dangerous if they spent the night and went back out the following day with more rest and less strife. As he focused on his breathing and closed his eyes, he heard her doing something. "I'll be fine." He assured her. He felt rather stupid for being taken down by something so easy as mist but he had to tell himself that it was produced in some factory and designed to hurt anyone and everyone. He just hoped the Careers ran into it too, that might make the pain worthwhile.

He would hate to think that other Tributes got special treatment but he once again told himself that he and Prim and Haymitch and Katniss had done some good in order to win favor with others willing to give them Gifts. He opened his eyes just in time to see that Prim was about to press some cloth to his forehead. He swallowed and fluttered his eyes but the pain he expected, hadn't come. Instead, he was greeted with cool soothing relief. He inhaled sharply but slowly exhaled. He licked his lips and looked to Prim. "Mmm yeah much better." He replied her to softly, finding his mood improving and he was sure sleep would come much better now.

"Thank you." He breathed out. He rubbed the back of his neck and then took the time to look Prim over to make sure that she was alright. He knew they needed to cook their meat soon though. If they did, it couldn't be where they were or it could lure strangling survivors, be them man or beast. "Are you okay? We may need to go back out to cook the food and eat it here, I don't think it's wise to cook it in here, it could just attract hungry trouble." He commented. Of course if Prim wanted to stay in the building and cook the food where they were, that was fine with him. He wanted the evening to go by smoothly, as it was their first after all and they had six more to endure after that. "If we stay here and cook, we better check around the area, I don't want food to be why we're ambushed."

Getting to his feet, he stretched and smiled at Prim before he helped her back up to her feet as well. Even though the day didn't look like it was close to ending, he knew that the sun could set anytime the Gamemakers wanted it to. They had to be prepared. If they days were shorter, it just gave them less time to suffer. Gale wanted to ensure they all got out alive. "No matter where we cook though, I'm glad we have something to eat." He mentioned. "Maybe we can save some and use it for traps." Trap people or animals, either way Gale wanted to keep Prim safe no matter what. "Or just eat it." He reconsidered with another small smile. Of course the task of starting a fire was now glaring at them. "Maybe there's some stashed supplies around the city. I assume it's rigged with traps but we could look around. What do you think?"

[mmidnight]

As the boils disappeared from his hands and fingers, the sense of discomfort faded with them. Being in tolerable pain while trekking through the arena was often the start of a slow descent into madness, and Haymitch was lucky that he had found a way to alleviate the stinging sensation under his skin before he started to lash out. Inwardly, he knew that he had to stay healthy for as long as possible so that he could be there for Katniss, and that even a small cut or scrape could have rendered him completely useless. Despite Peeta's alleged plan, Haymitch was still focused on getting Katniss to the end and no matter what, she had to survive. After all, and even if she didn't want to, she had a rebellion to lead. The people trapped in the districts couldn't look to their Mockingjay if she was dead.

Wringing out the last bits of water from the cloth, Haymitch tossed it back into their pack, sure they may need it for something in the future. He had been capping the canteen when Katniss spoke, her voice so much softer as she confessed her inner thoughts. Dropping the canteen back into the bag with the rest of their supplies, the former Victor turned to her, and continued to listen as she changed the subject back to something more practical. For that one moment, Haymitch didn't particularly care where they slept that night, or how they made a fight, or what they ate—he was glad to have Katniss too and if he had to be in the arena with someone, then he was happy to be by her side.

Before a more sensible and rigid part of himself could say otherwise, Haymitch stepped forward and took Katniss's face into his hands. He kissed her deeply, sweetly, soft and tender for all of the sweet words he could never bring himself to say. He was sure that there were cameras on them, that Panem now knew the truth that they had barely come to terms with themselves, but he didn't care. There was a rather large chance that he wasn't going to leave the arena again, and it didn't seem fair to keep himself from Katniss. He loved her, and he didn't want his last moments with her to be anything but authentic.

“Use the signal,” he murmured after pulling away from her lips, enough space between them to speak. Gently, his thumb brushed her cheek, following the angle of her cheekbone as his blue eyes connected with her grey ones. He took the time to look at her, to commit her to memory before placing one last kiss on her forehead and pulling away entirely. “I'll set up camp, get a fire started,” he added, back to business for the moment as he picked up the extra backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

When it came to the arena, a fire was never a good idea. The smoke could be seen from miles away on a clear day, and at night, the careers were like so many moths to a flame. Unfortunately, fire was unavoidable, and Haymitch hoped that he and Katniss could find something to eat, cook it and then put the fire out before anyone found their position. The last thing he wanted was another run in with a career.

The relief that came through Gale's voice and his face was enough to make Prim smile. She had been worried about him, and if simple water hadn't worked, the next step was putting berries on the boils and letting the toxins leech out—it was a slow process, and fortunately, something that neither of them would have to suffer through. “You're welcome,” she replied quietly, her smile remaining as the question was turned around on her. The blonde nodded, feeling fine physically, just a little shaken up. “I'm okay. Don't worry about me.” She hoped that Katniss and Haymitch hadn't been in the mist, and the last thing she wanted to think was that those screams had belonged to her sister. Morbidly, Prim supposed she would find out when the sun set.

Now that Gale was healed, there were new issues to deal with, and Prim wasn't pleased with the idea of going back out into the arena just to cook the squirrel they had caught. It would have been one thing if they hadn't run all the way back into town, but being inside made her feel safe and trapped at the same time—leaving seemed like a good way to get killed, especially when a fire was involved. Biting at her lower lip, the blonde contemplated on what to do next. Worst of all, it wouldn't be very long before the first day came to an end and the thought of flailing around in the darkness with no shelter and no food only made her more nervous. Although it was a double-edge sword, the lesser of two evils was getting dinner while they could. “We can't cook in here. They'll see the smoke,” she said with a shake of her head.

“If you cook, I'll search the other buildings for supplies,” she proposed, wondering how Gale would take the idea of splitting up, “that way, neither of us are just sitting here and waiting to be...well,” she trailed off, shrugging. It was the best that they could do in her mind, and Prim wanted to remain productive because it didn't take two people to start a fire and cook a squirrel. “I'm smaller than you,” the blonde added, as if to convince him, “I can hide if someone comes.”

[Genkai]

The woman was only vaguely aware of her prominent potential as a symbol of hope. When she and Peeta did their Victory Tour, she could see she had been somewhat influential among the other Districts. Even so, she didn't think that had carried over, now that she and everyone else had been thrown into the pits of Hell again. Needless to say, her mind was nowhere near the notion of her getting out alive and becoming some symbol of rebellion. If Haymitch had considered her as such, she would have liked some heads up or even a say in the matter. As far as she was concerned, she enjoyed living a quiet life where she could be on her own, hunt and explore.

Of course now, she had the addition of Haymitch. And the renewed relationships both her sister and her childhood companion, Gale and even her friend Peeta. Those were the people who mattered to her and aside from them, she didn't want anything else out of life, no matter how much of it she had left. Once her pack was down and she got into the mindset of foraging, she found hands upon her face. Ordinarily, she would put up a fight to rid herself of human contact but she knew it was Haymitch and instead of make a joke or push him away, she simply relaxed into the touch and allowed him to do as he liked.

His lips met hers and she smiled. Katniss closed her eyes and curled her hands around his arms as they kissed. For a moment, she was worried but then that slipped away from her as she enjoyed what she she had in front of her, which was love. Haymitch inevitably broke the kiss and parted only a bit to tell her to use their signal. He was right. Her eyes fluttered open when he continued to touch her face and for a few seconds, she wasn't in the arena with Haymitch, but instead were alone in their own perfect world. "Okay. I'll be right back then." She told him as her hands dropped to her side as he went off to go make camp and get the fire going as planned.

Her smile still remained genuine as she turned and walked around the perimeter of their designated area. She softly sang the song, going deliberately slow in case Prim or Gale were singing it back to her. She heard nothing. She hadn't seen anything to eat and knew if they went without food tonight, that they needed to make food a priority the following day. They would be useless without fuel inside of them. Chocolate wouldn't have any real nutrient value but it was a last resort to consider if they had to go two days without food. She picked a few spots to lay some traps for animals or other Tributes and then picked up her bow to get back to Haymitch, having used an arrow's tip to cut vines and sharpen rocks as needed for said traps.

Upon her return, she smelled smoke and sat down beside Haymitch. "Maybe we'll have something come morning." She considered and leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling like a weigh had been lifted when they had kissed. She didn't have to hide anymore. Katniss looked at the fire, having not seen such a wonder in weeks. "We should take two hour shifts for sleep." She considered and prodded his fire with a nearby stick, wishing there was something eatable at the end of it. As much as she wanted to openly worry about the others, she knew she couldn't. The sun was beginning to set and peered up, knowing they'd soon see all the faces of the unfortunate lives lost. "They're making the days short it seems."

Katniss wished they had caught something though, it would have really boosted their spirits. But she knew it was times like these, that she could use the happy memories she and Haymitch had created, to get her through the anxiety and pressure. "You still make me nervous." She commented. "I feel like myself when I'm with you but...there are still times you make me nervous." She laughed a little.

Gale knew their time would be better spent if they did in fact split up duties and go their separate ways to accomplish the things that needed to get done. Of course he knew food and making an area secure were more important than personal feelings but he didn't like the idea. He didn't have to like it though. And he knew Katniss had done things the year before, things she didn't like doing in order to get things done and to come out on top. Gale bit down on his lower lip and chewed it before looking back to Prim, knowing she was right and it had to be done, whether he liked it or not. It was the best choice for them.

If trouble happened to find either of them, it would at least ensure the other would be away and safe. Gale didn't want to think like that though. Either way, he just gave her a sigh and a nod. "Alright, just be careful and only look around the buildings you want, don't bother with all them. Watch out for traps too. If I were looking to have an easy Game, I'd sit back here, trap the surrounding area and wait until the ranks thinned out." He told her and got up. He saw outside the sun was beginning to set. Gale scowled and turned back to Prim, knowing his own advice to her, applied to him as well.

"Getting back safe is important, don't be reckless." He said and then flashed Prim a small smile smile before leaning down to kiss her softly. He then reached down for his supplies and heaved them over his shoulder, determined to start a quick fire and cook the food and be back before the anthem was even finished. "I'll meet you back here soon." He said and kissed her quickly again before he stuck his head out of the opening. Once it looked all clear, he made a sprint back towards where they had come from. He made sure his steps were light so he didn't leave too many tracks to show where he had come from.

After ten minutes, the dark haired male finally stopped jogging and looked around. He decided to go a bit further east and make a fire even further away, just to give them space between the fire and where they were actually camped out for their first night. As Gale began to gather for his fire, he softly sang the song and listened. He was almost thankful no one had heard him sing but he also knew it meant Katniss nor Haymitch were around. Gale shook his head and finally got the fire lit and went to work on the meat, trying not to think about Prim checking the building without him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust her or her abilities. That wasn't it at all. He knew she was a capable woman, able to defend herself but he didn't trust the others. It was everyone else he questioned and he was sure they might want to use Prim against him or her sister in some way. If he were them, he'd use every advantage to win. Gale wasn't them though. He knew there was a plan in motion and he had to be careful, as opposed to reckless and wild. Sadly, Katniss didn't know and he hoped she was keeping her head on straight. He was sure she and the other returning Tributes weren't enjoying the bloody trip down memory lane. Finally skinning the animal and putting it on the fire, supported by sticks, he heard a beeping noise and looked around.

The shiny metal caught his eye as the object landed a few feet away from him. Gale hurried over and opened the gift and saw a long coil of wire, as well as some cutters. He knew what it was for and quickly put them away. He then went back to the fire and turned the meat, knowing it would only be a few more minutes before he could hurry back to Prim.

[mmidnight]

“Be careful,” Haymitch told her as she began to walk away, deeper into the lightly wooded area. Advice like that more or less went without saying, but the former Victor couldn't resist saying it just in case something did happen. After all they had shared together, Haymitch was more determined than ever to make sure that Katniss survived this second, and completely unwarranted trip into the arena and even if he died trying, her life was always going to be more important than his own. Telling her that, however, wasn't going to fly, and Haymitch didn't think that upsetting Katniss, the only person he truly trusted throughout these games, was a very good idea. For now, all he could do was try to protect her and survive long enough to get her to end—plan or not, Haymitch didn't think he was going home.

As Katniss disappeared between the trees, Haymitch gave a look over head and noticed that the sun was ready to begin its descent. Time inside of the arena was a black hole where every day was long and relentless or quick and terrifying, but considering all of the running around they'd done, and the little progress that had been made, Haymitch thought the time was a little more on the normal side. Regardless of what the Capitol was doing, or how they were trying to make everyone suffer, a fire was still necessary for survival. There was no telling how cold the nights could get, and although he and Katniss had a fair amount of supplies, erring on the side of caution was still their best bet.

Wandering in the opposite direction, Haymitch began to gather dry sticks and brush, perfect for kindling and making a small fire. He picked up green leaves where he could, hoping that the white smoke would earn them more of a cover against anyone in the area, but there was nothing that was going to prevent the glow of the light between the trees. Fire, while life saving and important, was also the perfect way to get killed at night. The blond man did his best to put that thought of his head as he continued on his way, strong arms filling up with larger sticks and debris as he walked along, and then began to double back. Every so often, Haymitch stopped to listen for the song. He couldn't hear Katniss anymore, but he had to believe that she was still out there.

Finally, Haymitch returned to camp and began to build the fire. It was a process that he had gone through many times before—it just took a little bit of work. Eventually, after rubbing two sticks together for what felt like hours, the wood began to smoke and where there was smoke, there was fire. Slowly, the former Victor added some kindling to the flames, bringing them from small and pointless to substantially satisfying and the fire was roaring with life by the time Katniss came back through the trees. He was glad to see her, a paranoid part of him worried that she had gotten killed despite the lack of cannon fire. “Hopefully,” Haymitch responded, not angry about her empty hands as he added some leaves to the fire to mask the black smoke.

Sitting down, the arena was now almost completely bathed in darkness and the fire in front of them was a comfort, but Katniss's presence made everything that much better. He reached to wrap an arm around her shoulders, and nodded in agreement when she proposed a sleeping schedule. “I'll take the first watch,” he said, sure that she knew he was going to offer anyway. Katniss had much more to lose than he did, and getting some sleep was sure to put everything into perspective. After all, Prim and Gale were still out there somewhere and Haymitch figured that Katniss was worried.

A small silence had settled its way between them before Katniss broke it. Furrowing his brow, Haymitch didn't understand her meaning—she knew him now, she could look past every intimidating and anti-social thing he did—what was there to be nervous about? Looking down at her head on his shoulder, Haymitch asked her, “why?”

While Gale didn't seem thrilled with the idea, Prim knew that it was their best shot. She didn't want him walking around without any protection either, but she was confident that he could down most of the other tributes that might come his way. The same confidence couldn't be transferred to herself, of course, but Prim wasn't about to let that slip. She didn't want Gale to think of her as a burden, as someone who couldn't do anything for themselves—searching the other buildings was a good plan, better than waiting like a sitting duck while Gale braved part of the arena on his own. At least Prim could make herself useful, and no one was ever going to complain about extra supplies.

“I won't,” Prim promised, returning the kiss that Gale had given her. It was nothing like the one she had given him after the interviews, desperate and nervous for the future, this kiss said that they would see each other again; soon too. “Be careful,” she added after one last kiss before Gale was gone and out the door. Finally, Prim stood as well and gathered up her knives, without a backpack, she could only hoped that she found one in another building.

Checking to make sure the coast was clear before she left, Prim quickly moved down an alley and toward the front door of the building to the left. The makeshift town was quiet, and the blonde was relatively sure that the career pack had gone hunting now that the sun had started to set. It was a lucky turn of events, and it made Prim feel safer as she slipped into the second building. It was almost the same as the first one—dusty floor, a staircase, a few dirty windows—but this one contained narrow cots for sleeping and a few wooden crates piled into a corner. She moved over to them and pried the top off of one only to find that there was nothing inside.

After looking through three more creates, Prim found a second backpack, and empty canteen and some kind of chocolate bar. She stores the extras away and made a quick break for the door before moving to another building much farther down. The layouts for most of the shelters seemed to be the same, but the ground floor of the latest building was completely bare. Taking a deep breath, Prim headed up the creaky stairs. There were more boxes, and after looking through a few of them, she found a coil of black rope.

There was one crate left to inspect when the anthem began to play and Prim paused, her stomach twisting before she moved toward the window to look up at the black sky. Projected among the stars, the dead were given their last moments and Prim counted as she saw the faces of Brutus, the boy from three, the male Victor from five and Iva, the girls from seven and eight and both new tributes from ten. Much to Prim's relief, the alliance was still intact and none of the faces in the sky belonged to her sister. There was still hope out there, and Prim was determined to meet up with Katniss again.

Spurred on by the fact that everyone she cared about was still alive, Prim packed up the rest of her supplies and began to make her way back to the first building to meet Gale.

[Genkai]

Although they'd be tackling the darkness in shifts, Katniss was still apprehensive about looking into the endless void again. For the past two weeks, she had been able to avoid thinking about the nights in the arena and how difficult it would be to wait for daylight, wait for canons to stop sounding and the anthem to begin and show those who died for nothing. Katniss was sure the others dreaded the cycle of things and how days could blur together, glued by the darkness that fleeted so quickly between their bloody fingertips. But instead of spending many of her nights afraid and alone like last year, she had someone beside her from the start. Yes, she had Rue and eventually Peeta but Katniss couldn't shake those first few nights where she barely slept and felt as though she was going in circles.

But now, the daunting darkness didn't seem to suffocate her so easily, not with Haymitch by her side. Her sister and best friend were out in the darkness and what gave her comfort, was knowing they were together at least, that they weren't alone. Haymitch's arm was around her and it was enough to ward off the nerves that fighting conjured up. He asked why she sometimes felt nervous but she couldn't exactly explain it. "It's hard to..." She inhaled softly. Sleep, even brief would be difficult to obtain, even with him taking the first shift. The hunger inside her was stirring and she hated how spoiled she had become when in the clutches of the Capitol. Being fed rich food so often had made all of them weaker when they entered the arena. Katniss couldn't ignore it the way she had back home before she became some hero of District 12.

She couldn't deny that with Haymitch, she did feel most like herself, not needing to hide or make excuses or try to make unnecessary small talk. Still, there were times when he did make her nervous. She wasn't sure how to act, on occasion, and that threw her off. She liked being with him and wouldn't have done anything different in the past, expect maybe try to be a little less stubborn. "I love you and don't want to do or say anything stupid to ruin things the way I typically do." She sighed again and looked at the fire, trying not to think about Peeta and Cinna and her mother and everyone else who could be watching her, or in trouble already. Katniss knew she wasn't ready to give up on the things set out in front of her

Above them, the anthem had begun and she looked up and counted those who had left. She was beyond relieved to see her sister and Gale were okay but she was still puzzled by the low body count. She was sure the Game Masters would fix that very soon, which would only mean more complex traps and things designed to not only kill, but do it in the most entertaining way possible. "I bet tomorrow is going to be eventful." She muttered, hoping they caught something tonight so they'd be able to get through the next day without having to worry about so much. Katniss knew they still needed to find Finnick and the others, if they were truly to form an alliance of sorts. "We need to be extra careful tomorrow. I'd rather be cautious than worry about covering ground." She said quietly. "They'll be pulling out bigger guns and we need to be on guard."

Being back in the secluded area, made Gale feel somewhat at home but the feeling wasn't long lasting and instead made him miss his family even more. He knew he could go back to them, when everything was all over. He wasn't sure if that would really happen though. He was in their world, even though it looked harmless and felt so real, it was fake. Gale chewed on his lower lip as he began to kick the fire out, making sure once again, that there would be as little trace as possible. Some tributes would still tell he had been there, but if he was lucky, he'd be able to fool some of the new ones and that would buy them time the following day. He got ready to head back toward the ruined city when he heard footsteps coming closer.

Whoever was attempting to sneak up on him, was failing miserably. Gale made sure his grip on his sword was firm but flexible. He then began to walk once more, trying to show his predator, or predators, that he was still acting normal. He wasn't sure who was behind him but it didn't matter. He hummed the song softly but found those watching him to not be Katniss, nor Haymitch. He knew the other four were out there too but he didn't see them betraying the trust they had struggled to hard to build during their training together. Gale was sure this person was going to be killed and he had to do it soon before he got too close to Prim and tipped them off to where they were hiding for the night. Gale dropped his pack, hoping it looked like an accident.

Just then, the anthem began to play and Gale crouched down to pick it up. When he rose, he spun around and pointed his sword at who had come running at him. Gale saw the young boy and girl from District 11, the fresh faced Tributes. He couldn't hesitate but he did. They held swords but looked so frightened. The boy lunged at him first and Gale easily countered it, almost wishing he hadn't. He saw his siblings in them but he knew they weren't really them. He told himself to do it quickly and as painlessly as possible. He moved to the left as the girl joined the sword fight. "You two picked the wrong weapons. I'm sorry." Gale could only offer them that before he swung his sword and sliced the girl's throat.

Then the man from the 12'th District ducked as the boy charged, yelling at him. That couldn't happen. The anthem was now over and Gale was quick to shut the boy up. He landed his sword in the shorter's torso. Then Gale pulled it out and attacked again, needing to be sure he didn't suffer and bleed to death. He yanked his sword back, grabbed his backpack and ran back towards the buildings. His heart was racing and he told himself it had to be done, that the Capitol would soon pay for each life they played with. When he got back, he saw Prim already there. "Sorry I'm late." Th boy set his bloody sword down and took out their meal. "Did you find anything?" He asked her, not wanting to talk about what he had just done. It's not like he'd forget it, or any of those who had died. "Or...anyone?" Gale sat down and tore off some meat and ate it, before passing the squirrel to Prim.

[mmidnight]

There were so many parallels between the past and present, and yet, so many things that Haymitch had chosen to do differently. He had never expected to find himself back in the arena, and although he was older now, wiser, previous failures continued to linger within his mind. Katniss was a chance to do things right, to make sure that she made it home where Maysilee Donner had never had the chance. It was something that Haymitch was never going to forgive himself for, and even though he continued to remind himself that Katniss and Maysilee had nothing in common but being girls from the Seam, he still feared the worst every time she went off on her own. Just from looking at her, Katniss didn't seem like she stood a chance but she had fooled everyone the year before, proved an entire country wrong and Haymitch was banking on that to get her to the end.

Lost in thought for a moment, Haymitch only filtered back into reality when Katniss spoke again. Her words were alarmingly articulate and those three words that always made him so uncomfortable had managed to catch him completely off guard. Between the two of them, Haymitch didn't feel that either he or Katniss were all that skilled with the subtle art of romance and emotion and this sudden turn in their relationship was so new that the blond man felt as though he was walking on eggshells. Unfortunately, the arena didn't encourage slowness and Haymitch knew that he didn't have a lifetime to get things right with Katniss—he had to go all in, move past his discomfort and open up—the very thing she had already done.

“Look around,” Haymitch laughed, humorless as he gestured past the fire and all around the clearing, “everything is already ruined.” Although he knew that wasn't her meaning, he was attempting to make a point; it couldn't get any worse than being trapped in a nightmare all over again. With one arm, he squeezed her closer and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I love you, and all the stupid, pain in the ass things you say.” Being vulnerable wasn't so hard when he was with Katniss and in a way, she deserved to hear everything that he was thinking in case they never got another chance in the future.

Before he could say anything else, the anthem blared through the surrounding area and Haymitch tilted his head back in unison with Katniss to view the dead. His own kill from the blood bath was displayed right away, but when the succession of fallen tributes disappeared from the sky, the former Victor immediately thought something was wrong. Eight was such a low number for the first day and Haymitch could only assume that he and Katniss were going to be in for an eventful night when no one of significance, besides Brutus, had been killed. “Don't count on getting much sleep tonight,” he warned, agreeing that things were about to get much tougher.

Despite the constant threat of peril and death, Haymitch was still determined to make it to the mountains the following day. “We might be able to stay off everyone's radar if we walk the perimeter,” he said, going back to his old strategy from the first games. It was rare for large groups to hang out so close to the edge and avoiding confrontations was a rather high priority. “Maybe we'll find your sister and Gale tomorrow, too,” he thought to add as two more cannons fired in quick succession off in the distance.

The makeshift town was still eerily quiet as Prim exited the building and stood with her back pressed to the door. She had come a long way from where she'd left, but the trip was ultimately worth it considering all of the extra supplies she'd found. Keeping alert, the blonde began to walk back toward the meeting point, making sure to stay as quiet as possible, keep her breathing even and ignore the sound of her own boots crunching against the gravel beneath her feet. There was a sense of unease within Prim that prompted her to check over her shoulder every few seconds and then duck down an alley when the artificial wind blew too hard. It was probably terrible news for the sponsors out there—no one wanted to give gifts to a scared child.

After ducking in the shadows for a good five minutes, Prim stood and had barely set a foot out into the moonlight before she heard several loud voices. Sucking in the gasp that had nearly left her mouth, Prim sank back into her hiding spot and watched as Cashmere, Gloss and Enobaria sauntered by, looking as though they didn't have a care in the world as they brandished their blood-covered weapons around.

“I want the little one,” Cashmere preened, leaving Prim unsure of who the three Victors were talking about.

“Her sister,” Enobaria said, the conversation no longer so disjointed. “This is all her fault anyway.”

Gloss spit onto the dirty ground, a look of hatred contorting his face. “All of them. We search everywhere tomorrow, pick them off and then take out the others—then we go home.”

The voices soon began to fade off into the distance and Prim peeked around the corner to see that the three had disappeared completely, only moving through the town and not stopping for the night. When she was sure that it was safe, Prim ran back to the first building and secured herself inside. Gale wasn't back yet, and the blonde could only hope that those cannons she'd heard after the anthem was finished hadn't been for him. While she waited, Prim busied herself with unpacking the extra supplies and tried not to focus on the fact that they might be all for her.

Finally, Gale came through the door and Prim breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to run over and hug him, but it all felt too dramatic. Instead, her blue eyes fell to his bloody sword and lingered on the stained blade for a moment before she looked back at him. Whatever had happened out there wasn't important—it was kill or be killed and Prim was just happy to have Gale safe. “I found all kinds of stuff,” she said, showing him the backpack and the other supplies she'd stored inside of it, “there's a lot in those other buildings, even a few beds.” She paused, unsure of whether or not to tell him about the careers.

“We should leave first thing tomorrow,” she suggested, moving to sit so that they could eat together. “Right when the sun comes up and try to find Katniss and Haymitch.” Unable to resist, she leaned over and kissed his cheek, the feel of him enough to calm her worries. “Who sent you that?” she asked, noticing the coil of copper-like wire.

[Genkai]

Haymitch's comment about everything already being ruined made her raise a brow slightly.

It was ruined but in her mind, things could always get worse. Being in a world with good fortune all around them, was just s demented fairy tale to Katniss. Even so, she hoped Haymitch had understood what she was struggling to put into words, even more so when those of Panem could be watching but she told herself this wasn't interesting enough to bother broadcasting. He pulled her closer and that gave her assurance that he did understand. His words were another layer of reassurance and she knew that even though the past year felt like it had been a giant mistake, when she was with Haymitch, it felt more right.

He then mentioned they could go for the parameter of the arena. That was a good idea but it would take a lot more time to do so, as opposed to plowing straight through. Then again, going straight was a terrible strategy and she was sure it would only give them more obstacles and dangers to deal with. "My sister and Gale are alive and I know they'll be smart." She said, mostly for herself. "We'll find them soon." She said, though once the first night was out of the way, it would be easier to believe. Gale and Prim were smart of course, and skilled, but the arena was filled with trained killers and things designed to do them harm.

The only way Katniss would find real comfort, was when she could hold her sister in her arms.

"I think we should go through with your plan." It was unlikely they would run into Prim and Gale by doing that, but she hoped maybe Johanna or even Beetee could find them and make sure they were kept safe. What good were alliances if they couldn't be used right anyway? "I'm going to try and get some sleep, I'm not crossing my fingers through." Katniss said and looked around before deciding that she wouldn't be comfortable if she moved away from Haymitch so she just wiggled and got comfortable.

Around them, there was a group of three tributes observing and figuring out the best means to strike. It was generally agreed that they needed to wait a few more hours and give the two more of a false sense of security, before they made their move. Katniss closed her eyes and sighed, trying to forget about the stress and worry that were crawling all over her skin like tiny evil insects. She squeezed her eyes tighter, no longer able to use the pills the Capitol provided them for restful nights. "Wake me up if something exciting happens." Katniss muttered as she felt her body's strain finally catching up to her brain.

Knowing that Prim was okay, made the deaths somewhat worth it.

Somewhat; in his mind, these deaths were all pointless thanks to Snow's insanity.

Gale was happy to hear that she had found some things. It meant that their plan had been successful. It also proved to them that some risks were worth the reward if things worked out well enough. Gale leaned down to see what she have been able to collect in the quick search around the area. He was surprised to hear about the beds but as attractive as they sounded, he knew it wouldn't be worth the risk to go and find them and bring them back. He also was pretty sure they would be filled with some kind bugs or something.

If he had known about who she ran into, he would have wanted to move their camp a bit further away if possible. He also would have been a lot more inclined to leave as promptly as she mentioned. But he was still thinking about the merits of staying in the ruins a bit longer, not much longer, but it clearly had a lot of value and he wondered if they could try going back to the Cornucopia. It was worth a shot but at the same time, they had been lucky so far and he was sure it could run out whenever those watching over them saw fit.

Prim then moved and kissed his cheek. It made him feel a lot less vile. He grinned and put an arm around her to keep them close together. "Oh, Peeta sent it." He said, not wanting to say too much about the plan they had. "It could help us build something useful I bet." Gale told her and took another bit of meat, wishing they had more than one squirrel to share between them. The constant fighting and running required a lot of energy and one puny animal couldn't cut it. "I suppose we should be up first thing though I would like to check out the area some more." He was sure there had been areas Prim couldn't have inspected.

"But if you don't think we should, I'm happy to get moving again. It feels like we didn't make progress, being back where we started." Gale smiled a little more and gave a shrug, knowing that wasn't really true. "I know this isn't a good date but we can make the best of it." He joked a little. He really wished that he and Primrose could have enjoyed each other back home but any time they had now, he'd savor. "Tomorrow I'll be sure to get us a lot more food, maybe enough for two courses." He joked again, knowing their mental health was just as vital as their physical health.

[mmidnight]

Whatever Katniss had to say in order to make herself feel better was fine with Haymitch. Although he knew that Gale and Prim were safe, and that the younger Everdeen girl was no longer the burden he had once thought of her as, it was important that Katniss continued to give herself something to believe in. Meeting up with an alliance in the arena was never easy, and Haymitch had watched this very strategy fail time and time again, but this time, it felt different. There was no other option this time, nothing that said the uprising could wait another year or two, or for Panem to find another symbol to latch onto—they had to make it to the end or else the Capitol would have won over all of them.

Moving around in the arena was more or less the only way to stay safe. If someone sat still for too long, another tribute was likely to strike, or the Gamemakers would work their magic and force interactions so that no one at home got bored. Haymitch was more than happy to hear Katniss agree to his plan of walking the perimeter toward the mountains. It could mean missing people, of course, walking straight past them without ever knowing but it was a chance that he was willing to take. “Sleep well,” he said, surprised to find that Katniss wasn't going to fight him on taking first watch. He doubted that she was going to get much sleep, but any kind of rest counted for something when the days began to get longer.

As Katniss settled in next to him, Haymitch kept his arm around tightly wrapped around her. The warmth from the fire almost reminded him of home, and those nights he had spent training with Katniss out in the wilds before coming back to the Capitol. It was hard for him to think of that as a happy memory, something to dwell on when he was, once again, being confronted with death but those few weeks were the best he'd felt in years. Leaning, Haymitch kissed the top of Katniss's head before he felt her relax against him, the strain of the day having finally caught up to her.

There was a hidden upside to staying in the town all night, and it had everything to do with no one knowing where they were. The careers hadn't seen her come or go from either building, and Prim was certain that they would have wanted to kill she and Katniss no matter where they happened to be in the arena. The dilapidated building was a good source of shelter, a dry place to catch some sleep for the night and head out early from in the morning, when it was a little safer. The idea of wandering in the dark, through the unknown and facing down people with every weapon imaginable was hardly ideal and currently, Prim was doing her best to put all of that out of her mind.

Luckily, there were other things to focus on, and Prim eyed the coil of wire as Gale explained where it had come from. Instantly, she knew what it was for, and hoped that the confused expression that crinkled her eyebrows was believable enough for anyone who may have been watching. “Probably,” the blonde agreed, taking a piece of gamey meat. “Maybe we can use it for a trap tomorrow—catch something else to eat.” The only trap that it was going to be used for was the radio tower outside, but there were six more days to get through before that could happen, and they still had to find the others.

For a first day in the arena, a place that Prim thought she wouldn't have made it five minutes in, things weren't so bad. She leaned against Gale and smiled, laughing softly at his attempt to keep their spirits high. “Maybe Peeta will send us some candles, too,” she joked before pulling another piece of meat from the bones of the squirrel. She hadn't realized how hungry she was, but after hours of (more or less) going in a circle, her body was craving some kind of sustenance.

After the squirrel had been picked clean, Prim opened the canteen to share small sips of water with Gale. It was hard to tell when they would find clean water again, but it was important to stay hydrated. She remembered that tip from one of the training stations back at the Capitol; that the elements were more deadly than any weapon from the Cornucopia. “We should try to get some sleep,” she said, looking at Gale through the darkness that her eyes had started to adjust to. “Maybe one of us should sit in front of the door.” Her fears about the careers had eased some, but she hadn't forgotten their words.

For the last two hours, Katniss had been sound asleep against him, and Haymitch had done little more than stare into the fire and wonder what the next day had in store for them. After a while, he began to feel his eyes get heavy and soon enough, each blink lasted a little longer before the former Victor knew that it was his turn to sleep. With his free arm, he started to reach over when a rustling noise caught his attention and instantly made him more alert. “Katniss,” he whispered, staring into the brush as he slowly reached for his ax. Giving his arm a little shake, he tried to wake her again. “Katniss, we're not alone,” he whispered again and heard the distinct sound of footsteps behind them—that was at least two and Haymitch didn't want to wait around to be surrounded.

From behind the trees, the group attacked and Haymitch barely had time to get up before the new tribute from District 9 was on him, aiming a spear at his chest that Haymitch managed to knock away with the handle of his ax. There were two more with the boy who couldn't have been older than fifteen, and his female counterpart that looked more suited to play with dolls than hold a hatchet. The third tribute was behind them, and Haymitch couldn't see what was happening as he battled with the teenager.

[Genkai]

Even if sleep was never fully obtained, Katniss would be rested enough by just closing her eyes and laying still, letting her body rest as well as her mind. If she did dream, she didn't think it would be peaceful or inviting. A big part of her actually hoped that she didn't fall into a deep rest and fall into another awful nightmare thanks to the ones watching her without remorse. It was a great comfort to have Haymitch beside her, holding onto her. He was proof that you could come back and survive, even with the odds stacked in everyone else's favor. The first time he won was mostly due to luck and quick thinking but now he was proviving that his victory over the others, and those he cared for, had been worth the blood and well earned.

At Prim's notion of them getting candles, Gale's lips crinkled in another small smile. It was possible but the more he thought about it, the more useful candles would actually be, if the baker actually took the joke seriously. "Nothing wrong with setting the mood." He joked a little and used his free hand to rub his eye, feeling the strain of the events from the last few hours. And though time had clearly been warped for the Gamemaker's advantage, Gale still felt as though he had been running for ten hours, as opposed to the more likely number of five or six. The day-and-night cycle would be another thing to keep in mind. Gale was certain that as the week continued, days would become much shorter and traps even more tricky.

After the food had been fully eaten, they had a bit of water but Gale would rather conserve it as much as possible. He was sure there would be water for them somewhere in the massive arena but he knew it wouldn't be easy to find. Prim soon suggested one of them look out and he knew that was their best bet. He knew groups of people, even as small as just two like him and Prim, had to take turns guarding and make sure nothing happened when one of them had their guard down. "I'll go and keep watch, you can rest up and I'll wake you when it's time to switch." He assured her before getting to his feet and heading over to the opening.

He stuck his head out and looked around but saw nothing of interest. It was just dark and unwelcoming. Gale looked back over to Prim and wished a fire was an option but right now, it just wasn't. He leaned against the stone door frame and folded his arms, trying not to think how Katniss and those back home were handling things. Gale was sure if he hadn't run into Prim when he did, his first night would be a very lonely and difficult one to overcome. As the hour wore on, Gale took time to pace and do light exerciser to keep his blood flowing and his body limber and ready. As he was about to wake up Prim, he heard something move along the ground. It wasn't a person's footsteps. He backed away from the door quickly and moved to where Prim was, his heart quickening.

Before Katniss knew it, she found herself wrapped up tightly in a dreamless slumber. It was nice to be away from the issues in reality but it wasn't soothing or relaxing by any means. It was just nothing. When she felt herself being shaken, she thought she was back home in her bed. Not the bed given to her by the Capitol as part of her new home for winning, but the bed she had with Prim and her mother in the small hut of a house. It took her several long seconds to remember where she was and what was going on. Panic filled her as she realized the horror, she was in the Hunger Games, it was happening all over again and the fear kept her frozen as Haymitch started to fight against someone. Getting to her feet, Katniss grabbed her weapon and set up her bow.

She fired at the girl wielding the hatchet but it missed. Katniss was still shaken from being jolted awake. She had to accept all over again that she wasn't safe and this was where she had to be. She didn't have a choice. Hastily reaching for another arrow, she set it up and backed up as the girl ran at her. The next shot, Katniss didn't even need to even blink, got her in the chest right when the other boy advanced on her. A canon could be heard as the boy held up two small daggers, too big to throw but too small for powerful attacks. Still, the kid tried to throw one which landed at Katniss's feet. She dove forward, grabbed the arrow that had killed the girl and jumped up and stuck it in the boy's throat and then continued with her motion and jammed the arrow in the guy's back who then crumpled to the ground, giving Haymitch a break.

Katniss then reloaded her bow with the same bloody arrow she had been using and took aim at the boy's head. Two more canons were sounded and Katniss finally appeared to have snapped out of her panic and rage. She looked at her red hands and quickly put the single arrow away, almost feeling ashamed. While she had dreamed of nothing, she had woken up and thought the world wasn't as bad as it truly was in this moment. She wiped her hands on her pants and finally looked to Haymitch. "I think I've got the next two hours...you try to get some rest." She said and began to check the three bodies for any supplies they had on them. She found a pack of matches but nothing else, it was still the best find all day. She made her way back to the fire and rubbed Haymitch's back. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Prim..." Gale whispered and leaned down. "Prim, there's something outside." He nudged her quickly. It wasn't a someone, as it was more of a thing, a thing Gale didn't want to cross paths with. "We gotta get moving and go." He ran back to the door and caught a glimpse of it. It was a purple large centipede and behind it, it left a trail of sludge. It smelled awful and Gale was willing to bet it was poisonous like the mist. It was quick too. Getting back to Prim, they got their things and he led them outside and around the building, careful not to go where it had been. Suddenly there was a scream and Gale looked over his shoulder and saw three people running while a fourth had been caught and was now being eaten alive by the beast, the sound of bones breaking and intestines popping was sickening. Thankfully the three careers didn't see them so Gale grabbed Prim's hand and continued to run them out of the ruins, not wanting to double back and risk being caught by either danger.

[mmidnight]

One thing that Haymitch wasn't ever going to underestimate was Katniss's ability to lay waste to whatever was in her way. While her bow and arrow skills may have come from the forest, those years of struggle had turned her into a deadly killer in the arena. It was a sick thing to appreciate, but in the end, Haymitch was happy to have three dead kids at his feet than have a cannon fired off in his honor. He had managed to get in a few good swings at the younger man before Katniss had gotten him with her arrow, the ground below their feet was now soaked with blood. The soft glow from the fire made the scene look less horrible, but the feeling of taking a life was always hard to shake and in a bittersweet way, Haymitch was glad that he hadn't gotten used to it.

Cutting the kid across the stomach had resulted in some blood on his hands, and Haymitch did his best to wipe the sticky substance away before looking to Katniss. She was checking the bodies for supplies, an action he hadn't even told her to do, she just knew. Survival mode was sometimes jarring to see in action, but Haymitch felt a little about everything—she didn't need him to get to the end—they were equal for the moment. When Katniss came back with only matches, Haymitch grabbed of their backpacks and held it open for her. Matches meant fires for the next few days, which also meant a hot meal if they managed to catch anything bigger than a bug.

“We can't stay here,” Haymitch said, giving her a look. Despite the fatigue that was reaching out to him, Haymitch didn't feel comfortable staying in the clearing after fending off three attackers. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, assuring her that he was fine and from the look of her, he gathered that she was too. The closest that any of those tributes had gotten to her was a knife that had landed at her feet. The emotional toll was something that couldn't currently be considered, and the former Victor didn't want to bring up what good murderers they made. “Maybe we can find the perimeter tonight, sleep there for a while and keep heading to the mountains in the morning.”

It was the best plan that he could come up with, the plan that Katniss had already agreed to, and Haymitch didn't think it mattered if they executed it a bit early. Pulling away from her, he grabbed the backpack and began to put out the fire, kicking some dirt onto the burning embers and watching as the light began to die away. The fire had probably given away their position to begin with, and Haymitch was currently cursing himself for letting the need for comfort outweigh their safety. “Maybe we should check your traps before we go,” he added as an afterthought, knowing that food was going to be priority soon enough.

Under constant stress and fear, sleep was hard to come by. Even though the inside of the building was completely dark, and Gale had offered to take the first watch, it was hard for Prim to actually drift off. She laid there with her eyes closed for a while, listening for any kind of noise outside, but the only sound she could hear was her own breathing, and Gale across the room. She heard him shift around, she heard his boots repeatedly hitting the floor and soon enough, those things became a comfort. Gale had a way about him that Prim had always loved, and even before they had come to the Capitol together, she felt safe with him. That was enough for her mind to finally relax.

The next time she opened her eyes, Gale was nudging her awake and the urgency in his voice instantly made her more alert. “What's wrong?” she asked, thinking that someone had found them, but she didn't ask anymore questions and simply gathered up their things, the extra backpack now hanging off her shoulders as she followed Gale out the door and around the building. A thick stench hung in the air, something akin to rotting meat and the earthy smell of dirt—it was vile and Prim swallowed hard as they moved along, away from the only safety they had found that day.

A hideous scream caused Prim to look over her shoulder, and that was when she laid eyes on the giant, centipede-like creature. It had one of the careers between its sharp pincers, gnawing through bone and cartilage like it was nothing. Three other tributes ran fast to their friend, so focused on what was in front of them that they hadn't even noticed the two sneaking off. Prim ran along with Gale, her grip on his hand tight as they put some distance between themselves and the horrors of the rundown city.

The arena looked different at night and it was hard to see much of anything with only the artificial stars and moon overhead serving as a guide. “Where do we go?” she asked after they had stopped to catch their breath. They were back in marshes again, puddles and ponds surrounding them for as far as they eye could see. Next to hear, the sound of splashing caught her attention and Prim looked down to see a neon-colored frog on her boot. It looked harmless enough, perhaps a little larger than the ones she'd seen back home. She gave her foot a wiggle, hoping to shake the thing off. Instead, its long tongue shot out with incredible force, attaching itself to her knee and burning a hole through the flexible fabric that he helped to keep her dry all day.

She yelped as she fell back into the pond, the water up around her thighs and the water did nothing to neutralize the acid currently eating into her skin. Letting out a hiss through gritted teeth, Prim wrapped her fingers around the frog and gave its body a yank, finally pulling it free. “I hate this place,” she complained, her feet sinking into the mud as she tried to get back to her feet, failing to notice the dozens of eyes that had broken the water's surface.

[Genkai]

Whether they stayed or moved elsewhere, Katniss had no opinion on the matter, her mind was still fogged, her body struggling to free itself from being on auto-pilot after being thrown back into the activity of killing without even thinking about it. Back in the compound with Haymitch, sleep had been miraculously soothing but the first night in the arena, she should have known waking up would be hard, even more so when you were being attacked. The only hope she had of her mind returning to normal right now, was Haymitch. She had killed to keep them safe, that's what she had to tell herself because she didn't enjoy it but she also didn't want Snow watching and thinking he was winning.

He would never win.

Once he took the matches, she slowly began to feel more like herself, and less detached, even if being detached was probably for the best. Haymitch though, mentioned they could find the parameter which seemed to ask a lot of them, considering he hadn't rested and the rest she had gotten, hadn't do much to her emotional state. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze, it was helping her feel more like herself than a killer. She killed but she didn't enjoy it. A small part of her wondered if the Careers enjoyed it. As he put the fire out, he mentioned the need to check their traps. "Right." She had forgotten about those. "You're right." Katniss said once more and licked her lips, tasting a hint of blood which had splattered against her face.

She walked over and tugged on his sleeve, needing to remember who she could be when she was with him, back when they were alone. He made her happy and she didn't want to lose that, not now and not ever. Katniss pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him deeply. They had to start moving but she figured it could wait. She broke the kiss but not before her teeth grazed the bottom of his lip. Anyone who tried to hurt Haymitch, Gale or her sister, would find themselves dead very swiftly. "We can't forget ourselves." She said quietly, her grip loosening. They were good fighters but Katniss didn't want that to be who they were.

"I don't want to forget how happy we could be...when this is all over." Katniss smiled a little and stepped back. She grabbed one of their backpack's and put it on along with her sling of arrows. With her bow in her hand, she led them to where she had put some traps. It was hard to see in the dark but her eyes quickly adjusted and she saw she had caught two squirrels. It was a surprise, but she wasn't about to question it. "Looks like we won't go hungry so soon." Katniss held the dead prey by their bushy tails before tossing them into her backpack so they could keep moving. The only thing to do was to go in a straight line and wait until they hit something. She wondered if the Gamemakers were going to be stopping them or waiting. Either way, they had to be careful, as always.

It dawned on Gale why Prim wanted them to leave.

He wished she had told him the reason, it would have been easier. Though he also wondered why she didn't tell him. It didn't matter now that they were moving away but he still wished she had been upfront about the danger. In the arena, secrets got people killed. He wasn't angry at Prim, just puzzled. It didn't make sense to question her need to keep information to herself. They couldn't get into a fight over silly things. THe fact was they were running away from multiple dangerous things and it was better than staying around for either the centipede or the pack of crazy careers.

When they slowed down and tried to gathered their bearings, Gale started to think about where they were in respect to the other parts they had been to during the daylight. Darkness did horrible things to people, it freaked them out and made them forget things. Gale looked around, not sure that they had the luxury to be picky, as long as they stayed out of trouble, he didn't care where they went. At night, they didn't have time to look and worry, they had to keep moving for now until they felt as safe as possible, which wasn't saying much. "I don't know, I don't think it really matters." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair while Prim's attention turned to her foot.

"We should just keep moving-" He was interrupted by her yelp and he quickly looked to see what was wrong. Prim was in the water, trying to pull some horrible looking frog off herself. He bent down, already knowing that was dangerous. The most brightly colored creatures were often the ones you needed to stay away from. He put his arms around her, under her arms and lifted her out of the squishy mud. As he pulled her up, he looked down and saw movement. Gale squinted and frowned, now able to make out dozens of spiders, ants and flies. Not to mention that the thing the frog shot out, was also a big concern. "Prim, just stay calm." He said. If she started to freak out, her blood pressure would rise and it might make whatever toxin she had could have, infect her at a faster, worse, rater.

Gale scooped her up in his arms and dusted off the things trying to cling to her. "Get off. Get off." He huffed and kept swatting. A small spider bit at his finger but the boy didn't stop until Prim was safe. "Tell me if you start to feel weird or if you think of something that will help." He said as he began to walk, carrying her and their supplies with them. In the dark, he had to go slow so he didn't misstep and fall into the water, unaware of how deadly it could be for them. It was hard to watch where he was going but he wasn't going to risk her walking until they knew how she would react to the frog and anything else that may have bitten her. "Only evil people could design such a hateful place." They weren't meant to survive, but they would. "They wouldn't last an hour in here."

[mmidnight]

Fatigue was starting to get to Haymitch, but he knew that he and Katniss couldn't continue to stay in the clearing for the night. After the random attack and the bodies that were now lying motionless in the grass, covered in blood, the former Victor doubted that he would have been able to get even a little bit of substantial rest anyway. In the end, it was better to keep moving, find the edge of the arena and then catch a few hours of sleep before the sun began to come up. He was worried about how long the night could really be when the days already seemed on the short side and sometimes, it was easy to forget that the Hunger Games were a television show, meant to be entertainment for those in the Capitol, sitting cozy and completely unharmed. Shaking his head, Haymitch stopped himself before he could get angry.

Calming him further was Katniss's kiss, very much unexpected but still appreciated and Haymitch returned it without thinking twice. There was no sense in acting like they didn't mean anything to one another, or that their partnership was just an alliance and nothing more. When the deep kiss broke, Haymitch's expression turned into a half-smile before he spoke, “we won't.” He was unsure of who Katniss was saying that for, but after doing everything he could to play by his own rules since becoming a Victor, Haymitch knew exactly who he was—a former drunk with a chip on his shoulder who was head over heels for the girl who had the power to change everything as long as she made it to the end a second time.

In the arena, it was best to take things one day at a time, but Haymitch couldn't deny that he liked the idea of a life with Katniss where nothing went wrong. There was doubt pooling in the back of his mind, something that said he probably wasn't going to make it out a second time, but the former Victor wasn't about to burst her bubble. Instead, he gave her another kiss before she pulled away, ready to go and check the traps. If nothing had been snared, they at least had the chocolate ration and Haymitch was sure there were berries or a plant they could resort to if things got rough. Thankfully, Katniss's traps had earned them two squirrels and Haymitch was already looking forward to roasting them over a fire later on.

“Glad we have dinner,” he said and waited for her to pack up the squirrels before setting off again. The darkness was almost overwhelming, which slowed down their pace across the uneven surface but walking in a straight line was probably their best bet. “Hopefully we don't run into anyone else tonight,” he said, but there was also traps to worry about and if the Gamemakers thought that things were getting boring, they wouldn't hesitate to up the danger.

Much like a knight in shining armor, Gale had quickly pulled her out of the water and freed her from the thick mud that had been encasing her boots. She would have thanked him, but the pain her leg was close to unbearable, and in the darkness, it was hard to take stock of the damage that had been done. The toxin from the frog's tongue was like fire, seeping into her skin and burrowing in like needles; the blonde was sure that she had already lost some flesh in the process. “We need to get somewhere dry,” she said through gritted teeth, reaching with her free hand to squeeze at her shin. Something came out, but it was hard to tell whether the substance was fresh blood or poison.

One good thing about the toxin was that it didn't seem to be a hallucinogen because aside from the blinding pain she was currently experiencing, everything else was fine. Her vision, though tamped down by the dark was still singular and her consciousness was still very much present. “We have those berries,” she said, hoping the green fruit would help to leech out whatever was currently eating her leg. Looking behind them, Prim could make out swarms of bugs hovering around the water they had just left—it was going to be hard to avoid them when ponds were everywhere until they made it to the next area. Her concentration broke as a spider crawled across her fingers and Prim swatted the arachnid away before it could bite her or Gale.

“I'm sorry for all this,” she said, now feeling completely useless once again. It was one thing to die in a blaze of glory, weapons out and fighting, but being taken out by a frog was just embarrassing.

[Genkai]

The mood was slowly beginning to return to normal for the pair. Katniss wasn't the best at skinning meat like Gale but she would make sure they ate well and kept some leftovers. They went back to walking and Katniss kept an eye on Haymitch, not wanting him to fall over. For all they knew, they were close to the edge but were now walking away from it, giving themselves even more of a disadvantage. The good thing though, was that the people behind the controls couldn't move the arena's force field so they'd hit it one way or another, it was just a matter of when.

When Haymitch mentioned that he hoped they didn't run into anything else, she glanced to him. "You may have just jinxed us there." She said. But they already knew they had some pretty big bright targets on their back already. Katniss kept looking ahead as they kept moving through the woods. She was feeling draining but needed to keep pushing herself. Haymitch was still going and if she could carry him, she probably would. Right now, they needed to move and not stop. If they did stop, they'd only lose their bearings once they woke up. And personally, Katniss wasn't too eager to close her eyes anytime soon.

"If only Peeta could send us a map of the arena." She joked as they continued to walk along, dry leaves and sticks crumpling and cracking under their feet as they went. "I bet Beetee and Wiress have it mapped out already though." She sighed, reminding herself that Prim and Gale weren't the only ones to keep an eye out for. Suddenly Katniss stopped and pulled Haymitch back. "Wait." She looked between the two trees in front of them, one on each side of them and yet they were perfectly placed across from one another. It was very odd and Katniss was sure it was a trap of some sort.

She couldn't find a rock to throw and test her theory so she ran around to one of the trees tried to see any wires or string but it was impossible given they only had moonlight looking over their shoulder. "They're being tricky but not tricky enough." Katniss yawned and hoped they were getting close to the parameter due to the traps she was beginning to notice. As long as fireballs weren't being shot at her, she was happy. After what felt like three hours of walking, they reached the marshy area again. "I think this arena is circular...the city, the woods, these marsh lands...but then what else is beyond it...we'll find out, for now we need to rest." She said and stayed at the forest's edge, not wanting to provoke any mist attacks at the present.

The sun was surely going to rise soon and she needed to let Haymitch sleep.

Already, Gale could feel the pain radiating off of Prim.

He wished he could do something more for her but if he had to run miles and miles with her in his arms, he would without stopping. She said they needed to get somewhere dry. He couldn't agree more. He kept moving along the indented path which rose above the pools of water and weeds. He thought about going back to the woods or the ruins but he decided the marsh area would have to do. They couldn't keep going back and forth without making any progress. He would make sure they kept moving and found the others.

When Prim mentioned the berries, he nodded. "I can make a mash with them and see if they'll help." If they didn't, he wasn't sure what they could do. He looked around, almost wondering if he heard another beacon from their mentor. Sadly, it had only been his imagination. He kept hold of her, not noticing a stray spider had been banished by Prim. "You're going to be fine, don't worry." He panted as he stumbled and felt a foot slip into the cold murky water. He yanked it back out and didn't bother waiting for anything to come out of it. His pace continued to be brisk as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "What? Sorry?" A part of him was angry at her for even apologizing. it wasn't her fault at all. It was an accident and the Capitol was solely to blame.

"Don't be sorry." Gale told her. "This is our first day, our first night. Everyone else is struggling but unlike them, we're gonna get out of here." He said softly and smiled. "You've been so strong and fearless, Katniss would be proud of you." He said as he finally got to a large enough patch of dry land before he set her down and began to fish the berries out of their bag. He took one, bit it and ignored the bitterness, before he gingerly applies it to her wound to see if it improved the pain or not. "It's not blood at least." He assured her while truing to use his sleeve to get it cleaner. "How does that feel? Should I make some mash?" He asked her as he looked at the other small berries in his hand, his eyes finally adjusting to the darkness.

[mmidnight]

“It wouldn't be the first time,” Haymitch replied, his voice free of any kind of irony. Much of his previous time in the arena had been spent watching bad things happen and wondering what else could go wrong, only to find that the Hunger Games were incredibly capable of getting that much worse. This time around, the former Victor didn't expect anything to be easy, or to go smoothly. Not only was the Quarter Quell important, a larger than life event for the Capitol, President Snow was actively trying to take Katniss out and that meant that everyone had to suffer. Although they hadn't seen much action or gore aside from the initial bloodbath, Haymitch was prepared for the worst.

The two continued to walk along, the land beneath their feet remaining consistent and Haymitch was glad to hear the snapping of twigs and rustled leaves kicked from their boots. The marsh area was what worried him the most, unpredictable in the day time and sure to be nearly impossible to navigate in the dark. Still, Haymitch continued on with Katniss, hoping to make it to the edge of the arena before either of them collapsed from exhaustion. As long as they kept moving, Haymitch told himself that he could keep his head up, that he wasn't tired. Walking was often the difference between life and death.

The mention of Beetee and Wiress caught his attention and Haymitch laughed softly. “Now if we could just find them,” he said, pausing as Katniss inspected a pair of perfectly-placed trees. The alliance wasn't something that the former Victor had given much thought to—his highest priority was still protecting Katniss, with finding Prim and Gale as a close second. He knew that Finnick and Johanna were still out there, alive and hopefully well, but part of Haymitch had been honestly surprised not to see District 3's former champions broadcast among the stars. He supposed winning once made people a little more confident.

With no traps impeding their journey so far, the pair finally made it to the edge of the forest. Haymitch could see the moonlight glittering off the puddles of water in the distance, picture perfect until he recalled the danger of the hidden whirlpools. “Yeah, you're right,” he said, thinking that Katniss was right about the layout. He supposed that they would find out in the morning, or after a few more hours hunkered down behind some tree as shelter. Sleep was beginning to feel more persistent and Haymitch concealed a yawn behind his hand before reluctantly removing the pack from his shoulders.

“You gonna be okay?” he asked, gravitating toward a nearby bush to hide behind and catch some rest. He was worried that there would be another ambush, a bigger attack and the two of them were so out in the open already. For a moment, Haymitch was tempted to leave Katniss with his ax, but she was so much deadlier with a bow and probably didn't need the extra help.

Compared to Katniss, the blonde had never thought of herself as strong or even capable, but training for the Games had revealed another side, someone who could survive without her sister around to hold her hand. Still, that new mentality was fragile and all it took was a tumble onto some pond water for Prim to feel like she was struggling all over again. Gale's words were the reassurance that she needed, there to keep her grounded and she was more than happy to hear that he didn't thin of her as a burden. She smiled softly and directed her attention toward a patch of dry land that was big enough for both of them to sit down.

The berries that they had come across earlier were good for a lot of things, but they didn't work miracles and Prim flinched as the juice touched her open wound. “It's...better,” she said, noticing that some of the pain lessened. Reaching for the bag, Prim offered a smile. “I'll do it,” she said, well-versed in treating injuries. “You should try and get some sleep.” He had been up much longer than her, and having to carry her had probably only made Gale more tired. Two hours may not have been a lot, but the sun was sure to rise soon and trying to find time to rest during the day just seemed dangerous.

“I can keep watch,” she added and took small handful of berries from the backpack. She crushed them between her fingers worked them into a jelly-like paste, their bitter scent already wafting through the air. Gingerly, Prim set the berries on her leg and sighed as the sap inside immediately got to work. The wound wasn't going to heal overnight, but if the toxin was leeched out by morning, Prim knew that she could cover it and they could keep moving like nothing had happened.