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.
