Hold On

Chapter 10

Song - Save yourself by my darkest days

The Gamemakers force us to go to the lake. By draining our water source by the cave. We pack up while we are well rested and fed.

We walk through the woods and I glance at Katniss, she doesn't look annoyed like she did when we were hunting.

Maybe because we're hunting a human male so we can go home. Twenty-one tributes dead.. I didn't know them. But I still feel like someone kicked me in the chest. They didn't deserve to die but.. then again they were in the way of Katniss going home. That's my main goal.

We rest for only a couple moments. I realize this is the place, the Careers had Katniss trapped. I watch Katniss kick the remains of the tracker jacker nest and it turns to dust. I shake my head, remembering the hallucinations, Katniss falling out of the tree, Glimmer's dead bloated body.. Cato dragging me to my soon to be demise only to leave me alive in hopes I'll get a worse fate then easily finishing me off with his sword.

"Let's move on" she speaks up, almost breathless.

I nod and follow her. Soon we make it to the lake and fill up our water containers.

After they are filled we wait out in the open, hoping to see Cato. He never arrives. I carefully squeeze drops of iodine into the water.

As we wait a bit longer, deciding on what we should do. I hear mockingjays singing back and forth. I look over at Katniss and she's watching them as well.

She starts to sing, I listen carefully before she stops, one mockingjay trilling the tune back then another and then another. Soon the forest is alive with the sound of her song.

"Just like your father" I whisper.

She touches the pin on her shirt. "That's Rue's song" she whispers before adding "I think they remember it"

I smile. "It's a beautiful song" I say softly as I look around the lake once more. "Who gave you the pin?"

"Madge." She replies. I smile "I didn't know you were friends."

"Yeah.. she sometimes hangs out with Gale and I" she says softly.

I smile, "she always talks about how she tries to get you out of your shell and try to make you talk to her" I chuckle.

She nods before looking back up at the mockingjays.

We listen to the singing of the mockingjays for a while until they all suddenly stop and start to shriek and cry out in alarm.

We're both on our feet in seconds. Then I see him. Cato, he's running straight for us. He has no weapon in his hands but yet he's running straight for us. Why?

Before I can say anything, Katniss sends an arrow flying toward him. It hits his chest but falls aside.

"He's got some kind of body armor!" She shouts.

Before I can reach my knife attached to my belt, he runs between us. We look at each other, confused. He made no attempt in trying to kill us. But runs off.

He looks like he's been running a long time, he was panting and sweaty. He's running from something. But what?

I turn to look and see a big wolf like creature jump from the abyss of trees onto the plains. My eyes widen and I yell 'run!' Before following Katniss.

Muttations. More mutts.

They resemble big wolves. I've only seen wolves in books never really seeing one in person. But.. I know they can't stand on their hind legs that's for sure.