Forbearance • A Cato Hadley Story

1.19

The two teens had finally, after ten minutes or so, set off to the woods, looking for a new place to stay. They had considered staying in the field but ultimately decided against it as they knew that with only two of them being left that they shouldn't stay out in the open as well as the fact that the field was destroyed and now held a foul odor. The only weapons they had left were the ones they carried on them and the pair no longer had any food. It was all gone; just as their hope was.

Things weren't looking great for them. But they both knew that they had to make the best with what they had. It wasn't long after they set off into the forest that none other than Seneca Crane's voice echoed through the arena. "Attention tributes. Attention." the game maker's voice called out. Livia and Cato stopped in their tracks and stared into the blue sky as if that was where the voice came from. Never before had the game maker made an announcement so why it was now that they chose to speak up, neither teen was sure.

"The regulations acquiring a single victor have been suspended." the man continued. The pair looked at each other confused, as they were unsure what the suspension could possibly mean for them. The blonde's hand quickly found the boy's, to which he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "From now on, two victors may be crowned if both originate from the same district. This will be the only announcement." Crane finished off blandly. It was then silent. The teens were in shock.

 Two tributes from the same district. They were still safe. There was still hope. Both pairs of eyes widened as they stared at one another, smiles slowly creeping onto their faces. Tears of joy filled their eyes as the girl wrapped her arms around the boy's neck, pulling him into a tight hug of relief, his arms wrapping tightly around her mid drift. The pair held onto the other tightly, the only thoughts they had were ones of hope. They could go home.

And not only could they go home, but they could go home together. For the first time in who knows how long, they felt a sense of relief. A sense of hope. A sense of happiness. "We can go home." the girl whispered, burying her head into Cato's shoulder. She felt him let out a short, breathy laugh in response just before they let go of each other. But they, of course, kept their hands linked, not wanting to leave the other. After a moment they kept walking through the forest, eventually stumbling across a small cave that was buried deep into the ground.

Cato knelt on the ground, inspecting the cave, finding it to be vacant. The two climbed into the cave where it was a decent amount darker, which neither teen was going to complain about. "Well, I guess this is our home for a while." the boy spoke, gesturing to the underground area. Livia quickly flung herself onto the floor, loving the feeling of being able to lay down for the first time in a while. Cato chuckled at the girl's actions as he watched her fall to the floor dramatically. "Finally, some peace and quiet." the girl exclaimed with a sigh of relief.

The boy just smiled and sat against the cave wall next to the girl with a smile. The two laid there for a while- around an hour or so- before it started to get dark. As the sun went down so did the temperature. Livia shivered as the cold set in and curled up into a ball, trying to keep herself warm. The taller boy looked to the floor next to him where the blonde laid with a frown. Softly, he shook her, calmly waking her peaceful slumber.

"Liv, are you okay?" he asked solemnly, rubbing her shoulder. The small girl stiffly nodded as she curled up tighter, doing what she could to keep herself warm. "Just cold." she mumbled, almost inaudible to Cato. He pondered for a moment, staying just about  completely still. Without uttering so much as a single word, the muscular figure lowered himself onto the floor, laying next to her, and pulled her closer to him.

In response the girl cuddled closer to him, resting her head upon his chest and wrapping her arms around his torso. He, of course, wouldn't admit it, but he loved her touch. Something about her having her arms wrapped around him brought in a sense of comfort. Back home the boy never really earned affection from anyone. And although this feeling, in which he wasn't sure of the name, was completely and utterly new to him, he liked it a lot.

And she, of course, would never admit it, but she liked it. She felt safe in his embrace. She felt as if nothing negative, nothing dark, and nothing going against the pair could get to her. All because she was wrapped in his arms, keeping her protected against all she feared. But she was aware of the feeling. The pair had only known each other for around three weeks at this point but their feelings were undeniable. It was clear to both them and anyone who watched them long enough.

The blonde ended up falling asleep as the sun set that night, just to wake up only a few hours later, still wrapped in the boy's arms. She longed to stay in his touch but knew that sooner or later they would have to get a move on. Cato stirred in his sleep, tightening his grip on his district partner. The girl chuckled softly, not wanting to wake him, and adjusted herself to a more comfortable position where her arms remained around his mid drift but her head laid on his left shoulder rather than his chest.

But she was unsuccessful in her attempts to let him sleep as Cato fluttered his eyes open and sighed, smiling down at the girl on top of him. "Hey Hun." he spoke, letting her prop her upper body onto her elbows as he pushed himself into a sitting position. The two smiled kindly at each other, trying to mentally wake themselves up. "Hi Bub." she replied as she leaned up to his cheek to place a soft kiss upon it.

Cato blushed at her actions but tried his best to hide the redness on his cheeks from her. It was then silent, at least until a voice echoed through the arena once more. "Attention, tributes. Attention. Commencing at sunrise, there will be a feast tomorrow at the Cornucopia. This will be no ordinary occasion, each of you need something desperately and we plan to be generous hosts."

Instantly the two looked at each other, both curious as to what they lacked but it didn't take long for the boy to figure it out. The one thing they couldn't gain at this time. They had no source of food. After thinking about it for a moment, they realized it had been days since they had last eaten anything. They needed to go to the Cornucopia. Or at least one of them needed to. He wouldn't want her to do it. She wanted to do it. And she would do it. For him and for herself. So they could get one step closer to returning home.