The Wrong Victor

Chapter thirty: Peeta

"Faster! Run!" Boggs barks orders at the nine of us as we run from where we were shooting our propo.

Gale had hit a pod with an arrow and that released mutts. Thanks Gale.

The mutts are bright cherry red foxes with mauled faces and large bodies that make them as large as wolves.

"We're never going to out-" a member of the battalion stepped on a pod that completely obliterated them the moment they stepped on it.

"Shit." Boggs cursed as he directed us towards an abandoned building. "Inside!"

My leg is cramping and my prosthetic is not made for running. I force my leg to run but it feels like it's on fire.

When we make it in Boggs and Gale quickly move things in front of the door but it won't be enough. We get to higher ground and prepare to shoot at them.

I sit behind a bookshelf, roll up my pant leg, and pull off my prosthetic. It hurts so bad. I whimper as I peel off my sock and see how badly bruised my leg is already beginning to look.

Crack, the shelves they moved in front of the door break as the fox-wolf claw at the wood. I aim my gun at the door and breathe in. The moment I see a red eye I shoot. I breathe out and reload.

Round after round we all shoot these mutts until their hisses and growls are no more. I drop my unloaded gun to my side and look down at my leg.

"Mellark, you good?" Boggs asks and I just give him a look.

"No, you all sent me out here without a running prosthetic. This is not made for running. My leg is bruising and it will swell and I won't be able to wear it for days." I sass as he shove my sock into the socket and run my hand through my hair. "So, who is going to help me walk?"

Pollux and Caster are quick to help me stand. Pollux grabs my prosthetic leg and Caster grabs my gun.

"Let's just get back to base safely. I'll contact Coin and see what we can do." Boggs says obviously not liking the tone I took with him.

It takes three times as long to get back to camp as it did to get out to our location. I'm hobbling the best I can, but damn my leg hurts. Even just swinging it to keep my balance as I hop hurts.

Pollux and Caster help me back to my tent and I smile as Katniss is braiding Prim's hair as Prim sits on the ground. Finnick is sitting next to them smiling at the girls sing.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. Think I can sit on the bed?" I asked hopping over and thanking the other two before they leave. I plop down on the bed only to nearly scream in pain as my amputated leg burns.

"Peeta!" Prim is up and immediately digging through her kit to find things to help.

"Are you okay?" Katniss asks her eyes trailing to my leg.

"Yeah, my prosthetic is not made for running. We accidentally activated a pod of fox-wolf mutts." I say as Katniss gently touches my arm. That's when I notice her cuffs aren't on. "Hey look at you out of your cuffs. Your wrists doing better?" I ask wanting the attention and worry off of me for a moment.

"They're getting worse which is why I'm putting my foot down. She only wears the cuffs when she absolutely needs to. That being only in episodes where in which she's trying to hurt herself or others." Prim is being stern, who is this?

"Prim, you've gotten stern and stubborn. Pretty sure that is who your sister is, not you." I joke and Katniss laughs a little.

"I said the same thing." She says softly as she leans on my shoulder.

Prim walks back over with pain medication and gently injects my leg with it before injecting it with numbing medication and putting a salve on it to help with the bruising. "I'm just tired of her wrists getting worse. She's going to have scars on them from these stupid cuffs."

"Primmy has definitely grown up." Finnick says with a laugh. "So, any word on the actual front lines? Or any word on when we're going home?"

"Boggs hasn't told me anything. Granted that's because he is a pain in the ass and I sass him. But that's besides the point." I say as my leg finally stops feeling like it's on fire. "I'm sure we can ask at lunch and find out."

Katniss sits up a bit when the tent opens to reveal a very mad Boggs. She tenses and reaches for her cuffs only for Prim to gently push her hands away.

"A few things. One, Peeta your running prosthetic is on it's way it will just be switched for your normal prosthetic when we go to shoots. Two, Katniss is to be in her cuffs at all times. Prim, we have talked about this."

Prim stands up and holds the cuffs out to show him the dried blood. "No. You talked and refused to listen. As the only medic here I am in charge of everyone's wellbeing. Katniss' wrists have been getting worse. As her doctor I'm not allowing you to place these back on her unless it's an emergency. At night she has nightmares and tears up her wrists. When she has episodes she tears up her wrists. She's going to develop scars because it's taken so long for her wounds to close and I refuse to have to amputate both of my sister's hands because you refuse to listen to a medical professional."

"You are not-"

"I'm sorry have you been trained to be a medic? No? Then I don't want to hear how I'm technically not a professional. Compared to the battalion I am the only medical professional. If you would like to receive anymore help from me then you will listen. Otherwise all of your injuries will become infected and I will perform amputations on you as you lose every single limb. Do I make myself clear, Commander Boggs?"

I don't think I've ever seen Prim threaten anyone and it's terrifying to actually watch her threaten them to their face. Especially this army commander who is decades older than her, more than twice her age.

"Understood, medic Everdeen." Boggs says before clearing his throat. Must be humbling to be smacked down by a fourteen year old. "Three, Finnick you have a call on the communicator. It's urgent."

With that Finnick and Boggs leave fairly quickly. When the tent closes and we no longer hear the heavy footsteps I burst into laughter, as does Katniss. Prim's ears turn pink before she turns around to face us to show her entire face is beet red.

"What?" Prim's voice cracks a little out of embarrassment and I just pull her into a hug.

"I have never seen you threaten someone to their face. And the look on his face!" I laugh as I just hold Prim close. "It was priceless."

"Well, he should know better than to mess with me." Prim says and I just watch her as Katniss pulls her into a hug and secretly, not so secretly tucks in Prim's duck tail.

"You just seem so grown up, Primmy." Katniss says kissing Prim's forehead. "It's jut a bit of a shock. And a bit funny to see you put grown men decades older than you in their place."