𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐢𝐧

𝐕

***𝒯ℋℐℛ𝒟 𝒫ℰℛ𝒮𝒪𝒩 𝒫𝒪𝒱***

-<༻𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬༺>-

Katniss got up and walked behind him, unsheathing a knife from her hip as she did so.

    "Once I cut this you play by our rules or else."

"Yeah," he huffed. "I got that."

It took a bit but eventually, Katniss was able to hack through the thick rope a set him free. Bringing his hands into view, the angry red markings encircled his wrists. Rubbing his raw wrists and standing to stretch he noticed how stiff Everdeen seemed to be. He thought it a positive, which meant she was afraid of him and wouldn't bother him later. Marvel seemed more happy to see him, probably because everyone he'd been with so far seemed to be limiting his autonomy. Whilst rubbing his wrists he noticed the aforementioned leaves wrapped around different parts of his arms, legs and even his torso. For not being actual bandages, they seemed to work pretty well. If the kid had done them like he was told then at least she had some skill and wasn't just complete dead weight. The leaves on his arms and legs were easy enough to pick off and he decided it be better to remove the ones from his chest later. The skin underneath was almost if not completely healed, aside from a bit of redness where he was stung.

"C'mon, I'll show you where we set up." Katniss said.

       As Cato waded through the underbrush and made his way back to the clearing, the scene before him began to unfold in full clarity. Just a few feet away from where he had been hiding lay a charred campfire, the remnants of what had once been a gathering point for the tributes. Scattered around the pit were several bags discarded from the arena, their contents presumably emptied in a hasty search for supplies. Logs, rough and splintered, were arranged haphazardly around the fire pit, where the trees leaned in closer, creating an almost intimate enclosure.

        To his right, he noticed Rue and Finch working together to roll Clove onto her side. The sight sent a jolt of concern through him, intensifying as Rue looked up, her expression teetering between apprehension and resolve. She met his gaze with her large, dark eyes, unsure whether to welcome him or to be afraid. Finch, on the other hand, merely shrugged and walked away, leaving Rue to grapple with her uncertainty.

        What struck Cato most, however, was Clove herself. She lay there, still and peaceful, a stark contrast to the fierce and often snarky demeanor he was accustomed to. Her face was relaxed, her body devoid of tension, a serene expression gracing her features. It was almost surreal to see her like this; the way she normally scrunched her nose or curled up defensively in her sleep was completely absent. This version of Clove felt foreign to him—stripped of her usual bite and the sharp edge of her personality. In an unexpected way, it brought back memories of their childhood, a time when she had been carefree and unburdened by the weight of the Games.

         Marvel nudged him with his elbow, pulling him out of his reverie. Cato felt a flicker of annoyance but recognized that Marvel was trying to remind him not to show weakness in front of the others. Lifting his head, he found himself once again caught in Rue's gaze, her doe-like eyes still reflecting a trace of fear.

        "Rue," Katniss's voice cut through the tension, soft and steady. "It's okay. He's going to follow our rules, and even if he doesn't, I have a bow."

        Rue exhaled a shaky breath, the tension visibly leaving her small frame as she leaned down to gather her things. It appeared they had given her the smallest backpack available, a makeshift pack meant to keep her essential belongings close. Cato watched her with a sense of admiration; despite the chaos surrounding them, she remained composed, focused on the task at hand.