The Hunger Games - Rebirth - Book 2

Chapter 14

I sat beside Katniss while she slept for a bit and then woke her up as the sun began to show the first signs of the coming morning. I made her some breakfast and gave her some water and then we sat in silence.

"You came for me" She said after a few minutes of silence.

I nodded my head and turned my gaze to the waterfall.

"Yeah I did."

More silence fell.

"Tierney is still your ally?"

I nodded my head. "You have to understand I couldn't just leave her?"

She looked at me and nodded her head. "Yeah I know, I was just scared you know. I thought you had died when you went out there searching for the water and I didn't' want you to have to ever do that again."

I rose to my feet and moved closer to Katniss. "You don't have to worry, Tierney is a wonderful girl." I snorted a bit. "I sorta adopted her and took her under my wing. It's like I have my own daughter now. She is a good girl."

Katniss' sighed. "So she isn't mad about what I said about her and not being able to trust her."

I shook my head. "No, she isn't mad. She was worried about you everytime she heard that cannon blast."

Katniss shook her head in disbelief. "I don't believe that."

"Well you don't have to but it's true." I rose to my feet and dusted off my uniform before I brought her to hers as well. "We should get moving because it took me half a days travel to get here."

Katniss took my hand and I brought her carefully to her feet. I helped her turn around to face the flat horizon that was behind us and I rose her arm into the air in a Victory like motion.

"Put a smile on your face Cinna your girl is a survivor!" I shouted to the sky where I knew they would be filming us. "KATNISS IS A SURVIVOR!"

I turned to Kat to see a smile clear across her face. She was even blushing a bit. I took off my back pack and helped Katniss put it on her back. I adjusted my bow and sheeth and then had Katniss get on my back. She was as light as she was small.

"How much do you weigh 15 pounds." I joked as I began walking.

"I weigh a little over a hundred, jealous." She chuckled as she secured her grip on my shoulders.

"Totally, I'm so heavy I can't give myself a piggy back ride anymore." Katniss laughed.

"Is that even possible?"

"I have no idea, never tried it" I laughed.

I carried Katniss across the first mile and then we sat down and rested along the river bank. We ate and drank and rested for a bit before we continued on. Our pace became slower though because Katniss wanted to walk.

It was around late in the evening when I saw signs of the place we made camp at. Slowly we trekked up the rocky mound stopping halfway to rest after 30 seconds of climbing. When we neared the place where camp was I heard Tierney whimped and peek carefully out of the tent.

When she saw who it was she stood to her feet and walked out of the tent smiling. She headed towards me with a smile on her face before she hesitated. Suddenly she took off at a run and tackled Katniss to the ground. The two tumbled down the rocks and fell into the gentle river below.

"What are you doing!" I heard Kantiss shriek.

Suddenly a spear lodged itself into the rock beside me. We were being attacked. I took out my bow and set it with an arrow before I looked for the person who had thrown the spear with such power. I looked around and saw a tall burly female who looked to be around my age behind some bushes watching Katniss and Tierney below.

"Someone tried to kill you" She breathed.

Katniss rose to her feet unsteadily grabbing at her leg which was bleeding again. "You need to relax. No one is trying to kill me but you." she snapped.

"Katniss turn around!" She screamed.

Suddenly I heard a ripping sound and a splash and the sound of Katniss' scream. I moved to the edge of the cliff and saw Katniss laying in the river with a shocked expression and Tierney with a knife lodged in her shoulder.

I looked at the spot where the girl had been and she was gone. Off to the far right of the river I saw her. She was drawing out another knife. I aimed and released my bow and watched as the arrow missed her as she dove to the ground.

"Shit!" I muttered as I loaded my bow again.

The second time was the charm as it sank deep into her neck severing her juggular. She bled out in seconds and the cannon blast announced her death. 8 more.

I dropped my bow down and scaled down the rocks to the spot where they were. Katniss was bleeding from her wound and I needed to staunch it before she lost too must blood. I helped her quickly to the tent and then went back to check on Tierney who had been hit.

I stopped at the bottom and watched in the distance as the hover craft was drawing closer. Then I remembered my arrow. I ran forward to the dead girls side and retrieved my arrow and put some distance between myself and her so the craft could get her body. Once the craft was gone I turned to Tierney.

I checked her wound and saw it wasn't that bad. The knife blade hadn't hit any major viens or ateries and it the bleeding was light. I took her face between mine and kissed her on the forehead.

"You are going to be fine." I told her.

Her expression was terrified, her eyes so wide. She seemed to just be staring and her body seemed colder than natural. I knew she was in shock. I cradled her and gently rose to my feet. I carried her up the rocks with extreme difficult and brought her into the tent.

"Is she okay!?" Katniss asked.

I just looked at her silently and then set her down.

"She is in a slight catatonic state." I replied.

I had treated a few people in the past who fell into this kind of state. It was mainly family members to those that had went into the games and never returned. The catatonic patients wouldn't eat or respond to anything and because of that they would slowly and silently slip away until they died. Those that came out of it were never the same emotionally.

"How is she is a catatonic state?" Katniss asked me as she pressed some cloth against her bleeding wound.

"She got hit with a knife." I said plainly.

"So I got stabbed with a knife." Katniss countered.

I brushed my hand along her cheek gently before I sat back.

"She is not like you or me, she is special. If you don't understand atleast go with the flow and do your best to treat her with respect."

"She tackled me and pushed me off a cliff and caused my wound to open. I could bleed to death." Katniss replied.

I glared at her. "She saved your life. If she wouldn't have done what she did you would have been impaled by the spear that is now currently stuck in the the side of the rock."

She opened her mouth to say something but then closed her mouth as if she changed her mind.

"I'm sorry." she said.

"Don't tell me, I didn't almost die to save your life Tierney did."