When I wake, the sun is only just coming up. Cato is already awake, and a fish is lying on the hard mud next to me. Cato stands knee deep in the water, a spear poised over the water. I prop myself up on my elbows and watch him. Suddenly, his arm flies out, releasing the spear. He picks up the weapon before it falls over in the current, and a fish is caught on the end. A smile lights up Cato's face and he starts wading back to me. He looks up as he reaches the shallows, and notices that I'm awake.
"You'd do well in district four." I say, smiling.
"Doubt it. This catch must have been my hundreth try." Cato replies as he sits down next to me.
"When did you get this one?" I say, pointing to the fish that was by my side when I woke.
"About five minutes ago."
"You're improving though."
"I suppose. But I wouldn't be good in district four. I'm strong, not necessarily accurate. I was training for these games and to be a peacekeeper when I'm older. I don't need to know how to fish." Cato smiles.
"I suppose. Want me to make a small fire?"
"Yeah, it'd help. Just don't want district 11 bursting through the trees. Have you seen the size of him?"
"He's huge. He'd take me down, maybe even you." I smirk and walk a few metres into the trees. There is wood littered everywhere, as if someone has been through and cut down half the branches from trees. I collect a few, and some dry leaves and walk back to Cato.
"I don't really know how to cook fish." Cato admits.
"Same here. But first get rid of most of the scales, I don't fancy eating those." I smile. The rule change has put us both in to good moods, and I doubt anything could drag us down. I hand Cato one of my knives and he runs the blade against the scales to get them off the fish while I arrange the wood and the leaves for a fire. I take over with the fish and let Cato light the fire.
Once smoke is slowly rising from the flames we lay the fish over the wood and let them cook. I use the container the bread came in last night to fill with water.
"We only have five iodine tablets left." I say, holding out the packet.
"We can use rainwater."
"I suppose."
Once our fish are cooked we eat them slowly with the rest of the bread from home and drink the water. We stamp out the fire and throw the wood back into the forest and kick the ashes into the stream.
"Hey, look." Cato says, and wades through the stream to the other side. The terrain starts to get rocky, and there is a dark red streak down the side of a boulder.
"What is that?" I say, joining him.
"It's blood." Cato says.
"Lover Boy?"
"Could be. Could have been anyone." Cato says, inspecting the stain.
I turn around and look around the trees. "Want to go tribute hunting today?"
"Of course. There's six of us."
"Well, there's some smoke over there. Want to check it out?"
"What if it's another trap?"
"You believe Marvel's theory now he's dead?"
"It made sense, now I think about it." Cato says sheepishly. I laugh, disblief tinting my tone.
"Let's go check it out." I say, taking Cato's hand.
We wander back into the shelter of the trees and head in the direction of the smoke through the trees and the undergrowth, Cato's hand gripping mine. "Who do you think lit the fire?"
