The Nem Panem

Chapter 11

*Katniss

I'm running because I know my kids lives depend on it. What if they're being tortured and attacked right now and I'm not there? What if they're lost? What if they're hiding? What if I can't get to them? Grr. I look down at the ground in frustration and see something. I see footprints.

"Peeta, stop," I yell at him. He gives me a look that says are you serious? But he sees what I mean when I point at the footprints in the ground. He nods and gets behind me to follow. I start following the tracks. Joshua was in the front he has big feet. Fay was in the middle she has small feet. And I see a third track. I push back tears because I'm afraid the tracks will end soon and I'm not prepared. The third set is obviously the mans because it's by far the biggest and I suddenly realize, he has a boot mark. Almost like a snip they have. It's a snow flake with an arrow around it. It symbolizes something probably their organization. I show Peeta this then quickly move on with my tracking. They were moving fast. The branches and twigs that fell by the trail showed force. It keeps going on for a while. Oh gosh where are they? After another half mile the tracks split. Joshua's tracks go the opposite of Fay's. The man chose Fay to follow. I gulp in fear but in a way I'm not scared. I'm scared for my daughter but not for me.

I don't want to split up with Peeta but we have to. It's the only way to find both of them. I go follow Fay's tracks and Peeta follows Joshua's.I see the same boot marks and same footprints and then I reach a clearing in the woods. The man is lying on the ground unconscious. I see footprints lead under a log. Smart girl. Hiding in plain sight I think to myself. But when I look under the log she's not there. I retrace her steps on what she might've done. There are drag marks. No. I step over to the man and see how he's injured there is an arrow stuck in his heel. It went straight thought his boot. The arrow point sticking out on one side and the feathery part sticking out on the other. His head is bleeding and he seems to be still alive but out cold. I arch my bow and kick him in the face to wake him up. He wakes up with a jolt and looks around him. He freezes when he sees me. The smell hits me the moment he looked up. Blood and roses. I'd know it anywhere.

"Who are you and what have you done with my children?" I ask him coldly.

He looks around and squints up at me. He smiles.

"I don't got your kids but I sure wish I could get my hands on you and them both."

He's revolting. I scrunch my face up but don't leave eye contact.

"Who are you?" I ask him stepping a bit forward so he can clearly see in the dark that I have a weapon. He turns alert immediately.

"I am Carl Gertrude and I'm going to kill you."

"Why are you going to kill me."

"I don't have to answer any of your stupid questions," he spats at me.

I lower my bow and walk around to the back of him. I place my arm around his neck and and push down on the arrow in his heel with my other hand. He let's out a cry of pain.

"I'll ask again," I said sternly ," why do you want to kill me?"

"To avenge President Snow," he says painfully ,"he was the greatest thing that ever happened and because of you and your rebellion he's dead."

I process this. I don't know what else to do. He just told us why they're hunting us. Probably finishing me off for snow.

"Where's my kids?" I ask pressing into his heel again.

"I don't know about your boy but I almost had your girl," he says with a laugh,"she hit me in the head with a rock but before I went unconscious I saw her go that way." He pointed to the direction of her footprints.

I nod and get up. I can't leave him alive he's with a whole group of people who want to kill me. I shoot him and feel a pain in my chest. I turn and run still following the tracks in the leaves.