The Sword's Other Half

Are You Kidding Me...Fireballs?!?!

AN: Here's this week's late chapter! I hope y'all enjoy!

Cato and I are asleep in yet another tree when I wake up to the smell of something burning. Groggily I look around seeing the forest around us on fire. "Cato!" I shout as I abruptly shake him awake. Cato jolts awake and sees the situation we are in. We quickly untie ourselves from the tree and he grabs my hand as we jump down then make a run for it. As we are running suddenly a ball of fire is launched directly at us. Cato and I throw ourselves to the ground to avoid it before scrambling up and running again. Yet another fireball is sent our way barely missing us. A tree suddenly falls in front of us and I am hit in the leg by one of them. 'Apparently, for the Gamemakers the third time's the charm.' I give a shout of pain and Cato lets out a grunt as we fall to the ground. I hold my thigh that is burned while Cato grunts at the slight burst of pain that shoots through our bond from my end. When your soulmate is hurt you feel the shot of initial pain so you know they're hurt but you don't feel the full dose of it or the entire duration of the time they're hurt. I breathe through my teeth at the pain and look up to see yet another fireball coming our way. 'You've got to be kidding me!' Cato pulls me out of the way and we scramble to get up and run until we come onto a stream which I immediately jump into to soothe the burn.

Cato stands right next to it and catches his breath for a second before turning to me. "How bad is it, Melissa."

"It's not good that's for damn sure but in all honesty, it could be worse," I say with a sigh.

Cato begins helping me out of the water when we hear laughing coming our way on the other side of the water. Cato and I look at each other with wide eyes as the Careers plus Peeta come through the woods across from us. Marvel spots us, "There they are! There they are!"

Cato and I make a break for it running back into the woods. "She's mine!" I hear Glimmer shout.

"Not if I get her first!" Peeta exclaims.

"Where you gonna go," Marvel taunts.

"Mine!" Glimmer shouts.

"Fish out of the pond! And someone found them," Marvel cackles.

Cato points to a thick tree like the ones we've been sleeping in, "There, Melissa!" I nod and Cato pushes me to climb up first so he can help me if I slip due to my damaged leg. We make it up the tree just as the Careers catch up to us.

"Where you going Soulmates on Fire?" Marvel asks.

"We got her! Miss Knight, I'm gonna get you then Cato will be all mine," Glimmer taunts with an evil smirk.

"That's not gonna help you up there, Melissa," Peeta shouts before he begins to try climbing up the tree with a sword. I roll my eyes at him as they begin to say that he's going to get us. I know Peeta can't climb well. Hell, he fell flat on his butt during one of our training sessions when he was practicing climbing. Cato and I climb just a bit higher just to be safe and we find a branch thick and steady enough to hold both of us. "I'm coming for you," Peeta calls right before he grabs a dead branch and plummets to the ground falling on his back.

"I'll do it myself," Glimmer says as she notches an arrow and lets it fly in our direction going right between Cato and my face. "Sorry, Cato but if leaving a slight scratch on your handsome face means I get to kill the only person that stands between our love then I'm willing to make that sacrifice. Don't worry, Baby. Stay still and we will be together soon."

That crazy Bitch! (They thought this in unison.)

Cato and I look at each other and chuckle slightly at our shared thought before we are brought back to the seriousness of the situation by another arrow whizzing past us. "Maybe you should throw the sword this time," Cato calls down to them.

"Let's just wait them out. They've gotta come down at some point. It's that or starve to death," Peeta suggests. The others nod in agreement and then make a fire for the night.

As the Careers disperse to set up camp my adrenaline wears off and pain shoots through my leg causing me to wince. I smile at Cato through the pain, "Hey, Babe? You know when I said my leg could be worse...yeah it's worse. The running and the climbing sure didn't help it." Cato's arm tightens around me in comfort. "I need your help for a sec, Babe. I need you to pour water on the wound to clean some of the dirt and stuff out of it. It will hurt me but I need you to do it or else worse will become even worse." Cato reluctantly nods before grabbing one of our canteens and like a bandaid quickly dribbles some of the water on my wound causing me to hiss and tense in pain as Cato whispers softly telling me it's almost over.

After my wound is cleaned out, Cato holds me in his arms with his head buried in my neck and I play with his hair to distract myself from the pain in my leg.

Those damn Gamemakers practically steered us right into the hands of the Careers.

Served us to them right on a silver platter especially because of the fact you were hurt.

I look in the direction of a sound and see one of the sponsor parachutes headed our way. It lands in the branch right below us and Cato is able to use his long arms to reach down and pluck it from the branch.

After opening the capsule we find a note that says: Apply generously and stay alive, Princess. Keep her safe, Loverboy. -H Inside there was a salve that Cato immediately begins to apply to my leg causing the burning to cool.

"Thank you, Dad," I say out loud knowing Haymitch will hear me and understand.