An Undying Love || Clato Fanfiction

Chapter 27

Cato's POV:

Clove left last night and she still hasn't returned. I'm getting worried about her, but I know she's strong. I sat near the extinguished fire that I'd made last night and ran my hand through my hair. I was torn between waiting for her to return or going to look for her.

Last night, I had also realised that Clove had all of the meat, leaving me with nothing. I had searched through my backpack and had found some beef jerky and dried fruit. I had saved some, but there wasn't enough.

I decided to get off my ass and start doing something. There was no point in sitting here and starving to death. I grabbed my sword and backpack before heading into the forest. I searched for any sign of movement or anything, but like Clove said, I was too loud.

I had decided on a different strategy instead. I hid behind some bushes near a small pond. As I sat there, I tried to think about how to catch the animal when I saw it, but came up with nothing besides throwing my sword or running up to it.

Running wasn't an option, my footsteps would easily scare them away and throwing my sword would not do much if I can't aim. I sighed as I thought about what to do. I could learn to be stealthier, but what good would that do me. I would just be wasting my day. I decided to try it anyways and see where it gets me.

A small rabbit was soon in sight. I quietly got up and tiptoed around it as it took a sip of water. As I moved, a branch snapped and it was scared off. I sighed and went back to my original position. I needed to be patient if I wanted to do this right.

A few of the animals passed, but I was unsuccessful in catching them. Soon, a small animal that I couldn't identify approached. I tried to remember everything I had scolded myself about, and tried again. I watched my steps and was careful around branches. I slowly made my way behind the defenceless animal and pounced.

I whipped my sword forward and stabbed the animal in the head. I smirked at my prize and refrained from celebrating. It was then that I heard a few chimes and Claudius Templesmith's voice.

"Attention remaining tributes. There has been a rule change, which now allows two tributes from the same district to win together." I stared up at the sky in shock. I celebrated in my head, but my exterior was cool.

I knew that Clove would probably go back to camp to find me, so I grabbed all my stuff and raced back. I arrived and looked around, dropping my belongings. Clove came running out of the forest, a small smile playing on her lips.

She rushed towards me and jumped into my waiting arms. I spun her around as I embraced her.

"We're going home together, Clover." I whispered happily. She smiled at me, something that I had missed deeply. It was a sense of comfort that I'd always loved. I returned her to the ground and stared into her eyes.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued staring at me. I rose my right hand and stroked her cheek softly. She leaned into my touch and leaned up slightly. Her soft lips met mine in a tender kiss.

The short kiss ended quickly and we just stood around and smiled at each other. She quickly walked past me and dumped her bag down before taking her hair out of her ponytail.

"Where were you?" I asked curiously.

"I found a small place to stay." She said vaguely. "How was it here without me?"

"Lonely." I said, smiling at her. At this point, I don't care if the whole of Panem sees me and Clove being happy together, because all I care about is her right now. She turned and smiled at me before heading to the lake.