𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉
—𝘪 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦—

     𝙄 𝙍𝙐𝙉 𝘽𝙔 Marvel's side, my jaw dropping as River and Cato are in sight. Covering my mouth, I let out a small sob. River lies on the ground with Cato on top of him, blood pouring from several cuts on his face. Bruises already begin to form on his jaw, showing from very hard blows.

"CATO, STOP!" I yell in terror, shoving him from River. "Oh my gosh, River! Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay, please."

"Clove, take her!" Glimmer shouts from the other side of the cornucopia, pulling out her bow. "I'll get her friends."

"He threw the first punch," Cato growls, wiping the blood from his busted lip. "You didn't expect for me to just let him do it, did you?"

"Shut up, Cato," I murmer, placing my hands on either side of River's face. "Aspen, we have to get out of here. Clove and Glimmer are coming-"

"What the hell, Cato!" Clove snaps. "Weren't you supposed to kill her?"

"Shut up," Cato says, glaring at the short brunette.

"Aspen, go," I repeat, pulling a groaning River to his feet. "Come on, River. You have to move your legs, she's coming-"

"Marvel?" Clove continues. "What the hell are you two doing? Kill them already!"

"Casey, go," Marvel shoves me forward lightly. "We can handle Glimmer and Clove."

"Thank you," I murmer, taking one last glance at Cato before ushering River forward. "Where are we going to hide?"

"I don't know," Aspen sighs once we reach the woods. "I just want to get as far away from the careers as possible. And when we do set up camp, I want an explanation for what happened back there."

"Fine." I cave. "But I want an explanation for why the two of you had to fight with Cato to get your point across."

___♔___

"I did it because of you, Casey," River says as I wipe the blood from his face. I stop abruptly, scrunching my eyebrows in confusion.

"What are you talking about River?" I ask with a sigh, laying the rag down beside of me.

He takes a deep breath, "I fought him because he said that he wanted to win you over, but I told him that I love you. I'm gonna win you over, Casey. I love you and I want you. I will make sure you make it out of here alive, even if it kills me."

I gape at him, even though he had already informed me of his feelings. Hearing it was worse than I thought possible. "River . . . you know-"

"Save it Casey, I already know how you feel," He mutters cutting me off. River stands up and storms off into the woods as I call his name in protest. A long sigh leaves my lips as I stare after him, River crouching down beside me.

"It would've been easier to tell him," Aspen says lowly. "Even if it did break his heart."

"That's what I was trying to avoid," I murmer, sinking down lower into the ground, my axe laying by my knees. "But I guess you're right. At least then there was a possibility that he would forgive me."

"He'll forgive you." He states. "But just give him some time. It was a little too sudden for comfort, if you know what I mean."

"Thanks for the advice," I smile weakly. "You think we should set up camp here?"

"No one will find us," Aspen shrugs. "So that's up to you. You want to stay, we'll stay. But just know it's about to get dark soon."

I nod, my mind roaming away from our conversation as I recalled my previous talk with Cato. After he had promised to not hurt Aspen and River, a promise of which he broke, he told me of how he would find me after the careers were asleep.

Did he still plan on finding me, even after breaking his promise? Now I'm not so sure if I want him to find me. After all, he did break a promise.

"No, we should stay," I nod slightly, moving to my feet. "I think we should stay in the trees tonight, above everyone else. I guess it'd be a pretty good advantage point if anyone were to roam by."

"Of course," He stands beside me, giving me a smile. "I'll go tell River. You watch yourself, okay? Don't hesitate to yell if you hear or see anything unusual."

"Okay," I mutter, staring at the ground as he, too, walks away from me. He disappears behind the coarse, thick trees around me, leaving me to myself.

Glancing around, my eyes find a familiar bag laying on the ground. After finding Cato, Aspen, River, and the others earlier, I had spotted the backpack that rested on Aspen's shoulder. Along with it was a machete and three small knives.

River currently carries a trident, something I hadn't bothered to deal with in a while. Grabbing the backpack, I rest myself on the ground again, dumping its contents into the grass below me.

Laying on the ground was a package of dried jerky, two sealed packages of crackers, an empty water canister, a small bag of fruit, a rope, and an empty container. I pack all of the items back inside, with the exception of the container.

Placing the backpack onto my shoulder, and grabbing both the container and axe as I walk over to a bush of berries nearby. I recognize the berries from an earlier course I took with Aspen; edible berries. And these were definitely edible.

I place my axe down carefully, taking a quick glance around me. After seeing that the coast was clear, I proceed to pick the berries, filling the container to the rim with the berries, of which I ate a few in the process. Finally tapping the lid back on, I drop the sealed container to the ground and snatch my axe as a twig snaps behind me.

My eyes grow wide as I realize I'm alone- Aspen and River were still having a chat. I grit my teeth, staring into the trees across from me. Once again, a twig snaps, and leaves crunch under the feet of a heavy weight coming my way. But this couldn't just be a tribute- it could possibly be a mutt, so I had to prepare for anything.

I throw the backpack to the ground, stepping forward with my axe clutched tightly in my palm. Something lurches in front of me immediately, a gasp leaving my lips.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Cato rushes out, holding his hands up as Marvel slams into his back. "You caught me."

He chuckles, glancing over my tense stance. I let out a heavy breath, dropping my axe to my side. "You're lucky I didn't kill the two of you. I thought you were mutts."

"No mutts here," Marvel assures me, digging the point of his spear into the dirt below his feet. "Where are the guys? Aren't they supposed to keep an eye on you?"

"River won't talk to me," I shake my head, avoiding eye contact with the two of them. "He's upset that I didn't tell him earlier."

"He started it, Case," Cato tells me. "He started the fight. I intended to stick to my promise, but I wasn't going to let him . . . claim you like that."

"I'm sure you could've just kept your cool," I roll my eyes. "Or you just could've just ignored him altogether. You didn't have to start a fight, Cato."

"I did when he threw the first punch," Cato points out. "It was kind of hard to ignore that."

"That's because River has a temper, Cato. One that I, personally, have never had to face. And you have a temper- it's just not a good pair to be in an argument."

"As long as you're okay, everything is fine," Cato says, stepping forward to pull me into his arms. "I just needed to check on you."

"What happened with Clove and Glimmer?" I question, my voice muffled by his shirt. "Are they currently trying to find me?"

"Clove isn't sure what to think," Cato mumbles. "I threatened her- she won't be saying anything to anyone. And she and Glimmer are currently at the cornucopia. They think we're tribute hunting at the moment."

"Hmm," I sigh, pulling away to glance to Marvel. "How are you holding up, Marvel?"

"Holding back the will to kill Glimmer in her steps," He sighs. "But other than that, I'm just great."

I chuckle lightly, shuffling over to grab the backpack and container of berries again. "You guys need to leave. I have to find Aspen and River before they find us. It's definitely not a situation we need to be in at the moment."

"But I just got here," Cato argues. "Ocean can deal with it."

"It's River," I correct him. "And you need to actually go tribute hunting, or else Glimmer and Clove will realize no cannons are going off. Dealing with that-"

"Hey, Case, I'm sorry about earlier. I was overreacting, I know, but I just-" River cuts himself off upon rustling from the tree line across from me. "Cato? Casey, what the hell is Cato doing here?"

"Damn it," I mutter, groaning in my spot. "You have got to be kidding me."

_______