Chapter 9: Bloody Knuckles

As expected, the Career pack, eager to show off, gallivanted straight towards the weaponry posts when Atala had finished. Each of them dispersing to their own private station to stake a claim at their best weapon, and Farrah made sure to mentally note which ones those happened to be. The Betas from One conversed with the trainers of the spear and archery stations as if they'd known them for years, and with their training at the Academy, it seemed entirely possible that they did. The Alpha stood and watched, arms crossed nonchalantly while examining the Betas from a distance away.

Glimmer was all too keen to get her hands on a bow, lacing up an arrow within seconds, only to release it soon after at her target. It didn't strike the center, sinking into the outside edges of the body's form, not making it necessarily fatal, yet still maintaining its ability to do some serious harm. What seemed all the more dangerous was her morbid delight when aiming at the humanoid targets, her eyes flashing in excitement whenever she'd raise her bow. They would have to be wary if the Beta were to get her hands on one in the Arena.

Marvel, as Farrah had remembered from the Reaping, took up the spear quickly as well. With knowledgeable eyes, he inspected each of the identical looking weapons set on the wrack before him, occasionally lifting one to test its weight. When he finally found one satisfactory, the Beta turned to face the target with his usually boyish expression gone; left in its place was the constructed mask of a trained killer ready to attack. In one fluid motion, his whole body turned, thrusting the spear forward, where it pierced the very air with its precision. Striking just an inch to the left from hitting dead center, Marvel faced his trainer, a haughty grin curving his lips as he laughed like it were nothing. Something Farrah did not like one bit.

An almost unnoticeable huff came from the Beta waiting at her side, his eyes also trained on the pair from One with distaste. "Where should we start?" he prodded lightly, though it was clear he wished to display his skill with a trident the same way the others were doing with their weapons of choice. "How good are you at fighting?" Farrah motioned to the open platform, situated in one corner of the training area with a trainer eyeing all of the tributes carefully.

Tenner sighed, "We'll find out…" The two crept over to the large mat, examining the tributes they passed with little interest given many of them were Careers or measly Omegas. The trainer watched them approach with no expression; his dark eyes visibly calculating their movements until a small smile broke out across his face when meeting the gaze of his fellow Alpha.

"My name is Corbinus," the large man stated, "I will teach you the basics and strategies in fighting hand-to-hand, no matter your opponent. Which one of you would like to go first?"

Her Beta, having felt the natural expulsion of status power from this new acquaintance, stepped forward with his shoulders draw back, intent on proving himself. Tenner smirked in a way Farrah had only seen him do once before, and cracked his knuckles in each hand confidently. "I will," he volunteered, and walked with Corbinus into the large circle on the black mat.

"Be careful, Tenner," she hissed in warning. Though her words seemingly flew through one ear and out the other; his brown eyes gaging his opponent in slight excitement, as if he were sure he would win. "Capitol regulations state that I cannot injure or harm a tribute in any way," Corbinus chuckled, "So I will not hit you as hard…"

Cracking his thick neck with a quick turn of his head, Tenner grinned once hearing a loud pop, "Bring it on." With the challenge laid out on the table, the two settled into their fighting positions, casually skirting about the ring as they anticipated the other's attack. Farrah stood to the side, her arms crossed in disapproval, while her sharp green eyes analyzed the impending fight. Tenner was too overconfident; his disillusionment toward winning would blind him thoroughly if he didn't get a taste of reality soon. Corbinus knew this, and sidestepped around the ring in front of the Beta repeatedly to tempt him.

It wasn't long before Tenner took the bait, and swung, thrusting a fist outward in attempt to catch the trainer's middle, though his attack was easily deflected. To counter, a punch landed in the center of Tenner's chest, knocking the wind out of him as he was forced back a few steps. He coughed, trying to regain focus as he glared at Corbinus fiercely. "I thought you said you wouldn't hit hard?"

"I didn't," the trainer said smirking, returning to his defensive stance with hands at the ready.

Now aware of the circumstances surrounding this encounter, the thick brows on Tenner's face scrunched together in determination. He straightened, earlier pain forgotten, as he readied himself once more, this time, with a clear head. "Never be too eager to attack your opponent," Corbinus' teasing tone was enough to light the fire behind her Beta's eyes, and she could visibly see his frustration morph to anger. The anger would do nothing but blind him, so she tried to sooth him as best she could from the sidelines, whispering for him to calm down repeatedly.

They danced around the ring until the trainer finally got sick of it. He charged Tenner, a few punches here and there which luckily he managed to dodge. "Protect your face," he hinted seconds before a power-filled punch flew towards the Beta's face, not giving him enough time to block it. Blood dripped onto the mats from his lip as it split open, but Tenner didn't seem to feel it as he flung his arm back and smacked Corbinus with a punch hard enough to create an audible thud. Farrah had to admit, she was surprised.

Tenner's punch had thrown the trainer off balance, causing him to stumble back, but her Beta failed to use it to his advantage. Shaking in rage, he advanced on Corbinus in a flurry of punches, swinging without aim. Several of them landed, though most didn't as the trainer began to use the teen's anger against him, counterattacking with timed kicks and jabs at exposed areas. "Unprecise punches waste energy," the older man grunted, catching one of Tenner's fists as it targeted him, "Getting angry does nothing to help you."

In a flash, Corbinus swooped under Tenner's arm as he swung, bringing his own hand up to latch onto the teen's throat. It was practically in slow motion, the way he slammed Tenner down onto the mat with enough force to shake the platform beneath their feet, his very breath leaving his body for the second time in the last ten minutes. Farrah looked to her feet, picking up on the muttering as other tributes approached the ring. Corbinus offered Tenner a hand, lifting him back up onto his feet where an Avox hurried over to the Beta with a cup of water and a pill.

From his quizzical look, it was clear Tenner was hesitant toward taking the supplement offered, and the trainer clapped him on the back one solid time in reassurance. "It is merely to heal your injuries," he chuckled, "so you may carry on training without pain." The Beta nodded, swallowing the pill as he passed Farrah who was stepping into the ring. He sent her a look of worry and concern, visibly torn between continuing on silently and pulling her away from the imminent danger considering what he had just experienced. The female Alpha tapped his arm, providing wordless reassurance that she would be fine, and placed herself before Corbinus.

"It is nice to meet you," he grinned, extending a hand out to her which she shook once in kind. His strength travelled through his body and settled into the palm of his hand as he squeezed back, and Farrah locked that information away, knowing relying on brute force often led to mistakes.

Without a word, they took their positions, and Farrah released one solid breath as her fists came around like guarders to protect her center. It was strangely quiet in the training room, all the clanging of weaponry and murmur of tributes had silenced, leaving only the ticking of a clock on the far wall to fill the void.

"I do hope you know I will not be taking it easy on you just because of your status." The two Alphas locked eyes, attempting to calculate what the other would do, and it was clear to see that Corbinus was trying to bait her as he had Tenner. Face set without expression, she began to feel the acute sense of excitement course through her veins; a warmth that spread about as if the sun were hovering over her. Such a thing hadn't happened to her since the Academy, back when she was taught that fighting was the right thing to do, and the notion scared her.

That brief moment of fear must've reflected in her gaze, and before she knew it, a fist was flying her way. She sidestepped it easily, and the other sent just after, missing it by a hair. Corbinus' narrowed gaze revealed his frustration, and Farrah purposefully tempted him with the ghost of a smirk in reciprocation for the baiting before. He went for a kick this time, hitting her protective arm with enough strength to assure her that it would be bruised when the fight was done. She had to suppress a wince from the mild shock of pain that flared up into her shoulder.

The unsettling excitement once again ruffled the butterflies in her stomach, causing the adrenaline that had just started pumping through her body to flow faster. Sweeping under an approaching arm in one swift movement, numerous gasps filled the room from the gathered group of onlookers. Her leg swung straight up, kicking the trainer in the back of his head hard enough to turn his whole body. Without pause, Farrah leapt up and forced another kick at his chest, knocking the behemoth down onto his back. Corbinus audibly growled, shoving her back with his feet in anger as he stood once more, and Farrah finally understood how breathless Tenner felt when the trainer's fist collided with her stomach. She struggled to breathe as his large arms wrapped themselves around her waist, lifting her up into the air. Unforgivingly, she was forced to collide with the padded floor mat, but the Alpha refused to submit and quickly rolled out of the way before Corbinus' heavy foot could come down on her face.

Jumping up, she managed two hard punches to either side of his face when one of his own caught her in the side. Another soon nicked the side of her cheek, and her eyes began to see red. She was surprised at the height at which her leg stretched to smash into his face, and finished the short display of flexibility with another leaping kick where a noticeable crush could be heard from the trainer's ribs in result.

He hunched over, seemingly in defeat, giving the now heated female Alpha a chance to step back. Her eyes skimmed over the many heads of the tributes lined around the ring like spectators until she met the unwavering blue gaze of the very person she did not want to see. Cato looked at her in a way that was indescribable, though the intensity of his stare was enough to cool the ever-present anger clouding her mind. She turned away, unable to face the miniscule grin her mate brandished only for her to see, and looked down at the still heaving figure of Corbinus.

"I thought you said you wouldn't be taking it easy on me?" she taunted, her voice strong. With the intentions of finishing the fight, Farrah aimed a kick for the back of his legs, to force the cocky Alpha onto his knees, but an unexpected punch threw her back. Corbinus was tired, energy draining, yet he still attempted to come down on her head numerous times, though all were deflected. She sent two hits to his center and another to his side after dodging an offending arm, and physically felt the muscle in his body recoil in pain. "Getting angry does nothing to help you," she parroted, ending with a swift kick to the back of his legs as she'd originally planned.

It was Career instinct that drove her to grab his lowered head and draw it into her approaching knee. It was only when the specks of blood began to color the mat did she realize what she'd done. Guilt swallowed her within a second at the blatant display of savagery, and all traces of the haughty confidence previously displayed disappeared. She fought to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat at the appearance of two very frightening realizations: she'd shown her cards to every tribute in the Games, and she'd liked it.

The Academy would've been proud. Gareth would not have.

Trying to right her wrong, she offered out a hand to help the beaten man, lastly discerning him in her head as her trainer instead of an actual attacker. "I-I'm sorry…"

His hand coiled around hers like a vise within seconds, pulling her forward and catapulting her entire body over his shoulder and back onto the mat before she could even comprehend his smirk. "Such courtesy shown to someone trying to kill you," he had the audacity to chuckle, "Tell me, will you do that in the Arena? It would make for some interesting television."

Wheezing out for the second time, Farrah staggered to get to her feet. The powerful punches came rolling at her again, yet this time, the Alpha was over it all. She lunged forward, twisting her arms around his core the same way he had done her the first time, and used every ounce of her strength to lift the trainer up and over her shoulder. He landed with a loud thud onto the mat, which covered the sounds of several tributes' cringes and gasps as Farrah whipped around and planted her shin against his throat.

"I win," she growled, hand raised in preparation to strike if he tried anything. Corbinus looked up at her, blood smeared from his nose to the very bottom of his chin, and smiled. It was incredibly disconcerting to see the white of his teeth tinted crimson, yet the Alpha held her stance without flinching. The two were breathing heavily, and as the air mingled between them Farrah could feel her arm slowly lower. "You were much better than I expected," Corbinus laughed, leaving her with the vaguest feeling that he was actually insane, "My mistake."

Had Tenner not come forth and drug her away, Farrah was sure she would've stayed frozen there for eternity. As she lifted her head, a rush of regret washed over her at the fear splayed across every surrounding tribute's face. They'd seen her fight, witnessed her draw blood from a person meant to help them. Surely they were all wondering what she would do to them, seeing as they were her future enemies. The stares carried with her all the way to the knot-tying station which Tenner had herded her too; one pair of eyes in particular started a fire on the back of her head, yet she refused to turn and relieve the pain.

"The Careers are watching," her Beta whispered in warning, "Don't do anything rash. Don't turn around, and tie this into a five-turn double clinch." He forced a thick piece of rope into her hands to keep her from digging her nails any further into her palms, and set to work on his own knot, briefly tipping his head towards the trainer watching them from a few feet away. The man didn't even make an attempt to educate them, having caught sight of their District Four patches, and Farrah for once, was grateful.

Vision blurred, her eyes were directed at the piece of rope clutched in her hands, yet she couldn't see it at all. All she saw were the bruises forming along her knuckles; a deep purple, some black, dotting her pale white skin in a way that pinpointed which part of her hand had hit Corbinus the hardest. Specks of the man's blood could also be seen. She could feel her other injuries as well, especially along her spine, and strained to maintain a confident posture, though it hurt immensely to try. Memories were playing in her mind like a broken record, repeats of her commanding an innocent man's head onto her knee without mercy. Farrah felt ashamed; she'd promised herself after leaving the Academy that she would never be so ruthless again.

The thought of Brannock or Marigold witnessing her brutality left a sour taste in her mouth, enough to where she was tempted to spit. Visions of her younger brother enduring Academy training and growing up to be a heartless killer raged through her mind. After their release, Gareth had struggled adjusting to normal everyday life, having spent most of his child and early adulthood being shaped into a Career. It was hard for Farrah as well, though she found solace in the ocean, sometimes sitting for hours just to stare at the waves as fishermen left and returned with their daily catches. For the first month of Gareth being home, he'd refused to even go near the docks. She'd understood, the temptation of some many metal hooks and spears was great, and anything could've happened if one of them were in a foul mood.

They had done so much to ensure their little brother never experience what they had, and now, here Farrah was, about to broadcast all the behavior she'd warned Brannock against to the world. She couldn't help but be disappointed in herself – after Gareth had sacrificed so much.

A gentle hand slid under the nook of her chin, tilting her head upwards in soft, slow movements; treating her like she were the most delicate thing in the world. Her skin felt hot, as if she was being jolted by a thousand volts of electricity in only the places where the hand touched and Farrah's eyes opened wide to see Cato's penetrating gaze locked on hers. "Are you alright?" his deep voice rumbled in little above a whisper, meant for only her to hear, and for a split second, she froze, enjoying the tender first interaction with her mate before common sense slapped her across the face. Eyes narrowing, she shot back, leaving his hand in midair until it slowly fell to his side.

Farrah felt trapped, backed into a corner. Her lungs constricted, limiting each breath in a way that made one shorter than the last and she frantically glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Tenner had disappeared, which left her with only the rope he'd thrown her way as a remnant of his presence, and it didn't seem as if any of the other tributes were watching. The Gamemakers above were concentrated on the next round of fights at the sparing mat; Corbinus having been replaced by a new, uninjured trainer.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed, flinching internally at the flash of hurt in his dark eyes. Cato sighed, sweeping a hand back through his short golden hair. In the other hand, he silently presented her with a tiny white pill, the same pill Tenner had been supplied after his fight. She gulped, now understanding he had only come to help and hesitantly took the capsule, a wary look guarding her eyes. "Thank you."

Cato again released a deep breath while she swiftly swallowed the pill dry. His eyes noticeably followed after it down her long neck in interest, which caused a shiver to roar up her spine. If only we were alone, she wished before she could stop herself. She'd wanted so much more from her first interaction with her mate; not having to hide the fact that they were mates being one of the main things. Just standing here together was dangerous. Others could start to suspect something. He glanced behind him for a second before adjusting his stance, drawing the slightest bit closer to her, which the Alpha took note of immediately, and settled her with a hard stare.

"That was reckless." His words caused Farrah's eyebrows to shoot up in disbelief. Was he reprimanding her? "Excuse me?" she fired back in irritation. She did not him need to belittle her; she was already feeling bad enough.

"You've shown that you're a major threat," he stated in a rather accusatory tone, "Now, you've given everyone the opportunity to decide whether to avoid you completely or take you out first in the Arena. That was reckless." Pressing his words to emphasize their importance, Cato watched as she began to glare at him. Farrah said nothing, not willing to entertain him further and searched around for Tenner. Right as her eyes finally found the familiar form of her Beta, her mate once again moved, blocking him from sight. "Farrah."

She practically froze at the sound of her name rolling off his tongue. The air between them sparked with life, alerting them both to the fact that they were incredibly close to one another. Feeling the warmth off his body radiate onto hers was tantalizing, stimulating, amazing - everything she did not need at that current moment. It clouded her mind enough to erase all thought, and the Alpha could not let herself be distracted so easily.

Looming overhead, Cato's eyes burned with an emotion she had never seen and she briefly wondered if it was reflecting in her own. "Join me," he whispered, and the very words twisted around her body like an embrace. "Join the Careers. I can keep you safe."

The quickened pounding of her beating heart caused the automatic words of acceptance to die in her throat. Farrah desperately wanted to say yes, but she knew she couldn't. Staring at him in silence, she tried to convey her true emotions for him to see, so he understood she wasn't rejecting him without reason. There was so much she wanted to tell him in that moment. The female Alpha just hoped they'd have that time before being forced into the Arena.

"And Tenner?" she said, unable to bring her voice above a whisper. His shoulders heightened in response, morphing Cato's form into a more intimidating figure as his eyes narrowed, "What about him?" The defensive tone in his voice immediately made it clear that he had no intention of saving her Beta, and Farrah took a step back as the pain washed over her at the mere thought of leaving Tenner to fend for himself. "He is my Beta," the Alpha scoffed, "I will not leave him alone in the Arena."

His fingers twitched forward, as if he wished to take her hand before curling it into a fist. "Only two people can walk out of that Arena, Farrah. I have every intention of that being you and I."

"I will not abandon him," she reiterated, holding his gaze, "And if you're invitation to the pack extends only to me, then consider this my polite refusal. Tenner and I can survive on our own." Mid-turn, she was wrenched back by his firm hand. A growl hinged each of his breaths, and for the smallest of seconds, Cato looked feral. Blue eyes glaring down at her, both begging and demanding she submit to him. Farrah held herself steady, knowing her words had upset him, but she would not allow any harm to come to Tenner, no matter the cost.

"Will I have to take care of him myself then?" he heaved, stare deadly. Farrah felt a sharp spike of fear jolt through her as he began scanning the room for her district partner. Acting on instinct, she gripped the collar of his training shirt and dragged him closer in one solid move. With a threat poised on the tip of her tongue, Farrah braced herself to verbally smite him, yet the moment his eyes locked back on hers, she faltered. Suddenly, she realized she had unintentionally brought him closer, enough to where they were mere inches apart, and Cato's breath splayed across her lips. The two gazed at one another with noses practically touching, and the level of anger began to wane as their combined desire mounted. Abruptly, the tension shifted from the dispute over their situation to something far more pressing.

She longed to kiss him, and the unexpected realization stunned her. Farrah had never wanted to kiss anyone in her life; in fact, she'd found the act disgusting whenever her parents had kissed in front of her and her siblings. But in that moment, being so close to him, and feeling his very presence encase her in its warmth, she couldn't help but to imagine tangling her fingers in his short hair as their lips met. By the glazed look in his dark eyes, she could see a similar idea was passing through his mind as well.

Her grip progressively loosened, and she took a step back to ensure their cover wasn't blown. Clearing her throat as she smoothed a hand over her head, the female Alpha looked to the floor, knowing if she returned her gaze to his there would be no guarantee she'd maintain control. "You are not to bring harm to Tenner. He is my Beta, and with that should come a level of respect." Seeing him bristle slightly at her words, she made to touch him before pulling back at the last second, which caused her internal frustration to show on her face. "If you value me as a mate, you will leave him be," she whispered in the softest tone possible, knowing it was a low act to pull. She just had to be sure that out of all of the other tributes, she would not have to worry about Cato coming after her partner in the Arena.

Seconds of silence passed and she was sure he was going to refuse, when he suddenly took a step forward, not even bothering to look when she stiffened. They were side by side, arms almost touching, yet they faced two completely different directions. Heart thumping loudly in her ears, Farrah strained to remain still, the temptation to touch him was overwhelming, but she finally managed to find a distraction in watching the other tributes train around them. Cato kept his eyes forward, undoubtedly burning a hole through the nearest wall with his stare; strong jaw set as if he were clenching his teeth together.

"If he comes between us, I will kill him."

And as if it had never been there at all, all of the Alpha's warm was stripped away as he walked off. Farrah was left shivering, her hands trembling around the piece of rope she'd somehow managed to hold onto throughout their interaction. It was as if she had transported to another world - she could feel and think as before, but her surroundings had faded to nothing but a blur. An enormous sense of sadness began to weigh down her shoulders. Having to reject her own mate, even in the slightest way such as not allowing him to help her in the Arena, caused Farrah great pain. She just hoped Cato wasn't having to experience it as well. Mind racing, she let her hands do what they knew to do and tied the rope into the knot Tenner had requested, all the while staring blankly at the ground.

A pair of shoes came to rest in the corner of her vision and she glanced up to see Tenner's boyish face, a mixture of concern and enthusiasm twisting his features. "Is everything okay? I wouldn't have left you alone with him, but he asked me if he could speak with you and didn't seem to have any bad intentions. I figured it was an Alpha thing, you know, like Finnick said about the pack scoping us out and_" "It's fine," she settled, silencing his rambling, and handed him the knot. He looked at it before lifting his gaze back to her, large fingers fumbling around the rope in uncertainty. "He didn't threaten you, did he?"

Unconsciously, Farrah's hand wound around her necklace, her eyes unfocused as she peered out over the training center. She toyed with the little charm, wondering briefly if Gareth had experienced the same amount of confusion and loss on his first day of training. How was she to tell Tenner Cato had actually threatened him? Shaking her head in hopes of clearing her thoughts, Farrah started walking off; unaware that Tenner had taken that notion as her answer. As much as she tried not to look, the female Alpha couldn't stop herself from sparing a glance at the Career pack. The pair from One along with the Beta from Two stood watching her, where Cato was strangely absent. She turned away, not caring to compete in their stare down, and made for a rack of weapons.

Her fingertips ached to touch the sharp metal of a knife or sword again, so much so she had to keep from snatching up the first one she saw on the wall. Having already exposed her abilities in hand-to-hand, the female Alpha figured there was no reason now to hide her skills with weaponry either. She needed the practice anyway. Eyeing the different blades, she lastly picked up a small one, testing the feel of it in her hand as she flipped it around in between her fingers carelessly. It reminded her of the ones she and Gareth used to throw at the target they drew on the backside of the Career Academy dorm building. The wistfulness continued with memories of the heavy thumping sound the pointed tip of the blade would make whenever it sunk into the old brick and the cry of victory her brother would unleash every time he hit dead center. Farrah had always been better with the smaller weapons like throwing knives, whereas Gareth had commanded the larger ones, so he was supremely excited when he bested her at her own game. A small smile curved her lips at the memory, and she was pressing the end of her thumb into the metal when the sound from her past boomed in real life.

Farrah thought she was just hallucinating, having heard the thump right as she imagined it, but soon, another thwack sounded. Looking over her shoulder, she was surprised to see the small Beta from Two staring her way, a knife embedded in one of the human-shaped targets ten feet to her right. Dark eyes scrutinized her, flickering to the throwing knife in her hands before returning to her face. Surely, this little Beta wasn't challenging her?

"I've heard many stories about you," Clove spouted, lips twisting into an evil smirk, "Care to demonstrate which of them are true?"

Well hello everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? I am so very sorry for the extended break! I was actually unaware it had been that long since I had last updated, but I'm back! This is my belated Christmas gift to all of you! I hope you enjoyed it!

Please let me know what you thought about it by leaving a review! I would really appreciate it. I need to know if it blends well with the other chapters, considering it's been a while. As I've said in an Author's Note in one of the earlier chapters, I fully intend to finish this story! I just can't predict how long it will take, so as long as you don't mind waiting, feel free to stick around. Thank you guys so much for all the support even after all this time! You guys are the best!

One thing I do need to address though, is that PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME! And while, yes, it may not be taken as seriously on a FanFiction site, it is still not okay and very upsetting to see. This story is posted on fanfiction under the title of My Little Lionfish from my user, BeautyNotBeast. There is only one other place it is posted, which is on Wattpad under a similar name - My Little Lionfish (A Cato Love Story) from my user on there, Writer5647.

If any of you see any rendition of this story not under those users, please report it! I'd really appreciate it! And thank you to the user who let me know that someone had copied my story! I hope to have the next chapter up soon, but I can't promise anything, given last time, so bear with me.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year! May 2018 bring you all happiness and success! Thank you guys!