Characters/Relationships: Cato, Clove, Katniss, Thresh, Cato/Clove (friendship)

Feast (Cato)

"Cato!" shrieks Clove. "Cato!" Her desperate cries reach my ears and I know she's in trouble. Not once has Clove needed my assistance. Even during the first few minutes of the Games, as the bloodbath was going on, she did her dirty work by herself, running around maniacally and grinning as she stabbed other tributes. I had never seen anything like it. This girl was something else.

I nearly dropped my sword as I took off through the forest, dodging trees and bushes and ducking under limbs. But even with my agility, twigs scraped my face and I slammed into several trees along the way. I was so determined to reach her that I did not even notice the stinging scratches on my cheeks.

By the time I arrive at my destination, I see Clove dangling in Thresh's meaty grasp, fussing and kicking as he raises a rock above their heads. In the blur of a few moments, my sword has been released from my hands and is embedded in District 11's skull, and blood is spewing everywhere as they collapse. For the first time, I embrace Clove and feel her tremble against me.

Then I see Fire Girl. She tries to scramble away backwards, but I can tell she's injured and won't make it very far. Either way, I don't hesitate to grab one of my district partner's knives and toss it carelessly at the absconding tribute.

It's now that I realize how close I was to losing Clove. If I had been any later, she would be dead, and Fire Girl and Thresh would be on the loose. I hug her tighter and press against her body, stroking her hair and whispering soothingly in her ear.

This is it for now, unless I think of anything else I might want to add. I won't be thinking too much about it, though, so don't count on it. I might continue if you really want me to. :) So thanks for reading! I just had to get this little short story out of my head. It's been driving me crazy for the past month.