Day 4 - 13 Tributes Remain

Claudius' Point of View:

I woke up like an alarm clock had gone off. Like I was somehow supposed to be awake at the time it was. It was still pitch black outside, and it didn't look like it would be turning day any time soon. But what do I know?

Last thing I remember happening was when I fell into Ivory's arms. Oh, how glad I am to see her and know that she is perfectly fine. I stretched my arms upon waking up, and a feint glowing light began to emit from beside me.

"Oh, you're finally awake." a voice, Kat's, said to me. I turned to see him, staring right at me with a smirk. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the odd light coming from... wherever. "You were trying to cross the Cornucopia. You ran into some trouble, but luckily, we rushed to your aid."

I sighed. "Where are we?" I asked.

"We're in a cave, safe and sound." Kat tells me. Looking around, sure enough, we were surrounded by stone, with a small opening that led to the outside world. "Ivory and I have been hiding here for coverage. Don't want to be out in the open, now do we?" Kat says.

"Why are you awake?"

"I kind of have to. Someone has to keep watch over the night in case anything were to happen." Kat explains. I nod, before looking back at wherever the light was coming from. Kat could have started a fire, but there's no sound of the fire crackling. That, and the light isn't bouncing around like a flame would.

"Why is it so bright in here?" I ask. Kat points over to Ivory, who is sleeping peacefully. The light seems to be coming from her somehow. I flinch back, having never seen anything like this from her before.

"She uses Light Screen in her sleep. The way she uses it lights up everything around her in about a five-to-8-foot radius." Kat explains.

"I've never seen her do that in her sleep before." I say.

"Ivory may have just recently learned it, or learned how to use it. It's pretty fascinating if you ask me." Kat says. We both seem intrigued by the convenient brightness of Ivory's Light Screen, as we continue to look around the cave at the expanding light. "Anyways, how are you feeling?"

Now that I think about it, I realize how much better my body feels. The poison is gone, I feel rested, relieved, and just all the more healthy. Kat sees me looking where the poison previously was on my torso, and speaks.

"I practically saved your life, Claudius."

I glare at him. "You cured me?"

"Pecha berries are known for curing all kinds of poisons. Fortunately, you weren't heavily infected, so they worked rather effectively and quickly." Kat says with a grin. I groan.

"Thanks..." I tell him. I don't want to have to show gratitude to him, because I still get the feeling that he is a deranged moocher who is just going to turn on me and Ivory at the last second. I want to make it clear with him that I don't think of Kat as a friend. Merely an acquaintance. "How have you been?"

"Well, I'm alive. I guess that's good enough."

We're both slightly startled as the cannon fires off in the distance.

"Another one bites the dust." I say. I see Kat with his head tilted down. "You thinking about something?"

"I just wish there was a way everyone can live." Kat says.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone is going to die eventually." Kat sniffles while talking. "It just sucks that in here, that happens far too early in people's lives."

I blink twice, taking into consideration what Kat is saying. "I understand that. Heck, I don't wanna die befo-"

"Nobody wants to die, Claudius!" Kat lashed out, liquid flowing from his pupils. "I sure as hell don't!" he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Everyone has the right to live..." Kat took a deep breath. "I took that right away from someone."

My eye widened. Kat, of all people, was able to kill someone in cold blood in the Hunger Games? I might be underestimating the fellow after all...

"A little Minccino that had a family that loved them... a young girl with a reason to live." Kat was full on crying at this point. "Do you know what it's like to have that weight on your shoulders!? What it's like to know in your mind that you murdered someone!?"

I didn't respond to Kat. I had never even thought about what the guilt could do. Normally, you see tributes just completely flatten another tribute and just move on with it. But never have I considered what the mental state of the individual who just slaughtered the poor guy or girl. Having to live the rest of your life knowing you killed someone is the toughest thing to do.

"Do you know who Akai Luleff is?" Kat asked me, tears stilling flowing down his cheeks. My mind immediately shoots back to a year ago. The 73rd Hunger Games victory tour. A Houndoom by the name of Akai Luleff had won the games that year. I nodded my head to Kat, who was rocking back and forth with his arms wrapped around his legs, curled into a ball.

"That's my brother."

My thoughts shatter like a glass vase falling from a twenty-story building. Kat Luleff, brother of Akai Luleff. How did I never realize the similarities between them!? And after what Kat has been talking about mental state... I can only imagine what's been running through his head his whole life. Dammit, he's making me feel bad for him!

"He was in last year's Games. It was the worst fourteen days of my entire life while he was away." Kat smiled when recalling the memories. "I cried tears of joy, but mainly relief when the last cannon fired. He was stuck, pinned against a fallen tree that knocked over from an arena landmine trap." Kat was trying his hardest to hold back his sobs. "I have Arceus to thank for him being alive still."

"If he won, then wasn't he your mentor?" I ask.

"Yes, he was. And when he said goodbye to me before I entered the arena... I knew that would be the last time I'd get to see him." Kat's eyes were turning bloodshot red, and I could almost see the sanity leaving his body. I opened my mouth to speak, but decided not to, fearing I would only make things worse. "Is there anyone back home you fear of losing?"

My mind blanks out for a second, and I mentally curse myself for hesitating on an answer. Thoughts of my mother, who showed on day one of the games that she always has cared about me, and is there to look out for me. Fin also comes to mind, despite me living my life thinking of him as my sworn enemy. Though now, I miss seeing him. I miss having to deal with him every day, and being able to talk my thoughts to him. Sure, I was never the nicest to him, but after the Reaping, I've allowed myself more respect for him as an individual.

But somehow, when the idea of missing someone comes up, Ivory is always the first person to come to mind. She's literally right there next to me, sleeping like a Snorlax, yet I miss talking to her and being able to see her smile at me every passing second. I realize how much more important and how much I care about her after realizing that I like her, and I still don't know how or when I'm going to have to tell her. I need to eventually before the inevitable happens. I started to feel tears form in my eye while I let my thoughts flow through the space in my mind.

I slowly nod to Kat before I start to find myself crying with him. I don't want to die. I don't want to lose the ones I love.

Kat crawls over to me, and hugs me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder. I feel uncomfortable, yet can't help but hug back. I never even considered how much the Hunger Games would change your mental state. After all, it's always nice to let your emotions go, and just let it all out.

"We'll be okay, Kat." I say to him, as he stops hugging me. He smiles at me with a cheeky grin, and sits down next to me, back against the side of the cave.

Both Kat and I hear a slight whistle in the wind outside the cave. We look at each other, before poking our head out of the entrance to the cave, looking around for what the sound was coming from.

We hear something scratching against the rocks around the cave, and find a small parachute carrying a little grey box. Someone sent us a sponsor!

Kat got up and grabbed the parachute, and saw a note attached to it. When he read the note, Kat sniffled and more tears flowed down his face, as he smiled wider. I picked up the note and read it.

'Love you bro. - Akai'

Ivory's Point of View:

Morning finally came around, and I woke up after sleeping the best I have since the games have started. The literal moment I got up, I had Claudius wrapping his arms around me like I was his favorite pillow.

"I'm so glad to see you again." he tells me while he hugs me. I turn and hug him back, still knelt down on the ground.

"I'm glad to see you, too. Even more glad that you're doing okay." I say to Claudius. When he pulls out of the hug, I notice that he has a new eyepatch, which is really just a leaf covering his missing eye held by thin yet strong weeds. He has a cheerful, joyous smile on his face that makes me smile back at him. We both just grin at each other for what felt like forever, until we hear a strange sound. We both turn to see Kat sipping on a cup with what looks to be coffee inside. He looks at us with a smirk, before swallowing down a gulp of coffee.

"Careful, there's probably kids watching." Kat says.

Both Claudius and I blush like a pair of Cheri berries, and he quickly scoots away from me with his arms crossed, looking away from us. You can still see the red in his face that matches his fur. I blush as well, but I can't help but giggle at Kat's joking.

"Where did you get the coffee from?" I ask Kat.

"My brother." Kat replies with a smirk. "He sponsored it to me. He knows just the way I like it." Kat sips on the coffee again. "Pure black."

Claudius makes a gagging sound to comment. I laugh again. These two are too much for me!