While Peeta was drawing out fresh water using the spile in a nearby tree, Dahlia was submerged waist-deep in the pool with Finnick and Katniss. Finnick had refused to let go of the girl's hand, constantly running his fingers over her skin with his head hung low. Eventually, Katniss decided to break the solemn silence that had settled amongst them.

"I'm sorry about Mags." She murmurs softly, remorseful for the loss of an incredible woman who greeted everyone she met with unbiased kindness.

Finnick's grip on Dahlia's hand tightens as his face falls at the reminder. His lips are curved downward in an uncharacteristically serious frown. This time, Dahlia is the one to trail her thumb along the skin of his hand in comfort. Though she was also mourning for the caring lady, he's grateful to have her by his side, always feeling stronger when he can feel her presence nearby.

"She was never gonna make it. So..." Finnick admits with a heavy tone and an even heavier heart, swallowing harshly to suppress the emotions building up within him.

Dahlia laces her fingers through Finnick's, bringing their joined hand to her lips and pressing a loving kiss to his skin. "We just need to make sure her sacrifice was worth something." She states firmly, determined not to let Mags' death be in vain.

Finnick nods in agreement, staring at Dahlia with a small smile as he knows the hidden meaning behind her words. Mags died for the Rebellion. She died secure in the knowledge that Dahlia and Finnick would carry on for her. Their mission has become even more important now. They have to do it for Mags.

As Finnick tears his gaze away from Dahlia, his eyes skim briefly over their surroundings before looking down. Then his eyebrows furrow and he flicks his gaze back up. His face falls at the sight in front of him, gently grasping Dahlia's chin to direct her attention to what he's seeing. Her expression hardens similarly to Finnick's as she nudges Katniss with her elbow. As the girl becomes aware of what has rattled her allies, she reaches back to grab an arrow from her quiver. The trio slowly rises to their feet in the water, Dahlia unsheathing her sword while Finnick releases her hand.

"What?" He gasps out in bafflement as the mutt mandrills stare back at them. The group find themselves gradually being surrounded by the creatures, their beady eyes glaring down at the apprehensive humans.

One brave mutt approaches the edge of the pool as Finnick bends down to retrieve his trident. They eye each other warily before another mandrill joins them, Finnick brandishing his trident to ward them off. Both groups seem to be waiting for someone to make the first move, their bodies tensed and waiting for an imminent attack.

"Peeta." Katniss calls out in a hushed voice to the boy leaning up against a tree.

"Yeah?" He responds immediately, looking up at the girl while remaining oblivious to the dangers gathering around him.

"Walk over here slowly." Katniss instructs carefully, focused solely on the mutt peeking out of the trees. Peeta senses the urgency in her voice, turning his head to follow her gaze only to find himself face to face with a roaring mandrill. Jumping back, he cautiously retreats down the slope, never removing his eyes from the mutt. The mandrills echo their companion's roar, menacing growls filling the air around the four tributes.

Dahlia's blade is moving constantly, pointing at any mutt who dares to get too close. But they can't remain at a stalemate forever. As more and more mutts swing down from the vines, severely outnumbering the tributes, their nerves begin to rise.

"Get to the beach." Katniss orders stiffly, turning around only to discover their path has been blocked by mutts.

The growling intensifies as the mutts begin to get extremely riled up. Their teeth are beared threateningly, snapping at the tributes who whip around in a panic. Katniss aims her bow at any mutt that moves, Dahlia and Finnick discreetly sneaking closer to each other. Mutts start to charge from the forest, snarling at the group with a ferocious roar.

As Katniss adjusts to aim for one lingering too close to the pond, another takes the opportunity to leap from the banks behind her. Thankfully, it is intercepted by Peeta's blade but this signals the attack from the rest of the mutts.

Dahlia and Finnick work in complete unison, like a choreographed dance as they weave around each other stabbing and slicing at mutts. They have an unspoken understanding between them, knowing exactly when to swing their weapon and when to duck. Her black sword soon becomes stained with red as the mutts practically throw themselves upon the blade. She's lost count of how many mutts she's killed, but still they persist. They hurl towards the tributes in a never-ending swarm, never letting up and not allowing them a moment to breathe.

Killing these mindless mutations becomes almost therapeutic for Dahlia. Somewhere for her to put the anger and rage that had been building up inside her. Once again, because of Snow, she had lost someone dear to her heart. Putting all her pent-up fury behind each strike was acting as an emotional release. But Alaric had warned her about leading with her heart and not her head, and she'd come to realise how right he'd been.

As she brutally impales a mutt on her blade, her Black Dahlia heart delights in the shrill screeches of pain the creature lets out. She imagines Snow's smug expression contorting in agony as she slits her sword across his face, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. Smirking in satisfaction, Dahlia digs the sword deeper into the mutt's body, twisting it with a gruesome squelch and willing Snow to feel every second of its suffering. But in her madness, she is blinded by her lust for revenge.

A mutt takes the opportunity to slash her back, ripping through the wetsuit and splitting her skin painfully as the raw flesh is exposed to the air. Dahlia only lets out a yell of shock before she's swivelling around to plunge her sword into the heart of the mutt. She can feel the blood seeping from her fresh wound but the adrenaline pumping through her system masks her pain for now.

"Katniss!" Peeta's cry catches the woman's attention as she fears for the girl she's meant to be protecting. Her head whirls around to find Katniss but can't see her figure anywhere. Until she spots Peeta desperately trying to fight through a wave of mutts to reach one struggling in the water. But he'd never get there in time.

With gritted teeth, Dahlia begins to dart across the pond to the Mockingjay. Many mutts attempt to block her way but she cuts each of them down with a single slice. Upon reaching Katniss, Dahlia sinks her sword into the mutt's thick fur, digging deeper until it goes limp on top of the girl. Sticking her hand into the water, Dahlia feels around for Katniss. When she finds the girl's hand, she doesn't hesitate to yank the girl from the shallow depths.

"We gotta get to the beach!" Peeta declares, pulling Katniss from Dahlia's grip before they could be overpowered by the mutts. Finnick follows behind them, placing his hand on Dahlia's lower back to push her forward. She hisses as his fingers brush against her seeping wound but does well to carry on.

The mutts pursue them all the way, leaving Dahlia and Finnick to cover their allies' backs as they run ahead. Ducking under a low tree branch, Dahlia kicks an attacking mutt over to Finnick, who jabs his trident into its body. Finnick, in turn, traps a mutt using the staff of his weapon and allows Dahlia to deliver the final blow.

By the time they reach Katniss and Peeta, both tributes had been targeted by mutts. Finnick was able to kill the mutt clawing at Katniss whereas Peeta was saved by another tribute intercepting an attack meant for him.

"Who is that?" Katniss asks as the she joins Peeta's side, standing above the severely wounded tribute gasping desperately for air.

"A morphling!" Peeta replies, still shocked that she had emerged from hiding and jumped in front of him. "Help me get her!"

Katniss and Peeta hook their arms under the morphling's shoulders, dragging her away from the onslaught of mutts which Dahlia and Finnick were beating back. Realising that the mutts would keep coming thick and fast no matter how many they defeated, the pair held them off long enough for the others to retreat. Then they wasted no time sprinting after them, the mutts hot on their heels.

The beach is a welcome sight after the horrors they'd experienced in the jungle, Dahlia and Finnick throwing themselves onto its sandy shore to avoid the pursuing mutts. Katniss and Peeta have hauled the morphling into the water as the other pair wield their weapons at the mutts in warning. They snarl viciously at the tributes from the treeline but don't dare move any closer. As the cannon fires to announce the end of the morphling's life, the mutts begrudgingly retreat back into the jungle.

Dahlia's arms drop as she flops to the ground, sword slipping through her fingers in fatigue. One hand reaches up to rake through her damp hair as her chest heaves with exhausted breaths. Now that the fight has ended, the stinging pain in her back finally makes itself known. Finnick has sunk to his knees, abandoning his trident momentarily as his brain catches up with his body. One brief glance down at his fingertips sends him into a panic. Why was there blood on his hands?

"Lia, I think I might have--" His voice is stolen away by the shock of seeing Dahlia's back torn to shreds. The exposed flesh flares angrily, her wetsuit providing little protection from the savage mutts. "You're hurt, Lia."

"I'm fine." Dahlia shrugs off the severity of the pain dismissively, not wanting to admit weakness through the injury. She's supposed to be strong, undefeatable. A cold-hearted bitch who doesn't feel anything, she can handle a minor wound. "It's just a scratch."

"No, it's not." Finnick argues, shifting closer to her as he inspects the painful marks. "You need to take it easy and we have to treat it before it becomes infected."

"We don't exactly have the equipment to do that, Finn." Dahlia points out softly, looking out across the water as the hovercraft retrieves the morphling's body. "I'll have time to rest when I'm dead." She mutters bitterly, watching another sacrifice of the Mockingjay be hoisted into the sky. How many more casualties will this Rebellion claim before it's even begun? "Right now, I can still breathe... so I'm fucking fine."