The Lone Wolf

Chapter 21: Katniss

"No," Peeta says. "Absolutely not."

"But I haven't ran since before Rain was born," I complain. "I need to let Taylor out and stretch my legs. Feel the wind in my fur and the mud between my toes."

"But Cato and the others could be out there anywhere," he says. "What am I supposed to do if something happens to you? It's not just us anymore. We have Rain to think about. What would she do if something happened to you?"

"I won't go far," I say. "I'll even take Johanna with me. Because trust me, she's way scarier than anything we'll meet this far in the territory. Especially with all the patrols in the area." Peeta frowns at me with his arms crossed over his chest. I plead to him with my eyes and he shakes his head. I whimper slightly and set my chin on his chest, blinking up at him. "Please, Peeta. You know how I hate being cooped up in this big old house. I need fresh air and moonlight. Just let me run." He sighs.

"One hour and you keep our link open," he says. "If you block me out, I'm not letting you do this again." I smile and pull him into a kiss.

"Thank you Baby," I say smiling as I pull away. "Rain will probably stay asleep but if she wakes up, I have milk in the fridge for her and-" I start and he cuts me off.

"I know Sweetheart," he says chuckling. "I'm pretty sure I can take care of my own daughter for an hour."

"Just making sure," I say. I walk over to my baby's crib and kiss her forehead, making her stir slightly in her sleep and I smile."Take care of Daddy while I'm gone, okay sweet girl." I hug Peeta one last time and he kisses my temple before reluctantly letting me go. I walk down the stairs and knock on Johanna's door. She opens the door and gives me a weird look.

"What do you want?" she asks.

"I need to run," I say.

"I know you're half dog, but you don't need permission to go out," she says.

"Peeta won't let me go out alone and since you're the scariest thing in the territory right now, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" I ask her.

"So you are literally asking me to take you out for a walk?" she says. I roll my eyes.

"Are you coming or what?" I ask her. "Peeta only gave me an hour and I all honesty, I don't really want to be away from Rain longer than that."

"Overprotective much?" she asks and I roll my eyes and begin to walk back to my room when she stops me. "I'm sorry. I'll go. I'll get my coat." She disappears and I bite back a growl.

"Katniss, she's just joking around," Taylor says. "Loosen up."

"We are nearing a war," I growl. "This is no time to be joking around."

"She's just trying to lighten the tension," Taylor says. "Just because you're a mother now doesn't mean you are supposed to be so uptight. I like her. Try to be friends with her. Don't be so abrasive."

"Come on Brainless," Johanna says, interrupting me from my conversation with my wolf. "I'm not going to wait all night for you." I follow her out into the woods and slip behind the dense trees to strip and shift into my large black wolf. I hide my clothes under a bush and trot out to Johanna. She looks at me and tilts her head to the side.

"What?" I ask.

"You're black," she says. "I've never seen a female with black fur before."

"Yeah," I say. "I know." I sit down and scratch myself behind my ear. "I kind of figured this all out when I shifted the first time. It's probably because I was a first born but, its not like it matters to me. Although it is good for sneaking through the woods at night, I will tell you that."