"A Phoenix must burn before it rises."
OR
In which two tributes not only find their way back to the Hunger Games, but back to each other.
Finnick Odair x Fem OC
Catching Fire
Book 1 in the 'Phoenix' series
Started...
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Phoenix and Peeta turn at the sound of their names being called. "Yeah?" they called out in unison. Immediately, they both knew something was wrong by the tense body language of Katniss and Finnick. "Walk over here slowly," Katniss mutters just loud enough for them to hear.
Peeta and Phoenix exchanged a glance before looking straight ahead. Phoenix's eyes widened as she took in the sight of multiple monkeys closing in around the alliance, their razor-sharp teeth bared in warning. She and Peeta both flinched as one came almost too close.
They moved back slowly, keeping their eyes locked on the mutts every twitch and shift. Peeta and Phoenix scanned the area, spotting the glint of countless eyes watching them as the animals got closer. "You gotta be fucking kidding me," Phoenix muttered, joining the others until they stood back-to-back, each defending a side.
With a knife in each hand, Phoenix steadied herself, muscles tense as she prepared for the mutts to attack. "Get to the beach," Katniss says, her voice low but urgent, knowing the jungle was no longer safe. In an instant, the mutts lunged, leaping at the alliance from every direction.
Phoenix watched as one of the monkeys lunged straight at her. She reacted instantly, throwing a knife into its chest and watching it drop with a thud. A small sense of relief hit her when she remembered she still had most of her knives, forgetting at that moment that Finnick was holding even more for her.
Reaching into her belt, she grabbed another knife, her hands trembling with adrenaline as she hurled it at the mutts blocking the path to the beach. Phoenix threw knife after knife, aiming to take down as many of the Capitol's mutts as she could before they reached them.
Out of the corner of her eye, Phoenix saw a mutt lunge at Katniss, knocking her straight into the water. "Katniss!" Phoenix yells, watching the girl thrash beneath the surface. Without hesitation, Phoenix sprinted towards her, dodging the mutts that snapped and screamed at her. Knife in hand, she drove the blade into the creature's skull, watching it go limp and collapse on top of Katniss.
Phoenix yanked her knife free and shoved the monkey off Katniss before gripping the girl's arm and pulling her up from the bloody water. "We gotta get to the beach!" Peeta shouted, rushing past Phoenix to reach Katniss. With Katniss and Peeta leading them, the alliance fought their way towards the shore, hacking through mutts that seemed to be endless.
Phoenix and Finnick stood back-to-back with the others, killing any mutt that came too close. But soon Phoenix noticed the mutts starting to separate them from Katniss and Peeta. As the gap between them widened, Phoenix became increasingly worried. If the gap widened any more, she wouldn't be able to protect them. She and Finnick had no choice but to fight their way back, no matter what it took.
"Finnick!" Phoenix shouted, her voice sharp enough to cut through the chaos. "I can't get to them!" Phoenix yelled out, watching his face tighten with concern as he realized just how much the mutts had cut them off from Katniss and Peeta. Finnick runs past Phoenix, swinging his trident in every direction. "Cover me!" He calls out, driving the weapon through a mutt that had been closing in on Katniss.
Phoenix and Finnick fought off the remaining mutts, forcing a path back towards the beach. She fought with her knives, and Finnick swung his trident, taking out anything that got too close. After what felt like forever, Phoenix finally caught a view of the pale sand ahead. Just as her body collides with the sand, a cannon booms, forcing the mutts to scatter back into the jungle.
At the sound of the cannon, Phoenix shot to her feet, eyes darting across the beach for Katniss and Peeta. She turned towards them, making sure the cannon wasn't for them, and let out a relieved sigh once she confirmed they were alright. Looking closer, she noticed them staring down at a limp body floating in the water.
Finnick came up beside Phoenix, out of breath but still wanting to see what she was looking at. "Do you see that?" Phoenix asked, realizing who Katniss and Peeta were holding. "It's the morphling." She let out a sigh as she watched them stare at the woman's limp body drift farther into the water.
Phoenix and Finnick now realized the tributes from District 6, who had both been in on the plan, were now dead. "Did she?" Phoenix asked, her voice low so Katniss and Peeta wouldn't hear. Finnick said nothing, only nodding his head in confirmation, as he watched them carry her body to the beach.
Finnick wrapped an arm around Phoenix, pulling her close and pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. They stood together, watching as the hovercraft finally came into view, picking up the morphling and vanishing without a trace.
This was the moment it all began to sink in for Phoenix and Finnick. The weight of the plan weighed heavily on their shoulders. They knew the revolution had to continue, and it was up to them to see it through, especially for those who couldn't. Like Mags, or the female morphling, who had both sacrificed themself for the cause.
The alliance watched in silence as the sunset began to take over the sky. "We need to eat," Finnick said, reminding them of the hunger they had all been trying to ignore. "I should be able to catch us some fish," he added, breaking the somber silence and bringing the three tributes back to the reality of the games. Katniss and Peeta only nodded, but Phoenix looked at him, and his arm slipped off her shoulder.
"Do you need any help? I can make a mean fishhook." A small, but genuine smile spread across Finnick's face at her words. He remembered Mags patiently teaching Phoenix how to make a fishhook just days ago, the memory leaving him with a bittersweet feeling.
Still, he shook his head, knowing she only wanted to help, but he needed a moment to himself. "I got it, Little Birdie," he said, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "I just need a bit of a distraction. You go rest." The tone in his voice was somber as his hand moved to cup Phoenix's cheek.
She nodded, understanding he needed time alone to mourn the death of Mags. Someone who had meant so much to him for so long was now gone. She sighed, wrapping her hand around Finnick's wrist and placing a soft kiss on the palm of his hand. Slowly, they let go of each other, and Finnick turned toward the water, leaving Phoenix to sit down on the sand next to Katniss.
Phoenix watched the sun rise over the arena, trying to calm herself down after the events of last night. From losing Mags in the poisonous fog to nearly being killed by the mutts, she realized just how different these games were from her first one. Phoenix was already so exhausted, and it had only been one full day.
Once Finnick returned with an abundance of fish, the alliance began eating in silence. "For you," Peeta said to Katniss, finally breaking the silence. Phoenix turned to see him holding out a small white pearl for her. Finnick and Phoenix saw Katniss thank him as she took the pearl into her hand, and a slight smile spread onto Phoenix's face at the two.
Before Katniss could say anything else to Peeta, the sound of screaming made all they're heads snap to the other side of the island. "That's new," Peeta muttered as the four of them threw down their food. Phoenix jumped to her feet, eyes widening as she watched a tsunami crash down into the jungle across from them.
The wave tore through the jungle's trees, followed by the blast of a cannon. The alliance watched as a hovercraft came into view, collecting the body of another fallen tribute. Phoenix shook her head, anger rising at the sight before her. She couldn't stop thinking about how desperate this all made the GameMakers look, trying to kill off as many tributes as they could on their own.
"Someone's here," Katniss warned, drawing her bow. The others quickly armed themselves, bracing for an unknown threat. But once the voice hit her ears, Phoenix's eyes widened, and a smile spread onto her face. She immediately recognized the distant voice, knowing it posed no threat to the alliance at all.
