Made To Be His

3

Sitting on the edge of Peeta's bed, I move my head to watch as he changes, getting dressed for the day. I paw at the bedding a little and stand up, stretching shaking out my fur. I glance at him and he tilts his head a little as he looks at me.

"Where did your bandage go?" He asks and I sit down, tilting my head. Having not wanted to wear it all night, I'd forgotten that he might notice it was gone, having been tore off when I shifted last night. "I suppose you scratched it off wandering around huh? I forgot foxes are mostly nocturnal. You were probably pretty bored. Thankfully, looks like you didn't get into too much trouble while I was sleeping, did you Girl?"

"Well, that has to primarily to do with me sleeping all night, Boy," I think to myself as he scratches my ear. I glare a little at him. He should know that my name is most certainly not Girl. I corrected that last night. I growl a little and he pulls his hand back. I blink at him and he chuckles.

"That's right," He says. "I said we would figure out something to call you, didn't I?"  He looks at me and nods. "Well, I have decided on one that I think will fit pretty well." I sit up and shake out my shoulder fur.

"Do you really need to make a big ceremony of this? As far as you are aware, I'm just an oddly colored fox,"  I think to myself and he stops petting me. 

"I think I'm gonna call you Katniss," He says finally and I tap my tail on the bed. "Do you like it?" I stand up and duck under his hand, kind of crouched playfully. "I think you do." I leap off the bed, wincing a little as I land. Taking a few steps past him, I stop and sit at his door. I hear something just in front of me, people moving on the other side of the door. Peeta walks over and picks me up, holding me at arms length and eye level. "What are you doing?" 

"I want outside, human, unless you actually are daring me to mark your shoes as my territory,"" I think as I look at him. He sighs and moves me so I'm tucked into the hollow of his waist. 

"Okay, I get it," He says. "You probably need to go to the bathroom. Just give me a second to check to make sure the coast is clear. If anyone in this house found out I was keeping you in here, the consequences are not exactly favorable." I blink at him and watch as he opens the door just a little and looks out. He seems to listen for a moment and then sighs, opening the door the rest of the way. He sets me on the ground and walks out. "I think the coast is clear. Just don't get into anything on our way out." 

I sniff at the floor as I carefully step out of Peeta's room. I smell Peeta and his denmates, probably his family, all over the the floor in the narrow, cave like place. I wander a few steps away from Peeta and catch the scent of another animal. I lift my head and trot forward, coming to the end of the corridor. I look around at a wide, light filled room. I smell the other creature everywhere around me. It's most likely a house pet.

"What's this then!"  I hear growled above me and look up on a round muddy yellow, feline face. I back away from the large, bed like thing and Peeta walks in, looking at the grizzled tomcat. "What are you doing in my house? This is my house, you dirty wild thing!"  

"Buttercup, leave her be," Peeta says, picking the cat up. "She's just looking around. Why don't you come outside with us, you old grouch." 

"Buttercup?" I giggle and the cat hisses some incoherent curses at me. Peeta carries the cat over to a window and opens it, stepping out into the fresh air. I walk up to his heels and look out a moment before leaping over the threshold.  I feel the sunshine on my pelt and I walk into the finely trimmed grass, rolling around in it. I get up and start stretching my legs, dashing around the fence of the yard. I feel my tail flying behind me as I leap and weave around the bushes as I mark out the stretch of the little yard. Finding a place at the far edge, I do what I need to under a bush.