𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
── the dairy farm
ℑt was rare for me to get Cato to the farm, not so rare that it never happened but rare enough for it always to be a pleasant surprise for my mother. He was always worried that he would disappoint my father, having not grown up with animals so having to learn from scratch. I tried to tell him that my father liked him, but he didn't believe it. It was amusing, on the night of the District 11 tribute to our win, my father had patted him on the back and squeezed his shoulder, and Cato had frozen, watching the man cautiously as if he was going to tell him off for proposing to me without his permission.
My mother had merely laughed from where she was stood next to me, her hand stroking my hair.
"Cas, Mick." Cato calls for the two herding dogs, who are back with us once more. They're jumping around, trying to herd us towards the farm which I still find funny. When we reach the gate, I open it, pulling the rest of my overalls on as we head for the parlour, talking quietly. Cato isn't much help with milking, doing better with herding the cattle and moving them between areas so I leave him to do that and the heavy lifting of the milk pails.
"Morning!" I call, finding my mother further up the parlour. She waves, grinning as she looks up.
"Morning. Wasn't sure you'd get here on time." I laugh, reaching her side to kiss her cheek and pat the cow's flank. "Cato."
"Morning." Cato smiles at her, both dogs now sitting by his feet and watching him with adoring eyes. I know that he sneaks both of them food, and let's them sleep on the couch, which is why they adore him so much, but I find it amusing.
"We've already got about twenty cows for you to move." My mother smiles at him as Cato nods, calling both dogs as he disappears. "Is he alright? He looks a bit out of it."
"Bad night last night, for both of us." I reply, shaking my head. "The victory tour took a toll and we had to push a lot of memories down. They all came up last night."
"I'm sorry, Bunny. Anything I can do?"
"If you're offering, some of that porridge that I love?"
"I'll see what I can do." We get to work, moving the cattle through the parlour. Machinery was whirring further away, my father and one of our farmhands having to move hay bales back and forth, ready for the colder winter months that were yet to come. We don't take notice of them. Cato comes back and forth, moving milk pails and taking the cows out. They're moving up to one of the top barns, a little further away from the farm, due to it being warmer and more comfortable for the winter months. There's a winter milking parlour up there, connected to the barn, so this will be the last time that we're down here.
My mother is laughing when the gunshot rings out. It reminds me on the canon. The cows startle, mooing and bellowing as I'm up on my feet in an instant. Turning to my mother, both of us drag the milk pails out of the way, clambering over the gate as we hurry outside.
"Cato!" I call, shouting as loud as I can. There's nothing, but the machinery has stopped whirring and my mother and I take off for the hay barn. As we pass the entrance gate, I spot the peacekeeper's van in the yard, and my fears heighten. My run turns to a sprint, breath coming out in pants as I remember the Games.
All I can think about is that someone's dead.
When we round the corner, both of us come to a stop. There's five peacekeepers in the barn, one is holding a smoking gun. Cato is there, holding onto both of our dogs who are barking and growling, my father is by the farmhand, holding onto his stomach that's bleeding.
"Hugo!" My mother is shouting as the peacekeepers turn. Four of them have batons in their hands, the other one is still holding the gun and they're raised at us as I grab hold on my mother, putting myself in between her and the gun. They can't shoot me, I'm a victor and they need me alive.
"What is going on?" I cry, looking at Cato. His eyes are wild, the dogs snarling and barking to try and get at the men.
"This man was being uncooperative. Are there any more personnel on your farm?"
"No, this is a family farm. It's just us. Whatever it is that seemed to have been the matter, you do not have the right to shoot my father!" I'm not sure how my voice is strong, but it is.
"He has over the prescribed amount of machinery and there are guns on this yard, get that dog to stop barking, boy!" Cato reaches down, grabbing Cas' muzzle and holding it shut as the dog twists and turns. Mick is still lunging forwards, and Cato's starting to panic.
"We have the authorisation for those in the house. Let me chain the dogs up and sort out my father, and I'll show them to you."
"Get them now!"
"Let me bandage my father." I plead.
"Get the papers!" Is the only response I get.
"Ma, go and get the papers." I urge her, pushing her gently towards the house. She's crying, looking at my father's paling face as she stumbles towards the house. "Let me bandage my father. He's bleeding out."
I go to move, and the gun is raised at me. The dogs go feral in Cato's hands, and he's barely holding onto Mick's collar. I raise my arms, stepping back as I catch the farmhand, Raike's, eyes. He's looking between everyone, hands covered in blood as he tries to stop the bleeding. My own breathing picks up, remembering the death and gore of the arena, and I can see that Cato's eyes are unfocused.
"Cato?" I call, but he doesn't answer, looking down at the dogs as they thrash and just managing to hold on. "Let me chain the dogs up, please. Let me chain them up."
"Fine." I hurry over, grabbing both dogs from Cato's hands, grabbing onto him in the process.
"Cato, we're at the farm. We're at the farm." I whisper, seeing the horror in his eyes as he watches the dogs. I'm not sure if he can differentiate them from the mutts. Still, nothing is said and I drag Mick and Cas away, though it takes all of my strength. They're big dogs, defensive dogs and they don't like the peacekeepers being here on their property. One of the guards follows me out, watching as I drag them to the machinery barn. I chain Mick on the long lead, before dragging Cas to the kennel and chaining him inside. Both dogs bark and howl, stirring up a racket and as I come back out, I see my mother locking their retired dog back into the house, hurrying over with the papers in hands.
She's still crying and shaking as she hands them to me. I rush back up to the barn, shoving the papers towards the head guard.
"This is our license for the machinery, because we're a large farm. This is our license for the guns, this is our license for the bolt guns and my father's license to use them." I tell him, my hands shaking as I glance at my father and Cato. Cato's deathly pale, eyes flicking and he's looking for a weapon. I need to get these men gone now. "Here's my license for using both of them and Raike has a license for machinery. Raike?"
The man holds his license out, and I bundle it all together. They flick through it, as I try not to stare at the gun. I can still hear the dogs outside. My father is swaying back and forth now, looking on the verge of collapse and Cato's began to mumble, hand reaching for a sword that isn't there.
"Is that everything?" I question once more. Finally the peacekeeper looks up.
"That's everything. We'll be doing inspections more regularly to see whether this is being maintained." They turn to leave and immediately, my mother is running for my father, grabbing onto him as she cries. She yanks her overalls off, ripping her undershirt off at the waist to bundle over the wound. I turn for Cato.
"Cato..." He looks up, eyes dark like steel as I grab him. "It's me. We're safe. We're home. It's not the games."
That's when the second gunshot goes off. My ears ring, turning and for a moment, I see Clove on the floor and Thresh hovering further away, before I blink again and they're gone. Cato has grabbed me, yanking me backwards as he searches for a way out.
"Cato, it's-" My dogs aren't barking. I freeze. "Mick! Cas!"
There's no reply.
"Mick! Cas!" I pull out of Cato's hold, though he lunges after me, shouting my name as I see the truck go rumbling off our land. The cows are trying to stampede in the parlour, as I dodge into the yard, looking for my dogs. One of them is standing, hovering over another's form and as I get close, Cas lunges to try and bite me. He misses. "Mick!"
Cas stops when he sees it's me, and I crouch beside my dog. Mick is whimpering, twitching on the floor at the bullet in his leg and I tear up, pulling my dog closer.
"Mick, it's alright." I promise, comforting the young dog. Cas growls again, standing ahead of me as someone calls my name again. I turn, tears in my eyes. My mother is hurrying down, Raike and Cato helping to carry my father as she finds me. "They shot Mick. Why would they shoot Mick? I chained him up, he couldn't harm them. I followed all their orders."
My mother opens the door to our home, rushing back as I cuddle my dog. I don't know what to do. I feel useless. My father was the healer, he was best at helping the animals and they'd shot him.
"Mitzi, I need help with your father!" My mother shouts again as I cry. They shot my father and they shot my dog. "Mitzi!"
"They shot Mick." My dog is whimpering, his leg bleeding as I try to stop it. He was only just a year and they shot him.
"Mitzi!" My mother grabs me, yanking me away from the dog and towards the house. "Please, your father and then we'll help the dog."
I stumble, watching as Raike clears the kitchen table, before helping put my father atop it. Cato is shaking, pale now, stepping away as my mother lifts my father's shirt up, looking at the wound.
"Why would they do that?" He mutters to me. "It makes no sense. Why would they shoot first? He didn't do anything."
"Wake up, boy." Raike hisses. "They're peacekeepers and we're District Eleven. It was only a matter of time."
"Water, Raike. Fetch water." My mother shouts, coming back in with the healing supplies as she dries her tears. "Mitzi, I need you to stich him up. Wash your hands, I'll get the bullet out. Cato, hold him down."
"Don't you have morphling?" Cato questions.
"No!" My mother shouts, as Cato braces his arms over my father's shoulder and I begin to wash my hands in the bucket of water left to the side. Mick's blood comes sliding off and I whimper at the thought of my dog, before drying up and lacing the needle and thread up. She starts quickly, pulling out long tweezers to dig the bullet out of my father's side as he squirms and tries to rear up. Cato pins him down, Raike coming in to hold onto his feet. I glance outside, finding that Cas is bundled over Mick now, keeping him warm in the winter air. It takes a few minutes of digging and then my mother pulls it out and it's my turn. I have the neatest stitches.
"It's starting again." Was all my mother hissed, opening the door and using the bucket outside to clean her hands. I don't focus on it much, instead beginning to stitch my father up as quickly as I could, hoping to make it a clean stitch. I continue to stitch him up as Raike and Cato push all of their weight down onto the man, who's beginning to wake, groaning and trying to get up.
"Da, hold still." I call, finishing the final stitch as I dip the rags in the water, before plastering it across the wound and binding it up with twine, for that was all we had. When I look up, I find Cato watching me, his form tense as my father finally stops wriggling. "You're alright da."
"Where are they?" He hisses. "Nother gunshot, did they hit one of my cows?"
"No da." I shake my head. "They didn't get the cows or the parlour."
"Get the cows out of the shed, put them in the top field. Put them back with the herd." He hisses, struggling to sit up as Cato hovers, unsure of what to do. "Raike, get the hay in, lock up and go home."
Raike nods, disappearing back outside and calling to my mother as he did. She rushed back in, placing her hand on my father's cheek, and I took that as my cue, rushing out. Cas is silent now, lying across Mick and lapping at the wound to stop the blood.
"We've got to get him home." I turn to Cato, who's followed me out. "I-He can't die."
Cato nods, before I unchain Cas. He wants to stay with Mick, but I've got a job to do and I need my herding dog to do it. He struggles, scrabbling to get back to his brother, but I open the parlour gate all the same. The cows come charging out, and I pick the rubber pole up, whistling for Cas to obey. He doesn't listen for a moment, but I whistle again and he begins to take the cattle up to the top pen, Cato following behind to close the gates as I go at the front.
It's long, though maybe I only feel like it takes long because of how worried I am. When the final gate closes, we're running back to where Mick is, finding him shivering in his kennel. I'm not strong enough to pick him up and move him, so I grab the water and go back into the house to get the tweezers and needle and thread.
My father is no longer on the table, all that's left being a bloodstain on the wood and it makes me shiver. I try not to look at it, going back to my dog as I muzzle him so that he can't bite, chaining Cas up far away so that he can't lunge either.
It takes more digging to find the bullet, more so than with my father, but I pull it out to much whimpering and barking from both dogs. Cato's hands are shaking now too, but I soldier on and stitch my dog up.
"Can you carry him?" I question softly, and Cato nods, picking the large dog up with ease, being careful with the wound. I grab a lead, something I normally didn't use with my dogs, slipping a muzzle onto Cas and leading the way back to the Victor Village.
Geare is waiting outside our home, Jasmine too, both talking quietly when they see us.
"What happened?" Geare hisses as we get close. "We could hear the gunshots from here."
"They shot my father." I mutter, looking up at them, "for not having the right papers but we did. They're doing inspections more frequently now, and then, when they were leaving, they shot Mick. He was chained up, he was out the way and they shot him for no reason."
"Except that they could." Jasmine pointed out. "It's starting again, all of it, all of the brutality, it's starting again."
"I think there's been uprisings." Cato has disappeared to put the dog in the house and I know he needs a moment alone. "I saw it on the mayor's tv, I-we did everything right and they shot my father."
"Be glad that he's alive. For most, they don't give them that mercy." Geare cuts me off, forcing me to take a deep breath. "Now, you're going to put on a brave front, you're going to pretend this didn't happen and you follow every rule that they give you."
"But I have..." I whisper. "I did."
"Mitzi, no more tears." Geare warns as Cas tried to rip the lead from my hands. "You have to be strong. Don't let them see you weak, just like the Games, you understand?"
I nod my head slowly. Geare hum, before pulling my head towards him, patting my cheek. Jasmine nods, before looking around.
"Go, we'll see you for the wedding dresses." I nod once more, before disappearing back to my house, taking Cas' muzzle and leash off as I step inside. Cato's put Mick down by the fire, sitting with him and stroking his head as he whispers to him. But, Mick's still breathing.
I join them, grabbing a hold of Cato's hand as we watch the dog.
"I thought someone was dead. I looked at the sky, waiting for the announcement of which district and who." Cato whispered, his grip tightening. "Why did they do that? Why would they shoot first? That's now how peacekeepers are taught..."
"Because they can." I reply. "They do it because they can and because we can't fight back."
──⭒─⭑─⭒──
Hiya,
So, bit of a tense chapter cause they shot Mitzi's dog and her dad, which she's not best pleased by. I really like this chapter, and it gives a look into both Cato and Mitzi's psyche which is gonna be interesting for future times.
Let me know what you think,
Love Li xx