"What are you doing?" Peeta asks.
"I'm climbing a tree to see if I can find the flock of Mockingjays," I say as I reach for a higher branch.
"Katniss, we're supposed to be looking for nightlock, a lynx, and a wolverine, not Mockingjays," he says.
"The mockingjays will find the lynx and wolverine for me a lot faster then I could track them down and lead them to me," I say.
"And how's that gonna work without the lynx eating the birds?" he asks.
"Because he knows its me. He'll do it for me, and if I send the right mockingjay." I say as I look through the tree branches. I see a group of the songbirds and hop down onto the ground beside Peeta.
"Don't do that!" he says, "You could hurt yourself."
"They're this way," I say ignoring his question and pulling him towards the birds. I stop under the tree and whistle a four note tune. The mockingjays flutter to lower branches as they repeat the tune. One in particular flutters down and lands on my finger, her woven grass necklace with the polished wood star gleaming in the moonlight.
"Rue, I need you to find Gale and Johanna," I say picking a bundle of leaves off a nearby plant," Get Gale first, he should help you find Johanna. Being them to the Hanging Tree and wait for me there." My mockingjay takes the leaves in her beak and flies away, towards the direction I think Gale's den lies.
"She understands what you tell her?" Peeta asks as she disappears.
"I raised her. She was a baby that fell out of the nest. She's a trained messenger," I say.
"You have a lot of friends out here don't you?" he asks.
"Yeah, I was lonely," I say. "Can we go to the cottage and rest for a little while. I don't really want to fall asleep in the middle of the woods."
"Didn't you just sleep for twelve hours?" he asks.
"How many times do I have to tell you I wasn't actually asleep," I say.
"I'm sorry it's just weird for me," he says.
"Yeah, I know," I say, "Come on, I'll show you the way there."
"I already know the way," he says taking my hand.
"How?" I ask.
"I went to look for you last night at sunset," he says.
"I don't deserve you," I say, "I left without leaving a note."
"That's okay, You didn't have much say in the matter," Peeta says. He starts walking but I stop him.
"Wait, I know a quicker way," I say. I whistle and I hear a whinny before Argo (AN: Xena, Warrior Princess anyone?), my wild horse, appears out of the willow trees she shelters in. She comes up beside me and lays her head over my shoulder, nuzzling me. "I've missed you too my friend," I say running my fingers through her blonde mane.
"Since when do you have a horse?" Peeta asks.
"No one owns Argo. She lives out here not in a stable. I just tamed her a little. No one but you even know about her," I say. Peeta steps closer to me but Argo rears up and snorts at him. I snap my fingers to get her attention. "Be nice!"
"She doesn't seem to like me," Peeta says.
"She'll listen to me. She just doesn't trust you cause she doesn't know you," I say. I stoke Argo's nose and she shakes her mane. "Agro, this is Peeta. I need you to take both of us to the cottage. Can you do it?" She stomps and shakes her self again before kneeling down so I can climb on her back. She stands up and I reach down my arm for Peeta's hand, but he doesn't take it.
"What's wrong?" I ask. "Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you, I'm just not sure I trust her," he says.
"She trusts me," I say, "If I trust you, she will too." Peeta reluctantly lets me help him onto the horse. He wraps his arms around my waist and I click to Argo before clinging to her mane as she starts to gallop through the trees, leaping over logs every once in a while.
"So how exactly do you steer her?" Peeta asks.
"I don't," I say, "She knows where to go because I told her. She'll probably find a quicker route then I could lead her through." Argo slows to a trot before stopping in front of the cottage. I slide off and wait for Peeta to do the same.
"You can get off now you know," I say.
"I'm kinda scared," he says. I roll my eyes and give Argo her whistle command for down. She carefully lays down and Peeta climbs off. She stands up and comes to me, waiting for my command.
"Go back the trees," I say, "I'll whistle when we need you." she nickers before stepping away and disappearing into the woods.
"I don't understand you at all," Peeta says.
"What do you mean by that?" I ask.
"You just aren't civilized like the people I've known in my life," he says.
"Civilized? God! You've questioned everything I've done since we've got here. Do you think I'm crazy or something," I ask.
"I don't mean it that I mean," he starts looking down before I lift his chin to look at me.
"You mean not like you," I say. I turn away from him and look at the woods.
"You think I'm an ignorant savage
And you've been so many places
I guess it must be so
But still I cannot see
If the savage one is me
How can there be so much that you don't know?" I start singing before turning back to him.
"You don't know ..."
I walk into the forest a little ways and Peeta follows. I pick up a branch and stab it into the ground before looking him in the eye.
"You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name" I lead him down a path to a fox seen where you can see the vixon peering out at us with her large yellow eyes.
"You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew" Suddenly the fox walks out followed by her three kits. I turn to Peeta and take his hand, leading him out to a clearing where you can see the full moon clearly.
"Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?" I start running through the trees and I hear Peeta flowing me. I love the feeling of freedom that comes with the forest air blowing through the trees and the burning of the muscles in my legs.
"Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth," I continue to sing as I come to the edge of a hill and tumble down, Peeta following close on my heels.
"Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth"
I help him up and take him to the riverbed, where we watch the nocturnal creatures run around, jumping and playing in the moonlight.
"The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends"
I climb up a giant tree and sit on the lowest branch with Perta joining me soon after.
"How high will the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you'll never know
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind" I jump down and Peeta lands beside me. I place a clump of dirt in his palm, letting it run through his fingers.
"You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind"
I turn away from Peeta and begin walking away towards the cottage. I hear his footsteps behind me and he stops me just before I enter the house.
"Katniss, I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't know how you've lived for sixteen years. You see the world how it really is. I've never seen that before tonight," he says.
"I know, but now that you do, am I crazy?" I ask.
"No Katniss, not by a long shot," he says.
"Come on, lets go get some rest," I say leading him inside.