Sitting in my mother's kitchen, I write in my journal. As cheesy as it sounds, it is just another way I feel I'm able to connect with something as I try to make sense of my life. I hear my mother and sister talking to each other, but I ignore them.  I have no use for herbs. My mother speaks sharply and I look up from my writing. 

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask and my mother crosses her arms, looking sternly at me.

"I shouldn't have to repeat myself Katniss," she says sternly.

"Yes Ma'am," I say.

"Take your sister to the meadow," she says. "We need the herbs on the list she has." I stand up and Prim walks over to me. 

"I don't need a babysitter," she says and I look at her sternly 

"You do with wild dogs and bears in these woods," I say. "Come on Little Duck. Lets get you what you need." Grabbing my bow and quiver, I walk past my mother and out the door. 

"Make sure you both are back before nightfall," She says and I sigh. 

"Yes, Mother," I walk out of the shack. I look over my shoulder as Prim follows me. "Come on. We have a lot of ground to cover before we get to your herbs."

"Why don't you and Mother trust me on my own," She says. "You've been running these woods with Papa as long as I can remember, by yourself since before you were my age." 

"You are an Apollic Apothecary, Prim," I say. "Not trained in the art of defense against the dangers of the forest." 

"I carry the same blood as you, Katniss," she says and I look at her, the spitting image of a small, dainty Apollic girl, with bright, intelligent blue eyes and sunshine golden hair. 

"But not the same traits," I whisper. "For instance, you aren't even aware that we aren't alone right now."

"What do you mean?" Prim asks and I turn her to the left, pointing at a deer drinking in a creek. 

"Had he been a wild dog, babbling as you are, you never would have heard him Prim," I say. "He would have had your throat before you could have even had time to scream. You don't pay attention to your surroundings." 

"Don't worry, Prim," I hear a man's voice say behind me and I roll my eyes. "Apparently your sister doesn't either."

"Oh please," I say turning to face Peeta, "I clocked you coming from the South as soon as I left the house. You need to lighten up a little on the cologne."  Prim looks around me at him and chuckles. 

"So you are the one she sneaks out at night to see," She says. "I thought he was the one when he came to visit one day." Peeta chuckles and I look at him.

"What are you doing out here?" I ask and he smirks.

"There's always something to be done around here," He says stepping forward, a slight limp to his step. "More than in town in my opinion, seeing as I have two brothers who can take on the family business just fine."

"Are you okay?" Prim asks and he shrugs. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," He says. I sniff and look at Prim. The metallic smell in the air is unmistakable. Peeta has some sort of injury. 

"I'm headed to the meadow to let Prim collect herbs," I say. "You actually might be of help, knowing what you do about plants. Care to come along?" 

"Sure," He says and I start walking for the meadow, Peeta and my sister following me. I make note of how uneven his steps are as we hike up the hill and to the edge of the meadow. I stand still a moment, looking over the meadow for any predators or unwelcome company.

"What is she doing?" Peeta asks Prim and she chuckles.

"She's like an eagle," She says. "She's scanning the meadow for even a leaf out of place before she'll let me down in it." 

"Quiet," I say. I look at another spot again and see a rabbit hop from the beaten grass and I sigh, "Go ahead Prim. If you need help, come back and ask Peeta what to look for."

"And just what am I doing?" He asks and I look at him. 

"You're helping me keep watch," I say and Prim walks by me. "You'll be able to tell if the plants have been stepped on by anything close  and I'll be able to scent what it might be." I look at him and he leans against the tree. Walking over, I stand next to him.

"You can scent things?" Peeta asks and I glance at him without turning my head.

"The gift of Diana," I say. "Given to a select few women every generations."

"Which means-" He starts and I look at him pointedly.

"I smell the blood running down your leg right now?" I say. "Yeah." I shake my head before moving to stand in front of him. "So you need to tell me who did this."

"Leave it alone, Katniss," He says and I stare him down.

"Show me," I say and he shakes his head.

"No," I step closer to him and stare him down. "No, Katniss."

"Why not?" I ask and He glances at Prim and then back at me. 

"It's on my leg," He says,  "My left thigh. So no, I'm not pulling down my pants to show you." 

"What happened?" I ask and he looks away from me. "Peeta, what happened? How did you get hurt?" 

"Please, Katniss," He says. "Just drop it." I look up at him and touch his cheek gently. 

"Let my mother treat you," I whisper. "Or Prim. They won't tell anybody." He shakes his head and I notice how pale he looks. "Peeta, how long ago did this happen?" He doesn't answer and I touch his cheek again. "Peeta look at me!" I say and he has trouble looking me in the eyes. "Peeta, you need to tell me when this happened." His legs fold beneath him and he falls against me. "Prim!" I scream and I look over to see her walking up, her basket full of the different greens she had come to get. She sees that I'm holding him against the tree and drops her basket, running over.

"What happened?" she asks and I slowly ease him down to the ground, seeing that his eyes have rolled to the back of his head. 

"I don't know," I say. "He was talking to me, when all of a sudden." I look at his body and groan. "He has some kind of wound on his leg. He refused to let me see it. I smelled blood." 

"How long ago?" She asks and I shake my head.

"He wouldn't tell me anything other than it's on his left thigh," I say, looking around. 

"Do you have your knife?" she asks and I pull up my skirt, grabbing the long hunting knife from my boot. I hand it to her and she starts cutting up the seam of his left leg, tearing the trousers open and as she gets to his thigh, I see a blood soaked, stinking and sloppily done bandage. She cuts it off and I gag as the seeping wound is revealed, filled with pus. "What the hell?"

"What could have done that?" I ask as she starts trying to scoop the pus out of the wound. 

"Something very sharp with a lot of force behind it," Prim says shaking her head. Peeta groans and I look up at him. I shake my head and stand up.

"Like a meat cleaver," I growl. "That fucking bitch!" I start pacing and feel my fists clenching and unclenching at my side. "It was his mother. She must have found out about him sneaking out at night. He's had bruises before and mentioned she had a temper. She's an Arian and chops up the meat and vegetables for the bakery with this huge cleaver."

"Katniss," Prim says as I mutter curses under my breath, pacing. "Katniss, we need to get him to the house. This is really deep and heavily infected. I think he might even have the starts of blood poisoning."

"I can't carry him all the way home," I say. "He's nearly two hundred pounds of dead weight right now." Peeta groans and his eyes open. He looks at me and I sigh. I run my hands through my hair and then look at a couple of dead trees, thin like poles. I kneel down and carefully wipe his hair from his forehead. "Hey, hey, don't you go out on us again."

"Katniss?" He asks, his voice hazy, like he is having trouble focusing. I nod and lean over at him.

"I'm here," I say, he winces and I grab onto his hand. "And I know it hurts, but I need you to make those two trees fall over there. I need them to make a sled so Prim and I can get you to my mother." He looks over at the trees and raises his hand out, trying, but he shakes his head. 

"I can't," He groans, his arm falling and I reach over, laying my arm against his. "I'm too weak. I couldn't push up a fucking daisy."

"Use my strength," I say. "Pull it from me." He looks at me and I lean my head against his. "On three." He nods, "One, two, three." I feel some of my life force being pulled through my arms and I grit my teeth, closing my eyes. I hear the thud of the trees and gasp, letting go of him and getting slowly to my feet. I take a few deep breaths to get my strength back and I pick up my knife from the ground. 

"Katniss, did you just?" Prim asks and I shoot her a look. 

"Don't speak of it," I say. I take the knife and cut the length of my skirt, tearing it off and tearing strips so I can tie it to the tree poles. I keep my eyes on my work, wanting to work as quickly as possible.

"Katniss," Prim says. "I can't do anymore with what I have here." 

"I'm almost done!" I say, picking up the branches with the black cloth tied between them. "Okay, on the count of three, roll him onto it and then you run ahead as fast as you can to the house and tell Mother what's happening." She nods and together, we somehow are able to roll him enough to get him onto the fabric. I grab the end of the poles and wave Prim off as I start for home, which is thankfully mostly downhill.

"Katniss," Peeta coughs and I look back at him. "Katniss, did you just?"

"We proved the bond," I say. "But, don't worry about that right now. Let's get you to help first." I continue up the hill, the weight in my heart getting ever heavier.

The power transfer worked. I suspected it would, seeing as how easily I found myself becoming close to him. But I never in a million years thought we would have to find out in a life or death situation. 

Peeta and I are soul mates. Most likely headed down a very bumpy road.