Waking up slowly as the sunshine streams in through the open window. I roll over and fall out of the small bed that Peeta and I had somehow fit into last night. I groan and slowly get up, hearing Peeta working on something outside. I get up, walking to the window and looking out, listening to the birds flying through the black cherry trees that grow tall and thick around the house. A couple of mockingjays fight over a pair of cherries and I smile, sitting down on the windowsill, I place my hands on the frame and just sort of hang there watching them. 

"What you doing?" Peeta asks from below me and I look down at the ground where he's clearing a little area of ground.

"I could ask you the same thing," I call back down and he holds out his hands. On them are little specks most likely seeds.

"I'm gonna work on getting a patch of vegetables and herbs going," Peeta says and I nod. 

"Do you need help clearing the land?" I ask and he shrugs.

"If you want," He says. "It isn't all that exciting." 

"Let me get dressed," I call down. "I'll be back in a minute." 

"I don't mind if you don't but okay, if you really think that one of those stuffy black dresses is necessary," He jokes and I shake my head as I crawl back into the house and close the shutters. Walking to the  drawers, I pull out one o my shorter black dresses and set it up, quickly undressing from my nightgown and pulling it onto my body. Buttoning the last of my bodice. I slide my feet into my boots and walk down stairs to the new garden. The ground is flat between he cherry trees and the soil is dark, rich in organic matter that kind of reeks in my nose. I sniff and Peeta turns to me, leaning on my crutches. 

"You already cleared it?" I ask and he shrugs. 

"I made the undergrowth uproot while I was getting the plant life we used last night," Peeta says nonchalantly. "Most of it blew away while we were sleeping. It was just a matter of scraping away the stragglers while you were asleep." He looks at me and tilts his head. "By the way,  what was that noise I heard before you came to the window?"

"I uh, I was sleeping too close to the edge of the bed and fell off when I rolled away from the sun," I admit and he chuckles. 

"You did?" He asks and I sigh. 

"It isn't  a very big bed, Peeta, " I say and he shakes his head. 

"The bed it's fine, you just toss around so much that you take up all but the foot of area you let me stay in last night," he says and  roll my eyes.

"It was my first night in a strange place, so sue me if it took me a while to settle in," I say standing to the side. "What you gonna plant in here?"

"Little bit of everything," he says. "so we won't have to eat the same thing every night. Enough to be able to give to your mother from time to time so she doesn't have to worry about wasting money on food that can be provided here in the forest." 

"Well, if you don't need help, I'm gonna go and raid some duck nests for some eggs to have for breakfast," I say and he looks at me. 

"How you gonna be sure that you don't bring home half formed baby ducks?" He asks and I smile. 

"Oh I probably will, but I plan to make sure we don't crack them over a skillet," I say and he looks at me as I start past him.

"How?" he asks and I glance at him. 

"You'll just have to wait until I get back home to find out, Flower Boy," I call back as I walk away towards the river. I carefully step along the rocks, picking my way through so that I don't disrupt the stones and alert the animals around me. I find a sparsely covered nest and gather up the eggs carefully, holding them close to my body, There's about eight, so some will no doubt be fertile. However, I'm sure some of them will be made from after the breeding season and be edible. 

I carry them carefully towards the house and Peeta glances up at me, his little patch of cleared earth already sprouted with small green sprouts. I chuckle and look at the ground as he keeps pulling the small plants higher and higher, making them mature and ready to bear fruit. I roll my eyes and walk past him.

"And you act like being a Hestian is some amazing feat," I say as I head into the house. H hear the now normal sound of his crutches behind me and he walks in the door after me. 

"Well as you say anyone can start a fire with the right tools, any hand can plant a seed in soil," He says. "it's just how we are able to manipulate that gives us warrant to names for the talents." I shrug as I set the eggs carefully on the table. 

"Close the door and grab me the lamp," I say, ignoring the biting remark sitting in my throat.

"Why?" He asks and I look over at him. 

"I need it dark so I can check the eggs for forming ducklings," I say. "I'll show you in a moment what the lamp is for." Peeta shuts the door behind him and brings over the kerosene lamp, setting it next to the eggs on the table.

"Okay, so what is it for?" He asks and I carefully light the lamp, making it a low glow in the room. I pick up an egg and hold it over the glass flute, pointing to the tiny bird trying grow." Oh my Demeter."

"The light shines through the liquid portion that the duckling develops in," I say. "But the little body, even this one at about seven days I would guess, you can see them as a shadow inside the shell."

"So you can tell which eggs can be eaten," He says. 

"Exactly," I say holding another one out. I repeat the motion until I have collected three dud eggs and five with baby ducks inside. I glance at Peeta and the pile of fertile eggs. 

"So, what do we do with these?" He ask and I grab one of the sheets from the floor and roll it into a ball. I light a fire and turning to the table, I carefully pick up the eggs and nestle them into the fabric. 

"See if they hatch," I say. "Keep them warm near the fire for a few weeks and see if they live. After that, we can raise them up, cook of the drakes and keep the hens to give us eggs without having to go out hunting from them." Peeta nods and follows me towards the fire and chuckles.

"So, you thought this all out?" He says and I shrug. 

"Well, I'm certainly not going to condemn them because I robbed their nest," I say and he smiles. 

"Well, let me make you breakfast then," Peeta says softly and I smile. 

"You already get around really well, huh?" I say softly and he nods.

"I'm managing a lot better than I was," He admits and I get up from the floor and open up the shutters. I look over at him and shake my head. 

"You should go see your father than," I say softly and he shakes his head.

"I'm not ready Katniss," He says and I look at him gently.

"Why not?" I ask, "You're better now, strong again and you just," I look down, You have no reason to hide from him, Peeta."

"I don't want to disappoint him," he says  and I shake my head.  

"How, because you needed your leg amputated?" I say. "Is that really something you think your worried father is gonna give two shits about?" Peeta looks down and shakes his head. 

"I just don't know how I could possibly face him like this," He says. "He has always been the one to believe in me and I feel like all I do is disappoint him. This may as well be the last straw." I shake my head and walk over to him.

"I know as well as anyone," I whisper, "You can't use these woods as a refuge, as somewhere to build a life if you are using it to hide." Peeta looks at me and I press against him. 

"I know," He says,

"I'll be right by your side," I whisper, kissing his cheek. "You don't have to go today, but next time I go to trade, I want you to come with me and talk to him." Peeta nods and I lean forward kissing his cheek. "I'm going to go work on a couple pairs of pants for you. Let me know when breakfast is ready?" He smiles and looks at me.

"Sure," he says softly and I turn to walk up the stairs, preparing myself for the war to be wagged when I lead him into town.