I place my hand around a firm branch of cherry wood and watch the tongues of fire engulf it, breaking it into blackened, fist sized chunks. Flicking my finger, I roll the still burning balls of carbon into the rusted metal bucket. Birds singing in the trees above me flutter among the branches and I smile. A Mocking Jay or two flutter down upon a nearby branch and I walk over, whistling a tune to hear them repeat it. One flutters over and sits on my coal pail, making me chuckle. 

"Careful, they're still crawling with embers," I say softly, offering him a piece of bread from my pocket. His little pointed beak snatches it up and he flutters away, the other bird following him for a part of the bribe. 

"Why the hell are you bothering feeding those annoying things?" Gale asks as he walks up and I laugh, looking up at him. 

"I like having them around while I work," I say. 

"Where'd you get that?" He asks walking around me. 

"What?" I ask and he moves his head towards the birds.

"The bread you gave them," he asks. I straighten up and pick my pail back up. 

"I bought it," I say simply. "People need to healthily sustain themselves on more than just meat."

"When?" He asks. 

"Why are you giving me the third degree?" I ask. "Just because I haven't gone with you trading the last few times, it doesn't mean that I'm not still trading myself."

"Then why haven't you gone with me?" Gale asks. "Is there something to hide?" I shake my head and glare at him.

"I'm sorry, when did I have to start deciding I needed to check everything with you?" I ask and he shakes his head. 

"You don't, but I was," He looks at me rather softly. "I am worried about you Katniss. The square can be dangerous for one of us."

"I'm fine," I say. "I keep my head down and continue bribing the Arians. I don't cause trouble for myself. I'm fine." I try to walk past him and he grabs my arm. "Do you want to lose that hand?" He lets go of me and looks down. I turn away and start walking home.

"Greasy Sae said that you haven't traded with her since the Mellark boy took you to the bakery," Gale calls after me, making me stop. "I thought you told me it was the first time you'd met him, when he dumped that flour on you. So you maybe want to stop lying to me now." I turn around to look at him and scoff. 

"Who exactly made you my father?" I say. 

"Have you been meeting him?" He asks simply and I shake my head. 

"No," I say. "I don't know him and I haven't been meeting with him. Mr. Mellark has been in need of meat for his dinner loaves and meat pies. He upsells me quite a bit over meat market prices because of my father. His son makes sure I get back to the woods safe. Feeds me lunch too. It's a good set up I've gotten for myself." Gale stares me at looks me up and down. 

"Do you think that this is really something good for you, that there aren't ulterior motives?" He asks walking towards me. "That that boy doesn't want to take advantage of you as soon as you let your guard down?" I look at Gale and shake my head.

"We don't even talk," I say. "Even if he is a boy with a crush, I certainly am not entertaining the idea of marrying into a Demet Clan. I'm not entertaining the idea of marrying anyone, so you can back off." Gale takes another step towards me and sighs, leaning his head against mine.

"I just, I don't want you to get hurt, Catnip," He says. "I don't want you to get taken advantage of."  His grey eyes are sad and intense, begging me for something I can't explain.

Nor return.

"I know," I say softly, backing away slowly."But it isn't your life to be concerned about. It's mine. I've made my own trade connections. Connections that aren't splitting with you. Respect that." He nods and stands up straighter, his pride clearly tarnished. 

"We can still check traps," Gale says. I nod. 

"Of course," I say. "You act as though I'm saying you aren't my hunting partner anymore. I am just saying, you don't need to protect me like a rabid dog. I can do that just fine. I'm not afraid of some little flower child." He chuckles and place a hand on my shoulder.

"I know you can kid," He says. "Come on. The snares are ready to be pulled for the day. I'll split the catch with you now rather than later." 

"Let me go get my game sack, and get rid of the coals," I say. "I'll meet you at the first set of stakes." I walk away, my footsteps light in  the dirt and open up the door to my home. I shuck off my formal clothes, leaving me in a tank top and a pair of deerskin pants. My bun falls into my long braid down my back and I sigh. 

Since when did my life become fighting with my best friend over a guy I barely know. He should know that he doesn't have a claim to me and if he did, I wouldn't be the kind of girl to run around on him. He needs to get that through his stupid head. He thinks he's losing me now, his chances will be completely up if he tries to control me. He claims that the Demets cage us, drag us down. But sometimes, he's caging me up just as bad as they do.  

I walk back out, my bag slung over my shoulder. I jog down the trap trail and stop in front of him as he pulls up a large ground squirrel. I hold out the sack, letting him drop the carcass. We don't speak, barely look at eachother, but we keep going on like we always did, the hefty old potato sack filling up slowly and steadily. Gale's own game bag fills after mine and I look up at him as we near the end of the  set. 

"Looks like it wasn't too hard to split the game today, huh?" I say, trying to ease the tension and he nods.

"It split off at our border," He grunts. "How ironic." He looks at his game bag and then at me. "Maybe we should just worry about those borders again."

"You want to break apart?" I ask and Gale nods.

"Clearly, you aren't interested in telling me the truth anymore," He says. "You would have just told me straight out what had happened. You hid the Mellarks from me like I wouldn't find out. I can't be with someone who keeps things like that from me."

"I wasn't aware that you had taken some kind of interest in me that way," I say. 

"Well, you act as though you had interest in me at least once or twice and it only made sense that you were my future soulbond," He says. "But clearly from the look on your face and this past week's actions, you don't feel the same way. You think that just any guy would do for you all the things I've done for you?" 

"Gale, you are acting like a fool," I say. "To think I would just fall into your arms when I turned sixteen. To just assume this was anything more than it was?" I shake my head

"You broke my heart, you stupid, ignorant bitch," He says. I feel the little cracks in my heart start to form and I clench my fists.

"You were my best friend," I say. "And I didn't care if that was all you ever were. But don't think that I never thought about you like your foolish mind thought about me." Gale's eyes suddenly get a panicked expression as I turn away "Now you can forget it. See you around Gale, but stay the hell off my land." 

"Catnip!" He calls after me as I stomp away. 

"Leave me the hell alone!" I scream back, a wall of fire going up behind me. I look back to make sure he isn't following through it and head towards the opening of the tree line. The Arian officer sees me and stops me. 

"Miss, I can't let you into town like this," He says. "Your lack of proper attire alone and the embers following you. You are a danger to society in this state." I look at him and he shakes his head. 

"Let her through," I hear a familiar voice say and I look over the rise to see Peeta standing there. 

"Are you spying on me?" I ask and he shakes his head. 

"Nah," He says. "Just out for a stroll, checking on some barley I started yesterday, and decided to help out a damsel in distress." He turns to the edge guard and sighs. "Now Darius, she's never caused trouble before and I doubt she would start now. She wants to get away from something in the forest, she should have the right to do it the same as any of us. " Darius looks me up and down and sighs, swinging open the gate.

"Thank you, but I could have gotten out of that myself, " I say walking past him and he chuckles. 

"You are welcome, Noble Katniss of the Broken Trees," He says before looking around. "Where is your pack?" I sigh and look back at a patch of smoldering smoke still rising in the distance. He looks past me and nods."Ah, got ya. So you could probably use a drink about now?" I look back over my shoulder and sigh. 

"As long as you are buying, I figured I would take you up on that  offer of a good tour of the village," I say crossing my arms. He chuckles and offers an arm to me.  I stand there a second and slowly reach out my hand and loop it into his elbow. He smiles and gently shoves me a little, as though trying to loosen the tension in my body and I readjust my grip on his arm.

"Well, come along, Firecracker," He says. "Let's start with a stop by the Dyonisan to get you a drink and make tonight a good night for you, huh?"