By the time Duke ducks into the camp, I feel like I'm about to fall off of the horse's back. My head is pounding from being thrown off the horse and the pieces of shrapnel are now stinging like a thousand bee stings, my adrenaline finally having worn off. I feel like I'm about to slide off as a strong arm holds me upright.

"You okay?" Peeta asks and I glance at him. I shake my head and sit up a little. 

"Yeah," I say. "I'm just starting to feel my injuries after sitting still so long." 

"What do you need?" He asks and I look around the camp, seeing several medics treating the new refugees. I see the painted priestess, Tigress walking towards us and nod to her.

"To see that my people are okay," I say, watching as Tigress walks up.

"You are the last to arrive," She says, her implanted whiskers twitching a little. "As always."

"You know I don't like to see things unfinished, Tigress," I say and her golden eyes glint a little.

"She needs her wounds treated," Peeta says and I glance at him.

"I'm fine," I reply and Tigress tuts. She steps closer and grabs onto a piece of metal sticking out of my thigh. As she yanks it out of my leg, rather roughly if I must admit, I grit my teeth and let out a hissing breath.

"Yes, clearly," She says before looking over at my companion. "Make Her Highness take you to her tent. It's the large one with the red bird painted on the canopy. I'll meet you both there with treatments for your injuries." I roll my eyes and feel Peeta's arm leave my waist. He slides off the horse and reaches for me. Ismack his hand away and swing myself off, groaning as I wrench my arm. Duke turns his head to look at me and I stroke his nose. The livery keeper, a former blacksmith from District five, comes with a rope.

"Did he ride well, Milady?" He asks and I nod as he loops the braided fiber over Duke's neck, I pat the horse and nod.

"He always has," I say, "But he stumbled in the field and was with me near a blast. Please check him over and make sure his wounds are treated, Darius."

"Of course, Milady," He says, starting to lead the horse away. I look over at Peeta and sigh. 

"Come with me," I say, walking past him and towards the large hide covered tent I call my home. Pull back the opening with my uninjured arm and duck in. 

"You have a lot to explain," Peeta says, following me in. I limp over to my trunk and sit down on it. 

"What is there to explain?" I say. He walks around me, shaking head.

"You are the Mockingjay," He says and I roll my eyes, chuckling. "Queen of the Rebels with a bounty on her head greater than the worth of all of District Two." 

"Is it really that high?" I ask. "Last I checked I was only worth the lumber of District Seven." I look over my arm and shrug off my quiver. Pulling out one of my broken arrows from the soft leather pouch, I start to use the tip to dig some of the smaller bits of foreign material from my skin. Most are just little flesh wounds and scrapes anyway.

"You act as though it is a joke," Peeta says and I look up at him, studying his confused face.

"Well, it is," I say. "I'm just an eighteen year old girl, fighting for her freedom. That is all. Others may follow if they wish, see something in what I do. That is their choice to make, after all." I set down my weapon and stand up, slowly. I look up at Peeta as he towers over me. He has grown tall, with a stocky, strong build. His blonde hair, which was so bright and golden when he was a child, is now an ashy color, though he still has the slight wave of the curls that once resided on his bow. His face is sharper, more angular than before. A handsome face, one must admit. "Beyond what the people make me into, I am nothing. Had I never stepped in these woods, for all we know, no one would ever have heard of the Mockingjay." Peeta stares at me, struggling to find something to say further.

The curtain of my tent suddenly opens and we both turn to look at the newcomer. Tigris dips her head to me and brings forward her bag, full of her bundles of herbs. She looks at the both of us and a small, very feline like grin crosses her face. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Highness," She says and I sigh.

"Please, Tigris," I say. "Don't patronize me like this."

"Of course Madam," She says, walking over to us. She looks at Peeta and her eyes glitter in the low light of the tent. "My, what a handsome one he is." I roll my eyes and look at Peeta as I sit back down on my trunk.

"Peeta, this is Tigris," I say. "She's a spiritualist." Tigris holds out a tattoo covered, long nailed hand to Peeta.

"I'm Katniss' Priestess and personal consultant. I work to heal her outsides," She clasps onto his hand with both of hers and her eyes turn to me with some knowing look I don't understand. "As well as her insides." 

"A seer?" He asks and I shrug as she lets go of his hand and comes over to me. She kneels next to me and begins cleaning my wounds with a rag and some kind of herb water.

"She likes to think so," I say. "But she knows her forrest remedies. SHe has been a good ally to have in these times." I wincce a little and she chuckles.

"You never cease to amaze me in your bluntness, Milady," Tigris says before looking at Peeta. "I have always been right in my visions, have I not. After all, I told you that your heart lay in the place of your birth, well." I look away from Peeta's eyes as she says her words and She starts wrapping my arms in bandages.

"Even you know that your visions are never literal," I say. Tigris shakes her head and moves onto my legs, pulling out the last bits of shrapnel. I look up at the ceiling and, uncomfortable with the questions she no doubt just put into Peeta's head. He kind of paces the floor of my tent and I watch him, still not able to meet his eyes. 

When I am finally done, Tigris moves over to Peeta, but he is pretty much no worse for wear. the blood streaked on his clothing isn't his, most likely mine from when he picked me up off the ground. I cross my arms over my middle and Tigris steps between the two of us. SHe smiles at me and tips my chin up so I'm looking past her and at Peeta.

"Have faith in him," She says. "This one will never betray you." I blink at him and feel my chest clench again. TIgris looks between us and chuckles. "Don't fear the sharing of scars. You both have more than can be seen." I blink and glance away from Peeta. Tigris moves away from me and stops beside Peeta. "Look past the gilded bird, and you will see the maiden dancing among the wildflowers still remains." 

She walks out and I cross my arms over my chest. My sprained arm already feels better from the menthol and mint treatment and I slowly stand up. I feel him looking at me. I walk across the pelt covered floor and to the rope of my tent's vent.

"She is rather cryptic," Peeta says as I walk past him and open the vent of the tent, letting moonlight in. He's obviously lying, but seeing as I don't want to talk about anything she just insinuated either, I'm not going to press what she meant by her words to him.

"Yes, she is," I say. Walking over to my stone fire ring, I slowly kneel down and begin striking my flint to start a fire. "I'm glad for her help, but sometimes, she just really doesn't understand the meaning of unwanted advice." Peeta watches as he fire roars to life, standing there awkwardly. I look up at him and shake my head.

"What is it?" He asks and I just blink at him a moment. "Expecting me to shatter under what happened today?"

"It will happen," I say. "Maybe not right now, but you will feel the loss. After all, you lost everyone today, did you not?" Peeta blinks at me, those blue eyes turned a glowing sky like color in the light of the fire. 

"Yes," He says. "I did." I dip my head, nodding. I slowly pull myself to my feet and grab a bundle of hides from the plie in the corner. I walk over and hold them out to him. He looks at me and I dip my head.

"I'm not good at this," I say. "At comforting other people. But from one orphan of this war to another, let me offer you shelter."

"With you?" Peeta asks and I nod, setting the hides into his hands. 

"No one will bother us here," I say quietly. He looks at me and I slowly reach out, holding onto his arm. "No one can pry. Our vulnerabilities are our own here, in the light of my fire. I don't judge the actions of a grieving man, but others might." He gives me a sad smile and I walk around him again. 

"You've grown up a lot, huh?" He says quietly and I can't help but nod, smiling. I open my chest and take out my brush, working it through the knots of the ruined braid.

"So have you," I reply. I can see from the mirror hung on the lid of the old trunk of a chest, as he lays out the bed roll and finally sits down. I grab up my nightgown and walk behind the curtain in the corner of the large circle. I strip off the leather armor and ruined dress, sliding the fresh fabric over myself, I pull free my hair from the neckline and my necklace falls back over my chest. CLutching the small metal bird in my fist, I slowly walk back over to the bedding and sit down on my own bed, on the other side of the fire. "Are you hungry?"

"No," He says, looking down at the fire. I nod and pull my quiver over to us. I pull out the smashed and shattered arrows and cast them into the fire. 

"I'm tired of failing my people," I say and he looks over at me. "I began fighting for them, but they just keep getting caught in the crossfire. Most of them were happy with the way things were. They didn't see why change needed to happen. That is no reason to die by either my weapons or my enemy's."

"There is always collateral damage on both sides when it comes to war," Peeta says, not looking at me, just continuing to stare out at the fire. "Death is just a part of life."

"That does not mean that I don't feel my pain every time I see it happen to another innocent family," I say and Peeta shakes his head, laying down.

"Katniss, trust me," He says. "None of us are as innocent as we may seem." 

After that, we are silent, his eyes blinking at the fire as I watch him, He slowly falls asleep and I stand, laying a blanket over him. My hand runs along his temple as I move away and I shake my head. I know this will not be a peaceful night, for the nightmares no doubt wait for Peeta in the shadows of this tent just as they do for me the night after each tragedy like the one of today.

I lay down in my own place, staring up at the stars and waiting for my nightly tortue to begin.