19

Back at the shotgun house, Katniss continues to labor away at the mouse trap(s). Her hand is bandaged. She's not even thankful that her entire body isn't in a cast...or dead. Indeed, the heart of the Girl on Fire has turned to stone.

Nearby, the mouse tank is becoming more and more occupied. Nearer to Katniss, the machete/boomerang well is becoming more and more stocked.

Underneath a bench, Buttercup sleeps. He's still around...much to Katniss's chagrin.

Katniss can't imagine why Buttercup is still around. It's not like Peeta likes cats THAT much...

Katniss can't tell, but the local mockingjays are mimicking the mice's noises in the mouse tank. And the mimicry is distorted by what all of the local wild mice have to add to it.

Katniss works with her back to the mouse tank. She's confident that she knows Buttercup's scratching when she hears it.

Night falls. Katniss becomes Katlanna. She prances around the house in the buff. She roams around in the buff.

She finds the mouse tank. She takes pity on the mice, and sets them free.

She misses Peeta. Pretending Peeta's one of the mice, she chases the mouse through the forest. The mouse runs, frightened. They all do.

She takes one in both hands, and pets it. She goes over the poor mouse nice and easy-as easy as she can with slightly calloused hands.

The mouse squeaks, as if being tortured. Katlanna feels for his dick, but can't tell whether the mouse is hard or not.

She misses her Peeta. She caresses the mouse in both hands until she can't tolerate how much the mouse bites her hands anymore.

She returns to the house, and cuddles with Buttercup. Katlanna can't tell, but it feels like Buttercup's losing weight.

Dawn rises. Katlanna is Katniss again. She goes out on the back porch, and notices the empty mouse tank. She shouts in rage.

Underground, mice mutts are smuggling the freed mice throughout the mountains. Some of the freed mice have Stars of David spray-painted on their white fur in light blue paint...

This underground railroad evades bobcats, copperheads, owls, hawks, and the like. At least with a bobcat, it's an instant death. The same can't be said for Katniss's captivity. Once far from Katniss, the mice run free, to whatever end.

The mouse mutts regroup, underground and just outside the Mellark shotgun house. (Or, is it the Everdeen shotgun house? Sure feels like the latter sometimes.) They've succeeded, with Katlanna's help.

Alas, Katniss will soon get new mice, and at some point or another, she'll deploy more of her "torture traps." A few mice mutts in the resistance have fallen to some of the old traps.

One of the mice mutts returns. In the mice mutts' own language, he tells the others that he's searched farther and wider than last time, at his own risk, but still hasn't found anything...or anyone.

They arrange to send out another scout next time, and continue their meeting. Alas, the more often they send scouts out to find who they're looking for, the more hope they lose that they'll ever find them.

In the house, Katniss orders more parts for her next traps. The mockingjays eavesdrop on her, and communicate what they overhear to the mice mutts.

And so, the rebellion continues. At least the mice mutts and the mockingjays can always count on Katlanna's help every evening and midnight.