14

Ah, the sounds of an Appalachian morning. The crepuscular bugs and bids chirp, hum, and sing. Peeta would think he'd meet some of them while traveling through a colossal forest. Alas, those bugs are just as good at hiding as they are at being heard from afar.

Peeta fears they're stalking him. But he can't afford that. He'll die for sure if he doesn't find somewhere else to take refuge. So onward he travels...with or without the chance of getting eaten.

Far away, Peeta hears thunder. He listens, and feels. It's neither humid nor dark enough for a storm. Also, that sounded like the thunder he's used to. Real thunder, he imagines, would shake everything around him for meters. This thunder doesn't rattle anything.

Peeta avoids the noise at first. It doesn't sound inviting, and in his state, he is very vulnerable.

Alas, it gets annoying. Curiosity takes over, and Peeta creeps towards the noise's source.

At first the grass/trees conceal everything for...meters. But then, over the canopy, a stump towers into view, like a lonely mountain.

A girl brings a log to it. She sets it on the stump, as it leans on its side. She takes up an ax, and eyes it with prejudice. And with all her will, she swings, and splits it.

One of the log's halves flies right towards Peeta. He shouts, and slides to avoid it. He does so by nths of a meter. The half causes minor earthquakes as it bounces across the ground.

Johanna hesitates, as if she heard Peeta's shout. But she only shrugs, and gets another log.

"Johanna," Peeta whispers. "Someone still wants you dead, it seems."

Peeta still remembers that awkward moment in an elevator when he and Katniss first met Johanna. She spontaneously made him her personal slave, in front of Katniss. And Peeta must confess that as in love with Katniss as he was, he still enjoyed helping Johanna take off her costume. And he's been torn between her naked bod and Katlanna's ever since.

Her bare feet are probably on the other side of that stump. He stays subtle, and circles the stump...

He knows Johanna isn't Effie...or Katniss. But she's not Heavensbee either.

He avoids Johanna's gaze whenever he can help it. Alas, her senses were probably enhanced by not only the Hunger Games and the Quarter Quell, but their shared captivity in the Capitol together with Annie Cresta. Dodging her will probably be harder than it looks. But at this size, Peeta's short of options.

At long last, her feet are in view. They're big, and filthy. But there's just something about a woman's feet that a man never misses. Peeta doesn't either. And if he gets close enough, he just might be able to look up Johanna's skirt...even though she's wearing short shorts. Peeta would say he admires Johanna's courage, chopping wood with a sharp ax in no shoes...except he doesn't, because he's seen Katlanna take bigger risks.

Katlanna; why her again? Isn't this supposed to be his time spent away from her?

Not that he'd prefer it. Like any other human, he'd rather spend time away from his wife in Margaritaville...if there is such a place.

Getting between Johanna's feet will be easy. Staying there will be hard, as she's always changing her stance while chopping wood.

Her feet...tempt him. They look like a fair consolation, considering the seeming inaccessibility of the "upskirt telescope."

Her feet stink and are filthy, of course. But for a girl, naturally, young Peeta would climb oceans and swim mountains.

As stealthy as a micro-bug, Peeta creeps across Johanna's feet. It seems smaller than Effie's did when he was trapped on her toenails. He finds a nice soft spot just above her toes, and lies down. He spreads out over the space, and gets comfy. At long last, he's rediscovered heaven on Earth. Paylor-forbid if it isn't cut short before he wants it to be.

Peeta listens. Johanna's foot isn't moving. He doesn't hear the wood chopping. He opens his eyes, and looks up.

He freezes. Johanna has bent over, and is looking right at him.

All of a sudden, her feet just got SO much bigger. Her entire self has, for that matter...