"Italic" spoken in Grounder's language

"Regular" spoken in normal English

Rumors

Prologue

It was still early when Lincoln left the hut that he was currently sharing with his friend, a local healer of Ton DC. Nyko had asked him to stay in the village after a long day of hunting the day before, and he had reluctantly agreed, only because of how late it had gotten. They had brought back two boars, and one deer, it being one of the better hunts they had in some time. With the nights getting shorter, and colder for winter, food had been getting scarcer. They would need to stockpile on a lot of food to last them through the winter months, if they hoped to survive.

Looking to the sky, the dark-skinned man that was draped in layers to keep warm for the cold morning air, squinted as he took in the clear sky and thought to himself that it might be good to go out on another hunt, before he returned to his own home. Lincoln had settled in a cave not too far from Ton DC, but also far enough to give him the space, and privacy he preferred. Not that it stopped Nyko, or Artigas from visiting him unannounced.

With food running short, and hunts coming up more empty handed than not, it would be better to go out sooner than wait another day. Sighing softly under his breath, Lincoln turned away from the sky, and followed the dirt path that traveled around several other huts that made up the small village. The pathway soon opened up to a small clearing that sat in the center of Ton DC, and where a large fire pit had been built. Already the fire was going, with the flames licking out at the chilled air to help warm up the few people who were up already.

Taking his spot next to the healer, Lincoln nodded silently in greeting to him. Nyko returned the sentiment with a nod of his own, before he focused his gaze towards the fire. Where Lincoln was tall and lean, Nyko was just a hair shorter than him, but much stockier in frame. Nyko was also much gruffer looking, with long dark brown hair that was shaved close along the sides of his head and braided with several small braids in the back, and an unruly beard. The right side of his friend's face was decorated in tribal tattoos; the dark blue design in the shape of a hypnotic swirl started just below his right eye, and extended counterclockwise across his right eye, and ended in an arrow pointed tip near his hairline on his forehead. Lincoln had known the healer for many years, and considered him a good friend. He could not say the same for the rest of the inhabitants of Ton DC however.

"We should hunt again today," Lincoln spoke up at last, quick and to the point as always.

Nyko hummed under his breath, and dipped his head in a nod to agree with him. Nyko was a man of few words; most of his responses consisting of sounds, or simple facial expressions. He only spoke when necessary, and even then, his words would be short and to the point much like Lincoln's.

The sun was barely above the canopy of trees that surrounded the perimeter of Ton DC, with its light filtering in passed the leaves. Lincoln could feel the heat of it at his back, and he knew it would be a warmer day than what yesterday had brought.

"Are you two planning to go out hunting again," Artigas inquired as he bounded up beside them with barely contained excitement. The young man was barely into his teens, making him the youngest warrior in the village. Artigas had not received any tribal tattoos yet, being so young still, but within the year, he most likely would receive his first of many. The young man had dark brown hair, shaved short, except for the top that had been braided back from his face, and tied off into a pony tail at the back.

With a small sigh, Lincoln turned his attention to the young man beside him, and nodded his head. "Yes we will be leaving soon to hunt," he answered simply, before turning his eyes back to the fire pit. He had hoped to leave before Artigas had woken up, because he knew what the young man would ask next, even before he had formed the question in his mind, and blurted it out.

"Can I come?" he asked, his excitement slipping through in his tone, and the way he shifted from one foot to the next.

"No," Nyko spoke up suddenly, not even acknowledging the young man with a look as he sorted the herbs he stored in his medicinal pouch. Lincoln had one just like it; carrying an antidote to the numerous poisons one could run into in these woods as well as the poison he coated his knife, and arrow tips with.

"What...? But why?" Artigas demanded, his face darkening with indignation at being shut down so bluntly. Truthfully, Artigas should be used to it by now, but that never stopped him from acting his age, and sometimes even younger on occasion when he could get away with it.

Lincoln was about to answer, when there was a loud explosion, and a screech of metal against metal high above their heads. The group flinched, not prepared for the horrible sound, but it had them all jumping to their feet, and looking to the sky for the source of it. Other villagers came out of their huts, the noise drawing them from the safety of their homes to witness the large metal object hurtling through the sky towards earth like a meteor. But this was no space rock.

Lincoln recognized the man-made dropship from one similar he had come across when he was much younger, only this one was much larger in size. It was definitely not a single man spacecraft, judging by the size of it. Beside him, Nyko was tense, and a quick look to Artigas would show the slight fascination in the younger boy's eyes. Lincoln wondered if his own expression mirrored the expression, or if it was hidden behind the concern he also felt that more sky people were falling to earth.

Bits and pieces of the dropship began to fall away, the heat from the earth's atmosphere doing a number to the craft, and tearing it apart. Flames billowed out from the bottom of the craft, leaving a trail of black smoke in its wake. There was a sharp noise, muffled only slightly, from the distance it was still away from them, and a parachute exploded out from the top of it. The dropship jerked backwards suddenly from the force, and its decent slowed immensely.

The last dropship he had seen didn't have a parachute, and the fact that this one did, only seemed to cause more concern to curl inside his gut, and his hands to tighten into fists at his sides.

Why were sky people coming to earth…? He wondered with concern, And how many of them are coming?

Another person joined them near the fire, coming to a stop beside Artigas. Lincoln didn't look, but continued to watch as the dropship sailed passed the trees, and disappeared from sight. Not long afterwards there was a large crash that caused the earth under their feet to tremble from the force of the impact of its landing. The dropship had more than likely landed in their territory, and not far from their village it seemed. A few miles, maybe more. It was hard to tell with how fast it had been falling even with the parachute.

"Skaikru," Indra snarled under her breath, her hatred and anger to their sudden arrival, showing in her stance, and tone of voice. Lowering his head, Lincoln looked over at their Chief who had joined them to watch the dropship. Her nostrils were flared and she had pressed her lips into a thin line of barely contained fury. Her features were fierce, and prominent in the early morning light, and her dark skin made the scars that adorned her face stand out more, unlike the crescent like tribal tattoos that curled around her eyes. Her black hair was kept very short, the curls kept close to her scalp.

"Lincoln," she said, her head turning to look at him, and he could see her eyes narrow as she stared at him.

He nodded his head, letting her know she had his attention, and waited for her to speak her mind.

"Scout out the crash site. If there are any survivors take care of them," she said through gritted teeth, and her hand that had been resting on the hilt of her sword, tightened in response to her own words.

Lincoln tensed at her orders, but nodded his head again to accept her command. She was their leader, and he would have to follow her directive, no matter how much the idea of killing these people bothered him. "Of course," he said softly, and turned on his heels. He headed back to Nyko's hut to gather up his belongings. He slipped on his dark green jacket that hung low past his waist, and tucked in a few knives into the hidden pockets. He slipped a mask on over his face to help him blend into the trees more as he would need them to keep out of sight of the sky people. He slung his bow, and quiver over his shoulder next, before leaving the hut.

Outside he found Nyko waiting for him. The large man was quiet as he studied Lincoln, his blue eyes reading him better than anyone else could. Nyko held out his arm between them and Lincoln didn't hesitate to grip the man's arm in return in a firm hold. It was the closest they would get to wishing each other luck on a hunt or fight, but the simple gesture said more than any words could, in Lincoln's opinion.

Releasing his arm, Nyko nodded to him, and stepped aside. Lincoln adjusted the bow over his shoulder before taking off at a jog. He left the village, his footsteps silent as he moved through the trees. He kept at a steady pace, as he traveled the miles between his village and the crash site. He used the billowing smoke from the dropship as his guide, and soon found himself slowing to a stop near the edge of the tree line. He could make out the large metal structure, through the trees and so far, there was no sign of life in the clearing it had created in its landing.

Lincoln glanced around, using his ears to listen for any sign of the sky people in the area, but the forest around him was silent. Looking up, he spied a tree with a sturdy branch within his reach and moved towards it. He jumped up, his gloved hands grappling onto the low branch, before he heaved himself up into the tree. His muscles strained to pull his weight up off the ground, but he managed to maneuver himself up into the canopy. Shifting around, he spied the dropship from his new vantage point.

With his dark clothes, the mask, and paint that he wore around his eyes and cheeks, would help keep his body camouflaged. He was not worried of being spotted from his perch, and as he held very still, knew they would not hear him even if they passed directly under his tree.

It was relatively silent in the clearing, and with little noise coming from the spacecraft, it had him believing that the sky people within were either injured or dead. His thoughts however were cut short, when the doors suddenly hissed loudly, with steam billowing out from the hinges as it opened, and slowly lowered to the ground. He could hear voices now, getting louder as the door opened further. From this distance, he couldn't see inside very well, but from the sounds of it, there were several people inside. More survivors than he would be able to take out all on his own. He shifted in his post, centering his gravity more towards the base of the tree limb, so that he would have more freedom to move if he needed to act quickly.

He watched as a young female with dark hair stepped out first, and the exuberance she displayed as she took her first step out onto the earth, reminded him of Artigas. The young female threw out her arms and cried out, "We're back bitches!"

Lincoln tilted his head to the side, finding the display rather unusual, but his knowledge on sky people was rather limited. Soon more sky people began to pour out from the dropship, as if the young female's words had spurred them to life. The group began to hoot and holler, frolicking in the clearing at having survived the crash. He counted heads, finding ninety-eight survivors. He wondered if any had died in the crash, or if that was all of them. Were more lingering inside the ship? He really didn't think any more people could fit inside, despite the ship's size, it seemed like it would be rather crammed if there were more of them.

He watched the group silently, tracking their movements as they moved about the clearing to get a lay of the land. They all seemed rather young in age, ranging from early to late teens. Around Artigas' age. One however, seemed older than the rest, but not by much. Their leader?

Lincoln slipped his bow from his shoulder, his movements slow and precise. He withdrew an arrow from the quiver at his back, and nocked it into place. Pulling the string taunt against his cheek, his body poised steadily in the branches of his hiding place. He could vaguely hear two people speaking below him, but their conversation fell on deaf ears as he focused solely on the male he presumed to be their leader.

Kill the head and the rest will flounder, the term crossed his mind as he steadied his aim. He wasn't worried about anyone noticing him; they could neither hear him, nor see him. If by any chance they happened to notice his presence it would be too late anyway. Lining his sights on the older male, he locked on, and aimed for the heart. One shot was all it would take.

He breathed in, and slowly let it out. His aim predicted how the slight breeze in the air, and the distance between him and his target would have on it. His fingers twitched, anticipating the release of the arrow when a crashing sound from inside the dropship had him changing targets, and aiming at the opening. He vaguely noted as others turned to the noise as well before a final figure emerged from inside the ship.

Lincoln froze for a moment, his fingers curling tightly around the arrow, and string to hold it in place as he stared, with his arrow trained on her heart. She was small in size, not childlike but from being rather short, and bony. She looked underweight as if she had been malnourished for some time. The other ninety-eight had the same look, but hers seemed more prominent with her smaller frame. With the loose fitting clothes she wore, he could see pale skin, untouched by the sunlight unlike his people. Another feature that he noticed was common amongst the group of sky people.

Lincoln found his arms relaxing, his grip on the taut string slowly releasing to disengage the arrow. He lowered the weapon, though not putting it away entirely, as he continued to watch her. She had stumbled out of the drop ship, tangled in red harness straps. She cursed under her breath, but he couldn't make out the exact words she used. A few of the sky people near her laughed at her predicament, as she had to push the harness down over her hips, and step out of them, showing that the buckle hadn't wanted to release after landing.

She struggled with the harness for a second long before throwing it back into the darkened opening of the dropship behind her, once she was free of it. Lifting her head, her hand raised reflexively, to shield her eyes as the sun glared above her. A breeze rustled through the clearing, and the gust was strong enough to lift her auburn hair from her back, as she spun around on her heels. The breeze tossed her hair to the side, and the sunlight caught the strands, making her hair look like fire reflecting in the bright rays. It wasn't until she marched back through the opening she had stumbled out of just seconds before, that Lincoln realized he had been staring at her.

Shaking his head, Lincoln was pulled away from his musings at the conversation of a group not far from his perch on the tree. They were planning to send out a scouting party to Mount Weather in search of food. Gritting his teeth, Lincoln replaced the arrow back into his quiver, and slung his bow over his shoulder. He turned from the dropship, and the surviving sky people, and leapt to a neighboring tree. His boots landed onto another sturdy branch, his hands grabbing at the trunk to help steady himself. He travelled through the trees like that, until he was at a safe distance away before dropping to the ground. He then took off at run, heading back towards his village.

It didn't take him nearly as long to return to the village, and find Indra waiting for him near the edge of Ton DC. She had her hand on her blade, as if she hadn't moved from her spot since the dropship appeared in the sky. When she recognized him, her stance eased up, though she refused to remove her hand from the hilt.

"Is it done," she asked immediately, wanting to know if he had killed the survivors.

Lincoln stopped several paces before her, and took a moment to pick his words wisely. He shook his head slowly to the question, his eyes watching as her gaze narrowed on him, and her lips creased downward into a deep frown.

"Why not," she demanded an answer.

"There are ninety-nine survivors," he answered her. "They seem unarmed but I was unable to get inside the dropship to see if that is truly the case. However, there is a problem- the survivors have sent out a scouting party to Mount Weather."

Indra stiffened at his words, and if possible her expression darkened even more. She cursed under her breath, her brows furrowing together as she tried to devise a proper plan of action. Lincoln waited in front of her, and the silence between them stretched for several seconds.

"We will need to keep an eye on the survivors, see what kind of threat they pose, and how best to take them out. We also need to inform the commander of their arrival," she muttered mostly to herself. "You are sure the scouting party is heading to Mount Weather?"

Lincoln nodded his head to the question.

"They must be stopped first, at all costs. Artigas, Penn!"

The two young men quickly approached from the small crowd that had started to gather, after he had arrived back at the village. "Follow the scouts, stop them from reaching the mountain, and use any means necessary if they succeed in crossing the river. We cannot act against them unless the commander allows it," Indra told the pair.

Both Artigas and Penn nodded their heads once, and turned to make their leave.

Lincoln waited till they were gone, before he turned his focus back to their Chief. She was still scowling; her heated gaze directed in the same direction as the dropship had landed.

"Do you want me to return to the dropship, and keep an eye on the survivors?" Lincoln asked her. Whether she said yes or no, Lincoln felt compelled to return, and part of that reason was not to just keep an eye on the group. He had always been rather curious of the sky people.

Indra startled from her thoughts, her eyes turning to him as she considered his question. After a brief hesitation, she nodded her head in agreement. "Only watch them Lincoln," she said carefully. "We need to know if they are armed, and how much of a threat they pose." She was well aware of his brief history with the sky people, but was willing to overlook it, since he had been just a boy at the time. "Do not interact with them- and do not let them see you."

Lincoln nodded his head and turning on his heels, headed back out of the village. He would have to stop by the cave he called his home first, and eat, as well as pack thicker coverings to survive a night out in the cold, before returning to the dropship. Shifting the weight of his bow on his shoulder, he started off at a jog, unaware of the heavy stare at his back and the look of concern that crossed Nyko's features.

AN: ~Revised 1/17/17~

So I am trying my hand at something entirely new here. I just recently got hooked onto this tv show and ideas have just been hitting me like a storm. So here is my attempt at the 100 fanfiction. I hope its something different and interesting to read. Please let me know what you think of it, I greatly appreciate any feedback you can give me^^.

So did you love/like/hate it?

Inky out