~*~*~Clarke ~*~*~
Clarke watched with baited breath as the dropship door descended with the other delinquents and the captured Anya close behind her. The sun shone into the ship and the silence that greeted them weighed heavily in Clarke's stomach. After nodding to Miller, the two of them slowly walked down the ramp and took in their surroundings.
All around them were charred bodies and burning smoke of things that used to make up their camp. All of their tents were gone, the smokehouse was just charred wood, and the smell of burnt bodies was extremely strong in the air. Clarke hadn't gotten a chance to do a headcount of who had made it into the dropship before she shut the door, besides the fact that Bellamy and Finn had not made it, but now she needed to start rallying everyone together.
"Alright, Miller, Fox, can you guys get a headcount for me? I want an estimate of who all we have left and we need to start a game plan. Odds are there is going to be retaliation for this but we have one thing on our side and that is our hostage. I want others to start gathering whatever supplies we have left. Find anything salvageable that we can use to sleep in, carry things, or just use in general. Spread the word?" Clarke turned to Miller and Fox who were closest to her, both of whom nodded before beginning to fade into the group to let them know Clarke's orders and start counting who all was there. She then turned to Anya, "What would the Commander do after hearing of this attack? Also we had a friend go missing the other day, would any of your villages have taken him?"
Anya just stared daggers at Clarke before looking at all her burned kinsmen with sorrowful eyes. Clarke sympathized knowing that there were burned delinquents laying aside the burned grounders and it cut her with a knife knowing that she hadn't been able to save everyone. Bellamy and Finn could be two of these bodies. Her friends were some of these bodies.
Miller approached, "I've counted 48 kids, including Raven who is still in the dropship. Everyone is just awaiting your orders, Clarke."
"Thanks Miller, any idea of who is here and who isn't? Tell me Miller." Clarke asks, seeing Miller look away for a moment.
"I haven't seen Finn, Sterling, Monroe, Octavia or Bellamy yet. And of course Monty is still missing."
Before Clarke had a chance to reply, Fox came up to report the same number Miller had counted. As Clarke surveyed their group she thought about what they need to do. She would need to check on Raven, send out a couple search groups for any straggling survivors, either grounder or delinquents. She needed to send out a team to start restocking their supplies, both hunting and gathering. There also needed to be a search group for any survivors for the Falling Ark.
Boy there was a lot to do, time to start splitting up groups.
~*~*~ Bellamy ~*~*~
Bellamy was getting tired of running. First there was running from the fire blast that Clarke and Jasper had to set off since he didn't make it inside, then there was running without Finn who had gotten separated from him, now it's running to find Finn or anyone really. Suddenly a voice called out his name. Behind him was Monroe and Sterling who explained that they survived by attempting to go look for one of the pieces of the fallen ark. But before they could really talk, Bellamy was able to spot a rider with two of the delinquents trailing behind them.
The grounder looked badly burnt on the back of his head but no worse than the rest of them in terms of actual injuries. Bellamy, Monroe and Sterling watched as Tristan killed the delinquent that had stumbled and fallen from exhaustion and give water to Finn, stating that he needed one alive to take to the commander.
"Okay, here's the plan. We need to follow them and hopefully that will take us to where Monty is as well. Then we can save both of them and get the hell back to the dropship." Bellamy told the other two who both nodded.
They followed the grounder and Finn for a good half a day before coming upon what looked to be a settlement they were resting at and Bellamy could see where Finn was being taken into as a makeshift prison cell. Then he heard the sounds of two people reuniting from there, giving him hope that Monty was in there as well.
"Okay, here's the plan. We're gonna wait til it gets a bit darker, sneak to the other side of that hut and try to cut a hole in the back of it so we can get Finn and Monty out. I know you're scared. But we are warriors and we can do this." Bellamy explained to Sterling and Monroe as they began to slowly and surely pick their way across to the other side of the camp through the brush.
Once it was dark, Bellamy grabbed Monroe's hand blade and began to slowly creep towards the back of the shed he had seen Finn enter. He knocked on the back softly before whispering, "Finn, Monty. You in here?"
"Bellamy?" Monty's voice replied just as softly.
"Yeah, I'm gonna get you guys out of here and then we'll run home."
He slowly began to softly saw a hole through the panel he was leant up against where the bushes and brush hid him from sight. After what felt like ages, Bellamy had a decent sized hole that he was able to push in and allow Monty and Finn to climb out and escape through.
"Monroe and Sterling are through the brush just over there, let's go and find our people." Bellamy spoke in a whisper, pointing to where he had come from.
Once they had all been reunited and made it a good few miles away from the grounder camp, Bellamy turned to his ragtag group and smirked, "Let's head home."
~*~*~ Clarke ~*~*~
The next day had been really weird for them. First a straggling grounder showed up which Miller shot and then Murphy stumbled in ,explaining that this guy was the last one and the only reason that guy had been alive was because he had been left to watch Murphy. And for some reason, they let him live and stay in the camp to help. Most likely because they had an entire camp to rebuild and Murphy was willing to be a worker bee.
"Miller, is the hunting patrol back yet?" Clarke called over to the man on guard who was by the newly resurrected gate area of the wall.
"Not yet Clarke. Looks like the building crew has the gate and part of the south side wall done. Hopefully by this time tomorrow we'll have most if not all the wall done and can start building new homes." Miller reported to the blonde.
"Thanks Miller, how about you take a bit of a break. I can stand guard for a bit. Come get me if someone needs medical."
Miller nodded, handed Clarke his gun and headed off to help the people who were collecting water and removing the dead bodies. Yeah she told him to take a break but he just couldn't sit around when everyone else was helping clean up the camp. Clarke smirked as she noticed Miller leave his post only to join another group of helpers. Sure they were smaller in number, but this wasn't their first time building their camp. They had a much more efficient way of fixing and the refurbishing the camp went much quicker.
Movement a few yards out caught Clarke's eye and she raised her gun as she trained her gaze on it. "I've got movement. Fox, Jasper, what do you see?"
"Could be deer," Fox calls over from her spot.
"I don't see anything. Are you sure Clarke?" Jasper shouts.
Miller makes his way to where Clarke is standing to help her watch. He sees the same rustling she sees but then the sight that greets him is a happy one.
"IT'S BELLAMY! And he's got others!" He shouts to the rest of the camp who had paused their work to find out what their leader and makeshift guard had caught sight of. The fact that it was their other leader caused a surge of excitement through the kids.
"Miller, get Murphy to help you open the gate." Clarke orders him as they both descended and head towards the gate.
As soon as Clarke was able to see Bellamy and the others, she took off towards them in a run. Clarke practically tackled Bellamy, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her face into his neck. Bellamy was momentarily shocked to feel someone clinging to him but then he noticed the blonde curls in his vision and realized it was Clarke. He threw his own arms around her waist and pulled her close.
"You're alive, oh thank god." Clarke whispered into his neck, clinging to him even harder.
"So are you, how many are here?" Bellamy marvels, asking his question as they slowly let go.
"I've got 48, 49 when Murphy showed up. Cool it Bellamy, he's been helping rebuild. What about you?"
"It's just me, Monty, Finn, Monroe and Sterling."
"What about Octavia?"
"Safe with Lincoln. How's Raven?"
"Still sick. I'm going to have to operate at some point to get the bullet out of her back before it hits her spine and causes irreversible damage."
"It'll be okay. If anyone could do it, you could." Bellamy told her in his winning, full of belief, big brother voice.
Clarke blushed before turning and embracing the rest of the people that returned first one to Monty who had just been tackled by Jasper, then Finn, Monroe and Sterling. "I'm so glad you guys are okay. That makes 54 of us that made it through. Now we just have to worry about there being any ark survivors from that fall."
"We can send out a patrol or two tomorrow. So you've been having them rebuild. Any hunting patrols out?"
"Already all set. We're expecting a patrol back any minute now actually, I'm surprised you didn't run into them on your way back." Clarke reported to Bellamy as they all made their way into camp and the others began to make reunions with the few leftovers who had returned with Bellamy. Finn had run off to the Dropship to check in on Raven.
"You did good here Princess. Alright everyone back to work." Bellamy shouted at all the delinquents who were still milling around.
It wasn't until a few hours later that the hunting patrol finally returned but with a few unexpected additions. Fox, Harper, and Mbege were dragging with them a few squirrels and rabbits with them but behind them was the big surprise. There walked Marcus Kane, the right hand of the chancellor and all around tightwad of the Ark, at least according to the delinquents, and apparently new Chancellor of the Ark based on the pin on his jacket, and Dr. Abby Griffin, Clarke's mom.
Bellamy and Miller were the first to greet them as Clarke was in the dropship, checking on Raven for the time being. After greeting and happily reuniting with the hunting patrol, Bellamy turned to adults who had shocked looks on their faces.
"What happened here?" Kane asked as Abby continued to look around, no doubt looking for some sign of her daughter.
"Miller, tell Clarke we have company and that the hunting patrol has returned. I think she'll want to be here for this." Bellamy turned to Miller, giving him an order before returning his attention to Kane. "We are rebuilding our camp. The war with the grounders came to our front door a couple nights ago and the resulting defeat left the camp quite worse for wear, as well as the regretful loss of lives of some of the 100." He explained.
"Of course, you all can stop now. You're not in charge anymore since we're here now. It'll be okay."
Before Bellamy had a chance to retort at Kane's comment, a cry came from his companion when Abby spotted her daughter who had exited the dropship and began approaching Bellamy and the others.
"Clarke!" Abby called to her daughter as she began to approach.
"Mom?" Clarke was shocked to see her mother, whom she had assumed died in the exodus ship crash. The two Griffin women met in the middle of the camp in a warm embrace that both Bellamy and Kane watched, glad to see that the two women were able to reunite.
"I'm so happy you're okay. You must come back to the Ark with us. IT's perfect actually. Your camp is almost all packed up." Abby began speaking, smiling and planning away without noticing the shocked look on her daughter's face.
"Hold up, we're not going anywhere. This is our home." Clarke argued with her mother.
"But you're just kids. You can't live out here on your own. You'll never be able to survive."
"We've done just fine surviving without you for the last month. And we stopped being kids the minute we were loaded onto that ship. This dropship and camp is our home and we've made memories here."
"Clarke is right. This is our home and we've been able to survive just fine on our own without your help. No disrespect Doctor Griffin, Chancellor Kane, but I highly doubt that any of the 100 people sent down here would want to rejoin you and your rules. We have a different lifestyle in this camp where everyone is equal and we want to keep it that way." Bellamy spoke up, stepping up next to Clarke to support her.
"How do you heal people? House people?" Kane asked, as if he thinks his questions will cause them all of the sudden want to join them.
"Clarke has plenty of medical knowledge from the time she did spend as an intern before being locked up. We had tents before the war and once the wall is rebuilt, we plan on building some cabins. Until then, we sleep in the dropship. We've made weapons, gone hunting plenty of times, and we've learned to recognize plants that are edible, poisonous, or medically useful." Bellamy responded immediately without missing a beat.
A pained moan interrupted the four's conversation and Clarke immediately took off back to the dropship where Raven was to look on her only to find that Murphy was helping her onto her side as she began to cough up blood.
"Thanks Murphy, I appreciate the help." Clarke murmured as she checked on Raven and wiped some sweat from her forehead.
"What's wrong with her?" Abby asked as she entered the dropship, having followed her daughter.
"She was shot and the bullet is stuck in her back. I'm going to have to operate soon, but I need moonshine first to sterilize things." Clarke explained without looking up from her patient and friend. Finn and Murphy looked on from a few feet away, already knowing that Clarke was like an angry mama bear if too many people were hovering over her patient while she was working.
"We could take her to my camp. Jackson is over there setting up a good medical clinic for us and we've got a lot of supplies. You could heal a lot more people over there and finish your internship."
Clarke looked at her mother, "I'll pass on the return to camp but I want Raven to decide about your offer for her."
"Hey Rae, do you want to go to the Ark Camp so she and Jackson can get the bullet out of your back. She has a lot more supplies than I do." Clarke asked softly. Raven only nodded. "I'll send some guys with you to keep you company and help you get back after your recovery. How's that sound?" At Raven's smile, Clarke turned to the others in the ship.
"Finn, who do you want to go with you and Raven to the Ark Camp? I'm thinking Murphy and Sterling. Getting Murphy out of camp will probably be the best bet for everyone's sanity. And Sterling is calm and can keep everyone in check." Clarke asked Finn who nodded with her choices as did Murphy who seemed fine with joining them.
Clarke then addressed to her mom, "I'll prep them to leave and then you guys can escort her to your camp. I'm sure we'll meet again to trade, but the majority of us plan to stay."
"Are you sure sweetie?" Abby asked, trying one last time.
"We'll see each other again mom. But this will be good for all of us. We get a chance to expand but still be close by to our families. I just don't think any of my campers want to go back to the Ark lifestyle after all this time."
"I understand. I'll go tell Kane and we'll be on our way soon."
Within a few hours, Raven was prepped to be transported and the other delinquents that were going to be part of the travelling party were packed away and ready to leave. Clarke gave one last hug to her mom and stepped back to give one last squeeze of Raven's hand as they headed out through the gate and off into the forest.
"We'll see them again soon, Clarke. In a few weeks, we can get together a team so people can see if their parent's made it. And we can set up trade. It's a new era for us." Bellamy spoke from Clarke's side.
"And we'll find Octavia too. But I like that thought, a new era." Clarke agreed, leaning slightly against Bellamy. Their fingers met and started to tangle, just another sign of the new era to the rest of the delinquents too.