Title: There Are Always Constants Part 1

Author: MinaRobins

Fandom: The 100

Pairing: Lexa/Clarke

Rating:?

Summary: This was the furthest they've ever been from the moon but its sway was never greater. Werewolves. Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics.

…

The unfamiliar pain strikes at them as soon as they stumble onto the soft wet sands. The sun sets and the moon draws a longing from their bodies. As waves upon shores, the craving sparks in their nerves and vibrates down to their sinews and marrow. There's a tension making everything in the 100's bodies harden, the natural breaking point would be reach one way or another.

It's Clarke that strips first, kicking off her boots and almost shredding her jacket, shirt and pants; she moans, letting the moon's yellowed glow lick across her bare skin which sends her to her knees. She's shaking, trembling but she needs to go, she needs to surrender to this or end.

Her fingers spasms against the yielding sands, digging again and again for a grip as she sways side to side. It's growing pains, it's life, their lineage and heritage coming into play. Clarke moves, auto pilot until she can lean her forehead onto the cool grass on the outskirts of the shore. She breathes the scents around her. She fills up with air that isn't recycled and heavy with sedatives, she's never felt so overwhelmed, so taken by the mere idea of being one with the forest. She needs it. She needs to… her spine cracks and her shoulders crunch with a snap that brings the rest of the 100's eyes onto her. When she cries out its in euphoria instead of pain. She takes quivering steps forward, each mincing movement stretching her limbs into her quadrupedal form. She's reaching for the other, for the thing so drugged her whole life that the dull ache in finding it leaves her yearning for more. Her skin itches as fur creeps along her spine, rolling down her ribs then spreading, her golden tresses paling to platinum metal in mere moments.

She shakes her whole body as if her fur was wet, it helps the rest of her shift come into form, she needs to run to be free but the thought of the others keeps her. She turns to them. Seeing some still crying out in pain, some curled so tight against one another in the safety of their dropships' shadows instead of being in the moon's glow.

She paces back to them careful to stay far from Wells but nudging her wet nose into the next closes person in pain. Octavia had been the first released and the 100 watched her immediate dropped to her knees as the ending day strings up the moon. The rest were quick to follow in the girl's motion, leaving the exodus ship only to fall to the ground moments after.

Clarke emits a low whine as she nudges the younger girl's shoulder, licking at the girl's nape. She does this for several lying prone around her until she makes it to Bellamy, walking around him hoping to offer some aid by her presence.

Bellamy is twitching, having watched one of their few Omega's shift before him. He knows it's possible. Their entire lives they were told it was just a legend. He needs to. He wants to. He lifts his head and yells, lets himself be taken by the shattering of his shape until his voice turns into a howl. His transformation is quicker, more angular as he fights into his other natural state, his limbs pop and shift into place. His fur is as dark as his hair, patches of it highlighted by russet along his flank.

He and Clarke sniff noses for a moment but he quickly focuses on Octavia, curling around the younger wolf and encouraging her to shift, butting his furry head into her side until Octavia moves away from him and sprints, she leaps up at the sky, reaching for the moon before landing on all fours, she may have turned after him but her transformation was by far the smoothest. She's similar in her brother's colouring, lovely in the moonlight and if a wolf could smile it would surely be the expression on her face.

One by one the others are led into the moon's shine until the shift takes them. Clarke makes her way throughout the group, bumping her body along theirs, tail wagging, and mouth open in happiness. The exhilaration of the change having caused her to forget the map she had clenched in her hands before the fall.

Wells makes a looming shadow as he follows after Clarke's steps but does not interfere with her interactions with the pack of delinquents not even when a lanky Jasper bounds up to show Clarke his new shape, following him is Monty who is just as shaggy. Wells guards but it isn't until Murphy swaggers fourth, proud in his sharp angles and slinks around Clarke does Wells strive forward to be a wall between Clarke and the forward Beta.

Clarke glares at Wells until he ducks his great head but he snaps to attention when Murphy rounds on them, barking and snarling. Wells looks to Clarke for her reaction but she only stares back, her heart too heavy with resentment to pardon her best friend for his sins. They are slowly drawing a crowd, the other wolves forming a tight wall around the circling pair.

Its luck that Octavia had trotted inland, gladly sticking her nose into the mossed underbrush, her tail in the air as she digs for more odours. She startles a rabbit from its home and as the tiny shade darts from the excited young pup it garners the attention of the entire group.

The chase starts as one, any fighting on stall as they all bound clumsily after the bushy tailed mammal. There's no finesse in their gait, they've never moved in this form. Never had access but there is a joy that sings through each of their earnest efforts. Bellamy leads, his teeth chomping close around the empty air as the rabbit gets further and further away, Finn is just as close with Murphy skulking behind and Wells further back. Clarke runs between the two in the front. She's chasing because she feels alive, because she can but the two Alphas at her side soon shift their attention to her. It's instinct, and with the moon swollen and close to them they all feel the sway of it and it heats up their blood.

When Clarke tries to outpace the others they quicken to catch up to her. It's a rhythm as old as time, each pulse of their hearts that carry blood to fuel their flurry of paws. She's their target now and she knows it, she's at the front and as the leading Alphas devote their attention to her there's a splintering of wolves, some taking after the rabbit, intent on tasting anything that isn't nutrition paste; the thrill of the hunt clutching onto their devotion while the majority of the Alphas dart after Clarke. Wells and Murphy are the only Betas that keeps chase after the streaking white that Clarke paints through the forest.

There were never heats on the Ark, never something that like this. She doesn't know anything but the need to outpace her followers to sprint over the fresh lands. Clarke's scent is a tether, linking each Alpha to her and bringing them yelping to her flank.

There isn't a scent that calls to her, not yet, they haven't proven anything, she's clever in her moves, spiralling back into the group and leaping over those behind her which causes a clash of bodies as Alphas snarl at one another. She loses an entire section before doing another sharp turn into the thicker forestry, her sudden move making several Alphas once again tumble into one another and leaving only a few to dog her steps. Finn won't fall for the same trick twice and neither does Bellamy or Wells but Clarke is still by far the fastest, that little bit of extra time in her shift gives her more control and while she's hallowing out with longing she's strong enough to be above it, she's the source of thrall that has capture her trailing suitors.

She lifts her snout and follows the crisp wetness of water, it's a rocky path before she reaches a small river and without another thought she plunges into the shallow crossing and while half drowning and half paddling makes it to the other side. She drenched but her scent has been lost to her pursuer as she hides. The corner of her lips curl up as she watches both Finn and Bellamy stick their noses into the water before snorting back. Wells is whining, big form shoving between the warring Alphas and barking for Clarke to answer. The three jostle against one another and wander around aimlessly in a wild jarring fashion before turning their frustration of losing Clarke onto one another.

She knows their bites aren't going to cause much harm; they are still too new to this. Their jaws too weak and their lunges too awkward but she watches with amusement all the same. Her tail sways erratically as Finn oversteps and slips into the night cooled waters making him yelp and run along the edge of the lake with his nose to the ground as if to hide his error. He must have picked up some kind of trail because the next moment has him sprinting off which brings Bellamy close after his hind quarters. Wells stares across the flowing river, almost stepping towards Clarke before the barks and yips of the others draw him away. Their cacophony of sounds leads further and further from Clarke's hiding place beneath the gnarled branches of a low hanging tree.

She's almost disappointed but refuses to come out and trail back to the group. She's better than that. She doesn't want to court them; it was their place to chase her. She whines and drops her head onto her forelegs. Ears drooping back against her head as she yawns.

The remaining heat from the run dissipates with the breeze quickening through her wet fur. She stands and shakes her whole body, turning from the direction the group was heading. She stops when a pair of eyes glistens from the darker corners of the grove she's chosen. She should be weary, but it's the scent that makes her come closer, a rich blend, a tone she wants to hear, it's strong and with each breath she takes, it warms her entire being.

She whines, tilting her head to the side as the gleam disappears but she still has the trace which she cautiously follows. She trails after it until a coarse thicket of bushes forces her on her belly; she struggles through, crawling until she's freed into a glade. In the middle sits a stranger, an Alpha wolf with fur in shades of the forest around them and eyes of piercing jade. There are intricate braids along the Alpha's head and neck which Clarke wants to touch and add to. This is the biggest wolf Clark has ever seen and they have a trained stillness to their being, the Alpha's gaze is careful as Clarke approaches.

Clarke barks, tail wagging, she's never met anyone outside of the Ark, and she had always believed them the last of their kind, the entire race wiped out by their own bloodthirst and greed. She should be afraid, she should be wary but all she can be is curious and hungry.

The larger wolf stays tranquil, ever so slightly turning its head down to watch as Clarke lifts her nose to sniff at her neck, tongue peeking out to taste the darker creature's flews. Clarke is showing deference to the bigger wolf, tentative and hopeful. She's whining, the chase having given her nothing but empty yearning.

Clarke faces the stranger and drops down her forearms, hips high and tail swaying in good humour. She wants this Alpha. Clarke turns towards the opening of the glade and looks over her shoulder, waits for a moment before struggling through the tight tunnel of leaves and branches. Her pause isn't long though as the Alpha takes after her in a sprint. Clarke is stumbling over the earth, her paws eating up the leagues under her with everything she has but the bigger wolf easily glides after her. The Alpha is silent as a ghost, seemly phasing through the forest instead of crashing through it like Clarke.

Try as she might it's obvious that she can't outpace her pursuer and yet she's not getting over taken, not pushed to the ground and no fangs clamp onto her ruff. The other wolf lets her lead, follows and nuzzles a snout into Clarke's thigh. Clarke is quaking by the time the clean air starts tasting of copper and her throat is raw from each gasp, but she wants to keep going to wants to, she wants to, her paws slip and she all but slides down onto the ground and if not for the suddenly firm shoulder she tilts into, Clarke is sure she would have fallen over into the bedrocks. She drops and pants, tail wagging as the other wolf sniffs and checks her over but then whimpers when her follower lays down a respectable distance away.

Why won't the other wolf come, why won't they be near her? Everyone else had come when she beckoned and she's ready now. She needs now. Her pheromones flood the space around them but other than a subtle shifting in the other wolf's posture there's no more movement from her suitor. Was this Alpha a suitor? How can Clarke tell?

She cries out now, wishing she could shift back into her human form, at least she could communicate with the Alpha then, at least she could hear this Alpha's voice. She yelps and glares her eyes up at the golden moon, the hungry thrum in her veins unable to settle.

Clarke is frustrated and exhausted and overwhelmed in complete wonder. She's alive, in a place that was their people's home but should now kill her instantly. The air should be toxic but it has only given her freedom. She's still here, her heart still beats and her lungs still fill but she's only one. She tilts her head up and howls a heartbreaking song, so long forgotten in this humble language but clear in meaning. The other wolf stands now, pacing to Clarke's side, lying down to tentatively groom along Clarke's neck.

The scent and presence of the Alpha soothes her, warms her to the core until something slackens and in a sigh she's released into her human form. She's still breathing heavily, her scent saturating the space around them and sweat clings to her unprotected skin. She's drenched from the run and this want she can't explain but the Alpha stays in wolf form lying almost on top of Clarke.

The Alpha licks at Clarke's neck, nudges at Clarke's shoulder till she turns to lie on her stomach. The other wolf continues to groom and bite ever so gently, incredibly sharp canines smoothing instead of tearing into flesh. The calm is cut short though when the huge wolf stills and then moves to stand completely over Clarke. Lips pulled tight to show the row of gleaming fangs but not a sound emits from her protector.

Its Finn then Wells that crashes through the undergrowth. Wells snarls immediately at the stranger near his friend but when he bounds to the rescue Clarke bares her teeth, in human form it's nowhere near intimidating but her intent is clear and it leaves Wells awkwardly trying to veer off course from his charge. He's stiff legged as he tries to step to the side, properly chastised.

Bellamy comes stumbling in next, and after one glance at the menacing Alpha he looks to Finn and with a truce of shared interest they both move to approach Clarke. They ignore her warning and standing side by side against the larger Alpha they come closer, head tall but still having to look up at the stranger. They growl then snap their teeth in a unified challenge against the strange new Alpha. Their ears pressed tight against their heads, mouth stretched open as saliva froths through gleaming fangs. This was their first moon and they both want Clarke. This was their answer to the call and this Alpha was in their way.

The Alpha wastes no time on posturing and instead dead rushes into the pair, knocking the silt grey wolf head over haunch and throwing the ruddy umber one rolling onto his side. Without warning, harsh teeth tear the flimsy flesh of Bellamy's ear in trajectory to the unprepared 100's neck.

Bellamy yelp, struggling to get away but its Clarke's cry that ceases the larger wolf's action. She makes her way up to her knees and places a hand onto the Alpha's side. It's clear how outclass Bellamy is to this Alpha but he doesn't tuck tail or roll to his back. He whimpers and snarls in turn which only makes the Alpha sneer; jaw opening in judgement but Clarke has made her way in front of the prone wolf, crouching between Bellamy and the Alpha. Her skin bright red, she is unused to being so exposed. They never had shifts before; public nudity was an indecency on the Ark. Their customs has Wells politely shifting his eyes to anything but Clarke, while Finn is too focused on shaking the pain inflicted by the rush to even bring his legs up from underneath him.

Bellamy however wags his tail at Clarke's care and attempts to sit up and lick at her shoulder but she growls and dodges away from his tongue. He tries again but this time the Alpha leaps roaring into him, entire face gnarled into a vicious snarl since Clarke did not wish harm on the foolish pup. If dominance displays was all that she could unleash at the moment then she would be threat incarnate.

Bellamy ducks his head and averts his eyes onto the ground; he's unable to resist submitting. He whines and trembles stiff legged and slouching backwards towards Finn whose grey form stays tight against the ground in submission. Bellamy twitches his shredded ear causing more blood to flow down his umber fur, enough to gather and drip onto Finn. They look worse than they feel.

The Alpha angles her body to shield Clarkes, emitting clear command for the other two to back away. She doesn't stand down until both other Alpha's turn tail from the area. They leave with little pride left, ducking their heads low and tail caught between their legs. She turns her attention to Wells next but the Beta stands firm, eyes devotedly on Clarke even if knows the chase was clearly over.

"Go back to camp Wells."

He's clearly uncomfortable with the thought of leaving Clarke, trotting for a few steps before turning and whining at her. He doesn't want to leave her unprotected but the Alpha has released enough pheromones to drown out Clarke's scent and would be enough to cause any of the wolves in the 100 to search for safer refuge. He'll respect her wishes.

Sighing with relief when the three Arkers have left, Clarke looks up at her Alpha, this wolf is truly the largest she's ever seen. Her companion easily towers over her own wolf form, the tip of Clarke's ears would barely reach this wolf's neck and now in her human form she feels all the smaller.

Clarke hopes it would be okay to place her hand onto the other's neck. The Alpha seemed content to sit down and allow Clarke's exploration. She can feel the steel muscles beneath the dense smooth fur and as she slides her palms along the enormous wolf's back she wraps her arms around the great neck of her companion.

"Umm, do you think you can shift back? Is it okay for us to talk?" Omegas had a place in the Ark and it was certainly not to make suggestions or waves but she's always been an exception to that notion. The moon and chase has made Clarke feel valued, important and she needs something and she needs it hopefully soon from the Alpha.

Clarke blushes and realizes she would be keening if she was in her wolf form, she wants this Alpha and she doesn't know how to show her affections more than she already has. This was all so new. She tucks her face into the Alpha's plush nape and breathes in relief when the fur recedes to smooth skin. The contact makes her shiver and warm all the more.

"Your people trespass into my territory."

Oh, she had expected a firmer voice, deeper instead of this sweet cadence. The girl couldn't be a couple years older than Clarke and yet marked these lands as her own. Clarke whimpered, trembling at the clear strength in the girl's claims.

"We, we weren't aware there were others, we had been jettisoned from the Ark and I think we veered off the flight plan, we're not even near the targeted mountain and we haven't seen anyone… you are the first we've encountered."

"You're brash and young; your group tears across the lands in cluster of noise, others unseen have already encountered your group." The Alpha raises a hand to cup Clarke's cheek, stroking a thumb over the planes of Clarke's face. "You could have attracted unwanted attention."

Clarke leans into the touch, she burns for it, it makes her words leave her dry throat as a whisper. "Yours isn't unwanted… have I gained your attention?"

The Alpha stays silent, a confirmation in her steady gaze and tilt at the corner of her plush lips. "Perhaps."

"Am I in favourable light with you?" Clarke feels herself shaking, quivering from anything but the mild elements of the night.

"Do you wish to be?"

Isn't it obvious what she wants, can't they tell? She feels the Alpha's thumb run along her brows, smoothing the creasing caused by her turbulent thoughts.

"Clearly." Clarke deadpans.

The Alpha's laughs, it's short but Clarke wants to taste it, feel the emotions she has drawn. She leans up a little, hoping to press into those smiling lips but the Alpha turns at the last second causing Clarke to just touch the corner of the other wolf's lips.

A whimper does escape her now, "please… unless… you don't want me?" Clarke voice breaks with anguish as she backs a little but her motions are stilled by a firm hand on her arm.

"I gave chase."

It's a simple explanation, as if it was enough to cull all of Clarke's worries. "I don't even know your name."

The girl stalls for a moment before leaning close, ghosting her words against Clarke's temple. "Leksa but you may call on me as your Alpha."