A/N: Wow didn't really expect anyone to react to the first chapter. Thank you all for the support.
Guest(Ari): Here's the second chapter for you, and Jackson is 17.


As they made their way through the forest Clarke grabbed Jackson's arm. "We need to talk."

Jackson knew what this was about why did he protect her in prison. Jackson looked back to see the other four far enough away so that they wouldn't hear anything.

"What about Clarke?" He responded knowing all too well what she wanted to know.

Clarke looked at him with her blue eyes intensely, "You know what I'm talking about, why you protected me in prison? Am I the girl that you promised to protect? Who did you promise?"

Jackson sighed, "Why should I answer you Clarke? All you need to know is that I'm here to protect you. What difference does it make if you know why?"

"Because I don't want you to protect me the way you have been. You nearly killed that guy in prison, and you broke the other guy's arm."

"I've had enough of this." Jackson started to walk away.

"No!" Clarke grabbed his arm stopping him in his tracks. "You are going to tell me everything." Jackson was getting frustrated with Clarke and he was getting tired of holding everything in it all just came out. "Yeah I almost killed that guy in prison and you want to know why! Will it make you sleep better at night? Fine, Clarke I almost killed him because he and a couple of his buddies were planning on having their way with you. The reason you didn't hear about the others is because I made sure that it wasn't public. But this guy he was bragging about it, and I wasn't going to let him get off easy. So yeah I beat him within an inch of his life, but he deserved it. Are you happy now?" Jackson shook Clarke off his arm and stormed off.

Clarke stood there unsure of what to do. The Animal of the Ark was her protector, even though she was locked in solitary she knew that if the inmates wanted in they could have gotten in. The whole time she was in prison it had been Jackson protecting her from the rest of the monsters. All she could think about was why? What was so special about her that Jackson would put his life on the line to save her? Perhaps he really wasn't the monster people make him out to be.


"Looks like the princess and her animal are having a fight." Octavia said as Finn put a purple flower in her hair.

"That my friend is game." Jasper (Goggles) whispered to Monty.

"That my friend is poison sumac." Monty responded to which Octavia combed the flower out of her hair. "It's medicinal."

"Monty's family grows all the pharmaceuticals on the Ark." Jasper said.

"Hey guys, would you try to keep up?" Clarke said to the four of them.

"Come on Clarke, how do you block all this out?" Finn asked

"Well it's simple. I wonder why we haven't seen any animals. Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us. Sure is pretty though." She then continued to head off. "Come on."

"Someone should slip her some poison sumac." Octavia whispered

"I wouldn't suggest it." The four of them turned around to see Jackson behind them. "Now come on move." The four of them continued walking.

"So Jackson what exactly did you do to get busted?" Finn asked carefully.

"Relax Finn; I'm not going to hurt you. It's what you've heard I was caught for hosting underground fights. I'm sure you've heard I was also in the guard, it's true. I used my position in the guard to hide the fights, but I trusted someone I shouldn't have and they ratted me out." Jackson replied with his practiced version of how he got caught. No one knows he really got busted for helping out Clarke's father try to spread the truth. Knowing the truth on Earth would make no difference.

"So what's going on with you and the princess?" Octavia asked butting into the conversation.

"What do you mean?" Jackson replied.

"You two were fighting. We could see, hell even hear you yelling at her."

"It's none of your business Octavia maybe you should lay off." Finn added. Jackson was tired of being asked questions and decided to go ahead of the four of them and as he passed Clarke he ignored her.


Jackson was frustrated; Clarke was never supposed to find out that he was protecting her. During his years in the guard he met the Griffins, he became close with Clarke's father and he owed him and Abigail. Jackson wasn't always a part of the guard, at first he was a criminal just like any other. Clarke's father Jacob saved Jackson's life when he was beaten to a pulp during a fight gone wrong. Abigail made sure that his care was off the books and that was Jackson's first meeting with the Griffins. From that day he owed them everything, they could have turned him in to the guard or left him there to die but instead they saved his life. So in return Jackson joined the guard to better himself, but his criminal side wasn't gone, he had been a criminal in order to survive and now he was both a criminal and a member of the guard. He used his position in the guard to climb the ranks of the criminal underworld, and made sure that he wouldn't get caught. He used all the assets he acquired to help the clinic and Jacob with whatever they needed. The only reason that the guard didn't come after him is because they never had any proof, just pure speculation and when he was finally captured for helping Jacob with his plan they branded him the Animal of the Ark. They had already floated Jacob for trying to tell the truth, they locked Clarke up for knowing the truth, and Jackson helped Jacob with the means to broadcast his message to the Ark. Jackson owed the Griffin's everything, and he paid his debts.

Jackson wanted to distance himself from Clarke in order to give her his full protection, not bogged down by emotions and friendship. He learned during his time as a criminal that those closest to you are the ones that can do the most damage. He cared for Clarke, but it was a fact that he needed to hide from her and himself if he was going to be the Animal to protect her.

Jackson had gone so far ahead that he must have strayed from the group. He cursed under his breath that he let himself get caught up in emotions, when he should be with Clarke making sure nothing bad happened to her. A female scream pierced the air and his stomach dropped believing it to be Clarke. He quickly raced to the location of the scream to see Octavia being dragged by something in the water. He quickly scanned to locate Clarke and he felt relief when he saw her safe on the ledge. Clarke had been smart enough to distract the creature with a rock allowing Jasper to save Octavia. As Jackson made his way to the group he felt everything move in slow motion as Clarke began to slip on the rocks into the water. Without thinking he dove into the water not caring that the creature was on its way to Clarke. He quickly wrapped his arm around Clarke and began swimming to the shore to make sure she was safe. He didn't even feel the creature attack him, he blocked it all out and thought only of her protection.

"Clarke are you ok?" Jackson asked frantically checking Clarke for any injuries. When he realized that she was injury free he sighed with relief. Then he looked into her eyes and they looked sad, he didn't understand why she looked so sad. "Clarke what's the matter?"

She slowly pointed to his arm and leg which had been scratched during the attack. "You're hurt." She said slowly trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"It's only a scratch nothing to worry about. I'm tough to kill." Jackson said with a smirk. "All that matters is that you're okay Clarke." And as those words left his mouth he collapsed. All that he heard were the others yelling his name.


A/N: And there you have it the second chapter of Animal or Human, hope you all enjoyed it. In the next chapter it will finish the first episode and we will have another conversation between Clarke and Jackson. I would appreciate some feedback from any who read this.