An Injured Lion Still Wants to Roar Chapter 3

Pairing: Clexa

Rating: Children be Wary (K+)

Notes: Here's the new chapter! On Tumblr, I did a bad and posted the wrong one (the one after this one), but I replaced the chapter pretty quickly so luckily only a few people got spoiled. Also, for those who don't follow my tumblr, my posting speed will be going down due to some personal issues I need to deal with, but with any luck I'll be back to normal soon.

Lexa blinked blearily as her body forced her into wakefulness. Groaning slightly, she curled tighter into herself, not wanting to leave the comfort and warmth she was feeling. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. Sure, her body ached and her wounds stung and her head pounded uncomfortably as her body radiated with heat, but she was wrapped in a pocket of softness that she never wanted to leave. The only thing that drew her from her cocoon was the sounds of familiar chuckles a little ways away. Lifting her head from the furs, her eyes zeroed in on the sight of a familiar blonde, now fully clothed, watching her with an amused grin.

"Clarke?"

She asked in a shaky, rasping voice. In return, she got a smirk paired with a nod, sending a shiver down her spine.

Clarke was alive. She hadn't dreamt her kneeling next to her, wiping the mud from her face and ensuring she could breath. Clarke was alive and not dead like she'd thought. At the realization, she choked on a small sob.

Clarke was alive

Pressing her face into the furs, she struggled to hide her tears. The feeling of Clarke sitting beside her and tucking hair away from her face only made her cry harder. Gently, the blonde guided Lexa's head into her lap, running soothing fingers through her hair and brushing away tears as they fell. Eventually, her sobs tapered off into gasping hiccups, leaving her limp and exhausted once again. Clarke simply waited, watching with caring eyes.

The brunette couldn't understand it. She'd betrayed her, left her to die with the rest of her people, and forced her to kill an entire population, so she couldn't understand how Clarke could act so caring towards her betrayer. If Lexa had been in her place, she would have wanted revenge. She still held a grudge for Costia's fate years later, long after she'd been dead and burned, but here was Clarke, less than half a year after being betrayed, caring for the one who broke her heart. She'd expected her to be angry, full of rage and seeking vengeance, yet she looked almost at peace. Swallowing, Lexa looked up at the blonde, head resting on crossed legs. She felt so tired, knowing she could easily fall back asleep if she closed her eyes, but she wanted to drink in the sight of the girl above her. Lifting a hand, she brushed the tips of her fingers against the smooth skin of Clarke's cheek, afraid that this was a dream waiting for the most horrible moment to wake her up.

"Clarke..."

Her voice was quiet, and her lip trembled ever so slightly as the blonde brought her own hand to cover the one on her face, pressing the older girls palm against her cheekbone. The gesture made her think of forgiveness, as though Clarke held no grudge towards her, and it made the guilt inside her chest grow, closing her throat and bringing a fresh wave of tears.

"Clarke, I am so sorry, I didn't want-"

A gentle shush and a hand stroking her face silenced her.

"We'll talk about it later. For now, just rest and heal."

The blonde threaded their fingers together and brought their joined hands away from her face. Giving Lexa's hand a squeeze, she carefully removed herself from under her head, laying it back down on the furs before standing.

"I'll be right back."

Lexa wanted to call her back, afraid that if she let the other girl out of her sight, she would disappear, that it would all be revealed as a dream. Swallowing, she closed her eyes, gripping the furs to ground herself.

When the blonde had disappeared she'd put on a strong front, making it seem as though she were unattach and unaffected by the girl's assumed death. Only later, once she'd left Polis, Titus and the politics behind, as she'd travelled to Arkadia to deliver news of Clarke's demise, had she let herself grieve. She could still remember the weight in her chest, the burning tears and deep sorrow, and the heart broken wail of loss she'd allowed to escape once she'd retired to her tent. The blondes disappearance had hurt her more than any physical wound could, and despite the younger girl being only meters away, that pain had yet to lessen.

It didn't take long for Clarke to return, but every moment was filled with fear, a fear that only elevated when the blonde was once again kneeling beside her, a bowl of fragrant soup in one hand. With a groan, she attempted to sit up, but a wave of pain through her torso had her laying back down with a pained whimper.

"Careful, you have some pretty severely bruised ribs."

Setting the bowl aside a safe distance away, the blonde lifted the injured girl carefully, resting Lexa's back against her front, before leaning against the edge of the nest of furs. Feeling Clarke so close, the brunette couldn't help but sigh as an arm snaked around her waist, supporting her as the younger girl reached for the bowl of soup.

"You need to eat. You were asleep for over a day."

Despite the ache that it sent shooting through her body, Lexa turned quickly to look at the blonde, remembering the battle, the lion, and all that came before.

"The battle! What- and the lion? Where is it?"

Clarke quirked her lip, a humoured breath escaping from her nose.

"I don't know how the battle ended, but after I took you from the battlefield I'd assume it stopped."

Lexa was unsure of how to respond, so she looked at the blonde, eyes wide and confused as she tried to understand her words.

"So, then you're…"

The younger girl nodded, one eyebrow raised and a teasing smile on her lips.

"A lion? Yes, I am, as was my mother before me and her mother before her."

The injured warrior could do nothing but stare in disbelief, jaw opening and closing as she tried to formulate any form of coherent thought. As she continued to gape in astonishment, Clarke adjusted herself into a more comfortable position, pulling Lexa closer and grabbing the bowl of soup. The brunette let the younger girl move her without protest, slumping into the blonde as she sat in her lap.

She could believe that Clarke was alive. She could maybe, sort of, believe that Clarke wasn't entirely angry with her, and possibly on the way to forgiveness. However, she had to draw a line at the blonde turning into a beast large enough to carry three people on its back without effort. It just wasn't possible. Clarke was many things. Wanheda, the destroyer of the Mountain, the Skaiprisa, the girl that fell from the sky in a rain of fire, but a lion? No… she couldn't believe it, surely it was a joke.

Lexa snapped from her thoughts when the smell of the soup wafted in front of her nose. Blinking, she realized that the blonde held a spoonful of the food before her, holding it carefully near the brunette's lips. Frowning slightly, she lifted her arm to grab the spoon but winced as pain burned up her sides and through the muscles of her arm. Clarke tsked, using her free hand to restrain her limbs in a less strenuous position.

"Let me feed you. You're injured and moving too much will only make it worse."

She opened her mouth to protest, only to find soup there instead of words. Clarke had taken the opportunity to feed her a spoonful. While the soup was delicious, a mixture of local herbs, roots and wild onions, she couldn't help the pout that formed on her lips. She wasn't so weak that she couldn't feed herself.

"Clarke, I am not an invalid. I can feed myself."

She said indignantly as she dodged the next spoonful. Clarke rolled her eyes at the older girls childishness.

"You are currently the definition of invalid. You can't even lift your arms without it hurting, so, instead of being the stubborn leader you are, let me take care of you."

Feeling too tired to argue, Lexa slumped further against the younger girl, pouting as she was fed spoonful after spoonful of the grudgingly delicious soup. It didn't take long for the bowl to be emptied, and, even after the short amount of time, the brunette could feel her eyes drooping once again. She felt Clarke shifting against her, moving the bowl away before wrapping her arms around the older girls back and under her knees.

As the blonde moved her, laying her back down amongst the soft furs, the large skin that covered her shifted slightly, making her shiver, as well as drew her attention to her state of undress. Looking blearily at herself, she took in the dark bruising that took up most of her skin, dark patches of purple and blue covered more of her than her normally pale colouring. She didn't look away until Clarke rewrapped the fur around her, covering her injuries and enveloping her in warmth.

'I guess I'm more injured than I thought…"

Her thoughts were interrupted by a jaw cracking yawn, her exhaustion becoming more evident by the minute. Gentle fingers began combing through her hair, the sensation drawing a pleased hum from her throat. She was so tired. A warm darkness, different from the heat of her fever, crept at the edge of her vision, pulling her deeper into sleep.

"Sleep, Lex. I'll be here when you wake up."

When she woke next, the warmth that surrounded her had become soothing, the comfortable heat almost dragging her back into unconsciousness. She was still wrapped in furs, curled against the edge of the nest. A gentle rumbling had her eyes fluttering, squinting against the harsh light streaming from the roof. Grumbling, she burrowed back under the furs, not yet wanting to deal with the world. Only when the rumbling became more intense, a vibrating sensation coming from the wall of fur behind her, did she snap awake, eyes going wide as she scrambled away from the purring feline she'd been sleeping against.

With her frantic movement, the purring stopped, the lions large head lifting to look at her with worried eyes. The brunette sat pressed against the nests far wall, chest heaving in her sudden panic, and eyes wide as she stared at the giant beast before her. The lion whined low in its throat, but didn't move closer. Instead it lowered its head, as though it was attempting to appear less threatening. A failed endeavour considering its massive size.

Lexa swallowed dryly, coughing slightly as her throat closed with fear. Despite Clarke telling her that she was the lion, the older girl still couldn't believe it. She'd seen the creature behead a man with one swipe, felt the teeth that were larger than most daggers, and she'd seen it rip the Pauna's arm off without effort. She couldn't get the image of the lion's maw dripping with blood out of her mind, making her recoil further when the beast moved to stand. The beast paused as she pressed further into the wall of furs, a sad sounding sigh heaving from its lungs.

The beast turned to her, it's shoulders hunching as it stepped towards her. She pulled herself up against the wall, the piled furs reaching almost to her shoulder, preparing to run despite knowing she had no chance of escape, then, before her eyes, it shrank, its muscles and bones compacting and shifting, its fur withdrawing into its body until only Clarke stood before her, naked and face adorned with a concerned look. The brunette ceased breathing as her brain tried to reconcile what she'd just seen. She'd been fully convinced that the younger girl had been joking.

Clarke rushed to her side as she swayed, dark spots dotting her vision as her lungs refused to take in air. The blonde supported the older girl as her knees gave out, lowering her to the floor slowly as her breaths came in shallow gasps. Cool hands cupped her face and a worried voice called her name.

She couldn't understand why she was reacting this way or where this deep, intense, fear was coming from. She'd been given proof that Clarke was the lion. She should be able to accept it and move on, right? Apparently not, because she couldn't seem to expand her lungs enough to take in air. Her heartbeat was in her ears, blood rushing too loudly for her to be able to hear anything else. Suddenly, Clarke's face took up her slowly darkening vision, making her heart jump. She squeezed her eyes shut.

The fear that welled inside her just wouldn't calm as minutes passed, and, while normally it would relax her, Clarke's presence seemed to heighten her terror. Memories of gleaming teeth and bloodied claws flashed through her mind. A choked sob escaped her as she realized where her fear was coming from.

She was afraid of Clarke

Or rather what she was capable of. She'd never thought that she would fear Clarke. The gentle healer and strong leader seemed incapable of truly hurting another without an extreme reason, yet she'd seen Clarke tear a creature limb from limb, savaging its throat until blood pooled into a crimson pond. She'd seen her behead a man with one swipe of her powerful paw, roaring in triumph as the warriors of Trikru and Azgeda looked on. The fact that Clarke had become capable of such brutality scared her, and she couldn't shake the choking feeling that she was somehow responsible for the development.

Slowly her breathing evened, the darkness retreating until she could blink tiredly up at the cave roof. At some point, Clarke must have laid her down and retrieved her clothing, placing her head to be cushioned by the blonde's now pant clad lap. A small hand was placed on her chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall of her slowly normalizing breathing, and another was gently running through her hair, scratching her scalp with blunt nails.

"Lex?"

Her name was said tentatively, multiple questions in a single word. In response, she managed a shaky groan. Her panic had drained what little energy she'd gained from sleep, leaving her tired and limp with exhaustion. She hadn't felt such a surge of emotion and panic in a long time, not since discovering Costia's murder and what it had entailed. Arm shaking, she brought a hand to scrub at her face. She could feel the wetness of tears on her cheeks and the heat of her distress radiating from her skin. Swallowing thickly, she let her hand drop to her chest, laying it atop Clarke's.

"I am so sorry, Clarke. I didn't mean to turn you into this."

A frown of confusion creased the blonde's face, coupled with a sadness taking over the depths of her eyes. The hand that ran its fingers through her hair moved to cup her jaw, running a gentle thumb over the ridge of her cheek bone.

"I was born this way, Lexa. I have always been a beast, I've just restrained it until now. A wolf in sheep's clothing, if you will."

The brunette could feel her jaw tremble ever so slightly as she gazed up at the blonde. She wasn't sure if the younger girl understood what she meant, and accepting her answer felt like an easy way to assuage the guilt swirling in Lexa's chest.

"I don't-"

"Daaaamn Griffin, you've made a love cave. Nice!"

A sudden and new voice resounded around the cave, echoing off every surface, making Lexa jolt in shock and groan as her muscles screamed in protest. Clarke's face had morphed into a harsh snarl at the interruption, eyes flashing a harsh yellow and features becoming distinctly feline, as she returned the brunettes head to the furs before standing and stalking into an obviously defensive position between her and the new arrival.

"What do you want, Raven?"

Endnote: Want to send in a prompt, have questions about my fics, want to talk about writing, or want really inconsistent updates on my progress, come follow my tumblr GillyTweed