The next morning, Clarke tied her white t-shirt to a stick and waved. "We're just getting the body!"
Her and her pen pals waded across the river and retrieved Jasper's body without incident. However, in the trees and along the shore were people. This differed from the abstract knowledge of there being survivors on Earth, seeing so many of them gave Vigri both hope and a sinking worry.
When they got Jasper's body to Monty, Octavia tapped her thigh in rhythmic spurts. Her eyes darted side to side. Murphy and Clarke were doing the same. Monty had never seen this kind of behavior. "Are you guys okay?"
Their tapping turned to loud slapping and Monty could see them getting ready to fight. They crouched, and balanced their stance, like they did in the movies. But this looked a bit different, like it would be more effective.
"Clarke? Octavia? Murphy? I know they killed Jasper, but we're outnumbered here. I think we should either try to leave or talk to them." Monty swallowed as the natives closed ranks around their little group.
Vigri stopped her slapping and stood up straight. "Do you understand me?"
One warrior stepped forward. "I do."
"We're sorry we crossed the river. We didn't know it was a boundary. It won't happen again."
"Why do you invade our lands?" she asked.
"We're from space. And our people stranded us here," Octavia said.
"We didn't know there were survivors." Murphy twitched as he stood taller but still ready to fight.
"So this is not an invasion then? In that case what do you offer for granting you safe harbor?"
"I was trained as a doctor," Clarke offered.
"We have healers."
"I can sew better than anyone on the Ark," Octavia said.
"We have tailors."
Murphy smirked. "There's always room for more healers and skilled workers. I can work metal, and Monty here knows a lot about gardens and machinery."
"What's a garden?" The woman asked as she circled them.
It took a moment for Monty to find his voice. "It's where you grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs."
"You know how to grow food?"
Monty nodded as he prayed he remembered enough of what his parents taught him before he got locked up. "Yes."
"Why did you kill Jasper? You could have just warned us not to cross the river." Clarke wouldn't trust these people just yet.
"You talk like Mountain Men. We thought you were the enemy. But as a show of good faith we'll bear the burden of this death."
"What does that mean?" Twist asked.
"It means you can take your pound of flesh."
Murphy opened his mouth only to get cut off by Clarke. "We don't want vengeance or violence, we've had enough of that. All we want is to survive and make a life for ourselves on Earth. If we show you how to grow food, and teach you what we know, will you teach us how to survive down here?"
"My name is Anya."
"I'm Clarke, this is Octavia, Murphy, and Monty."
"I like her." Anya pointed at Octavia. "She'll be your liaison. And you can prove your good intentions by calling off your people. They were getting ready for war last my scouts told me. We'll talk about absorbing your people if you prove useful, and loyal to me." She said something to the man behind her in a language Clarke didn't recognize. But it appeared Hades had an idea.
"It's really slurred convoluted English," she whispered to Clarke and Murphy.
With that, Clarke picked up words here and there. Guard, carry, heads, and she wanted to know what the hell juice meant because she didn't think they meant the old time beverage.
"This is Lincoln, he's one of my seconds and his gonakru will escort you back to your crash site. They'll carry your dead. Don't expect him to talk a lot, but he understands your language." She turned to Lincoln. "Osir na set raun na kom sheidgeda, den frag emo op taim emo natrona."
"This should be loads of fun," Murphy said under his breath.
"We need to learn their language," Octavia whispered. "Pay attention. We'll compare notes when we're alone again."
"I swear they sound like my mom after a bender of booze and old high school movies." Twist's sarcasm meant they'd hit a nerve. Vigri and Hades knew he meant it as sort of a key to what they were hearing. It helped, but there were words that had to have been purposeful delineations from English.
Monty didn't want to give Jasper's body to these people, but did out of fear. "Be careful with him."
The natives flanked them on all sides as they walked back to camp at a brisk pace. No one talked though, frustrating the threesome's determination to understand them.
Just outside camp, Lincoln stopped. "We'll be out here waiting for word. If you don't succeed and return before nightfall, your safe passage will be denied. In the meantime, we'll build a pyre for your friend."
"It's better than being sucked out an airlock." Murphy's snark didn't sit well with Monty at first.
A moment later Monty nodded. "Cremation is better than that." He looked at Jasper's graying face. "Can I stay with him?"
"Yes."
Clarke, Octavia, and Murphy hugged Monty and then walked into camp with five words. "Hades should break the news."
When Bellamy saw his sister, he scooped her into a desperate hug. "I thought you were dead."
Octavia shook her head. "No, they killed Jasper by mistake. They thought we were their enemies. People they call the Mountain Men. They probably live on Mount Weather. But we talked to their leader, and we can earn our safety, and learn how to survive down here if we help them and prove ourselves loyal."
"How are you so calm? They killed Jasper, and Monty's missing still. You don't really think you can trust them do you?"
Murphy stepped between Bell and O, protecting her. "Hey man, Monty's right outside. He's sitting with Jasper while the Grounders build a pyre or whatever for him. If Hades and Vigri agree that a truce with them is our best chance at survival, I have to say I'm with them."
"You need to calm everyone down, Bellamy, or they'll annihilate us." Clarke left no room for argument. "Even if we had a stockpile of weapons, we're massively outnumbered and this is their home. They know it better than we could ever hope to."
"Whatever you say, Princess."
Octavia punched her brother square in the face. "Do you know what tinnitus is?"
Bellamy wiped the blood off his lip as he shook his head.
Twist shoved Bellamy. "It's this high pitch ringing in your ears that never goes away, and if you don't stop being an ass, we'll make sure you experience it first hand. This is your second warning. You won't get another one."
The threesome sat on the third floor of the drop ship. Vigri worried about the other two. Would they make good on the threats? "Hades, I can't believe you threatened tinnitus. More kids killed themselves from that than anything else in lock up."
"Bell doesn't know that, but he'll get the idea if he's an ass to you again." Hades sighed. "We have bigger problems right now. Not only do we need to learn how to live down here, but with the Grounders, and what to do about the Ark. They've got to know we aren't dying from radiation poison by now."
"Not only will they want to take over, but they might screw up any truce we make." Twist snarled. "Good for nothing bastards."
"I have no love for the Guard, the Counsel, or the Chancellor," Vigri said, "but the workers and children are innocent and we can't forget that. So maybe we can overthrow the government when they get down here. We have at least a month to get the Grounders on our side. Any kid here will be on our side."
"There are some guards I'd like to teach a lesson to, but what we need to worry about even more is who will be in charge if we do pull it off."
"We've got a month to figure that out."