Author's Note:
Hello all,
Sorry I made you wait so long! I kept making changes to this and I'm still not completely happy with it. Guess who you get to meet today?
Lincoln's POV
It happened in the afternoon; several members of the tribe relayed the tale of the flaming ship that burnt a path through the sky before crashing into the forest a few miles away. Lincoln left with a small group of warriors lead by their matriarch unit leader, Anya, to find the strange object that fell from the sky. The crossed their territory quickly, slowing only when they knew they were close to their destination. Anya signaled for her warriors to spread out and investigate the large drop ship from a distance. Lincoln crept around just inside the cover of trees that weren't destroyed by the landing. He stopped moving and crouched when he heard a strange sound. He watched in amazement when the ship opened, revealing a group of young adults looking out in wonder and fear.
Lincoln couldn't keep his eyes off the woman that stepped out first. She was petite, she would probably stand only as tall as his chest, and her chestnut hair flowed down her back. Her eyes shown with so much excitement and joy, she reminded him of the children in the tribe. He looked at the rest of the people, amazed that so many people were exiting the ship.
Lincoln settled into position to watch the Sky People to see what their intentions were. He quickly realized that they were simply happy to be on the ground. From what he could overhear from some of the louder invaders, these people have been living in a larger ship in space. Realizing that these people weren't aware of the Grounders' presence, Lincoln retreated from his sentry point to inform Anya of what he was able to find out. The other warriors had similar information to relate. Anya decided that the Sky People were not an immediate threat, and ordered the warriors to remain silent about the people suddenly placed in the middle of Grounder territory. The warriors were split into four groups of three and ordered to patrol the sky people's camp in six-hour shifts. Each scout would patrol a section of border around the main camp, and try to gather as much information about these strangers as they could.
Lincoln moved back into position to watch the Sky People as they explored around their landing site. They seemed wary of traveling out of sight of their ship. He counted and noted each of the Sky People in his notebook so that his tribe could monitor them. A group began to form, and Lincoln moved closer so he could listen to their conversation. He overheard one of the boys mention Mount Weather, and eased forward so he could better hear what was being said. He watched as the girl he saw step off the ship first stepped forward in anger. The man next to her stepped in front of her in a defensive stance. His suggestion that the two with plans to travel to Mount Weather travelled alone was accepted by the crowd quickly. A fight soon broke out between two of the boys, but it was over just as quickly. Lincoln felt relieved that the group was so disorganized; they would not be a threat to his people.
Lincoln marked in his book that the Sky People were sent here to travel to Mount Weather. Disorganized or not, if these people planned to join the Mountain Men, they were the enemy. Lincoln watched the girl and boy that confronted the small group head out into the woods. He moved silently along with them, listening to them as they walked. He understood that they were siblings for how they spoke to one another. He admired the girl for arguing for her freedom, and him as well for sacrificing so much to protect his sister. He watched them return to the camp and decided it was time to inform Anya of what he learned.
Lincoln hurried back to his camp to seek out his leader. She brought him to talk to the other two scouts that stayed patrolling the camp. All of the men shared the same information. Ninety-nine young men and women exited the ship. Mount Weather was spoken of on all sides of the drop site. Anya ordered the three scouts to return to their posts and monitor movements. She also ordered additional scouts to move out to monitor the border between grounder territory and Mount Weather.
Lincoln quickly returned to his area around the drop ship. He was moving quickly through the forest when he noticed that something about his surroundings was off. He stopped and hid behind a tree so he could place what was wrong. He was surprised at how quietly she moved through the woods. He expected all of the Sky People to like cattle through the woods, but she moved nearly as silently as a Grounder. He watched her as she walked between the trees, caressing them as she passed. She looked at everything in wonder; the moss, the leaves, the sky and the sun. He followed along behind her, enthralled by the joy he could see on her face. He settled into a comfortable position when she discovered the flowers in the meadow. He could hear her giggling and couldn't help but smile to himself. It was a long time ago that he last seen anyone so happy.
He studied her as she lay in the flowers. He pulled out his journal and began drawing her on one of his pages. He was able to sketch the scene quickly, which was good because she was soon moving on deeper into grounder territory. He could feel her excitement, but he worried about what would happen if she stumbled into the path of one of the other scouts. Lincoln decided that he needed to herd her back toward her people. He ran silently to move in front of her path. He learned to imitate the creatures that lived in these woods at an early age. It worked both as a hunting tool and as a battle tactic to scare prey, so he knew it would work to frighten the girl back the way she came.
Octavia's POV
Octavia heard a deep, grunting sound coming from the shadows in front of her. She stopped and listened, trying to figure out if she actually heard it or not. She heard it again, this time it was longer and louder. The hair on her arms rose to attention and Octavia knew she needed to return to the safety of her camp. She turned around and started running. It was not long after that she heard the noise again, this time close by on her right. She banked to her left without slowing down. A short time later she heard it again, on her left this time. She ran even after her sides began to burn and her legs screamed for relief. When she finally reached the edge of the drop site, she fell against a tree to catch her breath. She didn't want Bellamy to see her in this condition. She knew he would ban her from leaving the camp again if he thought the forest held any kind of danger.
Octavia was just finishing setting up her tent when Clarke, Wells, Finn, and Monty ran back into camp looking terrified. She and Bellamy went up to them immediately to find out what happened. "We are not alone. There are people in these woods," Clarke said. Bellamy looked confused and motioned for the group to follow him into his tent.
"Tell me everything that happened," Bellamy ordered. All four added to the story to inform Bellamy and Octavia that when Jasper discovered they had reached the edge of Mount Weather, he was struck through the chest with a spear. The group fled in fear but soon heard Jasper screaming. They returned to where they left him, only to find that he was gone.
"That spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy," Finn said.
"It hit him perfectly to strike him down, but it missed hitting his heart and his lungs. They took Jasper and did something with him! We have to go find him!" Clarke added.
Bellamy looked at each of them and thought for a moment. "We will go and search for him in the morning. It is too close to dark; if we have enemies in these woods, we cannot afford to travel at night and get lost."
Clarke and Finn argued with Bellamy to form a group and leave immediately, but they finally accepted that it was too dangerous to attempt a rescue at night. Everyone decided soon after to get as much rest as they could and wandered off to their tents to sleep. Bellamy travelled around the camp speaking to the older and stronger men in the group. He arranged for two shifts of guards to patrol the edge of the camp tonight, and ordered a wall to be built the next day.
The next morning a small group convened in Bellamy's tent to discuss the plans for the day. Bellamy, Clarke, Finn, and Wells would travel out to search for Jasper. Octavia insisted on helping them search. "No Octavia, you are going to stay in camp where you will be safe, Bellamy insisted.
"Bell, I don't need to be protected anymore! I don't want to be," Octavia pleaded with her brother.
Bellamy glanced at his sister, but continued issuing orders. "Murphy, you are in charge of getting a defensive wall built today. It needs to be secure by tonight. Atom, you will watch my sister as if she were your own. She does not leave the camp, and she will not come to any harm. Do you understand me?" Atom nodded, Octavia gasped. Bellamy rose before she had a chance to argue again. The small group of rescuers left quickly.
Octavia was still seething in anger an hour later as she shaped fallen trees for the wall. She looked around for Atom to see if he would notice her leaving. She couldn't see him anywhere, so she assumed that he was out retrieving more fallen logs. She quickly moved back into the trees, refusing to be ordered and controlled again. She walked silently through the underbrush so that she wouldn't draw any attention to herself. She relaxed when she could no longer hear the voices from the camp.
Octavia stopped and leaned against a tree. She breathed deeply the perfume of the forest and rested her head back on the trunk. She loved to solitude out here amongst the trees. She always dreamed about being surrounded by people, but she now relished the thought of being alone, surrounded by life as she was now. She resented her brother from trying to keep her away from the peace she found here.
She opened her eyes and saw a blue light above her. Confused, she moved away from the tree and looked at the source of the light. A butterfly was resting on the moss on the tree. Amazed, Octavia moved closer again to look at it. Her movement startled the creature, and it flitted off the tree and flew deeper into the woods. She giggled as she chased after the beautiful thing, and gasped when it lead her into a cove of trees covered by thousands of the glowing butterflies. She eased into the middle of the group and raised her arms out for the ones flying around looking for a place to land.
Lincoln's POV
He watched as the woman snuck out of the camp. The other group left to retrieve their wounded comrade shortly after daybreak. He knew that the injured boy was being used as bait, both for the Sky People, and for food. His people decided to use him as an example to warn the Sky People from joining Mount Weather. He studied her as she moved, and he knew she was trying to leave unnoticed. He walked along with her to see why she was sneaking away. Once she was out of sight and sound of the camp, she stopped and leaned against a tree. He watched her breath in deeply and relax against it. He could feel her joy just by looking at her. A butterfly landed above her head and she opened her eyes as if she could feel its presence. She followed it when it floated farther into the woods.
Lincoln was as shocked as she when she entered the breeding group. The butterflies were very nervous creatures and Lincoln knew of no one that ever encountered so many gathered in one place. They seemed to recognize her as a kindred spirit and they took turns floating down to greet her. Her laughter sounded like music as she began spinning with the butterflies.
Lincoln turned and grabbed his spear when he heard movement behind them. He saw one of the men from the camp turn and head toward where the laughter originated. The butterflies sensed what he had, and they flew away, flying higher into the trees to remain hidden. She turned around and her eyes flashed with anger at the intruder.
The man stumbled to a stop in front of her and spoke, "I'm sorry Octavia, but I had to come find you. Your brother ordered me to keep you in the camp and keep you safe."
Lincoln looked to the woman, Octavia, and heard her as she spoke, "Atom, I don't want to be followed like a child. My brother is no longer my keeper. I don't need to be protected."
Atom sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I know how you feel, but we need to stay at the camp and stay alert for the Grounders. We don't know why they attacked Jasper, and they could arrive at any time to attack the Camp. We know nothing about those people. We don't even know if they are people anymore!"
Lincoln took his words as insult. He held his position as she shrugged her shoulders in defeat and retraced her steps to the camp.
Octavia's POV
Octavia stayed in camp the rest of the day helping to prepare and erect the wall. She spent the entire time contemplating what Atom said. She had managed to forget about the mysterious Grounders that announced their existence in such a brutal manner. She wanted to know why they attacked Jasper like they did. She wondered if they were watching the camp. She wondered what they looked like after living in the radiation for nearly 100 years. She occupied herself with her thoughts until late that day when the rescue group returned successfully.
Clarke called out for boiled water and any clean clothes that could be spared as her and Wells carried the make-shift travois with Jasper into the drop ship. Bellamy and Finn deposited a large feline beside the center fire pit.
Octavia rushed to the ship to see Jasper and to offer her assistance to Clarke. She helped Clarke to clean and dress the wound, but they had no medicine to treat it with. Jasper was thankfully unconscious during their menstruations, so he did not have to suffer the pain. He was developing a fever which caused Clarke great alarm. After a short time, Bellamy called in to Octavia. She excused herself and left to speak with her brother.
Bellamy and Octavia settled into his tent to discuss everything that happened that day. Bellamy told her about how they were walking through the woods when they heard Jasper. "Clarke was the first to get to him, but she nearly killed herself falling in a pit trap. He was tied to a stake and surrounded by pit traps." Octavia gasped, "How did you get him down?"
Bellamy continued, "We carefully edged our way around the trap and cut him free, but then we had to shoot that cat we brought back. It heard Jasper and came to investigate. Wells used all of the ammo to bring it down."
"Well I'm just glad you made it back without any more injuries. Did you see any of these Grounders while you were out?" Octavia asked.
"No, I couldn't see anything. I didn't even find tracks around where Jasper was tied. I don't know who they are, but they are clever."
Octavia nodded, "I'm glad you are alright, but you can't repeat what you did today. You can't just decide that I need to stay and hide whenever you think something might happen. Jasper was attacked far from our camp, and we have never seen any evidence of anyone around the camp."
"We haven't seen any evidence of them anywhere, other than Jasper's attack. I just want you to be safe, O."
"I know that Bell, but I want to be happy. I won't do anything to get into any trouble, but I'm not going to play the part of meek little sister any more. I won't let you stop me." She replied. Bellamy was shocked by her insistence, and he didn't move to stop her when she left.
Author's Note:
Our Octavia refuses to be controlled! I have the next chapter almost ready and should be getting it on in a few hours.
Please review and let me know what you think :)
