Lexa's POV
It was a chaste kiss and Clarke did not offer Lexa any entrance into her mouth. Lexa respected her, so she did not push her farther than Clarke let her. Just the simply touching of their lips made Lexa's blood sing, sending liquid fire pulsing through her body, scorching the black marks of her tattoo. She tried to stifle the gasp that rose through her chest at the feeling, but there was nothing she could do, and with slight embarrassment, it came sliding out of her traitorous mouth. She Clarke's eyes open slightly, and the blonde pulled away slowly trying to calm down her own body.
After they had regained their breaths, and let the fire pulsing through their veins die down to a small burn in the backs of their minds, their eyes met. Lexa could see that Clarke was bewildered and confused, but she could also see something else floating there, acceptance, Lexa thought. Clarke's eyes seemed to glaze over, and her concentration shifted inward, leaving Lexa curious before her. It took several minutes before the blonde came back to her, but when she did she smiled gently at Lexa, a shy blush creeping up her neck and staining the paleness of her cheeks.
"Well," she spoke, her voice surprisingly raspy and deep. Her voice trailed off after this and left Lexa with the opportunity to speak.
"We leave early in the morning, we should sleep." She saw Clarke bite her lip and Lexa could feel herself growing hotter, the blood within her veins thrumming at a faster rhythm. She knew that it was all she could do to keep as still as she could as to not betray her body's desire for the other girl.
"You're right. Tomorrow's a big day. You can finally get rid of me and I'll see the Commander," she tried to joke casually, but it came out very strained and forced. Lexa's heart plummeted when the blonde spoke of her supposed need to get rid of her. 'How could Clarke ever think that?' Lexa though to herself, she had thought she had been quite forward with Clarke. 'It's not like you're actually being honest, Lexa, you've only been telling her lies about your identity. What is she going to do when she sees that you are the Commander?' Lexa felt her stomach contract, and an all to familiar weight settle itself back upon her shoulders.
She needed Clarke to know of her intentions; something to lessen the blow of her lies when they reached Polis and Clarke was forced to meet Heda Lexa, instead of just Lexa. "You won't be getting rid of me, Clarke," she said quietly, making her eyes meet the blue ones in front of her. She heard Clarke's breath hitch, and she saw the other girl turning away and moving back towards the bed that they shared. Moments later, she turned again to face Lexa, a commanding look that would rival Lexa's own on her face.
Lexa moved to acquiesce to her silent request, crawling under the furs and lying there stiffly trying to decide how to best proceed. Her questions were answered when she felt strong arms pull her into an embrace. She relaxed into Clarke's arms, and felt at peace when Clarke lay her head upon the exposed flesh of Lexa's shoulder and murmured into the hair near her ear, "I'm glad."
Clarke's POV
The kiss was like nothing Clarke had ever felt before. It sent sparks flying through her system, electrocuting her heart, and sending tidal waves through the current of her blood. She felt whole in that blissful moment, the loneliness within her ebbing away until it was simply a memory of the past. But when she felt Lexa's mouth open and a small gasp come out, she new she wasn't the only one feeling it. However, she knew that she wasn't ready right now, all she could worry about was her people, and with this thought, the loneliness settled back in its home above her heart.
She drew away from Lexa, giving herself the much-needed distance in order to quench the fire that coursed through her blood. When she looked up again, she found herself lost in forest green, and soon she was falling. She landed back in her meadow, surrounded by her pack, gods she missed them she realized as the felt a pang of regret shoot through her. She let herself relax in the comfort of simply being around family before she rose to answer to the call of a familiar voice.
"Child, do you recognize what has happened?" The voice asked gently. Clarke nodded her head; the memories of her and Lexa's kiss preventing her from speaking coherently. "Your bodies have chosen each other. It is a simple marking process, you shall see its effects soon." The voice paused here, as if looking to make sure that Clarke understood before diving forward again. "You cannot turn back now, Clarke. Your spirit has accepted her as your Seelehalb, and without the bonding in the next month, you will both die." Clarke swallowed at this. She wasn't ready to be with anyone; she was too damaged, to unlovable. "You were made for each other," the voice chastised her, as if it had read her mind, "to overcome adversary and create peace through your love is no mean feat, it could not be done if the bond between you two was not real or strong enough to sustain it." Clarke nodded at this.
The voice faded away and Clarke felt a wet tongue on her cheek, it was Hainofa. She turned to hug him, burying her face in his dark brown and black-splotched fur. "Come find me, I need you here with me," she breathed into him. She pulled away slightly and heard his voice in her mind, "We will come, Prisa."
And with that she was pulled back into her corporeal body, standing stock still in the middle of a tent across from a puzzled Lexa. She tried to speak to express her feelings, but she got choked up after the first word, her mouth closing on its own accord preventing more words from exiting. It seemed that Lexa got the idea because she suggested the get ready for bed. The way she spoke was formal, and once again Clarke was reminded of her fears. She attempted to make a joke about it, trying to flesh out the extent of Lexa's feelings. There was a moment of silence, and Clarke felt herself blushing with embarrassment. However, her worry was pushed away at Lexa's response. She wanted to say something in return, but only got her chance after snuggling into Lexa's side. She would meet the Commander tomorrow, but for now she could lose herself in the comfort that Lexa gave her.
Clarke woke slightly before daybreak, the peace and restfulness of slumber evading her and with defeat she realized that her chances of falling back asleep were slim, even in the arms of her Seelehalb. She heard movement outside and she tensed automatically, but tried to relax for Lexa's sake. The poor girl needed her sleep, Clarke had been learning to read Lexa's eyes for her emotions, but now the things the focused on the most were the steadily growing bags beneath her eyes.
Unwrapping herself slowly from the entangled mess of arms and legs that was Lexa, Clarke made her way out of bed and exited the tent. "Took you long enough," she heard a laughing voice in her head as a very large brown and black shadow made its way towards her in the pre-dawn light flooding the small clearing were camping in.
"Hainofa, you came!" His tongue lolled out of his mouth and an accusatory glint sat deep within his eyes.
"Of course I came, we couldn't very well just leave you all by yourself. You wouldn't last a day." His voice laughed again in her head. As he spoke several other large, and several smaller wolves slipped out of the trees and made their way over to Clarke. She felt happiness overwhelm her and she moved towards them, feeling her body changing into another form. She panicked at first before she simply let the change consume her. Luckily, it was not as painful as it had been before, so she was saved the need to accidentally wake Lexa with her yowling.
Her limbs itched for a run, to feel the wind race through her fur, and to feel the satisfaction after a successful hunt. Her brethren seemed to understand her needs and soon she found herself hurtling through the forest, their paws making light sounds on the brown, leaf covered forest floor. She felt alive, adrenaline pumping itself through her system, her entire mind focused singly on finding something to hunt. When the small pack came across a small herd of deer, they made short work of them, although Clarke managed to save a small part of one of the deer for Lexa, since they had finished the rabbit last night.
She realized that she was splattered with blood from the kill, as were the rest of the pack. Her coat was the only white one, so she stood out the most with her red-stained muzzle and spotted chest. "We should get back," Clarke mentioned to the rest of the group, grabbing the piece of dear before starting on a steady lope back to the campsite, and more importantly, Lexa.
Lexa's POV
She shifted in her sleep feeling for Clarke, and upon finding the rest of her bed empty, Lexa woke up immediately. She looked around frantically, unable to see any sign of the blonde within the tent. All of here art supplies were here, and so was the gun, meaning that the other girl had not ventured out to draw or paint in the forest. Lexa growled in frustration, how could she have gotten so close to Clarke only for her to slip right back out of her fingers.
Lexa fled from her bed, moving in one lithe movement, her tanned body covered in goose bumps from the late fall morning. She pulled on her outer clothes as fast as possible, sheathed her sword on her back, and tucked her knives into their special spots within her jacket, pants, and fur-lined boots. When she was finally ready, she took a deep breath and exited the tent. She walked to wear the fire had burned before last night and set about building another one, if Clarke was indeed out, than it would be more prudent for Lexa to remain at camp so when the girl returned there would be fire and comfort. 'Although,' Lexa thought to herself, 'If she is not back in one hour I will go and search for her.' As the worked to start the fire, she noticed paw prints around the campsite.
They were deep and plentiful, meaning that it could not have been from a single predator in the nighttime. Lexa paled, realizing that this meant that the wolves had returned. She knew that Clarke was part of their pack, and was unsure if the girl had simply run off with them. She pulled a small knife from her coat and threw it across the campsite into one of the tree, letting out a shout of anger. 'She left me. I let her in for one night and ups and leaves!' Lexa growled to herself. She had faith in the Spirit, but her Seelehalb was a mystery to Lexa, one day staying by her side, and the other leaving without warning.
She walked across the frosty clearing to retrieve her knife, pulling it from the hardened outer bark of the large pine. When the blade was free, the wiped the small amount of wood pulp on her pants, and made to tuck it back into her jacket. However, she was stopped by several small cracking noises directly behind her. She turned to find herself face to face with a large, bloodstained, white wolf. Its blue eyes stared at her, and suddenly, without warning, its mouth opened and a large tongue flicked out to lick Lexa's face.
Lexa was shocked and opened her mouth several times, however no words exited the pink, and slightly chapped lips. 'Good morning, Lexa,' Clarke's voice sounded in her head sounding seemingly amused, 'Close your mouth, you look like a fish,' the voice continued. Lexa snapped her mouth shut at this, causing the wolf to let loose a huffy breath that Lexa assumed was a laugh. Her green eyes narrowed at this, only causing the wolf to laugh harder. Lexa fumed and made to turn around and stalk back into the tent, when a light mouth her arm stopped her.
The grip was loose enough to prevent Lexa from having any pain, but tight enough not to let Lexa budge without causing pain. Lexa turned back around to face the white wolf, her intentions of not moving clear. The wolf released her and the Clarke's voice sounded again in her head, 'I'm sorry I left, Lexa. I needed to be with my pack, and to hunt freely in the forest. I cannot control the spirit within me, what it desires I obey.' The blue eyes continued to burn into her own, 'I have not learned how to release myself from this form, so when we travel to your commander's city, I will go as I am.' Lexa looked at her, her brain already calculating how the entire arrival scenario would play out, and how she would manage to slip away and don her Commander outfit.
"Of course, Clarke, is the rest of your pack with you?" The wolf shook its head.
'No, they ran with me back to the clearing after our hunt, but they needed to return to their young.' Lexa nodded at this, it was a similar situation with her warriors at home.
'Home,' Lexa thought, 'How come I spent so much time wishing to return, but now that I have Clarke I no longer want to go back. I wish to remain just Lexa with her, without the persona of the Commander interrupting what we have.' Wishful thinking, she knew, but she could not find it within herself to banish the dream from her mind entirely.
She was interrupted by a nudge on her arm from the head of the white wolf, leaving a small blood smear across her outer jacket. She wolf turned and nodded its head back near to the fire, Lexa looked over the wolf and saw a hunk of meat sitting on the ground near the outer stone ring. "You brought me part of your kill?" Lexa was stunned; this was a very generous and personal gift, often seen as a courting present in her culture. Lexa knew that Clarke could not know of this, but it still sent happy shudders through Lexa.
The wolf nodded, something akin to pride flashing in its eyes. "I will cook it, I assume you ate already?" The wolf nodded again.
'Not like I would enjoy eating that cooked. Completely destroys it.' Clarke snorted in her head, leaving Lexa deeply affronted.
"I'll have you know that my cooking is quite exceptional, I believe you thought so last night, actually." Lexa argued back to the wolf. The wolf made a face that looked rather like it was raising an eyebrow at Lexa.
'When I am in this form, I do not eat my meat raw, I prefer to feel the fresh blood on my face and feel the heat of the animal leave its body as it enters mine.' Lexa did not know how to respond to this, so she simply grabbed the hunk of meat from the ground and dusted it off lightly before spitting it on a stake and adjusting it so it lay over the fire.
While the meat was cooking, Lexa took the time to pack up the tent and furs, putting it all on her dead guards horses, since they would have no use for them now. Within the hour, the meat was finished, and most of it was stored away for Lexa's use on the journey back, although some of it was eaten then. Lexa turned around to look for the white wolf and found it snoozing beside the heat of the fire. Lexa walked over to its side, twisting her fingers through its fur and tracing the black markings on its back in the same design as Clarke's tattoo.
'Gods I haven't had a massage in ages and that feel amazing, don't you dare stop.' Lexa heard Clarke's pleasure filled voice within her head and it made her smile. She continued to move her fingers up and down the wolf's body, kneading at the large muscles hidden behind the white fur, and stopping to simply stroke its head. Most of the blood had dried on its fur from the heat of the fire, and Lexa honestly found herself not caring that she was running her fingers through blood-encrusted fur; all she thought about was the beautiful creature in front of her.
The wolf's hair was very long near its head, and Lexa suddenly had an idea. She was going to braid Clarke's hair, although she would still be in wolf form, it was an intimate gesture that would return the favor for Clarke bringing her food for the journey back. She laughed to herself at this thought, Clarke would have no idea what the meaning of this meant. Normally, when one braided someone else's hair, it was a sign of great trust, allowing someone to be behind you and close to weakness of your neck.
She threaded her fingers through the long white fur at the base of the wolf's neck, effectively splitting it into three different sections, which she then braided into an elegant line down the wolf's neck. She made sure not to include any of the fur that bore the special markings. It would be important for her people to see them, and accept that the legends were true. In some ways, Lexa thought, it was actually better for Clarke to be in wolf form because then her sign would be open for all to see. It would give them an explanation before Lexa need even speak.
When she was finished, she gently poked the wolf in the side, causing it to grunt and shake its head at her in disapproval. "We need to leave if we want to reach Polis by tonight," Lexa said to the grumpy and still slightly drowsy wolf. The sun was already two hours past sunrise and Lexa knew as much as she would like to stay by the wolf's side playing with its hair, they needed to leave.
The wolf rose to its feet, swaying slightly before shaking off the dirt and pine needles that had collected on its fur while it had rested. Lexa appreciated the size of the wolf before her. Its head was level with her own, making its shoulder height about 15 hands Lexa estimated. It walked over to her and nudged her out of her thoughts, pushing her toward the empty horse. It shied away from the wolf, but approached again at Lexa's demand. She mounted her horse and took off at a slow pace, leading the two horses behind her at a fast trot.
The wolf grinned at her and took off a lope beside her. It was almost as large as her horse, Lexa thought with awe. They traveled for several more hours before Lexa stopped to eat some more of the cooked dear, and let the horses rest and drink some more water before they carried on their way. When the horses had been watered, and Lexa fed, they resumed their journey. Lexa was lost in her thoughts, thinking of the Mountain Men, of Anya, and of her role as Commander. It took her several moments to realize that the wolf was no longer with her.
"For Spirit's sake, can she not even manage to stay with me for more than half a day!" She grumbled to her horse.
'What an amusing sentiment, Lexa, had I known you were so attached I would not have left without saying something.' Lexa could have sworn the wolf smirked while Clarke said this in her head. Lexa felt a blush rising on her neck and up to her cheeks; she desperately tried to repress it, but ended up just turning her back on the wolf.
'Don't be like that. I simply went to hunt. I thought it would make a nice gift for your people, especially since I've killed two of them.' There were hints of remorse within the voice, but for the most part it sounded simply like a formal explanation. Lexa smiled at this, although the thoughts of her lost guards pained her. Little did Clarke know, but bringing food for a person's village was an even larger part of the courting ritual. This was proving to be quite amusing indeed, and she could not wait to see Clarke's face when she found out.
Lexa turned around again, and could see that there was a large deer on its back, and fresh blood trails marring its fur once again. They traveled without stop until the sun had set, and the stars resumed their spots in the dark sky once again. "We are close," Lexa spoke aloud, not pausing to turn and look at the wolf behind her. Up ahead, she could see the orange glow of the flame that sat at the top of the palace. It grew bigger and bigger the closer they came, and eventually Lexa could see the gate coming into view.
"Chon yu bilak (who are you)?" A voice cried out in Trigedasleng.
"A laik Heda Lexa (I am Heda Lexa)," Lexa responded evenly. There were several excited murmurs before the gate opened and a torch bobbed toward them in the night. An older man, maybe of 50 years or so, held it, Lexa thought. The man moved towards her at a broken gait, it seemed as if he had a pronounced limp in his right leg. When he reached her, his smile could be seen and it stretched genuinely across his wrinkled face.
"Heda, em ste koma (Heda, it is an honor)," the man said, while bending low at the waist to replicate some sort of twisted version of a bow. It was there that he caught sight of white paws coming into view, small twigs cracking under its feet as it moved closer. He straightened awkwardly, "Heda!" He exclaimed anxiously, "Ste wulf es komba raun! (There's a wolf approaching!)"
Lexa nodded her head slightly, the man's eyes bugging out and his mouth open in fearful surprise, that he quickly tried to master but failed. The wolf continued to approach until it was standing beside Lexa's horse. The deer was still on its back and it fur was covered in a fresh coat of blood; it must have looked a sight.
"Ste em klir, Heda? (Is it safe, Heda?)" The man asked nervously.
"Mana diskoma ai lectes (Do you intend to dishonor my decisions?)" Lexa asked the man coldly.
She could see him gulp in fear from the flickering light of the torch. "Nowe, Heda, moba, moba (Never, Heda, my apologies, my apologies)," the man replied quickly, his voice barely hiding his fear.
Lexa knew that Clarke could not understand what was being said, especially in her wolf form, so she simply looked harshly at the man and motioned her head back to the gate. The man hobbled away as fast as her could towards the safety of the gate away from the wrath of Lexa and the sight of the wolf.
"We are about to enter Polis, Clarke. I hope that this will change the way you see my people."
'You already have, Lexa,' Clarke replied in her head.
Lexa gulped at this, her heart melting slightly at Clarke's words. "We will give the deer to my people first, before a slight introduction to who you are. Then we go to bed."
The wolf raised an eyebrow again, 'That's awfully forward of you, Lexa.' Clarke's voice laughed in her head and she felt herself blushing again.
She surged ahead on her horse, leaving the wolf standing there in the darkness. Seconds later, she heard familiar padding sounds following her and saw the wolf moving up to stand by her side once more. They passed through the gate and entered the fire lit expanse of Polis.