Chapter 13: Mama is Angry.
"You know when I said let's take a walk I meant alone right?" Clarke asks lexa, ignoring the death glare lexas guard, Gustus she's learned, is sending her.
"I am Heda." Is all lexa said in return, though Clarke can't complain since she knows that's exactly why they're accompanied by two guards.
Clarke just nods and goes back to looking around, missing Lexa's curious look.
"Clarke? Were you serious when you said you didn't know what earth looked like?"
Clarke's face grows sad and she once again misses the emotions flashing across lexas eyes, to focused on the agony death feels at being separated from his home for so long.
"Death has been mostly asleep since the bombs fell. He only fully awoken when my mother gave birth to me. He only has memories of the old world, and the faintest flashes of those he has chosen since then..." Clarke trails off slowly wishing with all her power to make death stop hurting.
Years of pain building up and up until it topples over into rivers of red. Only taking the host when he is forced to let out these pent up feelings.
'Maybe that's why wanheda is so feared. When we ruled the rivers ran blood and the children ran screaming.' Clarke thinks to herself, knowing deep within herself that it was true. Not even needing death to confirm it.
"... clarke…" Lexa trails of slowly feeling the mostly dormant spirit of Heda whaling in agony with its darker counterpart.
Swallowing, Lexa steps forward and grabs Clarke's arm, "We'll continue alone." She says glancing over her shoulders at her guards, wishing to make this sky girl feel better, less alone.
Gustitis and the other glance at each other before one of them speaks up, "We'll follow from farther behind." They want to give Wanheda and Heda space but their duty calls for them to protect their leader.
Lexa nods knowing that that will be the best she can get, which is fine she concludes silently to herself as long as she gets to be alone with Clarke.
They walk together in a peaceful silence taking comfort in each other's calming presence, enjoying the familiar feeling of home they seem to get when with one another, even if they don't understand why yet.
"I'm sorry for earlier. " Clarke says eventually, confusing Lexa
"Why would you be sorry?"
"I let my emotions get the best of me." Clarke tells her shamefully, knowing that just by looking at her Lexa doesn't like emotions.
Lexa shakes her head, "You are allowed to show emotions Klark, just be careful who with." Something about Clarke makes Lexa want to throw out a lifelong worth of being taught emotions were weakness and finally feel something other than pressured and lonely.
'Maybe I can finally just be lexa.' She thinks hopefully, glancing at Clarke. Unintentionally flashing heart eyes, thought thankful no one seems to notice.
"Life is more than just surviving." Clarke states, promising herself that she wont let WanHeda rule her, Clarke Griffin doesn't bow to anyone not even herself.
"Not here, not yet." Lexa tells her, unable to hide her sadness at her perceived failure at leading.
"Soon." Clarke promises, "I can feel it in my bones."
Lexa let's her lips quirk into the smallest of smiles, "Then I believe you."
They smile at each other, a promise in their eyes to do their people right, to make life worth living.
Clarke opens her mouth to ask Lexa some questions that have been burning in mind since she's arrived but is interrupted by a vicious roar.
Freezing in place they glance at each other before Lexa orders " PUANA RUN!".
They turn around and run in sync, which if Clarke wasn't currently running for her life she would be impressed by.
Hearing the beast catch up Clarke runs every possibility through her head trying to find some solution to save them, though there was no need as the pauna darted forward in front of them and swat at one of lexa's guards, tearing him into two bone chilling pieces.
"GUSTUS HEAD BACK TO TONDC GET HELP!" Lexa yells out, wanting to get the man she sees as a father as far away from this as she can get.
"But-"
"NOW!" she barks out, fully embracing her as Clarke has dubbed it 'Heda Voice'.
Finally he nods before darting off. Clarke, seeing that the paunas attention was focused on him, takes the knife she keeps strapped to her and throws it as hard as she can.
They watch in worry as the knife slams itselfs into its eyes causing it to roar painfully and stagger backwards.
"We need to get out of here." Clarke whispers quietly.
Before Lexa can answer Clarke catches out of the corner of her eye something small, swings through the trees and drops onto the paunas head.
"ZILLA?!" Clarke let's out confused, remembering that she made her and Loki stay at camp.
".. Zilla?" Lexa can't help but to ask confused, while she watches a tiny pauna chase off a much bigger one.
Once the pained yells the bigger pauna was making dies out due to the distance Zilla put between Clarke finally answers.
"Zilla is my.. Pet?"
"Pet? You have a pet pauna?!" Led asks twirling around to look at Clarke in shock.
"Uhhh yeah?" Clarke says embarrassed, her hand coming up to scratch this back of her neck.
"A pet pauna?" Lexa repeats, which Clarke nods to.
"Why?!"
Clarke shrugs "Not sure it kinda held onto me and wouldn't let go."
Lexa stares in awe, "of course wanheda would have a pet pauna." She breathes out quietly though with her good hearing Clarke heard.
Clarke opens her mouth to retort but is stopped by lexas sudden snort.
"What's next, a panther?" She asks jokingly, before watching in horror as Clarke glances away not answering.
Lexa stares at Clarke in a mix of wonder and horror while Clarke looks around wishing that the Pauna killed her when it had the chance.
That's how a large group of warriors find them a little bit later.
"Heda?" Gustus asks, confused.
"The puana is dead." Is all she says, too busy staring at the small pauna currently picking at Clarke's hair.
"Dead?" He asks, glancing at the other guards.
Clarke nods before turning to the group, bringing attention to the animal currently hanging on her.
"Yeah Zilla here killed it." She says lifting her hand to pet her.
"Zilla?"
"You didn't know? Wanheda has a pet Puana and panther." Lexa tells them, coming out of her shock, promising herself to speak more about this to clake later.
'Maybe after a bath.' She muses, a small thud brings her out of her thoughts.
Glancing forward she sees one of her warriors unconscious on the ground.
Clarke steps forward, peering down at them courisly, "Are they ok?" She recognizes them as one of the few that fainted when she meet with Anya.
"With you here I don't think any of us will be." Gustus tells her blunty.