A/N: A big thank you to all of you who have so patiently stuck by me with this story, despite the big wait for this next chapter – and welcome to all of the people who have favourited, followed or reviewed since I last updated. Your support is so very appreciated! I'm hoping to start regular updates again now – my writing demon is sitting back on my shoulder!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own the characters, events and world of The 100 – that honour goes to Kass Morgan and the writers for the (amazing) TV show.

Recap:

They all eagerly followed the frolicking pair and reached for pieces of fruit of their own. Clarke pulled one straight from the first snarled tree bough she reached, examining the green globular fruit with interest. She took a cautious bite, enjoying the crunchy sound it made, and closed her eyes with a groan – it wasn't the sweetest thing she'd ever tasted. But it was so crisp and fresh and tart on her tongue that she could definitely say it was the sweetest experience.

When she opened her eyes Lincoln was standing close, watching her with those dark eyes of his, his apple forgotten in his hand as it hung limply by his side.

"Do that again." He growled quietly.

Clarke blushed and looked around, seeing everyone else preoccupied with feasting on their find. She took the step needed to close the distance between them and brought the apple up to her mouth for another bite. The minute she swallowed the fruit it's taste was merged with his. He kissed her like it was the only sustenance he needed, like she was the apple in this scenario and every fricking time, and it never failed to ignite her body. His arms cradled her tenderly, an antithesis to the ferocity of his claiming mouth, and Clarke clung to his shoulders.

Because of their intensity it took a moment for her to pick up on the hush that had descended over their group. She broke away from Lincoln with a rueful smile, thinking they were being watched, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end at the horrific, animal snarl breaking the quiet. Lincoln stiffened against her, and Clarke had never felt so frightened in her life when the growls grew in number, and a pack of wild dogs crept stealthily across the clearing towards them – their hackles raised and a vicious, hungry gleam in their eyes.

Chapter Nine

Lincoln

Lincoln shuffled Clarke behind him and instinctively started backing towards the others and further into the orchard. His steps slow and measured, and his heart thundering in his ears. They were all on high alert, Clarke rigid against his back, her fingers gripping tightly to the sides of his t-shirt. Lincoln raged at the idea of her being in so much danger and silently berated himself for not noticing sooner. He'd allowed himself to become distracted in an unfamiliar situation and he was paying for it. Warriors shouldn't get distracted, but he was finding the Sky people had a way of making him lower his guard. It was both freeing and inherently dangerous.

One of the canines, a large black and brown mutt with a triangular face, pushed ahead of the others – his approach was dominant and eerily communicative. He was clearly the alpha, and Lincoln knew when he made his move the others would follow in short order. Spittle dripped from seven sets of prominent fangs and he knew they were probably half starved. The world might be healing itself, but food wasn't as rich a food source as before the war. It was a miracle that many of them were surviving undetected out on the forests edge in the first place.

"What do we do?" Octavia's voice was a staged whisper.

Lincoln quickly glanced behind him to assess the situation and saw she was in a similar position to Clarke, hidden protectively behind her older brother. The jittery boy with the goggles was also doing an admirable job of concealing the other female.

"Don't move another inch, Stirling!" Bellamy ordered one of the two boys who had been edging away from the six of them. He'd made a distinct move to run, the urge to flee written all over his face. His companion, a tall shifty looking boy, looked as though he too was contemplating abandoning them to a nasty fate.

"Slow and easy. Everyone must back away. No sudden movements." Lincoln darted his eyes from the incoming trail of canines to the grizzly leader stealthily backing them into the copse of trees.

They were a large but undernourished pack. If there were any smaller ones it was entirely possible they'd already been eaten by their family. There were plenty of cannibalistic humans - cannibalistic dogs didn't seem like such a stretch of the imagination. And Lincoln knew that being undernourished didn't mean weakness. Sometimes desperation gave you strength.

"What about the trees?" Clarke suggested, her breath tickling his ear as she reached on her tip toes to talk to him. Lincoln squeezed her hip to encourage her further. "They won't be able to climb after us, and it will buy us some time."

"They'll surround us." Bellamy snapped. He sounded just as frustrated as Lincoln felt at their situation. "We'll just be delaying their meal time and making them angrier."

"Not if we use them to get away." Clarke argued. "Not just to hide, but to jump from one to the other until we get to somewhere safer. Harper, you take Jasper, and Octavia can direct Bellamy."

Without waiting for the consensus, Clarke fisted the material of his t-shirt and started directing his backwards steps towards an unseen tree. He went easily, agreeing with her idea as the only feasible option.

"I'm not leaping from tree to tree like the savages." The shifty boy groused. "And over a bunch of hungry, feral dogs waiting to tear off our limbs – fuck that."

Lincoln growled lowly in his direction.

"Then you'll have to take your chances on the ground, Dax." Bellamy muttered distractedly.

Affording himself another glimpse of their positioning, Lincoln saw that Octavia and Harper had followed Clarke's directions and they were all poised at the base of sturdy looking trees, ready to scramble up them at a moment's notice. The two reluctant boys were staring at them all incredulously and continued backing into the orchard, as if they thought there was some unseen boundary the dogs wouldn't dare to cross. If that was what they were hoping, they would be sorely disappointed.

Lincoln watched Octavia sneer at Dax and fought down his inappropriate laughter. "Serve as a distraction for the rest of us why don't you. There's a good boy."

"Distraction." Dax spat. "I don't need a distraction - I have a gun!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Jasper warned. But it was too late – at some unseen signal, Dax and Stirling took off in a sprint, spraying bullets intermittently and indiscriminately behind them. One of the pack yelped in pain and the rest charged as one furious herd of slathering jaws.

Lincoln pushed Clarke the rest of the way up the tree, glad she hadn't waited for his assistance to start her ascent, and then leapt smoothly after her, swinging himself onto the closest branch one handed. Climbing trees was natural for him, despite Dax's derogatory comments, but he worried the others wouldn't manage quite as well.

He huddled around Clarke, keeping her safely in the net of his arms, and watched Bellamy kick off one of the dogs that had managed to bite at his leg but only managed to catch the lip of his boot. The dog squealed when the thrust sent it reeling into a tree and Bellamy managed to get himself to safety. Jasper and Harper were safely clinging to their own branch with looks of pure astonishment that they'd made it so far unscathed.

The unholy sound of bullets thudding into trunks and the flesh of the dogs made a sordid soundtrack to their escape. As the six of them took stock of their mutual safety with an element of respite, a terrified masculine scream reverberated from further into the trees.

"Who do you think bit it?" Octavia asked grimly. Jasper looked like he might throw up and Bellamy frowned.

The dogs could be heard fighting over their hard won meal, and the pained cries of one of the boys soon died away. Lincoln was used to the grim reality of this new world, but he saw the loud and vicious death had shaken his companions from their white-washed faces and large pupils.

"Now what?" Harper asked shakily.

"Now, we leap through the trees like savages." Clarke responded with a wink in his direction.

He let his fingers slide into her hair and pulled her in for a kiss fraught with relief. She was warm and comforting to him now, and his heart got the message and slowed down. She was safe, and he had every intention of keeping her that way. When he pulled away he was pleased to see that Clarke seemed calmer too.

"Alright, Tarzan." Bellamy piped up from his leafy perch several feet away. "How do we get out of this mess?"

Lincoln's brow furrowed. "Tarzan?"

Bellamy laughed. "I'll tell you all about him later. You'd be surprised how much the two of you have in common."

Clarke snorted. "If you start referring to me as Jane we're going to have problems."

"Never fear, Princess. Your nickname is solid." Octavia chuckled.

Clarke rolled her eyes and squeezed his arm to get them moving. Lincoln shifted, scrambling effortlessly up the branches until he was at the highest tier of the trunk, then walked swiftly across the thickest branch of their tree to get a better lay of the land – of the treescape, as the case was. Spotting the easiest route for all of them, and the place where all their paths would intersect, he returned gently, trying not to make the tree sway under Clarke's footing, to find them all raptly observing him.

He met each of their gazes. "Follow my direction – watch how I balance. Light steps, strong grip with your hands and feet. Do not look at the ground, look ahead at the branch you stand on and the one you will jump to."

They all nodded an affirmative and looked at the branches around them as though assessing one of life's great puzzles. Lincoln manoeuvred Clarke behind him and ducked down to point out the path he intended they take.

"Put your hands and feet where I do." He met her eyes fiercely. "If the dogs return, do not be afraid. I will not let them hurt you. If you think you may fall, grab onto me."

"We'll stick low, in case one of us falls." Clarke assured the others.

Lincoln swept his hand across her cheek, unable to ignore the compulsion to touch her, then set his mind on the task of getting them all out of there alive. More shots fired out ahead of them as he crept along the bow of the branch, checked behind him to make sure Clarke had a good handhold, before he leapt into the neighbouring tree. He quickly shuffled to make room.

He looked back to see Clarke hadn't hesitated in following him, and he caught out at her when she leapt right into his arms.

"See, easy." Lincoln murmured to her, his voice brimming with pride. She gave him a huge grin and then separated to watch the others echoing their movements. They were a little awkward, he observed, but their determination was enough.

"I feel like this is a great opportunity to shout, "I'm the king of the world." Jasper declared from his perch. "Only I'm afraid of incurring the wrath of any watching people with spears."

Lincoln snorted his amusement. He met Jasper's eyes and nodded in reassurance. The boy had more cause than the others to have reservations about spending time with the perceived enemy but he was taking it in his stride.

Something made Lincoln stop and search behind them - an awareness that prickled at the back of his spine and alerted him to…something. Something not being right. He extended his senses – listened for noise outside of the ones they were making as a group. Searched for something out of the ordinary – something that shouldn't be there – but it was just the trees and the clearing. Lincoln shook it off and turned away, more determined than ever to get away from the area.

Clarke

Following Lincoln as he darted effortlessly between the trees, it became obvious the grounders were so much more attuned to nature than the 100. It wasn't surprising, but it made Clarke aware that they could definitely use some lessons from Lincoln in more than just hand to hand combat.

"We're approaching the edge of the orchard." Lincoln called from the tree ahead of her – his dark eyes scanning her face.

He'd made a point of checking on her progress every few seconds. Under some circumstances it would have made her feel stifled, irritable even, but she knew he was just worried about her. After a few lunges her wound had begun to twinge – now it throbbed with every movement she took, and as much as she'd tried to cover it, she knew he was aware of the problem. Clarke breathed a silent sigh of relief that the end was nigh.

"I'm hungry." Jasper grumbled from behind her. They'd all gathered together in the same strip of trees after following Lincoln's set path and it was comforting to know they were all together again.

Clarke laughed when Octavia threw an apple at his head. "Eat an apple, buddy."

Jasper grumbled under his breath and quickly followed after Clarke when she leapt to the next tree. She saw Lincoln was correct the minute she stood where he had. The other side of the clearing was visible, and close, as was a bloody, mangled heap of clothing she suspected was one of the boy's bodies. She counted five, maybe six dogs scattered nearby in silent, crumpled heaps.

"I'm going to go down and make sure it's safe." Lincoln spoke close to her ear and she lifted her eyes away from the gruesome display to realise he was watching her closely with concern clear in his eyes.

"Be careful." She told him, trying not to let her worry become visible.

"Always." He grinned at her and leapt lithely to the ground.

"Where's Tarzan going?" Bellamy asked.

"To make sure we're off the menu." She replied with a smirk.

Lincoln swiftly appeared back at the base of the tree and stretched his arms out towards her. "Jump. I will catch you."

Clarke didn't hesitate, and although he braced for the impact of her body, she couldn't help the groan that escaped her mouth when he inadvertently grasped her wound to keep her in his arms. He quickly let go, propping her on her feet and looking at her apologetically. She patted his arms gently in reassurance.

"Don't suppose you want to catch me too?" Jasper called from the tree.

Lincoln and Clarke laughed, and Clarke took the opportunity to lean some of her weight on Lincoln. He was so strong, and right now pain and exhaustion was creeping up on her.

"Stop being a punk and jump." Bellamy called as he made his own unpractised leap to the ground, landing with bent knees and rolling to the floor.

He reached up to help Octavia, who had made her own inexpert leap, and when she was safely beside him he moved on to Harper. Jasper still stood eyeing the ground like it was a pit of vipers.

"Is that a mountain lion?" Octavia screamed at him, pointing to the branch above him.

"What? Where?" Jasper's voice was as high pitched as a two-year-old girl's. His rapid and unsteady movements as he scanned the tree in which he stood sent him tumbling down with a strangled yelp.

Clarke bent forward to help him pick himself off the floor and tried not to laugh.

"You play dirty." He frowned at Octavia, rubbing his elbow and bending down to retrieve his goggles after they'd been slung loose.

"Only if you ask nicely."

"Octavia!" Bellamy grouched.

"Relax, big brother." Octavia winked at Clarke.

Harper looked a little sickly when she turned away from the remnants of the bloody fight they'd only heard and not seen and looked at Clarke. "I only see six dogs – there were seven, right? I'm not crazy thinking there's one of these shits missing?"

Lincoln nodded in agreement. "You are not crazy. The alpha is missing."

"Fantastic." Bellamy griped. "What do we do now? We can't wait around for it to attack again. That fucker almost took my foot off."

"No, you're right." Clarke agreed. "We can't wait around - we've got to keep going. We'll just have to have someone always on watch throughout the night."

"Right. Let's get moving." Bellamy concurred.

As one they edged around the bloody scene with matching looks of caution, disgust and regret.

"Can anyone tell who it is?" Octavia asked, ironically staring at the sky to avoid the gory, contorted corpse of one of their camp mates.

Clarke, used to blood if not such severe wounds, examined what was left of the body with a critical eye. "It's sterling." She decided, seeing the colour of the hair through the blood.

"Are you sure?" Lincoln asked her.

"Definitely."

"Then the human with the worst attitude is still out there too." He replied.

Bellamy laughed dryly and led them across the clearing. His strides were large and Clarke hurried to keep up – they all did, aside from Lincoln who seemed more eager than any of them to get out of there.

When they reached the edge of the trees Clarke watched Lincoln pause and tilt his head, as though he was listening to something the rest of them were unaware of. When he frowned and kept going, she reached out a hand to tag his and carried on walking, their fingers strongly entwined.

It felt like hours later to Clarke when they heard the rumble of fast moving water ahead of them, though she knew it couldn't have been that long in reality. Moments later the large trees cleared to reveal a wide, tumultuous river that she instantly knew was going to be a challenge to cross.

"Not good." Octavia moaned.

"We should camp here tonight." Lincoln told them. "We can cross the river tomorrow."

"Isn't it better to get it over with now?" Bellamy argued.

"No. Clarke is exhausted. You're all tired – it would be easy to get swept away in that tide."

Bellamy looked like he still disagreed, but Jasper piped up his agreement. "I'm all for waiting until the morrow!"

"Fine." Bellamy agreed. "I'll take first watch."

Lincoln nodded. "I'll take second."

"Me next." Octavia offered, her tone upbeat.

Jasper startled when Octavia nudged him. "I'll take fourth!"

Clarke laughed and grinned at Harper. "Looks like you and me get a good nights sleep."

Lincoln

They'd started a fire for warmth as darkness settled its mark on the forest, turning the trees into blocks of shadow and bringing with it a distinct chill. Winter would be upon them soon, and the idea of a sturdy structure which he could share with Clarke was a most welcome thought.

Lincoln bit down on an apple from their stash and watched Clarke sleep with a deep sense of something distinctly proprietary and protective. As though sensing his gaze, she mumbled in her sleep and opened her eyes with a start.

"Nightmare?" he asked gently, reaching out to feather his fingers across her forehead.

She closed her eyes and smiled at him. "Yeah."

His gut squeezed at her admission. He wanted to take away all of her pain, the real and the imagined. He wanted to cocoon her somewhere safe – just the two of them. No disturbances. No danger. No responsibility except to each other. The more he thought about it the more perfect it sounded.

"Go back to sleep." He commanded her.

She grinned indulgently at him then and started to rise. "I will, as soon as I've used the excellent forest facilities."

"I'll go with you." He started to stand.

Clarke pushed his shoulders down, using them as a crutch to get up and keep him from following. "No need – I'll just be behind the trees. Back before you know it."

He watched her go – ignoring the ache it caused in his chest. He didn't like the idea of her walking away from him. It felt more than a little irrational, but he couldn't seem to help it.

The sound of branches breaking cracked heavily in the night, and a small rumble beneath his feet felt like large quantities of earth had just shifted. Lincoln leapt up and ran towards the direction Clarke had disappeared.

"Clarke!" he yelled frantically – searching the pitch darkness for a sign of where she'd gone. A few trees in he stopped and examined the gaping hole in the forest floor where tree roots and earth used to be. He edged around it, only to see another cave in further on.

"Clarke." He called – kneeling down beside the first hole. "Tell me where you are, now!"

The others, newly awoken, had followed him and added their own sleepy, worried shouts until his ears rung.

"Quiet." He admonished – waiting for a sign of where she might be.

"Shit." Bellamy exclaimed in a whisper.

Suddenly Lincoln heard growls rising through the opening, from somewhere deep beneath them, and he leapt down the dark chasm without a second thought to how deep it might be or whether he'd be injured. Clarke needed him. That was everything he needed to know.

A/N: Please do review – they make it so much more worth it – especially as it's MY BIRTHDAY TODAY (Christmas Eve) so they're like getting little gifts! Also – MERRY CHRISTMAS – hope you all have a fantastic time tomorrow!