They've returned to the drop ship, assigning guards and trying to scrape together some kind of weaponry. Several spears amass by the bay door, lined ready for departure.
"What do we know about this thing?"
"It's fucking scary is what this thing is." Jasper supplies which causes Monty to snort.
Clark frowns at them. "Great, it's scary as fuck, next?"
"None of us could bite through its skin." Atom says, still bent over and sharping the ends of a piece of metal, a band of cloth wrapped as his handle. "It was like chewing into wax."
"Yeah it's a giant crayon the size of a ship and the shade of pearly death."
Clarke snaps her fingers at Monty so he slumps back. "Aggrandizing it into an unstoppable monster isn't going to help, it's an animal and it has a name, Lerna."
"What do you expect us to even do to it?" Atom snipingly questioned.
"What do you think that piece of metal can do?" Jasper taunts, miming knife jabs into the air. "Poke it to death?"
Atom slaps Jasper's hand down. "I came out too late so when I tried to turn I couldn't, whatever the moon does to help us is too far to do it now and I can't control the shift."
Atom laughs at everyone's startled expression. "None of you have even tried to shift, and the longer we waste time talking instead of going to Bellamy is another moment wasted." He stands, brushing the dust from his body and turning to go. "It's a long run for a wolf and it's going to be longer while stuck like this."
"We have to bring something to help them, pure numbers isn't enough." Wells calls after him, they've already thrown every one of their wolves at the Lerna before and it was no help.
Wells is standing behind Clarke's right side, seeming as a permanent structure now that she hasn't snarled at him in every quiet moment.
Clarke nods. "Just give us a moment, if we really can't shift then what can you hope to do?"
"More than whatever you're doing now!" Atom snarls, his hand tight around the dagger. "It has Octavia!"
"And the youngest in our camp or is your care only extended to a potential mate?" Clarke's words have Atom shrinking back. "What do we have here to fight the Lerna, Monty, please you know the mechanical frame work of this dropship better than any of us, is there anything here that we can use?"
"Lerna?" Roma lifts her head up from Monroe's lap, eyes barely able to open. "As in the Lernaean Hydra?"
"Maybe?" Clarke looks at Wells who appears to be trying to remember one of the stories he has had access to because of his father's library.
"The Greek Myths," Roma sighs, struggling to sit up and gives Monroe a thankful smile when she rushes to help, "it's a classic but if the name has any meaning then maybe the 'animal' is weak to fire."
"Heracles twelve labours?" Wells queries.
Roma nods and Atom scuffs, arms crossed and unimpressed. "Great, the privilege know about mythical stories."
Clarke ignores Atom, tilting her head for Roma to continue.
"No matter how many heads were lopped off the Hydra grew more until the wounds were cauterized by fire."
"If that's all we have then at least it's something, I don't care if the myth has any holding. If it's an animal then it should fear fire." Clarke looks to Monty. "Do you think we can craft anything in the ship to start a fast fire?"
Monty shrugs, turning 360 around the cabin before helplessly staring back at Clarke. "I'm an engineer not a magician I can't just summon flames to shoot at it, I mean if we had enough fuel or time I could maybe get parts of the ship moving to scare it away?"
"Monty you're a genius!" Clarke cheers, wrapping her arms around the startled boy.
"I am?" He asks, quizzically pleased with himself.
"There has to be fuel left over in the tanks from our landing, if we can find a way to transport some of it to the cave and douse the Lerna then light it with an emergency flare we can do some damage."
"We got to go now or we won't be any help at all, we are already twenty minutes behind Bellamy's group." Atom starts ripping at panels, scaring some patients awake with his brute force method.
Clarke looks pointedly at Monty which gets him scurrying towards the unshielded panels. "Accessing the fuel isn't the issue; the question is how we are going to get it there?"
"Alright, everyone else here that can help, start pulling the insulating plastics within the exposed sections Atom has so helpfully revealed, Finn, Wells," Clarke puts her attention to them, "do you two think you can make us some kind of canister, I can suture the pieces together, it doesn't have to hold firm since I think we should only get close enough to throw the packages, it just have to last till we can get to the cave."
Wells and Finn start delegating willing groups and Jasper automatically goes to help Monty.
Clarke grabs Atom before he can impatiently leave. "I'm not keeping you long, I need you to run as fast as you can after Bellamy and tell him to wait for us."
"What makes you think we aren't already too late?" Atom shakes Clarke from his arm. "The prisoners and the others could've been eaten by now."
"I know that someone else is already sending people in to get their own, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that they would know whether or not the Lerna feeds immediately or wait on a corpse to decompose."
Atom looks indecisive but with Clarke shoving him into a run he waves a mocking salute back at her. "I'll tell them."
"Who told you they were sending more people?" Monroe asks casually, her hand stroking through the once again asleep Roma's tangled tresses.
"It doesn't matter." Clarke states, shoulder tense and refusing to face Monroe.
"Clarke, I'm not interrogating you," Monroe waits till Clarke acknowledges that fact, "you saved Roma from bleeding to death tonight; I'm here to help and was just trying to look out for you."
Clarke wearily sits next to the pair, indulging enough to lean back but trying to prevent herself from collapsing all the way down. Before Bellamy had taken a lot of their group with him she has spent the hours after their run helping those in pain. She's starting to feel like sleep will take her but fights against it, she shifts her focus instead on watching the attentive care Monroe was showing Roma. "You chased after her."
Monroe smirks. "Funny how we might have never met, I'm a nobody and she was getting trained to be the head of agriculture but was given the choice of joining the archivist." Monroe sounds absolutely bemused. "Others were running for her as well and yet she turned and chose me."
"Hey," Clarke places a hand on Monroe's bicep and waits for the girl to meet her eyes, "you're an important part of our group now, you were never a nobody and you're already significant to Roma."
Monroe blushes and presses a kiss to Roma's forehead. "She's pretty significant to me too, but thanks Clarke, thanks for looking out for everyone."
"I'm going to try."
…
Even with everyone working as fast as we could it takes almost an hour to complete the packages. Bags made from material scrounge together, the outer layers made of seat cushion covering and the shoulder strap a repurposed seat belt. Monty came through and got them access to one of the four fuel tanks and they took as much as they could carry. The plastic lining the inside sloshed with fuel and they had to use one hand to grasp the opening just in case there were leaks.
In the end Wells, Finns and Clarke are the only ones really able to travel the distance to the caves. Monroe had volunteered to come as well but Clarke asked her to stay and guard the others. The sound of the heavy bay door groaning shut still vibrates in their minds.
They make it to the caves at high noon, the sun scorched down on them under the breezeless day. The entrance to the monster's den is a gaping hole into an abyssal darkness. The angle of the sun only makes the pitch darkness within ever more menacing. Their group is strewn across the shore, some in the shade with lolling tongues and bloodied bodies.
A wolf Bellamy rushes to anxiously sniff at them. Nathan is alert and following at Bellamy's right while Jones paces at the Alpha's left. Atom runs up to explain what had happened. The people Clarke mentioned have yet to show up. The others know now that if they shifted they wouldn't be able to change back. He had caught up too late, the group having stormed the cave only to be thrashed back. They were gathering energy for another run in when Atom had arrived. Several had been wounded and dragged into the shade of the forest. Clarke tends to Murphy and Sterling first, both in human form while some refuse to shift back.
"Bellamy, tell the wounded to turn back into human form."
Bellamy growls and looks to the cave.
"He needs us stronger, if they shift back they won't be able to help." Atom explains.
"They won't live if I don't tend to their injuries now!" Clarke snarls, Finn and Wells stand firmly beside her while Nathan and Murphy grow restless with the Alpha and Omega fighting before them. "I have no idea how to bandage canine bodies."
Murphy curls his lips, about to say something but Clarke tightening the bandage around his side cuts him right off. He abashedly swallows his words, whining until Clarke's touch softens.
"No one has noticed the aid you mentioned." Atom kneels to help hold down Sterling as she moves to focus on the hanging arm; he struggles against her hands and shrieks when she pushes the dislocated joint in.
Bellamy sides collapse in as he gives a big huff; he turns to the others and barks, moving to nose his snout at their necks until they melt back into human form. He looks pointedly at Clarke then at the wounded. She doesn't need any more encouragement, instantly helping those that were bleeding out.
The others can only watch, the prolonged cries of pain lessening with each patient Clarke treats. The tight unease in the group relaxes as more are able to drift into a blank sleep. Their injuries no longer enough to jostle them from their rest; the healing will speed up now that they weren't trapped in a limbo state of consciousness.
"Then we'll have to go with our plan." Finn sets his two bags down, careful of their contents. "We'll lure the Lerna out then douse it."
"I have the flares but we only have two so this has got to work the first time." Wells holds up the matching red sticks in one hand. "There's no wind today so any fire damage we start should be a minimum to the forest."
"Great, thanks for the notice fire ranger." Murphy irritably mumbles through a mouthful of blood, the right side of his face having been torn wide open.
"Like it or not this is our home now, we've met people living on the ground that has survived the 100 years we were away and we can't unnecessarily jeopardize their lives." Wells glares at the other Arker, daring him to say anything else.
Clarke places her hand on Wells and shakes her head. The idiot wasn't worth their time arguing with, they had people still inside. "Has it come out of the cave at all or does it only charge when you are within a certain distance?"
"We've been here for a while now, as long as we don't stand in front of the mouth of the cave the thing doesn't come and it never goes further than it needs to chase us away." Sterling explains, being the mouthpiece of the group since the others in human shape were out like a light or choking out blood like Murphy. Atom having just arrived has only seen so much.
"It's guarding and won't leave to give chase, sounds like it has young to protect." Finn discerns. "We lure it, set it on fire then then maybe two of us can go in for the girl and Octavia."
"We need at least four people or more, there's another inside the caves that might need our help."
Sterling growls at Clarke's suggestion, slamming his good palm against the ground as he tries to push and get back to his feet. "Why should we help them when we haven't seen hide or tail of them coming to help us, these savages have left their own to die why should we risk our necks for those on the ground, for these Grounders."
"This isn't the Ark, we don't get floated because of resources and we won't be setting anyone's life at forfeit." Clarke glowers down at Sterling until the Beta averts his gaze. He's not so quick to forget who has lessened the insufferable pain.
"Okay great, everyone matters, kumbaya, so we have three spears," Murphy points to the two in Finn's hands and the one with Clarke; "some medical supplies and fuel hopefully enough to kill the damn thing?"
"Pretty much, this is all we could carry over while making sure as much of the fuel we wanted to bring would last the trek." Wells takes a glance at the smattering of furry bodies hidden in the forest. "And we have about 30 or so wolves that can still fight?"
Bellamy dips his head in a yes then turns to Clarke for her plan.
"Right." Clarke glances around the cluster of teens, a nervousness settling along her back now that she's expected to lead the attack but the feeling only last for a moment, it was now or never.
She kneels and draws out the cave opening and their positions. "There seems to be a single entrance so we'll have one person draw the Lerna out," she circles a figure at the cave mouth, "and others on the roof readying to pour the fuel down," several x's marked to the top of the cave, "we'll need two people to throw out the flares just in case one doesn't land," a fire symbol at the sides of the cave, "and a third group has to act as rescue for everyone within the cave." She ends the drawing by circling a group of triangles and dragging the line into the cave.
"So someone has to be live bait." Atom questions, his voice laced with concern.
"It has to be the fastest of us," Clarke confirms, "Bellamy will have to utilize everyone else still able fight to keep the creature from going into the water or returning back to its cave while our third team is going in."
"If you think for a moment you're going to be the lure-"
"Finn, I'm going with the rescue team." Clarke raises her hand to stall anyone else's dispute. "I'm the only one with any medical knowledge and I'll know if we can safely move the prisoners or not, that's it, end of discussion."
Everyone tenses but Clarke's tone leaves little room for discussion. Bellamy ends the standoff by putting his paw over the spot for baiter and looks up at Clarke for her say in the matter.
"You'll have to appoint others to form the herding groups," Bellamy nods and nudges at Nathan while Clarke delegates the tasks, "one to keep Lerna from returning to the cave," he then turns to Jones, "and another to keep it from the water."
The appointed generals stand, dispersing into the woods to choose their wolves while the remaining humans wait for Clarke to pick her people.
"This is insane," Wells states, ever at Clarke's side, "have you realized that if you're caught in the cave and you can't make it out then our group has no Medic."
"That's why you're coming with me so you better have my back." This time.
…
They've managed to construct two makeshift stretchers from the jackets on Finn, Wells and Clarke. Everyone is set at their spots. Nathan's group on one side ready to become a blockade to the waters while Jones's group is broken further into two smaller sets, facing each other outside of the view of the cave so the Lerna doesn't get alerted to their presence on either sides of Bellamy.
Bellamy stands with his ears perked up and his body as straight and tall as he can possibly stretch, he's stationed at the entrance of the cave. His eyes on Clarke's last minute preparations, waiting for her signal. Clarke's group consists of Finn, Wells, Atom and Murphy who can still move but can hardly talk without blood dripping everywhere.
The others are in a varied state of anxiousness, their ears perking forward then pivoting partially back. Eyes narrowed against the sunlight and mouths opening and closing in half aborted whines or bark. They are tense as a spring trap.
Clarke raises her spear into the air and the entire pack falls silent. She makes eye contact with Bellamy and with a nod from her has him speeding into the cave. His paws fly over the ground and they watch as he disappears but never lose his barks. His cries are a resounding echo, giving some indication of the depth of the monster's lair.
Bellmay's voice is all but gone until his calls suddenly spike in volume. His barking comes along with an ear ringing screech. Some of the Arkers duck close to the ground to prepare against the pain while others howl out to cover the Lerna's bellows.
Bellamy shoots out with a shrieking body of waxy white thrashing after him. Clarke motions for her team to run in, an open flare having lit the torch in her hand. She'll have to trust that the others have doused the Lerna in fuel and the flares left behind have already started the damage. She'll have to trust that Bellamy and the others will do everything in their power to give them the minutes they'll need.
The ground beneath their feet is saturated with moisture, seaweed lines the sandy floors making them almost fall twice as they go deeper into the seemingly endless tunnel. The torch only shines so far and the darkness refuses to be penetrated by their single light source. The shadows creep around them, coiling their view from anything more than metres away.
Near the sides of the tunnel are several sinkholes where slithering sand continuously trickles down. There's no bottom to that particular fall and they are weary to travel away from the sturdy middle of the cave. The cavern is thankfully a very straight one, there's no winding turns or sudden corners but the darkness only steals closer with each step they take.
They make it pass an alcove, the sound of crying keeping them from going further. Clarke ventures first, carefully wading through the darkness to shine light on bloated moose carcass. She almost screams but Wells is behind her in an instant, hand steadying her arm. In the very back of the alcove they spot two sandy creatures, tiny replicas of the monster outside. These two are barely the size of a dog and they move excitedly towards the intruders. Their mouths gleam with fresh blood as they sniff at Clarke, tongue unfurling out to slick around her ankle.
She's frozen by the curious touch, they were just young, tiny and unprotected and their parent was only providing for them. Another moan has her perking her head up over the inquisitive Lerna young to find Octavia. There are numerous bite marks along her exposed body but very little blood. Her eyes are closed and in her arms is another girl, one not from their camp.
It's was her people or these creatures.
Clarke closes her eyes and slams down the spear. It incites a sharp wail from the tiny thing and scares its sibling backing into the pile of bloated dead bodies. It's hissing, frills spreading out as it bobs its head and shows its teeth. Murphy rushes forward with a rock in his hands; he slams the blunt object into the smaller creature's temple and doesn't stop until its mewling ends.
The others watch Murphy resignedly as he drops the rock and turns to Clarke. "What."
"Nothing," Clarke quickly checks over Octavia's body, noting a fractured rib but her neck was alright, "just get Octavia on the stretcher and the girl as well, we should be able to hold two until the outside."
Charlotte, the one from the Ark is in much more dire sights, her entire body is bloated but the small bite wounds are already clotting up. Her eyes are swollen shut and her continuous whimpers barely audible. "Hey, shhhhh, we're here now, come on."
Being this close to the girl Clarke can feel her grimy fevered skin. They'll have to get everyone injured into the lake as quickly as possible.
"Sis em ai." A gravelly voice next to Charlotte groans, he's a huge man with tattoos lining the skin of his bloodied face. He seems to have just awaken, a head wound oozing red lazily as he raises.
He shocks Clarke enough to have her falling back and Wells to come rushing forward while Murphy snatches Finn's spear to pose it over the man's throat.
"Hod op!"
The group turns, the torchlight outlining another Grounder. The woman has her eyelids streaked with black paint, a sword expertly held high in her hands.
"Back the fuck out." Murphy spits through a mouthful of blood as he turns his spear to the newest but the woman easily dispatches the weapon from the boy's hand.
"We don't have time for this, we have to get the wounded out of here before the Lerna returns." Clarke stands arms outstretched before the prone Murphy, situating herself before the newest Grounder, she almost wants to submit but she forces the notion from her mind. "We can fight after we get the injured out safely!"
The Grounder sniffs the air, wide eyes on Clarke and a snarl on her lips but she turns to the mouth of the alcove instead. "Lerna raun hir."
The quicken sound of sloshing water and sand has them backing deeper in the tight alcove. Seconds later a charred head comes shooting into the tight space. Clarke jumps back, dragging Murphy with her as he loses his footing in the bloody sand. Part of the Lerna's back is still on fire, the fuel keeping the flesh perfect tinder. The fire from its back casts a ghastly light into the entire nook. The light shows more bodies up and around them, plastered against the higher up walls and all desiccated and gruesome to the sight.
The Grounder slashes her sword at the Lerna and looks momentarily surprised as her blade slides through the creature's temple which causes the beast to rear its head out from the chamber. Howls and yips from the Arkers chasing after their prey come resoundingly quick.
They watch as wolf upon wolf throw themselves at the Lerna's charred body, tearing chucks off and then going in for more. Bellamy leads at the forefront, bringing his group with him and then taking turns bashing into the Lerna with Nathan and Jones's cluster of wolves. They push at the creature to go deeper into the caves and don't let up until the monstrous beast is screeching further into the darkness.
Clarke feels her breath come back to her when Bellamy trots into the entrance of the alcove; he darts pass everyone else and nuzzles into Octavia's neck, licking her burning forehead while emitting a concerned whine.
Jones comes limping in after Bellamy, having been forced back into human form. "We can't hold it off forever, we have to go now."
Bellamy nods, gives one look at Clarke then to Octavia before he's taking off into the direction of wavering light and shadows. He'll give them as much time as he can. Clarke moves to pick up the girl from the Ark while Murphy and Atom help Octavia to one of the stretchers.
The girl in Octavia's arms cries out as the Arkers shift her away from O's barely conscious hold. "Don't."
"I said take them both!" Clarke commands.
The woman from before looks marginally relieved at this but when Wells tries to approach the Grounder man she turns her sword onto them once again.
"Just fucking leave them, fuck 'em." Murphy pokes his head outside to check and once he sees the coast is clear he and Atom clear off with the two wounded.
Clarke hands Charlotte to Finn and tells him to go. The boy cradles the girl close to his chest but waits at the entrance, wearily eyeing the woman holding the sword.
"Finn, go!"
The Alpha scampers out, tailing Murphy and Atom while Clarke kneels beside the Grounder man. She checks his body over to make sure moving him won't cause death and when she's sure she nods to Wells. "Come help me move him."
Wells tries but the woman slides between Clarke and Wells, sword up against Wells and eyes casted back onto the Omega.
"What the hell, do you think you can drag him out of here without our help?"
The woman doesn't move, glaring back at Clarke and then to the snarling Wells.
"Lexa sent us; we have her permission to be here."
At the mention of Lexa the woman stiffens, she bends down to Clarke, hand striking out to wrap around Clarke's neck. Wells roars and rushes forward but the woman swings her sword back just as quick, it's stopped a bare inch from Wells' chest.
Clarke can't quite breathe as the woman looms over her, eyes stern as she comes close to drag in Clarke's scent. She straightens after a seemingly endless moment, sheathing her sword and moving to the man's side. Clarke is left gasping and utterly confused.
Wells comes to Clarke but she pushes at his knee until he gingerly goes to help the man onto the stretcher. The Grounder's hand is death gripped around one of the dead baby Lerna's neck which makes it all the harder for them to move.
Wells tries to get him to release the poor dead thing but his fingers are clenched tight.
They don't have time
The woman raises her sword.
…
"Sis em ai."=help me up
"Hod op!"=Stop
"Raun hir."=Is here
…