Lexa followed settlers back to their lands all the time. She was required by the fort to ensure they settled in safely. After that, much of the time, they were left to their own devices. Unless they ran into trouble with one of the local tribes.
Then she was to report back to the fort and they would send soldiers out to fend them off.
She wasn't always pleased with their work, but the Pawnee were allied with the fort and who was she to say what she did and didn't do?
The latest group of settlers Lexa had followed had intrigued her. The woman with hair like the sun and eyes the color of the sky had lingered in her mind. The woman with her had been dark almost like the Pawnee, but she spoke like the white men.
Lexa glared down at her reflection in the stream. She was the child of a Pawnee and a white woman taken from the fort. The Pawnee accepted her only as an interpreter and a scout for her people. She could walk as Pawnee but only when outside of their villages. Inside of Pawnee villages she would be looked as she was; a half-blood.
She sighed. She had to focus on her current task. A group of settlers had lost their daughter in the woods and she was leading a search for the child. She doubted they would find her. She was likely dead by now. Killed by wolves, a bear, or taken by another tribe.
Sun would be shining on them for her to be found alive.
Lincoln, another half-blood followed silently behind her as she tracked the child through the woods. A piece of torn cloth, likely from the girl's clothing clung to a bush.
Lexa led the group as she followed muddy footprints, torn bits of cloth and searched for bits and signs of a small child having stumbled through the woods. Then she heard the small cries.
Growling.
Lexa hurried toward the sound.
A little girl was cornered by a wolf. Lexa hurried toward her, her footsteps silent as she dashed over a boulder and into the animal with her knife. She clung to the animal as she hacked and slashed. She killed the animal, overpowering it easily as she stuck the knife into its throat.
The little girl gasped and whimpered and covered her eyes as Lexa threw the animal down.
"Don' don't hurt me!" She screeched.
Lexa stopped momentarily then reached a hand out, carefully, she approached the little girl.
"I won't." She whispered gently.
The little girl sniffed. She stared at Lexa wide eyed. Slowly she placed her small hand into Lexa's.
Lexa gave her a soft smile and picked her up. Lincoln picked up the wolf she killed. He would take it back with them to skin later. Lexa carried the girl out of the woods. They returned her to her family. They thanked Lexa and the scouting group warily. Lexa took the payment they offered. She couldn't turn down what was being offered even if it would make them look better to do so.
Back at the fort, Lexa dismissed the group to do as they wished. She herself often taking leave to explore. She took the payment given to her by the settlers to their handlers and turned it in. They would split the payment up to her group.
It was market day.
The money handlers offered her a sum to spend for the day. Lexa shrugged. She may as well. Market day meant sweets, fruits, farm goods. Whatever helped the settlers helped the fort as well which in turn helped her scouting group.
She walked off towards the market. Lexa took a leisurely pace as she browsed the stalls of goods and wares. Some of the farmers sold cloth, crops, seed, and animals. Lexa was less interested in these. She made her way toward the food vendors. She thought of the more flavorful meats that were served and smiled.
She stepped back as someone bumped into her, hard. A head full of sun-colored hair met her eyes.
"I am so sorry!" The woman before her apologized. She held a basket of goods.
Lexa stared at her. It was the woman with eyes like the sky.
"Apologies should be mine." Lexa replied.
The woman looked up at her. She blushed as their eyes met.
"I-," the woman started.
"Clarke!" the dark-haired and dark-skinned woman that had accompanied her as she settled west called her from another stall.
The woman, Clarke turned to her.
"I'll be there, Raven!" She shouted back.
"Right. I'm Clarke." She held her hand out to Lexa. Lexa looked down at the hand and slowly took it.
Awkwardly the two women gazed into one another's eyes. Green held blue like earth meeting sky.
"And you are?" Clarke prodded after Lexa was silent for a beat too long.
Lexa shook herself out of her thoughts.
"Oh, I'm Lexa." She replied shyly.
"Lexa. I like it." Clarke nodded.
"I have to go. I hope I see you around, Lexa." Clarke told her. She let her hand go. Lexa watched her walk away. She took a breath.
"You are in such trouble."
Lexa jumped.
"Anya!" She turned to see the woman watching her with interest.
Anya shook her head.
"They call that hair color blonde, the settlers do." She told Lexa.
"Blonde." Lexa let the word roll off her tongue.
Anya nodded.
"Walk with me." She commanded. She moved through the crowd as Lexa followed. Anya led them toward the food vendors. She paid for two skewers of meat, handing one off to Lexa.
"Heard you killed a wolf today." She stated.
"I did." Lexa acquiesced.
"Lincoln left it with the skinners. It'll be ready for you when you want to pick it up." Anya told Lexa.
"I had hoped you would come see me after your mission today. I gather from the full payment the handlers received, that you were successful?" Anya asked.
Lexa nodded. Her mouth was full of food. She swallowed.
"Little girl. Lost in woods. Wolf had her cornered." She shrugged.
Anya nodded.
"Be careful with those settlers." Anya warned.
Lexa glanced at her friend then.
Anya gave her a knowing look.
Lexa rolled her eyes.
"I know what I'm doing, Anya." She muttered.
"Do you?" Anya pushed.
Lexa grit her teeth.
"I learned my lesson after Costia, Anya. I'll be fine." She growled.
"I hope so." Anya answered.
Lexa glared at her friend and commander. Anya oversaw the scouting groups within the fort. She had known Lexa her whole life and trained her.
"I only say because I care Lexa." Anya told her quietly.
Lexa sighed. "I know you do."
They finished their meal in silence. Anya excused herself to finish scouting reports.
Lexa continued her browsing, stopping to buy herself some juice to refill her canteen. She was stopped as she passed by the tavern by a drunkard.
"Half-breed." The drunk grabbed her arm and spun her around.
Lexa glared at the man.
"Eh, a female half-breed!" He grinned. He was missing teeth.
Lexa clenched her fists. She wore clothing that was a mixture of the men of her people and the men of the fort. It was better suited for her work and better suited for herself.
Lexa could see why this man was missing teeth if this was normal behavior for him. He was going to be missing more if he didn't let her go soon.
"Let. Me. Go." She seethed dangerously.
The drunkard tightened his grip.
"What was that, half-breed?" He taunted.
Lexa readied her stance. She prepared herself.
"I said, Let. Me. Go." She growled.
"Hey! The lady said let her go, let her go!" A voice called out from the tavern.
The woman with sun-colored hair, -Clarke? Burst out of the tavern, the dark haired woman right behind her.
"Ain't none of your business what's going on here, blondie." The drunkard stated.
Clarke growled at him. Lexa took the opportunity of this distraction. She grabbed the wrist of his arm that he grabbed her with and twisted his arm up behind him, forcing him to let go of her arm. He howled in pain.
"I think you should probably go home." Lexa told the man. She pushed him and he landed on the ground in an undignified heap.
"Well, Clarke, looks like she didn't need our help much at all." The dark-haired woman told the blond.
Clarke glared at her friend and crossed her arms.
"Of course she did. I made a great distraction." She grinned at Lexa. Lexa's ears went red.
Clarke and Lexa eyed one another again. Something kept drawing the two women to each other.
The dark-haired woman grabbed her friend and pulled at her.
"Come on Clarke, let's have another round!" she whined.
"Go on, Raven, I'll join you in a bit." Clarke ushered her friend on. Raven rolled her eyes and went inside.
Clarke turned to Lexa.
"She's just excited. She enjoys free drinks from the men whenever she can." Clarke told Lexa.
Lexa just nodded her agreement. She didn't know how to act around this woman that had caught her attention so thoroughly.
"Join us?" She offered.
"I-," Lexa hesitated.
"Please?" Clarke begged.
"Sure." Lexa gave in. The tavern made allowances for the fort's scouts. The Pawnee might not be allowed in, but Lexa and the rest of the scouts were regularly seen around the fort and well known. If anyone objected, they could take it up with the fort's command.
She followed Clarke into the noisy tavern. People yelled and the smell of drink filled the air. Lexa wasn't one to indulge nor were any likely to buy her drinks. Settlers didn't usually take to half-bloods like her. Particularly peculiar ones that dressed and acted like men.
Clarke led her over to a table where her friend Raven sat with a dark-haired man and woman.
"Raven, let me introduce Lexa, Lexa, these are Raven, Octavia, and Bellamy." She made the introductions.
Lexa nodded stoically. Bellamy sized her up like he might a possible threat while Octavia smiled and gave her kind welcome. Raven lifted her drink.
Clarke pulled out a chair and offered Lexa a seat. Lexa took it.
"Lexa, what do you do around here?" Clarke asked curiously.
Lexa ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm a scout for the fort." She shrugged.
"Really? Is that why you were following us when we first got here?" Bellamy shot.
Lexa glanced at him surprised. She didn't realize he had noticed her scouts.
"The fort has me follow new settlers to ensure they make it to their land and they get through their first night." Lexa told him without any offence to his hostility.
Clarke tilted her head. She widened her eyes in realization.
"It was you I heard in the trees that first night on my land!" She recognized.
Lexa grinned sheepishly.
"I maybe slipped." She confessed.
Clarke shook her head.
"Thanks for keeping an eye on me." She teased.
Lexa bit her lip shyly. She stood.
"What do you drink?" Lexa wanted to know.
Clarke pretended to think about it.
"Bourbon."
Lexa made her way over to the bar to buy the drinks. She thought about the feelings she was having as she ordered her drinks. The light fluttering in her stomach. The warmth in her chest, the tingling in her skin. She wanted to get to know this Clarke better.
She took the drinks back to the table and sat down next to Clarke.
Clarke toasted her.
"To watching out for friends." She teased.
Lexa grinned. They threw back their drinks.
Lexa woke up to a terrible headache the next day, but she smiled all the same.
