Chapter 8
Author's note: thanks for the follows and favorites. Episode two is finished in this chapter and I'm sorry if the ending seemed kind of rushed I didn't want every little detail or dialogue to be mapped out seeing as Ari is the main character.
Ari wasn't sure what prompted Bellamy Blake to be cleaning her leg at this moment but he was. After his little speech she found herself seated on a leftover chair from the drop ship with her pants around her knees as he dabbed, surprisingly gently, at her leg. She figured it had something to do with him finding out she had gotten the wounds pushing Octavia out of the way.
She hissed when he touched the wet rag to her leg causing him to glance up at her. She nodded and he kept washing away the blood and dirt. "What the hell was it?" She spoke through stiff lips her voice strained with the sting in her leg. "I don't know, they say it looked like a giant snake."
He turned to Octavia and told her gruffly," You could have been killed." Ari glanced up at the girl who was watching them with a shocked almost questioning look. Before she could respond to her brother's words, their favorite princess interrupted. " She would have been if Ari didn't save her."
Clarke stopped by them and Ari got ready to stand again. "You guys leaving? I'm coming too." Bellamy almost instantly pushed her back down, " No. Not again. Or you," he told Octavia protectively. Ari stood angrily, pushing him aside. "The hell I'm not."
"He's right, your leg will only slow us down." Ari snorted and walked almost perfectly across the small clearing. When she turned back the others were staring at her in astonishment. "High pain tolerance," she muttered bitterly making the elder Blake glance at her. Clarke nodded but turned to Bellamy," I'm here for you."
Bellamy turned to her, raising his dark brows questioningly. "Clarke what are you doing?", came Wells's interjection. "I hear you have a gun," she ignored Wells. Bellamy lifted his shirt in reply, showing that the gun in question was tucked into the waistband of his pants.
Clarke nodded once more, "Good. Follow me." Bellamy stared at her in disbelief," And why would I do that?" Clarke moved closer, murmuring threateningly. "Because you want them to follow you and right now they're thinking only one of us is scared." Ari snorted, gaining a look of disapproval from Bellamy.
Reluctantly he shrugged on a jacket as he turned to Murphy. "Murphy you come with me," the pale boy nodded," Atom. My sister doesn't leave this camp." Octavia protested of course but her brother ignored her. "Anyone who touches her answers to me." Atom nodded solemnly before moving back to what he had been doing.
"So not fair. The cripple gets to go?" Octavia was still complaining as Ari passed her by. "Love you too," Ari called out, earning the finger from Octavia.
She followed behind the two leaders of the camp, although Bellamy was the one with the real power. She heard Murphy asking why they were going and strained her ears to hear his response. "The Ark thinks the prince is dead. Once they think the princess is too, they'll never come down. I'm getting that wristband- even if I have to cut her hand off."
She whistled lowly as she approached them, "Damn. That's a bit harsh. I'm in." She grinned crookedly at them, one side of her mouth lifting in a smirk. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief at the surprised looks on their faces. "Question, why haven't you tried to take mine yet?"
Her question seemed to make them realize what she had said and Bellamy looked at her guardedly. "Why would you help?" "I've got my reasons, just like you've got yours," she evaded. Murphy remained oblivious as he smirked at her, holding out his hand.
She halted as she pressed her wrist into his hand. It didn't take him long to wedge a knife underneath it and pop it upwards. She hastily retracted her arm with a small thanks. Bellamy had watched the whole ordeal with an unreadable expression.
As the tiny brunette rushed forward, obviously uncomfortable with something , he did too. "Hey, hold up! What's the rush?" He had his gun out waving it around like a toy as he talked. It made Ari nervous and he could sense it. She was eyeing him with something akin to fear, he didn't like it. He was about to put the gun back when the Prince of the Ark rushed at him.
"Put the gun away, Bellamy!" Murphy stepped forward, pushing the boy away from their leader. "Why don't you do something about it?" Clarke interrupted the would be feud, "Jasper screamed when they moved him. If the spear had struck his heart he'd have died instantly. Doesn't mean we have time to waste."
She had started to turn only to be pulled back by Bellamy. "As soon as you take this wristband off, we can go," the tan boy smirked at her. She ripped her arm from his grasp," The only way the Ark is gonna think I'm dead, is if I'm actually dead. Got it?" Bellamy glared down at her before sarcastically retorting, "Brave princess."
"Why don't you get your own nickname?" They all turned to look for the person who had spoken. It was Finn, who was now approaching them. "You call this a rescue party? Better split up to cover more ground. Clarke come with me."
"Funny, how you pick your little girlfriend to go with you in a group of six." Finn wasn't listening although Murphy snorted at her joke. They continued on as Bellamy tucked the gun away in his pants.
As the other four traveled Ari noticed Wells staring after Clarke longingly. She wasn't big on socializing so she kept quiet as she walked near him. Bellamy was the one to surprisingly break the terse silence. "Guess you and I got more in common than meets the eye." Ari glanced at him but he was talking to Wells. She watched the conversation with rapt attention, eyes flickering between the two vastly different boys.
"You and I have nothing in common," Wells sighed as he moved over a log. "No? We both came down here to protect someone we love. Your secret's safe with me. Of course with Finn around it's worse, it's like she doesn't even see you. It's like you're not ever here."
Ari soon distanced herself from the group, staying within sight and hearing distance but unable to stand the awkward tensions between the Prince and the leaders. She found a small spring which was too shallow to hold any lake monsters where she soon washed herself, making a note to come back to bathe more thoroughly.
Once out she was called over by Bellamy who had been watching the joyful expression on her face at being clean, unwilling to disturb her for a few moments. They walked down a pebbly shore, being informed that Clarke had found Jasper's goggles and blood.
"How do we even know we're going the right way?" "We don't. Spacewalker thinks he's a tracker." "Its called cutting signs. Its fourth year earth skills. He's good." "You guys want to keep it down? Or should I paint a target in our backs?" She ignored the bickering, straining her senses for any sign of Jasper.
She was the first to move forward at the loud moan, letting out a bursting breath of relief as she rushed towards it. She was the first in the clearing and the first to see it. She stopped, hand covering her mouth in horror.
Jasper was shirtless, covered in his own blood. He was tied high up in a tree with some sort of gunk smeared on his spear wound. He was panting and twitching obviously in pain. Clarke was the first to rush towards him with Ari on her heels.
When the ground began to give way, Ari shoved Clarke aside. The blonde toppled to the stable ground heavily as she grunted. Ari scrabbled for something solid as she fell but found little purchase on the flat ground. She was sure she was going to die when a strong hand encompassed her slender arm.
She glanced up at Bellamy as he pulled her up, helping her to her feet. "You have got to stop saving people Ari." She couldn't help but feel an odd rush of warmth as he said her nickname but she ignored it. Instead she thanked him, checking to make sure Clarke was okay.
"We have got to get up there," Clarke stated the obvious. "I'll cut him down. Murphy come with me," Finn volunteered. Clarke muttered something about a poultice being on Jasper's wound. She didn't know what a poultice was but it didn't sound good. "Medicine?" Ari's brow crumpled, why would they heal him?
"Why would they heal him only to string up as live bait?" "Maybe what they were trying to catch wants its dinner alive." "Maybe what they want to catch is us." Ari didn't comment, wishing they would hurry up and get him down. She moved closer to Bellamy not really sure why, but out of all the people here she liked and trusted him best.
The solemn thought caused them all to glance at each other in worry. Soon they were calling up encouragement and asking the boys to hurry.
When they heard the first growl they all paused. "What the hell was that?" Clarke all but yelled the question and Ari had never wanted to throat punch the blonde more than she did then. "Grounders?", Bellamy asked quietly. That was when the puma slunk into view.
It was lithe and muscular with sleek black fur. It snarled at them as it approached, making Ari tense as she watched it unblinkingly. They squinted at it, eyes widening in fear when it roared and began to charge. "Bellamy gun!" Bellamy reached for said gun but he didn't have it.
Wells was the one who had it, which became obvious as he shoot at the panther. He managed to hit it in the shoulder making it hiss angrily. It disappeared into the foliage, ruffling the leaves close to Bellamy and Ari.
Ari was facing the direction it came from as it pounced in Bellamy's direction. She sprang forward, shoving the man to the ground as she toppled with him out of harms way. It wasn't necessary as Wells soon shot the cougar dead. Breathing heavy, she glanced down to find Bellamy's face directly beneath hers as he stared up at her in shock and gratitude. Swallowing hard she got up off him, lending him a hand up.
Ari nodded at Wells thankfully as he continued to click the empty gun at the dead cat before saying softly, "Now she sees you."
It didn't take them long to get back to camp after collecting the dead puma and a very injured Jasper. Ari trooped through the woods, carrying one back end of the stretcher. The silence was deafening until the point that she could no longer stand it. She cleared her throat and then began to hum.
"Mmmm-Mmmm-Mmmm. Mmmm-Mmmm-Mmmm. Mmmm-Mmmm-Mmmm. When I was a child, I heard voices. Some would sing and some would scream. You soon find you have few choices, I learned the voices died with me. When I was a child, I'd sit for hours. Staring into open flame. Something in it had a power, could barely tear my eyes away.
All you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach. Don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash.
Mmmm-Mmmm-Mmmm. Mmmm-Mmmm-Mmmm. Mmmm-Mmmm-Mmmm.
When I was sixteen my senses fooled me, thought gasoline was on my clothes. I knew something would always ruin me. I knew this sin was mine alone. All you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach. Don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash.
When I was a man I thought it ended, when I knew love's perfect ache. My peace has always depended on all the ashes in my wake. All you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach. Don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep em on a leash."
Her singing seemed to help relieve the tension as the others turned their heads to listen. She started shakily before her voice got stronger and she sang clearly. The other hummed along with her, some even singing the chorus as they picked it up.
Back at camp they were soon surrounded by the campers who were eager to see how it had gone. Bellamy dropped the parachute holding the puma before yelling, "Who's hungry?" The hungry teens cheered as Bellamy pulled Octavia in for a hug. Ari watched the siblings with a smile on her face before leaving to help Clarke with Jasper.
When Jasper was stable she sat outside munching happily on a stick of grilled puma. She had been given one of the first pieces. She knew Bellamy would never say so but she knew it was because she had saved Octavia's and his own life as well. She had also already given up her bracelet as the other teens were now trading theirs for meat.
Clarke and Finn stole a stick of meat, managing to get away with it before Bellamy caught on. The next guy wasn't as lucky as he was promptly punched in the face for it. Ari winced as she finished the last of her meat, tossing the stick in the fire as she headed back into the dropship.
Clarke had treated her wounds earlier. She had two new ones. A scratch from one of the spikes in the pit that had grazed her calf and a scrape over her hand where she had dived to save Bellamy. Feeling full and drained she soon lapsed into sleep in the upper dropship where she could keep an eye on Jasper.