When Clarke awoke it was to the sound of approaching voices and Juno's stiffening posture. She rose with her new companion and quietly approached the mouth of the cave, looking through the trees in the early morning light towards the source of the noise and found two people limping towards her cave. Once again, without thinking, Clarke ran out to join the man and the woman he was leaning against, positioning herself underneath the shoulder of the one in clearly worse shape.

"What happened?" She asked as she assisted them towards the cave.

Both men were silent, and Clarke was momentarily confused, until she saw their slack-jawed expressions were being directed towards the monstrous bear lazily watching them. Rolling her eyes, she snapped her fingers in front of the injured man's face, drawing his attention as she directed him to lean against the wall of the cave.

"What happened?" She asked once more.

"I've died," the injured man murmured. "Why else would Wanheda and Trimani Nomon be helping me?"

Reaching up, Clarke flicked the man on his forehead as hard as she could, causing him to yelp in a rather undignified manner.

"You're not dead, idiot," she grunted with a scowl as she got to work inspecting the bloody slash on his leg. "And don't call me that."

Looking up, she snapped her fingers in front of the woman's face, drawing her attention away from Juno and down to where she was crouching over her friend. "Go get me some water and firewood." Turning away, she didn't bother to watch as she tore strips from her shirt to make some rough bandages before using her knife to cut open the man's pants. Reaching into the bag she had stolen off some bandits, she rummaged around until she found the necessary herbs she had gathered during her wanderings and began crushing them.

"Why do you wish not to be addressed as Wanheda?" The man asked. "Are you not the one who slew the Mountain Men?"

"I am," Clarke replied. "That doesn't mean I'm proud of it."

"You are ashamed for saving our people?"

"My people," Clarke corrected. "Your people were long gone by the time I killed them."

"That poses more questions than it answers."

"Look…"

"Colste."

"Colste. We can continue to discuss why I'm not happy about slaughtering hundreds of people, or Juno here can remind you why it isn't a smart idea to upset the woman who's helping you."

Colste was silent for a moment, probably considering his options, before, much to Clarke's dismay, he spoke once more. "I did not expect you to be so beautiful."

Clarke rolled her eyes, applying slightly more pressure than necessary on his leg as she pressed the rags against the wound. "Once again, there is a giant bear behind me who would be more than happy to deal with you instead."

"Ah, the Forest Mother would not harm me," Colste said confidently. "She is too concerned about her newest cub."

Shaking her head, Clarke chuckled when Juno stood up to loom over Colste, causing him to pale significantly before nuzzling her snout against Clarke's cheek.

"If I am not to address you by that most forbidden title, what do I call the fair maiden who saved me from the clutches of my rough-handed companion?"

"I heard that, you idiot," a new voice called out as the other woman joined them. She once again paused at the sight of Juno, and didn't take her eyes off of her as she gently laid the firewood on the ground next to a canteen full of water.

Grabbing the canteen, Clarke poured some on Colste's wound before adding the mashed up herbs and wrapping the remaining rags around the wound. "There," she announced. "Take it easy for a while, and you should be good as new."

"Clearly you have learned little of our people since your landing Skai Prisa," Colste replied with a smirk. "We are not well-known for 'taking it easy'."

"I'm well aware of that," Clarke replied.

"What is it you are doing here anyway?" The woman asked after a brief moment of silence. "The rest of the Skaikru are weeks away."

"I'm headed to Polis," Clarke replied.

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious, Echo?" Colste replied. "Fisa Klark and the Forest Mother have come to heal the sick and bless us all with her radiant smile."

Clarke couldn't help but giggle at the ridiculousness of the statement, which only seemed to spurn Echo to join in as well.

"I see what you mean, Colste. Already I feel better just from that brief glimpse."

After that, hours passed with easy conversation. Colste and Echo explained that they, too, were on their way to Polis, and had volunteered to escort her. They both laughed at her desire to remain inconspicuous despite the fact that she refused to go anywhere without Juno.

The bear had quickly become a part of her life that she wouldn't be able to go without. Over the days of travel, the unconditional support and affection helped to keep the ghosts haunting Clarke at bay, and both Colste and Echo did their part as well, talking about themselves and trading friendly barbs to keep her mind off the horrors of her past.

She learned that Echo had been one of the many trapped inside Mount Weather that had escaped after Lexa's deal with Cage. She was on her way to Polis to join the Commander's personal guard, as a way of repaying the debt she felt towards her leader. Colste meanwhile simply stated that he had grown bored of his old home and decided to join Echo when he heard of where she was going.

Slowly, Clarke started to share a few stories from her own past. She explained what life on the Ark had been like, from the harsh legal system, to the way they recycled all water and air.

Along the way, Echo and Colste taught her more about the traditions and culture of their people. They explained a bit of the history behind the Coalition and the various clans of which it was composed. Clarke tried unsuccessfully to hide her reactions to the way they spoke about their Commander, but they were both understanding.

"Of all the people who are displeased with Heda's decisions at the Mountain, your anger is the most justifiable," Colste said as they entered a clearing near the entrance to a small village. Standing outside the gates with Juno, Clarke watched as Colste and Echo explained to the guards who they were, and that they were simply here for a few supplies before making going on their way.

Ignoring the looks of awe being directed towards her and Juno, Clarke decided to let her gaze wander before settling on a pair of young boys who had climbed a nearby tree to catch a glimpse of her. Smiling at the children, time seemed to freeze as Clarke watched in horror as the smaller of the two boys misplaced his foot and slipped, falling towards the ground more than twenty feet below. By the time she regained proper awareness of her surroundings, Clarke was already on her back, the boy held tightly to her chest as his friend came scurrying down the tree to join them while a crowd gathered nearby.

Between Juno and her reputation as some sort of angel of death, none of the villagers had the nerve to approach her, so Clarke ignored them in favour of checking to make sure the boy was alright.

"Are you hurt?" She asked quietly, shifting the boy in her grasp and taking note of the ginger way he held his left arm. Reaching forward, Clarke paused as another group of children appeared in the corner of her vision, these ones covered in blisters and sores, pleading for help as they burned from the inside out. "May I see your arm?"

The boy nodded and Clarke carefully moved his sleeve to take a look at the skin underneath. There was a long gash from just below his elbow to the middle of his bicep, and some careful prodding showed that his wrist was sprained.

"Will he be okay?" The second boy asked fearfully.

Smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, Clarke shifted the boy in her grip once more and rose to her feet, ignoring the bruises that were already forming on her back and chest as she slowly made her way over to where her bag was sitting next to Juno.

"Colste, can you grab me some wood to use as a splint?" She asked, though she made it clear that it wasn't a request. Colste nodded and jogged into the woods as Clarke grabbed the last of her medicine and makeshift bandages. "What's your name?" She asked as a way of distracting the boy while she prepared the salve.

"Bran," the boy replied quietly.

"That's a good name," Clarke said. "A strong one. But you must be pretty strong to be able to climb that high, right?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "I've climbed taller."

"Really?"

Their little discussion continued, and Bran didn't even notice when Clarke applied the salve and tied the bandages around his arm before Colste returned with the sticks, which she tied to his arm with instructions to him and his friend to be careful with it.

Unexpectedly, Bran launched himself forward to wrap his good arm around her neck, and Clarke froze as she tried to fight down her defensive instincts. Once the boys had left, several people clamored to approach her, speaking over one another in rapid-fire Trigedasleng. Clarke felt her anxiety grow as the crowd got closer before a hand on her shoulder and growl from behind her made them all pause. Looking to her left, she sighed in relief when she saw Echo standing beside her resolutely while Juno lumbered over to nuzzle her with her snout.

Before she knew what was happening, Echo was leading her towards a tent near the edge of the village, explaining that the villagers were insisting that she stay the night. Clarke was grateful that her new companions had at least made sure that she wouldn't be separated from Juno, and that the tent was far enough away that she wouldn't disturb the villagers when she inevitably wound up waking up screaming.

*(OoO)*

It was just after dawn when the second bounty hunter arrived in the village. He was at least six inches taller than the last one, and was adorned with only a pair of leather leggings and thick boots, his massive chest riddled with what Clarke knew to be kill marks.

"I've come for Wanheda!" He shouted. "Bring her to me, and no harm will befall your village!"

Eyeing the assortment of weaponry decorating his form, Clarke inched around the surprisingly quiet villagers until she was directly behind the man. Snagging a knife along the way, she carefully tested the balance and shoved aside the memories of Bellamy and others practicing just days after they arrived on the ground. She watched as one of the older villagers approached the man, and took the opportunity to raise her arm and throw with all her strength. Before the older man even had a chance to open his mouth, the bounty hunter dropped to the ground with a thump, the knife embedded in the back of his skull.

Ignoring the growing chill coursing through her veins and the shaking of her limbs, Clarke strode purposefully over to the corpse and yanked the knife out of its skull, murmuring a quiet prayer for the man before handing the knife to the old man and almost sprinting out of the village to escape the looks of awe and admiration on the people's faces.

Colste and Echo caught up to her around noon, and were mercifully quiet about the whole thing, allowing Clarke time to process as they filled the silence with their usual bickering.

Slowly, the days turned into weeks. Echo had managed to procure a hooded cloak for Clarke to hide her appearance, and whenever they had to enter a village she would always either wait outside with Juno, or spend the entire time with whatever passed for a healer in each place. Because of her sudden aversion to the people, word had not spread of who she was in relation to her deeds at Mount Weather. Instead, rumors started spreading of a forest Nymph accompanied by the Mother of the Forest and two warriors, going from village to village healing the sick and injured.

Colste and Echo found that one particularly hilarious, and teased Clarke constantly about it. The primary reason for this particular rumor – aside from Juno's constant presence by her side – was the fact that Clarke was consistently adamant in her refusal of gifts and rewards for her service beyond shelter and supplies for her and her companions.

Over time, she grew ever closer with Echo and Colste. They both were accommodating of nightly terrors, and were careful with what they spoke about as they made their way ever closer to Polis. She was slowly getting better with the sword under their tutelage, and found exercise helped clear her mind, while the bumps and bruises she obtained gave her ample opportunity to practice the skills she learned from the various healers she had met on their journey. It also helped keep her mind off the fact that every day she grew closer to where she knew Lexa would be, and what she would do when they inevitable ran into each other.

She wasn't naïve enough to believe that she could just quietly join the citizens of Polis and set up shop as a healer. If Juno's comforting presence by her side didn't attract enough attention, then the rumors that had undoubtedly made their way to the capitol would. She understood, as a leader, that Lexa had to make the choice that had the best chance of helping her people, and while Clarke may have still been hurting from the personal aspect of the betrayal, she couldn't find it in her to disrespect everything Lexa had done in her campaign towards peace. That being said, she wasn't about to worship the ground she walked on. Not after seeing the kind of person beneath the mask. All her faults and imperfections proved to Clarke that she was just as human as anyone else, and she couldn't find it in her to think past that.

Luckily, though, she was spared from agonizing over her future interactions with the Commander when Juno froze as they were walking about two days away from Polis. A low rumble started in her throat as Clarke looked around and noticed the various figures hidden in the low light and foliage.

They were surrounded.

A/N: There was someone who said pretty please in the reviews, and that was enough of an excuse for me to once again drop the eighty other things that I didn't want to power through and write this. Hopefully you like it, and tell me what you think.