Chapter 2

She could remember falling. She could remember the blue of the sky and the green of the trees in the distance as the water got closer and closer. She could feel the anxiety and fear creeping up on her as she fell. When she hit the water, she was immediately cold. She had forgotten to not breathe as she started sinking.

She didn't know how to swim. She'd seen enough movies to know the mechanics, but she definitely hadn't been on Earth long enough to try. Octavia had, and the giant river snake monster almost killed her. She was sinking. She was cold. She knew that she shouldn't strip out of her clothes. She needed to get out of the water, but she was struggling. She needed air, she needed to live, so she kept fighting against the water.

Her world started going dark. She knew that she was failing. She kept trying though. She wasn't going to die in the water. She'd survived too much for this to be the way she died. But, the darkness kept creeping in and she felt the world slipping away.

The darkness completely covered her. She sank into it. Embracing it, she heard her father calling for her. She wanted to cry. She felt peace coming over her. As she finally surrendered to the inevitable, she just let everything just wash over her. The dark covered her pulling her into the abyss. This was going to be one of the shortest lives she had, but she was okay with it. Death sucked, but at least this one was peaceful. And, then everything was just black.

Suddenly the peace was pulled from her. She felt something gritty under her fingers. And, there was a pounding on her back. She coughed, hard. Sputtering, she flipped onto her back and realized that she was on the bank of the river that flowed from the lake. Turning her head slightly to the left, she saw Anya. The warrior had saved her.

"Anya?" she weezed.

"Get up. We can't stay here. Keep coughing, but quietly."

Clarke just looked at her. They both looked like a mess. Clarke was sure that had drowned and it showed. Anya was still only dressed in the pants, medical banding, and a leather jackets. Clarke wasn't much better, but she understood that they needed to get as far away from the Mountain as they could. Their march would get them warm.

"Get up. We can't rest yet. They are looking for us," Anya demanded.

Clarke rolled up onto her right and tilted her head. She could hear the calls and shouts from the Mount Weather security guards. They were combing the woods looking for them. She didn't want to go back inside, and she knew that Anya would die first.

She pushed off the sandy shore and stood up. She wobbled but righted herself quickly. Before she was completely ready, Anya grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bush along the tree line.

It was just in time as four guards came out of the woods not too far away and started looking around the lake. Anya watched them for a little bit before she grabbed Clarke and motioned for her to follow. Clarke narrowed her eyes at the warrior, but she nodded and followed. As they move deeper into the trees, Clarke realized that Anya was marching away from where she thought the Ark fell and the dropship. She was still not thinking completely clearly from having practically drowned, so she wasn't too happy to being led straight to the enemy.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Quiet," Anya hissed. "Do you want them to hear you and find us? I will kill you. Don't forget that. So, let's go. Quietly."

Clarke gave her a sharp nod and started moving. Not knowing where they were completely kept Clarke a little disoriented, but that didn't mean that she wasn't learning the terrain. She moved as Anya moved, or as close as she could to it. For being injured, malnurished, and severely dehydrated Anya was moving like a machine through the forest. But, Clarke understood it. She was a Tirkru warrior and she was trained for this. Clarke wasn't.

It was sometime later, but Clarke wasn't sure how long they had been free of the Mountain. She could barely see the sun and where it was on the horizon due to the thickness of the forest. She decided that it had to have been at least an hour, but the could still hear the security detail following them.

It didn't seem to matter how quiet they were being. They were just there. She knew that Anya had taken what she assumed were evasive actions, but it didn't seem to matter. They were always just there, just behind them, still following and talking loudly like they didn't care if they were heard. It didn't make any sense.

Clarke racked her brain about it as Anya pulled them up the side of a hill with some outcroppings that they could hide behind. As they crouched down to hide, it finally came together for Clarke. They were tracking them. She didn't doubt that Dr. Tsing and the others would tag some of the Grounders and release them in order to "harvest" more and possibly wipe out an entire village. But, they weren't looking for more blood. They were looking for runaways. And, it was possible that it happened before, but those runners had never made it back to a village to let others know of the dangers inside the Mountain.

"They are tracking us," Clarke told her in little more than a whisper.

Anya looked at her. Clarke realized that she didn't understand. So, Clarke wondered if she was the one tagged. Anya was just a Grounder and while her blood was a stop gap, Clarke was sure that her blood was the final cure. She patted down her own body. She was feeling for something under her skin. She knew that it would have to be somewhere that was detectable and easily accessed for Dr. Tsing. The crazy doctor wouldn't hide it. She had no need.

"Feel your body. They put something small and most likely metallic inside us. They are tracking that to find us. We are their cure, Anya. They can't let us get away to let more people know. They can't risk it," Clarke told her as she kept running her hands over her body. "It should be just under your skin."

Anya looked at her and realized that Clarke had to be right. Clarke knew tek and the Mountain Men were notorious for theirs, and their fayogon. Clarke watched her as she checked her own body. It was obvious that Clarke didn't have this tek in her.

"This better not be some trick. I told you that I can't go back without a prize. And, you are my prize, Skaigada," Anya hissed back at her.

"It isn't. Just look. You should feel it."

Anya ripped her sleeve and pulled it down. They both saw it. A small bump on her skin, Clarke immediately moved forward.

"It's you," Clarke stated. "I can take it out. I just need something sharp...and sterile."

Anya couldn't wait. She leaned over and bit the tracker out of her arm. Spitting it to the ground, she looked Clarke dead in the eyes and said, "I will not go back there."

Clarke just cocked an eyebrow. What could she say to that? She understood. She was just surprised at Anya's fortitude to do something that drastic, but the medical side of her brain was thinking about how she needed to care for the wound soon before it got infected.

Anya grabbed a bit of sleeve and wrapped it around it. Clarke tried not to be upset, but she knew that the wound was going to need more than that. Anya however wasn't waiting. Without the tracker, the Mountain Men would get lost in the woods and they needed to not be there. She grabbed Clarke's arm and turned deeper into the woods.

Clarke knew that they weren't free of the Mountain Men. They were still in their territory. They had cameras and could track them that way. They needed to move and move fast...away. The drop ship would be an ideal place to start, get a few supplies before they turned towards whatever village Anya wanted to take them. She wasn't sure that Anya would go for her plan.

"We need to head to the dropship for some supplies."

"No, we go. Now. We will find what we need in the forest," Anya told her.

She didn't want to fight with Anya. They had done that before a few lives ago. It wasn't pleasant then, and it wouldn't be pleasant now. Clarke realized then that she could remember everything. She knew that going back to the Ark without a large contingency was tantamount to suicide. Anya would be killed and Lexa would want blood if she ever found out. Clarke couldn't have that. She also knew that she shouldn't pursue Lexa. She needed to make sure that she kept her meetings with her brief and only professional. It didn't matter how much she loved her. Clarke was the reason that she was dead. She didn't want that on her conscience, again.

"Okay, so we head to your village," Clarke offered.

"That is too far from here," Anya replied.

"Well, we need to go somewhere. So, where do you suggest? Is there a village near here that the Mountain Men fear?"

"No, but there is a village close enough. From there, I can send word to our leader about you, Skaigada. She will want to meet you," Anya told her.

"Will she kill me?"

"I doubt it. She'll want to learn from you," Anya replied. "You are like the Maunmon."

"We aren't Maunmon, Onya."

"We will see," Anya mumbled and they continued walking.

Hours must have past and Clarke was just starting to recognize the area. They were getting close to TonDC. And, gauging the sunlight, they wouldn't make it until dark. Anya stopped and looked up. She looked worried.

"What is it?" Clarke asked her.

"I don't know, but the animals are quiet. They've all retreated into their dens like when the fog comes," Anya answered just as horns blew. "It's the fog. We must find a place to hide. Quickly or it will eat our flesh."

"I know you have no reason to trust me, Anya, but I know where we are. I know where we can hide, but you have to trust me. We need to work together in order to save both of our peoples. I don't want to hurt you. I want to help," Clarke told her.

"Show me," Anya demanded. "And, hurry. We don't have much time."

Clarke nodded and started through the trees. She was running. Anya was hot on her heels. Clarke was both amazed at Anya's speed given her condition and the fact that she wasn't tripping over roots and branches herself. As she looked around at where they were at, rain started pouring down. It was heavy and pelting. Clarke turned to look at Anya, as she mentally tried to calculate how long they were missing in this life.

"A storm? From where? There was no storm this day," Clarke said.

There had been no storm that Clarke could remember. She tried to remember if the guards from the Mountain had ever come back in wet. She moved faster this time, but she thought she would have remembered a storm or signs of it. Then again, she was just as clueless as Anya was about the amount of time that they were prisoners of the Mountain. Looking to Anya, she waited to see what she would say.

"Skaikrasha," Anya stated.

"Is that bad or good?" Clarke asked her.

"Storm. Bad. We get inside now."

"Okay, let's go," Clarke replied as she pulled Anya further into the woods.

When she reached the area of the hidden bunker, Finn's "Art Supply Store," she stomped around the area until she found the hatch. She bent down to open it.

She urged Anya down the ladder. She knew that she had to be in pain and the rain wasn't making things anything better. Now they were cold and wet. They were both injured, Anya more so, but they were also hungry. They had been going for hours with only a few sips of water. She was tired and wanted to sleep, but she knew that she had to take care of Anya first. She watched as Anya fell down towards the end of the ladder. She didn't wait anymore. Clarke rushed down the ladder, pulling the bunker door close and locking it into place.

"We'll be safe here for a while," Clarke told her.

"The rain will be toxic because of the fog. When it mixes, we stay inside for at least two days. We will have to wait," Anya replied.

"Two days?" Clarke asked making sure that she heard Anya right.

"Sha," Anya answered.

"What does that mean?"

"We will wait here. It is a good place. Safe and dry, but does it have light? Can we have a fire?"

"No, no fire, but there are lanterns. Stay there, I can sorta make you out. I'll get them," Clarke told her as she moved around Anya to find an old oil lamp.

She dug around until she found the lamp and a small pack of matches. She struck the match and lit the lamp. Slowly, light started to fill the bunker.

Clarke turned and looked over at Anya. She was shivering. The blood on her arm had dried, but Clarke was itching to look at it and treat it.

Thinning her lips, Clarke decided that they needed to dry off and change. She reached out for Anya and pulled her towards the bed on the left side of the bunker. She didn't want to check her over on the right one. It still had a pile of blankets and pillows on it. She would check over Anya and then put her to bed. She needed the rest more than she did.

"Sit, please," Clarke said to her as she moved deeper into the bunker.

She rummaged around in the back of the bunker. She came back with some clothes and blankets. She had some clean rags that would have to do to as towels. She handed a few to Anya as she dried herself.

Clarke turned her back to Anya and began to strip and dry herself. At this point, she didn't care about propriety. She dried quickly and changed into the dry clothes. When she turned around, Anya was barely dressed. Clarke almost turned around to let her dress, but she realized that she needed to treat her wounds. So, she reached over to the cabinet on the wall and grabbed the med kit. It wasn't the great, but it would suffice for now.

"I want to look at your wounds. I just want to treat them. I've trained as a healer. Will you let me?"

Anya's light, almost golden-brown eyes watched her. She grunted in ascension. With a cocked eyebrow, Clarke moved closer and started to pulling off the medical wrappings that the Mountain had used. With each unwinding, Clarke found bruises and marks.

"I would not let them touch me easily," Anya told her as she studied one of the bruises more than the rest.

"As you should have as a warrior," Clarke replied and swore that she saw Anya preen at the praise.

Clarke wanted to shake her head. She knew that the phrase would be considered high praise for the warrior woman. She dug around in the med kit until she got some salves. Gently, she rubbed the salve on the bruises. She put it up and grabbed the ointment. She dabbed it on softly and blew on few of the cuts and other wounds that Anya had suffered. When she looked at her arm, Clarke knew that she would have to open it, clean it and stitch it.

"Will you let me do what I need to for that?" Clarke asked as she pointed to Anya arm.

Anya just lifted her arm out in front of her. It was all the confirmation that she need. Clarke sighed as she moved back to the storage areas in the back. She moved many things around until she found some of Monty's hooch. She also found a small knife and a candle. Digging deeper, she found some old thread and a needle. It wasn't perfect, but it would work. She didn't want to burn it shut, because it might seal infection inside. Stitching her shut would allow Clarke to monitor it more and make sure that it was clear of infection.

Clarke set her items down on the bed beside her. Tossing the wet and dirty rags away from Anya, Clarke moved closer. She realized that she would need a chair, so that she would be more steady. Moving over the desk, she grabbed the chair and sat in it, in front of Anya. She looked up into her eyes again. There was no pain, but she knew what she was about to do to Anya would.

"This is going to hurt," Clarke told her as she picked up her left arm and pulled it in her lap.

She lit the candle and had Anya hold it in her hand. Anya looked at her, in wonder, but let Clarke keep working. She grabbed the small bottle of hooch and and took a swig. She tipped it to Anya's lips. The warrior took a small sip.

"It might help with the pain a little," Clarke said.

Pulling the bottle back, she poured it over the knife and then over her arm. Grabbing some gauze from the pile, she wiped at Anya's bite. When it was dry, she ran the knife through the flame. Using the blade, she scrapped the wound back open. She dabbed it quickly with hooch soaked gauze. Grabbing the ointment, she squeezed some into the wound. She then grabbed the needle and thread. Anya didn't even flinch as she sewed her wound shut. When it was done, she grabbed some salve and smoothed it over the stitched wound. She finished it off with clean gauze and tied it off.

"You need to keep that as clean as you can for a week," Clarke told her as she started cleaning up the mess from treating Anya. "I'll check them and take them out. I need to check it again later to make sure that it isn't infected. Hopefully the alcohol and ointment will take care of anything that could have been in the wound. I don't want you to lose your arm because of this."

Anya eyed her, skeptically, but nodded. Clarke moved to the back and dropped the mess in a corner. She dug around in the storage container and grabbed some panther jerky and nuts. It wasn't a lot, but it was a start. She knew that the protein was needed to help Anya heal faster, too.

"Here, eat some of this," Clarke stated as she handed her a couple pieces of jerky and some nuts.

"Mochof," Anya replied. "Thank you."

"You're going to have to teach me your language," Clarke muttered. "When you're doing eating, move to the other bed and get some rest. I'll stay up and take first watch. We talk more about our union later."

"I should take first watch," Anya insisted.

"Look, I get that you are a proud warrior. I'm sure that you've fought in many wars and dealt with less than ideal conditions. You're safe here for now. We'll find our way to that village when the storm passes," Clarke told her. "We're safe here for the moment. There's water and some rations. We're warm enough and there are beds. We can't stay her forever, that's true, but we will be comfortable enough until we can leave. And to be honest, I know that you're in pain. You need the rest, Anya. It's okay. I won't tell anyone that you rested before me. You are still a badass warrior. I promise. But, please, just rest for now. You can be all badass and alpha warrior when we leave. Okay?"

"I have no idea what you said, but I will rest. Wake me in a few hours. You need rest, too. Heal yourself, Clarke. I am not the only one that was injured by those nomanjokas," Anya stated.

"Deal," Clarke replied. "Now, get in the other bed. It sleeps better."

"You know this?"

"I might have stayed a few times before you attacked. We were also storing things here in case we had to hide from you and your warriors," Clarke explained as she moved to help Anya up from the bed. "I'll tuck you in."

"I am not a child."

"Trust me, I know," Clarke said as she eased Anya into the bed.

"Clarke?"

"Yeah, Anya?"

"Did you mean what you said about a union with me?"

"Yeah, I need a union with you to take to your leader. I figured if we were together, they would listen to what I had to say. I would have your backing and you would have mine with my people. We need this union in order to save our people from the Mountain. But, don't worry about it now, Anya. We've got time to work it out. Sleep and rest for now. You're safe here. I'll watch over you and make sure that we are taken again."

"Sha, skaiprisa, sha," Anya murmured as she settled into the old mattress and felt her body surrendering to the comfort. "You aren't what I expected. You care more than let on, and the spirits have touched you. That much is obvious. A union with you would be something that not even Leksa could deny."

"What?"

"Could you know our traditions? Do you know what you are asking of me? Do you know what you've already done towards a union with me, Skaigada?"

"I don't understand what you are saying, Anya. Rest. We can talk later, promise," Clarke replied.

To emphasize her point, Clarke leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. She knew that Anya might not understand that it was a sign of care, but she hoped that it would give Anya some measure of peace so she could sleep deeply. She needed it. Clarke grabbed the chair and moved closer to the bed. She wondered if Anya needed her companionship. Was the trauma of the Mountain so great that the warrior couldn't sleep without proof that she was safe? Could Clarke being close enough to her give her that peace? She reached out and held Anya's hand.

"Sleep. I'll still be here when you wake," Clarke said and slipped repeating words that Lexa had told her a few lives ago. "Ai swega klin." (I swear.)