Through The Eyes Of Another

The Arc

Breaking through the tree line and seeing it for the first time was almost surreal. The Arc, only ever seen from within, was now smashed into the soil, soaking in the warm sun. But the fear of the unknown was tangible. Fear of straying too far from the comfort of the cold space station. Fear to leave an old life behind and the unwillingness to start a new one, even if they didn't have a choice about it. From just one glance Miller could tell they were terrified. Whereas the hundred moved through the woods with practiced ease, completely at home, the Arcfell stayed in the light, fearing each shadow. And because of it they couldn't even see the real threat.

Kane had been easy to fool. Once they found that the kids were not really the grounders they had feared, all reservations and fears had disappeared. While all others knew it as imperative to stay alert, especially in these parts. Here the Mountain Men ruled. 

Even in their small group it was abundantly clear who amongst them had no practise in stealth. Miller and his Militia almost glided through the woods, the peace doing nothing to soothe the slight paranoia of being tracked. While Kane and his guards stomped on every branch they could find, laughing and talking loudly. Had they been given their weapons back, Harper figured they still wouldn't notice the grounders hiding in the trees, keeping a safe distance but following them none the less. And a good thing too. No one had any need for some trigger happy idiots to ruin everything they had build in the past three years. 

But the grounders are not the reason of concern these days. The Mountain men are far more dangerous during those quiet moments when the skies are alight with a thousand colours. The main reason behind the move was them. Bellamy had worried that one day soon his kids would start disappearing, like grounders wandering too close to the mountain were prone to doing. Anya had told them the stories. Children crying in the night, parents gone from safe homes. Scouting parties that never returned. 

The other reason was that it was not their land. Anya had assured them that she could miss the back piece in her territory they had landed on but it was time to move on. The previous winter was spent convincing Anya, her council and later the head of the twelve tribes, that a new home was required. Something far more permanent than a rickety old space ship. So last summer, Lexa had helpfully provided them with maps of nomansland. The teenagers, grumpy from spending an entire winter cooped up inside, had screamed from joy when they heard they would be wandering the wastelands searching for a brand new home. 

Once perfection had been found, a small detail had been left to start building cabins; the others went back to the dropship to gather the things left behind. That was until radio contact had been lost. Raven feared the fault was on the other side and with no engineer with them, Clarke hoped that everything was alright. She tended to worry about chicks out of place. Kane had found them soon after that. And so Clarke's worry shifted. Arcfell are not to be trusted, past not forgotten. 

Kane and his had gone ahead, to make sure the kids dressed as grounders wouldn't get shot once they came in sight of the camp. It was disconcerting to find that they hadn't been spotted before they'd gotten so close. And even within shooting distance from the fence, the guards had not sounded the alarm or sent someone outside to investigate. Clarke glanced up at the tree she was leaning against. One of her best gunner hiding between the leaves, could have taken out their sentinels with little difficulty. A couple of stealthy knife handlers sneaking through the knee high grass, with Raven to cut the fence wide open, Camp Jaha, as it so proudly proclaimed, would fall before the sun was at his highest point. 

Clarke looked to her left, the familiar face comforting and a blow to the stomach at the same time. She glanced at her tree again, then the camp, then nodded towards Kane, looked back at Miller and shook her head. Quite used to the silent communication he just nodded and passed on the message. Not all kids had gone with them. As I said, no one trusted the Arc as far as you could throw them. All but one group she had send out actually knew where everyone was going. 

Only Clarke's group to be precise. Kane believed she sent them the long way round, not wanting them to run into any grounders, but really she send them on ahead to Bellamy. To the new camp. Hence her specific instructions on the formation of the packs. It was code in a sense. The gunners for protection and hunting, the tracker to stick to the right path, the rest to carry the weight and to make fast travel possible. Heda con skaskru and council would find out what the Arc wanted, fix Raven's leg and get out as fast as one could say hello.