Fireheart | Raven Reyes [O.H.]

10 | memento mori

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chapter ten!
MEMENTO MORI
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THE FOREST HAS been plunged into darkness again by the time they finally catch sight of the man-made wall that surrounds the dropship camp. Ares' eyes are pulsing with fatigue and his feet scrape against the dirt more often than not. They hadn't slept on their way back, determining that the possibility of the Grounder catching up to them and Finn dying overnight was more important than a good night's rest.

The tracker is passed out in Blake's arms. Ares knows that isn't a good sign. His skin is also way too pale and sweaty for it to be a simple stab wound that's causing him pain— something else is causing this reaction.

He really hopes Collins doesn't die on them. They need his tracking skills in their camp. If he wasn't so valuable, Ares wouldn't care that much, but knowing Collins' knell is starting to ring makes Ares' heart pound with furious adrenaline.

Octavia is half-passed out, either arm slung over Jasper and Ares' shoulders. Their height difference makes for an awkward support system. It would make more sense for Jasper to carry Collins and for Blake and Ares to help Octavia since they're closer in height, but Jasper isn't strong enough to do that on his own. The result is Octavia stumbling around more than usual. The bloody cut on her head and lumpy bruises around it inform them that she must have been knocked out more than once; she probably has a mild concussion.

The moment they reach the doors, Jasper's voice screeches, "Clarke! Where's Clarke?"

Ares shoves open the gate with reckless abandon. The door swings violently, granting them access as the two boys struggle to get Octavia in.

"Get Clarke now!" Jasper commands to the nearest person— a girl named Harper, who doesn't even have time to turn around before Clarke shows up.

"Hey!" the girl in question shouts, jogging up to them. Her confused yet alarmed gaze roams over Octavia. Her eyes narrow in on the gash on the younger Blake's head and the way she's swaying from foot to foot. "I'm here. What's up?"

Just then, Blake appears through the gate with a very passed-out and half-dead Collins in his arms. Clarke's face falls immediately. Her lower lip trembles when she asks, "Finn?" and immediately darts forward. It's one of the few times Ares has seen her truly rattled. Her voice shakes when she mumbles, "Oh my God," over and over, but she still has the sense to put two fingers on the left side of his neck. Her breath comes out trembling yet relieved. "He's alive."

"They wouldn't let me take the knife out," Jasper explains with a nervous swallow.

"Yeah, that was a good call," Clarke praises, still struggling to make sense of the situation.