Bellamy and Lincoln had departed on their journey to the intake, leaving the others at the camp to worry.
Erica had not been able to sleep, her wounds reopening every time she tried to get comfortable.
She managed walking to medical, where Abby stitched up her cuts and let her watch her work for the night.
Erica felt like a helpless child, sitting on Abby's desk swinging her legs underneath her with her hands in her lap, watching the older woman work with admiration.
"Open the gate!" Someone shouted, making Erica get off of the desk and limp outside, seeing Indra and other grounders entering the camp.
Indra muttered something to them in Trigedasleng, her jaw tense and her voice threatening.
Kane approached her and they met in the middle, Kane speaking to her amicably.
Indra unsheathed her sword and Erica's brows furrowed as she began walking towards them.
The blonde sighed in relied when Indra threw her weapon on the ground, the soldiers behind her following her actions.
Kane led them into the Ark and Erica followed, watching as they entered a conference room and Kane spoke with Jaha.
"Kane, what's going on?" She inquired.
"Our first meeting with the grounders. Or, our first friendly one." He nodded towards the mix of grounder and sky person crammed into that room.
"I wouldn't call that friendly," Erica scoffed, eyeing Indra. "But we'll get there."
"Go inside." Kane patted Erica on the back.
The Parker girl stepped into the cold, metal room, finding her place next to Octavia. A man stood behind them and nudged Octavia on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, my shock baton's got your back,"
"How about you stick it up your ass instead?" She sneered, not even bothering to look at him.
"I know we don't have a lot in common," Kane started. "But we do have a common enemy, and a common goal. And for us to reach it, to get our people out of Mount Weather, we need to work together. Ogeda. Skaikru, and Trikru."
Moments later, Kane's speech on peace and unity was interrupted by a commotion between John Murphy and a grounder.
"John? You okay?" Erica asked him, stepping towards the pair who were face to face.
"Mr. Murphy," Kane addressed him. "Apologize to that man."
"For what? He was the one who came at me."
"Two days' work detail." Kane's voice had become more stern, but John didn't care.
"Work detail? I just told you I didn't-"
"Care to make it three?" Kane cut him off.
Erica's heart raced as she watched the scene unfold before her. Murphy simply shook his head, walking past the grounder angrily. Murphy was stopped in his tracks when the grounder gripped his bicep tightly.
"You're gonna burn just like your friend." He muttered, pulling Murphy closer.
The sky boy paused for a moment, clenching his jaw. He then whipped around, crashing his fist against his opponent's cheekbone, mercilessly attacking him.
Chaos ensued, and soon the entire room was engulfed in a fight. Grounder versus sky person, as it had been since the hundred first landed.
Erica moved to the sidelines, trying her best to avoid the violence, fearing losing self control.
She watched as her people fought with the grounders, screaming and shouting at one another. Erica marveled at the sight. The last members of the human race were at each other's throats.
There was next to no hope for peace, and their pride would be the death of them all.
Shortly after the situation in the conference room, Erica had found Clarke, and the two made their way to a meeting they'd planned with Lexa.
They had arrived, allowing a grounder to usher them into the room they had been in when they had their first dinner with the Commander and her people, before Erica was tortured for Gustus' mistakes.
They had spend hours pouring over solutions to their Mount Weather predicament, and they were getting nowhere.
A round table was set in between them all, crumpled up maps and failed plans lie before them.
"This argument is a waste of time!" Quint, a grounder, shouted at the others in the room. "It is simple. If they cannot breathe our air, why not just open the door and be done with it? Let them burn."
"We've been over this, that was our first thought." Erica ran her hands through her hair anxiously. "They have a containment system. It's not as easy as it sounds. Plus, there are innocent people in there."
"They have multiple air locks, just like we had on the Ark. Our inside man can shut that down." Clarke added, turning to face Quint.
"If he gets inside," He countered.
"What if we shut it down from the outside?" Lexa offered. "You say the dam gives them power, let's take that away."
"That dam withstood a nuclear war, Commander." Clarke shook her head. "I highly doubt-"
Clarke was cut off by Quint slamming his hands on the table, shouting indistinctly. Erica flinched.
"All she offers is no," He growled, lowering his head like an animal.
"Quint," Lexa spoke sternly, her eyes low and her tone strong.
"Apologies, Commander." Quint straightened up and stepped back. "But the biggest army we have ever had waits for us to give it a mission. The longer that takes, the more of our people die inside that mountain."
"We have people in there too," Erica's eyes were soft, as well as her voice. "We all want the same thing."
"We've lost thousands!" He snapped, stepping towards Erica as she moved away from him. "How many have you lost, girl? They say they have a plan. I say waiting for one man to get inside is not a very good one."
"I agree with Quint," Another grounder stepped in, resting his hands on the cool metal surface of the table. "We have an army. Let's use it."
Erica chewed on her lip nervously, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"We will," Clarke began. "After Bellamy lowers their defenses, turns off the acid fog. I dont care how many men you have. If you can't get to your enemy, you can't win."
"You are the enemy." Quint spat.
"I'm sorry, have we done something to offend you?" Clarke asked, her patience running thin.
Quint stepped towards the pair, and from behind him Byrne tightened her grip on her rifle.
"Yes. You burned my brother alive in a ring of fire."
Clarke sized him up. "He shouldn't have attacked my ship."
"You are very brave under the Commander's protection, aren't you?" He taunted her.
Lexa said something to him in Trigedasleng, which Erica interpreted as 'enough', and he looked at her.
He responded in the language and backed away.
"Quint's right." Lexa lifted a map from the table and looked at Erica. "Waiting for Bellamy is not a plan, it's a prayer. One that's not likely to be answered."
Clarke shifted uncomfortably. "Excuse me. I need some air," The blonde left the room quickly.
All but Lexa and Erica left, the two young women sitting in silence.
"Do you think we'll ever find peace between our people?" Erica inquired, watching Lexa as she carefully examined her map.
The Commander looked up, and her eyes softened. "I hope so."
Erica moved to Lexa's side of the table, making an effort to hop up onto it, but failing. The blonde groaned in pain, clutching her leg. She pulled her hand away and it was bloody again, meaning her stitches had ripped.
"I swear it feels like it's always something. Torture wounds, battle scars. I don't think any of us have stopped bleeding since we came down from the Ark." Erica chuckled dryly.
Lexa looked at the girl sadly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let them do this to you. I should have stopped them."
"It's not your fault. Tradition is tradition. On the Ark, if someone breaks a law we send them hurling into oblivion. On Earth, you tie them to a post and bleed them out slowly. We all have our quirks." Both of the girls laughed, and when the silence returned Erica spoke again. "Can you hand me my pack?"
Lexa obeyed and grabbed the tattered bag from the stone floor, placing it on the table.
Erica gripped the edges of the furniture again, trying to hoist herself up and failing. After about ten failed attempts, Lexa absentmindedly picked her up and placed her on the grey surface. Realizing what she'd done, Lexa quickly stepped backward and rushed back to her work on the map.
"Thank you," Erica's face flushed out of embarrassment, as did the Commander's.
The brunette watched the blonde rummage through her pack before finally finding the bottle and the needle and thread she'd been looking for. She first opened the bottle, pouring the contents on her wound and the supplies, then taking a swig for good measure.
"I don't usually drink, by the way. It doesn't end well." Erica laughed. "If Bellamy were here he could explain why, it's a mess."
As she began stitching up her leg, Lexa took a gulp from the bottle. "So, Bellamy. You care for him?" The Commander inquired.
"Yeah. I mean, we have a weird past, but he's one of my closest friends." Erica winced as she pierced her own skin.
"I see. Commanders don't have the luxury of having friends."
Erica looked up from her work and at Lexa. "I'm your friend."
"You are my ally. Friendship is weakness. Love is weakness." Lexa countered as she grabbed a rag from Erica's pack, soaking it in alcohol and dabbing it onto the blonde's wound. Erica winced.
"Pain is weakness." The Commander continued.
"I disagree. All of those things make you stronger. Love and friendship give you something to fight for. Pain gives you something to fight through. A life without friendship and love and pain is an empty life. I'd rather have all of it than none of it."
After these words left Erica's lips, a grounder came running in. "Commander," He panted. "Clarke of Skaikru is missing. And so is Quint."
The leaders looked at one another and immediately rushed outside, scavenging the forest for the lost pair.
After a scream echoed through the trees, Lexa, Erica and the grounder followed the noise, recognizing Clarke's voice.
They finally found her. She had been fighting off Quint, who sat on top of her, the blonde struggling against his weight. He pulled out a knife and spoke.
"For my brother."
Lexa pulled a dagger from her belt, hurling it towards Quint, stabbing him in the forearm. He shouted in pain, falling off of the young sky girl. The trio rushed to the pair, and Erica kneeled beside Clarke.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" The blonde frantically examined her comrade for injury.
"I'm okay. I'm fine." Clarke stood up and Erica turned to Quint, charging towards him.
Lexa stuck an arm out to block the blonde, muttered something to Quint in trigedasleng, and pulled the dagger out of his wrist slowly.
"Thank you," Clarke looked at Lexa gratefully.
"Where's your guard?"
"He killed her," Clarke accused the man, stepping away from him.
A large growl was heard from deep within the forest, and Lexa's face turned a pale color.
"Pauna," The Commander shuddered.
"What does that mean?" Erica asked her.
"It means we have to run," Lexa quickly unsheathed her sword, stabbing Quint in the leg and leaving him to die.
She broke out into a sprint and the others followed, Erica in the lead.
The roaring became louder and Erica turned around, seeing tree after tree fall to the ground. She stopped for a mere moment, and an enormous beast covered in black fur emerged from the trees.
Lexa and the others had caught up to her, and the Commander gripped her arm harshly. "Don't stop!"