Shadows

Chapter Four

(Clarke's POV)

She wanted to leave. She wanted to turn around, run away back into the forest, disappear and forget this little encounter had ever happened. However, something made her stay. It must have been the way Lexa had spoken about her friends and family. How she hinted at things, potentially bad things that had happened, but she wanted to spare Clarke the gory details. Although Clarke hated to admit it, Lexa was right. If Clarke's people needed her then she would go. Not because she wanted to face them, to have some sort of happy reunion, but because they needed her. And if they needed her, then Clarke needed to help them. She pulled her hair back down, shed her dress and went over to the ocean to bathe for the first time in forever. She took sand and scrubbed herself until her skin was raw and pink. When she returned to the prison tent she found a new set of clothes awaiting her, thankfully pants and a shirt this time. Her body was cleaner than it had been in months, but Clarke felt no less dirty on the inside. She found a blanket and took it out to the beach. Laying down on the sand, she allowed the soothing sound of the gentle waves lull her to sleep.

The shrill cry of a seagull startled Clarke from a deep sleep. She slowly sat up and moaned from the aches of pain that shot up and down her back, the consequences of sleeping on the sand. Glancing over at the ocean, she noticed the sun was just beginning to rise. She knew she needed to get up and tell Lexa... the Commander, that she would be travelling with them, but she got momentarily distracted by the gorgeous oranges and pinks that were painted in the sky. How can there still be beauty when this world has caused so much death and pain? Clarke watched the sky for a few more minutes before picking herself up off the sand and wandering over to where she assumed the Commander was staying. Raising her fist, she gently knocked on the wood and then stepped back to wait. Lexa opened the door of the cabin and stepped down so she was facing Clarke. Her face was unreadable.

"I see that you will be joining us? There is some food inside if you are hungry for breakfast but be quick. We plan to leave soon."

Lexa's tone of voice matched her face, void of any emotion. Clarke ate a larger breakfast than she usually did, knowing that she would need the energy for the day. When she was finished, she wandered over to find where the group was. Everyone was saying goodbye and packing up the remainder of their supplies. One of the guards travelling with them spotted Clarke and walked over to her, a horse in tow.

"We should be able to make the journey back to Tondc in two days. We have managed to split up the remainder of the supplies amongst ourselves so that you can have this horse. His name is Bellator."

The grounder handed Clarke the horse's reins which she reluctantly took. She had ridden a few times before but that was in emergencies when her adrenaline was running high. In truth, Clarke knew nothing more about riding than what she had read from books on the Ark, and there wasn't much to read. The grounder walked away and Clarke stroked the neck of the chestnut horse, dreading the next few days to come.

She waited until everyone was ready to go before attempting to mount Bellator. She managed to throw the reins over his head on her third attempt and she wandered over to his side where she contemplated the best way in which to tackle the situation. Taking her left leg, she was able to somehow stretch it far enough for her boot to reach the stirrup. She then reached up as far as she could with her left hand to grab the horn of the saddle. Here goes nothing, she thought as she attempted to pull herself up onto the horse's back. She managed to get about halfway up before her foot slipped and she fell backwards off the horse and into the sand. Right before she hit the ground, she let out a surprised cry which unfortunately attracted the attention of just about everyone. She quickly sprang up off the ground, her cheeks flushing from embarrassment.