Lightning Only Strikes Once - Clexa

Chapter 37: Kane and Able

Clarke spots them through the crowd of Farm Station people. They're wrapped in blankets from the pile Lexa's people brought, rich furs that she guesses are from bears but could be from almost any predator animal. They look lost and tired, but she can see the similarity immediately.

"Mr Green? Mrs Green ?" she waits until they turn to face her. "I'm Clarke, I'm a friend of Monty's."

Their faces collapse in relief. "We spoke to him yesterday morning," the woman says, words rushing out over the top of each other. "But they wouldn't let us talk to him before we came down earlier. Is he alright?"

"He's fine," Clarke says firmly, sure she would have heard from him otherwise. "We have a radio you can talk to him over if you'd like."

"That would be amazing," Monty's father says, breaking into a relieved smile. "How far away is he? How far away is our son? Will we go there tomorrow?"

Clarke winces. "We have to stay here for a while to find the other stations," she tells them frankly. "Then we'll all travel south together. There's an area of Trikru land – right on the southern border, as far away as we can get from the Mountain – that the Commander is willing to give to us. Many of the Trikru have met us and she thinks they'll accept us there, if we're careful. But because we have to go the long way round to avoid Mount Weather as much as possible, it might take us weeks to get there. Monty and anyone else who wants to leave Polis – the capital – should be able to meet us there, though. We'll contact them on the radio and let them know when."

"Weeks?" Monty's mother says, looking at Clarke in horror.

"You can talk to him on the radio tonight," Clarke promises. "And it looks like we're going to all travel to each station together to find our people , if we've got enough tents, so if that happens you can keep in contact with him every day if you like."

"Tents?" she says blankly, like the idea of tents is inconceivable.

Clarke decides to pretend she's asking about the number of tents, instead of tents as a general concept. "Each of the gonas – warriors – we brought has been carrying an extra tent, and the Ice Nation warriors also have some. We can manage the survivors here easily enough -" Only seven people died in Farm Station in the fall. "- but if some of the larger stations have landed safely we might have to start squashing more people into each tent."

The Trikru gonas have been pushed to the limit carrying what they are, Clarke knows – all the tents, the dried food, extra clothing, extra blankets. Luckily, they were able to offload some to be carried by the Azgeda gonas, making it easier. Also, this seems to have stopped some of the resentment towards the Skaikru for the additional baggage, with Lexa confiding in her that the Trikru are enjoying forcing the Azgedakru to carry heavy loads and act as their guides. In fact, the dislike between the two clans seems to be distracting either from disliking the Skaikru, though Clarke's not sure that's a good thing.

"Whatever it takes," Monty's father says firmly, taking his wife's hand and giving it a squeeze. "So long as we can see our son again." He smiles at Clarke. "It is good to meet a friend of his. I am glad he is making more, for the longest time it was just him and Jasper."

"Oh, it's still him and Jasper," Clarke says dryly, though she can't help but smile at the thought. "Lively as always."

Monty's father laughs, and his wife manages a smile. "You are the chief of Medical's daughter, yes?"

"I am," Clarke says, swallowing hard. "She was on Alpha Station. The biggest one. We haven't found it yet."

"That one had most of the Council, didn't it?" Monty's father says reassuringly. Clarke can see where Monty got both his calmness and his kindness. "I'm sure they wouldn't have been put there unless it was the safest."