Survive for Another Time

Chapter 10

Just like last time Finn had volunteered for the hunting party and had roped in Jasper and Monty. Octavia had jumped on the occasion to prove herself and Bellamy had joined them to protect her. On the other hand Wells had deviated from his original actions and had joined them too. Clarke figured she had dissuaded him of following his father's instructions and persuaded him to stay low and keep secure. Or else he was there to protect her, like always.

The group had, under Clarke's instructions, taken with them sharp shards of metal from the drop ship, jerrycans for the water and some rope. Octavia who had been exited by her makeshift knife had looked at Clarke weirdly when she had asked for the ropes. She had to explain that it was to secure any game they got before any was presented to her.

Once in the forest the boys moved ahead leaving Octavia trailing behind with her and Clarke. Clarke hoped that the boys would take the same route as the first time and lead them to the phosphorous plant and in turn the mutated buck they had once admired, when things were much simpler and they were innocent.

"Before you get any ideas," started Octavia, "Finn's mine."

Sighting Clarke looked to Octavia and made sure the girl was really paying attention when she answered.

"And before you get any, I don't care, Octavia. Plus, he is taken."

Clarke wanted the brunette as her friend again and knew that Octavia who had spent her entire childhood locked in a box and her teenage hood lobed in a sky-box was still searching herself. Especialy when it came to relation ships with others. That and, well, she was Octavia, and Octavia Blake was complicated and individual and before what had happened in TonDC with the missile, Clarke had come to think of the younger girl like a sister. She still did, after the smoke had cleared, but Octavia's view of her had changed radically. This time Clarke wanted to avoid that.

Yes, Clarke thought, continuing their trek into the forest, somehow having made her way to the front of the group and was leading them through the trees in search of prey. This time i will protect everyone.

They all passed through the patches of Poison Sumac again, and Clarke made sure that they were headed the right way. While staying closer to the group this time she heard Finn asking Monty and Jasper how they'd gotten busted and then how the latter asked Octavia what she was in for. Clarke winced, knowing that telling her tale was hard for the younger Blake sibling, and was about to say something to Jasper when she heard it.

She held up a hand, signalling for the others to be quiet, and dropped into a slight crouch, moving forward as silently as she could. A smile lit her face as she moved closer. Clarke grabbed the makeshift knife from inside of her jacket and held it between her fingers. She shook the blade slightly, testing the balance as she hadn't had a chance to sharpen a stick and nodded to herself before she threw the blade.

Her heart caught for a moment in pride as the metal sunk into its target, dropping the buck. It wasn't dead, and for that she was sorry, but it definitely wouldn't be running off. Clarke walked forward, not hearing the others speaking to her, focusing only on the task in front of her. She knelt next to the buck that was looking at her in fright and put her hand on his flank, using her other hand to tug her knife from where it had embedded itself.

"I promise your death is not in vein."

And, as she whispered so, she pulled the metal shard across the beast's throat, effectively killing it and ending its suffering.