Fallen

Chapter Twenty-Two: After the Mountain

The bow curves as Ash pulls the string back. She lets out a breath before letting go. The arrow flies and digs into the flesh of the buck. The deer tries to run before falling. She hurries over before digging her knife into its neck, ending it's suffering quickly.

"Yu gonplei ste odon," she mutters. She yanks the arrow out of the deer. Three months since the events of Mount Weather and she is still not fully together. She looks up as a Grounder approaches her. His dark, long hair is partially tied back to keep out of his face.

"Good work," he states. She nods her head, standing up. Roan helps her take the deer to the cave before he begins to skin it.

"Why don't you take it to the trading post?" Ash asks.

"It's easier to just do ourselves," he answers, not looking at her. Under the Commander's orders, he has been training her to fight like a Grounder for the past five weeks. He is typically blunt and cold to people. As of late, he has been more open to her. All she really knows about him is he was banished from the Ice Nation.

Ash gets the fire going, trying to warm up. It is a bit cold being this close to the border of the Ice Nation. 

"You need to return to Skaikru," he tells her.

"Why?" she asks. He just glares at her before going back to preparing the deer. "I thought we agreed to be honest and answer questions."

"We did not agree to that last part."

"Kind of comes with territory of honesty."

"Why don't you want to go back to your people?"

She looks at the flames.

"I don't want to go back until I know I can properly defend my people." 

He listens to what she says.

"I have to do a task and I don't want to take you," he states. "It will be easier on my own."

She nods her head, picking up her bow and quiver of arrows. 

"Well be safe then," she tells him.

"It's almost dark," he points out.

"And? You said you want me to go back, so I'm leaving." 

With that, she leaves the cave. She moves through the woods carefully. Though the Skaikru and Coalition is at peace, Ice Nation has a habit of not listening to the Commander. She tries to keep light on her feet to not cause too much noise. She keeps moving through the woods, coming to a clearing. 

Two Ice Nation Warriors are getting upset at a group of people that looks like they are from the Ark. As she approaches closer cautiously, she can make out the group. Jasper walks over and yanks something off of a warrior's belt. The warrior pulls out a sword and puts it against Jasper's throat. Ash quickly hops up and hurries over.

"Hod op!" Everyone looks over as she aims an arrow at one of the warriors. "Breik au Jasper nau." 

"Oso nou na listen gon Skaikru," one answers. Of course they won't listen to her. Bellamy shoots one in the arm while Ash lets the arrow fly, hitting the other in the chest. As the one that is on the ground goes to kill Jasper, Octavia throws a sword at him.

"So much for non-lethal," Bellamy mutters while Ash rips her arrow out of the body. "Where have you been?"

"Polis then here," she responds, not making eye contact with him. She broke up with him two months ago and they haven't talked much since then. 

"You've gotten better at Trigedasleng," Octavia points out. 

"Being at Polis helped." The radio goes off and Bellamy walks off to answer. Ash looks at the cut on Jasper's neck. "You should probably have Abby look at that."

"If she has time," Raven mutters. Bellamy walks back over. 

"Kane wants to meet with us," he states. 

"Jasper needs to see a doctor," Ash points out.

"We'll get him back to Arkadia," Octavia promises. "Plus I have a feeling your dad wants to see you."

Miller, Jasper, Octavia, and Raven take horses back towards Arkadia. The others walk over to a vehicle. Ash has to keep her jaw from dropping. They actually have working vehicles to drive around in. Bellamy gets in the driver seat and she climbs into the back. The ride is bumpy as they go down the path. The ride is just awkward silence as no one knows what to talk about it. The vehicle stops, lurching her forward some.

"Should have warned you," Bellamy states.

"Would have been helpful," she mutters. The three get out of the vehicle. Marcus and Indra, the leader of Trikru, are there, waiting for them. Marcus embraces his daughter, happy to see her.

"What's going on?" Bellamy asks.

"Clarke is being hunted," Marcus states.

"By who?" Ash asks.

"By everyone," Indra answers. "We need to find her now."

Everyone piles back into the vehicle, this time Monty is driving. Indra looks uneasy. 

"I'm still getting used to it too," Marcus states.

"Why do they want to kill Clarke?" Bellamy asks.

"My people believe when you kill someone, you take their power," Indra informs them. "The bounty on Clarke is because she is a symbol after Mount Weather. Wanheda, or Commander of Death."

"Did the Ice Queen place the bounty?" Ash asks. Marcus looks at her in confusion. "There seems to be more movement than there should be."

"She did. After what happened with Mount Weather, the Commander seems weak."

"So the Ice Queen wants to use Clarke's 'power' to over throw her."

"And so we need to find her first. We should start at the trading post near Ice Nation."

"I know where that is," Ash states, trying to stand up. She uses the front seats to keep enough balance to point out on a map to Bellamy and Monty where the trading post it. The vehicle hits a bump and Bellamy quickly acts to keep her from falling forward. She quickly sits back down next to her dad. After what feels like a good while, the vehicle stops.

"A tree is in the way," Monty states. Indra leans over the seats.

"It was cut down," she states.

"How can you be sure?" Bellamy asks. A loud thud comes from behind them. Ash looks out the back window to see another tree had fallen, trapping them in.