Taming Chaos // J.M // The 100

Chapter 58

Murphy steps down, closer to the forest's edge. He keeps an eye on Ethan, who's searching amongst the gathered shrubbery, directly down the hill from where Michael had thrown their only batch of nostalgia.

"Ha!"

Ethan thrusts the bottle victoriously in the air.

Securing the moonshine, Murphy shushes him. He glances at the Ark, "Why stop here?" He suggests, nudging Ethan towards the trees.

Ethan smiles cockily. He ducks quickly under the arm and past the bushes.

"Good." Murphy rasps, "I know a place." Leading him further into the dangers of the rainforest.

"You do?"

His leg must be feeling a ton better because Murphy's ignoring him to bolt around trees and under low hanging branches like it's nothing. Ethan's never seen him this free. 

They pass the dropship, go through the creak, across a river and -

Murphy does, in fact, know a place.

Jaw dropped in awe, Ethan breathes out slowly. His fingers brush through the last crowding bush of fluffing leaves before he stops beside Murphy.

A perfect circle of tall trees and underbrush stands in front of them, framing the pond sitting wide in the centre. He can smell fresh rain and wildflowers drifting in the breeze.

Murphy sticks his arms proudly out to the side to showcase his findings, sun peeking through the branches to lighten his normally narrowed eyes. 

He opens the bottle of moonshine tantalizingly slow and takes the first sip.

"This is. . ." Ethan spins around, "Holy shit."

"Yah," Murphy agrees, a lilt to the end of his word.

Ethan accepts the offered drink without looking, eyes furiously taking in the wonder of the ground. It's a nostalgic feeling. From when they first landed, and nothing mattered. They didn't have to worry about food or the grounders or the Ark or his mum or Michael. It was just. . . them and the Earth.

He misses this feeling. 

He misses when he used to laugh with his friends and rush off into the woods to stare at the scenery for hours. Throwing berries at each other, trying to catch with their open mouths.

And for the moment, Ethan lets his worries go.

Together they share the bottle, lying lazily by the edge of the water until it starts to lick at their boots.

"When'd you find this place?"

"Couple days before the grounders found me."

"Oh."

With the moonshine minutes away from being finished, dizzy and on the verge of tipsy, Ethan kicks his shoes off. The socks go as well. He glances down at Murphy, "I've always wanted to go for a swim." Is his explanation.

"Really?" Murphy cocks a brow, his arms folded underneath his head.

"Yeah. You jumped in before?"

"Nope."

"Do you know how to swim?"

"Personally I wave my arms back and forth until I turn into a bird and take off." Murphy gestures sarcastically, spreading his arms out.

Ethan scoffs, "Stop acting all high and mighty and get undressed." He smacks the brunette's leg and steals the moonshine for another sip. When the bottle's bottom touches the ground, he stands.