Love Is Weakness

Be Safe

I jumped down from the lower branches of the trees, stumbling a little when I hit the uneven ground. Octavia came jogging through the trees behind me, the other Grounders following close behind, slightly breathless after their task.

'O, you okay?' Lincoln asked when he spotted her, moving over to sweep her up in a tight hug.

'Yeah I'm fine' she reassured him, pulling out of his grip as the Commander approached.

'We successfully led the panthers a fair distance away but there's no telling if they'll return, we should get moving as soon as possible' she reported, taking a swig of water from her bottle once her breathing had returned to normal. Bellamy was close behind Lincoln and moved towards his sister with a concerned expression.

'Are you sure you're okay? That was a risky move, it could've gotten you killed!' he exclaimed, frowning when Octavia pulled away from his concerned touch. She was fully capable of looking after herself and fully intended for her brother to realize this.

'I'm fine Bel, I know what I'm doing' she replied confidently, the doubt still visible in Bellamy's eyes but he said no more about it.

'We head off now before the panthers return' Lexa cut in, all of us eager to leave before another attack occurred. Our group was soon moving south once more, the Grounders that were leading the horses bringing up the rear.

Oddly enough I wasn't feeling the tiredness that had begun to set in earlier, my steps now light as my mind focused on one single thought. Even my growing hunger had been forgotten in place of a far more pleasant feeling.

My gaze was fixed on the Commander who was a short distance ahead of me as I walked beside Octavia. I savored the moments when the braided head would turn and she would glance over her shoulder as if checking on everyone's positions, though her eyes sought out only mine. Even just these brief moments left me slightly breathless, my lack of attention soon becoming noticeable to my friend when I narrowly avoided tripping over a protruding tree root.

'Woah, did you fall out of that tree back there or something?' Octavia teased lightly, wondering what had happened to my usually collected and alert self. Her words pulled my attention to where she walked beside me, my mind suddenly going blank at the question.

'Uh, well something like that...' I said in response, trailing off as I remembered precisely what had happened in the tree. With the rest of the group remaining in silence, our conversation carried to anyone within earshot and I saw a small smile form on Lexa's face at my evasive response, clearly having the same thought as me. Octavia shook her head at my reply but gave up her questions when I didn't elaborate further, far more wrapped up in my own thoughts to even try.

Within a few hours of setting off Lexa called us to a stop to have something to eat now that evening was closing in and we set up a small fire to cook the meat over. Nearby rocks were used as some seating, those left remaining crouched around the flames. I ended up perched on one of the rocks opposite Lexa, unsure if this was a good thing as I repeatedly told myself to stop staring and fixed my gaze on the ground instead.

The meat was soon cooked and I reached from my position to take a slice of meat from the fire but the tug from my stitches stopped me short. I immediately pulled back and was about to stand to try again but before I had a chance one of the meat strips was being held towards me, Lexa having seen my effort had jumped up to pass it to me.

'Thank you commander' I said with a smile, holding onto the piece of meat for a second longer than necessary, our gazes locking instantly and I almost laughed at her hasty retreat when the seconds passed by, the others momentarily forgotten. Thankfully they were to busy sating their own hunger to notice anything out of the ordinary and it was a small relief when Lincoln spoke up to break the silence.