On The Ground (Lexa)

2.

Lexa followed Anya through the forest, matching her footfalls in silence step for step. They moved naturally and with ease through the underbrush, making no noise, as if they were nothing more than ghosts among the bases of the trees. Lexa scanned the woods around her, keeping a diligent eye out for movement. It had been two days since the last Reaper attack, but Anya was right, they were becoming far too frequent.

Winter was approaching, and despite the danger of venturing in to the shadow of Mount Weather and the territory of the Mountain Men, they needed to gather food and supplies. Their village would not survive on the meager rations that they had gathered thus far, and with more and more of their warriors being taken, they would not be able to defend themselves if another clan attacked.

"Anya, where are we going?" Lexa asked.

They had ventured out that morning on the pretense of leading a hunting party, but the way they'd been moving with such speed for the past three hours told Lexa that they were not on the search for food, but rather on a mission of some purpose. Two other warriors followed closely behind them, but the rest of their fighters had remained behind to guard the village. For now, the hunting and scouting parties had been the Reaper's targets, but with the majority of their warriors missing, Lexa knew it was just a matter of time before the village became the Mountain's next objective.

"We cannot survive the winter on our own," Anya replied over her shoulder.

Lexa's pace faltered. Admitting weakness was admitting defeat; it was a lesson that Anya had drilled into her head time and time again. If Anya was acknowledging their weakness now, then the situation was more dire than Lexa had originally thought. "We're seeking help?" she asked.

"We do what we must to survive," Anya replied, casting a knowing glance over her shoulder to her young Second. "Indra's village is small, but her warriors are fierce. If we can work together, we will survive the winter, and the Reapers will think twice before targeting us."

Lexa had met Indra once before in a war council. They came from different villages, but they were all Trikru. When the Commander called Trikru to war, the villages marched together. They worked together in times of war, and it was together that they would survive now. Strength in numbers, Lexa understood this.

"The village is just up ahead," Anya whispered, sheathing her sword.

Lexa and the two other warriors followed their leader's actions, disarming themselves so that they would not appear as a threat to the villagers. Anya moved deliberately now, making as much noise as possible as to draw attention to their arrival. Up ahead, Lexa could see the fence that surrounded the tiny village, tucked in the middle of the trees like a little oasis in the midst of a vast desert.

"Don't take another step!" a voice called. Lexa quickly scanned the trees and picked out the silhouettes of six archers hidden within them, bows trained on their small party. "Announce yourself!" the voice shouted again.

Anya held her arms above her head, showing that they meant no harm. "Onya kom Trikru. We need to speak to Indra," she replied, her voice unwavering and showing no sign of vulnerability.

The forest was silent for a moment, and then the gates of the village before them gently swung open, the wood groaning heavily. A woman emerged; she wore armor and was dressed for battle, but her sword remained sheathed at her side. Her face was covered in deep scars, lines of battle and wisdom etched around her eyes. Her skin was a beautiful shade of mocha, her black hair cropped short, and she gazed at them intently as if weighing options in her mind.

Lexa's eyes shifted nervously, counting the six archers in the trees and the seven more warriors that stood behind the woman at the gates. They were vastly outnumbered if the exchange went wrong. She felt her hand instinctually slide over the hilt of her sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice.

The woman stepped forward, and Anya moved to meet her halfway, their forearms clasping in the traditional warriors greeting. "Anya, it has been a long time," the woman said, her voice strong and confident.

"It is good to see you, Indra," Anya replied. "You remember my Second, Lexa."

Indra held out her hand and grasped Lexa's forearm, eyeing her from head to toe, as if asking some unanswered question within her own mind. "Come," she said. "Let us talk within the walls, it's not safe out here."

Lexa followed Anya and Indra into the gates of the village, leaving the two warriors that had accompanied them to stand guard with the others. Within the village, Lexa took notice of the uneasy silence. There couldn't have been more than twenty people within the walls, and most of them were elderly or children. The villagers eyed them nervously, but Lexa saw something else within the faces of the people: fear.

"What happened here?" Lexa asked, but her answer came swiftly at the sight of a massive funeral pyre in the center of the village. The bodies were stacked high, wrapped in cloth, awaiting the blaze that would set their spirits free.

"We were attacked two days ago," Indra replied. "The Reapers came. Hoards of them, from all directions."

"Then we're too late," Anya said, her voice filled with anguish and Lexa could tell that her mentor was fighting to maintain control of her emotions.

Indra stared at the funeral pyre in silence for a moment, the weight of her people's deaths bearing down on her. "They took our warriors, killed any who resisted, and then disappeared back into the mines. A group of us managed to fight some off, but we're all that's left now," she explained.

Lexa looked to her mentor for words of wisdom or encouragement, but found only despair in the deep brown eyes of the woman that had trained her since childhood. "Gather your remaining people and what supplies you can carry. You must return to TonDC with us," Lexa said, taking charge of the hopeless situation.

"Return to TonDC with you?" Indra asked, her voice tinged with a tone of anger. "This is our home. Our dead are not yet returned to the earth. We will not leave this place."

Anya shook her head as if waking from a daze. "No, Lexa is right. The Mountain attacks have grown more frequent, and it is only a matter of time before they return for the rest of you. We cannot survive these attacks and the winter alone, but we have a chance with our two people working together. I know that you see this, Indra," Anya said, trying to appeal to the other leaders rational side.

"You expect us to just abandon our village?" Indra asked, her voice sharp.

"I expect you to do what is best for your people, as I am trying to do what is best for mine. Our only shot at survival is together."

Indra was quiet for a long while, silence hanging heavily in the air as she measured the situation. "Very well," she sighed. "I will tell my people to gather their belongings. We leave now."

Lexa watched as Indra made her way to the funeral pyre. "Yu gonplei ste odon," she whispered as she touched a torch to the wood. The flame caught quickly, spreading over the bodies as if devouring them with an unquenchable hunger. Black smoke billowed thick into the air, and Lexa knew that death's appetite was never satisfied.