Children of the Blood

Beasts

Chapter 1 - Beasts

"Jomp em ooooooop!" The battle cry sounded the attack and a dozen painted warriors burst from the surrounding forest, rushing into the clearing.

The four massive beasts lounging in the clearing outside of their cave dens were suddenly on their feet, teeth bared and claws exposed.  They stood twice the size of the tallest warrior, thick dark fur matted and reeking, razor sharp talons extending from the end of paws the size of a warriors torso.

The Commander watched the soldiers rush forward.  Waiting for the right moment.  Then with a quick glance to the trees yelled, "Nau!"

Arrows whistled past, raining down on the beasts.  Their roars shook the ground as they swiped at the arrows as if they were stinging insects.

The warriors on the ground reached the beasts just as their distraction was at it's pinnacle.  They attacked with ferocity, armed with swords and knives.  Three of the four beasts were well in hand, already loosing strength as their blood drenched the ground from the unrelenting attack.  But the fourth swiped hard with a guttural howl, sweeping three warriors off their feet and flinging them into the trees as if they were made of leaves.

A young warrior, still in training at the Commanders side, pulled his sword intent on avenging his comrades and facing the monstrous beast.  But the Commander stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder.  The young warrior glanced up, meeting the fierce burning green eyes that stood bright against the dark war paint on the Commanders face.

"No," the Commander said.  "Dison laik ain."

"Shah Heda," he said and watched as she pulled both of her swords and raced into the fray with a shattering cry.

*********

Once all four beasts lay defeated, the Commander took stock of the damage.  Four of her eighteen warriors were wounded, one of which most likely would not live to make the return trip to Polis.  Not at the pace they must set.  She grimaced at the thought of the loss and turned away, yanking her sword free from the skull of the fallen beast in front of her.

"Os fragon, Heda," a deep voice said behind her.

She took a moment to wipe the gore from her blade before sheathing it and turning to face the warrior who had spoken.  "A good kill makes no matter when we loose our own, Lincoln" she responded, her eyes flashing.

He nodded and followed her gaze to the now still body of the most severely wounded warrior.  The Commander pushed the loss away and refocused her attention on the man in front of her.  "How many?"

Lincoln's gaze shifted to the massive, dark cave openings in the hillside beyond the clearing.  "Four teams of three.  The rest should keep watch."

"Are they ready?"

Lincoln glanced at the two Skaikru huddled around handheld machines, muttering to each other quietly. One glanced up, catching Lincoln's eye and giving a quick nod. Monty. Lincoln glanced at his companion, a woman named Aubry, who was tucking the equipment away. Aubry was former farm station. She gave him a quick nervous smile.

He brought his gaze back to the Commander. "They are."

"Let's go," she said, striding past him.

He caught her arm, stopping her.  Her eyes flashed in indignation and he released her, raising his hands in surrender.  "Lexa, you're bleeding," he said gently.

She glanced down and for the first time noticed the deep gash in her upper arm, dark blood covering her sleeve and steadily dripping onto the forest floor.

"It's fine," she ground out, obviously frustrated at the delay.

"Just hold still, it'll only take a minute," Octavia said as she approached and dropped the pack of medical supplies.  

"I said it's fine! We don't have time to waste," Lexa practically growled.

Octavia pulled a salve and fresh bandages from the pack and squared her shoulders, meeting the Commanders gaze with a determined one of her own.  "If it gets infected you won't be going anywhere.  And frankly I'm a little more scared of Clarke than you if she finds out I let that happen."

Lexa's anger cracked at the mention of Clarke.  "You argue unfairly," she said.

"Shah Heda," Octavia said, allowing a half smile to appear fleetingly.

Lexa thrust her arm forward.  "Make it quick."

*****

Dark had fallen but it made no matter. The sun was of no consequence where they were headed. Armed with torches the four teams spent hours upon hours delving deeper into the cave system, carefully marking their paths.

Despite the torches, their field of view was limited and made progress excruciatingly slow. Monty, head bent over the small screen on the device in his hand, walked into Lincoln's back, not realizing the larger man had stopped.

"What is it?" Monty asked, peaking around him. The Commander was a few steps ahead. She took Lincoln's torch and tossed it in front of her. It dropped far past where the floor of the tunnel should have been, revealing a deep cavern below. After a moment, the light extinguished with a small splash.

The three watched as a few other small lights appeared, lower in the cavern.

Octavia, Aubry and another Trikru warrior.

******

With torches lit around the cavern, their environment began to take shape. It was a massive space. A natural formation carved from millennia of water erosion. Several tunnels led to it. At the bottom, clear cold water flowed through an ancient river.

The four teams had gathered at the cavern floor and were huddled around a small fire. Aubry entered the circle of firelight and sat down next to Monty, a small test kit in her hands.

"Well?" Octavia prompted.

Aubry looked up, a grin slowly spreading across her face. "The water's clear of contaminants. The rock and sediment works as a natural filter. The air is clean too. Radiation levels are the lowest we've seen in, well, ever since being on the ground."

"It's big enough," Monty added, sharing his small screen as best he could with the group. It glowed green, showing outlines of the tunnel system and the cavern itself, having mapped the space as they explored.

"What about food?" Lincoln asked.

As Aubry began to explain their options, Lexa tuned out the voices and let her eyes wander the dark, shadowed spaces of the giant cavern. Was this their future? Living underground like rats? She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose feeling her frustration building.

It had been four months. Four months since they defeated the AI. Since they learned of the fate worse than death awaiting them all if they remained in their villages. Radiation sickness. Contaminated water. Black rain. The electrical storms. It was all happening just as the AI had warned Clarke and they were running out of time to find a suitable place to hide. No, to survive, she reminded herself.

She pushed to her feet and walked to the edge of the stream, away from the others. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, feeling the familiar tug of the Flame in her mind. Slowly images began to form. Soft, moving shapes almost like ghosts passing through her vision. Then a shape in the center became more defined. A figure, a woman, sitting crosslegged in a sea of white. Lexa knew her even before she looked up. Would have known her anywhere. Clarke.

She felt herself drift closer in her mind, Clarke's features becoming clearer. Her blue eyes steady on Lexa. Then she slowly lifted her arm and looked down at her wrist. At her watch. Her Father's watch, Clarke had told her.

Just as quickly the vision was gone. Lexa opened her eyes to the dark, cavernous space surrounding her.

Time. They were running out of time. They would do what they must. She would find a way to keep her people alive if it was the last thing she did.

****