AS THE NIGHT drew further in, the group decided to set up camp for the night, Gaia residing high up in a nearby tree. Her legs were swung around the rough bark, locked underneath her body to stop her from toppling off the branch and making a very sudden, probably very inelegant, entrance. Softly closing her eyes she lent her head back against the trunk, the mass of bouncy, auburn curls cushioning her occiput. The darkness was a blanket of silence laid over the wood- no birds chirped, no people spoke, the quiet only accompanied by the imperceptible breeze making the leaves rustle and branches inaudibly creak. Various plants and fungi lit up in vibrant purples and greens, their glow faintly cutting through the black of night.
Earth truly was beautiful.
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The morning sun quickly rose above the tree tops, causing the sky people to continue on their journey to Mount Weather. When they reached the same place they had yesterday they scouted the edges of the wood for any method to make their way to the other side. Octavia's face flashed with fear at the sight of the water, the memories of yesterday returning to her, but she quickly shook her head, ridding her of those worries.
"Brave girl." Gaia whispered to herself, impressed by the girls determination and reluctance to show alarm. She may have foolishly jumped into the river, but it seemed she had learnt from her mistakes and already she had redeemed herself in Gaia's esteem.
Further down the rocky land Finn had found a long vine to swing the group across to the other side. He cautious pulled on the natural rope, testing it multiple times to check whether it would hold his weight.
"You wanted to go first. Now quick stalling." Clarke mocked, finding humour in Finn's reluctance but with an edge of annoyance to her tone. In return he just rolled his eyes at her, but it couldn't take attention away from his slightly shaking hands and nervous shuffling. Goggles noticed this, and whispered across to Finn, reassuring him that he would be fine, just to hold on till the apogee. They continued to whisper to each other, Gaia watching as the two swapped positions, Jasper's eyes flitting between the vine and Octavia who was beaming at him from below. With a deep intake of breath, and some words of encouragement from Finn, he took one step back and leaped across the river, tightly grasping the vine so hard his knuckles turned white. Gaia's gasp of shock caught in her throat, watching with wide eyes and bated breath as he swung from the vine onto the bank, quite heavily but not painfully.
The corners of her plump peach lips turned up into a slight smile, relieved that he had made it, but it quickly turned upside down as the realisation of what that meant hit her.
They crossed the boundary. They crossed the boundary. They crossed the boundary.
Panic filled her every pore, anxiety buzzing in her veins. She knew what this would mean- she had spent too much time in the commanders company to not know exactly what would happen now. War was coming, and now they had crossed the boundary it wasn't just Skai Kru who were in danger- everyone would be brought into this. Trikru would attack, the clans would revolt; it would be like the last great war again.
Gaia sat there, gazing in worry as the oblivious group whooped and cheered at Jasper, who held a sign above his head, shouting out in glee at the words 'Mount Weather' written across the singed and mud covered metal. The snapping of a branch brought Gaia out of her terror driven trance, looking up into the canopy above her to spy a figure solidly fixed in the tree.
In his hand there was a spear.
A spear that was hurtled at astonishing strength and pinpoint accuracy towards Jasper, embedding itself in his chest and propelling him backwards with immense force. A gasp escaped Gaia's lips. The group, startled, was dragged behind the rocks by Finn, hoping to shield themselves from anymore spears that could be thrown their way. Pure horror was written across their faces, unable to drag their eyes away from Jasper's still body, before fleeing into the woods.
Gaia leaped up, running towards the vine Jasper used to swing across. She paused on the edge of the rocks, staring at Jasper's body on the other side. He didn't deserve this. No-one deserves this. So without a flicker of fear, Gaia leaped, swinging herself across the river. Her hands stung as the vine teared at her palms, further deepening the cut on her hand, but adrenaline coursed through her blood, allowing her to ignore the pain as she leaped effortlessly off the vine and onto the bank.
She quickly regained her balance, scurrying towards Jasper who was beginning to shake, the shock of the trauma hitting him hard. Gaia's hands softly grazed across his body, evaluating his injuries (however self-explanatory a spear through the chest might be), trying to keep a level head as she tried to figure out what to do with him. The spear had narrowly missed his heart- a couple of millimetres to the right and it would have severed the main arteries, killing him instantly- but Gaia knew she still had no time to waste. They couldn't stay out in the open for long.
She knew of a place she could take him, a supply bunker was near here, but any sudden movements and Jasper's life could be in serious danger. But with only herself for help, her first priority was to get him into the cover of the trees- any more injuries she could deal with when they were in the safety of the forest.
Grasping his biceps, she pulled with all her might, dragging him towards the trees. The first movement made Jasper wail out in pain, a sound so desperate and pain-ridden, but Gaia couldn't let it get to her head. She had to move him, or else they were both as good as dead. Keeping the same intensity as before, she continued to drag him across the rocks and tree roots into the forest, wincing at every grunt and scream Jasper emitted but continuing to push on towards the bunker.
As she neared it, Jasper was beginning to pass in and out of consciousness, the pain obviously overwhelming him. With one final drag towards the entrance, Gaia carefully lay him down on the forest floor, gripping the handle to the entrance and hauling it open. She warily lifted Jasper's limp body further into the bunker, surprised as she realised how light he actually was but grateful he hadn't been someone bigger- Gaia may have been warrior trained, but there's only some much a girl can carry.
Laying his body on a nearby table, she spun round to shut the entrance behind her, taking one quick look out into the forest (praying no others had seen them enter) before pulling it closed and plunging them into darkness.
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Jasper was in a really bad condition. After Gaia had collect some seaweed and fresh water so she could cauterise the wound, Jasper had woken up, eyes wide open, screaming in agony, and shaking as pure suffering washed over him like a tidal wave of torture. Rushing over, Gaia fingers stroked through his hair, carefully taking off his goggles in doing so and placing them on the side.
"Shhh, brave one. No harm will come of you, I'm here to help." soothed Gaia, her voice pure and smooth like silk, its own perfect melody. Her fingers continued to graze through his hair, rubbing soft circles into his skin in an attempt to sooth him.
Her presence seemed to calm him slightly; his screams subsided and his shaking became less violent, his eyes still wide but staring up at Gaia's visage. Gaia lent across to grab a pot full of stewed lavender and aloe vera, placing it next to Jasper in the hope that it would calm him further, enough to make him pass out so that she could remove the spear as easily as possible. She then picked up a boiled green liquid, knowing the seaweed it contained would be effective pain relief for the time being. Bringing the cup closer to Jasper's lips, she whispered that it would help with the pain.
"For the pain, brave one ; remember, pain is not weakness. It will help, I promise."
Grasping his hand ever so slightly, she gradually tipped the substance into his weakly opened mouth, never breaking eye contact until he slipped into unconsciousness.
Awww my baby Jasper, I can't deal :((
But Gaia is so caring, I absolutely love her and can't wait for her character to develop further!!!
So far this is the chapter I am most proud of, idk why I just really enjoyed the first interactions she's had with anyone from The 100! Any thoughts?
El! xx
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𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰. the 100
FanficBut as she balanced in the trees, lost in her thoughts, Gaia wobbled slightly in shock as her eyes were drawn to the sudden ball of fire careering across the sky, hurtling at high speeds towards the ground a few miles away from camp. Unbeknownst to...
