WILD HEART • COMMANDER LEXA [1]

xii. TARGET

Erica, along with Clarke, Lexa, and her guard had been chased into a kind of enclosure, much like a sanctuary for animals.

Pauna had killed Lexa's guard, ripping him to shreds in front of the others. Clarke tried to subdue her, using all the ammunition in her gun in an unsuccessful attempt to kill the beast.

The young women managed to escape, and had found themselves in the woods, far from the monster they feared.

They chose to stop, setting up a small fire and spending the night in the forest.

Erica had fallen asleep, as had Clarke, but Lexa remained vigilant through the night.

Lexa looked down at the Parker girl, who was resting her head on a moss patch next to the Commander. She stirred in her sleep every now and then, but she looked so peaceful the rest of the time, always with a small smile on her face. Lexa imagined what she could be dreaming about; it was probably something far away from Earth. Lexa wished she could sleep like Erica could, but the life of a Commander was not a restful one.

A vicious roar from the distance interrupted Erica's sleep, and she jolted awake, sitting up from her spot next to Lexa and grabbing onto her arm. She looked at Clarke, examining her friend to be sure she was still breathing.

"It's okay," The Commander soothed. "You're safe now,"

"We should go. Can we please go?" Erica looked up at the brunette.

"Yes," Lexa rose from where she was sitting, groaning and clutching her shoulder.

"How is your arm? Does it still hurt?" Erica placed her hands on Lexa's arm, moving it around to check for bruises.

Lexa had fallen harshly on her side during the escape, leaving her unable to move her arm for a few hours.

"I've suffered far worse,"

Erica nodded and looked away, feeling as though she was pestering the Commander.

Lexa reached out and grabbed Erica's hand. "Thank you, Erica. For everything."

Erica smiled brightly. "You don't need to thank me. We are not just allies, Lexa. We are friends."

Another roar erupted from beyond the trees, and Erica gasped. "We have to go. That cage won't hold forever." She referred to the trap the girls had subdued Pauna in.

The blonde grabbed her jacket from the dirt ground, standing straight and spinning around quickly. "The cage won't hold forever." She smiled brightly and shook her hands in the air. "The cage won't hold forever!"

Lexa furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"I know how to take over Mount Weather! We have been trying to get in, but we don't need to! Lexa, your army is already inside! In cages, yes, but we just need someone to let them out!" Erica had begun pacing, and at this point she was toe to toe with the grounder.

"Bellamy!" Erica jumped up and down for a brief moment, waiting to see if Lexa understood.

"You trust him?" She asked.