Romeo and Juliet

Chapter Eight

"Don't touch him. It could be trapped." Wells warned, but Clarke ignored him. "What is it?" Wells asked her, as Clarke was the only one who understood Jasper's wounds.

"They... the grounders..."

"What is it, Clarke?" Bellamy asked, taking her hand. Wells felt a nausea rise in him, but buried it deep, and focused on his dying friend.

"They cauterized it- the spear wound. They sewed it closed, he... if we get him back to camp, Jasper will survive. Stay here, I'll climb up and get him down." Clarke ordered, which Murphy scoffed at but followed her, disobeying her words. Finn followed close behind him, following Clarke closely.

"Always following the princess, huh?" Murphy mocked. Bellamy was about to step forward and keep his friend from saying something wrong, but before he could, a lurching snap ricocheted through the air, and Clarke seemingly fell into the ground, grabbing Murphy's hand on her way down.

"Clarke! Pull her up, Murphy!" Bellamy ordered, careful of where he was stepping, but hastily not caring, making towards the two. "Murphy!"

Clarke was struggling, quickly slipping, and finally: Murphy pulled her up, a dangerous flame in his eyes. "T-thanks..."

"Yeah, whatever. Don't think that means I tolerate you." Murphy spat, and turned his vision to Jasper, who was moaning, struggling. Like a rabbit caught in a small hunting noose. "Okay, go get him down." Murphy shrugged towards Clarke, who was already making her way towards Jasper despite Bellamy's protests, and a more cautious pace.

"So odd... they used medicine on him. Why waste medicine on your murder victim?" Clarke thought aloud, and Finn spoke everyone's thoughts quite clearly.

"They're hunting something... something big."

"They're hunting us, Spacewalker. They knew we would go after him." Bellamy quickly answered Finn's questions and became more and more anxious while he looked towards Clarke climbing up to Jasper, her bad leg not helping her.

Clarke's crutches had fallen in the pit, and she was limping, but somehow, she was already up, brushing the hair out of Jasper's face.

"We need to get Goggles down, and get the hell out of here."

"Agreed," Bellamy muttered, waving Murphy over when Clarke began cutting Jasper free. "Take his arm, I've got his legs."

"You're a lucky bastard, Goggles," Murphy muttered under his breath, the boy's weight now on Bellamy and Murphy.

"Put him on the stretcher, it will-"

A deafening roar bled through the air, and instinctively Clarke grabbed at the knife by her pocket, to find it was missing... Murphy had stolen it, as he was flashing it in his hands, his eyes wary of the source of the roar. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know. Stay behind me." Bellamy sounded to Clarke, who complied; not seeing Wells' angry look as she stayed behind Bellamy. "Where's..."

"What is it?" Clarke whispered, and Bellamy looked at her, his face red with anger and strangely enough- fear. "Bel?"

"My gun's gone," Bellamy whispered and was followed by another roar- this time, that of a wild cat.

"It's an animal." Clarke realized, and stepped forward, a bag of rations in her hand. "Do you have good aim, Murphy?" He nodded, a roll of his eyes matching his gesture. "While I distract it with the meat-rations, throw your knife," Clarke ordered, her fingers shaking -with meat inside of them- as a silhouette approached.

Bellamy didn't like the idea of Clarke's life literally in Murphy's hand, and everything in him wanted to pull her back and block the panther away from her, but he buried it down; because he knew that if she didn't succeed, they'd all be lunch for this cat.

Clarke met the luminescent eyes of a panther, its golden irises matching her hair. "Murphy..." Clarke whispered, gesturing towards the boy, who seemed to freeze; but Clarke knew what he was doing, he wanted her out of the picture after what she had done the previous day. "Murphy. Murphy." She repeated, and Bellamy moved towards him, trying not to tip off the animal.

"Murphy, I swear to God, throw the fucking knife." Bellamy seethed, and began to grab at him, but was wary of the blade. "Murphy."

"Look, princess; I am-"

A gunshot rang through the air, and just as the panther was about to pounce on Clarke, -her fearful expression penetrating Bellamy, begging him to help- it collapsed, the mountain of black furs bleeding in front of the girl.

Not a second after the panther died, Clarke stormed over to Murphy, her furious glare almost scaring him, though he'd never admit that. "You fucking piece of shit!" She spat, and without warning; punched him square in his nose with such strength he fell over. Bellamy smirked, along with Finn.

"You're welcome." Wells chimed in, and Clarke looked towards him, a bittersweet look on her face- as if she didn't know whether to stab him or hug him.

"Thanks..." Clarke muttered, clearly not happy that she had to thank Wells, rather than insulting him or telling him to leave her alone.

"We can use this for food, the panther isn't irradiated." Finn thought aloud and quickly began making yet another stretcher from palm wood and leaves and canvas. "Wells, help me get this on here. You guys get Jasper."

Jasper was still moaning in pain on the stretcher, next to Murphy, who was rubbing his nose, a dangerous glare sketching itself across his features. "As soon as we get back to camp, I'm going to need to re-sew his wounds closed. He ripped the stitches when he was tied up there."

"Do you think he'll make it?" Wells asked, noticeably closer to Clarke then usual. She noticed this too and put distance between them, then answered the hurt Wells.

"I know he'll make it, I just need the right supplies. I also need one of you to go hunting in the woods for a plant. I tested certain fauna for medicinal properties, and that plant acts as a fever reducer. There's also another one that can substitute as a pain-killer." Clarke talked, pulling a sketchbook from her bag as the boys carried the panther and Jasper. She revealed a sketch of two plants, each one looking more alien than the next.

"Those are good," Wells commented, and Clarke nodded; barely noticing his comment. As Murphy, Clarke, and Bellamy carried the two bodies; Finn pulled Wells aside. "What?"

"Did you and Clarke ever..."

"No, it wasn't like that. She's with Bellamy now." Wells growled, a clear look of annoyance on his face...

"So help me out here. Your best friend tells you something fairly explosive, you seem like the type of guy who'd keep it to yourself." Finn whispered, walking a little off from the others with Wells, who wasn't meeting Finn's eyes. He's hiding something. Finn thought.

"You don't know me," Wells responded, his eyes trained on Clarke. Since when did she have a boyfriend? He had always thought she felt the same way, and he had no idea who Bellamy was. He'd come out of nowhere, and Wells didn't like it one bit.

He thought Clarke loved him, and now she was shunning him away, even after he'd saved her. All he got was one little: 'thanks...' "Do you love her?"

"What- no... she's with-" Finn lowered his voice, scared what would happen if Bellamy heard. He'd be dead. "I mean... yes... but, she's with Bellamy. I dunno how, he's a goddamn assassin. Probably why you hate him, huh?" Finn frowned, and Wells knitted his eyebrows together in confusion.

"What?" He asked, and Finn stopped, laughing for a moment; until he realized that Wells was serious. "What do you mean, assassin?"

"You- you don't know?" Finn asked, and laughed again until Finn shook his head. "Bellamy, he... Wells, he shot your dad to get on the dropship. I thought you knew."

"What?"