A Wolf's Heart

Chapter 11

A few days later, found Dani waiting outside the newly constructed wall around the dropship. She leaned against the tree, absently eating an apple, as she waited for Clarke to arrive. It was a surprise to find the wall being built when she'd come with a boar the day before. Wells had shared the state of the camp with her and Murphy after they returned from finding the village. How only a few tents had been built and the lack of food and water. It was why Dani had agreed to hunt for the camp.

For all of her feelings towards them, she didn't want to see them fail. She didn't want them to die no matter what they had done to her. It wasn't their fault they hadn't been given the proper training or tools to survive. And she more than understood the headiness of being free, but in her mind, that took a backseat to survival. Once basic needs were met, then a person can have fun. It's why they'd taken a day off to relax.

But she'd seen the faces pinched with hunger and the greedy eyes the moment she'd arrived with the boar. The kids at the dropship had finally learned, albeit the hard way, that crash landing in the middle of a forest wasn't a vacation. That they no longer had the luxury of being fed somewhat regularly, even if it was disgusting. And with the wall, they now knew that their safety wasn't a sure thing. Luckily, they had only suffered the two deaths so far, but Dani knew luck didn't last forever. Hell, she, Murphy, and Wells had sustained injuries while hunting the boars, minor though they were. It drove home that this wasn't the Ark, and even minor injuries could prove deadly.

The sound of plodding feet reached Dani, and she refocused her attention to the gate. A minute later, it creaked open, and a familiar figure emerged. The blonde paused in the open gate and turned back to speak with someone Dani couldn't see. Then the blonde was striding forward with an annoyed look as the gate closed behind her.

Dani reached back into a side pocket and pulled out another apple. She tossed it to Clarke as she neared. She smirked as Clarke nearly dropped the red fruit in her haste to catch it.

Clarke looked between the fruit and Dani a couple of times before asking, "Is this what I think it is?"

Dani's smirk grew, pushing off the tree, and started walking into the woods, "Yep. We came across an orchard several days ago. We only have a few left, and unfortunately, we won't be able to get more. So, enjoy it while you can."

Clarke bit into the apple and moaned at the sweet crispness of it. After taking a few more bites, she asked, "Why can't you get more?"

Dani sighed at having opened herself up to the question. But Clarke deserved to know the truth now that she'd taken over the camp. Dani glanced back at Clarke before slowing down until Clarke was beside her. "Clarke, remember that first day when we discussed people making it to Mount Weather?"

The blonde nodded around a mouthful of apple.

"Well, it stands to reason that others made it to other bunkers and survived," Dani told her. "People survived, Clarke."

Clarke shook her head, "That's impos—"

Dani cut her off, "No, it's not. It's narcissistic to think only we survived, Clarke. Think about it. People planned for situations like the bombs. They built shelters, stockpiled supplies that would last, and built ways to grow fresh food indoors. The only problem they would have encountered would have been keeping livestock."

"Yeah, but what about when they ran out," Clarke countered as she thought and ate. "The radiation levels were too high."

Dani nodded, "And they probably lost many lives to radiation. But you know that there would have been people who survived exposure. If they weren't sterilized because of it, they would have passed on that immunity. Like us, they would have eventually built higher tolerances just from being exposed. Darwinism."