Adapting to the Ground (a The 100 fanfiction)

Progress

Earth; Sometime in September, 2149

    Natalie led her party through the still soaking ground of the forest, following Lincoln’s hand drawn map to the dropship. The storm had ended as abruptly as it started, leaving a fresh smell to the air. The animals were still quiet, and the group that followed Natalie was too. There was a certain tension in the air, as if something was waiting for the precise moment to jump out and attack.

    They approached the wall of the Skaikru, and Natalie held her hand up in a command of halt just at the edge of the trees. “Let me go first, I will signal you all to follow in a moment.” The order was met with some frowns, but also silent obedience. She went slowly and cautiously, leaving her hood down so that maybe Bellamy or Finn would see her before anyone tried to attack her. She’d left Raven and Octavia at her camp with Anya and the rest of the guard, partly to keep them out of any crossfire accidents that may occur and partly as a slight hostage advantage in case Bellamy and Clarke couldn’t control the rest of their people.

    The wall was destroyed, and Natalie wondered how they got it to stand at all. The camp itself was in shambles, pieces of whatever they had been sleeping in scattered all over. There were quite a few kids out, all openly staring as she proceeded forward. “Where is Bellamy Blake or Finn Collins?”

    She was met with silence, and one of the girls ran off to the inside of the dropship. A group of boys halted her movement, brandishing crude knives and other sharp objects as weapons. “How do you know their names?” One boy practically snarled, lifting his chin up in an apparent attempt at intimidation.

    “If I was you, I would put those sorry excuses for weapons down and back off,” Natalie warned, curling her lip and tilting her face to show her scar. It’s some weird habit she picked up when she learned it made people who didn’t see battle often nervous.

    “And if we don’t?” The boy swallowed loudly, his eyes flickering from her gaze to the scar. Natalie was impressed, he was trying to take charge of the situation. She smirked and slowly brought her fingers to her lips, blowing out a sharp rapport of whistles. The boy looked up over her shoulder and paled, backing off immediately. “Alright guys, back off, let the lady through.”

    Natalie smiled and turned to face the warriors she had brought with her, raising her hand and beckoning them inside the walls with a flick of her fingers. “They will not hurt you as long as you do not pose a threat to us.” She started towards the dropship, but was stopped when a small body crashed into her. “Noah!”

    “I don’t like their giant metal house, Nomi, everything echoes in there.” The little warrior pressed her face into Natalie’s stomach, and the woman gripped the girl’s shoulders.

    “It does, huh? You are okay now, you are out. Where is Talia?” Natalie looked over the area, frowning when she didn’t see her friend/personal guard.

    “You cannot be mad at Clarke, it was not her decision!” Noah looked up with wide eyes. “She helped me and cut me free!”

    “Cut you free? Noa, what are you talking about?” Natalie frowned, looking back down at her oldest charge and really looking her over. Her frown deepened when the girl looked guilty, shuffling her feet in the dirt. “Noah! Speak true!” She held the girl at arm’s length, a bad feeling stirring in the pit of her stomach.

    The warrior-in-training licked her lips and fidgeted a bit, her hand moving to the blade that wasn’t there. “When we arrived yesterday, the man Belomi ordered us to be tied up inside.”