Lexa was groaning in the clearing when they found her.
''Lexa!'' Clarke choked out when the figure came into view, and ran and knelt beside the groaning Commander, Madi had caught up with Clarke, but lingered a few feet behind as she watched the duo.
They had searched for nearly an hour, scouting all around the forests for any sign of Lexa. It was Madi who pointed out the clearing in the midst of the dense forests—a place where moose-herds were likely to gather... and thus, through what any logical plus slightly-hungry mind would say, a hunt would be there as well.
Clarke's distress was evident, but so was her happiness, with her tears that sprung by the corners of her eyes. She scanned over Lexa's wounds, knelt beside her and she helped her sit up on the grass, their breaths heavy when their gaze finally met their other's eyes.
Clarke seemed distressed when she gazed over Lexa's wounds. ''Are- are you okay?''
'Mostly,'' Lexa murmured, her arm supporting her weight underneath her, as she mentally checked over her own wounds. There was blood that matted her hair, her head was still light, her legs were bleeding but she was alive. She was alive, she was fine, and that was all that mattered now. Lexa closed her eyes; didn't want to think about her ordeal, especially when the said ordeal was only a few feet away from her and she had no intention of going through it again.
They panted, heaving quick, quiet breaths, as they met each other's eyes, drank in the other's presence, felt their warmth, felt their tears, felt them alive —until Clarke's gaze tore away from Lexa's, as she bit back a choke.
''I can't believe it,'' she said, her voice entranced with childlike disbelief. Shook her head, twisted her eyes away from the foresf to meet Lexa's, and caressed Lexa's palm—
Another choke—
''Oh Spirits, I thought you died!'' Clarke whispered, her voice so hoarse it was nearly rendered inaudible; as if, if she said it aloud, it would become truth and she would realise she was only dreaming. And Lexa had to choke back a cry herself, as she traced away a tear that curved down Clarke's cheek.
Lexa attempted a smile. ''Not so easily, Clarke kom Skaikru. Not so easily.''
Clarke had only choked back her tears, her hands squeezing Lexa's shoulders as she felt the bruises underneath, caressed Lexa's cheeks as they both choked back their disbelief, and Clarke thumbed the blood away from Lexa's lips, as Lexa breathed in a shuddery gasp; Clarke took her with a kiss. Desperate, yearning; one that lasted so long but was too short, tasted of metal that stained bitter, that Lexa reciprocated and kissed harder still.
And when they broke away, they took in the other's scent, gazed in the other's eyes, as Madi looked on by. It was Lexa that cleared her throat, and nodded towards Clarke.
''We must leave now,'' she said, but her voice was oddly hoarse. ''It will be late soon. And—'' her eyes flickered away from Clarke into the forests, and that was when Clarke noticed a gaping fissure in the forest for the first time.
It was a large long freak-fissure, smack in the middle of a clearing that was surrounded by the forests. She gazed closer—it was deep and wide, and seemed like the ground had split apart on its own accord—perhaps an aftermath from Praimfaya?
But something else took her attention as well. Clarke squinted—was she seeing right? But it was certain—all around the freak fissure was a broken framework of leaves and branches, as if it was once part of a netting of some sort. With it, she could see how it would've been hidden from view... especially when they were distracted.
Like a trap.
Something that was once there, but dug further, widened and snared, made worse by human hands.
