A Different Landing

Chapter-6

Monty scrubbed his face with warm water before lathering soap across his stubble. He almost missed the days before he'd started growing facial hair, but living in the Ice Nation he'd gained a respect for beards. He kept himself clean shaven when outside of the mountains though. Taking one of his knives, he carefully began to run the blade along his face scraping the hairs off. The cracked mirror he was using wasn't perfect but it was better than doing this based off his reflection in the water. The rhythmic motion and careful attention it required relaxed him. Far too soon, the last of the soap had been scraped off. Cupping his hands, he rinsed his face off before drying himself.

He pulled on his jacket made from the hide of a giant mutated bear. He'd ended up poisoning the creature which had ruined the meat, but then again that was one of the reasons he'd been given to an assassin for training. The others all had different relationships with their firsts. Raven, for all her bluster and sarcasm, deeply respected her first Gunter. Clarke acknowledged Echo but he wasn't sure if she was sad the woman had disappeared in these lands or if she was relieved she wouldn't have to kill her personally. Bellamy just plain hated his, and he had to give him that his was an idiot. And well Charlotte, Charlotte had killed hers. His first however, had been a man without emotion really. Burka had killed their first without a second thought. She had been his second before him. Just business, no feelings, practical, precise, perceptive.

He easily slid his various weapons carefully into their sheaths, after all they all carried poison on them, it wouldn't do for one to slip. His knowledge of plants from farm station had led to an easy familiarity with deadly flora. Knowledge Clarke was never slow to call upon when needed. With practiced fingers, he reached for the dark blue war paint instead of the typical white of their people. Clarke was making a statement at this funeral and part of that would be seen in the paint. Carefully, he dipped his fingers in it before painting the lines from his hairline above his ears to the sides of his eyes. Two lines in dark blue, a pattern that all of them from the sky wore when they meant to make a united front, a pattern Atom would be wearing on his pyre. It was their pattern that they had created for themselves.

Lastly, he picked up his most prized possession. Running his thumb over the curve of the goggles, he smiled at them. Pulling Jasper's old goggles over his head, he let them hang around his neck where they belonged. Turning, he left his tent ready for the execution. His tent was next to Clarke's so it was a matter of a few steps to enter and find her and the others already prepared for the trek. He felt a sense of belonging at the matching paint, and home in the familiar features.

He smiled when he saw Brady and the Kana twins wearing their matching war paint as well. It would seem Clarke and Raven had adopted their seconds into the family officially then. Atom would have been pleased to see their numbers increasing for once. Resting his hand on what he thought was the male Kana, he waited for a signal that it was time for them to depart. It didn't take long before Clarke stood finally, "It's time."

With measured steps, they exited out into the noon sun. Solemn faced warriors began to fall into

step with them. He noted that Gunter was staying in the camp, most likely to keep it together and prepared for the burning of Atom after the execution. Burka nodded to him as they passed. He returned the acknowledgement, she was aware of what Atom meant to him. After all she'd been the one long ago who had given them a torch so they could cauterize their injuries in that dark and frozen cell. She hadn't seen it as a kindness, more a flight of fancy but he would always be grateful to her for it.

They weren't being careful of noise and the sounds of their steps accompanied them as they drew ever closer to the Trikru camp. He wasn't sure why the tree people seemed surprised that nearly a quarter of their army was coming to the execution. Atom was one of theirs. Their army had been forged in war and death, they would have come out like this for any of their number. The only difference was that he and the others from the sky would have been wearing traditional war paint if that was the case.