Grounded ⇾ B. Blake

2 | Run

chapter two:
run
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Trudging though the water, Eretria and Anya searched for the blonde teenager. While they looked, Anya informed her that the blonde's name was Clarke. She also informed Eretria about the Sky People and the death of her warriors because of them.

"Der," Eretria said, pointing to the blonde girl that was draped over some rocks. The two walked over to Clarke, Anya being the one to pull her out of the water. (there)

Tossing her to the ground, Clarke coughed up water and began to desperately gasp for air. Eretria kneeled beside her, rubbing her back in comfort. "Just breathe," she whispered.

"Thank you," Clarke said, looking at the two grounders. "I think we should go back to the dropship first-" Her sentence was cut short when Anya smashed a rock against her skull and climbed on top of her.

"We're not going back to your dropship," Anya told her.

Eretria's eyes widened, a protective urge overtaking her body. Clarke saved her life, freed her from endless torture. Even though they barely knew each other, Eretria saw Clarke as a friend. She didn't want Anya, or anyone else to hurt her. "Stop!" She yelled, pushing Anya.

"She killed 300 of my warriors," Anya said. "I can't show my face without a prize."

"She saved our life," Eretria reminded.

"That doesn't matter," she said, her voice stern.

"It matters to me," Eretria told her, grabbing Anya's shoulder. "If you want to kill her, you will have to kill me first."

Anya's eyes narrowed as she considered her odds. The two often trained together with the Commander, so she knew Eretria was well skilled when it came to fighting. "I won't kill her," she said. "But I will take her to see Heda."

"Then I'm going with you," the warrior said.

-

After tying up Clarke's hands, the three began their journey to Polis. The walked through the forest, Eretria staying slightly behind as she took in the fresh air and sunlight. She missed feeling the sun's rays on her skin.

While Anya and Clarke talked, Eretria thought about how different everything was going to be. Two months had passed, no doubt her family thinks she's dead. She wondered if they missed her. If her father mourned her.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when darts came flying towards her. She quickly dropped to the ground, crawling over to where Clarke and Anya were. "They found us," the blonde panted, looking around the forest as the Mountain Men surrounded them.

"Run," Anya told them.

They quickly rose to their feet and began to run through the forest once more. No matter how fast they ran, the Mountain Men still found them. Anya blamed it on Clarke and her lack of stealth.

"Down," Anya commanded the blonde as they stopped next to a small pond. Clarke cupped her hands and submerged them below the water, bringing her hands up to her lips. "No. Not to drink."

"Then why are we here?" Clarke asked with a frustrated sigh. "We should be running."

Anya glared at the teenager as she grabbed a handful of mud and smeared it on her face. "You reek," she said. "Cover yourself."

Eretria lowered herself to the ground and grabbed handfuls of mud, smearing it against her skin. Once they were all completely covered in mud, they continued to run from the Mountain Men.

-

After climbing a steep hill, the three stopped to rest for a moment. They were panting heavily as they looked at their surroundings below, noticing how the men were still following them. "How are they still following us?" Clarke asked.

"Because of you," Anya said, turning to grab a large rock. "Time to end this."

"No!" Eretria said, pulling Clarke closer to her.

The blonde held her hands up in surrender. "Anya, I'm stepping where you step. I'm covered in mud. We're not leaving a trail," she told the grounder chief.

Anya looked down at the Mountain Men, "They're following something."

Clarke shook her head, a look of realization washing over her face. "They're not following us,"
she said. "They're tracking us. Search yourself, both of you. If I'm right... it should feel like a small bump just under the skin."

The three searched their bodies, feeling for the small bump. The Mountain Men following them all made sense when strange bumps were found on both Eretria and Anya's arm. Clarke tried to convince them to untie her so she could remove them, but both Anya and Eretria ripped the tracker out with their teeth. "I won't go back there," Anya said, blood dripping down her chin.

With no way for the men to follow, the three continued their journey. Eretria found a sharp stick to serve as a weapon, giving herself a little peace of mind. She didn't like being exposed and defenseless. They came across a large pond, and Clarke stopped. "Anya, you're both still bleeding," she said, looking at their bloody arms. "At least let me bandage it before it gets infected."

Anya looked down at her arm, giving Clarke the perfect opportunity to stab a dart into her neck. Eretria's eyes widened as she watched Anya close her eyes and fall limply to the ground. "What did you do?" She questioned, looking at her friend.

"I don't have a choice," Clarke said, stabbing another dart into Eretria's back. The brunette grounder fell to the ground, her vision darkening as she stared up at the blonde. "I'm sorry for doing this to you."

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word count: 921