It is two whole days before Anya wakes, confused and groggy. Clarke has been keeping watch over the woman closely monitoring her condition as her body fights off the fever. She is tired but wakes at the slightest movement or sound so she hasn't gotten much rest. "You look horrible," Anya mutters and winces as she tries to sit up.

Clarke rolls her eyes. "Someone had to make sure you didn't die," she says sharply and stops the woman from sitting completely upright. "You need to rest."

"How much time have we lost?"

"Tu sintaim," (two days) Clarke replies easily.

"Yu souda bants." (You must leave)

"I am not leaving without you," she states simply and starts moving to inspect Anya's wounds.

"You must!" Anya pushes her hands away and glares.

"No!" Clarke dodges the appendages and ignores the woman. She is crazy if she thinks the blonde will leave her. "I didn't leave Lexa when the pauna (gorilla) attacked us, I will not leave you either."

"You faced a pauna with the Commander?" the Grounder's voice was full of shock.

"That is what you took from that?" Clarke shook her head.

"The pauna is a very strong and foul beast that strikes fear in the heart of even our most seasoned warriors. That you stood up to it tells me you are either very foolish or very brave."

"I couldn't leave her to die," Clarke sighs after the admission and runs her hungers through her dirty hair. She will be glad when they reach the capital and she can wash it.

"Why?" the General tilts her head trying to understand.

"My people needed her," Clarke says softly even though she knows it's more than that and by the look on Anya's face she also knows. The blonde's thoughts return to that night.

They are running through the dense forest, branches smacking her face. "We need to hide," Lexa yells as she takes a breath.

Clarke is close behind her and turns to see the trees swaying under the pauna's weight. She remembers seeing a grate in this direction that might provide them some cover or at the very least help to lead them further away from the fearsome beast. Her eyes land on it. "This way, I found something," her fingers grip the grungy metal and she heaves. It rolls aside scraping the tunnel's edge. She checks to make sure Lexa is following her before slipping through. She sees light immediately and as they approach the other side her stomach drops.

Bodies and animal carcasses are everywhere. Bones crunch under their feet. "What is this place?" she wonders out loud but even as she does she realizes what it is.

"It's their feeding ground," Lexa replies.

Clarke feels a shudder pass through her. A loud roar brings her back to the present. They have to move and fast or they'll be sitting ducks ripe for the picking. The blonde's eyes trail up the rough ledge and she turns to start climbing. "Let's go!"

She looks back once to make sure Lexa is following and pulls herself over the first ledge. A large deer-like creature is staring at her, its body torn in half. The smell is horrid. Clarke feels bile in her throat but pushes it down. The beast roars again and both Lexa and her guard pull their swords. The blonde holds her gun at her side and they wait. The trees move to the side giving away its position but none of them are prepared when it jumps out of the vegetation and lands on the guard. The large creature is pounding his flesh and then throws his limp body against the concrete wall. The pauna pounds its chest in a show of aggression.

The guard's screams still echo in her ears and she raises her arm. She pulls the trigger hitting the beast in the neck. It rears back throwing a skeleton at her. They both duck. Clarke takes aim and fires at the large creature until it falls to the lower ledge. Her breath is coming out in short harsh gasps. They both lean over to look down and jump back as the pauna roars and its arm reaches for them. "Come on!" Clarke grabs Lexa's wrist and yanks her toward the stairs. "Run!"

The beast roars angrily and Clarke navigates the concrete structure looking for a way out. She skids to a stop when they reach a railing and looks down. It's a pretty far jump but she vaults over the railing anyway. Her knees crumple and her hands stretch out to catch her body. Clarke moves hoping Lexa is soon to follow. A door catches her eye and then the sound of her companion falling and crying out in pain makes her pause. She looks back and doesn't even blink an eye before going back and pulling the other girl up. They hobble to the door and the blonde hears the creature land with a thud and roar causing her heart to pound in her chest faster than it already was.

Clarke slides through the door and turns back to see the Commander trip and fall. She grabs Lexa's good arm just as the beast grabs her ankle. "Ahh!" Green eyes meet hers and she sees, not the Commander, but a girl. Lexa is not much older than she is and in her eyes she sees fear. "Leave me!" Lexa cries.

Clarke reaches for the gun. "No way!" she says taking aim as Lexa screams again. She won't leave the Commander to die. They've been through so much already and the blonde feels like she's the only person who understands her or her decisions she's had to make and has yet to make. She won't lose that. She tells herself it's for her people's sake and shoots. She empties the clip and the pauna lets go of Lexa. She flies through the door and into Clarke. The blonde catches her and kicks the metal rod holding up the door. The beast roars but for now they are safe.

She helps the Commander through the next door. The other girl is clearly in pain. Clarke looks around and notices her mistake. They are trapped. She sets the Commander down carefully and the brunette cries sharply. "Give me your sword," Clarke says realizing that the door will not hold by itself. She shoves it through the handles effectively locking them inside.

Both of them are breathing heavily and Clarke sees the brunette struggle to sit up. She winces and the blonde lands on her knees next to her. She stops her. "I'm fine," Lexa says through a pained expression.

Clarke ignores her and takes her jacket off. She has an extra shirt on and it should provide a good sling if done properly. She rips a piece off and then tests the length before setting Lexa's arm in the makeshift sling. "Hold this here," the blonde moves Lexa's good arm and forced her hand to support the sling. Clarke moves to tie the sleeves over her shoulder.

"You should have left me behind," Lexa looks at her briefly and Clarke can tell the girl is back in Commander mode. She wonders, not for the first time, how exhausting it is. "Now two will die here instead of one," the girl's voice lowers in sadness.

The blonde ties the last piece a little tighter than necessary causing the brunette to flinch. Good, Clarke thinks to herself. "I'm still new to your culture," she says as she walks away. "But when someone saves your life, my people say thank you." Her voice is calm and hides the slight anger she feels.

She looks around the bars of the cage she had locked them in and sighs. "I'm serious, Clarke." The blonde ignores her and wraps her fingers around the bars and tries to move them. They're solid. "To lead well, you must make hard choices."

She can't explain why she is angry but when she turns to face the Commander again her anger rises. "Hard choices?" she points to herself. "You're telling me that?" she is amazed at the audacity of her words. She killed Finn to make this alliance.

"I have seen your strength. It is true but now you waver. You couldn't kill Quint, you couldn't leave me to die," her tone is almost accusatory and leaves Clarke confused. "That was weakness."

Her anger simmers just under the surface. "I thought love was weakness," she states harshly and turns away. For whatever reason she can no longer look into the striking green eyes before her.

"Mockery is not the product of a strong mind, Clarke," Lexa chides.

Clarke turns feeling her anger boil over. She strides up to the other girl. "You want to know why I saved you? Because I need you, God forbid one of your generals becomes Commander. You may be heartless, Lexa," Clarke says just inches from her face. She can see the slight glimmer in green eyes and knows she struck a nerve. "But at least you're smart."

Lexa slowly smiled. "Don't worry, my spirit will choose much more wisely than that."

Confusion replaces her anger. "Your spirit?"

"When I die, my spirit will find the next Commander," she explained.

"Reincarnation," Clarke mumbles realizing what she is describing. "That's how you became Commander?"

"How are your leaders chosen?" Lexa asks.

The pauna bangs on the door and it rattles against the sword. The blonde almost forgot about it. The door won't hold much longer. "It found us."

"Don't be afraid, Clarke," the blonde looks at her incredulously. "Death is not the end."

"We are not dying in here! I need your spirit to stay where it is!" she says firmly though she is unsure exactly why she said it.

"Then, get ready to fight," Lexa warns pulling a knife. "It's coming in."

Clarke shakes her head. That's it! "Maybe we let it in," she says and runs forward. "Come here!" She waits for the brunette and then looks at the bent sword. "Now!" she lifts the sword and the pauna stumbles through slamming into the opposite wall. "Go!" she pushes Lexa out the door and once they're both out she slams the large metal bar down over the door. Thankfully it holds.

Clarke remembers hiking through the rough terrain back towards TonDC and the night they spent by the fire. Lexa watched over her insisting that she rest. The blonde hadn't realized how tired she was. When the pauna's roars had jolted her awake, Lexa told her she was safe and Clarke had believed her. Her thoughts are interrupted by the General shifting slightly. The blonde moves to help her and sighs when the older woman pulls away. "You are lying to me and to yourself, Klark kom Skaikru (Clarke of the Sky People). You did not save her because your people needed her," Clarke opens her mouth but Anya holds up her hand. "While it may be true that your people needed her, yu kep kiln em kos yu gaf em in (you saved her because you need her)."