Please vote for the chapter!

****

Somewhere between jumping and hitting the water, Clarke and Dakota managed to grip hands once again. She held her hand tightly as worried squeals came out of her mouth. The air rushed past her ears with a loud whooshing sound, but that was cut off as soon as her body broke the water. Dakota's body somersaulted as she was pulled through the current, and her hand left Clarke's roughly. Neither Clarke and Dakota knew hoe to swim, living in space had it's disadvantages, and this was one of them. The current carried Dakota quicker than she had anticipated, and she was clawing at the river bed. She managed to get her head up and she gasped for a breath of air, but the minute that she had opened her mouth, the current had put her back under the water. The water poured in as her arms splashed around desperately trying to find something to grip on to.

Then her hand brushed up against something sturdy and she kicked her legs and took a hold of a branch. The water rushed beneath her as she began to cough up the water that rested in her lungs. She weakly pulled herself onto the shore and went into a coughing fit as more water came out of her mouth.

Though her legs were shaking, she managed to stand up out of the water. She grabbed a fistful of her shirt and rang out the access water. Her eyes narrowed across the river, hoping that her eyes would land on Clarke, but it didn't.

"Over there!" A voice called out, and Dakota immediately ducked and made her way behind a tree trunk. The little green dots passed her eyes as the men in gas suits patrolled the ground, looking for the two teenage girls who had escaped. Dakota ducked down when one of them had looked in her direction, and that's when she noticed that they weren't heading over to her, they were going further into the forest.

Her eyes followed them, and that's when she glanced upon Clarke and Anya crouched down, and the men shooting at them. Anya had Clarke bound by the hands, pulling her along like a prisoner. She watched as they both got up and started running away from the Mountain Men, who chased right after them not even aware that Dakota was behind them.

Dakota took a breath and began to follow stealthily behind them as they walked through the forest. Every now and then, they would look down at something and then point in a direction. Dakota furrowed her eyebrows as gears started spinning in her head. They were being tracked.

Dakota started running though the forest, running from tree to tree. Dakota looked over at Clarke who was still being pulled around by Anya like a dog on a leash. Dakota started navigating to the left side hoping to get in front of the Mountain Men without alarming them of her presence, but also to get to Anya and Clarke. She was running for about five minutes, looing back to keep an eye on the guards behind her in the distance.

"Anya, you're still bleeding." Dakota heard Clarke's voice, and she knew she was getting close to them. "At least let me bandage it before it gets infected."

Dakota started to move through the bushes and her eyes glanced upon Clarke who had her back towards the her. She watched as Anya looked down at her wound, and in that moment that her attention was put elsewhere, Clarke had lunged forwards and sunk the sedative dart she had managed to salvage from one of the Mountain Men's dart guns into Anya's neck. Anya stumbled and fell to the ground.

"I can find my way home from here." Clarke bent down and used one of her own ties to bind Anya's hands together "It looks like you're my prisoner now."

Dakota had grinned at the girls bravery and decided that it was time to step out of the bushes and make her presence known. "Didn't think you had it in you, Princess."

Clarke shot around quickly at the sound of someone's voice, her body going tense. But she let out a sigh of relief when she saw Dakota standing in front of her. "Dakota.." Clarke breathed with a smile on her face.

Dakota walked over to her and looked down at the Grounder. "Let's take this bitch home."

****

Clarke and Dakota approached the runs of what was left of their camp. Dakota's eyes darted to what was left of the fence, which was burnt and decaying.

"Oh, my god.." Dakota whispered as they both neared the drop ship. Clarke walked over towards the side of the dropship, and Dakota followed after her, leaving Anya behind laying on a gurney. Her eyes scanned the remains of some burnt skeletons and she fell to her knees as her heart dropped in her chest. She had left her heart ache in her chest and her tears pool in her eyes as she wondered if one of these corpses could possibly be Bellamy.

"What do you think this means?" Clarke asked quietly and Dakota turned her head to look at the smeared white writing that was written on the side of the dropship. It was barely legible, and the only thing that they could both could read was Clarke's name.

"I don't know.." Dakota had answered her back, looking at the white marks. In the corner of her eye, she saw the outline of a figure stand up and she turned, as did Clarke, and the two of them realized that Anya had somehow got out of the binds and was awake.

"Anya, wait-" Clarke held up her hands, hoping that Anya wouldn't attack.

Anya's fist shot out and Clarke dodged it and circled Anya as she tried a few more times, still groggy from the sedative. Dakota watched as Anya went after Clarke repeatedly, actually managing to get a few hits in.

"Should of left her behind." Dakota sighed angrily and walked over to grab a log, swinging it in the direction that Anya was standing. She managed to hit the back of Anya's head, and the Grounder Princess stumbled, but didn't lose her footing.

That's when the Grounder turned and pounced at Dakota. She managed to rip the branch out of her hand, but Dakota head-butted her, still trying to hold on to the branch. Anya shoved the branch forcefully, making Dakota lose her footing and fall to the ground.

Dakota stumbled and groaned. "I don't want to kill you Anya." Clarke tried to reason with her.

Anya growled, "Then you're the one that's gonna die."

Dakota looked up as she tried to get to her feet to see Clarke swung a knife but Anya had dodged it and grabbed Clarke's arm and threw in a punch. Dakota blinked a few times as she tried to get on her feet. Clarke fell to the ground beside her when Dakota had managed to gain her footing.

Anya looked over at Dakota with a grin on her face. "You want a fight?" Dakota asked her as she wiped the blood from her cheek. "Well you got one." She said before tackling her to the ground. She hurried to get off the girl when a glint of silver shined in her eyes and she managed to pick up Clarke's knife that she had lost in her battle and she went to strike over at her. Dakota managed to slice into her shoulder but Anya had grabbed her hand and managed to get the knife from Dakota.

Anya sent a kick into Dakota's abdomen and she sliced the knife across Dakota's face, barely missing her left eye. Her head shot to the side as she stumbled to her knees, but quickly forced herself up. Just as she turned around, Anya's body crashed into hers, pinning her to the ground with her knife aiming for Dakota's heart. As Anya went to stab, Dakota took a rock from beside her and slammed it against Anya's head. She grabbed the knife that had fallen from Anya's hand and staked it into the ground and started using her blood fists to violently and brutally deliver blows until Anya was blue.

When Anya stopped struggling from beneath her from the pain, She let out a battle cry and grabbed the knife in the ground, gripping it tightly.

"This is for killing my friends," She growled down at the girl.

And right when she swung the knife down to impale Anya's heart, she felt a hand come up and grab onto her fist, stopping her. Dakota looked up with shocked eyes and saw Clarke looking down at her. "Dakota." She said breathless. "Look." She pointed her finger at something floating in the sky.

Dakota's eyes narrowed at the beacon in the sky, a beacon that meant that the Ark survivors were out there.

"You fought well." Anya managed to choke out from underneath Dakota. Dakota who was too astonished from the beacon, got off of Anya and walked forwards.

"Do you see that?" Clarke asked, her voice full of disbelief. "I knew it. He lied, my people are out there."

Dakota laughed as the adrenaline had died down and the pain started to make itself known. "Fuck."

"You okay?" Clarke asked, looking at the girl with worried eyes.

"I'm fine." She managed to smile. "I'm proud of you, Clarke."

Clarke snickered, "Thanks, Kota."

Dark soon fell, and they spent the entire night making their way to the beacon they had seen earlier. Clarke made Anya follow closely behind until they came to a complete stop, seeing the lights in the night from the Ark survivors. Dakota sighed in relief as she then realized that they weren't alone anymore. A throaty laugh that was full of needed happiness filled the air around them as Dakota and Clarke looked at the Ark with hope in their eyes.

"Look at that," Clarke breathed through her panting.

"How many are there?" Anya asked behind them.

"I don't know. A lot, I hope." Clarke turned around hesitantly and reached forward, untying the rope around Anya's wrists. "I'm letting you go, I'm not weak, but I'm not like you." Dakota glanced back to look at the two, "Our only chance against Mount Weather is if we fight together. To beat them, we'll need our technology and your knowledge of this word. I know my people will help. The question is: Will yours?"

Things grew silent for awhile, but after a moment Anya nodded. "The Commander was my second. I can get an audience."

Clarke held out her hand, which Anya took professionally. "Please hurry."

Anya turned around without a word, clutching her injured arm, and walked to leave. Right as she did, only a few moments after she began to walk, there was suddenly a loud shot. Both Clarke and Dakota watched in horror as Anya fell to the ground.

"Anya!" Clarke squealed and rushed to the injured Grounder with Dakota following behind her.

"No, no, no, no, hey, it's okay. It's okay." Clarke cried.

Anya whispered the same phrase she had when she ended the boys suffering in the Reaper den, and Dakota knew that it was over for her.

"No, No, No." Clarke panicked and started putting pressure on the bullet wound. "Anya, you're okay. You're okay."

"Clarke." Dakota shook her head as tears started to well up in her eyes. "It's too late.."

Dakota looked back after hearing footsteps and opened her mouth to say that the both of them weren't grounders, but one of the guards took the butt of their rifle and knocked her over the head, and seconds later, Clarke had fell beside her.