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chapter three.
following the trail of death.
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        Three hours go by faster than June would like. She was too worried to be annoyed, wondering why whoever was out there hadn't struck yet. She thought maybe it was Ice Nation, but the warriors would have ambushed the rover already. The others seemed tired as well, but everyone, even Indra had their hand on their weapon. June's gun was positioned at an angle at her hip, finger on the trigger for any sudden attack. But the weariness was fading fast, and she was getting irritated.

"It's been three hours. What are they waiting for?" Bellamy broke the silence, complaining. "Even with the light, I can't see anyone."

Monty sighed. "I say we make a run for it," he suggested.

"No," Kane argued. "That's what they want us to do."

"So?" June cut in. "I'm with Monty. We can't just wait here either."

"The boy is right," Indra agreed. "They can wait longer than we can."

It's silent as Kane thinks it over before he finally caves when realizing there was no other option. "Okay," he says before giving orders. "Bellamy, get in the turret and you cover us. Once we get to that ridge over there, we'll cover you."

"Copy that." Bellamy cocks his gun and straightens. "Run fast." June prepared herself as he stands, rising through the hatch. She doesn't expect him to call back a few seconds later. "They're here."

"Everybody out or the boy dies!" An unfamiliar deep voice threatened from the outside. Before June can blink, Bellamy is suddenly yanked up and out of the rover with a shout.

"Hey, okay!" Kane panics. "We're coming out, don't hurt him!"

June shares a grave look with Monty. She drops her firearm, takes a deep breath, and starts to open the rover's door. It barely moves before it's ripped open and her arm is pulled out so rough she cried out. She's thrown to the ground, her arm bent behind her with a knee to her back. June struggles, gritting her teeth, but her face is pressed against the dirt and she can't see anyone else.

"All targets secure," a female voice says.

Footsteps, and then; "Found it." From the same man who pulled Bellamy out.

"It's mine!" Monty shouts angrily. "Give it back!"

"Stop!" June protested, trying to pull her arm away from the one holding her down. "Don't hurt him!" A blade is suddenly pressed to the back of her neck, warning her to keep still.

"Monty, June, let it go!" Bellamy warns them in a strained voice.

The woman who spoke earlier of them as targets gasped softly. "Monty?" She repeated slowly.

"Mom?" Monty whispered back.

June is stunned at the interaction. She remembered months ago, back at the dropship, when she and Monty talked about family. He did say he had parents, named his mother Hannah Green, but when Farm Station was lost, everyone assumed the ones who were on it died. The pressure on June's back lifts enough for her to rip her arm back and look up. They're surrounded by people who she would have thought looked like grounders, due to the armor and masks of skulls.

One of them, a middle-aged Asian woman, rips her mask off. She has long dark hair pulled back and features on her long face that is identical to Monty's. She's relieved, tears filling her eyes as she pulls Monty into a long hug. "Farm station, stand down." June takes her gaze away to look towards the man who made the orders. She recognized him quickly as her old Earth Skills teacher. He's a tall man, dark-skinned and with a bald head, nodding in her direction when he sees she's the only one still being held down. "Bryan, stand down," he repeats himself.

The one holding June down finally lifts completely with a sigh of reluctance. She would have reacted in some type of a snarl before attacking him too, but the name given catches her off guard. "Bryan?" June echoed, remembering Miller's boyfriend mentioned in the rover, having heard much about him in the time she spent with Miller on guard duty. She stands, dirt staining her hands and knees, turning around.

Her attacker takes off his mask slowly. He matches Miller's description well - a buttoned nose, freckles, curly brown hair, and elf-like features that made his cold expression seem almost adorable. It changes when he registered June said his name like she knew him, having never seen the blonde before. "How do you know me?" Bryan asks as Kane and Pike share a hug.

"Nate Miller," June answered.

She watches his face morph into softness as June says his boyfriend's name. "Nate's alive?" He questioned eagerly. Assuming the last contact Bryan had with him was during the dropship days when Raven made a radio for them to speak to their families, June guesses he thought all this time Miller was dead. She nods back in confirmation.

"Where's Dad?" Monty asks his mother softly after looking around.

Hannah's face becomes pale, sorrow taking over as she shakes her head. "Your father didn't make it." June frowned, her stomach twisting at the news. She didn't know anything about Monty's father, but she was close to him, and watching him tearfully embrace his mother again shatters her heart.

"How many of you are there?" Kane questioned Pike, turning away from the Green's private moment.

"Sixty-three," Pike replied. "The rest are camped in the mountains North of here. Grounder killers one and all, am I right?" He announced to his group. They raised their weapons, cheering in response, even Bryan. June feels silent disgust, eyes flickering to Indra who seems to be repulsed as well at that. Who prides themselves on being killers?

Bellamy clears his throat. "Hate to cut this short," he interrupts. "We've got to find Clarke." He approached Pike, shaking his hand and exchanging words June can't hear.

"Okay, move the tree," Kane instructs everyone. June nods, joining the group in approaching the tree in their path. She thinks, bitterly, that if they hadn't cut the tree they wouldn't have to do this. But she knows it's useless to comment, crouching in between Bellamy and Bryan, and digging the heels of her boots into the ground. June is glad that working on the guard paid off, as her muscles strain with the force it takes.

"You okay?" June hears Bellamy ask Monty through quiet grunts.

Monty doesn't respond at first but then shrugs loosely. "I have to be."

June can't help the way pity washes over her as she gives the tree a few final pushes before it's finally out of their way. She straightens her aching back, wiping her hand on her jacket. "Hey, Monty," she says softly in a pant, her face flushed red. "It's gonna be okay." June reaches out, arms over his shoulder as she pulls him into a tight hug. She can feel him shake under the embrace, arms over her hips and chin over her shoulder, knowing he was struggling to hold it together. "You still have us," June promises quietly so only he can hear. "Like a family."

"Thank you," Monty mumbled, his genuine voice muffled before slowly pulling away. June sends him a warm smile.

"Kane." Bellamy's call caught their attention. "It's time to go." June turns to see Kane standing in between Indra and Pike, the two sharing a death glare that was so thick she was positive she could feel it or that the man would drop dead soon from the other end.

"Monty," Kane called. "Give them coordinates to Arkadia." He turned his head to Pike. "We have a settlement fifty miles south of here," he explains. "Your people will be safe there."

"You're my people," Pike countered simply.

"Good. Because we have reports that put Clarke north of here," Kane replied. "We could certainly use your expertise."

Unsure, June looks to Indra. The grounder woman is still scowling, which is normal, but her stare is completely on Pike. "If she's in the Ice Nation, you're gonna need more than that," Hannah adds in, paying no attention to Indra.

"We leave no one behind," Pike declared. "Lacroix, take the team, rendezvous with the others, get them to Arkadia."

"I'm staying with my son," Hannah said firmly.

"Damn right you are," Pike tells her before sharing a dark look with the rest. "Mount up. We're going back into Hell."

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According to Pike, anywhere that was grounder territory was Hell. June had retrieved her gun from the rover and was holding it in place on the ride to finish their journey to the first trade post that Indra thought of. She still felt weary around Pike in a way she couldn't explain, knowing she wouldn't have felt that way if he hadn't prided himself on being a grounder killer. June knew the distrust she once had, that all being changed when she met Lincoln. She still held a grudge against Lexa for abandoning them at Mount Weather, but not all grounders were the same.

The trading post was a small shelter of wood that looked like it was barely being held together. June can hear shouts when they approach the splintered door, angry ones of the grounder's native language that cause Pike and his followers to stiffen. "Weron kamp raun Wanheda?!" (Where is the Commander of Death?!) A violent crash follows and a cry of pain.

"Clarke could be hidden in there," June whispered to Bellamy. "Or the owner. Either way, we have to - " She's cut off when there's more furious shouting.

"Ai get klin bilaik dei Azgeda nomajoka komba raun gon em!" (I know that Ice Nation motherfucker came back for her!) June hears, translating the words in her head. She could only guess he was a bounty hunter. "Weron kamp raun Wanheda?!" (Where is Wanheda?!)

Bellamy holds up a hand to June. She nods at the signal. He swings his leg forward, kicking open the door, making it fling to the side. She jumps in first, rifle raised. There's a grounder man on top of a woman, snarling with his sword out. June squeezes the trigger, firing a shot that lands on the back of his head. He falls to his side, off the woman who scrambles back in fear. June lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding, glancing toward the trading post's owner.

She's a dirty blonde, her knotted hair tied in a few stray braids. Her blue eyes are wide in fright, blood splattering her face as she backs up like June would shoot her next. "Are you okay?" Bellamy questioned her, striding in after June. "You alright?"

She doesn't answer. June holds her hand up in defense, speaking gently. "Osir jos gaf in chich yu op. Osir din laksen yu." (We just want to talk to you. We won't hurt you.) Once the other seems reassured, June takes a careful step forward. "Chon yu bilaik?" (Who are you?)

She hesitated before uttering; "Niylah."

"Bounty hunter," Indra announced from where she observed the grounder June had shot. She turned to Niylah. "Osir hon in sisplei." (We're here to help.)

"English!" Pike barked coldly at her. Indra whirled back around, narrowing her dark eyes at him dangerously.

Kane quickly stepped in between them. "Pike, go outside," he commanded. "Take Monty and Hannah, search the perimeter. Make sure he was alone." Pike hesitated, holding a glare with Indra further before he caved, reluctantly leading Hannah and Monty out.

Once he's gone, Indra becomes relaxed, gazing back at Niylah. "Osir ste lufa Wanheda au." (We're looking for Wanheda.)

Niylah nods sharply to the dead grounder. "So was he."

"Please," Bellamy pleaded. "She's in danger."

"You're Skaikru?" Niylah questioned.

June shared a look with Bellamy. Grounders and their people didn't mix well often, and she sensed it wouldn't be a fun fact to share, but they had to find Clarke. She nodded, holding out her arm so Niylah could see the symbol stitched into the guard's jacket sleeve. "Yes," she confirmed.

After scanning June's sleeve, Niylah answered quietly, almost like she was afraid. "She was here last night."

"Did she say where she was going?" Kane asked, stepping over the body.

"She was here when I fell asleep and gone when I woke up," Niylah explained.

"Did she give you any indication of where she might go?" Kane continued.

June deflates when Niylah shakes her head. "No." Then she points to the grounder. "But he did. He said that his partner came back for her. He was Ice Nation." June still feels defeated, but at least they had a location now. It sparks a bit of hope. Noticing her expression, Niylah sends her a faint smile. "I hope you find her," she says genuinely.

"Thank you," Bellamy replied.

Footsteps echo as Monty jogs back into the shelter. "Good news!" He announced in a pant. "I found fresh tracks." June perks up at that.

"Great," Bellamy complimented eagerly. "Start the rover."

"That's the bad news. Too many trees," Monty dismissed. "We have to go on foot." June let out a sigh, preparing herself for the cycle to start all over again.