@phiinn (x)
the wind blowing through the trees, with the occasional snap of a branch being the only other sound, became a special kind of hell for clarke since her self-imposed banishment. since she couldn’t always see the stars or the sun properly under the trees, which were her only cover, the likelihood that she’d walked in no less than six circles in seven (?) days was highly likely. but she must keep going if she wants to keep breathing, keep reminding herself that this was the best decision. if all she does is bring death, then arkadia is safer without her. it’s better.
intensely pressing forward seems to be the only way to forcibly clear her head. but, the further she thinks she travels, the more another set of thoughts take residence in her mind - thoughts she’d pushed away steadily ever since he’d been sent away. if he hadn’t already been killed by grounders or died of exposure, finn was most likely somewhere in these woods. clarke hadn’t had reason to think she might meet him ever again until her realm of existence was limited to the wilds surrounding arkadia. unfortunately, she didn’t have long to get acquainted with that concept.
any picture she could have conjured in her mind didn’t come close to what she was greeted with. from a few yards away, she could just see a hollowed space under the gnarled, exposed roots of a tree. the hazy afternoon was drawing to a close and she could feel the shadowy pull of exhaustion behind her eyes. gratefully, she fell to her knees a few feet from the entrance and --
“finn??” it was almost a whisper. her blood ran cold.
he was....all long and tangled hair, swimming in his threadbare clothes and no shoes that she could see. for a moment clarke held her breathe anxiously, unsure if he was actually breathing. only after squinting so hard she almost lost her balance did she see finn’s chest barely rising and falling. there was no sign of the scent or color of blood, but that didn’t rule out injury. a wave of terror and concern propelled her forward into the dirt and soggy leaves of his hiding place, her hands shaking him frantically.
“finn, are you alright?? don’t be dead, please don’t be dead.”














