Chapter Text
“So let me get this straight… you can turn me into a cat and put me back in time but you cannot do anything to save Lexa?” Clarke asked as she stared at the old man, wide eyed in suspicion.
“That was her destiny and it cannot be changed. But… there are other ways that you can be with her,” the old man calmly answered her.
“That is crazy on crazy. Just ridiculous.”
“What do you have to lose if you try it?” Octavia spoke up from the old man’s side.
“And you,” Clarke faced Octavia, “are you telling me that you really believed this? You’ve been gone for five years and you suddenly come back and sprout this nonsense.”
“He can help, Clarke,” Octavia said as she tried to convince the woman in front of her. “He helped me and I thought he can help you as well.”
“I am doing just fine, I don’t need any help. You may both leave,” Clarke said as she turned around. Without another word, she hurried away.
Octavia talked to the old man in Trigedasleng before she rushed following Clarke.
“Clarke… Clarke… listen…” Octavia said when she was a few feet from Clarke. “I know how you feel because we both experienced the same thing. Time may have helped a bit but it doesn’t really take away the pain, right?” Clarke stopped walking. Her shoulders raising as she tried to control her breathing.
“I know you still think about her… you still miss her. And inspite of everything that happened between us, we had been friends at the start. Let me do this for you.”
“Octavia, what you are saying is impossible,” Clarke said as she turned around. “And even if you think something happened, it was probably just a hallucination.”
“Whatever it was, it gave me the closure I needed,” Octavia said as she smiled at Clarke. “Look, you don’t have to decide right now. We will be here for three more days. If you change your mind, look for me.”
That night, Clarke laid awake in her bed. Octavia was right of course. When they were not in a midst of a war or crisis or trying to stop the end of the world, she still thinks about Lexa. When she’s alone in bed, she still thinks about her. How things would have been different if she was still alive. How happy she would have been if she was right beside her. But those were just fanciful thoughts and dreams, never to become a reality. But how different was it to what Octavia was proposing? Maybe in that induced dream state, everything would be more life-like. That wouldn’t be so bad. And the timing is good. She hadn’t taken a break for years, a few days away in their current state should be fine. Tomorrow morning, she’ll talk to the council and then she’ll meet with Octavia and the old man. With a concrete plan and happy dreams to look forward to, Clarke closed her eyes.
***
“You’re gonna be fine. I’ll stand guard here and if there is anything urgent, we will wake you up,” Octavia said as she leaned towards Clarke who was lying on the cot. “Good luck.” Octavia straightened and was about to step back when she felt Clarke grab her wrist.
“Why a cat?”
“Who can refuse a cat? I’m sure the little Commander will not be able to resist.”
“Lexa as a kid, I’m not sure I’m ready for that,” Clarke said with a laugh as she relaxed back on the cot.
“You’ll get another lifetime with her, just like I did with Lincoln.”
“I’m still not sure if I believe.”
“Then just think of it as a dream.”
“I’m ready,” Clarke said as she closed her eyes. Then the chanting started. Then the smell of flowers and herbs enveloped her. Both which lulled her to a light sleep. Then a sound of crying jolted her awake. It was a sound of a young girl crying. Clarke opened her eyes. She wasn’t on the cot anymore. She wasn’t even inside the tent. She was outside on the ground. She lifted her head as the grass blocked her vision. Then she heard the crying once more.
“Hello?” Clarke called out. The crying stopped. “Are you alright?” Clarke asked. “I can help.” The sound of rustling grass and hesitant steps led Clarke to look to her right. She saw two big brown legs shuffling closer. To defend herself, Clarke tried to stand up. For a second she did but then the weight of her two arms led her to fall down on her side. That’s when she saw it. Her arms were covered in fur. Her legs were covered in fur. Her body was covered in fur. “It is true,” Clarke whispered to herself. “No, this is just a dream. If I pinch myself, I will wake up.” She then stood up on all fours then moved her fur covered right hand to her left fur covered arm but found she could not pinch herself. The action only made her topple to the ground once more.
“Are you okay, kitty?”
Clarke lifted her head and found herself face to face with a dark haired girl who was now on her knees looking at her with concern.
“Where is your nomon?” The young girl asked. Clarke guessed the girl was no more than five. “I want my nomon, too.” The young girl started to cry once again then after a second she lifted her hand and rubbed her eyes. Clarke let out a gasp. Under that tear stained face was the greenest eye she has ever seen.
“Lexa,” Clarke called out. “I can’t believe it’s you. I missed you. You don’t know how much. It feel like a long time. And I’ve lots of things to tell you, what happened after we killed the AI, how we survive the nuclear threat.” Clarke couldn’t push the words out of her fast enough.
The young girl paused as the kitten in front of her started meowing. Then her face broke into a toothless grin. She carefully reached out and patted the kitten’s head. “Pretty kitty.”
“Lexa, I told you not to wander off. Now we won’t reach Polis before dark.” Clarke saw hands grip Lexa’s arms and forced her to stand. Lexa struggled for a second before realizing that she couldn’t escape.
“Can I take the kitty with me?” Lexa asked timidly.
The man sighed and nodded. “Only if you carry her and promise not to run away anymore.”
Lexa nodded her head enthusiastically. Then she reached out with her free hand and lifted the kitten. Cradling it gently, she followed the man. Clarke look up and stared at Lexa. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for the little girl who was trying very hard to not cry. “It’s okay Lexa. I’ll be here for you.” Lexa looked down and smiled at her.