"Discipline is doing what needs to be done, even when nobody's watching."
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The sun hadn't even peeked over the tree line yet when Jason was already on his third lap around the perimeter of camp. The forest air bit cold against his skin, his breath misting faintly with every exhale. He wasn't running for fitness as he was clearing his head. The past few days had been nothing short of… well weird.
As he came to a stop near the drop ship, he crouched, running his hands through the dirt, scanning the treeline. The guards he'd posted were where they were supposed to be. He gave a satisfied nod, jogged the last few meters to camp, and stretched out his shoulders before spotting Miller watching him with that same weird look.
Jason tilted his head. "What?"
Miller kept staring. Jason wiped his sweat with a cloth and sighed. "You know, if you're gonna look at me like that, at least buy me dinner first. I'm not that kinda guy."
The other kids nearby burst into laughter, and Miller shot them a glare so sharp it could skin a panther. They went silent instantly. By the time Miller turned back around, Jason was already gone.
——————-
Inside his tent, Jason washed his face and hands with a canteen of cold water, then stepped out into the noise of camp life. A small crowd had gathered around a flickering screen showing Chancellor Jaha's speech for Unity Day. Jason didn't even glance at it as his feet led him straight toward the dropship where he found Finn and Clarke deep in conversation.
"Unity Day is a lie," Finn muttered bitterly.
Jason smirked. "Now that's something I can agree with."
"The Ark only came together after the Thirteenth Station was blown out of the sky," Finn continued. "Just… not the version of history they like to tell."
Jason leaned against a crate. "Makes you wonder if they'd have united without blowing something up first."
Clarke crossed her arms. "The Unity Day story gives people hope. Peace came out of that violence."
Jason chuckled dryly. "Peace that needed explosives to make it happen. Sounds like a politician's wedding gift, all talk and no substance."
Finn snorted. Clarke shaking her head. Before Jason could add another jab, he noticed Raven off in the corner, glancing their way for half a second before walking off.
Then Jasper's voice ripped through camp.
"Monty strikes again! Call this batch Unity Juice! Who's thirsty?"
Jason turned just in time to see Jasper staggering through the crowd, waving a massive canteen like a trophy.
"Oh hell," Jason muttered, but he couldn't help the grin. "Screw it. What's the worst that could happen?"
He grabbed a tin cup and held it out. Jasper poured. Jason downed it in one go, expecting a kick and instead, it tasted like bad fruit juice and disappointment.
He filled another cup. Nothing. Not even a buzz.
He stared at the drink, unimpressed. 'Great. Thank you, super-soldier metabolism. Can't even get tipsy properly.'
He sighed and leaned back, watching everyone else laugh and dance around the fire.
——————-
By late afternoon, Jason's mood shifted again. The food supply was dipping lower than he liked with too many mouths, not enough hunts. Bellamy's team had hunted last, which meant it was his turn next.
"Why wait till tomorrow?" Jason muttered to himself, grabbing his gear. "Tonight's as good as any."
He called the next rotation of hunting crew David, Emma, James, and Henry near the gate. "Grab your stuff," he called out. "We're going hunting."
As they readied their weapons, Bellamy walked over, brow raised. "Hey, what's going on? You know the hunt's tomorrow, right?"
Jason strapped his knife to his thigh. "Yeah, well, animals don't check our schedules. Night's when they're most active. Maybe we'll get lucky snag a deer or maybe a boar."
Bellamy huffed a laugh. "You're insane."
Jason shrugged. "And yet, somehow, I'm the one who comes back with dinner."
As his team approached, Jason added, "Besides, one of us has to stay behind. You're camp boss tonight."
"Fine," Bellamy said. "Try not to die then."
"No promises."
Jason motioned for the guards above to open the gate. "Try to keep up," he told his team as they slipped into the forest.
———————
A few hundred feet out, the forest grew quieter. Jason's eyes tracked faint movement near the undergrowth.
Boars.
He motioned to the others: circle and flank.
Emma and Henry veered left; James and David crept right.
David whispered, "I see it."
"Shh," James hissed. "Wait for the signal."
Emma, crouched low, whispered to Henry, "You sure this'll work?"
Henry grinned nervously. "If it doesn't, Jason can wrestle it."
"Not funny," she muttered.
Jason gave the go-ahead.
The group moved as planned with David and James rushing in to cut off the boar's escape while Emma and Henry approached from the sides. But the animal was fast, far faster than they expected. It crashed through the brush, roaring and its tusks gleaming in the moonlight.
"Cut it off!" Jason yelled.
David thrust his spear at the boar but it slammed it aside with its tusks and barreled straight at him.
"DAVID!"
Before it could crush the boy, Jason leapt forward, slamming his backpack like a shield into the beast's head. The impact sent him skidding back a few feet, dirt spraying around him.
"NOW!" he shouted.
James threw his spear and missed completely almost hitting Jason.
"Aim at the boar, not me, you idiot!" Jason roared.
Henry lunged in from behind, Emma following. The boar twisted, nearly impaling Henry but Emma's throw struck true, driving deep into its side.
The creature screamed, blood staining the dirt. It turned to bolt, but Jason grabbed the shaft of the spear and strained his muscles as he drove it deeper through flesh, bone, and out the other side.
The boar gave one final thrash, slammed into a tree, and collapsed. Jason was thrown backward into the bush with a grunt.
"Holy shit!" Henry gasped, staring at the beast. "Emma, that was—"
"Marvelous," Jason interrupted, brushing dirt off his face as he stood. "I wouldn't say you did great, but hey you did good."
The others laughed breathlessly, the tension melting into relief.
———————
By the time they returned, the camp was bathed in firelight. Jason had the larger boar slung over his shoulder, while the others carried the smaller one on a makeshift stretcher.
"Drop it at the meat station," Jason said. "Tell them to start prepping."
He handed off their spears for cleaning, then stretched his sore arm with a grunt.
"Not bad for a night's work," he muttered to himself, glancing up at the stars.
————————-
Jason had been elbow-deep in boar meat for over an hour before he realized most of the kids around him had no idea what they were doing. One was sawing at the hide like it was a piece of wood, another was trying to skin against the grain, and Charlotte well the bright-eyed girl was just poking at it like it might start moving again.
"Alright, stop, stop everyone stop before you mutilate it more than nature already did," Jason said, holding up a hand.
Charlotte looked up, knife in hand. "Sorry… I've never actually done this before."
Jason gave her a patient look and crouched beside her. "Yeah, I can tell. Here, watch." He took the blade from her gently, showing her how to find the natural seams in the hide. "You don't force it. You follow the line. Let the knife do the work. If you feel like you're fighting it, you're doing it wrong."
'Should I be tell her of all people this… ah what the hell.'
She watched closely, fascinated. "You make it look easy."
"That's because I'm cheating," he said with a wink. "It's called experience."
"Experience from where?" she asked.
Jason paused, smiled faintly. "Let's just say… it's kind of inbuilt."
He passed the knife back to her. "Now, your turn. Gentle, steady, and don't think of it as cutting meat, think of it as art."
Charlotte raised a brow. "Art?"
"Yeah," he said with mock seriousness. "Bloody, slightly disgusting art. But art nonetheless."
She laughed, steadying her hands as she began to slice properly. Around them, other kids were starting to follow his lead as well.
After another half hour, Jason washed his hands off in a bucket and stretched his arms.
When he emerged from the prep area, camp was glowing under torchlight. Kids were laughing, chatting, passing cups of Monty's infamous "unity juice."
Jason spotted Bellamy eating an apple like he owned the world and moved over.
"Hey, guys," Clarke's voice came as she walked over, brushing hair from her face. "The comms are still dead. They cut out during the pageant."
"Best Unity Day ever," Bellamy said flatly.
Jason chuckled. "Can't argue with that."
Clarke frowned. "Do you really think now is a good time to be having a party? I mean, the grounder is still out there—"
"Grounders," Bellamy corrected, waving her off. "By now he's home, probably putting together a lynch mob. Relax. I've got security covered. Why don't you grab a drink? You look like you could use one."
"I could use more than one," Clarke muttered.
Jason laughed. "Now that's a toast I can get behind."
"Then have more than one," Bellamy said. "Clarke, the Exodus ship carrying your mom comes down in two days. After that, the party's over. Have some fun while you still can. You deserve it."
Jason raised his cup. "Couldn't agree more."
Clarke smiled softly. "You too. Both of you."
Bellamy gave a half-smile. "I'll have my fun when the grounders come."
Jason grinned. "That's you, Bellamy always saving the fun for doomsday. I, on the other hand, could definitely use some fun now."
He turned to Clarke. "Care to make that toast official?"
———————-
An hour later, Jason had somehow found himself at the center of a drinking game. Clarke was laughing, Raven was shaking her head from a distance, and a few kids were attempting to drink upside down while Jason cheered them on like a proud parent.
"Come on, Miller! Gravity's your enemy but I believe in you!"
Miller fell flat on his back, sputtering, and Jason laughed so hard he nearly spilled his drink.
Even after several cups, he felt nothing. Not a buzz, or a wobble.
As he hyped up another kid attempting a backflip chug, movement caught his eyeband he saw Finn. The boy was sneaking off, quiet and focused.
'Now what are you up to, Romeo?'
He slipped away from the crowd, keeping just far enough behind to shadow him silently.
————————-
Finn was tailing Octavia. Jason crouched low, following through the trees like a ghost. When he finally got close enough to see, he raised an eyebrow.
"Well, well, well," he muttered. "What do we have here?"
Ahead, Octavia was with Lincoln, whispering. Jason was about to roll his eyes when Finn stepped on a branch. The snap echoed loud through the trees.
Both lovers froze. Lincoln spun, weapon raised.
Before anyone could do something stupid, Jason stepped into view, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Honey, I'm home."
Octavia's eyes went wide. "Shit."
Jason sighed, crossing his arms. "Relax. I'm the only other person out here."
Lincoln's stance eased slightly, but his eyes stayed on Jason like a hawk.
Jason gave a small, humorless smile. "This had better be good, Octavia."
She swallowed hard under his gaze, recognizing that look as it wasn't anger, but a warning. Choose her words carefully.
"Follow me," Lincoln said suddenly.
Jason raised an eyebrow, glanced at Finn, and then followed as Lincoln led them through the dark until they reached the cave.
Inside, Finn moved first. "So what the hell are you doing here?" Octavia demanded.
"I could ask you the same thing," Finn shot back. "I could also ask how long you've known he speaks English… but I won't."
Jason chuckled under his breath, leaning against the cave wall.
Finn picked up the horn resting nearby. "You blew this when your people were hunting us," he said. Lincoln nodded silently. "You saved our lives. I have to believe there's more like you."
"I stabbed you," Lincoln said simply.
"And we tortured you," Finn replied. "If the two of us can get along, maybe there's hope. Learn from history instead of repeating it, right?"
Jason tilted his head, amused. "And how's that gonna happen exactly?"
Finn ignored him. "For starters, no more killing."
"I don't have the power to call a truce," Lincoln said quietly.
"Then bring me to someone who does."
Jason stopped pacing and stared at Finn like he'd grown another head. "And what makes you think you get to speak for the rest of the camp? You can't even keep your own tent organized."
Octavia and Lincoln both looked uncomfortable, but Finn held his ground.
"Hey, look. The rest of our people are coming down here. The first ship lands in two days," Finn said.
"It's true," Octavia confirmed softly.
"And because of the attacks, they're sending mostly soldiers," Finn continued. "The Ark is about survival at any cost. When they land, if they feel threatened, they'll start a war. But if they see peace, if they see us working with the Grounders the maybe it doesn't have to go that way."
Jason exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "I'll admit, I don't like this idea. At all. Some of us are mistaking your optimism for reality, Finn." He gave him a pointed look before turning to Lincoln. "But… I also hate to say it, you might have a point. It doesn't hurt to try."
Lincoln studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. You bring your leader, I'll bring mine."
Octavia frowned. "What… Bellamy? He'll never go for this."
Lincoln shook his head and looked at Jason. "No. Not your brother."
"Clarke," Finn said.
Octavia looked between Jason and Lincoln, her expression shifting understanding and concern.
"Jason…" she said softly.
Jason met her eyes, unreadable. "Yeah," he said finally. "Looks like peace just became my problem."
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