chapter 1 - my life

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For as long as Dakota could remember, she had continued to live the same life at Trikru.

Her brother, Lincoln, was one of the healers in their clan and he was always a bit overprotective when it came to guarding her life. When she was a child she wasn't the strongest, so she couldn't practice fighting with the other children. Instead, Lincoln was the one to train her how to fight. He also taught her the ways of being a healer, so she also carries that skill set in her back pocket.

Even though Kota couldn't fight that well back then, she was still looking for adventure. Thankfully, she had always been stealthy and good at sneaking around, so she would always slip out of the village pretty frequently to go exploring. One day, however, she wandered off too far and ended up in Azgeda territory. Where, unfortunately, one of their people caught sight of her and decided not to show her mercy.

He threw a sharp blade at her first before he went in for the kill. It sliced across her abdomen, sending her to the ground with an agonizing pain that she had never experienced before. The warrior started to charge after her but in that moment Lincoln came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground. They wrestled for a while before Lincoln ended up killing him. He saved Kota's life and brought her back to their shared cave in the forest to treat her bloodied wound.

Even though that traumatic day caused Dakota great pain, it was still one of the best days of her life. Why, you might ask? Well, it's because, on that day, the young girl gained her very first scar. It was about six inches long and stretched diagonally across her abdomen. Gaining scars had always been important to Trikru warriors and they wear them with pride. Now, she did too.

Ever since then, Lincoln would never allow her to leave the village, and there would even be occasions when she wasn't allowed to leave their tent or cave either. She was angry with him for not letting her go explore, but eventually, she understood why he did it. He just wanted her to be safe. Especially, because he knew that she wasn't good at defending herself at the time.

The thing is, Kota was now seventeen and she'd like to think that she was not that defenseless little girl anymore; that she was no longer naïve and weak. She's been through so much since then and her eyes have seen too many things for her to keep an innocent mindset. She was much stronger and smarter now, however, Lincoln still didn't see it that way. He still feared for his sister to leave the village, even if it was just to go hunting with the others.

Because of this, she couldn't become a warrior or hunter for the clan. Instead, Lincoln thought it would be best if she worked serving and aiding the Commander in her quarters. That way she could be more protected within the walls of their village and could stay away from danger.

What Lincoln didn't know at the time was that she'd eventually find her calling while being protected in those said walls. The calling that would literally, and figuratively, leave her knocking on hell's door.

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Dakota entered the throne room where Lincoln and the other warriors currently stood around Commander Lexa. She pressed her back against the wall, staying silent and out of sight while eavesdropping on their conversation. 

(A/N~ the Italics are meant to be spoken in the grounder's language: trigedasleng. i just didn't feel like trying to translate it right now.)

"What else do we know about the sky people?" Lexa spoke, currently dressed in her dark armor and warrior paint.

"Only that ever since we speared one of their people, they have been staying within their walls for now," Indra replied. "But it's been days."

Lexa thought for a moment. "We need to use the trees to our advantage and gain more knowledge on them. I will appoint a warrior as a special spy for this mission to keep watch over them until we can find out more information."

The warriors all nodded their heads in agreement.

"I would commander," Indra started "But I feel as if I must stay here and prepare the others for the possibility of a war in the future."

"Very well," Lexa spoke. She then took this as an opportunity to glance around the room, eyeing all the people standing before her.

"Which one of you will volunteer to get close to their camp and keep watch?" She questioned.

The warriors looked around at each other, all hesitating to respond. It was odd because they were all known for their fierce personas, yet, all Dakota could see in the room right now was a bunch of cowards. Either that, or they were just being lazy. I mean, who would want to sit in a tree for hours, just to watch the Sky People?

"Your silence speaks a thousand words." Lexa continued, but no one answered. "Are none of you brave enough for this simple task?"

Dakota was still lingering in the back when she heard the next question come from her commander. For some reason, it hit a nerve within her. She didn't understand why anyone would pass on such an opportunity to truly show their Commander exactly how useful and valuable they could be to the clan.

She was just about to speak up when Lincoln noticed her standing there. His eyes widened, knowing what she was about to do and he quickly moved towards her to catch her before she stepped up, but it was too late.

"I'll do it, Commander." The young girl softly spoke. She was surprised at her own words but deep down, she knew that this was her chance to finally prove herself. 

Lincoln quickly grabbed her wrist, pulling her away from the crowd. "Dakota? What are you doing?" He whispered to her.

"Lincoln, I know it's dangerous, but I need to do this." She answered, making him shake his head.

"No. I can't let you get near danger. You won't be able to handle yourself."

Dakota rolled her eyes, throwing her arms in the air. "Look around you Lincoln! Our life is always gonna be filled with dangers, you can't keep me from them forever!" She whisper-shouted.

"Who spoke up? Show yourself." Lexa demanded, her sudden words breaking their little argument. They glanced back in her direction before slowly weaving through the crowd and stepping towards the throne.

"Heda," Dakota greeted Lexa with a slight bow of her head, Lincoln following suit.

"Dakoda,"  Lexa acknowledged the girl. "Was it you who was courageous enough to volunteer for the mission?"

Before Dakota could respond, Lincoln cut in. "Heda, if I may...." he spoke.

"No Lincoln, you may not. I am rather interested in hearing what your sister has to say." Lexa told him, before turning her attention back to the young girl. She nodded her head for her to continue.

Kota cleared her throat, thinking of her next words carefully.

"Yes, I'm the one who volunteered." She replied. "My brother here thinks that I don't have what it takes to accomplish this request. However, I can assure you that I do. I am very confident in my stealth skills and I've been properly trained to defend myself if necessary." She added while motioning towards Lincoln. "Please, Heda. Don't let my brother's fears keep you from putting your trust in me."

Dakota heard Lincoln sigh beside her, but when she looked up at him, she saw that he was actually...smiling.

"Lincoln, do you have anything to say regarding your sister's willing sacrifice?" Lexa asked

He took a long deep breath. "I think you should let her go."

"What?" Dakota exclaimed, surprised at his sudden change of heart. He chuckled in return.

"For years, I have been keeping Kota from showing us her true potential. I indeed am, and always will be, concerned for her safety. However, I have always been aware of the fact that she is stronger than she seems, and I have no further doubt that she can carry out this mission."

Dakota grinned when she heard his words. "Thank you." She mouthed to him.

"Alright then." Lexa smiled. "Dakoda kom Trikru, your courage and bravery have made you stand out today. As of now, you are known as the official spy for Trikru."

Dakota couldn't hold in her excitement any longer. "Thank you, Heda!" She exclaimed.

Lexa nodded while smiling. "Lincoln, help her to prepare. I want her to leave at dawn." She stated, as she stood up from her throne and proceeded to exit the room.

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