The Wild, Part Four

“Tomorrow is the big day.”

Michelle snuggled tighter against Samantha, smiling at the feel of her warm body pressed against her own. Since that first time together, she has gotten used to sleeping with the girl, wasn’t sure if she could get to sleep without lying next to her. It has only been a couple of weeks, but she couldn’t even remember what it was like not to share a bed with her.

Maybe we should just stay here, Stephanie thought and not for the first time. It was just fantasy, wishful thinking. Mostly, she didn’t want to give up her time with Samantha.

She knew the girl loved her in the woods, but would Samantha still love her when she wasn’t the only girl for a hundred miles. She had doubts, even though Samantha hadn’t given her a reason to have any. The girl seemed to genuinely love her, something that made Michelle’s heart pitter patter in her chest every time she saw it Samantha’s eyes. Still, she had doubts.

It was just Samantha was beautiful and popular and moved in circles Michelle wasn’t a part of. She didn’t know how things would work once they made it back to civilization and she was afraid social pressures might be the death of their relationship.

Her arms tightened around the girl, involuntarily, and she was afraid to let go.

“Are we still starting out when the sun comes up?” Samantha asked.

“I think so,” Michelle said, kissing Samantha’s shoulder, “we are as ready as we are going to get.”

They had stayed at their little camp for an extra week, to let Michelle recover some from her freezing dip in the lake and to gather supplies for the hike out through the woods. They had gathered tinder materials and caught a bunch of fish to smoke for the trip. Laying out all the survival gear they had liberated from the drowned plane, they had decided what they would need and what they could leave behind. Leaving anything behind didn’t sit well with Michelle, but she knew they needed to make their packs manageable in weight, so some stuff had to stay.

Michelle had hoped to be rescued before they had to start the arduous trek, but no one seemed to pass through this part of Canada. Not that she was surprised that no planes had passed overhead or no hunter had stumbled upon them. As beautiful and serene as this place was, it was as remote a place as she had ever known. Civilization hadn’t made any inroads into these wilds.

“So, this is our last night in this place?” Samantha said, rolling in Michelle’s arms to face her.

Smiling at her, Michelle said, “Yeah. I guess it is.”

“Is it weird that I’m going to miss this place?” Samantha asked.

“A little,” Michelle said, then laughed, “I’m going to miss it, too. The home we made together.”

“Yeah,” Samantha said, kissing her tenderly.

“Mm, minty fresh,” Michelle said, when Samantha pulled back.

Laughing, Samantha said, “I feel almost human, since you brought back my bag and I can brush my teeth. It’s a little thing, but it makes this so much more… enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable?” Michelle asked, raising her eyebrows.

“You haven’t been having fun?” Samantha asked, meeting her eyes.

Michelle kissed her, said, “This has been the best summer vacation ever.”

Samantha smiled warmly at her, then the smile slipped a little. Michelle knew what she was thinking and she kind of regretted the statement. She had been flirting and not thinking about the travesty that had started this crazy camping trip in the middle of the Canadian nowhere. Sometimes she almost forgot the faces of her dead classmates, then they’d creep up on her like now and she’d feel sick to her stomach with guilt.

Shaking her head, Michelle said, “And the worst summer vacation ever. One extreme to the other.”

“Yeah,” Samantha said, snuggling against her, “we need to get out of here so we… so we can send someone for their bodies. We owe it to their families.”

“We will,” Michelle said, kissing the top of Samantha’s head.

She had saved the lat and long of the lake as a destination in the GPS, so they could give it to someone when they made it to civilization. The bodies of her classmates could be retrieved and returned to their families. It was the only consolation Michelle had to offer them and it broke her heart every time she thought about it.

Michelle knew guilt would weigh her down if she let it, so she forced the thought of her lost classmates from her mind. She squeezed Samantha a little tighter, glad for the girl. She was just the distraction and moral support she needed.

Samantha surprised Michelle, suddenly getting off the platform. She went the fire pit, picking up one of the charred bits of wood. Michelle propped up on her elbow, watching as the girl duck-walked to the rear wall of the cave. Frowning, she wondered what the girl was doing. Samantha used the piece of wood to draw a heart on the stone, then wrote her full name. Michelle’s heart swelled when the girl added ‘Michelle Micheals’ to the heart.

“This way, anyone finding this will know we were here,” Samantha said, coming back to bed, “and that I love you.”

Pulling the girl into her arms, Michelle said, “I love you, too.”

“You know,” Samantha said, smiling playfully at her, “with this being our last night here…”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Michelle said, kissing her. The kiss deepened in a hurry and Michelle realized the girl wanted it as much as she did. As their excitement grew, they pawed at each others’ clothing, in a rush to get out of them. In her eagerness, Michelle bumped her head on the ceiling, said, “Yeah, that smarts.”

“You okay?” Samantha asked, trying not to laugh.

“I’ll live,” Michelle said, rubbing her head and laughing, “um, maybe for safety sake, we should just get undressed, then continue this.”

Samantha laughed and kissed her, said, “Okay.”

They hurriedly undressed, clothing flung unceremoniously aside. Naked, they slipped into each others’ arms, again. The minor head injury and pause to disrobe didn’t diminish their desire for each other. Their lips met, their kiss deepening in a hurry.

Samantha urged Michelle to her back, crawling atop her. With a playful grin, Samantha gave her a quick kiss before working her way down Michelle’s body, her hands and lips leaving Michelle’s skin tingling in their wake. Samantha took her time, made Michelle a frustrated and horny mess by the time she gently spread Michelle’s legs wide and moved between them. Michelle shivered deliciously as Samantha slipped her hands along the insides of her thighs, her touch as light as a kiss from a ghost.

The girl’s fingers found Michelle’s tender bud, making these little circles that drove her body wild. The lovely pressure and friction had her nerve endings singing and her hips moving on their own. Michelle grabbed the edges of the platform, her fingering tightening on the rough wood as pleasure worked through her young body. She closed her eyes, lost herself to the wonderful sensations.

Her eyes sprang open when Samantha’s lips found one of her straining nipples, trapping it and gently sucking on it. She groaned as it began to ache sweetly and her back arched, pushing her breast against the girl’s mouth eagerly. Samantha’s fingers never stopped moving between Michelle’s thighs as the girl used her lips and her free hand to tease and explore Michelle.

So many sensations, all vying for her brain’s attention and they all blurred into one big toe-curling sensation that Michelle couldn’t get enough of. She lost all control of her body as it writhed in pleasure and her cries of ecstasy filled the cave, spilling out into the night air.

Outside, Blue started howling along with her, making Michelle’s cheeks color. She didn’t want to think about the wolf listening to them make love and yelled, “Take a walk, Blue. A little privacy!”

The howling stopped, and Michelle listened intently. Just the sound of insects and the popping of the wood on the fire. The wolf might have actually taken a walk. She wanted to check but not bad enough to make Samantha stop the lovely things she was doing. Turning back eyes back to Samantha, she saw the girl was amused.

“She’s just a wolf,” Samantha said, smiling.

“Yeah, but it’s hard to concentrate with her howling along,” Michelle said, grinning sheepishly.

“I think she actually took a walk,” Samantha said, laughing.

“She’s smart and considerate,” Michelle said, around a moan, “that’s why I love her.”

“I love me some Blue, too,” Samantha said, leaning in to kiss Michelle, “I’m glad she decided to keep us.”

Laughing, Michelle said, “Yeah.”

Michelle forgot about the wolf and was able to focus on all the lovely things Samantha was doing to her. It didn’t take long for the girl to have her right on the edge of coming, waiting for that little nudge that would topple her over the edge into bliss. At this point, she wouldn’t have cared if Blue started howling, again. Her body craved that breath-stealing, toe-curling, little death of an orgasm she felt building up inside. Then it came, that explosion of pleasure that arched her back off the platform and drove a cry of ecstasy from her. Her orgasm had its way with her, tried to shake her pieces, then left her as limp as a wet rag. Trembling all over, she basked in the afterglow, feeling ready to float away on the slightest breeze.

When Samantha’s pretty face appeared above her, Michelle pulled the girl down for a kiss to show her appreciation. Samantha giggled and kissed her back.

“Your turn,” Michelle said, rolling atop Samantha.

“Um, I was thinking we…might try something,” Samantha said, chewing on her lip nervously.

“Try what?” Michelle asked, curious.

Samantha took Michelle’s hand, running it down her stomach and between her thighs. This wasn’t anything new, and Michelle wondered what the girl had in mind. Samantha turned Michelle’s hand palm up, straightened out her index and middle finger. Michelle’s eyes grew wide as she guessed what the girl had in mind. She pulled her hand back and looked at the girl, saw she was serious.

“Are you sure?” Michelle asked, thinking about the horror stories she had been told about losing her virginity.

Smiling reassuringly at her, Samantha said, “You won’t hurt me.”

Michelle wondered how that could be, but when Samantha took her hand, again, and guided toward her girlhood, Michelle eased her fingers inside the girl. Samantha’s eyes got big, but there was no pain on her face. A moan passed Samantha’s parted lips as Michelle’s finger slipped deep inside of her.

Looking down at her hand and her fingers buried in Samantha, Michelle couldn’t believe she was doing this. Samantha was velvety smooth and slick, her body gripping Michelle’s fingers eagerly, a sensation that didn’t compare to anything she had experienced before. When she glanced back at Samantha, the girl was still chewing on her lip nervously.

“Is this okay?” Michelle asked, feeling like she should say something.

“Um, yeah,” Samantha said, smiling at her.

“Should I move them?” Michelle asked.

“Be gentle,” Samantha said.

Slow and easy, Michelle eased her fingers out, then pushed them back in. Samantha’s back arched and she moaned thickly. Taking that as encouragement, Michelle found an easy rhythm, thrusting her fingers in and out of Samantha’s slick core. Each time her fingers bit deep, Samantha would moan or sigh. When Michelle gradually let her pace increase, the girl grabbed a hold of the platform, holding on for dear life.

“Do you feel a spot feels different? On the belly side?” Samantha asked in a breathy moan.

Michelle thought she found the spot Samantha was talking about, rubbing her fingers, against it. She grinned when Samantha’s cries grew instantly louder, her body going crazy. There was no doubt she had found it, then.

Still, Samantha confirmed she had found it, saying, “Oh God. Right there!”

Michelle had to ask, “How do you know about this spot?”

“Um,” Samantha said, laughing, “I found it.”

“Found it?” Michelle asked.

“Ask me later,” Samantha said, her face red with what could have been excitement or embarrassment.

Shrugging, Michelle leaned in a kissed the girl. Samantha put a hand behind Michelle’s head, holding her to the kiss. The girl finally had to break the kiss as Michelle’s fingers forced a moan from her. Pulling back, Michelle grinned at Samantha, asked, “Does this feel good?”

“God, yeah,” Samantha said, with something that was somewhere between a laugh and a moan.

It wasn’t long before Samantha’s little sounds of enjoyment grew louder, sharper. Michelle saw the tension in the girl’s stomach muscles, knew she was close. Samantha’s body was like a watch spring wound until it was in danger of coming undone. Michelle couldn’t look away as the girl started to come, her eyes flashing with excitement. It was sensual and exciting, watching Samantha surrender to the ecstasy welling up inside. There was a breathless moment right before Samantha climaxed, a moment of stillness, then her body went crazy.

Michelle eased her fingers out of Samantha, leaned in to give the girl a lingering kiss before stretching out beside her. Samantha moved against her, and Michelle pulled her even closer.

“I was curious,” Samantha said, without preamble.

“About what?” Michelle asked.

“What sex would feel like,” Samantha said.

“Okay,” Michelle said, laughing.

“You asked how I knew about the g-spot,” Michelle said.

“G-spot?” Michelle said, then guessed, “that spot you had me find?”

“Yeah,” Samantha said, taking a deep breath, “I was curious about sex, so read a bunch of articles in my dad’s guy magazines. Probably not the best source of information for a young girl. Anyway, I was still curious so I… I have this big Sharpie-”

Snorting in surprise, Michelle said, “Wow. I thought you and Bianca got frisky, but you and your school supplies, huh?”

“Hey,” Samantha said, swatting her. She was laughing, too, though.

“Did it hurt?” Michelle asked, cringing, “you know, when you… Well, you know?”

“A little, I guess,” Samantha said, then laughed, “nothing like my mom and aunt made it sound like. I think adults just tell those stories, so young girls wait to have sex.”

“Huh,” Michelle said, thinking about that. Her own mother had told her a few horror stories, that was for sure.

—————————————-

Michelle woke up early, before the sun was up. Laying on her side and listening to Samantha’s shallow breathing as she slept, she watched as it got light outside. The night fought, kicking and clawing to keep its hold on the day but the advancing sun drove it away to skulk on the other side of the world.

She knew she should wake up Samantha so they could eat breakfast and start their voyage out of the Canadian woods, but Samantha’s body was so warm and soft nestled against her own, she was loathed to get up. She procrastinated as long as the clock ticking in her head would allow, just enjoying being close to the sleeping girl.

Finally, she put her hand on Samantha’s shoulder, gently shaking her awake. The girl grumbled, then rolled in Michelle’s arms, offering her a sleepy smile. Returning it, Michelle kissed her, said, “Morning.”

“Morning,” Samantha said.

“Let’s have breakfast so that we can get going,” Michelle said.

“Right,” Samantha said.

While the girl ran outside to take care of the call of nature, Michelle set some of the last remaining chunks of deer meat out next to the fire to get warm. She had cut them thin, then left them hanging over the fire to dry out. It wasn’t the most appetizing way of preparing venison, but, without refrigeration, it was the only option. The meat would have spoiled in a hurry, otherwise.

They had done the same with the fish they had caught. Hopefully, they had enough food that they wouldn’t have to forage on their walk out of here. She wanted it to be a stroll in the park, almost pleasant, save for the tired muscles and aching feet.

She grabbed her clothes, stepping outside to get dressed. The low ceiling of the cave made it awkward at best, and there wasn’t anyone to see her naked. Well, except Samantha and Blue, and neither girl would be all that surprised seeing her without her clothes on.

As she slipped into her panties, she decided she wouldn’t mind getting caught like this. She’d be okay with being embarrassed, as long as they were rescued. Unfortunately, she finished getting dressed without giving anyone other than the wolf an eyeful.

Samantha appeared beside her with her own clothes and started getting dressed. With her backpack liberated from the lake, Samantha had changed into more appropriate clothing- jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. Still not the warmest clothing but a lot less drafty than the short skirt she had been wearing.

“You look good in jeans,” Michelle said, admiring the girl’s backside as she bent over to slip into the shoes Michelle had given her.

“So you keep telling me,” Samantha said, grinning at her, “what’s that… Three times now?”

“Some truths bear repeating,” Michelle said, going to the girl, “I’m going to keep telling you how hot you are. Better get used to it.”

Samantha moved against Michelle, putting her arms around Michelle’s neck. Smiling fondly at Michelle, she said, “You promise?”

“Yeah,” Michelle said, kissing her. It lingered a little longer than it should, and she finally had to pull back, “We need to get moving. If we keep kissing like that, we’ll never leave the cave.”

Samantha laughed, “We could always leave tomorrow.”

Giving Samantha a curious look, Michelle asked, “Tomorrow? Aren’t you ready to get out of this place?”

“Honestly,” Samantha said, meeting Michelle’s eyes, “it’s so beautiful here and peaceful… And real. No pretenses and pretending. It puts things in perspective… Like what’s really important and what isn’t. I- I like it here. I guess that is what I’m trying to say.”

Michelle blinked at the girl, surprised.

“Besides,” Samantha said, kissing her, “I’ve gotten used to sleeping with you. I’m not sure I can get to sleep without your arms around me, anymore.”

Michelle had a catch in her throat, her heart going pitter patter in her breast hearing the girl say the same things she had been thinking last night. She swallowed hard, managed to say, “You’ll just have to tell your parents I’m moving in.”

Grinning, Samantha said, “Not sure they’ll go for it.”

“Then I’ll have to convince my parents to let you move in,” Michelle said, kissing her.

Suddenly shy, Samantha asked, “Do you think your parents will like me?”

They had been playing before, but Michelle thought this was a real question, so she said, “I do. Especially Dad. You’ll have his respect when we make it out of here.”

“Do your parents, um… How do I ask this-” Samantha asked, blushing.

“Mom and Dad know about me being a lesbian,” Michelle said, laughing, “if that is what you are trying to ask.”

“Really? You told them?” Samantha asked.

“It kind of came up when I got suspended for blackening Tara’s eye. They wanted to know why I hit her, and I didn’t have an excuse ready. I ended up telling them the truth.”

“Was it scary?” Samantha asked, meeting Michelle’s eyes, “Telling them?”

“Um, a little,” Michelle said, then laughed, “it would probably be a lot scarier now. At the time, I really didn’t understand what I was admitting.”

“That makes sense,” Samantha said, lost in thought.

“I take it your parents don’t know about you,” Michelle said, easily reading the answer in the girl’s expression.

“Um, no,” Samantha said.

“Are you going to tell them when you get back?” Michelle asked.

“I’m gonna have to,” Samantha said, smiling at Michelle, “they are going to wonder about you, why we are spending so much time together.”

Michelle looked at her for a long moment, then decided the girl meant it. Her doubts about Samantha and her were calmed, soothed by the girl’s assertation that they would still be together when they got back. She smiled warmly at the girl, kissed her deeply.

“Mm, what was that all about?” Samantha asked, giving her a curious smile, “not that I’m complaining.”

“I guess I got carried away a little,” Michelle said, wondering if the girl could read her thoughts in her eyes. Samantha had an uncanny knack for doing just that. She looked away before the girl could see her doubts, said, “Let’s eat.”

Michelle turned to go back into the cave, but Samantha caught her hand. Turning back to her, Michelle saw Samantha smiling affectionately at her. Michelle sighed, realizing she hadn’t turned away quick enough.

“If someone had told me I’d end up loving you before the plane crash, I would have thought they were off their rocker,” Samantha said, meeting and holding Michelle’s eyes, “but I do love you. More and more each day and that isn’t going to change when we get out of here. I see it in your eyes, these fleeting little doubts. So let me put them to rest: you are beautiful, smart, funny, great in the sack and know how to make a bow out of a stick and some shoestrings. What more could a girl want?”

Michelle looked the girl in stunned silence, seeing the truth of every word in the girl’s eyes. Tears stung her own, and she flew into Samantha’s arms, nearly squeezing the breath out of the girl in her exuberance.

Samantha hugged her back, said, “This place… It is an opportunity to love you, not a reason. It’s not an opportunity I’m going let pass me by.”

“I love you, too,” Michelle said, tears spilling down her cheeks. No one had ever said anything like that to her before, and she couldn’t breathe, her heart swelling to take up all the room in her chest. She wanted to hug Samantha tighter, but she was already in danger of crushing her ribs. All she could do was cry and grin like an idiot, burying her face in the crook of Samantha’s neck.

Pulling back to kiss Michelle tenderly, Samantha said, “No more doubts, right?”

“No more doubts,” Michelle said, feeling like she might float away.

“Good,” Samantha said, smiling warmly at her, “then let’s eat. I’m starving.”

“Right,” Michelle said, wiping her eyes. Laughing self-consciously, she said, “Sorry about that- crying like a baby. It’s just… No one has ever said anything like that to me before.”

“I’ve never had cause to say it before,” Samantha said, touching her cheek.

More tears of joy threatened to come, and Michelle took a deep breath to get herself under control. The girl had tugged the hell out of her heartstrings, and she was having some trouble recovering. If she kept saying things like that, she might never recover.

Hand in hand, they went back into the cave. Michelle couldn’t stop stealing glances at Samantha, her heart getting a little funny ever time she saw her. Lost in her own thoughts and the beauty of the girl sitting across from her, Michelle hardly noticed the breakfast she was eating, really only became aware of it when she ran out of the deer meat. Looking down, she realized she had eaten the whole thing without tasting one bite of it.

Grinning sheepishly, Michelle thought, The girl’s got my head in the clouds.

“Let’s get going,” Michelle said, glancing at Samantha, “we need to get across the lake and find the river before nightfall.”

“Yeah,” Samantha said, looking around the cave one more time, “I’m going to miss this place.”

“Me, too,” Michelle said, surprised by how much she meant it.

Samantha pulled her pack in front of her, opening the front pouch and pulling out the digital camera she had squirreled away there. She had removed the batteries and set the camera near the fire, leaving it dry out. It had been in her pack ever since, untested. Michelle had wondered about that, why the girl hadn’t tried turning it on to see if it worked. Michelle wanted to ask but didn’t. Waiting seemed important to the girl.

Now the girl fiddled with it, seemed nervous about turning it on. Michelle offered the girl her hand and Samantha smiled warmly as she took it. She finally worked up the courage to push the power button, holding her breath. She let it out in a relieved rush as the camera powered on, then went through its start up routine.

“I can’t believe this still works,” Samantha said, grinning at Michelle.

“Lucky,” Michelle said.

“Do we have time? I want to do something real quick,” Samantha said, excitedly.

“Um, yeah,” Michelle said, raising her eyebrows, “what did you want to do?”

“I want to record a quick tour, so I can show my parents when we make it back home,” Samantha said, meeting Michelle’s eyes when she added, “and I want to remember this place.”

“Don’t forget Blue,” Michelle said, laughing, “no one is going to believe us without video evidence.”

“I could never forget her,” Samantha said, then frowned, “I just realized… She won’t be able to come with us.”

Sighing, Michelle nodded, “Blue trusts us but I can’t see a wild wolf sitting in a rubber raft as we paddle across a lake. We’ll have to say our goodbyes before we push off.”

“We’ll have to take a bunch of video of her before we go,” Samantha said, sounding as bummed out as Michelle was about leaving the wolf behind.

They had only known the kooky wolf a little over a week, but Blue had found her way into the girls’ hearts. She was the second girl Michelle had fallen in love with in these woods and it broke her heart a little to leave her behind.

“Let’s make the video so that we can get going,” Michelle said, giving Samantha a sad smile.

Sighing, Samantha said, “Yeah. Dragging it out won’t make it any easier.”

Samantha switched the camera to video mode, then handed it to Michelle, asking, “Do you mind shooting, so I can be in the video?”

“Yeah, I can do that,” Michelle said, figuring out how to make it work. When she had it, she asked, “How do you want to do this?”

“Just follow my lead,” Samantha said, smiling at her, “come on. We’ll start outside the cave.”

Michelle followed Samantha’s lead, shooting video of the campsite as the girl pointed out what they had done to make it their home. They crawled inside, capturing the platform and the fire pit, even the carcass of their improvised water bucket. As they documented their struggles, Michelle felt a sense of pride in what they had accomplished. In the moment, what they had done to survive didn’t seem like a big deal, but looking back at where they were now versus where they had been when they dragged their waterlogged bodies out of the life raft, she thought they had a lot to be proud of.

“This beautiful creature is Blue,” Samantha said, when they found the wolf sunning herself, “I don’t know if the camera can pick it up, but she has the most beautiful blue eyes. Don’t you, Blue?”

Blue turned to them, grinning. Again, Michelle thought the wolf understood more than it should, might even have recognized the compliment. Like Samantha had said, Michelle wondered if the camera would truly capture the curious animal, would it pick up on the wolf’s intelligence. Somehow, she doubted it.

Samantha surprised Michelle from her thoughts, taking the camera from her. Blinking in surprise, Michelle found herself on the other end of it.

“And this is beautiful girl is Michelle,” Samantha said, smiling at Michelle from behind the camera.

“Hi,” Michelle said, with a little wave. She didn’t know what else to say.

“You’ve probably already met her and probably already know I’m madly in love with her,” Samantha said, then giggled, “unless I’ve chickened out about telling you. In which case… Surprise!”

Caught off guard, Michelle asked, “Um, are you sure you want that in the video?”

Pausing the recording, Samantha said, “Yeah, I do.”

“I assume your family will want to see this video,” Michelle said, pointing at the camera.

“Probably,” Samantha said, smiling playfully. She knew what Michelle was really hinting at, but she was having some fun at Michelle’s expense. Finally, she said, “You aren’t going to be a secret from my family, Michelle. Although, I might need you there for moral support when I tell them I have a girlfriend.”

“Someone to point at and say she did it?” Michelle asked, teasing.

“More or less,” Samantha said, laughing.

“How do you think your parents will react?” Michelle asked.

“I think they’ll be okay with it,” Samantha said, then laughed nervously, “but I can’t be certain.”

“You could always just let them watch the video,” Michelle said, smiling at her, “like you said- surprise!”

“That probably won’t go over well,” Samantha said, shaking her head.

“We’ll worry about telling them when we get closer to civilization,” Michelle said, putting an arm around her shoulders, “let’s finish your video and get going.”

“Right,” Samantha said, nodding, “I want to take some video of the stream we caught the fish in… and the lake.”

“There is a clearing I’d like some video of,” Michelle said, thinking about the tense confrontation with Blue and her pack, “for when I try to convince people I stared down a pack of wolves with a bow and arrow.”

“Okay,” Samantha said, laughing, “good luck convincing them, though.”

“I doubt they’ll believe me, but, at least, I’ll be able to show them where I ‘made it all up’ at,” Michelle said, shaking her head.

They spent twenty minutes visiting the stream and the clearing, walking hand in hand. Blue accompanied them, her tongue lolling out happily as she walked beside them. She seemed more like a pet than a wild animal, and it made Michelle’s heart ache even more.

They saved the lake for last, since it was the starting point of their journey, anyway. With a stop at the cave for their things and one last look around, they headed for the lake. They loaded the packs in the raft, ready to shove off for their paddle across the lake. The only thing left to do was say goodbye.

“Come here, Blue,” Michelle said, squatting down.

Blue tilted her head to one side, giving Michelle a curious look. The wolf made a mewling sound in the back of her throat, seemed anxious as she padded over to Michelle. Ever perceptive, Blue knew something was up, responding to Michele’s change in mood. She let Michelle pet her, then stood stiffly when Michelle hugged her.

“Blue,” Michelle said, tears stinging her eyes, “we have to go.”

Michelle pulled back and met the wolf’s eyes. Most wild animals shied away from making eye contact with humans, but Blue didn’t look away. Michelle saw deep sadness in the wolf’s eyes, an understanding that Michelle and Samantha were leaving. That look in Blue’s eyes stole Michelle’s breath, and she hugged the wolf, again. When Blue whimpered miserably, it was a stab to Michelle’s heart and the tears started to fall. She didn’t want to let go of her.

“I’m sorry, Blue,” Michelle said, her voice thick with emotion, “this is the way it has to be.”

It took some time, but Michelle managed to let go of the wolf. She saw Samantha kneeling beside them, her eyes red from crying, too.

“Hey, Blue,” Samantha said, getting the wolf’s attention. Blue went to her, nuzzled her neck. Samantha hugged her furry neck, the tears flowing freely, again.

“God, this sucks,” Samantha said, letting go of Blue.

“Yeah,” Michelle said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Bye, Blue,” Samantha said, getting shakily to her feet, “let’s go. I- I can’t… Let’s just go.”

“Okay,” Michelle said, standing up, “I love you, Blue. I’ll never forget you.”

With that, she turned and went to the raft. She felt Blue watching her, but didn’t look back. She couldn’t stand to see the look in the wolf’s eyes, again. They pushed the raft into the water, and Michelle held it steady while Samantha climbed in. Michelle stepped into the boat, pushing away from the shore before pulling her second foot in. They were officially underway, their long trek out of the woods just beginning.

Grabbing the oars, Michelle started paddling. She hoped as she put distance between herself and Blue, it wouldn’t hurt so much, but it didn’t help any. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the wolf standing at the water’s edge, pawing the ground anxiously like she was thinking about swimming after them. Michelle wished she hadn’t looked back.

“I know I’m repeating myself, but this sucks,” Samantha said, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Yeah,” Michelle agreed.

——————————————-

They made it across the lake and managed to find the stream that would take them to the river that they’d be following for three-quarters of the trip out of the wilderness. Michelle had seen it on the GPS, had planned on using the water to get around as long as she could. Unfortunately, the Canadian wilderness wasn’t cooperating. The stream was clogged with dead fall trees and jagged rocks making it nearly impassible.

Standing on the shore, Michelle looked as far downstream as she could see and she didn’t see any change in the condition of the stream. Sighing, she turned to Samantha and said, “We won’t be able to raft through that mess. We’ll tear a hole in the raft and be swimming in no time. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get in that water, again.”

“Then we need a new plan,” Samantha said.

“Yeah,” Michelle said, already weighing their options. There were really only two- try to portage the raft the two miles to the larger river or abandon it and just settle for hoofing it out of the woods. The raft wasn’t particularly heavy, but it would be a pain to carry, especially since the terrain around the stream wasn’t much better than the stream itself. She hated the thought of leaving such a useful resource behind, but it seemed the better choice.

Still, she thought she’d at least give Samantha a chance to weigh in on what they should do. She said, “We have two options: we can carry the raft across land and hope for clearer water further downstream, or we can abandon it here and start walking.”

Samantha looked downstream, her eyes roaming over the bank. Michelle saw Samantha come to the same conclusion she had, that the thick underbrush and rocky terrain would be a pain to navigate with the awkward raft. Glancing at Michelle, she asked, “What are the odds of it getting any better downstream?”

Laughing, Michelle said, “If we decide to carry the raft, it’ll probably stay messed up all the way to the river. If we decide to leave the raft, it’ll straighten out around that first bend.”

“Wow,” Samantha said, shaking her head and laughing, “you are probably right, though.”

“What do you think?” Michelle asked.

“It would have been nice just to float down the river,” Samantha said, sighing, “but I think we should leave it.”

“Me, too,” Michelle said, relieved that they agreed on what they should do.

“That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” Samantha asked, giving her a look.

“I had my fingers crossed,” Michelle said, laughing.

“What if I’d have said we carry the raft?” Samantha asked.

“I would have listened to your argument for it,” Michelle said, shrugging, “we are in this together, so we make every decision together.”

“So you wouldn’t have tried to change my mind?” Samantha asked, playfully.

“Well, of course, I would have tried to change your mind,” Michelle said, laughing, “I didn’t say coming to a decision would always be easy.”

“Luckily,” Samantha said, leaning in to kiss her, “we agree on most things.”

“Yeah,” Michelle said, smiling at her.

They started walking, and it didn’t take long for Michelle to decide they had made the right choice. Moving in a straight line was rarely an option. More than once, they had to sidetrack into the woods a little to get around an obstacle. It was rough ground to cover without the added struggle of the raft.

Two miles turned into almost four and by the time they made it to the river, they were worn out. Shrugging out of her pack, Michelle sat heavily on the rocky bank of the river. Samantha joined her, sitting close. Michelle put her arm around the girl, and they sat, looking out at the flowing water.

“I think we should set up camp near here,” Michelle said, sighing, “we haven’t covered nearly as much ground as I had hoped, but that was brutal.”

“Yeah,” Samantha said, laughing, “that would have been impossible with the raft.”

“No kidding,” Michelle said, shaking her head.

“If we are camping here, I’ll gather some firewood,” Samantha said, standing up.

“I’ll set up the tent,” Michelle said.

“Really?” Samantha said, giving her a sour look.

Laughing, Michelle said, “And then I’ll help you gather some firewood.”

Michelle pulled Samantha’s pack in front of her, untying the pop-up tent that had been lashed to the front. She loved this thing, thought whoever created it deserved a medal or a parade. Something, anyway. As far as ease of use was concerned, this thing couldn’t be beat.

Pulling the folded up tent out of its carrying case, she dropped it on the ground. She grinned as it popped open, a fully assembled, ready to use tent. All she had to do was run a few stakes into the ground, and they were set. The process took all of three minutes. The best part, it packed up nearly as quick.

The only negative thing she could say about it was that it was kind of small. It said sleeps two on the front of the carrying case, but two full grown adults would be cramped trying to use it. Luckily, she and Samantha were small and didn’t mind the intimacy. It just gave them a reason to cuddle. Not that they really needed another reason.

With camp set up, she caught up with Samantha and helped her gather some firewood for the night. A couple of armfuls each and they should have plenty of wood to make it through the night. Michelle threw together a quick fire pit while Samantha constructed a tinder bundle. Watching her for a moment, Michelle smiled, thinking the girl was getting good at making them. With the pit completed and the tinder bundle coming together, Michelle built a ready to light fire using some of the smaller, dryer sticks, then larger ones tepee-ed over top of it. All they had to do was slide the tinder bundle in, light it, and poof they had fire. When Samantha had the bundle ready, Michelle did just that, grinning at Samantha when it took flame.

“Cave Betty make fire,” Michelle said, making Samantha laugh.

“Don’t start that, again,” Samantha said.

Smiling at her, Michelle said, “Let’s heat up dinner, then we can try out the sleeping bag.”

“Little early for going to bed, isn’t?” Samantha asked, with a playful smile.

“Who said anything about going to bed?” Michelle asked, winking at her.

“If you are so full of energy,” Samantha said, teasing, “maybe we should have kept walking.”

Laughing, Michelle said, “I’m catching my second wind.”

“Well,” Samantha said, leaning in for a kiss, “if you rub my shoulders, I might let you talk me into it. They are tightening up from lugging around that pack.”

“Too heavy?” Michelle asked.

“We can’t afford to leave anything else behind,” Samantha said, favoring Michelle with a warm smile, “I’ll manage. You are sweet for asking, though.”

“I give a mean back rub,” Michelle said, meaning it. Her mother spent eight/nine hours a day hunched over a keyboard and often bribed Michelle for a massage to get the tightness out of her shoulders and neck when she got home from work. It happened enough that Michelle was pretty confident in her abilities.

“Yeah?” Samantha asked, her eyes flashing with interest.

“Let’s eat, then I’ll show you,” Michelle said.

Samantha unpacked some of the dehydrated fish, setting in on some of the stones near the fire to cook. When they had decided to leave camp, and not just wait for rescue, Michelle had built a rough smoking rack in the cave, hanging up the fish they had caught to smoke. Without salt to cure the fish, she had left them hanging as long as she could. She didn’t know how much longer they’d keep, but she thought they’d probably hold up until they made it out of the woods.

She intended to cook the hell out of them, either way.

“This doesn’t look appetizing, at all,” Samantha said, flipping the fish gingerly.

“It’s just to keep us alive until we get out of here,” Michelle said.

“I know,” Samantha said, smiling at her, “I’m just saying.”

“Well, I saw some rabbit holes when we were walking in,” Michelle said, thinking, “I could set a few snares. We might get lucky.”

“I could go for some fresh meat,” Samantha said, shrugging, “but it’s up to you.”

Michelle looked at the fish on the fire and said, “Yeah. I’ll set them.”

Thinking about the best way to make a few snares, Michelle could kick herself for not retrieving the lashings they used to hold the platform together. That would have been ready made snare material. She pulled her pack in front of her and dug out the bundle of rope. With the multi-tool she cut off one of the bitter ends, looking at it. Seeing the nylon cording inside, she smiled. She cut off about an eight-foot length of rope, then used the pliers on the multi-tool to wrestle the braided strands of nylon cordage out of the center. These she unbraided and she had her snare material.

The process took awhile, and the fish were ready to eat by the time she had all the strands separated. The fish was dry and hard to swallow, and the girls had to use the last of their water just to wash it down. Still, it was calories and protein, two things their bodies needed after the grueling trip to the river.

Samantha filled the thermos in the river, setting it near in the fire to boil. They’d drink up tonight, then boil another thermos full before heading out in the morning. The river was a resource they were going to enjoy as long as they could.

“Do you want to come with me to set up these snares?” Michelle asked.

“Um, yeah,” Samantha said.

Michelle led them to the spot where she had seen the rabbit holes. Pointing one out to Samantha, she said, “There.”

“Just looks like a hole in the ground,” Samantha said, dubiously.

“That’s all it is,” Michelle said, grinning at her, “hopefully, it is a hole with a rabbit in it.”

Michelle tied a slipknot in one end of the lengths of nylon cord. She knelt by the suspected burrow, stretched the loop so that it was nearly as wide as the hole, and placed it over opening. The other end of the snare she secured to a nearby tree.

Straightening up, Michelle glanced at Samantha. The girl was giving her a dubious look, so she asked, “What?”

“That’s it?” Samantha asked.

“Yeah,” Michelle said, laughing, “trying to snare an animal is mostly about luck.”

“Oh,” Samantha said.

“Think you can spot a rabbit hole?” Michelle asked, already seeing two more potential spots.

Samantha bent over for a closer look at the hole Michelle had just set a snare in front of, then scanned the nearby area. Michelle smiled as the girl walked over to one of the burrows she had spotted. Samantha saw Michelle smiling when she turned around. She pointed at the hole, and Michelle nodded.

Holding out a length of cord, Michelle said, “Your turn. Just tie a slipknot in one end, stretch it over the opening, then secure the other end to something.”

The girl took the cord, doing as Michelle instructed. Finishing with the anchoring point, she looked at Michelle and said, “Now what?”

“That’s it,” Michelle said, handing her another cord, “we have enough cord for two more snares. Let’s set them, then get back to camp. We’ll see if we’ve caught anything in the morning.”

——————————————-

Michelle sat on the large rock that jutted out of the ground near their tent and had Samantha sit on the ground in front of her. Her hands on Samantha’s trapeze muscles, Michelle used her thumbs to massage on either side of Samantha’s spine, working them all the way up into the girl’s hair. The girl groaned as Michelle found a tight spot, using the palm of her hand to apply pressure until she felt the knotted up muscle release. Those groans gave way to sighs of relief as Michelle worked the tension out of Samantha’s neck, shoulders, and upper back.

“God, this feels so good,” Samantha said, nearly purring like a cat, “you weren’t kidding about giving a mean back rub.”

“Glad I could help,” Michelle said, leaning over the girl for a kiss before continuing her massage.

“I have to add another reason I love you to my list,” Samantha said.

“Yeah?” Michelle asked, laughing, “You are keeping a list?”

“It’s getting pretty long,” Samantha said.

That line made Michelle feel all warm and fuzzy, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

“That’s number two,” Samantha said.

“Number two?” Michelle asked.

“That smile you get when I say I love you,” Samantha said, without turning around. She had no way of knowing Michelle was smiling. Not that she was wrong; Michelle was smiling.

“What’s number one?” Michelle asked, rubbing Samantha’s shoulders.

“The way you make me feel when you look at me,” Samantha said, turning to smile at Michelle, “my heart gets all stupid, tries to race and stop at the same time. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

“Oh,” Michelle said, her own heart getting a little stupid in her chest. She kissed the girl deeply and only stopped because she needed to catch her breath.

Taking Michelle’s hand, Samantha said, “I’m ready to try out that sleeping bag now.”

Michelle followed Samantha to the tent, grabbing the rolled up sleeping bag on the way. As she unzipped the door to the pop-up tent, then undid the straps that kept the sleeping bag rolled up tight, she noticed Samantha already stripping out of her clothes. She hurriedly spread the sleeping bag out on the bottom of the tent. By the time she straightened up, Samantha was already wriggling out of her jeans. Michelle fumbled with the button on her own jeans, raking them off her hips and letting gravity pull them down. She stepped out of them, pulling her shirt up and off at the same time.

Naked, Michelle was right behind Samantha as she climbed into the tent. She moved against Samantha as the girl stretched out on her side. Michelle barely noticed the pillowy sleeping bag underneath her, more worried about the soft and warm body pressed against hers. Their lips met, tongues twining eagerly as passion welled up between them. Michelle thrilled to the feel of Samantha under her fingertips and she shivered as Samantha’s explored her.

When Samantha rolled onto her back, Michelle got to her hands and knees, leaning over to kiss the girl. Michelle left a trail of kisses down Samantha’s supine body, make the girl giggle and sigh. Samantha spread her legs wide, and Michelle moved between them. Starting at on knee, Michelle left butterfly kisses only Samantha’s sensitive inner thigh, her lips just brushing the baby fine hairs and making Samantha shiver with excitement.

Michelle’s lips found Samantha’s bud and the first moan slipped from the girl’s slack mouth. The caress of Michelle’s tongue made her hips begin to move on their own. Michelle rolled her eyes up as she flicked her tongue back and forth across Samantha’s tender clit, saw the girl’s face screw up in pleasure.

When Samantha’s soft moans of enjoyment grew louder and filled the tent, Michelle thought she was ready. She eased two fingers inside velvety slickness of her girlhood. Samantha gripped her eagerly, pulling her in deeper. The girl moaned thickly as Michelle’s fingertips found that spongy spot Samantha had shown her last night. Samantha grabbed at the sleeping bag, squeezing it hard enough to grind it to dust as Michelle drove her body wild.

It was still the craziest thing she had ever felt, being inside Samantha. She had nothing to compare it to, had never felt anything quite like it before. Judging by the look on Samantha’s face, it must feel pretty crazy on her side, too. Michelle wondered what it felt like, letting someone put their fingers inside down there. As she watched Samantha’s face pinch in pleasure, her mouth slack and her eyes closed, Michelle found her curiosity piqued. She found herself considering letting Samantha do this to her.

But, I’m still a virgin, she thought, then amended, technically speaking. It’ll hurt if she does this to me.

She was still considering it, though. The look of pure ecstasy on Samantha’s face made her wonder if a little pain wouldn’t be worth feeling like that. Biting her lip nervously, she tried to decide if she was trying to talk herself into or out of letting Samantha putting her fingers inside of her. She felt like she was leaning more towards a ‘yes’, each moan and sigh of pleasure Samantha made making her lean a little further in that direction.

Still thinking about it, Michelle lowered her mouth back to Samantha’s bud, teasing it with her tongue. She pushed her thoughts aside, focusing on making Samantha feel good. Michelle listened to the sounds Samantha was making, thought the girl was feeling pretty amazing, the one-two punch of Michelle’s tongue caressing her bud and Michelle’s fingers rubbing against her g-spot had her making these wordless sounds of excitement.

Samantha’s cries became urgent, the writhing of her hips more pronounced. Her back arched off the sleeping bag, her whole body save for her shoulders and her heels up in the air. She stayed like that, her hips still moving as her body gathered tension. One more cry of excitement and her orgasm finally knocked her back to the ground, her whole body trembling. Michelle could feel the girl coming around her fingers, the fluttering of her muscles deep inside.

Michelle eased out of Samantha, crawled up the girl’s supine body on her hands and knees. Smiling down at Samantha, she said, “Now, I’m jealous.”

“You should be,” Samantha purred, stretching her lithe body like a cat in a sunny spot, “that was so good.”

Leaning in for a kiss, Michelle asked, “Is this going to hurt?”

“Is what going to hurt?” Samantha asked, frowning.

“Letting you do that to me?” Michelle asked, her heart racing as she realized she had made up her mind. She had thought she was still on the fence until the question slipped past her lips.

“Are you sure?” Samantha asked, her beautiful eyes searching Michelle’s.

“Yeah,” Michelle said, wondering if she was telling the truth. She decided she was indeed sure, that she was ready for this next step. Nervous as hell, but sure.

“Um,” Samantha said, sitting up, “it could hurt, yeah.”

Chewing on her lip, Michelle asked, “Bad?”

With a reassuring smile, Samantha said, “I’ll be gentle, and we can take our time. The pain will be minimal but the pleasure…”

“Yeah, I just caught a glimpse of the ‘pleasure’,” Michelle said, laughing.

“If you are sure…” Samantha said, meeting Michelle’s eyes.

Michelle gave her one more kiss, then stretched out beside her on the sleeping bag, said, “I’m sure.”

Smiling at her, Samantha said, “If you think you are up for it later, I have a surprise for you in my pack.”

“Surprise?” Michelle asked, frowning. She thought about what a ‘surprise’ would be in this context, then started laughing, “What? Your Sharpie?”

“Yeah,” Samantha said, blushing.

“You brought your Sharpie on a field trip? We were only supposed to be out of town for a couple of days,” Michelle asked, amused by the girl’s embarrassment.

“You never know when you’ll need a marker,” Samantha said, laughing at her own expense.

“Uh huh,” Michelle said.

“Anyway…” Samantha said, crawling atop Michelle. Leaning in, she gave Michelle a toe curling kiss. When she pulled back, she favored Michelle with a coy smile, her eyes flashing.

That smile and that glint in the girl’s eyes made it hard for Michelle to breathe and her heart started racing. It only beat faster as the girl kissed the curve of her neck, moving lower. Samantha took her time, had Michelle worked into a state by the time she gently spread Michelle’s legs wide. Michelle held her breath, expecting the girl to use her fingers to take what was left of her virginity but Samantha just smiled at her playfully and lowered her mouth to Michelle’s bud.

The hot, wet flick of the girl’s tongue was delicious, a sweet torture on her tender flesh. Her moans filled the tent, and her hips gyrated against Samantha’s mouth. She kept expecting to feel the girl’s fingers, but they never came. Samantha seemed content to tease her with her tongue, to drive her body closer to ecstasy with each caress.

Not that Michelle was complaining. The nerve ending in her body were singing Samantha praises, begging for more. Samantha didn’t let up, and Michelle felt herself beginning to come. The tension built up inside of her until her body exploded with pleasure. Her fingers tightened on the sleeping bag as her orgasm shook her.

Laughing, Michelle brushed the errant lock of hair from her face and propped up on her elbows. Giving Samantha a curious look, she said, “That was amazing, but I thought you were going to… You know.”

Samantha gave her a lingering kiss, said, “We have all night for that.”

“You are going to make me wait for it, huh?” Michelle asked, playfully.

“I didn’t know you were in a rush,” Samantha said.

“The waiting is killing me,” Michelle said, laughing nervously.

“My first time was pretty amazing,” Samantha said, smiling warmly at her, “and I want yours to be amazing, too.”

“What did you and Bianca do that was so amazing?” Michelle asked.

“Bianca and I never did this,” Samantha said, her smile turning up even more, “you are the only girl I’ve ever let do that to me.”

“Oh,” Michelle said, thinking about that. Finally, she kissed Samantha, asked, “So why let me do it?”

“It had to be someone I trusted,” Samantha said, meeting Michelle’s eyes, “someone I loved. You.”

Michelle felt warm and fuzzy all over, and she kissed the girl deeply. When she pulled back, her heart was knocking around her rib cage like a wild animal. Swallowing hard, she said, “It has to be you, too.”

Samantha smiled at her and nodded, her hand falling on Michelle’s thigh. Michelle looked at the hand, then back at the girl. Samantha was looking for her permission and Michelle bit her lip and nodded. Michelle forgot to breathe as the hand moved along the inside of her thigh, higher and higher. By the time it made it to her girlhood, Michelle was shaking with nervous energy. Samantha’s fingers gently spread her labia. Michelle watched as Samantha slipped her fingers into her mouth to wet them with saliva.

“Relax,” Samantha said, her fingertips pressing against Michelle’s hymen, “it’ll hurt more if you tense up. And take a breath, for God’s sake, before you pass out.”

Snorting in surprise, Michelle laughed. She stole a quick kiss, then said, “I’m ready.”

Samantha’s fingers pressed harder against her hymen, and there was some resistance, followed by a sharp pain that made her hiss, then she gasped as Samantha’s fingers slipped inside of her. It was over so fast, Michelle could only blink dumbly at the sight of Samantha’s fingers buried in her. She really hadn’t known what to expect, but it was definitely nothing like the horror story her mother had fed her. Her torn flesh stung a little but that was it.

When Samantha’s fingers found her g-spot and gently massaged it with little come-hither motions, she completely forgot about the pain. Her hands grabbed at the sleeping bag as intense pleasure ran through her young body.

“Holy shit,” Michelle said, laughing.

Smiling at her, Samantha said, “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Michelle moaned.

“Doesn’t hurt?” Samantha asked, meeting Michelle’s eyes.

“For about a second,” Michelle said, around a moan, “then you started doing that, and I stopped noticing.”

Laughing, Samantha leaned in and kissed her, then said, “Good.”

I can’t believe I’m doing this, Michelle thought, her hips rolling eagerly against Samantha’s hand, letting Samantha finger my pussy.

It wasn’t that it was Samantha doing it, just that it was happening at all. She figured she would be in high school, at least, before she’d allow some girl to do this to her. Then again, she could say that about a lot of things she had let Samantha do to her and things she had done in return. Not that she had any regrets. It was just an observation on how quickly she had become comfortable with being with Samantha.

There is just something about the girl, Michelle thought, amused, that makes it impossible for me to keep my hands off her. She gets to smiling that smile, and I’d agree to just about anything.

Samantha urged Michelle to lie back, then lowered her mouth to Michelle’s bud. Michelle’s body was already thrumming with pleasure, but the hot flick of Samantha’s tongue across her tender flesh had her writhing in the throes of ecstasy. It felt almost too good to bear.

“God, Samantha,” Michelle moaned, stroking the girl’s silky hair lovingly, “that feels so good.”

Having already climaxed once, Michelle was rocketing toward another one in no time. The feeling of Samantha’s fingers inside of her massaging her g-spot and Samantha’s able tongue caressing her tender bud had her tiptoeing along the edge of bliss. Then Samantha toppled her over the edge, and Michelle cried out as her body exploded with pleasure.

“Holy shit,” Michelle said, trying to catch her breath, “holy shit!”

“Mmm,” Samantha said, crawling up to give her a kiss, “that good, huh?”

“I almost passed out I came so hard,” Michelle said, laughing, “God, I’m still shaking!”

Samantha kissed her one more time, then stretched out beside her. Michelle moved against her, throwing a leg across Samantha’s thighs. Warm and happy, Michelle laid her head on Samantha’s shoulder. She never wanted to move from this spot.

Unfortunately, they still had a few things to do before calling it a night. They had to find a place to put Michelle’s pack- which contained their food- up in a tree and out of reach of bears. Michelle wanted to build up the fire to discourage any wildlife from exploring their camp while they slept.

“We need to do a couple of things,” Michelle finally said, sitting up. She gave Samantha a playful smile, added, “We can pick up where we left off, afterward.”

———————————

Up early, Michelle stepped naked from the tent, shivering as the chilly morning air found her bare skin. Hugging herself, she moved away from the tent, found a spot to relieve the pressure on her bladder. With nature’s call answered, she went to the fire, poked it until it came back to life, then added some more wood.

As she started to warm up, she felt the short hairs on the back of her neck raise up. Her heart started beating faster as she realized the forest had gone quiet around her. Survival instincts kicked in, and she ran to where her bow and arrow leaned against her pack. Nocking an arrow, she listened intently, holding her breath.

Off to her left, she heard the scrabble of loose pebbles and the snap of a twig. Bringing the bow up, she scanned the brush. Her hand was shaking a little, and she forced herself to relax. The arrowhead stopped wavering. Another twig snapped, and she was better able to pinpoint the source of the sound.

Whatever was out there, it was getting closer.

She adjusted her aim, taking up tension on the bow. She looked down at herself, remembering she was naked. Michelle couldn’t think of another time she felt more vulnerable. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt wouldn’t do much to stop a bear or a wolf attacking her, but she wished she had gotten dressed after she and Samantha had made love last night.

Another loose stone disturbed, this one just beyond the break in the underbrush. Michelle glanced at the tent, debating on waking Samantha up. She had left the decision too long and the predator that had silenced the forest burst through the brush and into the open. Michelle almost let her arrow fly purely on instinct when she saw the massive wolf appear. She managed to pinch the string at the last possible second, kept the arrow firmly against the bowstring.

“Blue?” Michelle asked, stunned. Sure enough, it was Blue, panting and grinning happily at her. Michelle let the tension off the bowstring.

“How did you find us?” Michelle asked, squatting down. She held out her hand to the wolf and Blue sauntered over to be petted. Michelle stroked her thick fur, happy that Blue had forgiven her for leaving her behind.

“Samantha!” Michelle called, excitedly, “get up! We’ve got company.”

Half asleep, Samantha crawled out of the tent with the sleeping bag wrapped around her, asked, “What do you mean we have company?”

“See for yourself,” Michelle said, laughing as Blue ran to the girl.

“Blue!” Samantha said, dropping the sleeping bag so she could hug the wolf. Blue’s tail wagged happily, and she nuzzled Samantha’s neck, making her giggle.

“She must have…” Michelle said, then drew a blank on how the wolf had found them, “I don’t know how she found us.”

“She used that big brain of hers,” Samantha said, grinning at the wolf, “Didn’t you, Girl?”

Blue chuffed once, and Michelle decided to take that as a yes.

Continue to Part Five

What Did You Think?