The Wild, Part Ten

Kneeling by the river, Michelle rinsed out her waterproof backpack liner. It still smelled liked smoked meat even after she dunked it in the water several times. Shaking her head, she thought that smell might never come out.

Blue sat at her side, happily chewing on the chunks of discarded meat. With the prepackaged and sealed for her safety cans of soup and snack food, they had liberated from the camp, carrying around a bunch of bear and wolf bait seemed like a bad idea. She and Samantha had made one final hearty breakfast of bear and boar meat this morning before the sun was up, then let Blue have her pick of what was left.

They had walked all night after leaving the tents, heading south by the light of the moon and the flashlight. It was hard to gauge how far they had walked, but Michelle thought they had put fifteen miles or so between them and the miscreants. This was assuming the men hadn’t found their tracks last night and had called it quits when they were running low on fuel. If they did find their tracks, they might be right behind them.

Not for the first time with the breaking of dawn, Michelle found herself holding her breath and listening. She kept waiting to hear the growl of engines approaching, but the morning was quiet except for the expected sounds of nature. Her relief was tempered by the fact the men still might be searching for them on foot.

Pulling the pillowcase in front of her, Michelle threw the laptop and game cameras in the river. She watched as they settled to the bottom, hoping it was enough. The men had seen their faces, but how good of a look had they taken before leaving the camp to search for them? Michelle could only cross her fingers that they had been such a hurry, they hadn’t committed their faces to memory.

She was dead on her feet, having walked almost twenty-four hours straight, but she knew they couldn’t stop now. Straightening up, she flipped her backpack liner inside out to let it dry and started walking back to the rock crag she and Samantha had made a temporary camp. Blue fell in at her side, her ears pricked and her nose going a mile a minute.

Michelle hoped the wolf would be their early warning system. She didn’t know how keen a wolf’s sense of smell and hearing were, but they had to be sharper than hers. Hopefully, Blue could sense them before they got too close.

As she rounded the side of the rock formation they had used for cover, Michelle found herself staring down the business end of an arrow. Samantha had her bow drawn, the arrow nocked. Seeing it was Michelle, Samantha sighed with relief and let the tension off the string. She came to Michelle, gave her a kiss.

“God, I’m glad it’s you,” Samantha said, hugging her, “I thought I was going to have to shoot someone with this.”

When Samantha pulled back, Michelle saw the half sick look on the girl’s face. What the girl had said really sank in, and she looked down at her own bow. Michelle suddenly felt as sick as Samantha looked. The thought of harming someone brought the bile to the back of her throat, and she had to swallow hard. Still, she knew she could use it on another human being if she had to, if it was him or her- or Samantha. She would defend herself and her girlfriend, would use the bow to cut someone down if there was no other choice.

Please God, don’t make me have to do that, Michelle prayed, hugging her girlfriend, again.

Releasing her, Michelle said, “We should pack up and move on. I’m starting to freak out because we aren’t moving.”

“Me, too,” Samantha said.

They had stopped just before the break of dawn to build a small fire so they could boil some water. Their thermos was empty, and Michelle knew they couldn’t risk doing it during the day, else they send up smoke signals for the men after them to see. They had smothered the fire with dirt before the sun peeked its head over the horizon.

With their thermos full again, it was definitely time to get moving. They hadn’t stopped long, so packing up consisted of transferring the food from the box to Michelle’s backpack. Five minutes and they were walking, again.

Michelle’s body started complaining after only a couple of minutes. Twenty-four hours of walking had down a number on her. Her back and shoulders ached from the heavy pack, and her shoes were starting to rub blisters on her feet. Her body had been ready to give up hours ago, but fear and determination kept her putting one foot in front of the other.

“How fast do you think a four-wheeler can go?” Samantha asked.

“I don’t know,” Michelle asked, meeting Samantha’s eyes, “why?”

“Just trying to figure out how much further,” Samantha said.

“I’d guess… thirty miles an hour, but I doubt even these guys would go full speed through the woods,” Michelle said.

“So twenty miles per hour?” Samantha asked.

“About that,” Michelle said, then sighed, “which makes it a hundred miles or so from their camp to town.”

“We walked what… twelve miles last night?” Samantha said.

“Twelve to fifteen,” Michelle agreed, then looked away, “the problem is… We don’t know where the town is.”

“I know,” Samantha said, sighing.

“The four-wheeler was heading east when we first heard it… That means the town is probably west of here. That way,” Michelle said, point in the direction of the river, “he must have crossed the river somewhere.”

“The river is shallow enough to cross?” Samantha asked.

“He must know a spot where it is,” Michelle said.

“Huh,” Samantha said, then went on, “too bad we don’t know where he came from. It would be nice to have a destination, not just a direction.”

“Next time we stop, I’ll break out the GPS,” Michelle said, putting her arm around Samantha’s waist, “see where we are.”

“Do you think we are close to civilization, yet?”

“We are getting there,” Michelle said, hoping the GPS had good news for them.

As they walked, Michelle kept listening for sounds of their pursuers. She might have spent too much time with her attention focused behind them because she stumbled on a root or a limb in her path more than once. When she stubbed her toe on a rock and ended up hopping on one foot and cursing, she realized the forest might take her out before the men at the camp ever got the chance. After that, her eyes were to the front.

She glanced at Blue and was relieved to see the wolf seemed alert but relaxed. Blue looked up at her and Michelle could almost read her thoughts, Nothing to report, Ma’am.

It should make her feel better that there was no sight or sound of the men, but it only stretched her nerves tighter. Not knowing where they were or what they were up to was like a pebble in her shoe. No matter what she did to distract herself, it worried at her brain like a little stone would her heel.

“Tell me more about your family,” Michelle said, trying to sidetrack her worrisome thoughts.

“What do you want to know?” Samantha asked.

“You told me about your dad… Your mom some,” Michelle said, thinking, “you said you have an older brother?”

“Tod,” Samantha said, nodding, “a freshman in high school next year.”

“Just the one brother?” Michelle asked.

Laughing, Samantha said, “Mom said she learned her lesson after me.”

Snorting in surprise, Michelle said, “Wow.”

“How about you? Brothers or sisters?” Samantha asked.

“A baby sister,” Michelle said, smiling, “her name is Mackenzie.”

“How old?”

“Ten months,” Michelle said, laughing at Samantha’s reaction, “I said she was my baby sister.”

“Your parents waited a long time to have another kid,” Samantha said.

“I guess they finally forgot the lesson they learned with me,” Michelle said, making Samantha laugh, “actually there were complications when Mom had me. Mackenzie surprised everybody, especially the doctors who told Mom she’d never have another kid.”

“Jesus, you are going to be in high school before she even starts kindergarten,” Samantha said, shaking her head.

“A junior,” Michelle said.

“At least you don’t have to worry about going to high school with your sibling,” Samantha said, groaning.

“You and Tod don’t get along?” Michelle asked.

“No, we do,” Samantha said, then grinned, “he’s a pain in the ass, though.”

“Okay,” Michelle said, amused.

“It’s a brother/sister thing. You can love them and want to strangle them at the same time,” Samantha said.

“I guess being an only child has its perks,” Michelle said.

“I don’t know about that,” Samantha said, laughing, “most people who are only the only child turn out a little… what’s the word I’m looking for?”

Giving her a look, Michelle said, “Awesome?”

Samantha leaned in and kissed her, said, “That’s the word.”

“Yeah right,” Michelle said, then added, “I have a couple of cousins who are happy to step in as surrogate brothers. I’ve had my share of teasing and taken my lumps.”

“I guess that’s why you turned out okay,” Samantha said, with an affectionate smile, “I mean awesome.”

“Funny,” Michelle said, smiling back at her anyway.

————————————

They weren’t making nearly as good time today as they had yesterday. Michelle’s tank was on empty, and it was sheer force of will that kept her putting one foot in front of the other. Marathon runners talk about hitting the wall, where all the training in the world fails you, and it comes down to determination to keep you moving. Michelle understood that comment now, only her motivation was external rather than internal. Her determination was packing an AR-15.

The sun was high above them in the sky when Michelle said, “Let’s stop for a minute, eat something, and catch our breath.”

“Yeah,” Samantha said.

Michelle shrugged out of her backpack, rolling her aching shoulders. She thought she was going to have permanent indentations in her trapezius from the pack’s straps. Glancing at Samantha, she saw the girl wasn’t faring much better. Setting aside her own misery, Michelle went to her girlfriend, rubbed her shoulders.

“God, you are a mess,” Michelle said, feeling the knots in Samantha’s muscles.

“Nothing a hot shower and twelve hours of sleep won’t fix,” Samantha said, grimacing as Michelle found a tender spot, “maybe two hot showers.”

“If we had the time, I could have you feeling better in no time,” Michelle said, hugging her from behind.

“I know you could,” Samantha said, amused.

“Is it wrong that even though I’m dead tired and running for my life, I still want to get you out of these clothes?” Michelle asked.

Turning in Michelle’s arms, Samantha smiled at her, said, “Probably.”

“If loving you is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” Michelle crooned, doing her best imitation of Luther Ingram. It was awful.

Samantha laughed and kissed her, said, “You are sweet… A horrible swinger, but sweet.”

“You don’t know what you are talking about,” Michelle said, with mock indignation, “I have the voice of an angel.”

“You have the body of an angel, Babe,” Samantha said, pulling her close and kissing her deeply, “which is much better than a singing voice.”

“Well, I guess that’s okay then,” Michelle said, her voice a little husky. The way Samantha had kissed her, she thought the girl really meant it. Feeling all warm and fuzzy, Michelle smiled at her. Their eyes met and the moment almost got the better of them. Sighing, Michelle slipped out of Samantha’s arms. She hadn’t been kidding about wanting to get Samantha out of her clothes, but she knew they couldn’t.

“We should eat,” Michelle said.

“Right,” Samantha said, looking as flustered as Michelle felt.

“Tonight,” Michelle said.

“Promise?” Samantha asked, with a sexy smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“One way or the other, I’m getting you out of those jeans,” Michelle said, meaning it.

“Good. Let’s eat, then,” Samantha said.

They sat with their backs to a tree, eating the snack cakes Michelle divvied up between them. Blue had her own pack of Twinkies, which she circled wearily. As the girls ate, they watched the wolf try to make up her mind if the cream-filled sponge cake was food or not. Finally, Michelle picked one up and took a bite of it. Blue watched her chew it, then picked up the other one with her teeth. She finished it in one bite, then looked longingly at the rest of the one in Michelle’s hand. Laughing, Michelle tossed it to her and Blue snatched it out of the air.

“That’s not going to make her sick, is it?” Samantha asked.

“Maybe,” Michelle said, feeling kind of guilty for giving the wolf the Twinkies. She hoped the sugar rush wouldn’t hurt Blue’s untempered stomach. A woodland diet didn’t prepare one for the sheer caloric mayhem that was a Hostess snack cake.

Blue was looking at Michelle’s pack hungrily. Samantha saw her and said to the wolf, “Let’s see how you handle that one first.”

The wolf must have realized no more sweet treats were forthcoming and wandered off a ways to lie down.

Michelle opened another pack of cookies, hoping the sugar would get her sluggish body going, again. As she chewed on one, she pointed at Samantha’s bag and said, “Let’s check the GPS.”

Samantha dug it out and handed the compact unit to her. Michelle turned it on and let it locate a satellite. When it had their position fixed, she checked the map. She was glad when she didn’t have to scroll down as far as before to find something resembling civilization. If she was reading the scale right, they had fifty or sixty miles further to walk.

Three or four more days, Michelle thought. With fresh legs, they might have made that distance in two, but she knew their pace was only going to slow even more the longer they walked.

Samantha was looking at the map, frowning. Pointing, she said, “This is the river, right?”

“Yeah,” Michelle said, cringing. The river was about to change course in a couple of miles, make an almost ninety degree turn to the west. It wouldn’t turn south again for another hundred miles or so. Very soon, they would be walking away from their source of fresh water. Michelle had seen this way back at the cave when she first turned the GPS on, and she hadn’t liked the idea very much then, either.

“We aren’t following it, are we?” Samantha asked.

“It turns west for a long time,” Michelle said.

“Toward the town the men came from?” Samantha asked.

Blinking in surprise, Michelle said, “Um… Maybe.”

“You said he was coming from the west,” Samantha said.

“He was, but if he made even one more turn, we’d never find the town,” Michelle said, looking at the GPS, “we know south is a safe bet.”

“It would have been nice to stay by the river,” Samantha said, picking up the thermos and looking at it.

“Yeah,” Michelle agreed, pointing at it, “we’ll drink as much as we can, then fill the thermos up one more time before we head away from the river. It shouldn’t be more than three days of walking after that. We’ll be okay.”

Samantha put her head on Michelle’s shoulder, said, “Three days… Three days and this will be over?”

“Two if we could keep our pace up,” Michelle said.

“Three’s okay,” Samantha said, snuggling tighter against Michelle, “it’ll give me time to figure out how to tell Mom and Dad about us.”

Putting her arm around Samantha, Michelle said, “I’ve been wondering how your parents will take the news. My parents won’t be all that surprised- well, the fact it is you might surprise them a bit, but not that I have a girlfriend.”

“Why me?” Samantha asked, meeting Michelle’s eyes.

A little sheepishly, Michelle said, “I might have made certain comments about you to them… Mostly concerning your lack of help on the project.”

“Oh,” Samantha said, then laughed nervously, “great.”

“Don’t worry,” Michelle said, squeezing her tighter, “they’ll love you once they get to know you like I have. Especially Dad.”

“I hope you are right,” Samantha said, smiling at her.

“How about your parents? How do you think they’ll react to finding out you are a lesbian?” Michelle asked.

Samantha thought about it for a moment, then said, “I don’t know.”

——————————–

Standing on the river bank, Michelle looked out at the water flowing away from her. They had come to the bend in the river, the one that would take it in a westward direction for nearly a hundred miles, if Michelle was reading the GPS correctly. Since they wanted to go south not west, this was where they left the river and its easy access to fresh water behind.

Michelle turned away from the river, sitting next to Samantha at the small fire they had built. Samantha had her camera out, taking a video of the bend in the river. She narrated, “This is where we say goodbye to the river. Michelle thinks we have three more days of walking from here, so we stopped to drink as much as we could and fill our thermos one more time. Who knows if we’ll have another chance for a while.”

Samantha turned her camera off, put it back in her backpack. Glancing at Michelle, she said, “Just wanted to get that on video.”

“Oh, I understand,” Michelle said, smiling at her, “leaving the river is a big deal. We’ll need to be a lot more careful with our water from now on out.”

“I know,” Samantha said, picking up the thermos, “this might have to last us until we get out of here.”

“We should get going,” Michelle said, kicking dirt on the fire to smother it, “I don’t like sitting here, sending up smoke signals.”

“Okay,” Samantha said, grimacing as she stood up and shrugged into her backpack, “God, it always hurts more when we stop.”

“Yeah,” Michelle agreed, her own body complaining about moving, again. It just wanted to lie down for a while. Like twelve hours on the bed in her bedroom. She groaned, thinking about her bed. God, she missed that thing.

As they made their way through the woods away from the river, Michelle found another reason to miss it. Navigation had been easy- as long as she was following the river downstream, she was headed south. Without the river as a guide, it would be easy to wander off course. Since walking in a straight line wasn’t always an option- the forest insisting on putting obstacles in their path- she kept having to look up at the sun and use it as a reference to get her bearings. With the thick canopy above them, finding the sun wasn’t always easy. Their pace slowed even more as she tried to keep them on course.

Things only got more complicated as clouds started rolling in, blanketing the sun in sullen gray. Michelle looked up at the darkened sky, not liking the look of it.

“I think it’s going to rain,” Samantha said, looking up at the bruised sky, too.

“I do, too,” Michelle said.

“It’s what… Seventy degrees?” Samantha said.

“Now, but the temperature is going to drop if it rains. We’ll make camp if it does,” Michelle said, starting to walk again.

“I was hoping you would say that,” Samantha said, relieved, “it was freezing last time it rained.”

“Yeah,” Michelle agreed. She didn’t know if the temperature would dip low enough for hypothermia to be a concern, but she didn’t want to risk it. They couldn’t afford to get sick out here.

“Still we should keep walking as long as we can,” Samantha said, looking over her shoulder nervously, “it only takes a minute to set up the tent.”

Michelle nodded. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to know why the girl wanted to keep walking. The men from the camp were like a hand on their backs, pushing them to keep moving even though they were dead tired.

The further south they went, the more the terrain began to change. Relatively flat before, more and more hills began to pop up. Michelle groaned every time she was forced to climb one, her already tired legs further strained. Huge rock formations began to litter the forest floor and more than once, they had to skirt their way around them.

I guess our luck ran out, Michelle thought, looking around. The terrain seemed to be getting worse ahead of them, not better.

As they walked, a breeze kicked up, stirring the leaves above them. The sky continued to darken as storm clouds rolled in. In the distance, there was the rumbling of thunder. It was getting closer.

They came to the largest rock formation, yet. It was the size of a football field and jutted four stories into the air. As they made their way around it, Michelle spotted an opening in the rock wall. Curiosity got the better of her, and she stepped close to look inside. Blinking in surprise, she realized the formation was hollow. A massive cave.

“Check this out,” she said, drawing Samantha’s attention.

“What is it?” Samantha asked, joining her.

“A huge cave,” Michelle said, slipping inside. She fished the flashlight out, shining it around the cave. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the ceiling of rock some twenty feet above. She turned in a slow circle, taking in the enormity of the hollowed out space.

Samantha appeared at her side, asked, “Is it safe in here?”

“I don’t see any signs of animals,” Michelle said, dropping her backpack, “the rock seems solid enough.”

“How can something like this exist?” Samantha asked, a hint of wonder in her voice.

“I don’t know,” Michelle said, grinning at her, “it’s kind of cool though.”

“Very cool,” Samantha agreed, still looking around. She suddenly took the flashlight from Michelle, walking to one of the walls. She sounded excited as she said, “Come check this out.”

Michelle walked over to where Samantha stood, her eyes widening as she saw the intricate mural on the wall. Done in charcoal and crushed berries, it depicted a scene Michelle couldn’t entirely follow. Still, she could feel the importance of the scene to whoever had made this painting. There was a reverence to the care in the creation of line and color, a respect in conserving the details.

“This looks… Native American?” Samantha said, her eyes roaming over the cave wall.

“I think so,” Michelle said.

“It’s beautiful,” Samantha said, glancing at Michelle, “it’s the story of the tribe.”

Michelle looked closer and saw Samantha was right. She had been looking at it wrong. It wasn’t one picture but many that, when read from left to right, told the history of the people who had drawn this mural. As she and Samantha followed the curve of the wall, they saw the birth of the tribe, and it’s fall.

“War,” Samantha said, glancing at Michelle.

“How they began and how they ended,” Michelle said, looking at the final bloody conflict with another tribe. There was a lot of red on the last bit of mural, then nothing but empty rock.

“How far back do you think this painting represents?” Samantha asked.

“I don’t know,” Michelle said, putting her arm around Samantha’s waist, “when we get out of here we can look up Canadian tribes… Maybe there will be something about these people. Who they were and when they… Died.”

“Yeah,” Samantha said, turning away from the wall. Looking around the rotunda-like cave, she said, “I can see why this cave was important to them.”

“Very spiritual,” Michelle agreed, thinking the formation had a cathedral feel to it.

“Yeah,” Samantha said, glancing at the mouth of the cave, “I guess we are staying here for a while.”

Michelle followed her eyes and saw the sky had finally opened and it was pouring down the rain. Right on cue, thunder rumbled, and lightning streaked across the heavens, temporarily lighting the darkened forest outside the cave.

“Beats the tent,” Michelle said, watching the wind-lashed rain, “I don’t think it was intended to withstand this kind of a storm.”

“Probably would have blown away with us in it,” Samantha agreed, then suddenly looked around, “where’s Blue?”

“Blue?” Michelle called, and the wolf appeared at the opening of the cave, looking wet and miserable.

Michelle waved the wolf inside, and Blue entered cautiously. Maybe something lingered in the cave that told the wolf it used to belong to humans because Blue looked out of sorts. She only came in out of the rain a couple of feet, looking around with her head held low.

“It’s okay, Blue,” Michelle said, smiling reassuringly at the wolf, “It’s just the three of us in here.”

Still not looking comfortable, Blue ventured a little further into the cave, her blue eyes scanning the enormous chamber nervously. Michelle didn’t think there was much she could do to make Blue feel more at ease, so she left the wolf to get acclimated to the cave.

With the storm in full effect, it was dark in the cave without the flashlight, but they couldn’t waste the batteries. Luckily, a lot of sticks and leaves had gathered just inside the cave. Michelle thought they could gather them up for a small fire.

“Help me get a fire going,” Michelle said, getting Samantha’s attention.

The wood inside the cave was very dry and took a spark nicely. It didn’t take the girls long to have a small, crackling fire going. The dancing flames pushed back the shadows some, if not all the way to the far side of the cave. There were spots were the gloom clung to the walls and ceiling of the cave, refusing to give up their hold to the fire.

Sitting by the fire, the strain of the last couple of days started to get the better of Michelle. The cool air and the soothing sound of falling rain made it hard for her to keep her eyes open. Yawning, she said, “We might as well grab some sleep while it is raining.”

“Is that a good idea?” Samantha asked.

“Those guys at the camp would have to crazy to walk in this storm. They couldn’t see more a few feet in front of their faces, the way the wind is whipping around,” Michelle said, then thought of something else, “plus, the rain is going to ruin our tracks, assuming they found them.”

“Okay,” Samantha said, reaching for the sleeping bag.

They spread it out next to the fire, lying on top of it. Samantha snuggled tight against Michelle, her head on her shoulder. Michelle had just enough time to tell the girl she loved her before sleep took her. She didn’t even hear if Samantha said it back.

——————————————

When Michelle came awake sometime later, the fire was all but embers, and the cave was completely dark. She glanced at the opening of the cave and saw night had fallen while they slept. It sounded like the worst of the storm had passed, but it was still raining outside.

Without waking Samantha, she sat up and put a few sticks on the fire. Poking it until it came back to life, she looked around the cave. Blue was sleeping toward the back of the cave, her head resting on her paws. Michelle smiled, thinking the wolf looked kind of cute when she was asleep.

Getting to her feet, Michelle stepped outside the cave to answer the call of nature. It only to a minute but she was soaking wet by the time she finished. At least the rain wasn’t as cold as she expected. Still, she hurried to the fire to dry off.

Samantha stirred awake, her beautiful eyes opening and finding Michelle. She sat up and moved against Michelle. Yawning, she asked, “Why are you all wet?”

“I had to use the bathroom,” Michelle said, kissing her.

“It’s still raining?” Samantha asked.

“Yeah.”

“Great,” Samantha groaned, standing up. She disappeared out the mouth of the cave and came back dripping a moment later. Coming to the fire, she said, “It’s still coming down out there.”

“Yeah,” Michelle said, smiling at her, “Looks like you took a piss and a shower at the same time.”

“I need a shower,” Samantha said, shaking her head, “we both do.”

“The rain’s not that cold,” Michelle said, playfully.

“Huh,” Samantha said, glancing at the cave entrance.

“I was kidding,” Michelle said.

“It’s doable, though,” Samantha said, smiling playfully at her, “it might be kind of fun, doing it in the rain.”

“Doing it in the rain?” Michelle asked, her heart beating a little faster, “What happened to showering?”

“Call that foreplay,” Samantha said, putting her arms around Michelle’s neck, “we can get all soapy and slippery and see what happens.”

Swallowing hard, Michelle said, “When you put it like that…”

Samantha gave her a deep, lingering kiss, then reached for her backpack. With a bottle of body wash in hand, she sprang to her feet. Michelle watched her run to the mouth of the cave, shedding clothing as she went. Shaking her head, Michelle followed her, slipping out of her own clothes. They paused at the opening to finish undressing. Samantha moved naked into her arms, kissed her again. Michelle could feel the girl’s excitement behind the kiss, knew the thought of making out in the rain had turned her on. Michelle pulled her tighter into her arms and eased them out into the rain. It was cold at first, but as Samantha’s hand roamed over her back and their tongues twined, Michelle stopped noticing the chill.

So lost in the kiss and exploring Samantha’s naked body, Michelle had forgotten about the body wash until she heard the pop of the lid being opened. She caught a hint of its lovely scent as Samantha poured some first in her palm then in Michelle’s. Working the soap into a lather, she ran her hands over Samantha’s skin. Samantha was doing the same to her and Michelle wasn’t sure which one turned her on more, touching or being touched. Either way, Samantha had been right about this being foreplay.

Samantha sank to her knees in front of Michelle, running her soapy hands down Michelle’s long legs. As they slid back over her calves, then her thighs, Michelle wondered if this was about to stop being hygienic and start being sensual. Her heart was beating faster at the thought of where Samantha’s hands might be heading next. Her breath caught in her throat as Samantha’s massaging hand found her girlhood and she forced it out as a moan as Samantha eased her fingers inside of her. The soap made everything slippery, but Michelle didn’t need it. She was more than ready for the thrust of Samantha’s fingers. Wiping the soap away, Samantha pressed her mouth to Michelle’s bud, teasing it with her lips and tongue.

Michelle closed her eyes and lost herself to the caress of the rain and the lovely things Samantha was doing to her. The stress of the last couple of days receded, and she let the pleasure work through her. Their pursuers, the brutal miles they had walked, the many miles still to be covered, the ache and pains… All of the worries that had weighed on her were set aside, and she focused on enjoying this erotic moment.

It was one of the things she loved about being with Samantha. No matter what was going on around her, when she was in Samantha’s arms, the world melted away. It was just the two of them, and nothing else mattered. She hadn’t known it was possible to get so wholly lost in someone, to have her attention so completely captured. Samantha was her everything.

Right now her ‘everything’ had her making these little noises of excitement she couldn’t quite hold back, try as she might. Samantha was making it impossible to keep quiet. She could only hope no one was close enough to hear her as another cry escaped her.

Her hand was on the back of Samantha’s head, and her hips were pushing her pussy against Samantha’s mouth and fingers eagerly. The girl had her toes digging into the mud and her knees a little weak. The caress of her tongue across her bud and the tease of her thrusting fingers against her g-spot had Michelle tiptoeing along the edge of ecstasy. There was only so much of this her young body could take, and Samantha already had her at that plateau. She just needed a gentle push, and she’d fall right over the edge into bliss.

In the end, it wasn’t Samantha that gave her the push, although she was definitely the one who got her there. It was the rain on her naked body that made her come undone. She hadn’t been sure about this when Samantha said she wanted to do it outside in the rain, but Michelle was glad the girl had talked her into it. There was something incredibly sexy about the feel of the rain on her bare skin, the feel of the water droplets as they rolled over her breasts and down her taut stomach. It was erotic and naughty, and Michelle cried out as the thrill finished her off.

The orgasm shook her to pieces, knocked her legs out from underneath her. Suddenly on her knees, she laughed as the feel-good juices started to flow. Feeling as light as a feather, she hugged Samantha and gave her a lingering kiss.

Michelle was a little surprised when Samantha laid back and pulled her atop of her. Smiling down at her, Michelle said, “You know you are lying in mud, right?”

Samantha kissed her, said, “It’ll rinse off.”

Laughing, Michelle kissed her, again. She ran her hand up Samantha’s side to cup her breast. When the girl moaned into her mouth, Michelle knew she was ready for more. Michelle kissed Samantha’s neck, tasted the rain on her skin. Moving lower, she kissed her way down Samantha’s lovely body, taking her time to let the anticipation build. Samantha’s body writhed every time Michelle’s lips brushed her skin.

By the time Michelle gently spread her girlfriend’s legs wide open, Samantha was more than ready. The first flick of Michelle’s tongue drew a thick moan from Samantha and her back arched out of the mud. Michelle ran her hand up the girl’s stomach and kneaded one of her breasts, not letting up on her bud. Samantha’s back arched, even more, pushing her breast into Michelle’s hand eagerly. Michelle teased her straining nipple until Samantha groaned and sank back to the mud before letting her hand slide back down her rain slick stomach.

Slipping two fingers into Samantha’s hot, slick core, Michelle found her g-spot and teased it with little twitches of her fingers. The pressure on that sensitive spot drove Samantha’s body wild, and it was hard for Michelle to keep her mouth to the girl’s bud as she writhed. It didn’t seem to matter, the excited sounds Samantha was making. Again, Michelle hoped no one was in earshot because she wasn’t about to stop what she was doing. She wanted to see just how much pleasure she could wring out of Samantha’s body, wanted to see that dazed smile Samantha always gave her after she came. It was such a sexy little smile.

Doing this in the mud and rain must have excited Samantha because it didn’t take long for Michelle to sense the tension gathering inside of her girlfriend’s body. She thought the girl was right there, her body at its limit. Michelle remembered her own orgasm, how the rain on her naked body had been the straw that had toppled her over. She wondered if it was her fingers and her mouth that made Samantha try out in ecstasy or if maybe the rain had helped.

Michelle leaned in for a kiss and Samantha pulled her down atop of her, again. They sank even deeper into the mud as their tongues teased each other into a much more heated kiss. Michelle gasped as Samantha suddenly rolled them and she was on her back in mud that was halfway up her sides. It was cold, and she had mud in some weird places.

Samantha smiled down at her, gave her a playful kiss, “I didn’t want to be the only dirty girl.”

“Gee thanks,” Michelle said, laughing.

Stealing one more kiss, Samantha got to her knees and straddled one of Michelle’s hips. As their muddy bodies nestled together, Michelle realized what the girl had in mind and she stopped caring about being in the mud. As Samantha began to grind her girlhood against Michelle’s, Michelle’s hands dug into the mud looking for something to hold onto. The mud sucked at her buttocks as she tried to push her hips up into Samantha’s thrusts, making obscene noises that the rain couldn’t quite drown out. It made both of them start giggling. She had to give up the effort, just let Samantha do all the work for both of them. Samantha’s pneumatic body was more than up for the challenge, the roll of her hips drawing moan after moan from them.

Michelle kind of wished it was daylight out. She loved to watch the sway of Samantha’s body as she did this. Samantha moved with such sensuality and grace, the push of her hips mesmerizing. Closing her eyes, Michelle could see the twist of her lovely body as clear as could be. The memories of the past times Samantha had ridden her like this was permanently burned into her mind, and she’d never forget how sexy the girl looked atop her.

The roll of Samantha’s hips started coming faster and faster, the girl really grinding against her. The pressure on her bud was delicious, and she was grabbing at the mud. As it squeezed through her fingers, she needed something more substantial to hold onto, so she put her hands on Samantha’s backside. Her fingers tightening on Samantha’s buttocks, she urged the girl to move even faster.

Samantha had her right on the edge of coming, again. The pressure on her bud was too much to bear, and her body was ready to explode. She heard the sharpness in Samantha’s cries, and she realized the girl was close, too. Atop her, Samantha’s body started to lose its grace as she came but she kept it together long enough to finish them both off. Their climaxes gripped them almost simultaneously, and they shook through them together.

“Holy shit,” Samantha laughed, leaning in for a kiss. It was a tender kiss, the fire of desire burned out of them, finally.

The passion abated, for now, Michelle realized she was lying in three inches of mud. Distracted by Samantha’s capable body, she hadn’t noticed how cold it was half buried in mud. She started shivering.
“We better get cleaned up and move this into the cave,” Michelle said, sitting up.

“Yeah, it’s kind of cold,” Samantha said, kissing her, “I hadn’t noticed before.”

Getting to her feet, Michelle said, “I guess we were distracted up until now.”

Samantha laughed and moved into her arms, said, “I guess we were.”

“Gonna have to add this one to the list,” Michelle said, kissing her.

“I’m definitely never going to forget it,” Samantha said.

“Good,” Michelle said, stealing one more kiss, “help me get the mud out of my hair.”

———————————–

Stepping up to the cave’s opening, Michelle looked out at the misty forest. Dawn was just breaking, and everything was peaceful. The rain had passed, but the mud was still around. It could make walking a chore, and they would be leaving clear prints from now on out. Hopefully, the storm had would erase their old tracks and throw their pursuers off their trail.

Still looking out at the foggy forest, she wondered if they had ever found their trail in the first place. Were they still looking to the north of the camp for them? To the east? Had they found their prints at the camp and were following them south? Had they broken camp and gotten the hell out of Dodge? Cut their losses?

Michelle wished she had the answers to these questions, but she had no idea where the men from the camp were or what they were doing. She could only assume they were still hot on their heels.

After their roll in the mud, they had eaten then gone back to sleep. They had awakened before the sun was up, feeling a lot better than when they had first stumbled upon the cave. They were still a little sore and stiff, but they had a smile on their faces when they looked at each other.

She glanced to the left of the cave opening, saw the pan they had left out to gather rainwater last night. It was filled to the brim, and she carefully carried it back inside. She poured it straight into the thermos, since it didn’t need to be purified first.

Michelle went to where Samantha was using her camera to film the mural. When she fell in beside her, Samantha said, “Maybe someone will want to know about this place when we get back.”

“I’ll turn the GPS on, get the coordinates,” Michelle said, walking back to the fire, “see where we are, while I’m at it.”

“We can eat something then get ready to start moving, again,” Samantha said.

“Sounds like a plan,” Michelle said, stopping on her way to the fire to scratch Blue behind the ears. She was about to turn away when the wolf’s ears suddenly perked up. Blue’s posture changed in an instant, and she sprang to her feet. Michelle’s heart started racing as the wolf growled low in her throat. She ran to her backpack picked up her bow and quiver. She turned just in time to see a black blur as Blue ran out of the cave.

Outside there came a short burst of gunfire and savage barking and growling. Then came a scream of pain and panicked cursing, “Oh shit! Fuck! Oh God!”

Fumbling an arrow onto the string, Michelle ran to the opening of the cave. She saw one of the men from the camp on his back, trying to keep Blue from his throat. Dark red circles were spreading on the fatigues he wore, evidence that some of Blue’s attacks had made it home.

Drawing her bow, Michelle yelled, “Easy, Blue. Don’t kill him!”

Blue backed off from her attack, her posture still threatening.

Samantha appeared at the mouth of the cave, her bow in hand. Michelle called over her shoulder, “Pack everything up. We are leaving.”

Samantha disappeared back in the cave.

“Jesus, it bit me,” the man cried in pain, holding his side, “fucking thing bit me!”

“You are lucky I stopped her,” Michelle said, her arrow aimed at his chest, “now hold still, or I might change my mind.”

“Fucking bit me,” He whimpered.

“Where are your friends?” Michelle asked, looking around.

“My friends?” He asked.

“There were three of you,” Michelle said.

“Fuck you,” he said.

“Blue,” Michelle said. The wolf growled deep in her throat, her teeth bared. She let out a sharp bark, and the man lost control of his bladder.

“Okay, okay,” he said, shielding his face from the attack he thought was coming, “we lost your trail! We fanned out, looking for you.”

Michelle was glad her bluff worked because she didn’t think she had the stomach for actually siccing Blue on him. She felt a little queasy just making the threat.

“Are they close enough to have heard the gunfire?” Michelle asked, spotting the AR-15 lying in the grass a ways from them. She circled that way, bending down to pick up the assault rifle. She slung the bow over her shoulder, ejected the magazine to make sure it was still loaded, then popped the clip back in place. She flipped the selector switch to semi-auto, figuring the gun would be a handful on full auto.

It might still be too much gun for her, firing one round at a time. She hoped she never had cause to use it.

“I don’t know,” he said, flinching when he glanced at Blue, “I don’t think so.”

“Your radio,” Michelle said, pointing with the gun, “toss it here.”

The man fumbled the radio off his belt, threw it to Michelle. He grunted as the move cause more blood to spring from his torn side. Looking down at the blood pooling between his fingers, he blubbered, “I’m hurt bad.”

“Keep putting pressure on it,” Michelle said, then to Blue, “I need your help, Blue. I need him to call his friends and tell them he was shooting at a wolf and everything is okay, but I need to keep him from doing something stupid like trying to warn them. Do you think you can help me?”

The wolf looked at her for a moment, then moved slowly toward the cringing man. He tried to crawl away, but Blue closed in on him. She put his throat between her teeth, bit down just hard enough to dimple the skin but not hard enough draw blood. The man froze, stark fear in his eyes. He looked at Michelle, silently begging for mercy.

Michelle felt a little sick, but she didn’t let it show on her face.

“I’m going to put the radio to your mouth,” Michelle said, lowering the rifle, “if you do what I say, I’ll tell Blue to spit that nasty neck of yours out. If not… Well, you know what happens.”

“Okay, okay,” he whimpered.

“I want you to tell your friends you saw a wolf, freaked out and started shooting at it… You are fine and still looking for us. Haven’t seen any sign of us. Got it?”

“Yeah,” he said, a fragile hope on his face.

“Better be convincing,” she said, kneeling beside him and putting the radio next to his mouth. She pressed the button.

“Hey, Danny,” he said.

Michelle let go of the button, waiting for the reply. The radio crackled, then a tinny voice said, “…What’s up…”

“Watch out for wolves, man. A big, black bitch just buzzed by me,” he said.

“…Is that what you were shooting at…”

“Fucking thing was huge,” he said.

There was laughter on the other end of the line and Danny asked, “…Did you at least get it…”

“No,” the man said.

“…Keep your eyes open, then. For any sign of the girls, too…”

“Yeah, yeah. You too,” he said.

Michelle pulled the radio away from his mouth and hooked it on her pocket. Straightening up, she said to Blue, “You can let him go.”

Blue’s teeth tightened a fraction more, and the guy cried out, then Blue let him go.

“I did what you asked,” the man said, his eyes going from Blue to the assault rifle.

“You did,” Michelle said, looking down at him. His right calf was bleeding pretty bad, and the bite on his side was weeping freely. She didn’t think he was in any danger of bleeding out, but he was going to need stitches and antibiotics soon. He didn’t look in any condition to follow them. She doubted he’d be able to put any weight on his leg any time soon. Without his gun or his radio, he wasn’t a threat to them anymore.

Samantha appeared at her side with her pack. Putting the gun between her knees, she shrugged into it. With the assault rifle cradled in her arms, she asked, “Your friends are further east?”

“Yeah,” he said, looking at her curiously, “who are you?”

“What do you mean?” Michelle asked.

“You don’t act like a scared kid,” he said.

“Don’t worry about me,” Michelle said, then to Blue and Samantha, “we better get out of here.”

“You are just going to leave me here?” The man asked.

“Unless you think that’s a bad idea?” Michelle asked, raising the muzzle of the gun. It was an empty threat. She had no intention of using it.

“No, no,” he said, holding up his hands.

“Let’s go,” Michelle said.

As they were walking away, the man called, “Seriously. Who the hell are you, kid?”

“Just a girl trying to get home,” she said.

Continue to Part Eleven

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