Kurt takes the first watch, so I finally get to sleep. It's a fitful sleep, and when I wake an hour later, Brittany is clutching me like I'm going to float away.
"You nearly fell out of the tree like four times" she chuckles in my ear. "You're so wiggly!" I savour being this close to her for a minute, feeling her breathe evenly in my ear, the warmth of her arms around my waist, before I move, and notice Kurt and Blaine are missing.
"Where are tweedle dee and tweedle gay?" I ask her, shifting slightly.
"They took off about half an hour ago, I think." I frown slightly. "They said thank you, for last night, it's just safer if we aren't in big groups."
I know she's right, but it was nice having a group for a while.
"I think we should move today." I tell her, looking down at the ground. "Find a water source, and something to eat." We pack up our stuff back into our bags and slide down the tree.
Once we've hit the floor, I stretch, realising how stiff it'd been sat up in the tree all night. I walk around in circles a few times before I feel nimble enough to keep moving.
We walk in silence, being careful of where we place out feet, through the forest floor.
About half an hour after we've started to walk, we hear the crunching of feet on the dry leaves that carpet the ground.
I feel Brittany grab my hand in terror, and I crouch, bringing her down with me, and draw a short knife from my pack.
"Wait here" I whisper. Her eyes widen. "Don't worry I'm coming back. If you hear anything else, climb." I lean over to her without thinking, and press a quick kiss to her forehead, before turning back and slowly picking my way through the trees.
About 10 feet away, I find the source of the crunching. A rather large rabbit is sitting about a foot out in front of me, drinking from a small stream, oblivious to its new company. I smile, before throwing the knife in my hand towards it, hitting it squarely in-between the eyes.
"Sorry little guy" I stand up full and check around me before picking up the carcass of the animal and heading back to find Brit.
She's still crouching in the place I left her, and when she sees me, her face splits into the widest smile I've ever seen. I hold up the rabbit and she claps her hands silently, and then stands.
"I found a stream too!" I tell her, "So there's obviously a water source around…" She cuts me off, crossing the distance between us and pressing her lips to mine. It's quick, but it leaves my entire being burning. She doesn't say anything else, just grabs my hand and walks towards the stream.
We follow the stream along for a while, until we find a shaded area, and I begin the strip the rabbit and clean it to be eaten while Brittany starts a small fire. We eat in silence, but I keep stealing glances at her, and whenever I do, her eyes are on me. Her face is carefully blank, but I can see something underneath it, in the way her eyes sparkle.
"B?" I look at her, and she's staring down at the ground, biting her lip. "Brit?"
She looks up at me, tears in her eyes and without even thinking, I've launched myself at her, landing on her and peppering her face with kisses. Her voice is small when she speaks.
"I don't wanna die here."
"You won't die, I promise you. You're going home." The weight of what I've said sinks in, and she looks so heartbroken.
"I lov.." I cut her off with a kiss.
"Don't say it, please, not now. I can't stand it." I curl my arms around her and we sit, neither one of us speaking in fear of crying.