Chapter Thirty-five
Spencer woke up a short while later, finding Ashley fast asleep and nestled into the crook of her neck. Her content smile turned to a wince, though, as the pain started rolling to the forefront of her mind. The pressure in her head was still blindingly present, and her shoulder felt even more stiff than it had earlier. Fortunately, though, the sharp burning in her chest had gone down to a dull ache.
She looked down at Ashley, not wanting to move for fear of waking the brunette up. They were both tired, so tired after all they had been through. They each had suffered so much, and Spencer was loathe to think of how they would likely continue to suffer.
Little over a month, they had managed. Thirty-one days not counting that morning. That was roughly seven hundred fifty hours. Forty-five thousand minutes. She had done the math, and when she thought too hard about it, the blonde really had no idea how they had survived that long. She knew having Ashley there and vice versa was definitely key, and the survival kit was a godsend, but even then she still didn't know how they were pulling it off. If it was just her alone, Spencer knew she would have perished a long time ago. It was an undeniable fact that she owed the brunette her life.
And for Ashley to have stayed strong through the entire ordeal, at least as far as Spencer had seen, was no small wonder. She herself had broken down on more than one occasion, and she could only guess where Ashley's seemingly endless resilience was coming from. Perhaps it stemmed from the older girl's protective nature. Whatever it was, Spencer could only pray that if they ever—no, she mentally shook herself—when they get home, Ashley's newfound strength would not vanish and leave the blonde heartbroken.
Gazing down at the sleeping girl, Spencer knew she couldn't bear to lose her. Not again. Ashley wasn't just the reason she was alive, she was the reason the blonde lived.
She sighed.
She could watch the brunette sleep forever.
Ten seconds passed.
…crap. "Ash," Spencer murmured. The older girl merely snuggled closer, so she tried again, giving her a little nudge. "Ashley."
The brunette snapped awake." What? What's wrong?"
"I have to pee."
"You woke me up to tell me that?" The blonde sent a pointed glance to the arms and legs pinning her body down. "Oh."
"Help me up?"
Ashley gently aided Spencer in standing, dressing, and doing her business. It was dark out—several hours before sunrise—and it wasn't hard for them to return to the shelter's warmth . As soon as the blonde was laying comfortably, Ashley, too, drifted off again.
Mid-morning, the girls stirred awake to a chorus of yipping, barking, and growling. With a groan, Ashley rolled onto her back, slinging her arm over her eyes. Spencer, still half asleep, whimpered at the loss of contact and reached out for the brunette's other arm, hugging it to her chest. When the sounds finally registered in her sleep-ridden mind, Ashley bolted upright.
"Oh, hell no."
Climbing to her feet, the brunette picked up the rifle and a few shells. She stepped outside the grotto and was greeted with the sight of the elusive pack of wolves fighting over the moose carcass. The abdomen had been split open, a leg had been pulled off, and the shoulder had been ripped into.
"Hey!" she yelled, letting a shot loose over the lake. Startled, the seven canines flinched, yelped, and cowered with their ears back. "Get the fuck outta here, you mangy bastards!"
A second shot rang out, and the wolves scampered off into the woods, carrying what meat they could in their mouths. Their whines quickly faded into the distance. Muttering, Ashley turned back towards the grotto, met with amused expression on Spencer's face.
"God, you're like the crazy old guy that shoots squirrels out of his yard…"
"That's our fucking moose, damnit. You bled for that thing, and there's no way in hell I'm letting a bunch of scavengers rip us off."
"Someone's cranky this morning."
"Tired and hungry," Ashley corrected. "And you should be resting."
"I had to make sure you didn't finally crack and go all trigger happy with invisible gnomes or nargles, or something."
The brunette cocked her head to the side. "You think I'm crazy?"
"Certifiably," the blonde deadpanned.
For that, Ashley's bottom lip stuck out. Spencer laughed, causing the pain in her chest to flare, but the other girl was just too adorable.
Ashley huffed. "You know, it's not wise to piss off the crazy person with the gun."
The blonde merely smiled, kissing the shorter girl on the tip of her nose. "Go make breakfast."
"Yes, Mistress."
"And fast. Otherwise, I'll have to get out my whip."
Ashley's eyes glazed over as images of Spencer with a whip bombarded her mind. Her less than pure thoughts were quickly interrupted by fingers snapping in front of her face.
"Now, Ash."
"Right. Food."
Two slabs of bear were set over the fire. While they waited for the meat to cook, the brunette rotated and massaged her lover's shoulder in front of the warm blaze. The faint sounds of the baying wolves could be heard every now and then, perhaps as the pack was hunting down its own kill.
The brunette's gaze flickered over towards the partially mangled moose carcass. "I hope they don't start coming around a lot."
"Early winter. They must be getting desperate."
"Aren't we all," Ashley murmured under her breath.
Spencer just barely made out her words, but she said nothing. Instead, she chewed on the venison that was done heating. As they ate, Ashley stared out at the lake. Specifically, the point where the ice was broken.
"You know, we're going to have to get that axe back eventually." Spencer gave her a look. "I didn't mean today. Just…eventually. We'll need it for our wood supply."
The blonde relented with a nod. "Eventually."
The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, Spencer leaning her head on Ashley's shoulder when they finished. It was a quiet morning. No breath of wind rustled the trees, and the normally vocal birds were oddly mute.
Ashley sighed. "I guess I have to do something with that moose…ugh."
"Do you want help?"
"No. No moving for you. I'm restricting you to bed rest for the next few days."
"Aw, but bed rest is only tolerable when you're there with me," Spencer pouted.
Instead of smirking, Ashley smiled softly and brushed her fingers over her cheek. "I'll be in as soon as I can."
After helping the blonde sit down in the shelter, the brunette gathered up the things she'd need to strip the moose. Coming out of the grotto, she started towards the animal.
Halfway there, she stopped dead in her tracks, her expression one of shock.
"Oh…my god."
Author's Note: Oh my god is right! What is it? Is it a gopher? A zombie moose? A leprechaun? A shirtless Aiden? Who knows?
Starting the final chapters countdown! Five more to go.