"Tawny, over here!"

Tawny smiled as she walked over to where Louis was standing on the edge of the woods, her arms crossed. Louis had been more excited for the senior camping trip than she could remember. And so far, she couldn't say it wasn't living up to expectations. The two of them had snuck out after breakfast to spend the morning together just wandering around and exploring, skipping the scheduled group activities.

Louis was just standing there motionlessly, gazing outward with his back turned toward her. As she joined him, he turned to reveal the view he had been contemplating. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Tawny took a moment to find her bearings as she took in the sight. They were standing above a small chasm with a creek flowing underneath, adorned with green shrubbery that merged into the trees above. Everything merged into everything else in perfect harmony, the tall woodland giving way to the clear blue sky above, the fresh, forest-scented air mingling with the chirping of the birds and the mild sunlight breaking in through the trees.

Louis took a seat on a protruding piece of rock to his left that presented itself with just enough space for both of them to sit. Tawny joined him, resting her hands on the rock on both sides. They just sat there in silence, taking in their surroundings and thinking about nothing particular.

Tawny let her eyes wander, drifting from one area of the wooded theater to another. A pair of sparrows were standing on a tree branch toward the far side of the woods, just within view. One of the feathered creatures was holding something in its beak and trying to bring it to its companion, walking along with its characteristically bouncing motion. The two birds then joined their beaks and used them to hold onto each other, as if trying to kiss and feed at the same time.

Tawny let out a slight chuckle, without even realizing at first. Louis didn't react, his eyes drifting across another section of the forest. Tawny looked up toward the trees and the sky, closing her eyes for a moment and then opening them again to the same sight.

"What a wonderful world," she said absently, letting her thoughts wander. "Are we ready to fight for it?"

Louis turned slowly to face her, as if waking back from his own musings. He was looking searchingly into her eyes, locking them onto his own with a magnetic attraction, the thoughts slowly translating themselves into words behind them.

"You always have so many things to fight for, don't you?"

Tawny smiled ever so slightly. "In a way, it's only one thing, isn't it?" Her eyes wandered back toward her surroundings. "There's only this one world we have, with all the things we hold dear. And you're right at the center of my universe. But you already know that." She met his eyes again with hers.

Louis was contemplating her look in silence, as if quietly probing the depths of her heart. It was that subtle mix of casual playfulness and dead seriousness that he mastered like none other, with a naturalness about it that fit seamlessly into the idyllic backdrop.

"So you would fight for me, too?"

Tawny said nothing and kept looking into his eyes. He was just probing, just trying to see what she would say in response. And she wasn't about to answer any less truthfully than she always tried to.

"I would die for you, Louis."

Louis just stared back. It was that look of intensity in his eyes, burning with a determination that only she could induce from him. It was that look trying to tell her so many things at once, even as they were as simple as they could be, requiring almost no words.

"How can you say that, Tawny?"

"Because it's true."

He kept staring at her, the look in his eyes now conveying a certitude that couldn't be contained in words. "And I would rather die than let that happen," he finally said, with calm determination. "It would have to happen over my dead body."

Tawny looked into Louis's eyes, not knowing what to say. The deep sparkle in his eyes kept drawing her in, but a part of her suddenly felt an intense self-doubt, asking herself what she was doing here, saying such things, entertaining such thoughts. She was getting ahead of herself, for no reason. She was saying these things without having any idea of the kind of things she was pulling both of them into.

Just then, a slight boom could be heard from the sky. The clear blue had turned cloudy and gray, without them even noticing. Tawny looked back up toward the sky, as if suddenly recovering her bearings.

"We should get going," she just said. She got up from the rock and turned to go, avoiding eye contact with Louis. Her head was buzzing with too many things, too many thoughts. She stood there for a moment with her back turned toward the chasm, trying to reconstruct the path back to the campsite. They must have walked about a mile or so. It would take about fifteen minutes to get back, assuming they didn't get lost, of course. Fifteen minutes to escape the oncoming rainstorm.

"Ow!" Louis suddenly shrieked from behind her. Tawny turned around to find him crouched down, holding his right ankle. It was hardly a split second that she had her back turned, and now this. She quickly knelt down and placed her hands gingerly over his as they grasped at the injured spot.

"What happened?" She managed to whisper while holding her breath.

"I think I twisted it," he answered. "Damned rock," he muttered under his breath. He looked up into her eyes, giving her a remorseful look. "I'm sorry."

"Don't say that," she said gently. "Are you going to be able to stand up?" She offered one of her hands as the other remained by his ankle. He took it and stood up slowly on his left leg. She rose to her feet with him, now holding onto his left arm with both hands.

"Ow!" He jerked his right foot off the ground, having tried momentarily to stand on it. Just then, the rain started pouring over them, accompanied by smaller bouts of thunder. Tawny looked up at the sky and then down at his two feet again. It was almost like a cruel joke being played on them, with their work cut out and no time to lose.

"Here." Tawny slung Louis's left arm behind her neck and onto her left shoulder, keeping hold of it with her left hand while using her other one to hold onto his right side. She slowly started walking, supporting him across her shoulders and helping him hop along with one leg as best he could, one step at a time. The rain kept pouring over them, the thunder getting louder. They had an entire mile to walk, with the trees above them making it all the more dangerous in the event of a lightning strike.

Tawny walked a few more steps and then stopped. "This isn't working." She glanced over at Louis, who looked uncertainly back at her. She then took hold of his outstretched arm and slung it back off her shoulder, holding onto it with both hands to maintain his balance.

"Get on my back," she said, lowering herself to her knees.

"Are you crazy?" He looked at her in disbelief.

"Just do as I say, Louis. Please." She looked up toward him, her eyes squinting before the rain and doing their best to conceal her own surprise at the words that just came out.

He said nothing, clearly at a loss. He delicately placed his hands on the back of her shoulders and transferred his weight onto hers, latching gently onto her back. She took his hands across the front of her shoulders and placed his legs over her forearms. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again to the same sight of the rainy woodland ahead of them. Louis was right, of course. This was crazy, but so was every alternative in this situation.

"Hold on tight," she said and raised herself slowly off the ground. She started walking, trying not to think about anything else. Just walk and don't think, she thought to herself. Just walk as if it was the only thing she knew how to do, as if there was nothing to it. She could feel the weight bearing down on her arms and shoulders, even though Louis remained absolutely still, apart from his breathing and the beating of his heart that seemed to flow like small bursts of energy into her back. He was somehow trying to make himself as light as possible and managing to do more than just that.

She quickened her pace, trying not to think about how much there was left to walk. Her arms finally went numb, erasing all sensation and replacing it with a blissful emptiness that drowned out even the sound of the thunder and the rain. It was like in a dream where she felt nothing, not even pain. A part of her could feel the temptation to just close her eyes and let the awareness of the dream just take over, guiding her back to where she needed to go. But she couldn't bear to close her eyes, struggling instead to keep them open. A desperate survival instinct kicked in as she held on for dear life with every step, as if there was nothing else she could let herself think about even if was the only thing she knew how.

She felt her legs starting to give way as the rain-splattered view in front of her turned from forest to tents. They had arrived at the deserted campsite, everyone else gone in search of shelter elsewhere. The sight of the tents seemed to make her legs give way, even though she knew they had to keep on going. She stumbled, unable to go on any further, and finally dropped to her knees on the damp grass, putting up her forearms just in time to land on them. Louis gingerly removed himself off her back, shifting onto his backside with his injured foot outstretched on the grass.

"Are you okay?" he asked anxiously, laying a hand on her arm.

"Let's go," she replied, in between a series of coughs. "It's not safe here. The thunderstorm... Let's go find the others."

Louis was just staring at her, an admiring but slightly disbelieving look on his face. "It stopped raining a few minutes ago," he finally said, trying to reassure her. "We're okay now."

Tawny looked around her, and then up at the sky. The sun was starting to shine through, with a rainbow in the distance and no more trace of rain to be seen. They had made it. She rolled over onto her back, letting out a deep breath, and closed her eyes.