Slowly we walked farther into the trees, walking on the hill would highlight us to anyone watching.  I moved softly and watched Sonia, she tried but it was evident that she had no bush skills.  We kept going until mid afternoon.  She had not complained and did not try to talk.  I appreciated that, I did not have much to say and to be honest; her being female had me on edge.  I just did not know how to talk to a girl.

I had already decided that we would not be approaching the entrance to my valley.  Not with the possibility of being followed.  The party chasing Sonia had a tracker, which is how they managed to follow them.  I gestured to a large pine with overhanging branches, and then I crawled under the branches and shook out my bedroll.

Sonia joined me and sat down a couple feet away from me she looked around and then asked. “Is this where we will shelter tonight?”  I stared at here as she waited for my reply.  Reaching into my belt bag I pulled out a large chunk of jerky, ripping it in half I held out the larger piece to Sonia.  Taking a bite I spoke, “Chew it slowly, it is hard but tasty.  Yes this is where we will sleep.”  I tried to smile at her, to reassure her but I just did not know how. 

“We will rest here and wait, I want to see how close the men following you are to us and how long they will stay looking for you.  You need some rest to recover from your run from the keep.”  Here I hesitated for a moment then spoke again. “I am sorry, I do not know how to talk to a girl, I barely talk at all, so please don’t think I am rude.”

Sonia looked up at me and nodded, “I understand." she said,” then she looked away and spoke again.  “I am very cold, I would lay next to my mother for warmth, would you mind if I lie down beside you?”  I noted that she was blushing as she spoke.  I nodded my head and spread the cloak on the ground and then sat on the edge.  

I patted the ground next to me, and when she came over I spread her blanket over her and then spread mine over both of us.  I was sleeping in minutes, the sound of her softly crying the last thing I remembered.

Awakening, I felt her head cradled on my shoulder and her body cuddled up to me.  I stared down at her face, looking peaceful in sleep.  I was not sure what I was doing this was unfamiliar territory to me.  When I looked at her I felt something, perhaps loneliness.  I was not sure what I was feeling but staring at her I knew I wanted to be near her. 

She awoke suddenly and looked up at me.  We stared at each other for a few minutes then I smiled.  Speaking softly I asked, “Did you sleep well?”  She continued to stare at me and finally smiled.   Nodding her head she whispered, “I slept well, first time I felt safe I think.”  I nodded and tried to sit up and give her some room.  “No” she said, “Just a few more minutes of feeling safe, please.  I just want to feel safe and warm if you don’t mind?”

Pretty hard to say no as I held her and felt the warmth of her breasts and smelled her scent.  She smelled of ash and sweat and fear.  But she also had a scent that only women have, and it was something I could smell.  It smelled nice.

After several minutes I whispered to her, “Sonia I am going to check the perimeter, once I am back I will show you where you can take care of what you need to do before bed, alright?”  Telling her to stay there I slipped out from under the thick branches and rose in the shadows.  I made me way in ever increasing circles, for three hundred feet, stopping often and sniffing the air.  

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Once I was sure no one was close to us I returned to the tree.  I sled under the heavy branches until I saw Sonia sitting with her back to the tree.  “Come” I said, “let’s do what we need to; there will be no getting up at night for a pee break.”

Leading the way I walked deeper into the trees till we came to a small stream, “Here, pee into the water, and if you have to do other business, pull up a rock from the shore and do it in the hole, then put the rock back.  Wash up in the stream when you are done.”  I then turned my back and went downstream, to do my business.  

I gave her five minutes to finish up and then returned, nodding I said, “Time to go back to the tree, go upstream a few feet and fill up your water skin and we will head back.”  I had filled mine earlier when I was scouting so I waited for her and when she was done we headed back.  Once we were snug under the branches and the blankets, I closed my eyes.

Suddenly I felt her fingers gently rubbing my forehead, opening my eyes I looked at her.  Smiling shyly, she said, “Thank you for all that you have done.”  Then she kissed me holding my head for a minute.  When she backed up her face was flushed and her breathing was a little heavy.  I smiled and rapped my arms around her and put my head back down, and closing my eyes drifted off.

I awoke early in the morning to find Sonia was half on top of me with her arm across my chest and her leg entwined in mine.  She awoke as I moved and lifting herself on her arms, she said “I slept well, no wonder using you as a pillow.”  I smiled and nodded and then she leaned forward and kissed me again.

“I can get used to that,” I said as we held one another.  “But before we go any further, I think we should make sure they have given up on tracking you and then head to my home.”  She looked at me and nodded, then spoke, “What do you use for a toothbrush here, I would give anything to brush my teeth.  One of the things I forgot.”

I knew exactly what she meant; dental hygiene can be life and death in this new world.  Putting my hand in my bag, I pulled out a Reach toothbrush, still in the original package.  “Occasionally I go to some of the smaller towns and scout for supplies that others have missed, amazing how many people ignore the toothbrushes, all they look for are medicine and guns.”

Seeing the brand new toothbrush, Sonia kissed me again and then wet the brush down and began to slowly brush her teeth, up and down over and over.  I nodded, that kind of care would insure healthy teeth and gums.  Reaching into my bag I grabbed my own toothbrush and wetting it began to brush my own teeth.

I damn sure was not going to die because of bleeding infected gums, or rotten teeth.  Besides, it is always better to kiss with a clean mouth I thought.