She smiled, took a deep breath, and let it out. “This is why I like you so much. You and I truly do think along the same lines.”
“We do. We can set up the tarp to cover the tent in case it rains. It’s not supposed to, but we can set it up anyway.”
“Sure, that will protect us from the wind too. I noticed the place you set the tent up was incredibly smooth, not rocky, no twigs, soft even. I was expecting some lumps and bumps like when I normally would go camping in the parks around Yellowknife.”
David was so glad she was used to camping. “Yeah, we have several ‘bedding’ areas that we made so we can sleep out here without bringing air mattresses or anything. I didn’t want to let on how we like to have the comfiest spot while sleeping out in the wilderness. It’s not wolf-like at all.”
She chuckled. “Even wolves like to get comfortable.” Then she glanced out at the lake. “You don’t think the bear will come back tonight, do you?”
“I doubt it. They’re usually out at dawn and dusk. But I’ll hang the food in a tree anyway, so we don’t have to worry while we’re sleeping.”
They dressed inside the tent, then started to collect some kindling to build the fire. They piled it on top of the log in the firepit, and David got it going with a lighter.
He pulled out the bag of marshmallows and the extendable forks, and they sat down next to each other to roast marshmallows.
“Do you do this often with the others?” she asked.
“Sure. A few times during the summer. But we also give each other the space to do this on our own. Even Faith and Cameron come here without the kids, just to get away and have time to themselves. We are all happy to babysit.”
Elizabeth’s face turned thoughtful, almost sad, and he wondered if she was thinking of him out here by himself, when everyone else would have their mates with them.
Whatever she was thinking, she shook it off. “Have the kids been here, though? I thought I smelled a faint scent of them.”
“Yeah, we’ve brought them a few times. We have to pack more for the trip, and we take all the canoes, and then it’s a fight about which kid gets to go with which adult or adults.”
She chuckled. “The kids fight over the adults or the adults fight over the kids?”
“Oh, it’s a back-and-forth thing. The kids love it. But we plan to bring them out some more this summer since they’re getting older.”
They poked their marshmallows into the fire; hers caught fire, and she quickly blew it out, laughing. “It’s still good that way, nice and melted on the inside.”
He agreed.
They ate about three apiece and shared a bottle of water between them. Before it got too late, he called Cameron. “Hey, we’re safely at the island, but we’re staying the night.”
Elizabeth washed their forks and packed them away in the backpack when she was done.
“Okay, let us know if you get into any trouble. Did you take anything with you for breakfast?”
“A little bit. We’ll be fine.”
“Well, we can remedy that in the morning if you would both like.”
David smiled. “You guys are the best. And thanks. Oh, and we spotted a male black bear on the island. He swam off earlier, but just to let you know.”
“No chance of it returning tonight?” Cameron asked, sounding concerned.
“I doubt it.” David appreciated his friend’s concern. “But if he does, we’ll shift and chase him off. Night, Cameron.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Night, David.”
Even though the early night sky was clear, he and Elizabeth set up the tarp over the tent just in case. Then he hoisted the backpack high into a tree nearby to keep the bear, if it should return, from getting it.
The camp secure for the night, they crawled into the sleeping bag together, and with the tent flap open so they could see out through the screen door, they watched the sun set, the sky darkening, the stars appearing.
“This is magical,” she said, his arm behind her neck, and his other hand behind his head like a pillow.
“With you here, it truly is.” And though he’d had a lot of memorable experiences with his buddies camping over the years, this one topped them all.
***
A shooting star raced across the midnight-blue sky, and Elizabeth made a wish. That she and David would be mated wolves before long and they would be together for a very long time. “Did you make a wish?” she asked, her voice soft. She didn’t want to chase away the magic or wake him if he had chanced to fall asleep before she did. This was just too nice, and she didn’t want to close her eyes and sleep for anything.
“Yeah. You?” His voice was dreamy.
“Absolutely.” She had texted Sheri earlier to tell her that they were staying on the island tonight, and of course her friend told her just to mate already, which had made Elizabeth smile.
For a long time, they just lay there watching the beauty of the sparkling lights, their fire slowly dying. The water lapping against the shore, swimming, hiking, canoeing, and being out in the sunshine during the day and making love, of course, had made Elizabeth sleepy. Though she wanted to live in this moment forever and watch the twinkling stars all night long, she finally curled up next to David and fell asleep.
***
The next morning, David heard the paddling of canoes headed in their direction and laughter from the kids, Angie saying “There they are! Right there!”
David smiled and glanced over at the other half of the sleeping bag where Elizabeth had been when she’d gotten a little too hot snuggled up next to him. She was gone! Suddenly, he thought of the bear dragging her away and he jumped up from the bedding, even though he smelled no sign of the bear in the tent. “Elizabeth!” He was throwing on a pair of boxer briefs in a hurry and leaving the tent.
“I’ll be right there. I was just getting some business out of the way on the other side of the island,” she called out, and he heard her moving in his direction, but still out of view. “Don’t worry. I didn’t return to Yellowknife.”
He sighed with relief, his heart returning to a normal beat. “You didn’t take the canoe. I was more worried about the bear coming back.”
She came into view and she was as lovely as ever, even though she looked like they’d made love all night long last night, her pretty hair tousled. She began braiding it, as if she knew just how she looked.
“You would have heard a lot of racket if that had happened. Wolf growling, biting.” She smiled at him and he gave her a hug and a kiss.
“Yeah, and I would have been there with you to chase him off. Did you have a good night’s sleep?” He slipped back into the tent and finished getting dressed.