Finn was barely able to squeeze through the tightest part of the path. The light at the end of the tunnel beckoned, finally guiding them to the other side. The trees were different here as if it were a capsule preserving an eternal spring. Tiny white blossoms speckled the bright-green leaves, and beyond the grove, a familiar glassy lake with a misty waterfall reflected the colors of the blue sky and pink clouds.
Conner shrugged off his backpack and pulled out a large quilt, spreading it on a level grassy area.
“Where’s Finn?” Jillian set down her backpack as Vincent took out four bundles of cloth, handing one to Jillian. She unfolded it to find it was a sack, similar in shape to a pillowcase. It contained the food they had cooked earlier that morning.
“He's probably waiting on one of us to bring him these.” Conner reached into the backpack Jillian had been carrying and retrieved some folded clothes.
“I guess we can’t all feel comfortable running around in the buff.” Jillian smirked at Conner as he headed back to the tunnel.
“Which is a shame.” Conner turned back to flash a smile.
“Here.” Vincent handed her his canteen, and she took another sip. She opened her cloth sack to find two golden rolls, three strips of cooked meat, some almonds, and dried fruit.
“I thought this was bacon when I smelled it cooking.” Lifting it to her nose, she sniffed before turning it over, examining the texture. “Now, I’m almost positive that it isn’t.”
“Well, bacon’s sort of hard to come by out here,” Vincent admitted. “What we would call wild boar don’t exist anymore, not here anyway. They made it illegal to breed or release Eurasian swine, which means no wild pigs in these woods. What you’re holding is actually venison. We cured it with maple, but honestly, we're still trying to figure out the process.”
Jillian looked at the rigid strip of meat one more time before biting into it. The consistency was closer to jerky than bacon, but the sweet and savory flavors made her mouth water. It was better than the canned ravioli. The bread was also a little tougher than she would have liked, but she wasn’t about to complain since she had never baked a day in her life.
As the boys emerged from the cave, Conner was laughing. He must have said something funny because even Finn had a repressed smile on his lips as he pulled his shirt on. Jillian caught a glimpse of the perfect divots between Finn’s hipbones and his abs just before her eyes darted back up to his. He arched an eyebrow.
Oh God. He definitely noticed. Shrinking inside of herself, Jillian cleared her throat and returned her attention to chewing her food. The boys sat down, unwrapping their food bundles.
“The bacon didn’t quite turn out as planned, did it?” Conner sighed. “It’s been so long since I had a friggin’ cheeseburger.”
“Hey, this animal gave it’s life so that we could eat.” Vincent took a bite. “Show some appreciation.”
“It’s not like it volunteered,” Conner grumbled. “Finn’s just part roadrunner.”
“We still need to respect it.” Finn bit into his deer bacon and pulled a piece off. “Goddamn, this is tough as shit.”
“Told you.” Conner chuckled.
“So, you mentioned before that you don’t carry a gun.” Jillian looked at Finn. “You hunt with a crossbow or something?”
“No.” Finn patted the sizable hunting knife on his belt. “If I can’t catch it on foot, I don’t deserve to eat.”
“You run on foot… after a deer?” Her eyes widened. “That’s crazy; how is that possible?”
“Some shifters have talents even in human form,” Vincent said between bites. “Finn’s very fast. It’s something to see.”
“Do you guys have special talents?” Jillian glanced between Conner and Vincent.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Conner grinned.
“Smooth.” Finn rolled his eyes.
“I want to take some of these olives home.” Conner hopped up, bringing his cloth bag over to the olive tree that shaded them. He picked olives while the rest of them finished eating.
“Do you guys mind if I head out?” Finn got up and dusted himself off. “There was something I wanted to check on before we have to get started on dinner.”
“Not at all.” Vincent stood up, holding his hand out to Jillian. “I brought her out here to see the paintings. You guys can feel free to wander.”
“If I leave my clothes on the other side of the tunnel, will you grab them on your way out?” Finn looked at Jillian. “If it’s not too much trouble.”
“Of course.” She smiled, gesturing to the backpack. “It’s no trouble at all.”
“If you guys take too long in there, I might head back, too.” Conner had climbed up onto one of the higher olive branches. “I had an idea for a project I wanted to get started.”
Finn nodded to Jillian before heading back for the tunnel. Vincent kicked off his boots, leaving them on the picnic blanket.
“We’re going to have to swim.” Vincent looked toward the lake. “But we don’t have to strip if it makes you uncomfortable. We do have to walk a little way when we get there.”
“Yeah, I’ll just deal with wearing wet clothes, if you don’t mind.” She nodded, following him to the edge of the rocks.
He dove in without a moment’s hesitation. The edge of the drop-off cut steeply down in the deep water. Peeking over the edge, she shuddered to realize just how far down she could have sunk if the
