Sam & Penny Short-Stories *English*

CALL OF THE WILD - The final Day

When Penny woke up, she felt as if she were emerging from a state of leaden fatigue. She hadn't slept as well as she did that night and especially not on this camping trip. Only a moment later she realized why. She was lying on her side with Sam snuggled against her back. He had one arm around her and his face was buried in her hair. She felt his warm breath on her neck as he breathed evenly and gently. He was obviously still asleep and, judging by the quiet of the camp and the still dim morning light, so was everyone else. As always, she was awake before anyone else and in this case, it was probably best if she got away from Sam's presence before anyone could notice. Even if it was actually the last thing she wanted.

She carefully tried to turn away from him, but she had barely turned onto her back when he pulled her a little tighter to him and made a grumpy hum that instantly made her heart race as she found herself facing him. His eyes were still closed and after she listened for a moment to the sounds around her and noticed that the camp was still reassuringly quiet, she decided to relax. She watched him for a moment, wishing it could be like this every morning and wondering what it would be like to be able to place her lips on his whenever she felt like doing it - like right now.

She closed her eyes to fight the temptation and wondered what this trip was doing to all of them? Was it the exertion and lack of sleep that weakened her not only physically but also emotionally? Were they looking for some protection and security in this wilderness, in the form of the arms of a loved one and the hope of being loved too? Or was her animal side just slowly emerging? After all, Ellie and Elvis and Jodie and Ben obviously already didn't know how to control themselves and the wild men were already eating insects.

While she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that Sam also woke up and the sight of her in his arms made him smile happily. So it felt right. So everything was perfect. Lost in thought, he placed his lips on her forehead and gave her a gentle kiss so as not to wake her. He couldn't have guessed that she was already awake because Penny didn't show any signs of it. She was too captivated by his gesture at that moment and tried to calm her racing heart again until a loud clatter made her jump, just like everyone else in the camp.

Lizzie had thrown over the pots, looking for the right one to fetch drinking water and boil it. She grinned sheepishly at everyone around before grabbing the pot and going to the water. While the others all groaned in annoyance and peeled themselves out of their sleeping bags, fell back again or stretched their tired bones, Sam looked at Penny, who was trying to suppress a yawn.

"How's your hand?" he asked her, hoping that she would sit so close to him a little longer while his head spun to see if she had noticed that he had kissed her.

"It's throbbing a little, but that's usually a good sign that it's healing. Helen has been happy so far."

"We'll see if I still am today. Good morning, you two. Did you sleep well?" Helen asked with a grin as she knelt next to Penny, took her hand and began to unwind the bandage - not without to steal another furtive, extremely amused look at the two of them.

"Very good for my part. Thank you, Helen," Penny replied a little snidely, a light blush spreading across her cheeks. Even though she stubbornly looked at her hand, she couldn't hide her smile. Sam's heart leapt with joy.

"Better than ever," he replied to Helen's question with a smile and received a quick smile from both of them, Penny's a little shy, before he got up. "I'll take care of breakfast before Moose gets the idea of ​​insect cereal or discovered something like a vomit fruit."

"That's the secret jungle camp fan speaking," Helen stated amused as she rubbed iodine into Penny's wound. It healed well, although there would be a clearly visible scar, but at least she could move all her fingers and at least there would be no damage to the tendons or nerves.