Chapter 5: The Supply Run

As morning approached, Clayton woke up first, carefully trying to extract his arm from under Camden without disturbing her. However, as soon as he moved, she instinctively grabbed his hand, her eyes still closed. "Don't go," she murmured, snuggling closer to his chest. He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly, a smile playing on his lips. It had been so long since he had felt this kind of warmth and connection. Perhaps he had never truly experienced it before.

 

Camden breathed in the scent of Clayton, listening to the steady beat of his heart. She let out a contented sigh, her voice filled with happiness. "And that?" Clayton asked softly. "I'm just... happy," she replied, a smile warming the features of her face. They remained wrapped in each other's arms, savouring the intimacy a little while longer before Clayton finally sat up, pressing a tender kiss on Camden's forehead. "Okay, supplies first, and then the waterfall. Does that sound good to you?" he asked. Her face lit up with excitement, and she nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds amazing," she replied with a radiant smile. "We'll have to shift, though, to cover the distance more quickly. And our first stop should be to get you some clothes that actually fit you. And maybe some underwear, but that's not a prerequisite," he added playfully. Camden gasped, playfully shoving him. "Behave!" she teased, her cheeks turning pink as a blush spread over her cheeks.

 

Concerned about how they would transport their belongings, Camden asked, "How do we get all the stuff back with us?" "I usually take a backpack." He answered with a shrug. "And if a human were to see a wolf traipsing through the woods with a backpack on his back?" Camden asked, howling with laughter. "Luckily I haven't experienced anything like that yet, and hopefully I never do." Clayton replied with a chuckle. “I don’t WEAR the backpack, I just carry it,” he added with a playful smile. “I'm not sure how a person is meant to react to seeing a wolf running through the forest with a backpack on its back, but I can imagine that many people out there might see a gun as the answer to that question. And I for one am certainly not trying to get myself shot," Clayton stated with a shake of his head.

 

The pair readied themselves to head into town. "Hang on... My clothes? How do I get them into town with me?" She asked, feeling a rush of nerves at the prospect of arriving in the town naked. "The backpack." He answered her with a reassuring smile. "Oh, right. Okay, hang on," she said, rounding the corner of the cabin to get out of his line of sight. She returned shortly thereafter with her now semi-neatly folded clothes in the mouth of her wolf, handing them over to Clayton. He put them in the backpack and stripped off his pants. Camden looked away wanting to give him some privacy. "I'm not shy," he quipped as he saw her averting her gaze, "you can look if you want." She whined but kept her back turned. Moments later she felt a nudge against her neck, it was Clayton, now in his wolf form. He picked up the backpack in his jaws and bounded off, Camden following behind him.

 

Their journey to town was a long one, even by wolf standards. They trekked through the wilderness, guided by Clayton's familiarity with the route. Eventually, he slowed his pace and came to a halt. He dropped the backpack and shifted back into his human form. Clayton opened the backpack and placed Camden’s clothes in her wolf's mouth once again. She took refuge behind a tree as she shifted and dressed herself in the oversized t-shirt and sweatpants. "I hope they don't have a dress code," she chuckled to herself, feeling self-conscious, realizing she didn't even have shoes. “You’ll be okay,” Clayton encouraged, pulling his shirt over his head, "it’s a small town. I'm not wearing shoes either," he added with a smile.

 

Once dressed, they continued their walk into town, making their first stop at a clothing store. They stood together just outside the entrance as Clayton handed Camden a bank card, telling her to get whatever she needed. Concerned about the budget, she asked, "But, like, how much can I spend?" Clayton reassured her, "As much as you need to. There's more than enough money on there, so go wild." She smiled gratefully, appreciating his generosity. “Do you need anything while I’m here?” she asked, hoping to at least repay his kindness by taking care of some of his needs while she was there anyway. “Maybe a few new t-shirts if it’s not too much trouble?” he requested with a hopeful look. “It’s no trouble at all,” Camden assured him with a smile. "Okay, then I'm headed to the camping store. It's like three stores down on the opposite side of the street. Would you meet me there when you're done here?" He asked as he put his wallet back in his pocket. She nodded, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

 

As Camden roamed through the store, she meticulously selected underwear, socks, nightdresses, t-shirts, shorts, sweaters, and a thick puffer jacket to keep her warm on colder days. She also picked out two pairs of jeans and a few pairs of her favourite wardrobe staple, leggings. With her clothing needs met, she made her way to the shoe section. Figuring, from what she had seen, that both she and Clayton preferred going barefoot, Camden contemplated whether she really needed shoes. However, she reasoned that having a pair or two would be practical for trips into town and for colder weather. She settled on a comfortable pair of tennis shoes for casual outings, a sturdy pair of hiking boots for outdoor adventures, and couldn't resist adding an adorable pair of fluffy pink bunny slippers to her growing collection.

 

Before leaving the women's section, Camden passed by the bathing suits and grabbed a pastel pink frilly bikini. The thought of visiting the waterfall later in the day made her excited to take a refreshing dip. With her shopping complete, she headed towards the men's section to find the t-shirts for Clayton. She hadn’t asked him his size, she realised, annoyed with herself, but then remembered she was wearing one of his shirts, so she simply bought the same size in a few different colours she thought would suit him. Carrying her selections, Camden proceeded to the checkout counter, where a friendly saleswoman assisted her with a warm smile. After paying for her purchases, she made her way to the camping store down the road to meet up with Clayton.

 

"I'm back," she announced with a victorious smile as she headed towards Clayton in the camping store. Clayton returned her smile, pleased to see her. "Is there anything else we need that you can think of?" he asked, gesturing towards the shopping cart. Camden thought for a moment before replying, "Probably another backpack if you want help carrying all this stuff back to the cabin. And, oh, I need some toiletries please." Clayton pointed her towards the camping toiletries section, encouraging her to explore and pick up anything else she might need. As Camden browsed the aisle, she found a number of toiletries she needed. She wasn’t going another day without moisturiser, that was for sure. With her items in hand, she joined Clayton at the backpack section, where they selected a suitable one to accommodate their additional supplies.

 

"I think we're done," Clayton declared, a satisfied smile on his face. They headed towards the checkout counter together, where Camden returned his card to him and Clayton paid for the supplies. With their shopping excursion complete, they exited the store and ventured back toward the forest, carrying their newly acquired supplies. Lost in her thoughts, Camden reached out and took Clayton's hand, intertwining their fingers. They walked together, their fingers fitting together like puzzle pieces.

 

As they walked, Camden couldn't help but reflect on the whirlwind of events that had brought them together. Just a few days ago, her life had been drastically different, filled with uncertainty and isolation. Now here she was, buying clothing and food supplies with her mate.

 

When they got back into the forest, she helped Clayton split the supplies between the two backpacks, then took the one she would be carrying and headed behind a tree to shift. She emerged in wolf form, backpack in her jaws, just like Clayton. They set off back to the cabin as fast as they could, Camden spurred on by the thought of the waterfall.