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Ash hadn't needed any help figuring out who had left the note for him to find. Oh sure the remnants of the Usurpers were still around but there was only one who would direct their attack specifically at him and not the camp as a whole. Ash had been hoping to find the leader of the little rebellion before it could come back to haunt him but apparently it wasn't to be. Audrey had found a weakness and she had struck at it. Now she wanted to face him and Ash had no choice but to meet her.

For his part Ash wasn't playing around. He knew this was a trap but he would be damned if he let this girl slip away again to cause more trouble. That being the case he had left a note for Charlotte to find detailing where he was going and what was happening. He would probably hear about it later, if there was a later, but he held no romanticized notions of being the hero of some storybook fantasy. There was a real likelihood he and Dakota might die tonight and if that happened he would insure that Audrey was dealt with but not before he had his shot at her.

Gathering his things Ash went to the stable and saddled Rusher. He knew where Dakota would be taken and the fastest way to get there was to fly. Wearing his bow, head donned with his cowboy hat he looked like he was headed out to a shootout at the O.K. Corral and maybe in a sense he was. The location was different, a forest instead of a Tombstone Arizona, but it was a showdown nonetheless and one that he intended to win.

With Rusher he flew out to the forest but he didn't fly all the way to the place where Audrey would be waiting for him. This was no time to lose his head and just because he knew it was a trap didn't mean that he had to step in it blindly. Instead he touched down some distance away and approached the spot where they had met that night over the killed deer on foot keeping to cover as he went. He had to be careful now even if he did want to charge crashing through the forest. When he arrived at the edge of the clearing however, what he saw almost made him forget his caution.

From his hiding place Ash spotted Dakota's form laying crumpled on the ground and for an instant he thought that she was dead. If that had been the case he thought he might have gone mad before he ever got to Audrey but as he watched he caught the steady rising of the girl's chest and that, for the moment at least, set his mind at ease. She wasn't dead. There was still hope.

Taking another look around from his hiding place he notice no sign of Audrey. She was waiting for him and hoping to get an easy kill but if that was the case he was going to have to disappoint her. "Audrey." He called in a ringing voice that was sure to carry through the area and hide his location. "Audrey Appleby. I am here."

Dakota didn't seem to believe him which was a shame. Ash did love her and perhaps that made those imperfections that she saw in herself a little less noticeable. In the end it didn't matter. He saw her the way that he did and whether she understood that or not those rose tinted glasses were hard to break. He was willing to give her some time though. He would convince her eventually even if it took more than a few trips out to this spot.

Far more important than that right now though was this idea of a camping trip of sorts. A campfire, a secluded spot with Dakota, maybe a sleeping bag instead of an old riding blanket. Yes, he thought he would enjoy that very much. "I've never tried the s'mores at camp. Usually the sing-a-longs are something I avoid..." He guessed he could understand what she meant about them being cheesy. A lot of the less practical camp activities seemed that way to him, with Dakota though he might be willing to re-evaluate that assumption. "In fact, I don't think I've ever had a s'more at all. Are they really that good?"

Updated with Maddie

Ash had readied another arrow and was about to make a move from his cover but he never got the chance. A loud screech tore through the air and that could only mean one thing. Ash glanced in the direction of the monster only to see it starting to fall straight toward the ground. He was right to have put faith in his fellow campers. The Kraken was slain and that meant that Audrey’s plan, at least this part, had failed.

Emboldened by the defeat of the monster Ash glanced around his cover preparing to take his next shot but only got a glimpse of her back as she sped out of sight. The son of Apollo swore and considered giving chase for a moment but decided against it. With her plans in shambles Audrey was on the run. There would be other usurpers too and the camp would need to hunt them down in order to really kill this little rebellion. It was only a matter of time before the hunter behind all of this met her end and Ash planned to be there when that time came. For now though there was still work to do and Ash was going to make sure that he did his part to hunt down as many of the rebels as he good. Like a game of chess they had unveiled themselves too soon and were exposed. It was now time for him and the rest of camp to sweep in and wipe the board clean. Check mate.

It was easy to lose himself around Dakota especially when the kisses were so sweet and her skin felt so good. Maybe he did lose himself a little because one of the last things on his mind as he rolled up Dakota’s shirt was whether or not he had a condom. It just wasn’t something that he was that worried about at that moment but as Dakota stopped his progress and pulled away from his lips he realized it might be something that was worrying her.

“No.” He said as he let out a long sigh. Like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head Ash had his fire effectively cooled. She was right. They needed to cool their jets or this was going to get out of hand and quickly. Leaning down to rest his forehead against hers he relaxed and stopped his hand’s explorations. His breath was as ragged as hers and for a moment he laid there beside her letting himself calm down. “Maybe we need to take a rain check on that…particular thing.” He said heavily. “Though I think I deserve some points for chivalry.”

The blanket was spread and apparently they both had a pretty good idea of how to make use of it. Ash found himself being tugged into the pretty girl’s arms and from that point they got back into the swing of things fairly quickly. That being the case Ash definitely wasn’t going to complain about that. His lips found hers almost as if they had never left and if it was possible for things to be more intense between them they were. Ash wanted her desperately, always had, but now he was like a man wandering in a desert who finally found water, he didn’t want to let her go.

Fortunately from this new position his hands were able to explore her a little more freely which they did enjoy doing. There were so many things he wanted to do with her and share with her and for once those things seemed possible. Here in this grove with nothing inhibiting them, no one to see them and nothing between them save for their clothes they were together at last and he didn't want to waste this time. Slowly he began to push up her shirt. He needed to touch her skin to skin and he did so as his hands glided over her belly with obvious relish.