Poison Oak and Stinging Nettle are prominent in the forest we are walking through. Trying to dodge the painful plants makes this forest a lot more tedious to walk through, especially since Elliot is always wanting to touch the plants, and Olive and Grace insist on doing everything the small boy does.

"Olive, if you touch that plant, you'll get owies," I say for the fourth time in the last ten minutes. I am tempted to pick up the stubborn girls and carry them in the cloth baby carrier that Luna had given me. The only problem with that is my belly. It is hard for me to carry anything lately. Any extra weight makes me even more exhausted than I already am, but I know we need the supplies I am carrying.

"Owie!" I hear Olive cry. Rolling my eyes in exasperation, I turn to see her holding her small hand and standing next to the three-foot-tall Stinging Nettle plant. It is kind of frightening how much taller the plant is than my sister. Its bright green color and intimidating height makes it very interesting for a one-and-a-half-year-old.

"Olive, what did I tell you?" I say, somehow managing to crouch down beside her despite my belly. Gently, I grab her hand and deftly pull out the little sliver of the plant that had gotten stuck in her palm, instantly relieving most of the pain.

"Kisses?" she questions, holding her hand up to my mouth. Her big blue eyes meet my own, and my irritation melts away. I press a soft kiss to her owie and attempt to stand up.

"I love you, baby, but I would like to be able to stand up on my own," I say to my stomach.

Giving into the reality of not being able to stand on my own, I sit back down on the ground and look up to see one of my mates smiling down at me.

"Need some help?" Erik questions, holding out both of his hands for me to grab onto. Not saying anything, I cling to his hands and allow him to pull me up.

"Thanks," I say once I am finally standing.

"No problem," my mate tells me, leaning in to give me a kiss. His lips are soft when they press gently against my own. A smile is stretched across Erik's face, and I know that I am wearing a matching one.

"Hey, I want kisses!" Ethan says from about ten feet in front of us. Everyone laughs at the over exaggerated pout on his face, and I grab Olive's unharmed hand before making my way over to him. Stepping on my toes, I give him a kiss as well, humming in satisfaction from the affection from my mates.

"Okay, okay," Taylor says from behind us. "Enough with all the lovey dovey stuff."

Walking over to him, I give him a kiss on the cheek, laughing at his mock look of disgust.

"Tate, I has itchies," a small voice says. Turning around, I see Tatum kneeling next to Elliot, examining the bright red blotches spreading across his skin.

"Elliot, what did I tell you about touching those plants?" he questions, being careful not to touch the rash. That stuff is highly contagious, just by touching the rash, you could contract one of your own.

"You say 'no touch,'" the little boy says, scratching at his arms. "But, it so pwetty."

Tatum just shakes his head in exasperation, causing his dark brown curls to bounce, before turning to look at us over his shoulder.

"Can we stop somewhere soon? I would like to get some type of treatment on this before it spreads even more," the beta says.

Taylor walks over to him, reaching out his arm to help Tatum up. "It would probably be a good idea. It looks like the sun is getting close to setting."

"Sounds good to me," Ethan says, scratching at the back of his hands.

"It looks like you brushed up against some poison oak, too," I say, gesturing at his hands.

He looks down at his hands, looking shocked to see the rash there. He must not have noticed he had been scratching at the now obvious rash.

"How did that even happen? I was so careful," he mumbles, bringing his hands up close to his face.

"Don't touch your face," Erik says, reaching his hand out as if to grab his brother's arm, but he stops himself before making contact. Just a brush against the rash could spread it from Ethan's skin to Erik's.

"I wasn't going to. I am just trying to see it better." Ethan holds his hands only a couple inches from his face, inspecting the rash.

Shaking my head, I gesture for us to start walking again. "Let's make it out of this forest before we set up camp, preferably next to a stream."

"Why a stream?" Ethan questions, leading the way out of this poison oak and stinging nettle infested forest. Carefully, we wind our way around the plants, walking towards the sound of running water.

"We'll all have to wash off after being exposed to those plants, plus the cold water stops the spread of the rash," Taylor answers for me. Luckily, in one of the backpacks, we have some oatmeal, which will help with the itching and irritation.

"We're going to have to go in the cold water?" Ethan says, a horrified look on his face. I almost laugh at his face, but the realization that my sisters and Elliot will also have to be washed stops me. Cold water and small children do not mix.

"This will be fun," I grumble, bad mood coming back. Reaching down, I grab Olive's and Grace's hand, helping them over the fallen branches and other potential tripping hazards.

"You never use warm water when treating a rash. It opens your pores and allows it to spread to other parts of your body," Taylor says.

"How do you know all this?" Erik questions, shortening his strides so that he is walking between me and Taylor. All of us look over at him curiously, interested to know that answer.

"I was going to school to be a nurse when all of this happened," he answers, gesturing around us. "I only had a year left to go before getting my degree."

"Really? That's awesome," Tatum says from behind us.

"Wait, how old are you?" Ethan asks, the confusion clear in his voice. Now that he mentions it, I never bothered to find out the other omega's age.

"Twenty-one. How old are you?" Taylor cocks his head before gesturing at all of us.

"We're nineteen," Erik says, motioning his hand in between himself and his brother, "and Liam's eighteen."

"I'm nineteen, and Elliot is almost three," Tatum says, not looking up from his little brother. Eventually, he sighs and pulls down his jacket sleeve over his hand, before grabbing the little boy's hand in his own. Elliot had been stumbling over fallen branches and other debris, his little legs unable to step over a lot of the stuff covering the forest floor.

"Well, at least we know a little bit about each other now, and it looks like we found a small stream," Ethan says.

Looking up from where I am stepping, I see that we are all standing in a small clearing next to a stream. It has not rained in a few days, so the ground is relatively dry and easy to walk on.

"Okay girls, bath time," I say, stripping them out of their clothes and dirty diapers before carrying them to the stream.

"No, No baff," Grace says, her and Olive wiggling in my arms.

"Sorry, we have to get nice and clean." I kick off my shoes a couple of feet from the stream and step into the cool water. The combination of the crisp March air and the cool water makes a shiver run through my body.

I wade into the water, not caring that my pants are getting wet. They have to be cleaned anyway. As soon as the water touches the girls' feet they start crying, the coldness scaring them. Quickly, I lower them into the water, leaning them both back and rinsing their hair before gently cleaning their skin.

"Cold cold!" they both chant, trying to break free of my grasp, but I manage to hold onto their squirming bodies. Honestly, I am quite proud of myself. Washing two upset children while shivering in my wet clothes and heavily pregnant is not an easy task to accomplish.

Walking out of the stream, I set them on the shore. Erik hands me a clean t-shirt that I use to dry them off before wrapping them in blankets. Grabbing their hands, I guide them up to the small camp the others had made while I was washing Olive and Grace. A tent had been set up, and a small fire is burning.

I sit my sisters next to the fire, sticking their pacifiers in their mouth to quiet their crying. They both are exhausted, leaning on one another while looking at their surroundings. Hopefully, they will be entertained for a couple of minutes while I clean myself off.

"Can you watch them really quick?" I ask, looking at Taylor and Tatum. They both nod their heads, and I give them a thankful smile before turning to walk back towards the creek.

"Can we join you?" Ethan asks, him and Erik walking on either side of me.

"Of course," I say, stripping off everything but my boxers this time. It doesn't take us long to wash off, Erik and Ethan giving me kisses and my belly affectionate rubs. Shivering, I step out of the water, followed close behind by my mates, and go to sit by the fire.

"Here, love," Ethan says, handing me another dry t-shirt to wipe off the water from my body. I give him a grateful smile and quickly dry the water from my body.

A blanket is draped over my shoulders. Looking up, I see Ethan sitting down next to me while Erik wanders off a little bit into the forest.

"What's he doing?" I ask, gesturing towards my retreating mate. He seems to be tying strings around tree branches, but it is hard to tell.

"He's setting up some traps. Hopefully, we will have something by morning. We need something more than just dried fruit and tea," he responds, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer to his side.

I lay my head on his shoulder, feeling my eyelids trying to close from my exhaustion. Flicking my eyes over to my sisters, I see that they are barely awake, laying on the blanket someone had laid down for them. I am about to get up and get them some food when a hastily dried off Elliot is placed down next to them.

"I'll get them something," Tatum says, quickly drying himself off with a damp t-shirt. He slips on some new clothes while searching through the backpacks for some food.

"Thanks," I say. "I'll get them some clothes."

He nods his head, and Ethan follows me over to the tent. Looking inside, I see that all the foam pads and sleeping pads have been set out.

"Wow, you guys work fast," I remark. Ethan just shoots me a proud grin before pulling out some clothes for himself and Elliot, while I grab some clothes for myself and the girls.

It feels great to be in clean, dry clothes. Leaving Ethan to get dressed, I walk out of the tent, already fully clothed in some sweats and a sweatshirt.

"Hey, babies, lets gets some warm clothes on," I say, crouching down next to the girls. They do not say anything as I slip on their new diapers and thick footy pajamas, munching on their food silently. Looking over at Elliot, I see that he has an oatmeal paste on his hands and arms, and Tatum is holding some out to Ethan.

I can tell all the kids are about to pass out from exhaustion, and I am not too far behind, but I have some things I need to discuss with Taylor before I go to bed.

Ten minutes later, the girls are both fast asleep in the sleeping bag we share, Elliot passed out in his own beside them. All of us are gathered around the fire, shivering from the cold, but grateful for the added warmth.

"Who's taking the first watch?" Erik asks, looking at all of us. The fire casts enough of a glow that we can see each other easily enough through the darkness. Luckily, the moon and stars are out, making the night not quite as dark as it could be.

"I will," Taylor says, running his hand through his wet hair.

"Great," Ethan says, standing up and walking towards the tent. "Wake me in about four hours and I'll relieve you."

Tatum and Erik stand up, both of them clearly exhausted. I stay sitting, waiting for everyone to leave so that I can talk to Taylor.

"You coming?" my mate asks when he notices that I am not following them.

"In a little bit, I just have to talk to Taylor," I tell him, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Okay, don't be too long, I know how tired you are." With that, he climbs through the open tent flap before zipping it back up.