Pants, boots, shirts, underwear, another pair of boots, weapons. Making her way through her mental checklist one last time, Kora couldn’t help but feel as though there would be something she forgot to bring with her. 

It took only a few seconds for her to grab the small stack of letters she’d chosen to bring with her as well as a notepad and pencil to do some writing of her own. Nori’s letters had been a pleasant surprise and she looked forward to doing the same for him. 

After a few short days of rest, it was time for the group to depart, this time with intentions of war. Although Kora hadn’t spent much time in the tribe, she was willing to lay her life on the line to protect the fragile peace of the village. 

Walking through the village, the people stood in varying states of emotion as they watched the soldiers march through. In the midst of crying, there were faces alight with hope that they would bring about the end of the suffering they’d been plagued with for years. With a smile on her face, Kora used a bit of her essence to spice up the procession, using her magic to create a spectacle resembling fireworks. The sight was enough to stop everyone’s tears as they looked up to see the spectacular illusion that she’d created. 

As they’d reached the edge of the village, she looked back just one time to wave at the people who’d followed them. There she could see the person she’d brought groceries from over the last two years, the tailor and shoe maker, and a few of the soldiers she’d trained with that stayed behind to protect the village once again. Tears arrived in her eyes, she continued to wave until she could no longer see the village. 

Turning to Nori, she found him already looking at her. Wordlessly, he reached out an arm and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay. You’ll be back before you know it.”

Interrupting the moment, a thud could be heard before everyone was thrown off balance. Kora was okay since Nori had gripped her tightly, but as they separated, the other soldiers were on the floor or tightly clutching the seats and walls in a variety of positions. “Why didn’t you give us a warning!?” Nori yelled out to the driver. 

“It was an animal that ran in front of us. I didn’t have enough time to stop or give any warning. Don’t worry, we’ll be having it for dinner. The others behind us are stopping to get it.” The driver replied. 

“Any sort of warning would’ve been nice.” Jolfir grumbled as he got back up into his seat. He was one of the unlucky ones to completely fly from his spot. It probably didn’t help that he was already quite small.

“Are you okay?” Kora asked him as he sat up. 

With a shiver, Jolfri responds, “I’m fine, I think you should’ve asked Nori that first though.” 

Following the angle of Jolfri’s vision, Kora could see that Nori seemed to be sulking. Although she thought it was cute, it wouldn’t be professional for him to continue this behavior. “You and I were the only ones to stay in our seats. I’d say it is a given that you are okay.” Kora said with an admonishing look thrown at Nori. 

Despite her annoyed tone, she still reached over and placed a hand over one of his as she turned to the rest of the group. “Is everyone else okay?”

“We’ve been through worse,” one of them says as everyone nods their agreement. With that simple sentence, contemplative silence descends upon the group. 

Although the surrounding forest was gorgeous with its bright hues of color creating the most beautiful scenery Kora had ever seen, she hadn’t slept properly in a few nights, no thanks to a certain someone. So it wasn’t long before her eyes slowly fluttered closed and she drifted off to sleep. 

She found herself jolting awake as soon as the wagon stopped. Taking a quick look around at her surroundings, she took in the amused expressions on everyone’s faces and even the chuckles coming from both Nori and Jolfri. Shrugging off the shred of embarrassment that made its way to her face, she stretches and asks, “Is it time to make camp already?”

As everyone flies out of the wagon, Nori says, “Yes, since you haven’t done this before, it is probably best that you watch for today.”

“Are you calling me useless?” Kora asks with a teasing tone to her voice. 

Not realizing that she was making a joke, Nori immediately stammers, “I mean, I’m sure we could find something for you to do. I just thought that it might be a good idea for you to watch how we typically do things first. But, it’s up to you-”

Kora cut him off with a quick peck on the cheek. “I was just making a joke, now let’s get going. Everybody else is already busy setting up camp.” Directing her gaze out at the clearing the soldiers now occupied, she could see they were hard at work. If they didn’t join them soon, there  wouldn’t be any work left to do.