Eight Intertwined

73 - Onward

The sun crept over the horizon slowly the following morning, bringing gentle light to the clouded skies of the Highlands. H'aanit rose with the sun as usual, and she found herself just outside the inn. She breathed in carefully to try and steady herself for the long journey ahead. The path to Saintsbridge was bound to be arduous, but she knew that she had to press onward. It was the next step of the group's adventure, and that meant that it was the next step she could take towards rescuing Z'aanta. 

H'aanit still didn't think she had recovered from seeing her mentor turned to stone in the Spectrewood. She had done her best to pull herself back down to reality, but it always seemed like something was keeping her from fully settling down in light of her recent discoveries. Talking to Ophilia and Primrose had helped her out, yes, but there was a lot that she still found herself struggling with. Ophilia had insisted that it was alright to struggle, but H'aanit was still having a hard time convincing herself of that. The idea was certainly a shift from what she was used to, and grappling with that was a unique experience, to put it simply. 

Slowly but surely, the other travelers rose as well, and about two hours after the sun came up, they were ready to set out for Saintsbridge. They would be heading to Wellspring first to activate the Warp Staff so they could return there when the time came to investigate the black market auction. Plus, they would be able to check out a potential shrine location on the way there before making their way to Saintsbridge in the afternoon. H'aanit welcomed the distraction; it meant that she would be focused on the journey rather than thinking about everything that had happened to Z'aanta over the course of the last year. The last thing H'aanit wanted to muse on was Z'aanta's encounter with Redeye, so she was more than happy to focus instead on the shrines ahead.

Tressa was the one who led the typical final supply check that day, looking through everything the group had with a smile on her face and a tune on her tongue. Her excitement over the shrines had practically multiplied after she spoke with Cyrus in the Stonegard library the day before, so she was perhaps the most prepared of all of them to set out and see what was waiting for them next. H'aanit had to admit that Tressa's glee was infectious, and it was certainly a relief to see after how difficult the last day had been for her. Before H'aanit knew it, she found herself smiling as well, and she couldn't object to that in the slightest. She needed all the encouragement she could get at this point.

"Alright!" Tressa exclaimed as she tucked her supply notebook back into her bag. She adjusted the feather sticking out of her hat before gripping at the straps of her backpack. "We should be ready to go. Assuming there are no other objections, let's get on the road to Wellspring!" 

H'aanit nodded, and she began to trail after the other members of the group. Linde remained at her side just like always, though H'aanit could tell that Linde didn't want to leave Hägen behind. They both knew that Hägen would be alright and that he would look after Z'aanta well, but that didn't change their wish to bring him along. Still, Hägen had made up his mind, and there was nothing they could do to change it now.

"H'aanit, wait!"

The sound of a familiar voice had H'aanit pausing, and the rest of the group stopped along with her. The huntress turned to see none other than Natalia standing behind her on the stairs not far from the town's exit. "Natalia?" H'aanit questioned softly as the woman descended the steps to stand beside the huntress.

"I'm so glad I caught ye," Natalia said with a small yet relieved smile. "Here. This is for yer journey." 

She handed H'aanit a small bag, and as soon as H'aanit had it in her fingertips, she realized it was filled to the brim with leaves. H'aanit blinked a few times in pure shock before glancing up to meet Natalia's gaze. "There was no need for thee to..." H'aanit murmured, unsure of what could even be said. Something about Natalia's iron determination told H'aanit that she wouldn't be accepting the coin back no matter what the huntress tried, much to H'aanit's chagrin.