On their way

'They are happy, which is nice,' Nessa thought, smiling at them.

"My lady, we could go to the nearby kingdom; there are many talented people there," Zietaz suggested, and Nessa smiled.

"In which kingdom?" She inquired.

"The kingdom of Qavarlya, though it will take some time," He replied, and she looked at Tehitos then at the houses.

"It doesn't matter, we have to go," She said and they smiled.

"Are you certain?" Tehitos inquired.

"Yeah, we need someone who can help with this," She responded.

"She is right, we can't build anything with what we have here," Zietaz said, smiling.

"Well, it appears that we will have to walk to the kingdom, Zietaz," She replied, and he smiled as a younger goblin approached them.

"I've been there before, I can help you guys by being your guide, me and my friends have been there before," He said, and Nessa looked at him.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Aion," He responded.

"Aion, we would appreciate your assistance; you are the clumsy yet pretty boy for a goblin, aren't you?" She teased and he grinned as the others laughed.

"Yeah, I am that one," He responded.

"Well, let's get started; we don't know how long this will take; will you guys be okay until then?" She inquired.

"Don't worry, we will be fine; the wolves and foxes are here as well," Tehitos replied.

"Take me with you guys, you can ride us, use us as transportation, you don't have to walk," Akio said as he approached them, and she patted his head as a few other wolves joined him.

"Isamu, please come here for a moment," She said, and he stood up and went to Nessa.

"Would you mind doing me a favor?" She inquired.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Please assist the goblins in protecting this village if anything happens while I am away," She requested.

"Please, my lady, this is my home now as well, and foxes are territorial, I will do my best, don't worry, have a safe journey," He said and she smiled, relieved.

"Thank you, Isamu," she replied, then he raised his head and she smiled and patted him, while Akio grew taller and Nessa jumped up on his back, then transformed into her smaller fox form, and the wolf glanced at her.

"Why are you taking that really cute form?" Akio inquired.

"Blend in, for now, I am still new," She responded and the wolves howled.

"Have a safe journey, my lady," Tehitos said as she and the wolves left the village, while the goblins waved at them and Isamu bowed to her.

"You are so soft," Nessa commented before bracing her head against the wolf and closing her eyes.

While Nessa was sleeping, she remembered her parents' accident and squeezed onto the wolf's fur tightly, and he looked back at her.

"Lady Nessa," He called out, and she snapped out of her sleep, sighed, and looked at him.

"I am sorry," She apologized.

"That's fine," He replied, as she looked at the trees and hills.

After several hours, they finally crossed the Linson River, where the wolves stopped because it was getting dark.

"I think we should set up camp for the night," Zietaz suggested as he dismounted his wolf.

"I'll assist in gathering sticks for a campfire," Nessa said.

Aion aided Nessa in gathering the sticks after which Zietaz lit the campfire and everyone sat around it.

'I'm hungry, If only I had brought something to eat,' Nessa thought as she held onto her stomach after realizing she had not eaten anything for the entire day.

"Will you guys eat fish if I catch it?" Zietaz asked as he stood up.

"I'm hungry, so I'll eat it," Nessa replied with a smile.

"All right, Akio, please help me," He said.

"Sure," Akio replied, and the two of them went to the river to catch fish for them to eat.

After Zietaz finished catching the fish, he prepared it and roasted it over the fire, so they would have something to eat even if it wasn't tasty.

"My lady, here," He said, and she took what she thought was fish but discovered was a nice piece of meat.

"This is your food, isn't it?" She asked and he smiled.

"It's fine, go ahead and eat, I'll eat the fish, the others have their things to eat plus the fish, we can cook delicious food, but not very often to be honest," He responded as she ate the meat then smiled.

"Thank you, I promise things will get better now and you'll all have delicious meals on your table every day," She said, and they smiled.

"Does the kingdom also welcome people like me?" She inquired.

"Yeah, it does, it's well-known for its powerful army as well as trading, they have nice things there, you'll even run into elves, dwarves, and so on," Aion replied and she smiled upon hearing that, excited to see what the kingdom was like.

"Though they do bully lowly creatures like us at times," Aion mumbled.

'Huh? Is he now filling a gap in my vision of elves and a nice kingdom?' She sighed.

Everyone spent a long time talking with Nessa, getting to know her better, and when they finished eating, the goblins and a few of the wolves slept right where they were, and Nessa fell asleep while bracing herself against Akio who kept watch with a few of the other wolves.

When Nessa awoke the next morning, she noticed the goblins were up and ready to go.

"Good morning, my lady," Aion said and Nessa smiled as she got up and sat on Akio's back.

"Good morning, are you ready to go?" She inquired.

"Yeah," They replied as they mounted their wolves and set off for the kingdom, which would normally take nearly four days to reach by foot but didn't because the wolves were fast.

"Akio, we are not in a rush, but you are going fast," Nessa said, and the wolf howled as they sped up.

"Ah... Consider me too," She yelled, clinging onto the wolf in fear of flying off which was only natural for her.