Kaari had packed as much as she could as she fitted the last to things in her second, bigger satchel. She had gotten to pack more abundantly now that she could stay for a week at Grandmother's. Her mind was still running circles around whether to stay or not but she was packing for the worst. 

Kaari reviewed a mental list of what she had in both satchels before tying it closed. She had three outfits composed of a tunic and pants, four dresses because it was considered improper for a lady to wear pants, one skirt, her cloak, drawing supplies, toiletries, her weapons although the bow and sword were in the barn, an extra belt, and a thick blanket. She also had extra food and water in the kitchen downstairs.  

"Oh!" Kaari stood from her position on the floor of her bedroom and ran over to her bedside table. She grabbed her journal and a necklace with her birthstone in it. Her grandmother gave it to her for her 12th birthday. She wore it almost everyday. 

She curled the chain of the necklace in her palm, studying the gem set into the pendant. It was a flawless dark turquoise circle with intricate silver designs curving around the precious blue topaz. Tiny veins of navy blue trickled through it when she held it up to the light. 

Kaari loved to pair it with one of her favorite gowns. The cloth was a dark royal blue with silver embroidery of delicate designs of vines and leaves shooting up from the bottom and fading out. Teal lace the same shade of blue as the stone bordered the end of her sleeves and the bottom of the gown. It was floor length with no ruffles or frills. Rather plain in the midst of a noble's dress. It was also made by her grandmother and given to her with the necklace. 

But that gown wasn't her absolute favorite. Her best dress was black with gold roses sown and embroidered around the fitted waist. It was also floor length and had no lace or anything else. She packed both of her favorite gowns along with a pale yellow dress and a purple one with swirling black designs sown into the hem of her sleeves. 

Although she disliked gowns, she still had her favorites, she had to wear them. 

Kaari went over her list again, double checking her things. After triple checking, she felt her belt, feeling the bumps of her small dagger and the slightly longer one she had taken from the kidnappers. The longer weapon peeked out from underneath her olive green tunic she was wearing. She hoped her satchels would cover the end of the scabbard. 

Tucking her journal into the bigger bag, Kaari tied both satchels closed and clasped the necklace around her throat. It hung just past her collarbone and she slipped it under her shirt's neckline to hide it. Thankfully her family didn't know about it and she was grateful. They would probably sell it for extra money. 

Her family was quite poor and isolated from their village. The cottage was a mile away from the small town bordering the ocean. On the other side of the town, her grandmother's house was nestled in between the shoreline and a grassy cliff. It was offset the village by a quarter mile. It took a day to get their by foot. But since Kaari always rode Cirrus there, it only took half a day. 

But Kaari needed to take a detour on the way to drop off Quill at the blacksmith and check on Kia. She also wanted to apologize to Asha and Wren for skipping the meeting they had yesterday. 

She wasn't sure how long that would take and she would have to send a letter to Grandmother before hand. 

Kaari exited her room and closed the door after her, hoping that she might get to come back to gather more things if she did decide to stay. She was still planning on eventually leaving, though. 

She skimmed down the stairs and turned into the kitchen to collect her extra food and water canister. She jotted a quick note to her parents telling them she left. Then she stashed the bread and left her house.

The sun was blinding outside. It shone bright with the promise of good weather and a better day. A warm breeze played with Kaari's dark hair, tossing it around and cooling her down. The soft wind followed her to the barn and waited for her outside when she went in and shut the big wooden door. Cirrus nickered a greeting and Quill instantly hobbled over, scolding her about leaving them out last night. 

"Sorry, it was really crazy," Kaari said, checking Cirrus's saddle bags. He still had his harness and saddle on. He fiddled with the bit in his mouth as she took off the leather seat. She went into the storage place in the back of the barn and rummaged through the supplies until she pulled out a light brown saddle blanket. 

She brought it out to Cirrus and laid it across her mount's back. "Thank you for not forgetting this time," Cirrus teased. Kaari patted his muscular neck and put the saddle back on. After he was set to go, she put some of her things into the extra space in his bags. 

Quill kept chattering about how much his wing hurt as Kaari picked him up off the ground and set him in her half empty satchel. He ruffled his feathers and quieted down, content in the warmth of her bag. 

"See, aren't you happy now?" Kaari smiled at him. The owl cocked his head and blinked at her in response. She laughed and pulled herself into the saddle. She grabbed Cirrus's reins for support and he led the way out of the barn. 

Her horse trotted over to the well and Kaari jumped off of him to fill the water skin. She pulled the bucket up by the chain and poured the cold water into the skin. She screwed the cap back on and let the bucket drop. It hit the bottom with a resounding thud. She could hear the water sloshing around from the impact.

Climbing back up onto her horse, she wiped the excess water off on her tunic, leaving a darker spot on it, and shoved it into her bigger bag. 

She snapped the reins of Cirrus's bridle and he threw his head up, nickeling, and tossing his white mane. He threw himself into a steady canter and they began their journey away from home.