It was a pleasant night for the lively group; they eventually fell asleep in one big pile of warm blankets and fur. Claire woke up first, much like yesterday, except this morning had a much different feel to it. A feeling of discovery, but also of melancholy, nostalgia. Claire chose, with her heart crossed, to leave this little corner of the land behind, so now that the time's almost here, she'll be ready to wrap everything up and start anew.

First off, if their map is to be trusted, the trip to the forest's village will be following a long, winding road, so the usual breakfast will have to be a lot more generous. Carefully stepping around her fellow creatures, slumped across the room in the aftermath of the sleepover, she starts preparing a meal strong enough for the occasion; soon enough, french toast and eggs start piling up on a large plate, followed by sausages and pancakes, and topping it all off by wrapping some extra servings for the road.

As she checks the frying snacks and hops around to keep up with the cooking, she notices Ollie's already by her side, looking surprisingly rested, and effortlessly shuffling breakfast around. "I can take care of this," he says assuredly, if a bit mumbled. "Can you make sure all our stuff's ready?"

Smiling and nodding in relief, Claire drags all their packs out of her room for a quick check-up. As expected, hers is the lightest, keeping room for whatever she finds, and Luke is the heaviest, if only because he insisted on carrying all their camping gear.

All the pack-shuffling and food-sizzling is enough to wake up the two outliers. Though still half-asleep, both Umbra and Luke slide to Ollie's side to finish cooking breakfast. In the meantime, Claire brings their equipment out the door and cleans up the outside of the cabin. They won't just abandon it, after all, as there'll always be the chance a local or a wandering creature will need it when they're not around; an idea Ollie came up with overnight. He was definitely excited about being able to help others like that.

"Claire! The food's ready now!" Umbra calls from inside. The jaguar hurries back in, and is greeted by a big ol' plate of food. Though they pace themselves, they're all itching to get their feet moving, so the morning's filled with little talk and lots of munching. Honestly, the food they ate on this sitting alone could power them through a hundred nights.

Yet, even this moment feels fleeting, as it's almost time. The fireplace sizzles off. The messes are cleaned. A small note is left on the table, to be read by whoever needs a place to stay. The very last thing to be grabbed on the way out is Claire's staff, which hasn't seen use since the last winter ended. If something happens, the spellbooks she carries on her pack will likely do the trick.

The door closes behind them once again, though this time they're not sure when they'll come back. As they walk around the house and down the hill, they take a look back. A stray gust of wind blows past them, and towards the woods.

"I'll tell ya somethin' now," Luke interrupts, stretching his legs for the long walk ahead. "I've been in trips like these once or twice, but I've never gone past this side of the forest. Once we cross the clearin', we'll have to find the trail by ourselves. ...Oh, and the map, too. And the compass. And also the sun and the stars? And whoever passes by us, hah!" He barks out a strong laugh.

Needless to say, spirits are higher than ever this morning. The group head into unfamiliar territory, yes, but they've all got their backs. Claire, curious as she's always been, is the one leading the way, staff in one hand and map in the other. It'll be a heck of a journey, as long as she reminds herself to look back every now and then. The group has arrived, and the forest welcomes them.