As he had ordered before that day, Gallus had his entire pack present for a head count well before the time of departure. Meesei's pack followed suit as well, though their duties would not have them as distributed during the march, so they were going to be near one another anyway.

With everything set, goodbyes were in order. Sabine, Peiter, and Tzirret had all given a quick goodbye to Ciinriel and had wandered off to find M'ibasa and Qa'habi to give a quick farewell to them, too. The parents of Newt and Rhazii, however, were going to linger for a little longer.

Fendros began by kneeling down to Rhazii and giving him a smile. Rhazii did not exactly look enthused about the situation, but he was not crying as he had been when he first heard about his mother and father leaving temporarily. At least not yet. "Alright, little one," Fendros began, putting his hands on Rhazii's shoulders, "You stay safe now, take care of Newt and do what Jo'rashaad and S'ajira tell you."

"Dada..." Rhazii mumbled sadly, "I don't want you to leave."

"You'll be fine, Rhazii. You're a big strong boy, and I know you'll be brave." Fendros drew Rhazii into a tight hug and held him for a while. "We'll be back before too long, I promise," Fendros said before turning his head and laying a kiss on the side of Rhazii's head.

By the time Fendros and Rhazii finally reluctantly separated, Rhazii's face was streaming with tears and he was periodically sniffing up a running nose. By the way he held his face, Rhazii seemed to be at least trying to show courage, but wasn't quite succeeding. Fendros was better at it to the point where he was succeeding, but there were even hints on his own brow that betrayed how he felt.

Fendros made space for Ahnasha to say goodbye as well as he addressed S'ajira. "It goes without saying that Rhazii is the most precious thing we have. It is...hard to separate, but we trust you and your pride." Fendros gave S'ajira a pat on her shoulder, "Thank you for helping us. You are good friends."

A similar scene was playing out just adjacent as Janius stepped up to Newt in Jo'rashaad's arms. He was playing off his anxieties by acting more jovial about the situation than Fendros was. He gave Newt a reassuring grin and put a hand on his back, rubbing the back of Newt's neck comfortingly with his thumb. "How are you feeling, my little Newt?" Janius asked, "Ready? Brave?"