It barely felt like two minutes had passed, before the call went up that it would soon be time to set off.

They had their orders. Kit and a group of nine others. Consisting of Max, Vic and Romany, then six people he had spent the last hour trying to acquaintance himself with. Two vampires, Katie and Callum, a goblin called Josiah, who preferred Si, a centaur known as Sybil, and finally a werewolf called Arthur.

Sybil had been appointed as leader of their little party. The young woman seemed like a kind enough person, but Kit could smell the nerves coming from her. He watched her in silence, waiting for her orders as she flickered her gaze across the map in her hands.

Kit was all too aware that if he wanted this to go well, he would need to come to know these newcomers as family.

As he watched them begin to collect their things and get to their feet. He wasn't entirely certain how easy this was going to be.

He wasn't in the business of trusting people easily. Not after everything he had been through in the last half a decade.

Pushing negativity from his mind as best as he could, Kit stood, in two legged form once again. Exhaling as he did, he realised how badly he ached, and how horrible this long journey was going to be for him.

Their orders were to head south of the ocean, towards a small town located about 27 miles away. It was a stretch, but they needed to reach their final destination that they could. It would be hard for their human counterparts, but they'd manage.

Forcing himself to not look as pained as he felt, he looked towards the centaur. Who had what could only be described as a rucksack turned into a saddlebag across her hindquarters. A map in her hands, which she was furrowing her eyebrows at in concentration.

Watching her for a moment as the centaur studied the map in silence, he didn't speak for a moment. Trying to let her figure it out for herself, he didn't want to butt in and make her appear a fool.

Vic, wasn't in the mood to give her such a courtesy as he let out a grumbling sigh. "Where do we need to head first?" the bear all but snapped in frustration.

The face of the centaur was equal parts embarrassed and murderous, a glare lighting her dark eyes and she looked like she was about to move to kick Vic in the head. She bit back her annoyance and said in a low voice. "I just want to make sure that we don't end up following a longer route than necessary."

She sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than anyone else.

Placing himself in front of Vic, before he could do any more damage to this new friendship then he already was. Kit said in a gentle voice, "A couple of the other groups are going in the same direction to begin with. We can just follow their trail, and then figure out where we need to be as we go." He offered. Careful to how he worded it.

Kit contemplated ducking for a split second when she turned her gaze to him, but she didn't move to strike him and spoke softly. Frustrated as she folded the map and returned it to the bag on her flanks. "I guess we'll have to."

"It'll be easier following a scent than a map anyway," Si offered, with an attempt at a smile on his grey face. The goblin was settled in a squat, not dissimilar to how a gorilla would stand. Using his knuckles for balance as he watched the men and women before him. His pointed ears flicking back and forth.

The young man only just reached Kit's hip when stood upright, yet their was a aura of strength about the younger creature. Kit knew better than to judge a book by its cover, it would be the height of hypocrisy if he did.

Sybil didn't looked too pleased, but she shrugged her shoulders with a heavy sigh and straightened up. Lifting a leg and kicking at the dust beneath her hooves. "Let's get going. A few groups have headed off, and I don't want us to be the last to get going." She said, more decisively this time. Instilling a bit more hope in Kit that this was actually going to work.

He could only hope that it wouldn't be wishful thinking.

"You guys ready?" she asked, the annoyance beginning to drain from her tone at last. Her eyes darting across the group.

Vic shrugged his shoulders with a grimace, "I don't think we have much choice as to whether we're ready or not." His voice was more honest than Kit had expected it to sound. More cautious then he remembered ever having heard it.

Sybil choose not to grace his response with an answer of her own, she looked across the group and said in a low tone. "Then let's get going."

Hesitantly at first, the group stood and made their way away from the group. Kit turned back at the treeline, and waved the island survivors goodbye. They had been given a group of their own, Kit hoped he would see them again soon.

Be it in this life or the next.

For a second, he let the others get a few feet away from him. As he watched the camp for a short while longer, feeling as though he was losing another limb. Then he turned and made his way back to the group. Forcing himself to not look back, no matter how high the temptation was to go running back to them.

He caught up to his friends within minutes, and their journey had officially begun. Kit tried to hide his limp, and whenever he looked over at Romany walking beside him, she too was struggling to keep up the pace.

Concern lighting his gaze, as the two stayed to the back of the group, careful to keep the others in eyesight but they began to lag behind as the journey continued. After a while, and the young woman was beginning to struggle. Kit pulled the bag from off her shoulders and placed it on his own shoulder.

It was heavy, but he didn't mind taken the burden from her if it made the journey easier for her.

Romany didn't seem to see it that way, as she narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Hey." she protested, reaching to take the bag back. Revealing the line of bruises and burn marks running up the inside of her arm.

"You're hurt," he insisted firmly. Pretending not to wince when she brushed against his own injuries. They were healing, but still hurt.

She snorted gently, "You are too."

"I'll heal, you take too long. If we want to get to the town before the turn of the century, you need time to let yourself heal."

Where reasoning failed to work, logic would have to make do as he continued on. Not looking back at Romany as he walked.

With a heavy sigh, she clearly didn't like it. But realised that arguing was pointless so she picked up the pace and returned to her place at his side as they walked.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours as they trekked through unknown territory. Kit's nose was overwhelmed by all the new scents, after a while he lost his patience and let the shift take over his body. It would be easier to explore on three legs, and he felt safer as they got further away from the group in front. He took the backpack between his jaws and continued forward, tail swatting from side to side as he went. Keeping beside Romany closer than a shadow as they went.

Soon enough he lost track of time, and he skidded to a halt when he realised the people ahead of him had stopped. He looked up when he heard Romany lift and load the gun on her hip. He let out a low growl, ready to leap.

They were surrounded.