Frostbound

Austin

"Ah, home sweet home!" Austin voiced in relief when Frostheim came into view. He was getting sick of the carts and the... structured traveling. He liked going at whatever pace he wanted and being able to venture off when he found something interesting.

He still did that, but traveling with a group felt like a tether pulling him along.

Austin didn't like being tethered.

He hadn't before, but now it felt even worse. Doing his best not to think about the negatives along the journey, he instead thought of the positives. He would finally be out of this horrendous cold.

They knew leaving when they had would put them arriving just past the solstice but they had decided to go anyway.

A decision some of them were regretting.

Mitchell looked more like a fat bear standing on two legs than a man by this point with all the furs draped around him. Others took his lead and covered themselves in layers of the stuff.

"It can hardly be called home when you haven't been here for nearly a year." His mother chimed.

Austin knew the comment would come up at some point. His mother had been blessedly nonconfrontational about his time away, but now it was time.

"I know, mom. I told you I didn't expect to be gone for so long." Austin droned.

He really hadn't. He expected to get to where his Profession was dragging him, fight the thing around the treasure, and then be off with his prize.