North had finally begun his long journey back to Oak Town after a severely extended stay in Crocus. He had intended to only be there for a few days at most, but he had somehow ended up staying there and goofing around for several months. His entire savings had been depleted and he was now left with no choice but to walk all the way back to Oak Town. The Journey would be a long and arduous one, and he had almost considered donning a pair of hiking boots or some other sort of footwear in order to alleviate the pain that would become of a week long trek through the mountains. He had unfortunately been unable to purchase even something as simple as that, and was only leaving Crocus with enough food and water for the journey. He would have had the clothes on his back if he'd started with any, but even that was lacking. It was the end of Winter, and while things had certainly been warming up in the recent weeks, there was still always the chance of a bitter cold snap surprising everyone with its penetrating bite.

Still, North had little choice but to merely grin and bear it as he started off along the crudely constructed road that led out of the grand city. There were few checkpoints or signs of civilization along the way to the secluded Oak Town, so it would be a mostly solitary journey that would offer little company. North thought fondly of the friends and acquaintances he'd met during his stay in Crocus; Finn, Shin, and the man known as Aran. Some of the encounters might have seemed as though they had been cut short, but he was still happy to have met them. It was now time to return to Oak however, and hopefully find some work with the guild so he could try and raise some funds for himself. North was no survivalist, and he would have a lot of trouble if he were to attempt living off the land for any length of time. He was truly a child of modern civilization, and without somewhere to buy his food from he would be in quite dire straights. As those sorts of thoughts began to cross his mind, he realized that he had grown quite hungry as he had been walking. It had only been a few hours since he'd started, but he decided to stop for a quick snack break.

North had taken a variety of sandwich materials, about two weeks worth of water, and a large bottle of Gin. It was a bit early to start drinking, so he just made himself a quick salami sandwich and downed a few gulps out of one of his water bottles. As he lifted his pack up off the ground he was glad to see that it was at least a little bit lighter. It was comforting to know that as long as he continued on his pack would continue to grow easier and easier to carry. As of now, it was quite heavy and uncomfortable. Two weeks of water was no light load, and it was strenuous on North's back to continue on. He did so anyway, sure that he'd be able to overcome the hardship. The young wizard knew that he could have merely found some more fresh water on the way, but this was a nice method of strength training. The heavy pack would certainly increase his endurance at least to a moderate experience. Although he would certainly tire of it, the knowledge that the pack would grow lighter as he ate and drank from it would be a good incentive to keep going with it.

North began to hum a slight tune as he continued on with his journey back to Oak Town. It had already been five days, and he was starting to feel some significant fatigue from his life of walking, sleeping, and eating. He once again lamented that he'd been unable to take the train, and imagined the great extravagance that would have graced him during his journey. He could have sat in his own private car, lounging about in the lap of luxury with room service and air conditioning, never having to get up from his seat if he didn't wish, and he'd undoubtedly already be there which was an even more infuriating thought. He tried to clear his mind of any inklings of railway transportation, not wanting to work himself up into a tizzy when he was supposed to be having a peaceful hike.

The scenery was certainly nice to look at as North continued on his journey, but after three days of wandering through forests and cliff sides he was starting to tire of it. Oak was still a good four or so days away, and he was starting to run low on food and water. He hadn't rationed as well as he possibly should have, and had been drinking more water due to his consumption of the entire bottle of gin. He would have to really conserve his remaining rations if he wanted to reach Oak Town with any semblance of comfort, and he was starting to grow legitimately concerned. He was a bit excited with the idea of facing such a near death experience, but this certainly wouldn't be quite as thrilling a way to die as he might have imagined himself experiencing. So, with the firm aspiration that he would try to pick up his pace and try to make it back to Oak at least before he ran out of water, he nearly doubled his speed with a renewed vigor and set off. Unfortunately for North, this renewed vigor only lost him more stamina, and a full day before he was supposed to arrive he was totally out of supplies. He trudged forward miserably through the forest back to Oak Town for his final day, and when he finally made it he collapsed onto the ground in an exhausted heap. He'd have to find a way to get some food later, for now he needed to rest.