Lyria is still quivering, and she damn near tackles Cress as she babbles excitedly about the explosion. Lexon is still snickering to himself, and Nathan is--not out of it, precisely, but about as present as he ever is.

Well. Time to take their party and head for the mountains. They’re ready for it, he knows they are, but he worries nonetheless. It’s the prerogative of a leader, to worry about a group of people, and he does. Endlessly.

The journey itself is mostly uneventful to the slopes of the mountains, but once there, it rapidly gets difficult for the smaller children. They’ve had the foresight to bring warmer clothes, and it is summer, so the weather is mild. Still, the actual slopes are hard for little legs, and the youngest among them, probably no more than three, is unused to such constant exercise.

The eldest take turns carrying the little ones, when they can, trading off in shifts. As they expected, food quickly becomes the most dire necessity, even with several of the hunter-raised out scouting for what they can kill or forage. There are nearly twenty of them; there’s not much out there that’s not aware of the group of children wandering through their forests. Kirin has the vague idea of going to Gisela--surely they’d not turn away children? Even if they just took the younger ones, Kirin and the older teens would be able to manage on their own, if they had to.

It’s not the most elegant solution, but most of the younger ones still remember having families to go back to, and many of them hold that in their hearts despite their outward wariness of life in general. If they can go to good homes, Kirin will be content, even if that leaves him and the older ones alone. They’ve discussed this; they’re willing to give up their chances at a permanent home to allow the little ones more of a hope. Kirin himself has never hoped for such a thing; the entirety of his experience with authority figures has been...unpleasant. He knows most of the older kids are in agreement with him--they’ve all had their own hopes dashed enough times. They’re broken, a little, and usually he doesn’t mind, but it’s not something he wants for any of the little ones if it can be avoided.