Two days passed after he decided to go.
And with each passing day, the dread grew heavier, because sooner or later, he would have to tell his parents that he was leaving town.
For now, he chose the coward's way and put off telling them, quietly packing his things for the journey and carefully setting aside a few essentials.
He had already packed quite a lot, hidden underneath a loose floorboard: a waterskin, flint and steel, a spare bowstring, a whetstone, a coil of cord, dried meat, a pouch of barley, a few healing herbs wrapped in cloth, and lastly, some clothes.
It still didn't feel quite real yet.
But he was really doing this. His first adventure was drawing close, and beneath the dread, excitement began to stir.
Once he dealt with the two major problems still standing in his way, he would be ready to go.
One was, of course, his parents, and the longer he waited, the more it gnawed at his conscience.
