It wasn't a difficult task she had to complete, but it was one that made the dark pit in her stomach grow colder with the implications made by packing up necessary belongings for travel. In the end, packing was just the first sure step towards chaos and probably her own death.
Naku put a hand to her stomach, a short pause after she threw several leather hair ties in the small black bag hanging off her arm. She wasn't hungry or sick, but she sure didn't feel alright. Night was coming quickly, so there was no time to contemplate what her life might have been like without her gift. With a quiet sigh, pretending to exhale all the negativity she was prone to focusing on, and then tossed a few more items into her bag. A tiny book of notes, a spare set of clothing, many small blades encased safely and attached to a leather belt identical to the two she wore already, and tiny vials filled with oddly colored substances.
She tied her bag roughly and slung it over her back. Through her thick, short coat of old leather, she still felt a heavy thunk from the bag. Maybe she shouldn't have packed the extra weapon belt in addition to the daggers she had stuffed in there. A lazy shrug signified the end of her internal argument. Tight, hard brown boots were just soft and pliable enough to avoid making constant ruckus when she moved, but her undyed wool dress was prone to making quiet swoosh sounds against her coat.
It didn't matter. It really didn't matter, just like everything else. In the end, only two things mattered; that she was about to fulfill her duty at last, and that her gut still strained and twisted against fulfilling it at all.
She stepped over to her group, silently noting that the one she believed was called Inurian was still rather attached to Andaraste --Anadi-- and that he was getting rightfully pestered for it by Tes and his shadow. She decided to let it go. It wasn't her job to mend relationships and stop small fights. Until emotions were flying sky high and uncontrolled, Nakuinna would not step in to prevent violence. Besides, Inurian seemed to refuse the bait of Tes' troublesome shadow, other than shooting a small fireball at the perpetrator's feet.
"She does not need a saddle," Naku droned, "If we move in dragon form, I will be her mount. My movement is from side to side, typically, not a jarring up and down, and I am thin enough for her to grasp onto. I have been her guardian longer than any of you, her every day guard, and I will remain in charge of her body."
She glared at each face except Anadi's. "Listen to me. We leave now. There is no time for more chatter or bickering. I have the map that will lead us to the Tree, and I believe it to be best if we head north instead of northeast straight toward the Tree. We will skirt around the outcast lands this way, though we will have to fly over the western portion of the Dragon's Forest. As long as we fly high, the trees shouldn't spit out anything nasty at us without us noticing."