Year of the Boar. Seventh Month. Day 9.

It is as if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  Since the Chief's offer of transport up the coast, I have felt almost... giddy. I stopped feeling tired and ill almost the very moment I accepted. I half wish Taiji and Aki were here to see the ships; I am sure Aki would love them. Half wish. Of course, after everything they have done and will almost certainly be doing in my absence... I have no wish to see either of them again. I must put them from my mind and enjoy these moments for what they are... I am so excited. I cannot wait to set foot on the wooden decks and explore the ships but I am told that I must wait. First the men must conclude their business and then the vessels must be checked to ensure they are seaworthy. Then, of course, we must pack away the camp and stow everything in the cargo holds, only then will I try travelling by ship for the first time!
The day after tomorrow cannot come soon enough...

Year of the Boar. Seventh Month. Day 8.

I have had several evening conversations with the Chief. After simple dinners of meat and some sort of brown sauce which is similar to a gravy Father used to enjoy, the Chief enjoys listening to the men play flutes and lyres and then some talk.  I have had to be very careful about what I say; I am very concerned about being discovered. However, it transpired this evening, that I have not been careful enough. The Chief grabbed one of my hands after our repast and ran his thumb across my palm. Not the hands of a peasant, he said, or even a gentlewoman. No... these hands are far too soft, even after my weeks of travelling about and fending for myself... these hands are Noble hands... He did not care who I was, he said but if he were to put his camp at risk, he wanted to know who he was protecting.
To my surprise, I told him absolutely everything.
To my even greater surprise, the Chief found it most amusing. He would continue to hide me, he said. Furthermore, he will let me sail with them up the coast that I might reach Dying Crane in better time. I feel overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness the camp have shown me thus far but to actually go out of his way to protect a stranger... I shall have to hope that I find a way to repay them one day.
We are to sail in three days' time. The Chief has some business to conclude in Golden Harvest and then he will take me up the East coast and around the peninsula, then along the North coast until we reach a small bay on Dying Crane's lands. I will be on my own from there but it should cut three weeks from my journey at the very least and more importantly, I will be safe. If the gods will remain on my side, I can reach the House of Dying Crane and ask for sanctuary from Lady Yuika before Mother ever finds out where I am... Gods be kind...