It was a long journey home.
Mitchell thought he knew what he would learn in his travels. He was a respected young judge for the competitions in the upper settlements and wanted to know more about the Wings far from his home in the Seventh. He was fit and friendly and enjoyed meeting new people. He had the help and support of the pack train that carried goods between the settlements. They were experts on the trail and had contacts along the way.
Still, the trip was harder than he thought, and not everything he found was expected or welcome. But he was determined to continue on until he unexpectedly found himself with a Wing of his own.
The journey back was very different than walking in the packer's train. He was dependent far more on his own abilities and those of the people he had met along the way. Though he was no longer alone, he couldn't rely on his new servant for much. That was what came in while taking on the old one.