Jack woke up when he felt himself being shaken. Blinking blearily, he tried to focus on the face before him, but it was the brush of hair against his face that brought him back to where he was. Right, it was moving day he thought to himself as Nicolaren moved away after seeing that he was now conscious.

"Morning already?" He asked, his mouth dry. His question was met with a chuckle and a piece of pottery with fresh water was placed into his hand. He sat up and drank gratefully.

"It has been morning for some time," his friend replied. "I let you sleep, but now it is time for you to be up and about or we will have to leave you behind." His comment made Jack scramble into a sitting position and Nicolaren laughed outright at the expression on his face. "But we will not do that if you get up now."

"I am awake," Jack said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He slid into the water and ducked his head underneath in an effort to wake up fully. "Should have done it earlier," he admonished his friend.

"There was no need, and you were resting so peacefully," Nicolaren said with amusement. He watched as Jack shook the water out of his eyes. "Come."

"The first word I learned," Jack said as he obediently followed his friend out of the cavern without looking back. He grinned as he followed behind his friend, giving the other man enough room to maneuver his tail in the water. Nicolaren moved over to the side of the tunnel to allow Jack to match his pace and Jack pushed forward so that they swam side by side. He talked about what would happen that day as the tribe migrated across the ocean. Jack listened intently. He understood that this wouldn't be an easy journey and so would be taken in stages. He also explained how there were areas which were dangerous and that they would have to be careful as they traveled. Jack could understand that.

Their conversation was interrupted as they entered the central cavern and were met with a cacophony of sound from the various groups talking and working as they gathered. Jack blinked at the noise. It was so unusual for the tribe to be so lively that he felt a bit shell shocked by the level of sound. Nicolaren chuckled at his expression.

"Everyone is excited to start the journey," he commented as he surveyed the crowded waters before them. "Today we head towards our families and friends who have worked hard to prepare for us. It will be good to be on the move."

"So I see," Jack observed as a group of youngsters crowded past them and into the cavern, chattering excitedly and ignoring Nicolaren's admonitions to behave. "They are not listening."

"No," Nicolaren said with a sigh before turning to his friend and grinning. "I never did either as a youngling."

"You?" Jack said in mock disbelief. "Misbehave?" He laughed at Nicolaren's rueful expression. "I am shocked, my friend!"

"I think had you grown up here, you would have been the cause of much mischief," the merman said as way of reproach as they struck out towards the flotilla of barges. Jack chuckled in response as he stretched his arms in an effort to keep up with the speed of his friend's swimming. They slowed as they reached the center group and Jack could see Nicolaren scanning the area for his sister, a slight frown on his face.

"There," Jack pointed out to their left where Caterin was working with a group of women to secure their meals in small rucksacks for them to carry. Nicolaren's expression cleared as he saw that his sister was there and ready for their journey. He nodded and went over to where the tribal leaders were gathering. Jack held back, clearly feeling like he didn't have a place there with the council. He drifted over to where the younger men were gathered and they welcomed him with friendly nods. Several of them gave him sly glances which he ignored. Let them think what they wanted; perhaps it would enhance both of their reputations. He turned away and grinned at the idea.

A motion from Caterin grabbed his attention. He looked over and saw that she was waving for him to come over to where she was. Nodding amiably at the young men, he struck out towards the shore where she was with the others.

"Good morning," he said as he slipped into position beside her. He was proud of himself for being able to stop before hitting the ledge as had been his wont before he had learned the skills of swimming in the heavier saline water of this world. She smiled serenely at him and offered him one of the fresh fruits that they had harvested from the sea floor bed the day before. He bit into it eagerly, enjoying the succulent flesh of the gourd. It always amazed him that something so sweet could come from a salt water environment, but the fruit was very refreshing and delicious to eat.

"A lovely morning indeed," Caterin replied. "I thought you might be hungry," she said as she watched Jack close his eyes at the taste. "There is more if you want it."

"Thank you," Jack said, trying to slow down so as not to appear too greedy. "Did you have a nice time last night?" Caterin looked down and nodded shyly before looking back up again. "Good. It is about time." She laughed at his comment and handed him a rucksack to sling over his shoulder. He felt the weight bump against his shoulder and knew she had given him more fruit to eat whenever he wanted.

A horn sounding stopped all conversation and everyone turned as one towards the sound. One of the other fisherman – Jacoren, Jack thought his name was, pulled the horn away from his mouth and gestured towards the barges.

"We begin," Caterin said. "First the elders will bless the flotilla and then we will begin." Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Finally, we will be off."

"You seem to be looking forward to it," Jack said and she nodded. "Is there anyone special waiting for you?"

"The rest of our family," Caterin said. "Our mother is part of the group that has been working hard to prepare the winter quarters, along with some cousins and friends that I have missed. It will be good to see them."

"I am sure it will be," Jack said warmly, returning her smile. They turned as someone called their names and Jack saw that it was one of the wives of Elder Elloren. "I guess it is time."

"Yes," Caterin nodded. Jack picked up the strings that were tied to a series of baskets that held the stacked rucksacks. Caterin gathered some more while others around them did the same. Together they moved in a group towards the center area where the barges were. Jack looked around, a bit wistfully. His things were packed along with the belongings of his friends so he knew that they would be safe. While he didn't have any intention of leaving just yet, it was a comfort to know that he had the means to do so. He smiled wryly. Already these people had wormed their way under his defenses and stolen a place in his heart. He glanced around the group, seeing faces that were now quite familiar to him in the weeks that he had been there. They were friends and had become much more than that. They were family. He blinked, feeling a surge of emotion for these people. They had taught him much, had taken him in from what could have been a permanent death (at least for him) and had nurtured his education of their language and customs. He felt like he belonged, as different as he was from them, and he looked forward to the journey ahead of them.

With another blast of the horn they were off, the strong men pulling on the ropes that would propel the barges forward. Jack joined in, not that he thought it would make a difference, but because every hand could help, and it made him feel like he was contributing to the communal effort. Shaloren grinned at him from where he was pulling his own rope.

"Do not tire yourself out, Jack," he warned with a glint in his eye. "We would not want you to be too tired for other things, after all." Jack snorted in response as he heard some of the other young men chuckle at Shaloren's implication.

"Worry about your own stamina," he retorted. "I believe Eliselin would not appreciate it if you were to pull the wrong muscle," he finished to an uproar of laughter from the others. Ahead of them he saw Nicolaren's head pop up and glance back at them, but since they were keeping in line with the rest of the barges he went back to what he was doing. Jack grinned.

The day was long, and though they slowed to take breaks, they never stopped pulling the barges. If someone needed to rest, they had the option of climbing up on the barges, or could use the net slings that were attached to some of the barges. These were smaller nets which were attached to points of the raft where a person could rest while still in the water. It proved quite popular with the children, who each wanted to try it. Jack smiled as he watched one woman admonish the children who were squabbling over a place and talking over who had a right to try it next. At the moment he was resting himself, his arm looped through the ropes threaded through the hollow wood that made up the barge. As they moved he could feel the steady change in the temperature of the water. He hadn't realized that it had actually grown cooler in the few weeks he had been there, but as they progressed in their journey, he noticed the change.

He chatted with some of his raft mates about the journey and their own expectations, fascinated by this world and how the people lived here. He had been to non-technological worlds in the past, but never stayed for long. Back in his time agent days it was usually because he was there fixing something or preventing something from happening. He suspected that if his former self had been stuck on a planet such as this he would have gone bonkers. But after the experiences he had had since, he found he had a deep appreciation for a world such as this one. There was something so appealing about this life that he found himself not wanting to leave it, even knowing that should he meet Ianto they were already fated to be incompatible and a merman was not someone he could bring back to his own reality.

He stared up at the sky as the barge moved along, trying to imagine what Ianto would be like in this parallel universe. He was so lost in thought that he had blocked out what was going on around him until a nudge brought his attention back to the present. He looked over and saw Karakin swimming by the side of the barge and looking up at him.

"Hi," he said as he sat up. He was surprised to see that it was getting late and that most of the barges seemed to be clustered together. Perhaps it was their stop for the night, he thought to himself.

"Food is ready," Karakin said and Jack thanked him. He had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he had totally missed the call for the evening meal, as well as the tying of all of the barges together into one cluster for the evening. Grinning ruefully, he dropped himself down into the water, noting that it was even warmer than before. It looked like most of the men were off fishing, as he could only see the women and children about. He looked around and after locating Caterin, headed over in her direction.

"Anything I can do to help?" He offered. She smiled as she looked over her should before shaking her head.

"I thank you, but no," she said as she prepared some root vegetables. He now knew the names for them from his language lessons and teased her by sneaking a hand around to grab some to nibble on, deftly evading her swat, halfhearted though it was. "Stop it, or you will get none!" Jack grinned at her. "Are are just as bad as my brother!" She exclaimed in exasperation.

"I will take that as a compliment then," he told her as he munched on the bits he had been able to take from the cutting area. She pretended to grumble about him, but he could tell it wasn't serious. He leaned against the barge by her side and looked around curiously.

"I see we are stopped for the night," he observed. She nodded, not replying to the obvious. A moment later Nicolaren arrived with the evening catch. Jack watched as Caterin deftly deboned the fish and prepared it for their meal.

"So, what tales have you been spinning, Jack?" Nicolaren asked, slanting him an amused glance as he rested his muscled forearm on the edge of the barge. "I have been hearing all sorts of stories today." Jack stared at his friend for a moment with a confused look on his face.

"Me?" Jack finally responded. "I have not said anything, story or otherwise today. Though," he paused and thought about it as he grabbed one of the vegetables that his friend had purloined from Caterin, much to her disgust, he continued his thought. "I think that if anything my reputation has been enhanced by association with you."

Nicolaren roared with laughter at Jack's comment. "As well it should, my friend!" He clasped Jack on the shoulder. The two men bantered back and forth until the meal was ready. Caterin had become pretty exasperated by the two of them at this point and left them to their own devices. She went off to where a group of young folk were gathered and her brother watched her for a long moment before shrugging and returning his attention to his friend.

"She has changed," he said as he took some more fish and ate it.

"It is good for her to be around the other young people," Jack noted. Nicolaren shrugged again. He thought them a bit too immature for his notice so didn't see why anyone else would want to be with them. Their conversation went onto other topics, such as their progress for the day and how far they had to go. Jack asked about their destination and what the people were like there. Nicolaren described the location as well as some of the people whom he knew were waiting for them. Jack was feeling a shiver of anticipation, knowing that they were getting closer to this world's incarnation of Ianto. The more he thought about the other man the more he focused on what their meeting would be like. He was coming afraid that he was building it up in his mind so much that the reality would be a bitter disappointment. He hoped he was wrong, though. He did learn that it would be another two days before they were close to their final stop.