Footweary and beginning to tire, Thanatos stalked across the forest, his groundeating lope starting to slow into something more resembling a plodding walk. Luckily it was still nighttime and he could keep moving. Come sunrise, he would have to find a convenient log or bush or something to hide and rest under.

He had been driven out of his home several weeks since it was time for him to venture out and live on his own for awhile. Unable to find any unattached humans in the local city, he'd turned to the forest. He'd hunted animals, though the strength he gained from them was much less than what a person would have provided him with. He crossed a small section of the woods where the vegetation was thinner and came to a full halt.

Something nagged at the back of his mind. The smell, the scent, the tastes in the air. He had to follow the path and find it. He sensed two tracks that had been left in the woods, and he followed them.

The night was ending soon and he urged himself forward. The cool night breeze riffled his short black hair as he ran for the joy of running and for the hunt. His blue eyes constantly searched the shadows around him and watched the path he was running on. There were less and less trees as he moved through the woods, finally thinning out and becoming just a grassy field. He followed the trail, now clearly laid out in the grass, where someone had walked recently.

The path ended at the door to a castle. Thanatos didn't know what awaited him inside, but felt compelled to knock. Perhaps hospitality for one morning would be granted him, it never hurt to ask.