The night was upon them, so they decided to set camp on the top of the mountains, just barely looking towards the other side of the forest. They lit a small fire to keep themselves warm, and Lia put out a tent from his bag. They started eating a few rations of meat, bread, and vegetables. Although it was cold, the undead bear and the fire helped them to keep the wind at bay.
"It's convenient that he doesn’t have to eat anymore. Also, the cold doesn't bother him at all" Lia said while eating beside the fire.
"It's just one more of the benefits." Thanatos was still happy about the conversation a few hours ago. Without even trying, he felt a connection forming between Lia and him. It made him happy, but it also made him worried.
He still wasn’t sure what to do with Lia. Her safety was a priority, but if his feelings for her were to put her in danger, he could never forgive himself. That idea pondered on his mind. What should I do? What is the correct answer? Dammit, I'm still afraid of being rejected. Ask her, you idiot. There may still be a chance she wants to be around you, even if only as friends.
"What are you thinking, Thanatos?" Lia interrupted his thoughts.
"Nothing, I was just looking at the stars."
"The stars?" She looked up. The night sky was all over them. Hundreds, or even thousands, of tiny lights were shining on it. Together in so many constellations. "Do you like the stars?"
"Well, not particularly. I was thinking more of my old town. You couldn’t see the stars very well from there."
"Why not?"
"Mmm, it was mostly for contamination. You can think some dirty things were hanging all around us. The air was contaminated, and that made looking at the stars difficult."
"That's a bit sad. I read once in an old fairytale, that when someone is born, a star is born along with him. So, they are always together and never feel alone. That is why there are so many stars in the sky. When I was little, sometimes thinking about that helped me feel less lonely"
"What happens when someone dies? Does the star die with him?"
"The book said exactly that, but I thought something else. What if that person's soul becomes one with the star in the sky? I know the priests say when we die, our souls transcend to another plane. Some good people even become angels themselves. But if they are up there watching us the same way we watch them…" Lia had a solemn look in her eyes when she said that.
"I'm sorry, I say things that don't make sense" She tried to apologize for speaking random thoughts.
"You wanted to find it, your own star." His response was correct.
"Yes, I guess that was the reason. I will die someday, but if a star was with me all my life, I wonder what it would say to me? Would it be happy or sad? Would it love me or hate me? For some reason, those questions got stuck in the back of my mind when I read that book"
"Well, that explains why you're so open to this situation." Thanatos pointed at the bear. "You had an interest in the afterlife since little" He gave her a smile.
"Uhh, I never looked like that. Maybe you're right." After the conversation, they finished their rations and were ready to sleep. That's when Lia noticed the problem.
"Um Thanatos, where is your tent?"
"Uh I..." He didn't bring one.
The truth is that he had no problem sleeping in the middle of the forest. His senses would alert him to anything unusual, and he was planning to have a few more undead servants by this time. But Lia had slowed him down. He thought the first night was going to be on the other side of the forest, not on the top of the mountain. The air was chilly. Not even Thanatos was tough enough to withstand it in the open all night.
"I guess I forgot to bring one."
"Then we-we´re going to have to sleep t-to-together." Both got red after Lia said those words. It was a small tent, but if the two huddled close to each other, then they could fit without a problem.
The idea of both spending the night practically touching each other...
"I-I´m going to sleep outside, don't worry" Thanatos frantically moved his hands.
"But how?... You're going to freeze or get sick."
"This, with this" He pulled the black book from his pockets. He decided to take it with him on this journey since he could be faced with trouble and may need a spell to help. He rapidly started to flip through the pages. "I-I´m going to find a spell here, just give me a minute... Here. No, that wouldn't work... This one neither. This one, this is perfect!"
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He put his hands together and used them to make a shape. "[Ice dome]" The air became even colder, and a wall of ice extended, forming a small dome.
"With this, I'm ready. I’m getting tired, so we should go to sleep. We need to wake up with the sun tomorrow to collect lots of ingredients. Good night, Lia" He walked right inside without delay.
"But, but aren't you going to be even colder inside an ice cave?" Lia wondered, but seeing that Thanatos was inside, she couldn’t do anything else besides go to her own tent.
The morning sun came out, shining brightly. The first rays of light touched the high peaks of the mountain range, and Lia woke up with them. She stepped outside her tent and the sight of the camp was exactly as last night. The bear was still standing guard. The ice dome that Thanatos had made was beginning to melt slowly.
"Ah, good morning, Lia. How are you feeling?" Thanatos was cooking in a small pot.
"You woke up early. What are you cooking?"
"Some bird that I happened to catch. I thought some fresh stew would be best to start the day" In truth, Thanatos barely slept through the night. The cold of the dome kept him awake. Although he didn't get sick, his new body was pretty resilient.
Lia was a bit disappointed since she wanted to wake up first and make breakfast for him, but she would have to try another day.
While they were having breakfast, a few visitors appeared. Two undead boars had come back from patrolling the area. Lia was worried a bit, but Thanatos explained that they attacked him, and he decided to make use of them to help collect herbs and the like.
After the pot was emptied, they continued their journey. Walking down to the other side of the mountain, the forest was very similar. Most plants and trees looked familiar.
The gathering of ingredients was proceeding smoothly. When Thanatos nose picked up the smells of plants of interest, when he found one, he presented it to Lia so she could find similar plants. The boars helped with scouting for danger or anything unusual, and the bear was a body guard and intimidation for potential attackers. The bags were starting to fill with all manner of plants, herbs, mushrooms, and even some fruit for later. Suddenly, a sensation passed through Thanatos's mind. One of the boars was killed. Where? The east, how? It happens so suddenly. Normal animals tend to avoid the undead, so this thing must be dangerous.
"Thanatos, look! I found some purple tears!" Lia exclaimed, excited.
"Nice, those are very good for potions. Mmm, my sense of smell is telling me that there may be more in the west. Could you go there and look in that area?"
"No problem. Aren't you coming?"
"I want to check a bit more around here. Don't worry, the bear will accompany you" He gave the animal an order to guard Lia with his life.
"Ok, but if something happens, you run back to us" Lia said with a warning voice. She knew about Thanatos' tendency to get into battles.
"I know, don’t worry." After Lia moved away and disappeared behind the trees, Thanatos immediately started to run toward the east. A couple of kilometers where nothing for his running speed, and he reached the area where the board had died in a few minutes.
He saw the body. Besides the singular stab he caused himself when the boar was alive, now he had multiple scratch marks all over. Another beast around here. Where? locate it by smell. He tried to sniff around the area, but something jumped out at him.
From the trees, a figure pounced on him with claws open. It was fast, too fast. Thanatos barely managed to raise his arms to defend his head. The claws pierced his skin, taking a chunk of his arm. He could only see it for a moment before an orange blur passed him and almost tore his arm.
He tried to kick back at the target, but it disappeared back into the trees, hiding his presence again. Do you think another surprise attack is going to work on me? You stupid animal, I have your scent now. He closed his eyes and focused.
Without letting that chance slip by, the creature jumped again, ready to kill its prey. This time, however, he was prepared. From behind again, huh, you're too predictable.
Thanatos dodged with ease. The claws went by a few centimeters from his head. He launched his own attack, putting his fingers as sharp as he could, his claws aimed at the center of the animal. A foot blocked the deadly strike from reaching the stomach. Thanatos opened his eyes as widely as he could.
A woman with orange fur on her arms and back. Her eyes were red and sharp, like predators'. He reached a single conclusion. A demi human.
The woman jumped back, her foot bleeding. She took a crouching posture like a cat ready to pounce. She was growling at him.
"If you go away now, you can still live. This is your last warning."
"Shut up bastard, you think I´m going to let you take more of my people"
"What? I don’t understand what you're talking about"
"Don´t try to play dumb. We know what you have been doing. Right now, the state of this forest is dangerous. We don't have time to waste on you" Her hostility was not going to let this end peacefully.
Another jump from the woman to the left, followed by other to the back, right, back, front, left. She was trying to confuse him. Thanatos followed all her movements with his eyes. A jump much faster was the attack. It was aimed at his stomach. Thanatos moved aside from the claws, but this time he grabbed the woman by the arm. With all his strength, he launched her to the ground.
The woman hit the floor very hard. She was momentarily stunned. Thanatos seized the opportunity and pinched her with his free hand, choking her neck.
"You're going to answer all my questions, starting by telling me who are you? And who do you think I am? " He gave her more room to breathe but kept her arm and neck secure.
"I-I have nothing to say to a slaver bastard like you." She wasn’t going to talk about anything in the world.
"Then I'm going to have to-" Thanatos didn't finish his sentence. It was like his brain had made a short circuit.
The cat woman took the chance and with her legs managed to move the arm in her neck. Follow by a kick to Thanatos's face. After freeing herself, she jumped back into the trees and ran away.
The loss of the cat woman was meaningless to Thanatos. Right now, only one thing was on his mind. The bear protecting Lia had been killed. That only meant one thing…
With an explosive force, Thanatos started running west. He ran like never before in his two lifetimes, as his biggest fear was about to become reality.