Suppressing his aura, Mors looked down, into the downcast eyes of Runt trotting beside him and let out a light chuckle. "A fellow battle manic aye... We are going to get along great when I heal. Be patient; it won't be long until we start an extremely enjoyable hunt."

As if she understood Mors' words, Runt let out an excited yip and ran around him, bouncing up and down causing him to smile warmly. "Yeah, animals are so much better than hum- sentient beings."

At the Kanis' main gate, a group of guards nervously watched a man and his dog walking towards them and were muttering amongst themselves.

"He is coming from the Devil's mountain range... What man travels alone through there." Said one of the younger guards.

The guard who had previously let the Pathfinder adepts in, stepped forward and with a thumb slightly raised his sword, clearing it from its sheath "Either his group was wiped out, or he's someone you can't handle boy. Leave the talking to us and stand back."

As the figure approached it was clear that he was injured however what drew the guard's attention was that what they thought was a dog was growing larger and larger the closer it got. When Mors was around twenty feet away, the guard captain finally snapped out of his daze. -"A dire wolf? Must be a young one to be that small. Maybe he is an adventure that stole it from its den while it was a pup...madness"

"Halt who are you and what is your business in Kanis" Shouted the Captain in a commanding voice.

His challenge was met by a fierce growl from the wolf however the man lowered his hand and patted it gently causing it to stop.

A young man's voice emerged from the hooded figure. "An adventure and his companion, looking for a place to rest and a good hot meal."

"Is your pet safe?" responded the guard captain.

The young man's voice became irritated. "As I have already stated, she is my companion, not my pet."

"Fine you may enter, There will be a fee when you leave dependent on the length of your stay. Its 30 copper per day. I advise you not to avoid paying it." The captain sighed. -"Another one of these animal nutters."

The young man walked towards, then past the guards without another word and moved through the gate.

Runt was shocked by the sudden eruption of sound and movement from the town and only calmed when Mors patted her on the head. "Calm it, I hate crowds too, but sometimes you just have to put up with it."

Although the streets were crammed a natural path opened up in front of Mors as people quickly got out the way of the hooded man and his dire wolf.

"Waah! Mum, what kind of doggie is that?" Screamed a little boy, who was quickly restrained by his mother. "That's not a dog; it's a wolf... what the hell is one of those doing inside the walls? What were the guards thinking?"

It was late in the day, and the sun had already begun setting. However, the mumbling of the crowd increased, drawing in more people to watch as Mors and Runt continued towards the centre.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Spotting an inn's sign, Mors shrugged his shoulders. "Mike's Inn... what a boring name but I am sick of being watched like some sort of entertainment."

Pushing open the double doors, Mors walked inside, towards a counter, drawing the attention of the people at the bar and seated at the many round tables. The patrons soon fell into quiet whispers causing Mors to let out an irritated sigh. "Looks like we won't get any piece until we sleep."

A skinny man walked from the bar and slid behind the counter. "Sir... we do not allow dogs in thi-"

"She's not a dog." Replied Mors in a cold voice. Though it had been an extremely short time, he was rapidly becoming attached to the pathetically weak creature.

"Yes... I can see that howe..."

"She is a dire wolf, but more importantly my companion. I suggest you do not insult her any further." Mors raised his head, revealing the tiniest bit of his eyes, causing the man to swallow hard. "Yes sir, How may I help you?"

"Single room, two beds, a hot meal and information of some people that likely passed through here a few days ago."

"Where is your other comp..." The man stopped himself just in time as he noticed Mors was losing his patience. -"What is wrong with me? I thought I was intolerant before, but this is a whole another level. I need to get out of this here before I create a ghost town... though it would be fun."

"Follow me; we will be serving meals shortly. The cost is three silver, and you must pay before you retire for the night." Said the man hurriedly as he led Mors to a small booth in the corner." May I take your cloak?"

"Only if you want to lose most of your customers and maybe an arm... Oh, and I am expecting two meals." Hissed Mors causing the man to quickly turn around and head back to the bar, where he downed his drink before going into the kitchen.

Mors watched as a small boy, wearing a weird hat, began bringing out trays of food to the tables before returning to his old thoughts. -"This appears to be the only inn/tavern in town. If they came through here, I should be able to pick up their trail."

Two plates and matching tankards appeared in front of Mors shaking him from his thoughts, causing him to raise his head "What is it, boy? Got something on my face?"

The boy replied in a meek, fragile voice. "D..do you want me to keep the food warm for when the other guest arrives."

"Nope, now leave." Said Mors as he picked up the second plate and placed it on the floor next to Runt who gobbled down the meat but left everything else.

Mors took the meat off his plate and placed it on Runt's. "... I guess I am going to have to ask for seconds... to be fair these human sized portions are tiny. Wait... Why the hell am I sharing my food?"

**CRASH**

Lying on, what was once a table, was the boy that had served Mors his food, his hat had been ripped off revealing two tiny horns.

Mors frowned under his hood. "What is a demon doing here?"

Mors' gaze fell on the slave collar, and his pupils abruptly contracted. "A slave collar?"