The Ancient Elder

Just a Peek It Seems

After the battle Thanatos had been goaded into, he could feel the full extent of his powers again. He had not known he could even do that, he knew he was strong and fast but to be able to jump so high and hit so hard. It was safe to say even he was impressed with himself. But it came at a price, as he had left his father and ran with Emily under his arm. He was hit with a massive wave of exhaustion. He had made it a mile away from what was left of Barbaros before he passed out. Dropping Emily as his body could go no more.

It was the middle of the night now and he had been awake for an hour contemplating what he was actually capable of. Would Emily be afraid of him after seeing such a display? There were to many questions, the biggest being why had his father shown up of all the gods.

He had not seen him since the judgement that was placed upon Than and that had been centuries ago. But he pushed it from his mind, he had to be alert now that they were in the dense forest region that almost surrounded Barbaros. He feared nothing in these woods but he was not alone anymore. He had someone to protect, a new barrier to keep the madness at bay.

Emily slept soundly within his cloak, soundly was a bit of an exaggeration because she talked in her sleep. Something about unicorns and the giant, assuming she meant him or his father but which he wasnt sure. But he would have to tell her what he is now after the fight, how would a 10 year old grasp the idea that she was travelling with a banished God. But that was a problem for when she woke from her slumber. Again it occurred to him how this little girl had managed to change who he was with relative ease, i suppose after centuries of being alone some part of him had leapt at the chance of companionship. Even if it was an orphaned child of the wild.

Whilst lost in the treacherous traps of his thought he had not noticed the creature watching him. This beast that stared at him with hunger was starving and cared not for him but the small meal that travelled with him. The creature knew it was no match for this man, he had passed before through these woods and it had seen the destruction he was capable of. Yet its almost madness inducing hunger cared little for him so long as it got the small one and ate.

With hardly a beat of thought in the creature it ran, almost sliently yet its movements were not slow. If you were to blink this creature would have already passed you and vanished. Yet the moment it entered into Thanatos' camp, it knew it had arrived at its end as the giant was stood in front of its meal.

Now within the light of the moon the creature was visible and easily identifiable. It was a mountain shurg, a giant wolf twice the size of the average man and about 15 feet long. Its fur a metallic grey and darkened in patches, at least Thanatos had thought this until he realised that the darkened patches were in fact indents, were the shurgs skin had fallen between its ribs. This beast was starving Than thought as he watched it stare at him. He knew this was a one sided match, they always were but shurgs were known for their speed and tenacity so he had to be careful the beast didnt get lucky and drag Emily off into the night.

The shurg circled Than and Emily as it tried to look for an opening but Than gave no quarter to this beast. No opening existed,not even for a mouse. The shurg snarled deeply at Than in an attempt to potentially startle him and create an opening. But Than did one better, his rage at having Emily threatened forced him into changing to his godhood. His head turning into that of a wolf whos fur was as dark as a moonless night. His eyes golden as if the sun itself was set within his skull. His fur grew down to his chest and back before coming to a halt. He now stood at a staggering 8 metres tall, yet his senses and abilities had only sharpened as the shurg was about to find out as it attcked. Its madness finally having won out it threw itself at Than, aiming for his thigh. Yet it was dead before even reaching it.

Than in the blink of an eye reached forward, grabbing the shurgs neck in a grip that could crush steel threw the beast into the sky. The shurg vanishing from sight as his tremendous force catapulted it at a speed that created a sonic boom.

In all this commotion Emily had not sturred until she heard the thunderous clap as the shurg was launched into the heavens. She sat up with lightning speed as she tried to look for what had made such a noise.

She had found it the moment she looked up, what she originally thought to be a rock wall was infact the legs of Thanatos as he stood infront of her looking into the sky. Her fear at seeing this monstrous was quickly quenched when she heard its voice. "Are you alright little one" it spoke, its voice sounded almost exactly like the big mans that she was with. But he was not this big she thought, or covered in hair,or had a wolfs head. Yet his voice set her at ease. She picked herself up onto her feet and slowly walked infront of the giant creature to see its face no longer that of the wolfs. But the man that she had been travelling with. "Sorry if i woke you Emily" he said as he grew smaller and smaller until he was he normal height once more and no hair on his face and chest. "You know it has occurred to me Emily that you do not know my name yet have been travelling with me for some time" he looked down at her with a grin only to have it returned with a smile.

"I didnt think you had one" her words thick with sarcasm as she said this. His grin turned to a smile as he spoke "even us barbarians have names" her laugh broke through her smile as she remembered what she had originally thought him to be.

He kneeled down beside her so they were eye to eye and held out his hand "my name is Thanatos, pleasure to meet you". She looked at him confused for a moment, they had known each other for over a week. His laugh vibrated deep from within his chest as he realised she had not caught on. "Never mind" his smile still plastered on his face even whilst speaking.

As he stood up he realised she was still staring at him with a huge smile. So he glanced back down to her, a single eyebrow raised in question at her "is there something on my face?" He asked and gently run his hand over his beard. She shook her head at him as she was now practically jumping up and down with glee at something he knew not. "What are you so giddy about, its only my name" he chuckled as he raised his hand to ruffle her hair but she dodged him and stood toe to toe with him. Hope evident in her eyes "you are a god arent you?"