Amia glanced behind her, slowly fading from view was the one place she felt at home since before she was turned. Though her heart tugged and wished that she would stop the horse and return to the manor she knew that she could not. There were to many uncertain things there, too many things that made her head spin.

She patted the large horses neck and repositioned her bow so that it sat more comfortably on her shoulder. Normally she would refuse to ride horses, but she felt she needed to get as far away from the manor as she could.  The light flutter of wings made her look up and a small sad smile crossed her face. Orrin was the only creature in the manor that knew she had left and she was trying her best to get rid of him. She had left her cape back in her room, well actually she had left everything she hadn’t worn to the manor in the room.

"Orrin go back to the castle I am not wearing the cape." She muttered quietly as she got to the gates to the small town. She drew the reins up and eased the horse to a stop and glanced down both sides of the road. The path that lay to her left was the one that had brought her to the manor and the one on the right was unknown territory. She closed her eyes and dropped her head for a moment and then tugged the large horse towards the right.

Even though she was running from her feelings the wanderer in her wanted to learn and to see more. She rode and rode no longer caring which path she took all she knew was that each footfall was leading her farther from the manor and the people inside. She could feel the hollow ache for blood, but she pushed it off to the side. She would feed later when she felt that she could stop.

~Several months later~

She groaned and placed her head back against the tree she had fallen asleep against. One pale, and now bony, hand went to rub at the back of her neck and pulled the tie out of her hair. The dark hair fell around her face as she started to get up and then froze when she heard a sound.

She didn’t think she just leapt. She landed silently like a cat on her hands and knees. A man, a farmer from the look of his outfit, was walking through the woods and she watched and waited. As a lion would watch a Gazelle until he was close. Then she leapt again this time knocking the man to the ground. As carefully as she could bit into the man’s neck feeding carefully for a few moments and then she was up off of her knees and ran off.

She could still feel the hunger, but it was less prominent and the man was fine. She only ate the bare minimum that she needed to function. But she knew that wouldn’t last long. Her body was losing muscle now and even as she ran she could feel her legs start to shake and her head spun. Before she left she could run miles without stopping now she could hardly make it back to the horse and her stuff before she would be to tired to continue.

She needed to find a place to make camp. She felt the cold reach into her bones for the first time in many years. Even as a human she never felt the cold like this and she knew without looking at herself that she was dying. Her organs were shutting down she was fighting a losing battle. A battle she had fought for over a hundred years a battle she never thought she would lose.

As she closed on the horse she heard it let out a startled whinny as it picked up the sharp tang of blood. She hissed softly under her breath and grabbed the reins fast before the horse could bolt. It took what little strength she had to hold the large horse steady as it attempted to flee. After it calmed she tossed herself onto the horse, and pulled her hood close around her face. If she was going to die she wasn't going to die in the middle of a forest never to be found.

The rhythmic sound of the horses hooves on the ground soon started to lull her off. Over time her fear of the large beast below her begun to diminish and it was replaced with an understanding of it. She felt herself slump over her breathing growing shallow as she felt darkness engulf her.

What felt like only a few moments later she brought herself out of the darkness her breath still shallow as she shook her head trying to clear it. As she did the dark castle that she had so long ago tried to leave was before her. It was as if the castle had a magnetic pull and had once more pulled her back to it.

But at that point she no longer had the energy to think she felt her body wanting to give out again and she made herself slide off the horse and to start towards the castle. A plan that was never completed as she blacked out again on the walkway. The only thing proving she was alive was the occasional twitch that remained in her hand.