Greek mythology. Samuel had read some books about that back when he had lived with his parents, but he faintly remembered the tales of Cerberus. The God of Death's dog, who protected the underworld. It seemed strange to think of tales like that, but he didn't have any way to prove that Thatcher was lying to him. All he could do was hope that Nike had no intentions of hurting him as the Reaper did.
"Right," He said. Turning to check that Argus was settled into his stall, he messed with the latch of the door before nodding. "Do you think you can make it to the edge of town in your current form? Once we reach town…It might be a good idea to use that crow trick to get you to my home. I own the shop down the street from where you were burned, and people will be looking for you. If we can get you there, I live right upstairs." Samuel walked over to Thatcher and the door, keeping a few steps between the man even if he had been promised he wouldn't be hurt. Looking outside, the buildings at the edge of town were just visible. "No one is coming this way right now, we can leave. How fast can you walk without hurting yourself further?"
He stepped outside of the stable, glancing back to see if Thatcher was following.
“I can do that,” Thatcher agreed with a nod. He turned his attention towards Nike. “Shift back once I turn, so he’s is not completely alone.”
“I cannot move quickly. I can quickly walk, but that is about as fast as I can go at this time,” he replied. With him still leaning against Nike for support, he followed Samuel out of the barn, looking around outside. He hoped this would be quick and easy. Once they got closer to the town, he would shift to his crow form and hopefully not fall from another tree while they were on their way to Samuel’s home.
He could tell that Samuel was keeping distance between them, and he stayed a few steps behind to respect that. It made sense that Samuel was nervous around him. He was not human, it made sense. He did not want to cross any sort of boundaries and cause Samuel to go back on his offer to take him in for the meantime. If he became out of a place to stay again, he would have to resort to some last minute measure and either break into some place or find some place outside to sleep. While he did not want to do that, he also did not want to put Nike through that. He could tell she was still anxious about all of this, much more than he had been somehow.
The walk to town wasn't that far, but it still took several minutes of casual walking for Samuel to reach the edge of town. When he was nearing the first buildings, he wandered to the side of the road and turned to wait for Thatcher, speaking quietly to him. "I'm not sure how closely you can follow me, but my home is down the road to the right of the pyre. It's the one with the sign hanging on the front. I'll walk in the front door, but there's a door in the back that you can come through. I'll leave it open for you. Will that work?"
He hoped there wasn't going to be anyone waiting for him to open his shop today. Samuel had put a sign out saying he was going to be gone, but there was a fair chance someone could see him walk in and make a quick stop. If they did, he could only try to divert their attention enough for Thatcher to come through and get to his home upstairs before he was spotted.
"Once you're inside, the stairs are directly to your left. I'll meet you up there once I can."
Samuel was preparing for the worst in the best way possible. If he was caught helping Thatcher, it would mean death for both of them.
With a plan set in mind, he gave the Reaper a tight lipped smile, hoping it came off as hopeful and possibly friendly. Then, he stepped back onto the path, looking once more for anyone on the path with them. Thankfully it was still clear.
(Hey you around? I had the random urge to join back here or at least check out what has been going on)
