It didn’t take long for the human to understand that he was safe and for him to thank Neo over and over and over. Neo accepted his thanks, and escorted him to a little village made up of wanderers brought in by Neos sisters. The villagers greeted the old man eagerly, and helped him settle into this place. With a sigh of relief Neo left the old man there, knowing that he would be taken care of. Just outside of the village Neo held his hands up in front of him, pinched his middle fingers and thumbs together, pressed the tips of them against each other and then pulled them apart. Neo stretched his arms wide and from his fingers stretched a thin white line. He stretched his fingers apart and made another portal; and as Neo stepped into it an aching spread through his ribs.

The fog had lifted from the forest, and the images on the trees had stabilized. Embedded into hillside the scream glowed a silver glow, it flashed slowly---flickering in and out of existence. Neo reached out to touch it, and if he had been human his fingers would have stuck to the icy surface. But due to his very nature the squares dissolved beneath his touch; and though the scream was gone Neo could not undo the damage that had been done to the hillside and the forest around it.

It didn’t take long for Neo to track down the wendigo. When he found it it was laying in a bed of moss and rose its head toward him as if it had been waiting for him to come back. They stared at each other, silent in their acknowledgement that yes, they were here.

Are you going to kill me? Neo asked.

“No, you are not greedy enough.” The wendigo replied.

Neo tilted his head with an unspoken question.

“Your hearts do not long for power, you long for things that will not harm others.”

Is that why you were chasing that man?

“Precisely,” a pause, “I wish you had not interfered.”

I’m sorry, but it’s my job.

“To protect the wrongfully powerful?” It looked at him with new eyes.

To protect mortals.

“I see.” The wendigo lowered its head back down; and Neo went to sit down next to it beneath the willow tree. Though the wendigo did not acknowledge this it was grateful for the company.

If you attack the greedy why don’t you attack me?

“I did not say that you do not possess greed. But you are not overflowing with greed.”

I don’t understand.

The wendigos eyes flashed a different color, blue now.

The wendigo said “there are those who let greed consume them, they do not care if they hurt others because of it. But I can tell that you are not like this.”

How do you know?

“The smell,” it hissed “that mortal you had reeked of it. I’m Sasha by the way.”

Hello Sasha

“Hello Neo,” Sasha said before Neo could even introduce himself. Sasha’s voice was quiet and raspy.

“You stew in a smell for long enough you learn to recognize it pretty quickly.” She continued.

How long have you been able to smell greed?

“As long as I’ve been like this. I used to be a deity you know.”

I did not.

Sasha gave him a tired smile, and rested her head in his lap. Neo placed his hand on her head, hoping that this small gesture would bring her at least a little comfort. She snuggled closer to him.

“When you let greed over take you it may turn you into something else. Someone else, someone like me.”

Do you eat the greedy out of your own greed?  Neo asked, hoping that this would not upset her.

“I eat them so that there will be no more like me. Plus I am always hungry.”

I think you should just focus on what's best for you.

“Perhaps you are right.” Said Sasha. Her eyes turned back to white. In a sleepy tone she said “one day I will return to who I was before.”

No, you’ll be better. Neo assured her.

And she closed her eyes and fell asleep.