Hunger.  It always came back to that.  Walking down the dimly street, the lanky and thin form of a young man stalked the alleys and the darker sidewalks, his mind busy and his stomach growling.  He had a hard look about him and his posture betrayed a strong negativity, clearly one would give him a wide berth, unless one got close enough to see the worry in his eyes and the quiver below his lip.  Horace walked on, his hand reaching into his hoody-pocket for another snack.<br/><br/>"What the hell do i do now?"  he asked himself, taking a wide bite out of the protein bar.  "They're gone and i have no idea what I'm doing."  He steadied himself as the weight of the world settled upon his shoulders, the reality he endured threatening to overwhelm him.<br/><br/>As he turned onto a dark back road, he stopped to look at the high obstruction blocking the way to the old road leading to the highway.  It would have been an inconvenience had he any idea where he was going, so he merely chuckled and looked around for any witnesses.  Finding himself alone he returned the wrapper to his pocket and approached an old car sitting at the bottom of the heap, seeing light on the other side.  Shifting his weight, he placed his hands on the front and heaved.  With visual effort, he slid the car from its home and lifted it from the ground, setting it to the side with a small turn of his waist.<br/><br/>Moving through the small tunnel where the car once rested, he stopped on the other side and caught his breath, brushing himself off and stretching idly.  All too quickly, his reality made good on its earlier threats.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"I don't understand!"  He had cried out, the man in the suit sitting across from him at the precinct.  "What do you mean they're dead!?  They just got the car three weeks ago!"  His implications of the safety of the vehicle didn't phase the man at all, his somber look only deepening.<br/><br/>"It is true, Horace.  You have the photos of the accident and your new situation has been explained.  They lost control and drove into a steep ravine, I can't make it much clearer than that"  He adjusted his black tie, his hand moving down to hold his now growling stomach.  "Huh, i just ate too, no matter."  He opened his case.  "The manufacturer will reimburse you personally for the damage and loss so have no worries there.  you are however, still underage and as your luck would have it, the jack-asses at the office are too lazy to file the extra papers so you'll have the house and its amenities until you are 18.  All other assets are being sold to the bank and whatever the remainder is will be yours.  So in the meantime, find yourself a job and an apartment and we'll-"  <br/><br/>"Wait, what's this?"  He asked, looking closer at the photo, pointing to long gouges on the car's sides and hood. "Are these-"  The photo vanished quickly and the man apologized, gathering his things.  He gave a poor explanation in his rush of the bizarre damage caused by the accident and the painful meeting was suddenly over.</span><br/><br/>His senses returning, he picked himself up and rubbed his head, a large welt making itself known.  "Feh, stupid junk"  Kicking the bar of metal that had struck him, he looked to the trees and glared at it thoughtfully.  "Holes like that aren't made by branches, they're made by claws..."  Looking back at the safety of the alleys and the lights of the diners and despite his hunger he took a breath and moved to the trees.  The forest beckoned.