It shouldn't be a surprise when D disappears without comment. The idea of telling Adrian where he was intending to go didn't occur to him and while the parasite remarked that they might be missed, D ignored it. He privately felt that Adrian would be relieved not to have his presence skulking around his family home, and when he caught wind of a band of monstrous creatures raiding villages and towns to the north, the draw to make use of his skills was too much to resist.

It takes longer than he'd expected, takes more out of him as well, and while there'd been a thought at the back of his mind that this was the time to simply leave and never return, disappear and leave Adrian's strange acceptance behind, the younger dhampir had been right about one thing. The castle is clearly the closest thing he'll find here to sanctuary.

The wolves might be the first to let the pale-haired master of the castle know of his return, or perhaps its the scent of blood that surrounds the horse he'd acquired, old and dried but still clinging to it and D himself. His movements are jerky as he dismounts and goes through the motions of finding a place to settle the creature, every movement tightly controlled to avoid giving too much away.

He hasn't seen Adrian yet, but D imagines that he's watched and doesn't trust a lack of apparent eyes to put him at ease. Soon enough he expects there will be questions and he's bracing himself for them, ignoring the way the sun feels particularly harsh today and saps at his energy.