When the sun hit his face, he smiled. He would die on his own terms, he thought, as he trudged through the forest. When he arrived at a clearing, he discarded his clothes.
He took a deep breath and shook away the flicker of apprehension at the back of his head. Mustering as much strength as he could, he transformed and took to the sky. He felt weaker with every flap of his wings, but he kept going. He had to get to the warm spring. He would find solace there, with the memory of his night with Levina.
He crash-landed into the spring from the sky, with a loud thud. He returned to his human form almost as soon as he hit the warm water and could have laughed but that felt like too much work.
He floated atop the water, a bright smile on his face. He felt energy quickly draining from his body, he could barely keep his eyes open. With his last energy, he made it to the surface, with only his legs in the water.