"Chronos"

The god of time paused in his travels, clock tick, tick, ticking in the absence of his foot falls. "Inari", he acknowledged, eyes seeking out the other.

Inari was a stark splash of red against an otherwise green backdrop, body poised and tail swaying weightlessly even in the absence of wind. The last that Chronos had seen of the fortune god he was much younger, not yet grown into his ever mask and reluctant to speak. Distant, Chronos thought idly.

"It has been some time. How fares your travels?"

"Well.", Inari replied, approaching the older God. "I seek a favor."

"Oh?"

"There is a small clan to the East, where a ulaya that I have become... fond of will soon have misfortune befall him. I wish to take him as one of my own when this happens. I would seek your help in this."

Chronos nodded, considering "This is not normally a task to concern others with." Any god could claim a mortal, adding them into their own clan, and Inari was no different.

"Yes. I fear that I do not have the power to see that he is unharmed by his own once their anger takes hold."

It was not uncommon for others, both divine and mortal, to approach him in this fashion. Each for their own reasons, but never selflessly. Still, Chronos himself became easily fond of others, including the small, quiet fortune god of the past that he remembered, newly appointed and terribly quiet.

"I will see to it,"

"Thank you. I owe you a great debt",

Chronos merely "hmm'd" before beginning his journey anew. Time passed, and dense pine trees eventually gave way to supple maples, their leaves bright and green until they weren't. Vibrant oranges soon turned to deep reds, and in what passed as a blink to Chronos there were no leaves at all. His travels continued in this fashion. Peacefully. Quietly.

His reverie was finally broken when a paw came in contact with cold stone. Eyes refocusing, Chronos took in his surroundings. Stone kitsulaya statues stood guard at each end of a gated entrance.