ORIGIN

Khloros leaned down to offer the little one the gentlest nudge, then lifted his long, thin head to again look around.

"I do not know," he rasped quietly. "But if others ask of this illness, perhaps explain that he is now the one spreading it, this--Crack. At the very least, they may stop him. I don't know how to catch up to a flying beast, myself."

The plagued horse turned, spinning a slow circle on patchy, pus-slicked hooves, ears shifting as he watched the skies. After a moment, with still no sign of Crack's return, he shifted back to Artume to speak softly. "I have taken the illness from you. But it may not be safe for you to remain. The bat may come back. Do you have another place you might go?" He glanced briefly at her hooves, tangled as they were, though she had stepped aside. Delicately, he placed his own hoof forward, until the plant matter wilted away; Khloros took its life force into himself, but it was an idle, absent gesture, meant to ensure the fawn did not further stagger in her own roots.

"Is there a place I might lead you to? I know of many, though I am unwelcome in most."

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

Artume stretched her neck forward to return Khloros' nudge, not caring in the least that he smelled of death, and sickness, and decay. To her, that was just what Khloros smelled like. Sure, it turned her stomach, but Khloros was her friend, so she forced herself to ignore it.

He said that he didn't know how they were going to stop Crack, and also asked her to say that he was the one spreading it. To lie went against her nature, and it turned her stomach, but Khloros was her friend, and it technically wasn't a lie. After all, it was more of an omission than anything. Crack was spreading the plague. Khloros was too but... so long as they didn't ask her directly, it wouldn't be a lie. "Alright, then. So long as you promise to be careful." she gave him a hard look. This seemed dangerous, and it made her worry.

She watched as Khloros walked in a circle, eyes on the sky. The fawn looked as well, but there was no sign of the plagued bat. Her ears twitched as Khloros addressed her again, and she nodded. "I've been bedding down in Orion for a while now. I like looking at the stars." she admitted, tilting her head as he withered away the roots that had entangled her.

@Khloros

Khloros listened, his head slightly canted to one side, then gave a soft snort of thought. "The room of pale lights. It is only a tunnel away; if you come with me I will ensure you get there safely. I have been there many times. There was a stag, once, who called himself king, but he was pulled down from many sides."

Khloros turned, thoughts drifting briefly into the past, and took a few clopping steps over the rock toward the tunnel filled with its abandoned, broken pieces of armor. He then turned his head back to peer at Artume.

He had no idea that she thought he was asking her to omit his part in all of this--really, it was about ensuring that others knew the bat to be truly dangerous. It had to be hunted. The hypocrisy was also lost on him; to him, motives were everything, never mind that actions from two vastly different motives could bring the same results.

"I will make sure you are safe, and then we can go our separate ways, though I will check on you, if I can."

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

Other Gembounds, it seemed, had different names for the rooms. Khloros appeared to know Orion, what she knew as the room of stars, to be the room of pale lights. Perhaps it was the same? She didn't really know what a star was, after all, although from context she assumed they were little lights very high up.

"I would appreciate that," she accepted, gratefully. However, the mention of a stag caught her attention, and her ears perked up as she began to trail Artume. "A stag? Like me? What'd he do?"

His words made her hesitate, and she offered him a smile. "Thank you, Khloros. And please, stay safe, I do not want to see my friend come to harm."

@Khloros

The horse gave a soft snort, a blow through both his nostrils, in thought.

"Come. Come with me, and I will tell you when we are there. Do you know the throne? The great, dark stone of Orion?" He watched for a beat, to ensure that Artume would follow--then turned, slowly ambling out.

His gaze watched for Crack; he had no desire to encounter the bat by surprise. No. He wanted to destroy it; it had taken what was his with lies. It must be ended.

Khloros showed no outward signs of his quiet anger as he moved off; his gait was calm, and his gaze, too, impassive as he glanced back, ensuring the fawn was keeping up.

Exit Khloros

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD