Diana continued to stand and continued to listened to the Horse of Death. For one so weak and putrid, he was very wise. This the wolf knew even at her young age. She decided not to judge others based on appearances again if she could help it, though whether she would remember this later was questionable. Death spoke of different kinds of Kings — some who were obviously idiotic, deciding to fight over nothing and rule an empty land; some who were cruel to their subjects so that they could feel better about themselves; and some were genuine and kind, and ruled not because they wanted to, but because they had to.

Was it wrong, then, that Diana wanted to rule? Was this… a sin? She turned her back on Death for a moment to gaze up at the Throne once more, and it finally clicked in her mind what it was. How she knew it was a Throne was unknown, but she had figured it out somehow. So where was the King or Queen who had once sat upon that Throne? Were they dead? Had they stepped down? In fact, as she turned to gaze outside the walls of the throne room and take in the crumbling city, she wondered where if it had always been this way… Or had it once been pristine and bustling? She had no concept of creatures other than Gembounds, so in her mind’s eye, she imagined a thousand horses and wolves (the only two creatures she knew) roaming the ancient city. And had it always been so dark?

Death’s advice to travel and learn and listen was sound, and it seemed she was already taking that advice. She gazed out at the city in the silence that followed Death’s words, and then she asked him, “What happened to this place? Who once sat upon the Throne here? Where did all the Gembounds go that once lived in this city? Why is it in ruins now?” The thought that there had perhaps been… Others who were not of her kind living in this city would have chilled her to the bone. For now, she had no knowledge of such things. For now she assumed that all were like herself and the Horse of Death. Whether she would ever learn otherwise was up to the Gods.

Words: 390 @Khloros

Khloros listened, simply standing, staring up. He thought he had gotten through, at least a little, though perhaps the young pup might not remember much of what he said.

He considered her question. In truth, he did not know who had come before. What had happened to them. It did not matter, to him--they were not here now. He was here for the current generation--it was why he had been born, created. To bring death to those who now wandered the caves, in his own way, as it was needed.

What mattered was that everything passed. It did not matter if it had been sickness, or war; all things ended, in time. What mattered was that time had passed. That life had faded. That stone had decayed and crumbled away.

"Death comes for all," Khloros answered, simply and hoarsely.

Then he turned to gaze at Diana, silent, and somehow peaceful even in his putrescent, lanky body.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Diana

Diana was very unimpressed with Death’s answer. She already knew that Death came for all of them. Otherwise, the Ones who were gone now would still be here, and the city would not be in ruins. She stared at the horse with a bit of her old self again, somewhere between annoyance and disgust. He had helped her in the beginning, but if this is what she could expect of his answers from here on out, then she did not require anymore of his help. “Fine, then,” she said rather haughtily. “I shall find out what happened to the Old Ones on my own.”

She gazed silently once more out at the ruined city, and then came back to herself and looked upon Death. “Where can I find you, should I need you again? Do you live here?” She paused, turning to look out at the city again. “Is there anything beyond this place? Or is this it? Can you at least answer that question for me?” If this place was all there was, then Diana would have to rethink her idea of being a Queen, for there was nothing here to rule. It was all… dust and broken stone. Useless, but fascinating.

Words: 203 @Khloros

Khloros briefly flicked an ear as he listened to the wolf pup's arrogant tone return. He did not mind; far from it, he was distant, impassive. He turned his thin head to look at her with one glowing eye.

"I do not know what happened to them; only that they died, and are no more. And I do not know where I will be. I wander. There are other caves, beyond this one. Tunnels of ice, and caverns of hot wind. There is a place with glowing stones, and a place with thick forest and jungle. You will find your way."

He turned back to the throne, looking at it in silence--rapidly losing himself in thought.

Who had lived here? What had happened? Had he seen all there was to see? What had happened to the others he had tested--had they lived, or had they died? What had become of the white raven?

The black horse stood wholly motionless, still as the stone itself, as he looked at the throne and its walls. Diana may have already been forgotten by his slightly twisted mind.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Diana

And suddenly Death decided to be much more helpful again, admitting that he did not know what had happened to the Old Ones. And that there were apparently many places to explore beyond this city. This piece of information filled her with determination. She would explore absolutely everywhere. She needed to see all there was to see, no matter what. It was… It was her destiny. Yes. She decided right then. She needed to know what had happened to the Old Ones. Had they stayed in this one place, or had they migrated to the other parts of the world that Death had described?

She turned to look at Death, and found that he was not looking at her. In fact, he seemed far away… She followed his glowing eyes to the Throne, and turned fully to look upon it one more time. She would return someday soon to climb to the top of it. Perhaps she would use it as her own one day — once she had proven herself worthy of being a Queen. Or perhaps Death would take her before that time. After all, Death came for them all, as the Horse had stated. Well… she would just have to prove to Death that she deserved to live.

Without another word to the Horse, she slipped away, down the steps leading to the throne room, and out into the crumbling city to begin exploring…

[Exit Diana]

Words: 236 @Khloros

Khloros stood still and silent for long moments, attention seemingly on the throne, but in truth his mind was drifting, wandering. Empty, at times.

He asked himself questions, and answered them; he wondered at past, present, and future, and made guesses. By the time he came back to himself, the little cub was gone.

He peered quizzically back at the now-empty space, and something in him approved. They all came, lived, and vanished. She was not dead--yet she was gone, no longer clutching the throne.

In fact, he thought, it was if she had never been there--except for the crumbled shards of her chrysalis, he realized.

The horse turned, ambling over toward the moonstone, which still shimmered dully in the faint light from overhead. Soft black muzzle pressed against jagged stone, scooting them around on the rock; and after a moment he lifted his thin neck again, gazing around with the large and lamplike eyes.

No--she has been here. And she has already left her mark, in a sense--the shattered remains of her birth, destined to crumble and fade as will the rest. But for now, it does look rather beautiful.

With a soft and snorting exhale, the plagued horse turned away.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

((Exit Khloros))