Walls flanked Louie as he traveled through the path that would bring him to the edge of Monoceros heading out. Remaining too long near Booker or Bara was stressing him out far too much. It took everything to keep that numbat on the brink of death without letting him spill over into the eternity of white noise. Shoulder brushing against the edge and gathering dirt, his front legs still carried the scabs and cuts from where he had crawled through the dirt in total numbness. After his first killing, he felt changed. It was an odd feeling, but the power and realization it brought to him gave Louie a feeling that he himself was immortal. Indestructible despite being among the smallest carnivores within Origin cave.

Inhaling deeply, what little light made it through to where he was walking was one of the only indicators he hadn't been swallowed up whole by the geothermal vortex that lay beneath the surface. The taste of acrid smoke and flame was on his lips as that rhino was just a mobile fire hazard at this point. Smoke was a tough thing to get out of coats and he didn't enjoy feeling like he'd been sitting beside a bush fire for hours. It made him sticky and uncomfortable and he hoped to venture into Orion and bathe within the crumbling water fountains that housed stagnant water. Potentially, he'd go back into Eridanus but he'd run into that arctic fox again.

Not aware of how far the ramifications of his actions spread, his new found "power" made him confident that he didn't need them anymore. There was one task he wanted to extract from Baratheon before he let him go, but he wondered how long that would take. Other than that, his whole capturing of the pair had been spontaneous. All these events had led to was this feeling... This crazed feeling like he needed to destroy. To fight and conquer all if he wished to be on the top, playing dirty tricks and games to convince and enslave others that he knew what was best for them. Of course he knew what was best for them, he knew everything there was to know about anything. Getting too deep into his train of thought, he stumbled over a crack in the ground in front of him and hissed sharply.

Ahead, he could see where the light grew signifying he had reached the end of the gorge and was near the tunnel. Recently, all attention had been on himself and he was enjoying more and more this feeling of being a one-man act. Abandoning Merry Men wasn't something he had considered much before, but he didn't feel they had anything much to offer him as his use for a family was 0. They had begun life as pawns to his game and they'd only progressed to bishops and knights. Still worth nothing next to him as a King. A King who required no protection from anyone as he himself could perform every maneuver on the board and more as he was the most powerful gembound in Origin.

That was how he saw it.

"Hear my words."

Code by Lisa | Table by Azooka

@Khloros

Khloros had sought Louie for the last several hours, and truth be told, he was growing exhausted. His was not a body built for long travel--or rather, it was, it certainly would be, but he was a sickly beast and his gait was growing slower.

It was odd, though--it wasn't that he was physically tired, or rather, not exactly. In fact, he felt like his muscles could go forever without tiring. What ached were the clouds of illness within his body, his "friends" as Booker had phrased it. Maybe there was a synergy there that he hadn't been aware of? Maybe they--Oh.

The foal lifted his long, thin neck and narrow head, quickening his walking pace with a swish of his tail. He let out a quiet nicker of greeting, quickly striding up to the fox for whom he'd been scouring the canyons.

"Louie," Khloros said softly, visibly perking up upon spotting his friend. "Are you all right? How are you feeling--I was looking for you, but I know you've been busy," he added, half-sheepish and half-hopeful. He leaned down, blowing warm air toward the fox's face in an instinctive equine greeting. The air was perfectly healthy, smelling of grass and horse-hair, but Khloros didn't realize that Louie might not appreciate even the gentle snort blown his way, no matter how well-intentioned.

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Louie

Not expecting to be joined by another, he yelped and almost jumped out of his skin at the sight of the plague pony. Fur prickling, he let out a quiet breath, "Oh. It's just you." Truth be told, he had been so caught up in everything that had gone on since he had been rescued by Khloros that he'd forgotten the little pony had come back with him. Going back to his previous thoughts, Khloros was the only one within the whole damn cave he didn't find entirely repulsive.

Coming closer, he didn't push Khloros away and let the boy get up and personal with him. Being touched he most certainly hated, but the plague pony seemed to just know when he was crossing a line. Even if the not crossing of the line was unintentional. About to speak, he was cut off as he expressed his concerns for him. Heart sinking slightly, he now felt genuine guilt as he just nodded stiffly, "I'm fine." Not really sure what to say, he looked away and breathed out slowly. No one knew he had killed the cloud-beast other than those who had been witness to the corpse. It was his knowledge that no one in Merry Men was aware of what had happened. Eventually, he wanted them to know but it wasn't grand enough to even be worth mentioning.

Not entirely sure what he was doing, he found himself leaning up against the leggy beast's fore leg. "It's surprising how many things have changed since that day in Polaris. I've bounced back quicker than I could have imagined." With a brisk shake of his head, he sighed, "I'm not sure what to do about Booker though." A mix of genuine concern, but with the underlying feeling of how he just didn't want them in his life anymore as they were complicating it, he continued on about how he was feeling. Completely unaware of the conversation they'd had prior. "Without me, Booker will die. But his dragon... I need that power. Until I have it I guess I'll just have to keep them here." Matter of factly, he shrugged.

"Hear my words."

Code by Lisa | Table by Azooka

@Khloros

When Louie leaned up against him, the colt gave the fox a brief nuzzle, back behind his head--a soft snuffle, only the shortest of touches. He liked Louie, he did, and he'd come this far and waited this long to be sure that Louie was safe. But he had to go--as soon as he knew that Louie was safe, he had to go. This had been his plan, all along--to make sure Louie got home to Monoceros, healing safely--and then to head out to find Booker again, his first and true friend.

He lifted his head again to listen quietly, letting Louie stand leaned up against him, comfortable with the contact--but froze as he heard Louie's next words.

Booker?

He was silent for a shocked moment, and his next words came slowly, carefully, trembling with the weight of Louie's potential replies.

"B... Booker? Did you say Booker? Did you find him?! Is the dragon back? What do you mean, he might die--Louie, he can't die, where is he?" Khloros implored, lowering his head at once to peer pleadingly at his fox friend.

Where had Louie found Booker?! Where was he? What was wrong with him?!

The foal gave a soft and frightened nicker to follow up his words, then held his breath as he waited, afraid, for the fox's answer.

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Louie

Although he had initiated the contact from leaning against him, the nuzzle was something he hadn't been expecting and he shuffled forwards slightly running a paw over the back of his neck where the foal's muzzle at brushed gingerly. Shivering and straightening up, he could feel Khloros freeze without even looking at him and he turned to look over his shoulder. Confusion crossed his face at the concern for Booker, he couldn't remember him being mentioned before and wondered if his brain had merely erased that along with other minor details of his accident.

"Booker. He's in my den, I infected him to capture his dragon..." Trailing off, a look of brief worry crossed his face before being replaced by the previous confusion. "Without me, he would be dead." Not sure if he was liking where this was going, he skeptically tilted his head and took a few paces back yet again. "Could be worse though, I don't intend to make him do anything other than lay there and feel sorry for himself. Baratheon is just a mopey asshole so once his gemstone is at full capacity, it will be mine." The idea of breeding a future generation with the dragon excited him so. What power would come of it was beyond his wildest dreams and his one eye got that particular sheen of nasty happiness.

"It will be unstoppable." But he still watched Khloros earnestly, waiting for the only creature he felt he had any tie to. Despite not knowing him for long, heck he probably knew Magdalena and Fang more, he felt removed from the trio that made up the three girls. Another prokaryote, and this time one who trusted him. One he trusted. "Are you OK?" Not usually so considerate of others feelings, he shivered again at the foreignness of it.

"Hear my words."

Code by Lisa | Table by Azooka

@Khloros

Khloros stood for a long moment, dumbfounded, his young mind simply unable to grasp the whirling situation threatening to spiral out of control and slam off past his mind into chaos. He just didn't get it. Blinking large, glowing eyes at Louie, he continued to speak softly and mildly, the only thing in his voice concern, and hurt.

"You--infected him...? For the dragon? The one that--attacked us? That's not his dragon, that's... he didn't have a dragon," Khloros added, confused. "No, Louie--he just lived there! I--when I was born he found me, lost in the caves, in the dark. It was cold and--and he fed me, and took me home, and got me warm again. He taught me to speak. He's--he's my friend," Khloros added plaintively, taking a step forward.

His voice broke at the word "friend."

He still didn't comprehend the fact that Louie had been deliberately malicious; instead he thought it must all be some vast misunderstanding. Gembound weren't bad. They weren't cruel. They weren't savage to one another--they helped, and they were kind. Louie must have thought that Booker was somehow behind Raheerah's attack? But no--that was silly. Raheerah was a monster, unstoppable, and unrelated--he'd shown up only to destroy their home!

Khloros glanced over Louie once more, reassuring himself absently that the fox was in fact recovered, before continuing. It was a brief, half-thought-out thing, something to catalogue away in the back of his mind--but he still cared about the fox, still assumed that he was friend, and not foe.

"Louie, if--if Booker's sick, please let me see him, please don't let him die," he pleaded, and his voice sounded near tears.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Louie

Never had he heard hurt in another creature's voice that he didn't enjoy the sound of. It made him queasy, it made him fearful but it made him concerned. Never had he shared these feelings before but it wasn't pleasant and his scowl began to take form on his face. Not even realizing it, he was holding his breath as he almost waited for Khloros to confirm it was a joke. That he didn't care he had infected the numbat beast.

Apparently, they were friends, and he didn't own a dragon so he wanted to think that it was a different Booker. But the likelihood of that was small and he wasn't sure how to summarize the fact that he did own a dragon. Breaking down, he couldn't find it in his heart to stare down the plague pony. Just as what had happened with Wynry, he wasn't even sure he could will up the courage at the last moment. Murder had been easier than what he was feeling right now. That crack on the word friend hurt him more than what he thought it would. There were no friends he could speak of but he found himself in a friendship all the same. "I'm not going to let him die."But he also didn't want to let him see him.

Entirely sure it would come out at some stage, he steeled himself and kept his expression fixed. But instead kept his gaze on his hooves. "Since it's all coming out. Might as well know I wasn't trying to save you in Polaris. I wanted that dragon to kill you. You and the other two." There was a weird weight lifted from his shoulders, but it appeared to just transfer to his chest as it felt like his heart was made of lead. That was difficult, but he was strong and he was a killer now. He didn't need friends and he certainly didn't need Khloros.

"Hear my words."

Code by Lisa | Table by Azooka

@Khloros

"I wanted that dragon to kill you."

Khloros stood utterly stock-still for a moment, the words ringing in his mind, staring at Louie with utter horror gripping his heart. Everything had gone cold, and silent, and stark against a dark and cruel world.

Louie had wanted to kill them. Khloros didn't think he was joking, nor did he think that the fox was trying to throw him off from asking about Booker. He was serious. He'd wanted them dead--wanted three perfect strangers, dead.

He could think of only one thing to say, one thing to ask, and when it came out, it came out breathless.

"Why...?"

Oh, he still wanted to see Booker; he'd still ask about him, hell he'd scour Monoceros himself if he had to. But right now, his whole mind and heart were focused on this one question--this 'why'--and on the twisting sting of betrayal that thrust its way into his chest like a jagged blade.

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Louie

Why? A good question but he didn't have to ponder on it long. Although entangled in his morality, the constant back and forward on whether or not he could kill someone first hand rather than merely being the agent who started the series of unfortunate events. "Because I wanted to," a roll of his shoulders and he blinked upwards at the foal. For once meeting his glowing eyes, Louie felt no shame.

"Would I do it again? Maybe. Can't say it brought me much gain other than having you come with me." That was a side effect of what had happened though and was by no means his initial intention. Though he was speaking as he usually did, he felt different as the words came out. Of course he knew there was something that prevented him for detaching himself completely from the plague horse, but he was ignoring it so he could explain exactly what had happened. "Booker won't die. I would never let him die, not that that means much considering I said I wanted you dead before. But I don't want you dead now." Frustrated that he was probably making no sense, he put a paw over his face and dragged it down his snout.

"Booker is too valuable to me to let him die." Not entirely sure what he meant by that, he felt weird again and backed up a few steps. The scowl had faded into a more placid expression, marred with a frown. "I don't want him to die even after he's completed what I need from him. Besides if I did let him die, Baratheon would kill me anyway so there is that. Playing with dragons is dangerous after all."

"Hear my words."

Code by Lisa | Table by Azooka

@Khloros

Khloros watched the fox, watched and listened to him speak. The realization that had begun when Raheerah had devastated his home and his life--the hardening, cold shell that came after the knowledge "evil exists," had struck him--began to slowly grip him once more. But he didn't show it. He couldn't.

He lowered his head instead, a soft sniff coming from him. How could he do this?

Khloros looked back up only after a long moment, face wracked by devastation. He slowly clopped closer to Louie, sagging with misery, voice breaking as he spoke.

"Louie," he began softly, "if you mean the fire-dragon, that is not Booker's dragon... "

Maybe Louie was just insane. Khloros sighed through his flared nostrils. Maybe he just needed understanding.

"I'm alive, so forget me, forget that you wanted us dead. I don't care about me." He took another clopping hoof-step forward, trying to lower his head to look into Louie's eyes, to come close enough to nuzzle the fur at the top of his head, just over his injured eye.

If I could heal you, I would, he thought to himself.

"But I need to see Booker. I was only staying here to make sure you would survive--that you were okay. This whole time, I've been wanting to find him. Waiting for you to be all right, so I could look for him. He's my friend. Please, bring me to him."

Khloros's voice was soft, head as close as he could get to Louie, to look him in the eyes with a pleading, steady gaze.

"Let me stay with him. Please."

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Louie