Khloros stood quietly at the lip of a ledge, looking down into the canyons of the gorge. There was a vast hole, here, a place where the rock was scorched and burnt, and shards of sharp stone testified to recent combat.

The black foal turned, the patches of puss-slicked dull coat glistening under the orb-light, moving slowly along the rim.

Since he'd accompanied Louie here, he'd felt rather alone. Awkward. Louie had left again on some mission or other, and returned with something--he wasn't sure what, he wasn't part of these Merrymen, but it had the others in a sort of hushed flurry of activity. He was apart from this, and he felt it. These strangers were not free with their secrets, and he thought that they only tolerated him because it had been Louie he'd arrived with. And he was only staying long enough to make sure that Louie was okay, even if the fox hadn't found time to come and visit him, to speak with him. He had something else--something important--on his plate, and that was okay. The foal would see to it that Louie recovered, and then he would himself decide where to go. He still held out hope that whatever had the Merrymen so on edge would fade, and that they might then welcome him and offer him a new home. But for now, they were aloof at best, and Khloros was actually afraid that some of them might grow hostile, might bite him or chase him wholly off.

The black foal been careful to remain apart, then--lingering on the group's edges for the few days he'd been here, exploring Monoceros. He'd found a bit of green to eat, and some water to drink, and he'd found a place where the wind whistled softly toward the ceiling--and he'd listened to that, standing rapt, for hours.

Now, peering down over the damaged gorge, Khloros found himself again wondering what had become of Booker--his first and, he felt, his only true friend in this world. When the dragon had burst into Polaris (and Khloros still didn't realize that it had been from right here, that he was just below his own home), he'd been split off from Booker and had not seen him since. He hoped and prayed that his little friend had made it out alive. His only little friend.

The fact of the matter was, there were more Gembound here in Monoceros than he'd ever encountered in one place in the entirety of his short life--and yet, he'd never felt so alone. So isolated.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Nemesis

Nemesis

There was a horse, and not the horse she loathed, but a new horse. Louie had brought him, like a cat bringing dead mice to the doorstep. It was a problem for him, like there was a hole in his childhood that he filled now with sickly pets. She frankly didn't know what to do with it, but apparently, Maggs was going to work on that. Or something.

As for now, the rhino-- or trino, if you will-- found herself wandering over to talk to him. The situation reminded her remarkably of the first time she had truly interacted with the princess, and he shared her sort of lanky, gnarly elegance. Where she was an angel, this thing reeked of death, as though he was a spirit risen from tar. Thankfully, unlike practically every other horse she had ever met, this one didn't sport his gem on his face like some poser, and that was enough for her to give him a chance.

"S'cuse me," Nemesis called, softly, as her heavy footsteps plodded closer to him. He looked absolutely ill, but who didn't in Monoceros? Fang kept herself clean, and Fire was always strong and well rounded-- but the others... Louie plagued them, if Maggs didn't.

She stopped a few paces away, though she was hardly worried about catching whatever the hell had starved him to the bones. She hadn't been sick a day in her life (though certain bacteria loved her hot, boiling blood) and she doubted he could hurt her. "The name's Nemesis. Who're you?" He didn't really... Seem dangerous, for all that he looked like a demon of death. He was calm, quiet, soft... Just like Magdalena had been.

Khloros turned, startled out of his thoughts by the soft words and heavy, scuffing tread of the creature behind him. His first thought was a surprised what is that followed by a polite biting-back of such a response. Instead he took the friendly cue and stepped lightly down from the edge, moving over to extend his long, thin neck and narrow head toward Nemesis, flaring his nostrils and blowing warm air--healthy, untainted air--toward the rhino's snout in greeting.

"Hello, Nemesis," he answered, voice quiet and gentle with the mildness born of insecurity. Was she here to order him away? Or merely to speak? And was she one of the special ones that Rafael had spoken of, with that fiery gem at her face and the frill and thick tail? Or was she a normal Gembound, and not like them? He thought these things rapidly and, in the case of the latter, without emotion attached--only curious about this stranger and her intentions.

Not that he hadn't seen her around, of course. She was hard to miss.

"I'm Khloros," he answered. He wasn't afraid, exactly, but in the manner of a polite young creature with good manners, he glanced around and asked a hesitant question.

"I'm looking into the pit, and wondering what happened--am I allowed to be here?" he asked her.

A glance over her sharp horns and crushing feet would warn most creatures away, but it hadn't occurred to Khloros that she might actually try to kill him. He held more worry about being ordered away, away from Louie and off into isolation once again.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Nemesis

Nemesis

To Nemesis' complete surprise, he seemed genuinely as nice as she had thought he would be. She tilted her head at the child-like way he spoke, so shy and unsure of himself. Although he wasn't small, as she had come to expect baby gembounds to be, he certainly was young. Thinking about it, he wasn't quite Erebus' size yet, so he probably had a good deal of growing to do. If something that starved could grow.

Her tail swished up the dust behind her, curiosity forming on the tip of her tongue. "Sure ya' can," she replied shortly, glancing past him at the pit. Whenever she looked at the charred, blackened earth that swept down into the emptiness of a time weeks ago, she felt like she was in another world. Like time was shifting under her, awkwardly displaced.

"You know, I know the whole story of this place. I could tell you all about this very hole. I nearly died here half a cycle ago," she had been wanting to tell someone all about it... Though she wasn't the best story teller, just telling Maggs wasn't enough for her. She wanted to spread the word... After all, that moment had been the last time she had truly been herself and since then... Well.

Maybe he had died and come back to life, too. Maybe he understood. It was a hopeful thought, a wish on a shooting star she hadn't even seen, but some dreams were worth dreaming about, even if they were far-fetched.

Khloros listened attentively, ears pricked up; the idea of hearing what had happened here immediately sparked his interest. He turned and moved slowly back to the edge, the lip of the pit, peering down--and then turned blank, glowing eyes back on Nemesis.

"Yes, please," he answered quietly. "I was wondering what did it--I would love to hear the story, all of it--as much as you want to tell."

Horses might not be able to smile very well, but the light swish of Khloros's matted tail and the new alert energy to his posture as he looked back down showed clearly enough that he was fascinated with what Nemesis had to say.

"You're all right now, though, right?" he added, almost as an afterthought, blinking back toward the trino with faint concern in his tone.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Nemesis

Nemesis

A snort of laughter came from the trinoceros, tossing her head back in a chortle. "Yeah, never been better!" She told him with utmost confidence, her stomach churning and her throat constricting at her words. The tears had stopped coming days ago, but the feeling remained. They were just emotions though, and physically she was tougher. That was all that mattered.

"Don't worry, I'm tough enough to handle anything. Ain't nothing in the caves I can't take." This was an outright lie, but the boasting made her pleased. She started forward, coming up along his side to look down into the pit. Right, so from the beginning, huh? She pushed away her deep seated regrets and eased into a casual slouch as she began the story.

"A long time ago, there was a vicious, powerful being called the Wind. He lived here, in Monoceros. He was as tall as the ceiling, and filled the very center of our home. Some days, he was calm and quiet, other days, he was fed by the vents on the cliffs and felt strong enough to escape. He would roar, tearing at his chains, whipping up the dust around and threatened to swallow anything that got too close. But he could never escape, not alone."

"One day, the caves shook with a great force. Perhaps it was because of Wind, but the earth tore open and fell apart. Under the belly of Monoceros, there were two gembounds who had been quietly growing in chrysalises, trapped. One was small, fragile, a lamb-- and her counterpart, a large, monstrous beast called Raheerah... or Fire. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the hole you see before you was opened, and down bellow, those very two gembound slept."

"They were not alone, no. For you see, there were more gems bellow. They had not yet been infused with magic and brought to life, like the sleeping creatures bellow."

"Many gathered at the sight of the new hole. They wanted to take the gems for themselves, to add to their mighty treasures. One by one, gembounds slunk down to kidnap the gems, to claim their prizes. On and on, the slumbering beasts slept, unable to be awoken by even the loudest of noises."

"And so, soon nothing was left but the two gembounds in the hole, all alone..."

Nemesis' voice grew to a whisper, a little bit for dramatic effect, but also to give pause to think about the next part. No one had been there for the fight of Cancer and Leon, but most of the cave knew about it-- at least, somewhat. There had been a fight, blood spilled, and the beasts had awakened. She wanted to tell it right, to get the feeling for the second part set up perfectly. She cast a curious glance at the foal, wondering what he thought so far.

The foal listened intently, his eyes perfectly round glowing discs. He was too young to really understand the idea of a myth, or a legend, and so his mind was grinding along as he tried to imagine a vast monster straining at whatever these "chains" were. Something surging and roaring, like vast hot air.

He turned fully toward Nemesis as she continued, awe flitting over his face at the description of the rock splitting apart, tensing a little as she told of Gembounds stealing down into the cave.

"Did the Wind try to stop them?" he blurted abruptly, as Nemesis briefly fell silent. His tone was that of any youth hearing a good story, eager and curious and just a little it concerned for all these creatures in his mind that were slipping down into the hole below, aiming to steal that which was not theirs to take.

Were they valiant, or villains? Had they been brave, or thieves? Khloros crept back to the pit's edge, peering down, trying to picture all that Nemesis said as she had spoken. Then he looked back to her, blinking.

"Did they die?"

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Nemesis

Nemesis

""Oh yes, the Wind was very angry. He roared, shaking the earth, but no one listened to him. Try as he might to stop them, he was trapped."

Nemesis put on a coy little smile. She loved the Wind, and saw it in her friends from time to time-- Fang especially. She was a child of the Wind, in Nemesis' eyes.

"Now, most of the thieves and treasure hunters fled with their prizes while they had the chance, because the creatures bellow could awake at any time. However, there were two fools who got into a fight at the top of the ring. Some say they were fighting over a gem, others say over a lover, but either way, they fought to the death."

"That was when the Wind shook the earth again. The ground tore open," Nemesis paused, stepping over to a fissure in the wall of the hole. "And before one could kill the other, he fell into the hole. This awoke the lamb." Most of this part was just heresay, of course, but she embezzled it as best as she could.

"The gembound who had fallen was gravely injured in the fight and fall would have died, if not for the lamb. She gave her life to him, and told him he would have another chance. By the time he reached the top of the hole, however, his enemy was long gone. Worse, the lamb's dying breath awoke the Dragon bellow."

"Fire rose out of the pit, his angry roar drawing the attention of those who lived here. I came too, of course. You see, Khloros, I was born a Fire like he was, though much smaller. Seeing as Fire had been born here, in Monoceros, I knew that he was like a brother to me."

"At the time, many gembound had gathered to see if they could get riches like the others, and upon seeing the angry Fire, they attacked. I tried to stop them, but they refused to listen."

"The Wind saw Fire and whispered to him, Wind said, "If you set me free, I will make you stronger than anything you could ever imagine." Although he was almost as big as Wind, there were many who wanted to stop him. If they all worked together, perhaps they could take down Fire-- but they would never be able to stop Fire and Wind together, for Wind strengthens flames. So Fire turned and set Wind's chains ablaze, melting them. Wind joined with Fire, and in that instant the whole of Monoceros turned into a firestorm."

"Many Gembounds fled, but not all could escape the flames. Fire nearly swallowed me whole, but a few Gembounds continued to attack him. Distracted by the foolish who dared challenge such a great foe, I was able to escape."

"... But even as Fire fought against those who dared opose him, the Wind kept whispering in his ear. The Wind wanted to leave Monoceros, so he told Fire many things. He told him that there were great treasures, thrones and palaces, places that together, they could conqure. Yet, Fire did not listen. Fire only wanted to kill and burn, seeking revenge for his fallen friend, the Lamb."

"So here's what the Wind did. He made a giant cyclone, and swept up the Fire, lifting him up and away, into the cracks in the ceiling."

Nemesis lifted her head and stared up at the massive hole that Raheerah had fled into.

"Even now, Fire is dragged along by Wind, though his ramapage is far from over."

Khloros held his breath and stared up at the ceiling, wide-eyed. He imagined a great firestorm filling the room, causing the scorchmarks across the stone, ripping up into the world above and beyond.

"Is all of that true?" he breathed, turning to look at Nemesis in wonder. "Where did they go? I lost my home, like that," he added quietly.

He decided to explain, a little, if only because he had a question to follow it with.

"It's why I'm here. A huge thing made of fire came to my home, and set all of... everything, on fire. There were flames on the rock and... and I don't know where Booker went," he added quietly, looking down into the pit. "He was my friend, he helped me after I was born and he lived in the cave with all the crystals, before the monster came up from the floor. He let me live with him, but one day I was away and woke up to the fire everywhere. I don't know if he died. I would have died, but Louie saved us. He distracted the monster so we could all get away. That's why his face is hurt," he added.

Khloros then looked to Nemesis again, asking the question he'd thought of to begin with. "Is that what the caves are always like? Monsters made of wind and fire? Do we have to fight them? ...Should we run away? Are you friends with Fire? ...And why are they here? Why are we here?"

It was perhaps a little sudden, and a little too much of a torrent of questions all at once, but certainly the wise storyteller trinoceros would know.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

@Nemesis

Nemesis

The diseased stallion seemed absolutely taken away by her story; a heat rushing to her ears, flushing her cheeks. Embarrassed that she had had such an effect on the horse, turning her head to peer down the hole more.

He had more than just questions though: he had information. About Fire, and even Louie, and how his face had become scarred. A small part of the anger-driven trino wanted to add a few more burns to the fox, but Fang considered him a partner. Part of the family.

Boy, did the young creature of death have so many questions. She didn't really know where to start, as she finally glanced back to his almost soulless green eyes. For a moment, she wondered if he could see-- but of course he could. Why couldn't Magdalena, then?

"Uh, well, y'see," she started, clearing her throat. "There's a whole lot of dangerous stuff in the caves, yeah, but not all of it is bad. And if you stick to your family, folks like us, we can protect one another. Y'see?" She stepped back, her tail swishing, as she turned wholly to face him, observing his frail form. Why was she so drawn to the sick, the weaker, those that she could probably turn to ash?

"Anyway, just about everything's made of something... See, I'm not really friends with Fire-- but I'm Fire like him. Just... a much smaller Fire. And there's creatures who are like Wind, who can fly, too. It's not really anything to be scared of, once you know how they all work and stuff. It's just natural-- and if you stay out of the nasty ones' ways, you won't even have to worry about it."

She smiled, lifting her head up high, her ears twitching behind her new set of horns. "As for the stories, they're about as true as the Earth. I bet you that thing you saw, the thing that hurt Louie, was Fire. Hopefully he won't be coming back, but I think Wind doesn't want to come back here... So as long as they're together, we should be safe here."

There were plenty more questions, but honestly, the once-rhino was having enough of a hard time trying not to scare the poor, half-starved looking critter. Since she didn't know the answers to a lot of it, she decided to opt out of answering, hoping that he would move on to ask other stuff.