The Lamb and the Wolf - Kindred Voices

[Xonas Pitfall]

Are you there, dear wolf? I am, little lamb.

Are you sad? I am. What does it feel like? A long hunt with no kill.

How old are we, lamb? Older than those whose footsteps are long vanished. Many years. I remember them all.

How long will we be together? Forever more.

Never one. Without the other. Never one. Without the other.

Have they forgotten us yet, little lamb? All still know us, though they try to forget. Soon we will remind them. All will know us in time.

What do all stories have in common, dear wolf? They end.

Lamb, tell me a story. There was once a pale man with dark hair who was very lonely. Why was it lonely? All things must meet this man. So they shunned him.

Did he chase them all? He took an axe and split himself in two. Right down the middle.

So he would always have a friend? So he would always have a friend.

I see water. They are called tears. Is this where it feels like to end? I do not know, for this is not our end.

Do others come back? Those who do wish they hadn't. All life is temporary. All things great and small... Die. There are so many ways to die.

The only true death is to never live.

Is it time? We will soon awaken from this pale slumber. We are not dreams. We are the waking. All things linger... In our shadow.

Life is ours to end. None can hide. Though many try. Those who run from death stood still in life. They laugh and scream and dance and flee. They race from us only to find us sooner.

They know we'll come. Yet they are never prepared. Treasure your final moments. We know your name. We have always known it. All your life has led to this moment. Its heart beats fast now. It knows.

Beauty fades. That is why it is beautiful. Tomorrow is a hope. Never a promise. Your time has come. Ready or not. A fine life reaches its conclusion.

When you see us... It's too late. No match for us. Few are, dear wolf. I wonder how they see me. Ashes on wool. What sound do they make? Feathers falling on fresh snow.

How does hunger feel? Always there.

Peacefully they go. Hungry we follow.

If it draws breath... It meets us.

Go easily. No! Thrash! Flee! Run if you can.

Who's next? Everyone. Every life... Ends with us. How one dies shows how one lived. They struggle. Good. This next one will be easy. And if not? More fun. Embracing life means accepting death.

Hush now. Rest. Depart in peace. Return to nothing. Time to... End this. Lamb calls. Wolf strikes.

And everywhere lamb went. Wolf was sure to follow. And everywhere lamb went. Wolf was sure to follow.

Edited October 20, 2024 by Xonas Pitfall