From his cavern in the craggy mountains of Beqanna he had watched the fall and rise of the lands.  Never mourning the losses, never elated by the gains-except of course when Pangea arose from the depths, again-.  He had played his part long ago in the plague.  He had honored his God, the one true God, Carnage.  For his loyalty he had been bestowed unimaginable gifts.  He knew that one day the land of the heathens would rise, and he would be here to see to it She never sank again.

"Finally," blackened lips smeared into a devilish grin as his body stepped onto the deserted lands.  Well, what was left of his body.  Framents of tawny flesh hung from bone exposed to the elements.  A foul odor hung in the air, his nostrils flared as he drunk it in, "home sweet home," he choked.  The dreadlocks of what was left of his mane and tail hung stiff in the stagnant air.  The large stallion had hidden himself for a time, waiting for the opportune moment to make his existence known.

It was much as he remembered; dry and desolate.  Ruby eyes scanned over the broken landscape with much pleasure.  Vultures circled silently overhead searching for a meal to be had.  With each step into the interior his hooves pressed indentations into the cracked clay.  An announcement to any who may be lingering in the lands that he had arrived.  

What was his purpose here?

Only time would tell, but for now he was just to exist in Her glory.  To exist though he had to feed. It had been ages since he had taken from another.  After the fall of Xenos -his cult- he had whisked himself away from the inhabitants.  Sulking one might claim; preparation more like it. He did not hide himself now and wondered just how long it would be before another showed.  

An unsuspecting victim.

A meal.

It had been much too long since he fed last. His appearance was withering away, leaving any that lay eyes upon him to assume that he was weak and frail.  He was far from such. He wouldn't boast he was a stout warrior of any likeness.  No, he was much too clever to fight frivolous battles.  Kings and Queens rose and fell too easily these days; borders ebbed, loyalties clashed, legacies lost.  No, he preferred aligning with the dark God.  Truly Carnage was the only thing that remained constant in these parts...

Glowing crimson eyes saw her approach.  It was not hard to spot such stark contrast against the earthy landscape here.  She looked anything but earthly, and all but out of place within the depths of Pangea.  He halted his advancement and allowed her to approach or pass on by.  He knew the grotesque nature of his body stirred feelings in others; concern, curiosity, sadness - to name a few.  It has never bothered him in the least what others saw.  He had nothing to hide in the land of the damned of all places.  There was a shift in the distance, and he noticed then another figure loomed within the shadows.  Not close enough he is concerned, not far enough he hasn't become aware.

As she stopped a short distance off, his head lifted his view to find her eyes hard to read.  They were expressionless, ghostly, an unending depth.  They intrigued him.  His ears turned forward as she spoke.

Are you dying? 

Blackened lips twisted into a grin of sorts as he mulled over the question in his mind.  He was about to answer when the other spoke ever so lightly.

..how are you living?

His large frame stepped towards the dove of a mare; his eyes focused only on her.  The exposed joint bones in his rear limb turn and twist with each stride.  The lack of flesh on the right side of his face leaves little to imagination of what hid behind one's skin.  He was not pretty, not like the one who first approached.  She was seemingly unscathed and yet beneath the glow of her hide he found remnants of a past.  He did not ask though, was not his place nor his purpose here.  He stopped, not but a breath between them, and answered in a gruff voice, "Let me show you."

His eyes glowed brighter than before -more demonic than the ember of a fire- as he continued to gaze at the ghostly mare.  His powers sought out the speckled man who remained a distance off.  Like a shadowed arm it reached to pluck at his strands of life, fingers wrapped around it and tugged it free.  If the cautious one thought distance would save him, he was wrong.  His eyes then closed as he felt it break free.  The grin grew on his lips as he felt the others energy begin to repair him.  The gaping wounds across his body begun to heal, closing ever so slightly.  More flesh covered bone than before, spreading slowly -but noticeably- if one was paying attention.

He always wondered what they felt when he did that.  Surely it was not the ecstasy that radiated through him.  It was unlikely painful, since no one had ever winced when he teased the health from their body.  A slight cough, bloody nose, feeling faint; that was often what he noticed as a symptom of his feeding.  He had only gone too far once... Thank you Mother.

His eyes snapped open and the angelic view of the one who stood before him returns.  They dimmed back to their ember glow as he spoke in a more bass tone, "There... Much better." 

His gaze scanned the mare's body, the powers within begged to taste the sweetness it was to find there.  He was a gentleman though -sorta- so he pushed the thoughts aside, his neck curled to bring his face to align in the direction of the lurker. He searched briefly for any ailment that may have plagued the man and then offered an introduction, "My name is Zain, servant of Carnage, protector of Pangea.  What brings you lovelies here on this fine day...  Business?  Or pleasure?"  His grin returned in anticipation of the possible answers.

  

In his lifetime he has come to know many magics of Beqanna. What one could create, another could destroy with no more than a mere thought.  Then another comes along to recreate in their own image what was lost.  It was the eternal flow of the lands and all who called them home.  So, he is not naive to think neither who stand before him are without some form of talents.

The spotted one seems to be in a dazed state still as he awaits introductions.  He had no reason to hide who he was and his intentions within the land.  Perhaps they did but it mattered little to him.  He was here for land and nothing else.  When the man offers his name and his purpose here the zombie smirks before replying, "Oaks.  Pleasure to have you here in Pangea.  Please stay as long as you'd like.  I would not mind the company in the least."  His statement having two separate contexts but who needs to know. "I have to admit I haven't seen anyone other than you two.  The lands seem a bit barren but perhaps we will find others.  Would either of you care to join me on a patrol?  That is, if you are feeling up to it Oaks.  You look a tad...exhausted."  His gaze drifts from one to the other before taking a slight step, motioning to the inner parts of Pangea with a grin.

The ghostly mare offers no real dialogue, and he shrugs it off with a shake of his head.  If her presence here was business, she'd have to look elsewhere.  He had no interest in kingdom politics.  Pleasure on the other hand. >;}

His piebald body shifts again as he listens to what else the man offers.  His ears twist in interest at Oaks verbal thoughts and he wonders the meaning behind it.  What gift -or curse- was he hiding?  Not being shy he plainly asks, "Should we be ill?"  He pauses his advancement, ember eyes gauging if they would be joining in on the wanderings.  They could chat further and see if they find any inhabitants of the land...