Scenarios

The Dream

The night is cool, the full moon high. Candles are passed around the festival grounds. The usual joy and brightness is nowhere to be seen. Thousands of animals, of hundreds of species— mundane, ancient, prehistoric, alien, and mythical— gather here. The Keeper, a remarkable human with the ability to communicate with all these animals, brings them with him on his excursions to various dimensions to show them off, and help teach the worlds about them. His one goal in life is for animals to be able to live free and without fear of death by those "better" than them. Many of his animals are rescues, and all of them are here by choice. He takes care of them and, in turn, they help him in many ways. He is here in this dimension, Lorkel, for his usual purpose of teaching the people about his friends and spreading love and knowledge. But today is not the usual happy day. In one of the larger enclosures, a massive apatosaurus lays in the grass, breathing weakly. Her name is Yinett, and she is truly ancient. One of the Keeper's oldest rescues and truest friends. He shamelessly lets the tears stream down his face. He's surrounded by supporting guests and his other mourning friends, the closest of which consist of Yinett's children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Hunters and prey alike linger near, all mourning the ancient beast that seemed to be present for all their rescues. Above them all, a great blue whale and her calf swim, magically suspended in the sky, unperturbed by the lack of water. They sing a low, mournful song. The Keeper passes off his candle and kneels close to her head, setting a gentle hand on the side of her head. He whispers, "It has truly been an honor to live by your side, my dear," He says, voice shaky. The apatosaurus looks up at him with kind eyes. She lifts her head weakly and nudges against him gently. He lets out a single sob and embraces her as best he can. Yinnet lets out a low rumble and lays her head back down. She closes her eyes, a dream coming to take her away. Surrounded by her friends, and with the Keeper resting a loving hand on her neck, Yinnet takes her final breath. For a few moments, the Keeper keeps his hand against her rough hide. Finally, it falls away and he bows his head, eyes closed tight. Tears leak through and splatter on the ground below him. Nearby him, a mournful howl rings through the night air. It's answered by another, rougher one. A chorus joins in. Other animals join the call. The other apatosaurus let loose deep lowing sounds, stamping their feet. Elephants in the distance trumpet triumphantly in memory of the graceful beast that has died here today. Other dinosaurs are present as well. A herd of triceratops bellow our their sadness. A t-rex, near the edge of the gathering, lets out a weak roar, careful not to overpower any of the other calls around her. A herd of zebra rear and kick the air, whinnying and braying into the night. A phoenix spreads her wings and lets out a magnificent call. She quickly bows her head again and her call dies down, and the other animals quickly follow suit. The night slowly quiets into the musical chirping of crickets in the grass. Throughout it all, the Keeper keeps his head down, the tears slowly coming to a stop. He rests a hand against a Yinett's still-warm forehead. "Keep dreaming, my dear. I look forward to the day I may join you in your dream," He whispers. A large ape comes up behind him and rests a consoling hand on the Keeper's shoulder. He turns and embraces the ape. He hugs the man back. Soon a number of animals are vying for a turn to comfort their Keeper. He laughs and cries at their love. He motions for everyone to back away from Yinett's resting place. The phoenix flutters down and perches on the Keeper's outstretched arm. She doesn't burn him at all. They share a silent thought and the phoenix takes off. Her flight is short. Her quickly lands again on Yinnet's side. Her claws dig into the dinosaurs hide, and fire spreads out beneath her. It quickly envelops the entire sauropod, lighting up the night. It doesn't stink, or crackle. The fire is silent, odorless, and comforting to all who witness it. Soon, the bird is perched on a rib as all the flesh has burned away. Then, she stands atop a pile of ashes as even the bones are incinerated gently. Before long, even the ashes are burned to nothing and the phoenix takes off again to find her perch. Yinnet is resting now. The Keeper lets another tear roll down his face before he turns away. It's time to disperse the onlookers. The grounds will close early tonight.