Lady Life and Sir Death: Part 2

She was almost leaping, dancing, as she ran ahead of him, that seemingly still figure that seemed to float above the ground; she knew full well it was only the slight smoke around his feet that caused this effect, so she did not fear or question it. It was only part of his nature.
Her gossamer gown rippled out behind her as she ran into the light, out from underneath the cover of the trees. She looked back to see if he was still following her, and she smiled at the sight of him, slow as he was; he was constant, slow but constant, and she frowned, noting that this was not a particularly bad description of his job as it affected the mortals they took care of. But she smiled again, pleased that he was finally catching up. The gray cover of the trees made him look even grayer and more blurred than he was; he was about halfway up the road now, dead leaves blowing away from him in his wake, the trees and the plants and flowers that she had created speedily wilting and dying when he passed them.
“Come on, Death!”, she called again, eager to have him see the new spot she had recently discovered. Flowers and plants of every kind bloomed around her bare feet, and she couldn’t stop this from happening, even if she wanted to; but she didn’t want to, for she loved growth and new beginnings, so this didn’t bother her in the slightest. She knew it bothered him, because of the effects he had on the plants and flowers, and winced mentally when she remembered that he would have to cross wherever she went to see the place she had found. But she perked up when she remembered her promise to him just now: that she would go back over everywhere they went when they left.  
“Yes, my Lady.”, he called out to her, almost sadly, his voice echoing ever so slightly. But his pace never quickened, nor did it slow; it was the pace of the indomitable, that calm, slow pace of the invincible, a pace one would take if they were absolutely sure that, no matter what the opponent did to oppose them, the opponent’s efforts would be futile. It was the pace of the undeniable, without regards to fear or opposition.
He finally reached her, a full road’s worth of dead plants, flowers, and trees in his wake, and she smiled fearlessly up into his face. She turned around and seemed to dance and leap again as she ran into the middle of the opening, her arms back as she ran, her long brown hair blowing in the wind. From the gray cover of the trees, he glanced over this place that excited Life so much, to try and understand both it and her excitement.
The grass was almost golden, it was so healthy; of course, it was probably Life’s doing, as she was currently leaping about like a lamb in spring amongst the grass. He chuckled quietly to himself, shaking his head slightly, returning to observe the area, trying not to be distracted by her. It was a small, oval-shaped opening, about 125 feet from side to side, and 200 feet from end to end. He noted that, since he had only come to this place from one side, the trees on the other side of the opening were perfectly healthy and alive, shining in the sunlight.
This was a major difference from the dead, wilting trees that surrounded him, having almost a comical effect. The place had an abundance of plants and flowers now, courtesy of Life. There wasn’t truly anything remarkable about the space, except for the fact that everything seemed almost golden in the sun, the sunlight making everything bright and healthy. He sighed, staying in the gray of the trees, not wanting to disturb her fun and happiness; they both knew what would happen if he walked out amongst the grass. He saw her frown as she leaped and ran about aimlessly, enjoying the sun and the life around her, both of them knowing that it wasn’t only the fact that he could not enjoy the life she made that saddened him, but also the fact that he couldn’t truly enjoy her company; not without harming both of them, and the mortals they cared for, that is.
Suddenly, there was a small, albeit noticeable rustling coming from just across the space; he stiffened, his fists clenched underneath his cloak, gazing intensely at the ruffling bushes. She turned around, her eyes widening in fear; neither of them knew what it was that was moving amongst the bushes. She ran to him, her gown flying out behind her, and he dipped his head slightly as she passed him, knowing wordlessly that she wanted him to protect her from whatever it was; if he couldn’t protect her, no-one could. He heard her spin around gracefully behind him; he knew that plants and flowers bloomed all around him now thanks to her, so he could not even move now without killing something. But he did not hold her against it, for he loved her; this reminder made him lean forward ever so slightly. She poked her head slightly from behind his arm, curious now that she was safe. What was it?....
A head popped up, grayish-yellow-green skin, covered with welts, the eyes large and brown, the whites of the eyes grayish; it had very little hair on its head, and that which it did have was grayish and wispy. The figure smiled, its teeth sharp and pointed, like a piranha’s teeth. It stood up, the bushes rustling around it as it moved, to its full height of 6 feet. It wore very little at all, save for a brown tunic-like garment that ended at the middle of its thighs. A light brown piece of rope served as the belt which held the garment in place. It continued to smile as it moved directly into the sunlight, causing Life’s plants and flowers to wilt sickly.
Death stiffened, straightening up when he saw this figure, and Life stepped out from behind him, her brow furrowed worriedly, but a smile still held on her face; her eyes roamed worriedly as she observed her plants wilting, ill from this person’s effects, but returned to gazing at him, remembering her promise to Death. They knew this person.
“Plague.”, Death said stiffly, his voice echoing like it always did.
The figure leaned over slightly, smiling as if it found something funny, and pointed at Death.
“So you still know me, don’t you?”, Plague asked, saying, “Thought you’d all forgotten me once the Dark Ages were over.”
Death remained stiff and unmoving, remembering all the lives he’d had to take during that time, as well as Life’s plants that were currently sick thanks to the man standing before him. Life furrowed her brows sadly, remembering too.
“Thought you’d died.”, Death retorted acidly, dully.
Plague smirked, saying, “You know as well as I do that immortals cannot die; I merely went away for awhile.”
 “Yes.”, Death stated. “To wreak havoc over those poor countries in Africa, Asia, and South America. Why don’t you leave the destruction to War, hmm? I’m sure he’s pretty good at that.” Plague replied, smiling, “War isn’t the only one who’s capable of causing destruction, as I’m sure you very well know.”
Death gritted his teeth at the reminder, glaring at the plants and flowers instead of at Plague, who laughed and turned his attention to Life; she was still slightly behind Death, though she wasn’t hiding behind him anymore. She watched as Plague approached her, causing her beautiful plants and flowers to become sickly and ill. Death’s head jerked up, glaring at him, and Plague froze, though he smiled impishly at Death.
“What’s the matter, Death? I wasn’t gonna do anything to her.”, he smiled teasingly. Life’s skin crawled, but she still forced that smile to remain on her face. “What do you want, Plague?”, she asked him. He turned his attention to her now, the teasing gone from his face completely, save for his eyes. “War wants to talk to you both.”
“Why?”, she asked, her brows furrowing again, this time out of worry. War never really talked to them anymore; he was usually too busy, what with his ‘job’ and all.
“I don’t know, he just needs to talk to you both.”, Plague responded. The two immortals shared a heavy, knowing look, before trudging along behind Plague, back towards the house. Away from that point in time shared by life, death, and sickness. They were needed, and they always responded when they were asked for.