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** as the fresian sauntered aimlessly through the territory threshold caverns in a marauding fashion, he was hardly paying attention to the terrain around him. his thoughts consisted mainly of where his territory was, seeing as he was lost within the labyrinth of lands. so bemused was the blackblood that he seemingly failed to notice that the land in front of him was to abruptly, and without warning, change into water. **
** with a cry of pure surprise the black tumbled head-first into the frigid waters of a swiftly-flowing river. hard as he churned, he could do nothing as the waters swept him away. it was all he could do to keep his head above water. suddenly, he was swept into a cavern, in fact, a whole maze of caverns! he groaned inwardly. not more mazes. he had always been bad at those. **
** as suddenly as the current of the river had swept him up, it set him down into the hard rock of the caverns. he stood up and shook himself off before peering cautiously around him. it was illuminated slightly by the glint of sunlight off the water, and it was all he needed to see around. the walls seemed to be devoid of anything of harm, except for one thing that piqued his interest quite efficiently- a tiny arrow engraved into the rock, pointing the way down a passage. **
** he looked back towards the river, not looking forward to diving back into its icy depths to return back to the place where he had been puzzling over the path to his territory. why not risk it all? an adventurous smile formed itself on his lips, and he cautiously followed the arrow into the caves. **
** if the outer cavern was dark, this one was nothing compared to that one. it was pitch black, the only light coming from the entrance to the outer cavern. he could only rely on his sense of touch for footing. as he steadily moved forth, his own hoofbeats reverbrated off the walls, echoing over and over again. the fresian was suddenly starting to doubt his entrance into the cavern. he looked back at the now speck of light that had been the entrance. it seemed impossibly far away! he turned and took a few steps toward it, but with ever step toward it, it seemed to grow farther away. furrowing his brow, he began to trot, and then lope towards it. he didn't seem to get any closer to it! **
** a cold chill ran down the black's spine. what was this, some kind of neverending tunnel? the cold fear of panic enveloped him thoroughly for several moments before a thought reached him. he might as well continue on into the darkness- there surely had to be an end to the tunnel at least one way. neverending as it was - the chill went down his spine again at the notion - there surely HAD to have been an end. it was logical. logic. logic. smart. right. **
** he returned to the careful ascent forward. he noticed with curiousity that the cavern was sloping downwards. every once in a while as he tread, his hooves would crunch on something, and it would bounce off the walls. his instinct told him they were bones, but he consciously tried to deny it, and pushing that thought away, he continued on. **
** after an unprecidented amount of time, he noticed a faint glow coming from up ahead. he smiled inwardly- his logic hadn't failed him. he was careful not to move any faster than a walk, he didn't know if his swifter movements would scare whatever it was away. it turned out to be a smart move for him, because the glow was coming from the torch of a tiny creature, which had not heard him because of his quieter footsteps. the little beast reminded him of a walking fish, for some reason. it had a tail and a weird growth on its back - and it was fast asleep. the fresian wondered what the little fishbeast could be doing, and then, he noticed it. **
** it was a tiny diamond, hardly bigger than his own eye. silver and sparkling in the firelight, he could barely take his gaze off it. it was in the most peculiar shape of a tear, with symbols painted in some kind of silver liquid. it was the most awesome thing the black had ever seen, and with all his might, he wished to possess it. **
** but then there was the fishbeast. the fishbeast was tiny, coming up to his chest at most, and he was sure he could beat the thing easily, especially if it was asleep. suddenly, a guttural voice penetrated his thoughts, and a cold sweat broke onto his back. **
you want my dearie, don't you?
** the fresian looked down, almost terrified of what was to await him. he already knew instinctively it was the fishbeast talking to him, and his sight confirmed what he already knew. the fishbeast was up on his feet, and he expanded right before the fresian's eyes to stare at him at eyelevel. the black was frozen with terror. he could do naught but nod his head at the fishbeast's words. **
my dearie... you cannot have it. unless, of course, you solve my riddle.
** an invisible force seemed to make the stallion nod his head, and his eyes burned with lust. oh, how he wanted that diamond! the fishbeast grinned eagerly at the black, who was watching the diamond with passion. **
this is too easy a bargain.
should you answer the riddle incorrectly,
you will condemned to endless eternity roaming the tunnels.
you have already agreed, you have no choice.
** the fishbeast's words rung in the blackblood's ear. condemned to endless eternity, roaming the caverns. he swallowed hard and nodded- he had no other choice. his wits had better not fail him now. the fishbeast grinned, and recited his riddle in lyrics. **
the beginning of eternity
the end of time and space
the beginning of every end,
and the end of every place.
** the black could hardly comprehend it. he couldn't recall ever having such a riddle in all his lifetime. retaining an indifferent look on his face, his insides churned with angst, and at the same time, his mind was working furiously. eternity... time... space... end... place... what did they have in common? they were all places... what else... he tried to concentrate on the physical aspects of the words, forgetting his instinct. **
** the answer suddenly sprung upon him, and with an almost laugh of relief, he smiled. the answer had been right under his nose the entire time! he turned to the fishbeast and smirked arrogantly. **
the answer is
the letter e.
** the fishbeast's eyes opened wide in fury, and his face paled. the creature could hardly believe it! he wanted to wipe the smirk off the face of the arrogant stallion. him, figure out his family's long-cherished riddle in only minutes! with a fierce cry of rage, he pounced upon default. **
** the stallion was already in a rear with his hooves ready for the fishbeast's head. the spry creature evaded the attack, and pounced straight for the fresian's neck, who in return snapped his head down. the suddenly tiny creature was too quick, and began biting incessantly at default's neck. the blackblood gave a cry of agony, and sank to his knees. unknowingly, he had descended exactly on top of the diamond. the instant the cool roughness of it touched his skin, he felt peaceful, and an envelope of white surrounded him. **
** an instant later, he was back at the river, at the same place he'd fallen in on. peering around, he searched for the fishbeast, but found no sign of him. he could hardly believe his adventure. washed away by a river, lost in a tunnel, attacked by a fishbeast, rescued by the diamond... the diamond! in an instant of panic, he looked frantically down in the water for the diamond. as he stared at his reflection, he noticed something glinting in his mane. taking a closer look, he noticed it was the diamond, firmly embedded within his mane. a smile played on his features, and carefully, he crossed the river. he'd never make the mistake of falling in again. **
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