The word is dearth. Minus the R we have death. Minus the TH we have dear. And the loyal dog appeared because that is what is left when you take everything else from a wolf.
There is a dog that has two masters. There is a shortage of good heralds, and Love and Death are vying for the loyalty of that dog. The dog has to choose who to serve. But it is said that a dog’s love is unconditional, and that should apply to their loyalty too. Poor little dog, it will never be able to choose.
Love: I am sure that love transcends death. Because birds wake up every morning still remembering their songs.
Death: My dear, once they die birds become part of the earth. When they cross, they lose the thing they love most: flying. What made you think that there would be room for love in hell?
Love: I was taught to give love, to set free and let fly, instead of holding on to my birds. But why do I have a heart if I am not allowed to keep anything inside that cage?
Death: This side is full of endings, it’s full of things that have come to an end. You give me a bird and expect me to grow fond of it. But how am I supposed to do that, when all I see is a corpse full of worms?
Love: If love is in short supply it’s because reciprocity doesn’t exist. Two people will never be able to love each other in the same way, with the same intensity. And there comes a point when one of them simply stops giving.
Death: If you want a scarcity of death open the birdcage and fly. Don’t stay on the ground where you know that you will atrophy and I will easily catch you.
Love: I was told that love begins by loving oneself. That means that I have to shut everyone else out until I learn to love myself.
Death: All I see is death. Sometimes I close my eyes to try to imagine what life would look like.
Love: There must always be a scarcity of love. Because then those fortunate enough to find it know to cherish it.
Death: Dearth? What is that? As long as there are bones, the flesh that covers them will eventually fall.
Love: I know that I want to cherish something, I know that I want to love someone, but I always fail. I don’t know how to make others accept my love.
Death: I am Death. Everything I touch dies. But I wasn’t made to be an owl and love from afar.
Love: I bother to do things right. I bother to establish an interpersonal connection and cherish that bond. And you take it away from me, just like that? Thank you for making me waste my time.
Death: I should have gone with wheat. Now I would have a perfectly ordered field and I wouldn’t have to travel all over this chaotic world to reap souls.
Unconditional love.
Unconditional death.
You force me to choose between two masters. Between Love and Death. You force me to choose who to serve. In another life I used to be a wolf. I refuse to be anyone’s dog.