The scorpion-tailed lion's immense body lay on the cold ground of the square, its blood seeping from underneath, gradually coagulating and thickening until it dried. The bellows-like heavy breathing also grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared from people's hearing. The scorpion-tailed lion's vast eyes slowly shut as the whispering ceased, and the muscles, which had been quivering from pain, trembled less and less until they stiffened completely.