The Forgotten Zodiac

"Yes, but we do have Nate for the leading..." Werr said, thinking.

"Well then, allow me to ask you a question then," Nate said, curious for an answer. "What would you do if I became injured, and Seria could do nothing to help that? If I were unable to lead, and became nothing but a hindrance, what would you do?"

"I-I..." Werr blinked, taken off-guard by the question.

When he didn't answer, Nate tried a different one. "Or what if it was to be discovered, hypothetically speaking, that Welk had a real brother, who happens to be much stronger than any of us, that wanted all of us dead just because we have Welk with us?"

Again, Werr didn't answer. Nate watched him for a long time before the woman returned with a bucket of water and some rags, as well as a couple rolls of bandages. Nate silently stood and moved to clean Luen's burn wounds so they wouldn't become infected.

Welk thought about the questions for a long while, even after Nate moved off to help Luen. Finally, he spoke up. "We would stick with you if you got hurt, Natey." he said. "We're friends, and friends help each other no matter what. And if I had a real brother that wanted to hurt my friends, then I would help fight back against him. Just being related by blood doesn't make someone a part of your family. It's what you go through with the people you care about. You guys are all the family I would ever need." He grinned, then folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them.

Seria smiled at him and said "I think you might be right about that, Welk."

Luen didn't stirr as Nate tended to him. He was too exhausted to care what they did to him.

"Y-you're right about the family, Welk, but..." Werr said, looking slightly upset. "Getting to this war-zone, finding out what's going on...it's really, really important that I do all this, because if I don't, more people could die..."

"It's more important than the slow and injured, and you can't do anything if you get killed because you refused to let go of your friend." Nate said quietly.

"I...I didn't say that," Werr bit his lip, looking away.

Nate was silent.

"Yeah," Welk said. "but if all of your friends die along the way, who's going to help you?" He sounded a bit upset. "I've got mysteries I want to know too, you know. Where are my parents? Why did they abandon me? Those are the biggest ones for me. I know your quest is important to you, Werr, and that's why I've stuck with you this whole time. Because you're my friend. I even left Cynyr to go along with this, and now I have no idea where he is! If we're all dead by the time this is over, then what are you going to do? You'll have your answers to what you want to know, but you won't have anyone left to share them with. You'll be alone." He stood up abruptly and stalked to the stairs, saying "I'm going to bed." He took the steps two at a time and fled up them, heading to the room he was supposed to share with Werr.

Werr was silent for a long moment. Then he rested his arms on the table and buried his face in them. Welk was right, he was being stupid again...but what if he had figured his father's letter out before he had met Welk? He would be alone anyways...would he have bothered, then? Werr was still thinking about it when the woman set a plate of pork roast in front of him.

He ate silently, still wondering what he should do from here. Why the heck did Nate bring up such ridiculous questions? Nate ate quickly before gently picking Luen up, carrying the wolfling up to the room that he had been planning to share with Luen.

A hand gently touched Werr's shoulder. Seria watched him for a moment after resting her hand on him, then said "Don't beat yourself up over what Welk said or the thoughts I know are going through your mind. Anything else that could potentially have happened did not. You met Welk and Cynyr and became friends with them and everything else up to this point. There is nothing you can do to change the past, so don't stress yourself over it." She tenderly stroked her hand down his back. "Now is what matters, not then. Welk is right, through. If you don't have your friends left with you at the end of your journey...you are nothing." She sighed a knowing sigh, then rose up and said "Come on. You need rest as much as any of us do."

Luen didn't move as Nate picked him up. He was already unconscious.

Werr was quiet for another moment, then he looked up at Seria and smiled a little bit. "You...you're right. Welk is right. I'm such an idiot..." He set down his fork and stood. "Thank you, Seria," He turned on heel and headed up the stairs, passing Nate who was coming downstairs again for some reason.

Werr didn't question it and knocked on the door he was pretty sure Welk was behind. "Welk? Are you awake?" He said softly, opening the door slightly.

Welk was sitting in the window, his head buried in his arms, which were resting on his knees. He glanced up sharply when Werr came in, revealing wet marks down his cheeks and tears that had yet to fall resting in his eyes. He quickly turned away and wiped his eyes, then looked down at the floor and said "Y-yeah...I'm awake." His voice was a tad raspy, and it was obvious that he had been crying. He was missing Cynyr terribly bad, and the conversation downstairs hadn't helped.

Werr sighed when he saw what he had done, at least partially. He stepped in and gently shut the door behind him. He moved to stand in front of Welk, and shuffled his foot against the floor quietly. "I'm sorry," He said, rubbing his arm. "I'm sorry for what I said, downstairs. I was...I was being stupid again, and...I don't know how far I would have made it without you by my side, and we haven't gotten very far at all, s-so..." He cut himself off, realizing that he had been rambling.

Welk shivered slightly, but he didn't say anything for a long moment. Finally, he spoke. "It...it's not your fault..." he said, shifting around a bit on the window sill. "T-this journey is important to you, I know that. I..." He paused, then said "I...I don't know what to say..." He put his head back in his arms, a few muffled sobs drifting out moments later. "If...if y-you ever n-need to leave me b-behind so you can g-get further in this quest, y-you can. I'll u-understand. It's no p-problem..." he said quietly, curling his tail around to wrap it around his legs.

Werr suddenly felt angry. At himself, namely. His journey was important, yes. So many more people could potentially die if he didn't figure out some way to stop whatever this mess was. Many would suffer if he failed, yes. But Seria had been right; if he was alone at the end of his journey, what would become of him? He would be alone...and Werr didn't want to be alone.

Werr leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Welk, hugging his friend tightly. "I won't leave you, Welk. I won't..."

Welk's eyes widened for a moment, but he recovered fast. He quickly wrapped his arms around Werr in return and cried softly against his shoulder, glad for the comfort that hugging his friend brought. Welk felt all of his stress and fears leave him, if only for a moment. Being alone was a fear that Welk kept deep inside of himself. He wasn't like Cynyr. Cynyr thrived on being alone. Welk wasn't like that. Sure, there were times when he could be alone and be okay. Obviously. But for the most part, Welk needed people around him. He had to have someone that he knew cared about him.

Werr was that someone, now.

"I'm sorry." Welk said quietly. "I'm sorry for s-saying those things d-downstairs and getting mad. I'm sorry...!" Welk was only fifteen, two whole years younger than Werr, so for the half-cat to have stuck with Werr through all of the dangers that they had already been through was a lot. Especially when he had stayed with Werr over Cynyr, who had basically raised him. "I'll stay." Welk said softly. "No matter what. I'll stay with you."

"No, Welk. I'm sorry." Werr shook his head, letting his friend cry on him. "I won't leave you. I don't care if there's some massive canyon between us, or someone threatens to cut my head off if I stay with you...I don't care. That's...that's what friends do, right?" He held Welk close for a few more moments, then said, "Right...no more crying, okay? Let's...let's get some rest."

Welk nodded and pulled back, sniffling as he wiped the tears off of his face. "Yeah. That's what friends do." he said softly, smiling a little, then he yawned. He really was very tired. He got off of the window sill and turned into a cat, padding over to his bed and jumping up onto it. He burrowed down under the covers and turned around, moving up until he could lay his head down on the pillow. "Goodnight, Werr." the cat said, gazing over at the boy through his bright crimson eyes. The half-cat then sighed, soon fading away into dreamless sleep.

Werr smiled and moved to climb into bed as well, falling asleep fairly easily.

Downstairs, Nate was still awake. He had ordered a mug of brew; well, beer, technically. A cheap kind. Nate wasn't a drunkard, no (his dragon-like liver repaired itself much too quickly for him to get drunk in the first place). Neither was he upset in any way; he was actually quite content. He had known what reactions Werr would have to his questions. Humans were predictable like that. No, Nate had merely been testing Welk's reaction to Werr's reaction.

((NATE, you little SNEAK.))

Seria was also still up and about, though she had the sense to stay away from drinks completely. She had been sitting in the living room, reading a book, when Nate came down. The healer looked up and watched him for a moment, then put her book down and walked over. "Really?" she said when she neared, gesturing at the drink. As a healer, she despised beer of any kind.

((He's such a troll. xDD Nah, you'll find out why if you ask the right questions~))

Nate blinked at her, then smiled. "It tastes good. Don't you worry about me, miss, though I appreciate the thought. I'm immune to the alcohol, it does nothing to my system. This is like...cider, for me. Apple cider, without the apples. I can't eat fruit, it tears up my intestines..." He chortled a bit.

Seria snorted and said "If you say so." She went back to the couch and picked her book back up, then walked back over and sat down in the chair next to Nate. "Why do I keep ending up around him?" she thought sarcastically in her head, then smiled. "I'm just drawn to interesting people, I guess. Like Cynyr..." She shrugged and returned to her book, scanning the lines with her slitted eyes.

Nate took a swig of his drink, not minding the fact that Seria was sitting next to him now. He drank in silence, and was finished quickly. He pushed the mug away from himself and looked around, wondering silently if they had any instruments around here. It was a longshot, but if he could just get his hands on a violin, tonight would be one of the best nights Nate had in a long while.

Seria watched him from the corner of her eye, barely batting an eyelash as he finished off his drink. Once he had assured her that it wouldn't harm him, she no longer cared that he drank it. A noise at the stairs brought her attention around.

Luen was carefully walking down the stairs, moving softly, as if he had expected to not be noticed. Once he realized that Seria had seen him, he shrugged lightly and walked over, never making a sound. "Excuse me, but may I ask which one of you put these bandages on my arms and legs?" he asked politely, rubbing his hand carefully over his right arm.