The Forgotten Zodiac

Cynyr growled and swiped at one of the guards when they passed him, flattening his ears against his head.

"Hey, stop that!" Welk said, tugging back on the leash. "Behave yourself."

Jag nodded tersely to the guard, then snapped the reins and got the carriage moving. They headed inside of the gates without problem.

Once they were inside, Seria heaved a deep sigh. "We made it in." she said, glancing out the window. Welk and Cynyr were still keeping close to the carriage. Welk was confused by the city's settings, but Cynyr looked at ease. Half of the time, he had to lead Welk, thought the panther was the one wearing the collar.

"Does...anyone know where the inns are?" Airlia asked out of curiosity. "Didn't Nate have the money?"

"I think Seria has some, too," Werr shrugged. "There's an inn on the main road, but it's probably got a lot of people in it. We're better off turning the carriage and horses in to a stable and heading to the Vallele inn. It's in a farther corner of the city and a lot smaller, but it'll have less people, and it'll be cheaper." Werr said.

"Oh. Have you been there before?" Airlia blinked at him.

"Er, yeah. I visited this place once, when I was younger..." Werr shrugged, saying nothing of why he visited.

Three gryphons raced out in front of the horses, laughing and leaping over each other. "Hey!" Jag shouted when the horses balked at the sudden movement. "Watch where you're going, idiots!" The gryphons all flinched at his voice, quickly scattering. Jag growled, tense and unsettled by the city's many buildings. "I know where a stable is." he said, glancing around the streets. "We'll head there."

Welk kept a hand on Cynyr's back, clutching a handful of his thick black fur. It was his first time in settings such as these and he was completely unnerved. He did feel better once he had a hold on his brother, though.

Cynyr flicked out his tail and wrapped it around Welk's leg, helping to keep him close.

((I realize now that with Forin and Diana gone, and Nate out of the way for now, it's also an opportune time to introduce a new character without unbalancing the dialogue too much.))

Werr watched them and smiled a bit. He climbed out of the slow-moving carriage, looking around. It was a large city indeed; the entire street bustled with activity. The horses had to move slowly to avoid stepping on anyone, though the crowds did part mostly for the carriage to pass. The street was smoothed stone, though it was covered with dirt. The buildings were made of a similar stone, though there were a few brick houses, and one or two wooden ones. Werr smiled as they passed the town square; it was a large, court-yard like area with much less activity than the rest of the city; it connected to nowhere but the main road, so those with errands to run or places to go (which consisted of pretty much everyone on the road) didn't really pause much to look at the fine, flowing fountain or the carefully cleaned marble benches and rose pots dotted around the square.

Werr realized that he had lagged behind and hurried to catch up, finding himself stuck walking behind the carriage. Werr sighed; he really would have liked to see where they were headed. He had quite a few memories here. It was a shame he hadn't been here recently, the city had grown since he had last seen it. Which was logical; Liadaph was a favored area in these times. Though living here was expensive, it was worth it. The protection the walls and the guards gave was irreplaceable. Werr also knew that there were quite a few homes around the west and south gates; the families and farmers lived there with the comfort of smaller communities, a large market close by, and there was always the fact that in the case of an emergency, they could flee into the safety of the walls that enclosed all of Liadaph.

((Tell meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.))

Welk suddenly moved back to Werr and handed him Cynyr's leash, saying "I can't take it out here anymore! I'm getting back in the carriage. I don't like all of these buildings. I feel trapped and like I need to throw up really bad." He turned and scurried into the carriage, covering his ears to try and block out the sounds of the city and closing his eyes tightly.

Cynyr shook his head, then looked up at Werr and said "He gets claustrophobic once in a while. Not often, or inside buildings or small towns, but big places like this. Now come on. Walk. And don't choke me with that stupid leash."

"A-alright," Werr nodded, making sure to give Cynyr's rope the slack it needed so that the panther could breathe properly. After a bit more walking, the crowds started to thin and they turned onto a dirt road. There were even trees lining the road, adding to the seclusion from the rest of the city and leaving the crowds and bustle behind. Before long, they arrived at the stables and turned in the horses, and were shown a place they could keep their carriage. After Seria payed the stablekeep, Werr opened the door to the carriage and peeked inside. "Welk, you can come out now. It's only a short walk to the inn I mentioned, and there's a lot less people..."

Welk carefully got out, glancing around. He seemed to calm down a bit, though he still looked generally on-edge. He flicked his ragged tail nervously a few times, keeping his ears pressed back against his head.

There was suddenly a tug on the edge of Werr's shirt. When he looked down, he saw a little girl standing there. She was wearing a pretty pink dress with lacey frills and had brown hair pulled up in a ponytail. She most likely lived in one of the surrounding buildings and had come outside for a moment. "Can I pet your kitty?" she asked innocently, looking up at Werr with wide hazel eyes. "She's a pretty black kitty."

Welk immediately burst out laughing, quickly turning away to try and stifle it. No such chance. He laughed wildly, unable to help himself.

Cynyr looked a mix between dumbfounded and furious. His tail lashed rapidly from side to side, a sign that he was extremely angry, and his ears flattened against his head.

"U-um..." Werr blinked at her for a long moment. "Um, it's a he, but...I guess you can pet him. B-be careful though, he's not very nice..." He shrugged. "Cynyr, be nice and let the girl pet you. She's just a kid..."

"Oh, stop it, you," Airlia pouted at Werr. "Cynyr is as nice as he wants to be, isn't that right?" She scratched her master behind the ears, smiling.

Cynyr growled darkly, but held still as Airlia scratched him. He was practically livid, sheathing and unsheathing his black claws.

The little girl beamed up at Werr, then walked over and started petting Cynyr the wrong way up his body, against the flow of his fur.

The panther immediately bristled up terribly, his black fur puffing out in all directions.

"His name is Cynyr?" the child said. "That's a silly name. Why would you name your pet that? My name is Anna. Why wouldn't you get a girl cat? Girl cats are prettier than boy cats." She tilted her head slightly to the side. "Your cat looks like it got hurt a lot. His fur is messed up in spots. Did you let your cat get into a fight or something? Why would you do that? Are you a bad owner?" She peered up at Werr intently.

Werr blinked at her again, a little confused. "N-no, I'm not a bad owner. We fight side by side. We're a team, of sorts. Don't pet him like that, he's not a dog..." He pulled her hand away and showed her the right way to pet Cynyr. "I, eh, didn't really get a chance to choose a name, he came with it. And I didn't buy him. Anyways, nice to meet you, Anna..."

Anna stroked Cynyr the right way a few times, then peppered Werr with more questions. "Did he name himself? Cats don't name themselves. If you didn't buy him, where did you get him from?" She threw her arms around Cynyr's neck, hugging him tightly. "I've never seen a kitty this big before." she said. "He's soft and sweet and cute."

Cynyr unsheathed his claws, growling threateningly in his throat.

"He purrs funny." Anna said, then kissed the panther above one of his eyes.

Cynyr yowled loudly, snarling.

Seria was laughing as quietly as she could possibly manage.

"He had a collar," Werr shrugged. "I found him in a forest. He saved my life, we've been partners ever since. Where are your parents, kid?" Werr was an excellent liar, as it turned out. He told Anna everything with absolute confidence, as though it were all real. Though really, only the Cynyr-saved-my-life part was real. If Welk didn't know any better, he'd certainly believe Werr. Not that Welk was paying attention, due to him laughing so hard.

Welk was literally leaning against a wall nearby, laughing his head off.

Anna glanced over at him and said "What's wrong with your weird friend? He's crazy. He's not like this kitty. This kitty is sweet and nice." She hugged Cynyr tightly, nearly strangling the poor panther. She looked up at Werr again. "My parents live here. They won't let me have a cat, especially one as big as this one. You're lucky. You get to have a best friend with you all the time. Any kind of kitty is a good kitty, and this is a really good kitty." She kissed Cynyr right on his nose, which got a definite reaction from the half-cat.

He lunged away from her and bolted, yanking the leash from Werr's hand. He bounded away, quickly hauling himself up onto a nearby roof and disappearing from sight.

Anna pouted for a moment, then turned back to Werr and said "I should go. Thanks for letting me spend time with your kitty." She skipped off, smiling over having met a splendid 'kitty' such as Cynyr.

A few moments later, Cynyr glanced over the edge of the roof, asking "Is she gone?"

Werr sighed. "Yeah, she's gone. Sorry, Cynyr, she was just a kid..." He made an apologetic face, trying to smile a bit. "Come on then, guys, let's check into the inn. Then the first thing that we're doing is heading straight to Nightlash's place. I'm getting those journals, so help me..." He sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

Cynyr crouched for a moment, then leapt down from the roof, landing powerfully a few inches away from Werr. He snorted and said "I could care less that she was 'just a kid'. She was a freaking annoying kid. I hate her..." The encounter with Anna had really ruffled the panther's fur. Literally.

Welk gasped for breath, still laughing over what had just happened, then moved forward and picked up Cynyr's leash. He placed it in Werr's hand, giggling, then managed to get out "O-okay! L-let's go!" He grinned widely, flicking his scarred tail, then backed up to let Werr lead the way.

Cynyr lashed his tail back and forth rapidly, angry at everyone at the moment. He would calm down, eventually.

Werr smiled and led the way down the dirt road, stopping in front of a little wooden house that didn't actually look like much at all. There wasn't even a sign that said 'inn' at the front. Werr went right up to it and pushed the door open regardless, smiling a bit as he walked in. It was dimly lit and homey inside, and there was a short, slightly pudgy woman waiting around at the front desk. There were two tables at the front, five chairs for each table, with cushioned seats that looked more expensive than the outside of the place let on.

"Werr Grehi?" The woman looked up and smiled. "And you brought...friends, how nice. Will you be staying for the night?"

"Um, yeah, maybe. I think." Werr nodded and moved a bit closer, murmuring, "I'll explain later." He raised his voice to its normal volume and smiled. "I'm glad you remember me, Thelma. It's been a long time since I've been here, really...how much was it per room, again?"

"Oh, you don't need to pay! Don't be silly, Werr, your parents were very good friends of mine. And I don't get much business, you might as well just stay. Speaking of, how has Heather been, since Darius died?"

"Oh...well...she's dead." Werr mumbled, looking down.

There was a long moment of silence, and Thelma sighed heavily. "Well...you seem to be doing very well. I'm glad you came to visit. Why are you here, anyways?"

"Business. I have a meeting with Nightlash." Werr shrugged.

"Well, then. Good for you. Who are your friends?" She looked up at the others, smiling. "Quite the surly bunch you've got there, haven't you?" She giggled.

Cynyr immediately snarled at the woman.

Welk, still giggling once in a while, walked forward and said "Hi!" brightly. He smiled at Thelma. "My name's Welk. I'm Werr's best friend." He grinned and hugged Werr tightly, nuzzling the boy for a moment, then turned and bounded off into the inn, enthusiastically looking around.

Seria shook her head, then glanced down at Cynyr. "Um..." she murmured, glancing up at Thelma. "You don't mind us bringing our...pet in, do you? I assure you, he won't hurt anyone."

Cynyr flicked his tail rapidly, glaring at Thelma and Seria in turn.

"Well, if I already have two half cats here, I don't think I would mind another," Thelma shrugged. "Besides, if you're a friend of Werr's, your a friend of mine." She smiled sweetly. "Feel free to pick a room, no one comes here, really."

"Er...how did you know that he's a..." Airlia asked before realizing she just gave it away.

"Normal panthers don't have the patience or the need to wear a mask, dear." Thelma shrugged.

At that, Cynyr took human form. For a few moments, he forgot about the collar around his neck and the rope leash attached to it, concentrating on stretching his limbs. Welk chuckled at the sight of Cynyr in human form with Werr still holding the leash, which looked humorous. When Cynyr felt comfortable in his body again, he yanked the collar off of his head and shoved it into Werr's hands, stalking off into the inn.

Seria glared at him, saying "Be careful with that! The necklace is Luen's, Cynyr."

"Since when have I cared?" the panther half-cat shot back. He flopped down on a couch, sighing quietly.

Welk trotted over and sat down next to him, worming one arm behind the mage so he could hug him while he leaned against him, curling as close as possible to his brother. If he moved much more, he practically would've been in the panther's lap.

Cynyr leaned his head down against Welk's, closing his eyes.

"We should rest here for a bit before going to Nightlash." Werr nodded.

"Can I get anything for you and your friends?" Thelma asked. "It is dinnertime, after all, and you really don't look like you've been eating enough, Werr."

"I've been eating fine," Werr shook his head. "But yeah...I guess we'll take some food."

"Alright, nice and hot beef stew, coming right up."

((We should do a cutscene to either Nate getting nappered or Nelu and Relic meeting Nightlash. :T))