The Forgotten Zodiac

Forin sighed, following. Diana just smiled, happy to be riding the dragon again. She was one of the ones who had screamed, yes, but she had found the last flight to be quite fun and exciting after the initial takeoff. Forin allowed Luen to sit with Diana, vouching for the spot behind them both. He did feel a little sorry about what he had done, but he supposed that was only because Werr was still alive. He doubted he would have felt anything if Werr had died by his hands. He did feel a little better the moment the sun was obscured by clouds, too. It was quite a relief.

Werr wrapped his arms around Welk's chest, holding on gently. "We'll rest in Kash...you can talk to Briana. But then we should move on to Geruseph. We couldn't save Delilah, b-but Orion might still be...alive..."

Welk nodded, saying "You have to come with me when I talk to Briana. I don't want to be alone and I'm not letting you be alone. Ever." He shrugged, then clutched onto the spike in front of him as Zephyr got up and turned, starting the distant walk to the other town. He moved much faster than a normal horse, him being much bigger. It didn't take too long for them to reach the edge of the town, where Zephyr stopped. "I can go no further in this size." he said, lowering himself to the ground so everyone could get off. "Here, you walk yourselves." Once everyone was off, he took his smallest size and dropped down into Nate's pocket, peeking his head up out of it curiously to watch as they walked.

Seria smiled at him, one hand twinned into Nate's as they walked.

Luen settled Diana on his shoulders again, holding onto her legs to prevent her from falling off.

Welk took cat form and made Werr get on so he wouldn't have to walk.

Jag kept to gryphon form, Lily and Spy with him as usual.

Nate smiled at that, holding Seria's hand gently but firmly. Werr relaxed on Welk's back, looking more tired than ever, though he had done no physical activity yet. He needed sleep, but there was still too much to be done. First things first, though. They pulled into town, and Werr attempted to sent the others on ahead while he and Welk went to see Briana. Nate, however, objected.

"The last time you two went off by yourselves, Welk nearly got killed and you were kidnapped!" Nate snapped at him. "Don't be so foolish. At least keep Luen or Jag with you." He would have suggested Forin, except he figured that neither of them would be okay with that, what with the earlier fiasco.

"I-I..." Werr stammered, but he bit back any response, knowing that Nate was right.

The decision was made instantly. "I'm not going anywhere with them." Jag snapped, glaring. "They both annoy me."

Luen sighed, then moved Diana from his shoulders and set her on the ground, saying "I'll be back soon." He nodded once to Forin, then followed Welk as the cat trotted off with Werr still on his back. The fire mage headed right towards the stand that Briana ran, which sold clothing when the mask festival wasn't being held. Briana was sitting in the stand, sewing away at a pretty piece of pink material. Welk made no move to go to her yet, however. He just watched her for a moment from behind another stand. Werr felt him sigh.

Briana sewed for a bit more on the clothing, then held up her work to study it. She sighed and set it down, pushing it aside. She leaned back in her chair, glancing up at the sky sadly. She looked so depressed.

Welk swallowed quietly, then carefully stepped away from the other stand and walked over to his mother. She didn't notice them at first, but when Welk coughed softly, she jerked around to face them. "Yes? How can I-" she started, then froze. "Welk!" she said, a wide smile breaking out over her face. "Oh, Welk!" She got up and came around the stand to face them, watching as Werr got off of the half-cat and Welk took human form. She immediately hugged him tightly. Welk smiled, but he looked uncomfortable. His tail was twitching around nervously. "I'm so happy to see you again!" Briana said, pulling back and beaming at him. "And you brought your friends!" She smiled at Werr and Luen, then motioned to her shop, saying "Here, come in and get out of the sun. You have to tell me what you've been doing since you left!" She ushered them all in, looking overjoyed.

Werr leaned heavily against Werr as they walked in, feeling pain from his stomach. It wasn't injured anymore, but the pain was still there, ever so slightly. It was a dull twinge that acted up every time his foot fell. Maybe his nerves had been damaged by the poison, or something. He didn't say anything of it, choosing instead to murmur to Welk, "I don't think we should tell her everything. She might not like it." In his mind, he ordered Cici to stay quiet, due to the fact that most people weren't used to talking staffs. She didn't say anything (thankfully), but he could tell that she wasn't too happy about it.

((What's wrong with Werr? Just asking out of curiosity.))

Welk nodded once, helping his friend into the back of the stand, which was covered by curtains. It was very spacious inside, with soft chairs and a small couch. Welk and Werr took the couch and Luen curled up in a chair, watching everything through his emerald eyes.

Briana closed the curtains behind them and turned back, smiling happily as she took a seat. "I'm so happy to have you back." she said, smiling at Welk.

"I'm not staying for long." he said, letting Werr lean against him as they sat together.

Briana's face fell a bit, but she was accepting of her son's choices. "Of course." she said softly, nodding. "So, what happened while you were gone?"

Welk glanced at Werr, then said "Well...I'm a fire mage."

Briana gasped softly, her eyes going wide. "You are?" she said, putting a hand over her mouth.

Welk nodded. "That's...not a problem, is it?" he asked cautiously.

"No, of course not." the lady half-cat said, shaking her head. "Never."

Welk sighed a bit, relieved, then said "Well, we've mostly been...just...wandering around, you could say. Nothing really important, except...I lost one of my friends." Werr could almost feel Welk's pain at that.

Briana looked sad. "I'm sorry." she murmured.

"It was Cynyr." Welk said. "The panther that took care of me. He's dead." He almost sobbed, but he reminded himself of what the strange voice had told him, so he quieted himself.

Briana touched his knee gently, murmuring her sadness and concern.

Welk flicked his tail, then said "Oh, and I got half of my tail cut off by some...bandits."

Briana was shocked. "Oh no!" she said, glancing at his tail in horror. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." He just nodded absently, already piecing together how he was going to ask her about his father.

(('Twill be explained at a later date. o3o))

Werr didn't say anything. It wasn't really his place. He was only here because Welk had asked him to be here. He was a bit curious about Welk's father himself, but he was patient enough to allow Welk to ask. Cici was about to say something, but Werr covered it up with a loud, forced cough. "Sorry," He mumbled, smiling apologetically.

When Welk's tail was mentioned, he wanted to add that it had been his fault for being incapable of helping, but Werr decided to say nothing again. Might as well just keep his mouth shut...

((-3-))

Welk sighed, then said "Uh, Briana? I have a question I want to ask you."

"Yes?" she said, nodding at him.

Welk hesitated, then asked "Who was my father?"

Briana sighed deeply, closing her eyes, then said "His name...was Leodhaius. Leo was a half-cat, of course. He was always very withdrawn, but...he was kind to me, at first. He had days where he seemed very, very sad, however. Tormented. He had black hair and was handsome, but his spirit seemed...broken. He told me that he was once married, before he had met me, but he wasn't anymore. I asked if he had children and he said he didn't. It just seemed natural that we would be a couple."

Welk listened, spellbound, as she spoke. He absorbed every detail of what she was saying, sighing once she finished. "...Thanks." he said softly, smiling a little at her. "Oh!" He dug into his pocket and pulled out his picture of Cynyr, saying "Here. This is what Cynyr looked like, I think." He handed her the other pictures as well, watching as she stared at Cynyr's picture. She frowned at it, blinking several times. "This...is Cynyr?" she asked, slowly flipping through the other pictures.

"Yeah." Welk said softly. "He was really nice. I loved him like a real brother and I think he liked me, but I'm not really sure. He was hard to read sometimes."

Briana nodded, looking disturbed, then found the picture of Cynyr's parents. She froze completely, her mouth falling open.

"...What?" Welk asked, unsettled by the look on her face.

She simply stared at the picture for a long, hard moment, blinking once in a while in shock. "This..." she said softly, shaking her head once. "Where did you get this picture?" she asked.

"Cynyr had it." Welk said, clutching one of Werr's hand in fear. He didn't like Briana's reaction to the pictures. "That's his mother and father, after all."

"But this..." Briana said, holding up the picture with Cynyr's parents. "The half-cat in this picture is Leo. This is your father, Welk."

Welk froze completely, his eyes widening in an instant and his entire body growing rigid.

Werr blinked in surprise. That meant...what did that mean? Welk was brothers with Cynyr? Half brothers, at least. But that also meant that this Leo person had lied to Briana when he had stated that he had no children. Why would someone lie about that? He thought carefully about what Briana had said. He had seemed 'tourmented'...perhaps something had happened. Maybe there was an accident of some kind, and Leo had thought of Cynyr and his wife to be dead? It was unusual, but Werr didn't pry.

He did, however, put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You okay?" He asked quietly, smiling a bit.

Welk looked on the verge of either a mental breakdown or a crying mess. It sort of ended up being both. Normally, were Cynyr alive, he would've been elated. Now, however, with Cynyr gone, he found he only grew more depressed over his death. "He really...was...my brother..." he whispered, quivering. "He really was..."

Briana was staring at the picture, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe it. "He lied to me." she said softly. "I can't believe he lied to me. Why would he do that? Leo..." She sighed deeply, then looked at Welk and said "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I didn't know..."

Welk sobbed quietly, once. A pained sound that wasn't like the other times Werr had heard him cry. This was so different. He only made the sound once, however, and just cried quietly the rest. He suddenly stood up and walked out of the stand, shoving the curtains aside and stalking out. He didn't wait for Werr or Luen. He just went out, walking off towards the forest surrounding the town.

Briana watched him sadly, then looked at Werr and said "Please...take care of him, okay? I'll never be able to care for him the way I want to. From the way you both sat together, I assume you mean a lot to him. I only want what's best for him, and if that means I can never have him and he must live with you...so be it. I'll say nothing against it." She seemed so sad and heartbroken, but she looked determined. If she said she only cared for Welk's happiness, she did.

Werr looked down, feeling a little guilty. He couldn't do much to help care for Welk. He was a normal human, and against the monsters they were facing, Werr stood little chance. Even with Cici. He looked up again, seeing the sad look on Briana's face, and he sighed. "Um...I should tell you...after I finish my research, Welk and I were planning to move here...I don't have much of a home anymore, so we figured that we'd go to the last place either of us had left..."

Briana's arms encircled Werr gently, giving him a soft hug. "I'll take you both in." she said. "I live alone and my business is very good. I've more than enough room and money for the both of you to live with me. Any of you, of course." She gave Luen a meaningful look. Her arms were mothering and loving around Werr, gentle and reassuring. "I've been saving for years. I've nothing else to spend it on. Any of you are fully welcome to live with me. My home is open to all of you." She nodded, hugged Werr for a moment longer before letting go. "You can live with me as long as you like." she said simply, sitting back in her chair.

Werr smiled a little. "Thank you," He said quietly, wondering if he should go after Welk. A thought crossed his mind. Would Briana act the same way if she knew who he was? Werr said nothing on the subject, but...

Werr climbed to his feet, staggering a bit. "We should go after Welk...it's not safe out there," He said quietly. "And we should probably go soon, too..."

Briana nodded, then gave him another hug. She was so friendly, even to him, a complete stranger. And she had just invited him to live with her for as long as he ever wanted. She was a kind person and it was easy to see that Welk had taken after his mother. It seemed that Cynyr, however, had taken after their shared father...

Briana pulled back and turned giving a shocked Luen a hug as well. "Take care of my baby. He's the only child I've ever had, though I wanted more..." she said softly, then held the curtain open for them. Luen glanced at Werr, then stepped forward and took the boy's hand, leading him out of the tent. He wasn't strong enough to carry the boy in wolf form like Welk had, so he just hoped that the human would be able to stand and not fall over.

Werr smiled happily, though it was small. Werr stumbled a bit when Luen led him away, but he seemed to be managing well enough. He still seemed to need serious rest, but he didn't once complain or make any sound of pain. He was dreadfully concerned for Welk, and that drove him forward. "Cici...run a check for magical interferences and try and locate Welk. Hopefully he hasn't gotten too far..."

"Hm? I can talk now? Okay." Cici tutted. "There are no illusions active that I can sense, if that's what you're worried about. I can't pick up much other activity, either. As for Welk...I dunno, I'll try and pick him up..."

"Don't trouble yourself, Cici." Luen said, leading Werr along as slow as the boy wanted to walk. "I know Welk's scent. He went this way." He led Werr out of the town and into the forest, dutifully following Welk's scent until they located the young half-cat.

At a waterfall that cascaded lightly over some rocks, they found him. He was sitting out on a rock in the middle of the small pond that formed from the water the falls brought over. He was completely surrounded by flames, using his powers to keep his entire body on fire. The flames didn't hurt him, of course, what with him being a fire mage. He had crossed his legs and his eyes were closed, his hands folded neatly in his lap. He didn't seem to notice that they were there. Luen and Werr could both see him clearly within the little inferno he had placed over himself. He didn't look angry or sad. At the moment, no emotion whatsoever crossed his face. He was just concentrating on the fire he was emitting, keeping the flames flickering around himself.

Werr decided not to bother his friend, knowing how important it was to meditate sometimes. He sat down at the edge of the water, laying quietly on his back. So long as Welk was safe, he didn't mind this. Luen was with them. Werr closed his eyes, thinking about where they would go next. If Orion was dead, Werr would know that their time had run out. They would have to go straight to the king and save him. Or maybe they should just go forth and attempt to do something about Obelisk. And save Cynyr...yeah, that was definitely a priority.

Werr's mind trailed to his pain. This really didn't make much sense; Seria had healed him, she usually fixed whatever pain he had in the process, too. But it was still there. Had something somehow gotten inside of him? It didn't feel like anything was moving, it was just a dull throbbing...

No, no more worrying about myself, Werr decided firmly. There were bigger things to worry about. Far bigger things. He just needed rest, the pain would go away on its own. Most pain does, after all. Werr sat up, realizing that he had been starting to doze off. He shook his head, letting out a small sigh.

Luen took wolf form and curled up next to Werr, resting his head on his paws. He kept awake, not feeling too tired at the moment. He watched Welk as the half-cat sat out there, listening to the water falling rapidly over the rocks. It was peaceful here.

Eventually, Welk's fire started to diminish. He didn't open his eyes yet, even as the flames receded and ebbed away into nothing. Finally, only Welk was left. He had yet to notice Werr or Luen, as quiet as they both were being. He opened his crimson eyes, staring down at the water below him. Slowly, he unfolded himself from his curled up position and just sat there, watching the water pour down from the falls.

He never noticed the snow leopard watching him from the rocks above the falls. It made no move to jump down on him or anything. The white creature just watched him for a moment, then just seemed to fade away.

By now, Werr had indeed dozed off, curled up peacefully on the grass, looking as though he were little more than a young man tired out from a day's hard work. How he wished it were that simple, though. As usual, nightmares filled his head as he slept. This one was really a repeat of an old one, truthfully; the world burning away, himself falling into the abyss, pushed by some invisible force.

'You're mine, Werr Grehi...' Obelisk's rattled voice followed him as he fell. He felt himself land, saw massive, bandaged hands closing around him...

Werr jolted awake with a yelp, covering his eyes with his hands before realizing that it had been just another nightmare. He quickly relaxed, opening his eyes and moving his hands. "Sorry..." He mumbled, sitting up. "I fell asleep..."

Welk whipped around, startled by the boy's shout. He blinked lightly, then looked down. An emotion flickered across his face. He looked shameful. He shook it off and stood up, hopping easily from rock to rock and making it back to the shore. "What are you both doing here?" he asked, sounding flat. He looked tired, probably from exerting his powers to their limit for so long.

Luen gave Werr the slightest of nudges, a knowing look on his face. He knew that Welk would likely react better to anything Werr said over Luen.