The Forgotten Zodiac

((Humiliating him. xD))

"Yes." Cynyr said flatly, sounding and looking humiliated. He glared pointedly at them, daring them to sit around him in his place far to the back, though he wouldn't have done anything to them. The back of his head was throbbing from slamming it against the ground and he had a serious headache. Finally, he just leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the dark green spike in front of him, ignoring everyone else.

Seria watched him, knowing he wouldn't let her near him right now, then climbing up onto Zephyr and sat by herself, looking a tad unhappy.

Luna took her snow leopard form again, ready to lead them, and had Vidia ride Zephyr, as she herself wasn't strong enough to carry the girl. She tied the girl in and assured her that everything would be okay and that Luna would still be nearby, just incase.

Vidia wrapped her arms around the spike in front of her, more or less knowing what was going on. She didn't really like it, though.

Once everyone was on, Werr did a quick headcount. He double-checked that Cici was securely strapped to his back (she had fallen asleep again) before nodding at Luna. It was time to go once again. Time to put this frozen wasteland behind them, and (hopefully) put an end to Obelisk's rise in power.

He vaguely realized that Alastor was extremely vulnerable now, as they had heard nothing of whether he was alive or not. He made a mental note to return to the castle as soon as possible. Hopefully victoriously.

Welk settled back against Werr, tucking his head down against the boy's neck. He was asleep within seconds, his mangled tail curled as far as it could go around the boy's leg. He didn't care that they would be going up in the air; they were all tied up in the ropes, after all.

Luna leapt up into the air, flapping her long white-gold wings easily. She rose up quickly, followed by Jag, then by Zephyr, who crouched down then lunged up into the air, his huge wings flaring. He craned his head back to better angle himself with the sky, then, once he was high enough, settled into his familiar flying motion. They flew for a long time, sailing through the clouds, then Luna started to dip downwards, heading towards a pitch-black cave set in the side of a huge mountain. Surrounding the entrance to the cave was what looked like the remains of a destroyed building, like it had hidden the cave from sight.

Werr watched as they soared over the treeline and towards the cave, which was near the peak of the mountain itself. The snow layer was thicker up here, naturally so. It was also colder, and the temperatures were dipping again as the sun dipped below the horizon. "Luna, I need to ask you a question," Werr said in his mind, hoping she was listening. "Will this place have any sort of danger to any of us? The last thing we need is another fight."

"It should not, Grehi." Luna answered. "This is a holy place to my kind. No, your greatest concern our here would be the elements, if anything. Though further in, try not to wander or let any of your friends do so. It wouldn't do to lose any of you further in." She stopped talking to him as she and the other flying ones following her moved to land on the plateau in front of the cave, well away from the edges. They were awfully high up, now.

Zephyr landed with a ground-shaking thud, scattering snow and rocks with the impact. He moved away from the edge, sighing happily. He liked being up this high. He laid down on his belly so the others could dismount from him, turning his head to watch them.

((Out, not our. Fourth sentence.))

Nate was first to untie himself from the ropes, and moved about helping the others. He helped Vidia towards Luna before untying Werr and Welk. Werr slid off first, catching Welk. Surprisingly so, he maneuvered Welk to where the half-cat was on his back. Werr managed to get onto his feet again, hurrying inside and hopefully away from the cold. Forin hurried Diana inside as well, not wanting her to catch even the slightest chill.

Nate untied Seria and offered her his hand to help her down, smiling a little. "We better get inside quickly."

((Okay, thanks. ^-^))

Welk was a little lighter than Werr, due to the fact that he was younger, so it was easy for the boy to carry him like that. Cynyr untied himself and moved to get off, then nearly slipped again when his head throbbed from earlier. Zephyr snaked his head around and caught him on his snout, helping the half-cat teenager stand. Once he was steady, Cynyr moved to stomp off and paused. His ears flicked back and he slowly reached around behind him to stroke Zephyr once between his eyes. "...Thanks." he murmured, then darted off after the others, behind Luen, who was holding Diana's hand.

Seria returned his smile with a soft one of her own, taking his hand and letting him lead her inside. She didn't let go of his hand, not wanting to leave him just yet.

Luna led the way inside, her wings casting a glow around the walls of the cave. "Step lively now, people." she called. "If you get lost, I cannot guarantee that we will be able to find you again." She flinched slightly as Zephyr shrunk down and entered the cave in his middle form, moving his head forward to rest it on Forin's shoulder, thrumming a low note in his chest.

Forin didn't object to the dragon's head being on his shoulder. He was quick to scoot Diana along once they got moving again, though. The last thing he was going to be was lost. Werr followed, keeping Welk on his back; the cave was dark (aside from the glowing from Luna), and perhaps a bit creepy. Spiderwebs hung on the ceilings, and he was pretty sure he saw a bat at one point, glaring at them with red eyes. Spy whimpered a bit out of fear, then scrambled up into Jag's grip. "I'm cold," He said pitifully. However quiet it was, it bounced off of the cave walls, echoing loudly.

"How long do we have to walk?" Vidia asked, holding onto Luna's hand.

Jag lifted Spy and held open his own shirt, then tucked the little chimera inside, where he could nestle up against the gryphon's warm skin. He kept one hand over the bulge in his shirt that now accommodated a small chimera and his other hand clasped firmly over Lily's hand.

"Not long, Dear One." Luna said. A few minutes passed in silence, then they began to see light ahead of them. It wasn't very bright at first, but as they got closer and closer, it grew brighter and brighter, meaning sunlight. The air began to get warmer and warmer as well, they noticed. They even heard birds chirping away and what sounded like deer calls.

Then they stepped out into the light and were awed.

They were standing on a plateau overlooking an entire forest that was hidden deep inside the mountain. The forest was lush and green and they could see various kinds of fruit hanging from many of the trees. A few deer could be seen far below, and Jag, with his sharp vision, even saw some rabbits hopping about.

"Welcome to the eternal forest of Nanilai Viha Mortala." Luna said, smiling at their shock. "Also known as 'The Place Where It Shall Be'."

"Incredible..." Werr breathed in the sweet air, closing his eyes before looking up at the 'sun'. It was actually a rock, buried in the ceiling; but it glowed with great intensity, it was difficult to so much as look at it. He would have questioned how this came to be, but he figured it would be no better than questioning the logic behind the flying rocks that had supported the now-ruined castle of Hierves. All Werr knew was that the light was warm and bright, and it filled him with a strange sense of hope.

Forin didn't seem to like it too much, looking a bit paler than normal as the artificial sun hit his face. Diana didn't seem to notice, staring down at everything in awe.

((Since you didn't mention the light source, I madeded it. It could be what the Amnarian queen gave this place, while Titus gave it the mountain that conceals it from the rest of the world. Which would explain why it would be so easy to get lost in the tunnels. Titus is a mastah at puzzles and trickery.))

Luna smiled at their reactions, then turned and started down a pathway that was cut into the side of the mountain, heading down towards the ground. "This is the place that conceals the gate where natural Amnairians and Tartarans could go back and forth between worlds." she said. "The light was given to this place by Galai so life could survive and be fruitful here, while the mountain itself was given by her mate Titus, so this sacred place would be hidden by any mortal eyes. What you are seeing here hasn't been seen by mortals for many thousands of years and I will expect you to keep it a secret." She smiled over her shoulder at them, then said "The gate is deep within the forest. It will not take long to walk to, and there are several places where we can rest along the way. It is most important for you all to be at your top strength when we arrive at the gate itself, for reasons I cannot explain." She flicked her tail, then said no more.

((Awesome! That was a good idea.))

((I'm good at giving out good ideas. xD))

"This is absolutely amazing," Werr was still gawking at everything. "Y-yes, of course, it'll remain a secret, although I think there are legends about such a place. My father spent a couple of years searching for the fabled Garden of Eternity...he gave up his search after he hit a dead-end in clues. No one had any information, of course, and no one thought it was real. But this...is it true that the water source here is the Fountain of Youth?"

"What's left of it, anyways." Cici sighed, waking up at last. "Like I said before, the stone that gave the fountain its life-giving properties was swallowed by Obelisk. The rivers here are from the same water stone, though. It was given to this place after I kinda...failed on protecting it. Taste the water, it's absolutely delicious."

"Are we allowed to hunt these animals?" Nate asked quietly, not wanting to offend Luna. But they needed food if they were to be at full strength.

Luna smiled back at Nate and replied with "Why do not you ask them?" Then she turned away and trotted ahead.

Cynyr was still suspicious of the entire place, though he did feel a strange sense of...peace? Calmness? He didn't know and he didn't care, really. He just trudged along with his hands in his pockets, dimly aware of the fact that he still had a headache from banging his skull against the ground. Just the thought of the incident made him feel ridiculous.

Several of the deer lifted their heads and watched as the group descended the pathway to the ground, which was covered in soft, velvety green grass. The deer made no effort to move away from the group and simply went back to grazing, as tame as any horse or pet ever was. Luen moved towards one and slowly held a hand out, amazed when the deer calmly sniffed his hand and then licked his fingers once, returning to grazing afterwards.

((I can has a guardian? : D I dun think he would be perma-character, but t'would be fun nevertheless.))

Nate stared after her, wondering what she meant by that. He sighed and moved off to collect some fruit. Might as well. What he didn't realize was that the fruits here would give them just as much energy as any deer or rabbit. If not more.

Diana, surprisingly, pulled away from Forin to pet a rabbit that was sniffing the ground nearby. She was soon surrounded by the fluffy white creatures, all eager to get attention. Diana just giggled and pet each and every one while Forin sat back and watched, a genuine smile creeping onto his face as Diana's laughter continued. Even in spite of his distaste for the lighting.

Cici directed Werr to the riverbed, which was just below the entrance, tucked into the rock there. The water flowed down unique twisting rock formations, which resembled a fountain in itself. Werr looked up at the top of said formation, spotting the glowing from a hole in the rock wall. The source of the water, of course. Werr set Welk down on the grass and took a drink from the fountain, feeling refreshed immediately. The water was as Cici said it was; sweet, soothing. He was quick to grab his canteen, bringing some of the water to Welk. Even if it didn't have all of its previous healing properties, it was still just as incredible as the rest of this garden.

Spy, in the meantime, rolled around in the grass, happy to see some again.

Welk woke up easily when Werr woke him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, taking the canteen that was offered to him. He drank most of the contents, sighing once he was finished. He didn't look very tired afterwards, luckily. He glanced around and asked "Where are we?" Seria explained it to him and he started to look a little more alive. He stood up, testing his legs, then took cat form and just sat there, watching everything through bright crimson eyes as he took in his surroundings. His tail flicked around behind him, weakly at first, then with growing energy.

Luen took wolf form and walked over to Diana, bending his head down to sniff at one of the rabbits. The furry white creature sniffed him back, touching their noses together for a moment and then hopping away with a few of the others. Luen smiled, then suddenly, in a random burst of energy, flopped down and rolled all over, ruffling his white fur greatly as he rubbed himself all around in the grass. When he finished, his fur was sticking out in all directions and he was panting, but he looked happy.

Diana laughed at Luen, beaming widely as a rabbit hopped around her foot in circles.

Nate returned and passed around some fruit, blinking as a crow landed on his shoulder. He eyed the bird for a moment before his gnawing hunger gave him an idea. Maybe Luna meant that literally, asking the animals. "Um...can I eat you?" He asked. The bird squawked at him before jumping down into Nate's hand, rolling onto its back. Nate stared at it for a long moment before it squawked at him again, nibbling his finger. "Is that...a 'yes'?" He blinked in confusion. The bird just dropped its head back. Nate was quick to slice its throat open, finding himself with one perfectly sized bird. He was quick duck behind a rock to pluck and clean the bird, burying the inedible parts before devouring the much-needed meat.

"I would be surprised at how good this fruit is, but...I don't think anything could surprise me at this point." Werr mumbled through a mouthful of pear. "Here, Welk, eat one. It'll help you feel better, it's definitely helping me."

Luna lifted a hand and placed it on a deer's muzzle, seeming to wordlessly communicate with the creature before it walked off with its head held up. "The creatures here are smart." Luna said. "They have long lived here, drinking the water and eating the fruit. They are completely willing to give themselves up as food for any who have need of them. Ask and they will answer in the simplest way they know how; by agreeing and doing what you wish of them, becoming food to sustain you if that be what you ask of them."

Welk took one of the pears Werr held out to him and started eating it, finding it delicious. He ate the whole thing down to the core, then wiped his mouth and stared at the core he was holding. He dug a hole next to him and put the core inside, then covered it and sat back, still hungry. He eyed one of the rabbits, but he decided against eating one of those. Diana liked them and he didn't want to make her upset by seeing one killed.

Zephyr pulled his head away from Forin and walk over to one of the deer, saying "Pardon me, land-friend, but I have a great need for your flesh to sustain my body. Would you allow me to take life from your death?"

The deer lifted its head and ducked its head once, then followed Zephyr obediently off into the forest so they could be alone when the dragon killed the deer.

Werr laid down in the grass, content to just eat fruit. It was filling enough as it was, and delicious. He particularly didn't want to start a fire here just to cook something; such a thing here would easily turn into a disaster. He was full enough after eating several pears, and he felt great anyways.

Diana had her fill after saying goodbye to the rabbits. Forin didn't seem to want to eat anything. Of course not; this place was ridiculously sacred to him and Luna. Eating the fruit wouldn't be too bad, but killing an animal would be akin to slapping their respective deities in the face.

Lily hummed a small tune, deciding to braid a few locks of Spy's fur. She glanced at Jag, inching a little closer to him. She wrapped her arm around his, then suddenly pressed her lips against his cheek, giving him a big kiss. "Would you play me a song on your violin? Please?" She pouted playfully at him, her eyes glimmering with cheer.

Jag close his eye on that side of his face when Lily kissed him, feeling the opposite corner of his mouth tug up slightly into a half-smile. His smile vanished when she asked him to play the violin, however. He subconsciously reached his free arm around to his wing and rubbed the spot where it had nearly been severed so long ago, then sighed and looked at Lily, the one person in the world he loved most, who he wanted to share the rest of his life with. "...Okay..." he said after a pause, then turned and carefully pulled the violin from its case and lifted it, holding it properly and placing the bow against the strings. He started playing a delicate song that fitted well with the current settings, soft and melodious. He closed his eyes, letting himself fade deep into his music, into a place where not even Lily could reach him.

Welk's ears, flat against his head until now, slowly crept up, back into a normal position. He took human form again and laid down next to Werr, curling close to the boy and laying one arm over his chest. He rested his chin on Werr's chest as well, though he didn't start purring like he normally would. Ever since his memory-loss incident, he had seemed so...unenergetic. Normally, as Werr and Cynyr both knew, he would've been running everywhere, exploring as much as he could.

Now, he was content to just lay there and do nothing.

Like his boundless energy had finally just...given out.

Werr listened, smiling as he rested his hand on his friend's head, content to sit with Welk. It was a bit troubling that he wasn't running around much, but Werr didn't question it just yet.

He did, however, question why Jag's violin had started to sound a bit like a flute. After a few more seconds, he realized that it wasn't the violin, there was actually a flute playing nearby. It blended beautifully with the violin sounds, giving a gentle harmony to Jag's melody. Werr craned his head to look at the treeline, quickly finding the source of the music.

It appeared to be a tall girl about Lily's age, seated in the low branches of a tree. She was dressed in a beautiful dress that - not surprisingly - seemed to be made entirely of leaves. Her black hair was streaked with green, held up in a long flowing ponytail by a piece of tall grass. Her lightly tanned skin showed no blemishes or even freckles. Her nails were perfectly trimmed, her closed eyelids gave way to thick black lashes, her perfect lips pursed wonderfully to play her harmonious chords.

As Werr stared at her, she started playing a slightly darker, more aggressive harmony. Jag's melody remained the same, but her playing added a creepy tone to the playing. She stopped abruptly though, vanishing with a cool breeze that swept past them gently.