The Forgotten Zodiac

Jag's heart leapt to his throat instantly and, without thinking, he jumped out of the tree. Halfway down, he suddenly remembered that he no longer had wings and let out an ear-piercing squawk that rang through the air. He twisted desperately in the air and landed on his back legs. Fortunately, because he was an agile wing-cat, he wasn't killed. Unfortunately, however, he felt one of his back legs snap horribly. He gasped and took human form, sitting down for a moment as he carefully touched his left leg, only to hiss sharply and wrench his hand away. It was broken cleanly, with part of the bone sticking out of his leg. He pushed away his pain, however, and forced himself to take gryphon form again, holding his broken leg off of the ground. He settled into a gallop which was surprisingly fast, heading towards where he had seen Lily at. He forced his broken leg to work as well, ignoring his pain as he gained speed, knowing what was ahead.

The forest cleared, revealing Lily...on the other side of a deep ravine.

Jag didn't even hesitate. He lunged forward at full speed, planting his paws firmly on the edge of the ravine and putting all of his strength and determination into this one jump. He landed just short of the other side, barely managing to catch the edge with his front legs. He dug his claws in and slowly, inch by painful inch, managed to pull himself up and over the edge, his broken leg dangling limply as he lifted it off of the ground.

"Lily!" he cried, moving over to her. He didn't hesitate to slice his beak down the wound in her leg, releasing a flood of blood and poison. He made cuts like he had seen Seria do and took human form, sitting next to the girl with his broken leg stretched out to one side, moving a hand down the girl's arms and legs as he tenderly worked the poison from her body. He was panting and exhausted, but he had made it.

Lily grabbed at Jag's sleeves, tears sliding down her cheeks. She curled up against Jag, crying silently. Resu's voice rang out once more with the usual congratulatory words, and they were taken back to the clearing. Only when they were there did Lily start crying, sobbing loudly into Jag's shirt.

"Only two remain," Resu dropped her eyes to the remaining two.

"Werr is taking too long..." Forin growled in annoyance. "They'll both die at this point. I would suggest that Welk kill Werr himself to simply be done with it, but...he wouldn't go for it. Ever." He sighed.

Welk screamed as yet another luker managed to injure him in someway.

A lot of time had passed since this horrible trial had begun. Welk was covered in wounds, some small and meaningless while others were deep and painful. Yet still, he had continued fighting, each time pushing aside his pain to make sure that these creatures didn't come near Werr. And they hadn't. Welk had fought them off every single time so far, except for the one earlier incident. His breathing was coming in harsh gasps that rushed in and out of his lungs. He got a moment of respite, where he just stood there, faint tremors shaking his arms and legs, then sank down on to one knee, panting.

Werr was on his feet again. He had been pacing around the tree; he had tracked around in loopy circles at first, but he was pacing back and forth now, his demeanor slowly becoming more serious and thoughtful. He looked up as Welk sank to his knees. "W-Welk," He stammered, moving forward. Without warning, he broke into a run, tackling Welk full-on. He wasn't intending to hurt Welk, quiet the obvious. A spear was now dug into his back; he had seen the lurker, charging from where Welk couldn't see it.

Werr let out a cry of pain as the spear was torn from his back. He pushed himself away from Welk, and not a moment too soon, as he was surrounded hardly a second later. He gasped in pain as his leg was broken; they kicked and stomped on him, hissing something incomprehensible at him. Then suddenly, things froze.

"Werr Grehi," Resu's voice chimed. But it was not a congratulations. "You are about to die, but you have not been given a chance to voice whether you have succeeded or not. Have you completed your task?"

"I can't," Werr cried weakly. "Pl...please...just...spare Welk..." He put his hands over his face, sobbing. "I can't do it, I can't...it's like being caught in a cage, a pure steel cage...I pull and pull, but nothing is loose, nothing is weak, I'm trapped...b-but Welk...don't hurt him any more. Please." He begged.

There was a pause. "Very well then. Die in the knowledge that your friend will be granted a chance to complete a different task." Resu answered. Things started moving again. One spear through the shoulder. Another through his gut.

And one last spear, aimed viciously at his neck.

"NO!!"

In a split second, Welk had lunged desperately in the way and the spear was now impaled through his chest.

He grabbed it where it had skewered him, blood pouring out of his mouth. "I...I w-won't...let you!" he shouted, ripping the spear from his chest. Blood gushed forth from his chest and back, but he ignored the flood of sinister liquid. He turned back to Werr, panting raggedly. "Y-you..." he said. "...p-promised. Y-you promised! A-and...and I...I'm going to m-make sure...you win!" He whipped around and attacked another lurker, tearing it apart with his hands alone. The lurkers turned their attention towards him for a moment, with several attacking him at once. He killed one, ripped the leg off of another, then loosened a horrible scream as another spear tore into his body. The lurkers attacked without mercy now, tearing wound after wound into Welk's already severely injured body. Finally, he just laid there on the ground, blood pouring from wounds. The lurkers, thinking he was dead, moved back towards Werr.

A weak cough from behind them and the sound of blood splattering against blood caught their attention.

They turned and saw Welk getting back up, even after all of the wounds he had sustained. He looked like little more than a ripped-up, half-dead corpse. The lurkers all took steps back in shock, amazed that such a mangled person could bear to rise again.

Welk's voice, when it came, was the voice of a person that knew they would die but was determined to keep fighting. "I...w-won't...stop..." he rasped, taking a quivering step forward. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, growing weaker and weaker as more and more of his life-giving blood poured like a waterfall from the spear-wound he had saved Werr from. "If...W-Werr's...g-going...to die...then...then I-I...I'm...going...to d-die too..." he said, his voice strained and thin. "Even...even if...I h-have...to k-kill myself..." He forced his body to move and returned to Werr's side, killing any of the lurkers around him. He moved a torn, mangled hand down and cupped Werr's chin in it, managing a weak smile at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but only blood came forth. He stopped trying to talk and just smiled at him, then turned and settled into killing one lurker after another. It was like watching a zombie fight, a zombie that needed to be put out of its misery but that, no matter what you tried, just wouldn't die. Welk was pretty much already dead, however, with only his will to protect Werr keeping him alive. The ground, which had once been black with lurker blood, was now bright red with half-cat blood.

Welk's voice entered Werr's mind as the half-cat took more injuries.

I will fight for you, until I cease to draw breath, until my very being unravels at the seams. When they cut off my legs, I'll punch them to death. When they tear off my arms, I'll bite them to death. When they cut out my mouth, I'll glare them to death. When they rip out my eyes and I finally die, my spirit will haunt them forever.

But don't give up.

Never give up.

Don't let go.

Hold on.

((If that's not enough to jar Werr back to normal, then he's crazy and they're both going to die horribly and nobody will ever read Darkness Rising again but two of the main characters got murdered. -is upset in real life over stupid, stupid things-))

(( Ohnoes, did I make you upset? D:

-hits self repeatedly- BAD BUNNEH. BAD! TT~TT))

Werr laid there, listening to the fighting. To his own ragged breathing. He felt tears pouring down his face. He knew that Welk was dying.

And it was his fault.

"STOP!" He finally screamed at the ceiling, where the sky once was. Where he wished it was. "I'm finished! I beat it!" Again, the lurkers stopped, frozen in place. Werr could feel Resu pressing against his mind, ensuring that he wasn't lying. Then, the lurkers and their weapons vanished. And at last, they were taken back to the clearing.

Werr somehow managed to catch Welk before he fell, but he sank to his knees not a second later. Resu continued on, seemingly disinterested in their wounds. "Congratulations to you, Werr the human and Welk the half-cat. I was concerned for a moment there, but you have completed your tasks to the full." She then looked up, and added, "And Seria the half-cat, your task is now complete. I would congratulate you as well, but it seems I've made quite a lot of work for you."

((NO. Nononononononono it WASN'T you! It was some real life problems. NOT you.))

Welk was completely limp in Werr's arms, bleeding from what seemed like everywhere. He gasped for breath, but he still never seemed to get enough air.

Death, it seemed, was only mere seconds away.

Seria, who had been curled up in a ball on the ground with the world's biggest headache, crying quietly to herself, instantly felt the pain reach stabbing levels when Welk was brought so close by. She gasped and quickly staggered up, turning and nearly screaming when she saw Welk's injuries. It...it was horrible! She put herself back together rapidly, however, and raced over to them, her hands already glowing white. She literally fell to her knees in effort to get to Welk quickly, placing her hands on his body and running them all over him. The wounds healed, but Welk was still limp and covered in blood. Once Seria finished with him, even her boundless powers seemed exhausted. She actually had to wait for a moment to get her breath back when she had finished. The wounds had been that terrible.

((Oh, okay. Good. -is back to normal in an instant, as usual-

Anyways, I hope you realized that there was an ulterior motive for using that particular task for Werr; if Obelisk even attempts to revert his mind back to that state, Werr knows he can beat it now. Which keeps me from overusing that mindstate on him. As fun as it is, well...-shrug-

Well, now we have different problems entirely, because now he's going to blame himself for others getting hurt and such. xD))

Werr hugged Welk tightly, pulling a spare shirt from his bag and starting to mop up the blood. He realized faintly that he was bleeding, as well; the spear wounds were still there, obviously. He said nothing about that, though, knowing that Seria would heal him soon. He was mumbling something, though. "I'm sorry." Over and over again.

((Okey-dokey-lokey. :3

Silly Werr, it's not your fault. :shakefish:))

Seria moved around and healed them in order of worst injuries. Lily was next, followed by Airlia. Jag hissed at Seria when she neared Lily, but he let her work. When she tried to help his leg, he growled and warned her away, not wanting her near him for now. Seria frowned unhappily at him, then sighed and turned to the others, leaving him for later. A touch healed Werr's wounds, then relived Nate of his pain. It took her a while to help Luen, as most of his pain was in his mind. She managed to get him down to a calmer level, then went back over to Welk to see if she could help him more. There was nothing she could do, however. He would wake up when his body had recovered from its completely-exhausted state. When she touched him, she realized that his energy was gone. It was down to the tiniest of trickles. He had used up next to all of it. This was the lowest his energy levels had ever been in his entire life.

((o3o))

Airlia looked better, but she was still unconscious. Nate quietly thanked Seria and went back to comforting Luen. Werr held onto Welk all the more tightly now that his wounds were healed. He rocked back and forth, pressing his cheek into Welk's. He was deathly afraid of losing his dear friend, which he knew he had come so very close to. He hadn't been able to put his mind back together again quickly enough. It had been insanely difficult.

And he was aware of a strange feeling, an unusual detatchment between him and the others. Welk and Cynyr. Those were the only two that mattered, and it was strange. His mind was rightly back in order, indeed, and he understood that none of the others hated him. But he was traumatized, certainly. Last time, Cynyr had healed his mind. It had been instantaneous, and Werr hadn't been forced to do a thing. But this time, he had been forced to do it himself, and each connection he restored had hurt worse than the last.

Resu watched, no emotion crossing her face. She had known that they would be hurting afterwards. Her tests were designed to force those she trusted least into harder tests. Sacrifices had to be made for victory to be reached, in such harder tests. Welk sacrificed blood, Werr had sacrificed whatever peace of mind he ever had.

The others had been tested mainly in their determination.

And yet, they had all passed. Things had looked serious for Welk and Werr for a short moment there, but they had overcome it. Resu still doubted if she could trust Werr; the boy was a king. A human king. This garden's last encounter with the doings of a human king had not gone well at all. But perhaps things were different; Werr seemed so burdened, and Resu could sense the guilty feelings coming off of him in thick waves.

"Well," Resu spoke at last. "I will leave you now, then. I have no further business here."

"Thank you." Luna said, then walked over to Cynyr, who was still standing at the gate with his hand on it. Luna touched his shoulder and said "You can move now." He immediately blinked and took a step back, saying "Wha...?" He rubbed his eyes, murmuring "What happened?" He turned around and spotted the others, his jaw dropping instantly. "W-what happened?!" he said, horrified. He moved forward and sat down next to Werr and Welk, staring down at his bloodied little brother. "Is he...dead?" he asked, a deeply fearful tone in his voice.

"No." Luna said. "Your friends had to withstand trials that tested them in various ways, to prove that they were worth letting through the gates once you fixed them. Some trials, obviously, were worse than others."

Cynyr stared down at Welk for a moment, then looked up at Luna with a harsh glare in his eyes, his scarred mouth set firmly in a frown. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?!" he snapped, but she silenced him with an upraised hand. "What good would it have done?" she asked. "There was nothing you could have done anyways. Besides, you needed time to familiarize yourself with the gate. If you did not have that, you would be hard pressed to open it. Now shut up and be a good little kitten and be quiet."

Cynyr snarled and would've lunged at her at that moment, but Seria leapt up and grabbed him from behind, holding him back. "No!" she said. "Stop it! That won't do any good and you know it."

He growled, but slowly relaxed, contenting himself with glaring at Luna as if looks could kill.

Resu watched for a moment later, then vanished. As the usual warm breeze passed by, Forin frowned. She had been watching them the entire time, then. Enough was enough, then. "Stop it with the arguing, both of you. Just shut your mouths and let's get a move on." He glanced at the others, then paused to correct himself. "Nevermind then, it looks like we'll be waiting here for awhile. Just...stop being annoying." He grumbled, leaning back against the tree he had been sitting in front of for awhile now.

Luna tilted her head slightly and closed her eyes, then turned smugly and flew up into a tree to sit.

Cynyr glared, then jerked his arms away from Seria and turned to face her. He looked like he was about to say something, but when he looked at her, it just faded away. He sighed, looking down, then looked up at her for a long moment. She returned his gaze, her eyes sad. She reached out her delicate fingers and touched them to the side of his scarred face, watching him close his eyes slightly. Then he pulled back and abruptly walked towards the gate, his left hand already held out to his side. "Cynyr?" Seria questioned. "What are you-"

Her words died in her throat as Cynyr suddenly slammed his hand against the very center of the gate and called "Begin!"

Immediately, energy rushed out of his body and started pumping into the gate, bathing it in a glowing mass of light.

The star-shaped mark on his hand was glowing like a real star as it sucked energy out of Cynyr's body. Using him as a type of barrier or gateway, it proceeded to pull massive amounts of energy from the entire land, beginning the process of repairing the gate and bridges to Amnairus and Tartarus. Cynyr's entire left sleeve was ripped off by the sheer amounts of power he was channeling. Once he had started, however, there was no stopping until it was finished.

Werr shielded his eyes, squinting in the harsh light. He eventually moved around Welk so that his back was facing the glow, protecting both his own eyes and Welk's. Forin screeched and hid behind his tree, taking off-guard by the sudden copious amounts of light. Vidia was unaffected by all this, but she did feel the energy flowing past her and to the gate.

Cynyr now seemed locked in place, forced to stand there as his body was used like a portal between the energy of the land and the gate.

Welk twitched slightly in his unconscious sleep, quivering. He shifted slightly and pressed a little closer to Werr, keeping his cheek against Werr's. He let out a soft whimper, then slowly opened his eyes slightly. They were blurry and unfocused, barely seeing more than an inch in front of him. He weakly mewled out Werr's name, lifted a pale hand to touch the side of the boy's face. Normally, his skin was a lightly tanned color, but now, it was a harsh pale color, signaling how weak he was. He barely managed to touch two of his fingers to Werr's face for more than three seconds before he ran out of energy and his hand dropped limply.

Werr grabbed Welk's hand, pressing it against his other cheek. "I'm here, Welk...I'm back. I...I'm sorry..." He barely held back tears, closing his eyes. "You could have died, a-and it's my fault...I couldn't f-fight it off fast enough. I...I nearly gave up, too. This is all my fault..."

Welk tried to say something, but nothing came out. He weakly moved his other hand out and scratched words in the dirt nearby. It was slow and took a while, but he managed to write out what he wanted to say.

'Stop. Don't do that. I hate it when you blame yourself. Nothing is your fault.'

He paused for a moment, leaning against Werr, then sighed and wrote 'I love Cynyr so much...and I love you too' in the dirt. 'You're my...family...' His hand fell limp as he passed out, his head tilting back against the boy's shoulder, one claw still resting on the word 'family'.

There was silence for several seconds, then there was a loud creaking sound from the gate Cynyr was at. The broken door on the gate had shifted ever so slightly. It was instantly still again, and it was obvious it would take a long time for the entire thing to be repaired.

There was nothing for them to do now but wait.

But waiting was seemingly endless. Werr eventually fell asleep, hiding behind a tree like Forin was, taking Welk with him. Diana fell asleep as well, followed by Lily and Vidia. Airlia and Spy were already asleep. Forin stayed awake, naturally. Surprisingly, Nate did as well, not wanting to leave Luen's side.

Luna, sitting in the tree, also didn't have to sleep, like Forin. She was a summon creature too, after all, though she didn't have a summoner at the moment. She curled her tail around the branch she was on and watched Cynyr work, noting how determined he looked. She smiled, glad she had picked such a strong-willed person to do this hard task.

She glanced over at Zephyr when the dragon stretched slightly in his spot on the ground. He was in his largest form again, which he felt the most comfortable and happiest in. He tilted his head slightly to the side and blew a thick puff of smoke into the air, then lowered it back to the ground. Luna smiled softly, then looked down at Nate, watching him comfort Luen. Such a simple dragonian.

Instantly, she remembered something very, very important.

Her jaw dropped and she jumped her gaze between Nate and Zephyr, dragonian and dragon. "I hope this does not interfere with what waits on Amnairus." she thought. "I will have to watch carefully when we arrive. There is no telling what THOSE two will do when they see these two."

Evidently, there was more to Amnairus than Luna was telling them.

(("Luna, sitting in the tree, also didn't have to sleep, like Forin." Should be something more along the lines of, "Luna remained seated in the tree, not needing sleep, much like Forin." Or "Luna sat in the tree still. She had no need for sleep, like Forin."

Also, I have nothing to say character-wise in this post. So...time skipz, pwease. o3o

Alsoalso, you have now made me suspicious, though I know you won't say anything because you know of my distaste for spoilers. But is it good or bad for le characterz?))