The Forgotten Zodiac

Tasia looked up at Nate, then down at his hand when he took hers. She studied his fingers, the way they bent and curled. His hand was warm and gentle, but Tasia for some reason wanted to pull away. She didn't, however, and instead lifted her own broken little hand and touched Nate's throat lightly. She carefully moved her clawed fingers over his skin, feeling the contours there, then pulled back and felt her own throat. She sighed, then suddenly slipped her hand from Nate's and just stood there, waiting to follow him.

Vaira watched all of this with a frown on her face, wondering what her little companion was thinking about.

Nate looked at her, a little puzzled, but he said nothing as the group started moving. He walked on ahead, expecting Tasia to follow him.

Airlia was following in the back of the group, looking as downtrodden as ever. Of course, her master was gone again; Seria had told her what happened. To make matters worse, she couldn't make her new feathers go away, which meant that humans would probably just see her as a freak or something rather than an angelic girl like they had before. It was enough to make the poor girl want to cry, but she held it back in order to see where she was going.

Werr took the lead as they reached the gates. He hesitated, then looked back at the others and smiled. "Hopefully...we're close to the end of our journey. I just want to say it now, while I still can. Thank you. All of you. Each of you have saved me in more ways than one, and...I just want you to know that I couldn't have asked for better friends."

Seria chuckled and moved a hand up, poking him lightly in the center of his forehead. "You don't have to say anything, silly. We already know that," she said, then moved past him and out of the gate.

Welk smiled and tilted his head to one side, then touched Werr's shoulder and said "Don't worry about it. Everything will work out. Somehow. Hopefully." He purred and nuzzled the boy's shoulder, then took lion form and stood up, putting his paws over the boy's shoulders. He smiled at him, easily taller when he stood up like this, then bent his head forward and brushed his muzzle against Werr's cheek.

Werr wrapped his arms around his dear friend, reaching up and scratching him behind the ears in an act of comfort. "Let's get a move on, shall we?" He chuckled, then broke away and started to follow Seria. The rest of the group followed, high in spirit (save for Airlia) and well prepared for what lay ahead of them. And yet, at the same time, so poorly underprepared...

Welk was frowning as Werr pulled away, however. He looked up at the boy and studied him for a moment, then carefully followed after him. As they passed over the light bridge, he moved closer and brushed his head purposefully under Werr's hand, trying to get the boy to scratch behind his ears again. "Werr?" he asked, staring up at the boy. "Are you feeling okay? Just wondering and stuff, you know."

Werr looked down at Welk, continuing to smile. "I'm perfectly fine, why?" He said, giving Welk a pat on the head as they passed into the place between worlds. He looked up, expecting to see the Divine swoop down on them any second now. He half-expected it to be mad, but he hoped that if it was still mad, it wouldn't take it out on them. He would prefer it if the thing didn't come at all, to be perfectly honest.

Welk flicked his ears once, then forced his head under Werr's hand, still trying to make the boy scratch him. "Um, nothing," he said. "Will you scratch my ears again? They still itch from...being in the tree." It was a lie, but he had masked it fairly well. He flinched when the Divine suddenly swept over their heads, it's long, serpentine body curving through the air. It came around and flew under the bridge, coming up on the other side, then paused, wings flapping to hover. It watched them for a moment, then flicked its tail and turned away without so much as a backwards glance. Welk's fur was standing on end, but once it left, he calmed down and sighed in relief.

Tasia had squealed fearfully and put her wings around herself, having never seen the huge creature before.

"It's alright," Nate said comfortingly, gently brushing Tasia's wings aside so he could take her by the hand again and lead her along.

Werr sighed with relief, continuing walking after the Divine had left. "What was that, Welk? More scratching? I guess..." He shrugged, scratching his friend behind the ears thoroughly again before stroking him gently. He then continued on, eager to get back to their own world.

Welk concentrated hard when Werr scratched him, a deeply confused look on his face. He looked up at Werr again once the boy had finished, starting hard at him, then his face just slowly seemed to slacken. He quickly looked away from Werr, his expression terrified. He paused for a moment, which caused Luen to bump into him and pause as well. "Welk?" he questioned, frowning. "Are you okay?"

The half-cat shook himself, then glanced back at Luen and gave a tight nod. "Yes," he squeaked, then steeled himself and said "Of...course. Perfectly fine." He kept walking, though now he seemed to keep a few inches between himself and 'Werr'.

He knew.

Nate blinked down at the half-lion, but shrugged as they continued their walk. At last, they returned to the Eternal Garden. But...things seemed entirely wrong. There was a coldness settled about the place, and the peaceful sounds had stilled. The river even seemed to be muted; no birds chirped, no creatures came to greet them as they emerged from the gate. A strange feelin hung in the area, unlike anything any of them had felt before. A great sadness pressed in on them from all directions.

Nearby was Resu. Of course, all those enemies wouldn't have been able to get through the gate without getting past her...but right now, she didn't look capable of standing, much less protecting any gates. Her wrists were in shackles, chained to a higher branch, her feet dangling a few inches off the ground. Her leafy dress was torn and strewn around her, barely enough of it left to cover her. Her bare legs were bloody and bent in ways legs really weren't meant to bend, and in multiple places. Her arms were in similar conditions, with knives stabbed through her palms, which effectively kept a good bit of her magic blocked. Her once beautiful face was marked with burns and cuts alike. She didn't appear to be conscious.

Seria clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes widened in horror.

Tasia screamed and fled into the Garden, horrified.

Luen quickly tucked Diana's head down against his shoulder and turned away, making sure the little girl was unable to see the blood.

Welk's eyes widened and he turned away, repulsed by the sight. He took human form and wrapped his arms around himself, keeping away from everyone, including Werr.

Seria finally moved forward and ran her hands up Resu's body, healing as many wounds as she could. She moved her hands up and carefully freed Resu from the shackles holding her up, carefully lowering her to the ground. She pulled a blanket out of her bag and draped it over Resu's body, making sure the woman was covered well. The half-cat reached out and carefully touched her cheek, using her powers to see if she was still alive.

Resu was alive, but only just. Tears slid out from under her closed lids, every fresh breath a difficulty. There was just too much damage. As if each time she was passed, new wounds were put on her, one after another. She wasn't immortal, and far from all-powerful. To be attacked repeatedly like this was not only painful, it was shameful and cut deeper than a blade could.

Resu spasmed, the burst of movement landing her hand on Seria's. She didn't open her eyes, but the contact enabled her to communicate a small string of thought. 'It's okay. They'll make another.' Then her heart stopped, unable to take any further stress.

Seria's mouth opened, then she closed her eyes and tilted her head down, her ears flicking back against her head. She gently reached out and pulled the blanket up, covering Resu's face. She stood up, sighing quietly, then turned back to the others and said "Let's go. ...Wait, where's Tasia?" She glanced around for the dragonian female, doing a mental head-count of all of their members. Tasia had ran off at the sight of Resu's bloody body, crying and screaming. Vaira moved to go after her, but Zephyr suddenly snaked his head in the way, giving a barely visible shake of his head. She curled her lip in disgust, but lowered her head anyways.

Werr watched, frozen in shock as he watched Seria. He finally turned away, moving over to try and comfort Welk.

Nate had already gone after her from the moment Seria mentioned her absence. "Tasia!" He called through the trees, stepping over some brush. "Tasia, please, it's okay! I can't protect you if you run away..." He frowned, looking around. Where did she go? He wondered vaguely why he cared, and the thought almost made him turn away and return to the others, but he kept going; he was driven by the knowledge that Tasia was indeed a girl who needed protection. And with Resu in that condition, it was possible that enemies were lurking amongst these trees...

When Nate found Tasia, it was in an unexpected way.

Bandits, a group of about six, had cornered her near some trees. The scruffy men had stolen some priceless diamonds from the closest town to the mountain and had found the entrance to the Eternal Garden by mistake when looking for a hiding place. One look inside, at all of the beauty it held, and they had decided to see what they could take from it. They had no idea the group had passed by here, and Resu had already been dealt with and injured when they had arrived, so they had been shocked when Tasia had suddenly burst through the forest and stumbled in on their camp.

"Well, well, well," one of the men said, advancing on the girl. "Look what we got here. A dragonian, eh? And a cute little one, at that."

Tasia stumbled back against the tree, one shoulder of her shirt torn from where one of the men had tried to grab her. It revealed a good part of her neck and shoulder, and the shirt was naturally made with a very low cut in the back for her wings. A lasso had been thrown around her wings, binding them close together and preventing her from flying away.

"She's a pretty one," another man said, lurking a bit closer. "I wouldn't mind showing her a 'good time', eh boys?"

Tasia's eyes widened fearfully as the group of bandits chuckled darkly, then two of them moved forward towards her, their intent made clear.

Nate spotted the group, and instantly slowed. He stepped lightly, carefully; he was outnumbered badly. He would have to approach with caution. He felt his flames boiling inside him as he allowed his anger to build. His mind flicked towards his past fiance; the thought of her body, burnt and mutilated.

No. Never again would something like that happen. Nate contiuned on, inching towards the back of the group. He withdrew his knives (the only weapons he had been able to retrieve from his trial last time they were here) from his sleeve and boot, waiting for a clear shot. He wasn't going to miss, but he had to hit the right targets. Intimidation was the effect he was going for, obviously.

The two bandits going after Tasia suddenly paused when the girl snarled and bared her fangs at them, a small puff of smoke coming out of her mouth. She leaned forward and coughed, as if trying to breathe fire, which should've been easy for her, being a dragonian. She coughed hard, then released the most pitiful burst of fire Nate had ever seen in his entire life.

As if she had no fire.

The bandits laughed at her, making her start crying in shame, then one of the closer two grabbed her wrist and hauled her up, away from the tree. She wailed and kicked and tried to get away, but he held her tightly. He grinned, then brutally grabbed her hair and kissed her despite her struggling. She wiped her tail around and smacked him with it, forcing him to stagger back and giving her enough time to stumble backwards, right into the arms of the other man, who was a half-cat. He grinned and forced her head back, licking his lips pervertedly.

Nate took aim one last time, throwing both at the same time. Both knives landed expertly; one in the back of the neck of the human. The other knife landed in the half-cat's throat. "How dare you...how dare you soil her lips with your foul breath?" He growled, fury in his voice. He drew his sword, pointing it at the other four. Then he smiled slightly, just short of a smirk. "Come at me, wretched fools. I'll show you a 'good time' you'll never forget."

The bandits looked completely shocked for a few seconds, then the lead one snapped himself out of it and shouted "Get him!"

Three of the thugs drew their weapons and raced forward, shouting various threats at him. The remaining bandit grabbed Tasia and pulled her back, moving away from the fighting with his knife held to her throat. She was forced to move with him, not wanting her throat to get cut open. She whimpered softly, her blue-green eyes full of tears.

Nate tripped up one man, slicing off one of his legs with a single swipe. He was quick to stab downwards, cutting into the chest of his first attacker. He pushed off from there, flipping backwards over his sword and pulling it out again. He kicked the second aside, slashing into the third's stomach. He bolted forward, reaching into the cut and forcing his hand upwards and using his claws to tear into the man's heart and lungs.

He let out a cry of pain and his sword fell to the side as he felt something hard smash into his back. He had left behind his shield, thinking he wouldn't need it; but the human he had kicked had - unfortunately - spotted the shield amongst the bushes. Nate fell, and the kicking started. Foot collided with already damaged back. Nate screamed with rage and pain, twisting around to attempt to protect his back. He bumped into something and seized it; the knife from the skull of the first fallen human. He used it to stab into the still-living human's leg, grabbing the shield and dragging himself upright again. He grabbed the human by the throat, quite literally tearing it out.

He staggered as he turned, pure hatred in his eyes as he turned to look at the human holding Tasia. No chances were taken. He bolted forward with all of his speed, performing the move he had only done twice before, but with thrice the speed; he stabbed his own hand through the knife, but he kept moving, literally ripping the knife from the man's hand (and tearing the knife up between the bones of his hand to the point where the knife slid from the hole in his hand easily). After that, he punched the man right in the face. Nate tackled him when he staggered back.

He attacked with his plain fists, punching the man in the face again. And again. And again. He finally stopped once he was satisfied that the man's skull was thoroughly shattered and mixed into a mushy pulp. By the time he stood, his hands were covered in blood and he had a strange look on his face that seemed to beg for more things to kill. He staggered away from the man and promptly collapsed at Tasia's feet. "Hey," He tilted his head back to look at Tasia. He smiled, looking to be in agony but still smiling away. "Ar-are you okay?"

((Fixed parenthesis, sorry. oxo))