The Forgotten Zodiac

((PORQUE NOSOTROS PODEMOS.))

Peace. Werr was a kind and fair king, easily matching the wisdom and gentleness of King Regalo before him. Two years passed, seemingly without incident; Alastor Palace rose up as a shining beacon of hope to the ruined kingdoms. Villages settled back into their farming habits, as the world seemed to be healing, and crops were as plentiful as ever. Alastor was doing very well, and of course, a number of their crops and other important resources went to assist in the rebuilding of Storaph. Nate wrote often, ever grateful to Werr and all the others for their help. Things seemed to be going back to normal. However, just as things were starting to settle, a series of unfortunate events set our heroes off on yet another adventure...

Werr sat down at the dining room table. "Sorry I'm late, I was in the library again." He smiled, looking at his friends. Seria, Cynyr and Welk had been, of course, waiting for him. They ate with him often, just the way he liked it. "I hope you weren't waiting for too long..."

Seria smiled at Werr as he sat down. She hadn't changed much in two years, except for the fact that her red hair was even longer. She wore it up in a ponytail all of the time, which helped to keep it out of the way of her work. Her healing skills had only grown stronger as time had passed, and she had gotten more skilled. She folded her hands under her chin, the silver ring around her finger glinting in the light.

"I don't have a problem with waiting," Cynyr said, folding his arms on the table and resting his head on one up-raised hand. Cynyr hadn't changed barely at all in two years, other than a few simple things. He was now twenty years old and was wearing a mask similar to the metal one he had received long ago at Werr's interrupted coronation. It showed part of his cheeks, his chin and his forehead, but it covered neatly around his eye. It had a space where the other eye-hole would've been, but it was filled in to cover that spot, since he was missing his right eye. His clothing now consisted of a black short-sleeved shirt and jeans, with boots on his feet. A curly wind design was sewn into the black fabric on the shirt and pants, in green thread. He also had a cloak with a hood on, though the hood was down at the moment.

Something rubbed against Werr's legs under the table, something big and furry. Welk appeared out from under the table in lion form, grinning away at his friend. He had passed Cynyr in cat form size and was now the bigger of the two. His red mane had grown in fully and he was now a full-fledged lion, except for his missing tail. He took human form and flopped down in his chair near Werr, flashing the boy a smile. He hadn't caught up to Cynyr's height yet in this form, and he was only a few inches away from catching up to Werr. His blonde hair was a bit longer, but other than that, he was still the same. If not a bit more handome at his current 18-year-old age.

Though he hadn't changed mentally.

"I'm starving!" he said, picking up his fork and flipping it in the air. It came back down and hit him in the face, causing him to yelp and accidentally knock over the staff leaning against the table, near Werr. It was the fire sword-staff Welk had made Werr so long ago, for his birthday.

Werr gave a yelp of his own and quickly grabbed the staff, remembering the last time he had dropped it. It had accidentally gone off, setting the carpet in the hallway alight. That had been a disaster (though not an entirely terrible one, as said carpet had been getting old, and Welk had been able to put out the flames before anyone got hurt).

Werr laughed with relief after he was certain it was safe. He gently set it on the floor, grinning at Welk. "Nice catch, eh?" He smiled brightly. Werr had most certainly changed; he kept his hair short and any facial hair trimmed, and he hadn't grown very much in height or in appearance. What had changed the most about him was his mentality. He was actually somewhat immature, now that he had the freedom to be, but it was never too unruly. He wasn't entirely different; just...free. And it showed.

"Right, we're ready," Werr motioned to the servants that were waiting with plates full of food. They quickly swept forward and set down the plates, bowing as they retreated. Werr rolled his eyes; he could never get them to stop doing that. He looked down at the food; beef roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, small breadrolls and steamed broccoli. He dug in quickly. The food was amazing, just as Werr remembered it. It always was, every meal of every day.

He jumped when lightning struck somewhere outside, and the splattering of rain could be heard as a torrent came crashing down from the sky. "Oh, darn. I was going to go visit Cici..." Werr frowned, letting out a small sigh. But he didn't linger long on disappointment, returning to his food. Cici had been made a grave of sorts, you see. Her dress had been fixed, cleaned and preserved in a glass case within a small marble building on the outskirts of town. In the small building were also the numerous feathers Werr had gotten from Relic, and a small vase of flowers that never seemed to wilt. On the vase were the words, 'From Resu'.

The building was treated as a royal one, and commoners were only allowed in on special occasions. Werr had to hold back a chuckle as he remembered the bards who came into town once, singing songs about the grand tales they once held. They had missed a few things, but they were still amusing nevertheless. Werr returned once more to his dinner, smiling away.

Their peaceful supper was soon interrupted, though.

"Your majesty! We caught these two intruders attempting to break into the castle!" Hurst announced, marching into the room. Three of his men followed after, hefting along two barely recognizable people. Forin and Diana.

They dropped the two soaked people near the table, though they weren't without drawn swords aimed at the 'intruders'. Forin looked older, nearing 18 or so. Diana looked a good bit older (9, to be precise), but she clearly hadn't grown out of her habit of clinging to Forin. She had her arms wrapped around him, moving into his lap as Forin cast a threatening glare at the guards. When he opened his mouth to speak, he nearly got his tongue sliced out; which he seemed to be sensitive about, as the 'x' shaped scar over his lips was easy to see. They didn't seem to have too many scars aside from that though, thankfully.

Welk had been up in an instant with fireballs in each hand, ready to attack incase either of the two had turned out to be bandits. When he recognized them, however, his mouth fell open. "Forin! Diana!" he said happily, moving forward. He glared up at Hurst and said "These are our friends. You can let them go." He looked down at Forin and said "Really, though, you could've just come in through the gates."

Cynyr had also stood up, a tendril of wind wrapped around his arm incase. He blinked when he saw the two, flicking his tail in recognition. "What brings you two here?" he asked, tilting his ears up. He walked over and bent down to sever their bonds, allowing them to stand.

The guards looked hesitant, but they moved off regardless. Diana stuck her tongue out at them, locking arms with Forin. "What, an old friend can't stop by for a pleasant chat?" Forin snorted.

"You're not really one for 'pleasant chats', Forin. We haven't forgotten you," Werr shook his head.

"And what about Luen?!" Forin snarled suddenly, causing the guards to point their swords at him again. He ignored them. "He's still out there somewhere, Cern is still out there somewhere, and for all you know, he could be dead in a ditch somewhere! Even after all that we went through, you still don't care! You sit up here in your ivory tower, chewing your cud and watching from the sidelines as one of your so-called 'friends' is still out there somewhere, in a world of danger!" Forin slammed his hands on the table, growling in Werr's face. "I found the trail. I know where he's been taken, but I'm always two steps behind."

"And you want my help to find him." Werr said, more of a statement than a question.

"Why else would I be here?" Forin sneered.

"Yes," Diana said, shaking her head at Forin's attitude. "Yes, please." She moved over and wrapped her arms around Seria in a hug, smiling apologetically up at the rest of the group. "Sorry about him. He's been doing better, but he definitely doesn't like being wet."

Seria smiled widely and hugged Diana close, saying "Don't worry about it, sweetie. It's good to see you again!" She smiled for a moment longer, then let her smile fade. "I'm sorry about Luen," she said softly.

It was as Forin had said. The gentle white wolfling still hadn't been found from when Cern had captured him two years ago, though Forin and Diana had tried their hardest to find him. Cern always seemed to be, as Forin had said, two steps ahead of them. Always with a new hiding place or false trail, keeping Luen just out of their reach, if he was still alive in the first place.

"I'm sorry about not helping enough," Seria said. "You wouldn't believe the load of people that I have to heal throughout the day. They come from miles around to be healed by me and it gets hard. But that's no excuse, I know." She nuzzled Diana's head and looked up at Cynyr when the panther spoke.

"Personally, I don't care," he said, pushing his chair aside and leaving it askew. He hadn't changed much personallity-wise in two years, still being gruff and blunt. "Luen wasn't my friend, though I admit he was a good ally," he said, then raised a hand to silence Forin before the Tartaran could protest. "BUT..." he said. "...I know what it's like to suffer under someone else, so I'll help."

Welk smiled at him, then said "I want to help too! Luen helped us a lot and we should go and find him!"

"Well, I'm not about to let you all go off and leave me here," Werr snorted.

"I came here for Welk and Cynyr, not you." Forin glared at him. "Cern would tear you apart, and from what I can see, you have your hands full running a reviving country. You should stay here."

"Wha...you just said--"

"I don't care what I said before. You know what I need from you?" Forin tutted.

"And what would that be?" Werr frowned at him.

"Food," Forin said, grabbing Werr's plate and digging into the king's half-eaten meal. "And maybe some dry clothes," He mumbled around a full mouth. Diana giggled at this, staying with Seria while Forin ate. He, of course, offered some to her, but she refused with another giggle.

"I'm sure Werr would feed us if we just asked," She said lightly, smiling happily.

Welk laughed, then quickly stiffled it when Cynyr glared at him. "Aha...erm, sorry, Forin, but I won't leave Werr here alone," the fire mage said, his light armor clinking as he shifted. "As one of only two personal knights to the king, plus being his bestest friend ever, I have to stick by him." He spun in a quick circle, always full of energy, then turned to Werr and said "We're going to help them, right? They are our friends and I don't want Luen to be held by Cern. You remember that crazy Tartaran." He shuddered, gulping softly, then brushed his tail against Werr's arm. His tail had grown a little longer over time, but it was still a hacked mess.

"I remember," Werr said quietly. He had already ordered two fresh plates for their friends. "I want to help, Forin. I've been taking lessons; no, I'm not a swordsmaster or a prodigy of the arts, but I've been working hard. I think I can handle myself in a tight situation, at least for a little while."

"Cern. Will. Rip. You. Apart." Forin repeated himself.

"Like Obelisk, who caused such agony that it felt like my soul itself was torn out of my chest and ripped to shreds?" Werr moved his hand to the back of his neck, where the pain had been the worst.

"...Something like that."

"Look, do you want our help or not?" Cynyr said, his ears flicked back against his head. "Bottom line, Dulce; Werr goes, we go. Werr stays, we stay. Get it? You don't get two without the last one coming with us, so stuff some food in your trap and keep quiet."

"Besides!" Welk said, moving behind Werr and digging his knuckles playfully into the sides of his head. "Everything turned out okay in the end for this guy. And me and Cynyr have had time to really train our magics. We're, like, SUPER mages now!" He grinned, then pulled back.

Seria tilted her head slightly to the side and said "One of those 'super' mages happens to be super exciteable as well."

Welk frowned at her and she giggled.

Werr rubbed the sides of his head, wincing a bit, though he was smiling. Yes, if anything, his experience with Obelisk had only reassured him of how much he could truly take, even when he thought he would surely die. Then again, his ability to hold out during that time might have been due to the light magic coursing through his veins, that was long-since faded now.

"Fine," Forin finally growled. "But don't blame me if he dies." He looked up as a fresh plate of food was given to Werr, as well as a plate for Diana. He shrugged, happy enough with the amount he had gotten from Werr's plate.

"So," Werr spoke lightly, pushing away his food, not really hungry anymore. "What happened to your face?" He motioned towards the terrible scars on Forin's mouth; it really was a big 'x' shape. It was pretty bad, too, as it looked like the sections of lip had been completely severed at one point.

"We were hot on Cern's trail at one point, but apparently he had brainwashed a chef in the town we tracked him to. We were stopped up by that fight. Pizza cutters can be surprisingly sharp." Forin rolled his eyes. "Nothing to worry about, I'm perfectly fine otherwise, and Diana was and is uninjured, as usual."

"Yep!" Diana nodded, happily digging into her meal. "I don't like that scar on his face, but he said he kind of does. It makes him look tough, that's why." She giggled.

Welk put his hands over his mouth to try and stop a giggle from coming out, then said "Did you bleed...pizza sauce?" He laughed and a small burst of flames came out of his mouth, but it quickly fizzed out. He stopped laughing after a moment at the glare Forin shot him, quickly turning away.

Cynyr snorted, then said "Smooth. So we're tracking down a psychopathic rouge Tartaran in order to rescue a lanky little wolfling? ...I like it. When do we leave?"

Seria smiled at him and stood up, patting Diana on the shoulder as she passed the girl. She walked over to Cynyr and took his hand, smiling up at him. The silver ring around her left ring finger glinted in the light as she moved it up to touch his shoulder.

He had proposed to her not too long ago, presenting her with the simple ring.

"I would say that I'm ready when you are, but as mentioned before, Diana and I need a fresh change of clothes, probably a bath, and Diana needs a long night's rest. Sleeping in and under trees isn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world." Forin sighed.

"Alright then." Werr looked back at one of the maids. "Please go prepare a bath, clothes and a guest room. And tell Blackwood to pack my bags and ready the horses for the morning."

The maid scurried away with a bow.

Seria watched the maid go, then walked forward to Forin and gave him a hug before he could protest. "It's good to see you again," she said, pulling back and resting her arms on his shoulders. She smiled warmly at him, then pulled back and moved back to Diana, saying "Come on, sweetie, I'll help you get settled for the night." She took the little girl's hand and led her off to the rooms, her long-furred tail swaying behind her.

Cynyr watched her go, his single yellow eye fixed on her, then shook himself and turned to Welk, saying "Don't leave your armor on the floor again. I've already tripped over it more than I ever should have." He walked off, calling "I'll be in my room," over his shoulder.

Forin smiled ever so slightly at the hug, but he remained more or less his normal, grumpy self. He eventually followed after Seria and Diana, needing a bath just as much as Diana did, though not once thinking about walking in.

Werr watched Cynyr go, then turned to finish his meal. He ate it quickly before heading off to bed as well, yawning widely as he walked. He did seem somewhat put off, however, as he confessed to Welk as they walked along the halls. "I'm not entirely certain about all this," He spoke after heaving a short sigh. "I have a bad feeling. I know it sounds a little silly, but..."

Welk brushed his tail against Werr's leg and said "Of course you have a bad feeling. We're going to chase down a nutcase!" He purred and said "It's scary, but I'm actually kind of excited. It'll be an adventure! Surely you haven't lost all of your curious spunk? And besides, I thought you didn't wanna be the king. At least, you didn't used to." He took lion form and it was a very intimidating sight. He was HUGE in this form, what with his thick red mane and all. He was three-and-a-half feet tall at the shoulder alone, a half a foot taller than Cynyr. His armor clinked and shifted as he padded along, a familiar sound. "No matter, though," Welk said, rubbing his head under Werr's hand. "You're still Werr to me. My best friend."

"I don't really want to be king, but now that I am, I kind of have a duty to it..." Werr sighed, looking down. "But that's entirely off the point! I thought we didn't want more adventures. You said yourself, enough was enough. I thought it was over when Cici sealed Obelisk away." He rubbed the back of his neck again, a habit that had arisen since two years ago. "Too many people suffered in my absence...but I don't want Luen to suffer, either. And...I really don't like that woman. She's good for the country, yes, but something about her just sets her off for me..." He was speaking of the woman he had placed as his heir to the throne until he had true heirs of his own.  "I don't think I should go," Werr concluded, rubbing his eyes. "I have Hurst and Blackwood here, they're not as good as you two, but I trust them enough to keep me safe..."

Welk stared up at Werr for a moment, then looked down. "...Fine," he said, pausing in the hallway. "You can stay. But...I...want to go."

Silence.

"I want to help Luen," Welk said, lifting his head and staring at Werr. "He deserves our help. I mean, he trekked all around the land with us, helping us however he could back when Obelisk was around. So...I'm gonna go. I...I-I don't want to leave you here, but..." He looked down, then said "If it were any of our friends, I'd go anywhere to help them. And the sad part is, it IS one of our friends. It wasn't right for us to forget about what happened to him all these years. So I want to make it right." He looked up at Werr again and said "I'll come back, you know that."

Werr smiled a little. "I know you'll come back. I'm not worried about that. I trust you to bring him back here, at that. Alive, if you find him that way." He scratched Welk behind the ears. "Make the wrongs right in my stead. I'll watch over things here, and ensure that doors open when you need them to. I am the king, after all. There has to have been some reason for me being named such."

Welk stared up at him, then lifted a heavy paw and put it on Werr's leg, pressing his claws against the fabric covering the human's skin. "I don't want to go," he said, blinking softly. "I want to stay. I'm your knight! I'm suppose to protect you! Maybe I should stay..."

"Will you make up your fuzzy-headed mind already?" a familiar voice said. Cynyr stalked out of the shadows, his cloak pulled tight around his lean frame. "If you're that torn up about it, then just stay. I can handle this well enough alone. Or you can go and I'll stay. Either way, one of us stays here, since Werr's a bit too comfy on that throne of his."

Welk looked up at his half-sibling, then sighed and said "I'll go, then."

"And I'll stay with Werr," the panther said, shoving his hands into the pockets on the inside of the cloak. "Seria already told me she was going, so...make sure you protect her."

Welk nodded, then said "Only if you watch Werr."

Cynyr nodded, then ruffled Welk's hair and walked off to find his fiancée.