The Forgotten Zodiac

The hour passed slowly. As Galai had ordered, guards lined each of the exits in the courtyard, prepared for nothing short of a war. No one came in, no one went out. Unfortunately, the Rabbitzen didn't come in through the exits.

"Ladies and...ladies! Welcome to your entertainment feature this fine afternoon. Thank you ever so much for joining us!" He called from the roof, attracting quite a bit of attention to himself. "If you fancy seeing a trick, do follow me to the fountain in the middle of town. If not...you could stay here and see a different trick entirely. It's called 'blow a few Amnarians to smithereens with a bomb buried under their feet'! Fun, no?" He laughed, turning on heel and walking across the roof to where he could jump down without getting tackled immediately. After that, he bolted, giggling as he went. "So much fun, so much fun!"

Galai called "Scatter!" and the guards immediately vanished into thin air. They were light beings, after all, and could control the light around them. "Some of you take care of the bomb," the queen said, moving forward. "I shall deal with this troublesome rabbit." She walked after him, her long robes flowing around her and her feathers fluttering.

A shadow flitted across the rooftops, followed ever so quietly. Cynyr didn't know what had prompted him to tell Werr he was going to get something and instead follow Galai, but he had sensed something was dreadfully off.

Just in front of the fountain was a new installment to the decorations. It was none other than Obelisk, of course, looking groggy and limp. The ropes went up to his elbows; he was tied to a hook of some kind, dangling off the ground. How the Rabbitzen had gotten him here was beyond anyone who looked on. No one had really dared to help Obelisk down, either, even though his magic was apparently stopped up by something or other. There wasn't anymore crackling of magics around him, and his bandages hung limply around him.

"Here we are, here we are! Oh, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Toro, and this entertainment section is courtesy of the Silver Tornado!" He stopped in front of Obelisk, grinning. "And don't worry, he's not going anywhere. I cut off his hands and feet!"

"What do you mean to do with him?" Galai asked, glaring at the rabbitzen. "Why are you here? What purpose could all of this possibly have?" She flared her wings, rising up a few feet off of the ground. She flapped slowly, gracefully, hovering delicately.

((Sorry, shortpost.))

"Entertainment, my dear queen!" Toro nodded happily. "Obelisk is one who caused mankind great pain and suffering for quite a long time! Ten years, if I'm not misinformed. So I decided to cause him pain, and let all of you watch! Doesn't that sound like fun? That's why I started with his hands and feet, so he can't run or fight back too much. And he can't use his powers because I made him sleepy!" He looked around curiously, then refocused his attention on Galai. "Go on then, you can go first!"

"I most certainly will not," the queen said, frowning at the rabbitzen in front of her. "For you see, little rabbit, time heals all wounds. Humans will forget crimes against them if enough time passes by. The mortal races are both strong-willed and stubborn, but they also can be calm and peaceable. If Obelisk wishes for peace between the races, he will recieve it if he tries for it. If you so wish for something and go about the ways of making it happen, then you shall eventually have it. You need only try hard enough for it. For I have already forgiven him." Several of the Amnairian guards looked up in shock, wondering how she could forgive something like Obelisk.

But she was the ultimate light, of course.

Toro frowned a bit, scratching the back of his neck. "So...you don't want to hurt him? How...sweet. But terribly boring," He sighed, shaking his head. "Hey, I have an audience here! How boring are you going to get? Jeez..." He thought for a short moment, shaking his head. "I guess you just don't want to move too much because of your fateness. Oh well," He shrugged, turning to face Obelisk again. "What should I do, then? A magic attack? A knife or fire? I guess fire wouldn't have much of an effect...oh wait, I know!" He said, grinning. He reached forward and started tearing Obelisk's bandages off. He left the ones around his neck, apparently knowing that Obelisk's head had been recently severed. But the bandages around his twisted, disgusting face were the first to go. After he ripped through the first few, they were like paper under Toro's claws.

Obelisk groaned something quietly, but wasn't lucid enough to attack Toro or stop him. Instead, he just hung there limply as the bandages on his chest were torn through, revealing his burned and blackened skin. Toro smiled in satisfaction, then started to tear through said skin, peeling it off quicker than he had gone through the bandages.

Suddenly, all of the light in the entire land seemed to shift. The light flickered, causing several Amnairians to flinch or take cover. Others who knew what was happening turned to the source of the strange light, their faces taking on looks of wonder.

Light flowed in and out of Galai in pure, undiluted waves, large and powerful. All of the light in the world was flowing towards her, going in and out of her body along with that which she was generating. "You have chosen your action and I will make mine," she said, then Toro felt a constricting pressure suddenly surround his entire body. Like the air around him was pressing in, tighter and tigher.

For he was surrounded by light, was he not?

Since Galai was the queen of light, she could control any light there was. Here, in her world, all was light.

Her powers yanked Toro away from Obelisk, slamming him to the ground powerfully. Her powers washed over him in a blinding wave that was brighter than the sun itself, brighter than any fire any world had ever known.

Toro screeched, wincing as his arm snapped, very much broken. He was rendered unable to move, but he did laugh while he was blinded by the attack. "Entertaining, isn't it? Beating up a weaker creature...I always thought that was fun. Thanks, by the way!" He giggled, giving no hint as to why he was thanking Galai. Perhaps he was happy the crowd was still watching; he was a performer, apparently. Or perhaps it was something else...

Her expression didn't change nor waver. She held him down long enough for her guards to move forward and place a chain collar around his neck, which they snapped chains to and held tight onto as the queen pulled back. The light in the land returned to normal as her powers receeded. The guards walked off, forcing Toro along with them, heading towards the jail. Once they got there, they threw him in a cell opposite of Welk's and locked it, heading off.

Galai moved forward towards Obelisk, saying nothing. She darkened the light around him, making it easier on him.

Obelisk groaned again, shaking his head a tiny bit from side to side. He probably would be crying, if he could. But not out of pain; more out of humiliation than anything else. He realized numbly that his hands and feet were gone. The guards had taken most of Toro's things, including the satchel that contained said hands and feet. They were on their way to return them now, although Obelisk didn't know if he would be able to reattach them on his own. Getting them back on his limbs was one thing, but being able to move his fingers again seemed somewhat...impossible.

"Things worse than that have been returned," the queen said. "Here in Amnairus, you have that chance," She turned to a guard and said "Help him to the Divine healers. I'm sure that just one of them will suffice." The guard nodded and did as she was asked.

They never noticed Cynyr slip away, deciding to go visit Welk.

The half-cat was still in his cell, still in the corner, still chained in more ways than one. He didn't even flick an ear when Cynyr walked into the room and stood at the bars. There was silence for a long moment, then the panther spoke. "Hey," he said softly, his ears tilting down against his head. "Are you...okay?"

Welk said nothing for a moment, then said "What do you think?"

"I think now is kind of a sucky time, but that we'll get through it like always," the wind mage said. "We've done it before, right?"

Welk muttered something unintelligable.

"What?" Cynyr said, leaning forward a bit. "What did you say?"

"I said 'it's hopeless'!" the boy said. "This isn't like the other times, Cynyr. This is different."

"How?" the panther asked.

"How? You are honestly going to ask me that?!" Welk said, glancing up at him. "All those other times, I was in control, Cynyr! All those other times, I never had to worry about my own powers backfiring and hurting someone! All those times, I was in control! And now, I'm NOT! What if that weird guy takes control of me again and makes me kill one of you? I won't be able to live with that guilt, Cynyr. I can't."

There was silence again for a moment. "...So that's it, then?" the panther said quietly. "You just give up? You're not even going to try?"

"I said it was hopeless for a reason," Welk said. He then flinched when Cynyr suddenly slammed his hands against the bars and shouted "If you give up, you let EVERY SINGLE ONE of us down! Werr needs you, Welk! I thought you were his protector, his best friend?! I thought you were my little brother! Well the brother I had wouldn't give up no matter what happened! Are you that being, the one who shares my blood and who loves and protects his friends?! Or are you a weak, pathetic little kitten that wants to sit here and throw everything away?!"

Welk said nothing, shocked into silence.

"You choose what you be in life," Cynyr said. "I chose. And you can too." Then he turned and his heel and walked off, though he paused in the doorway. "You'll always be my little brother," he murmured softly. "And you'll always be Werr's best friend. He loves you too, Welk."

Then he was gone like a burst of wind.

Toro watched silently from his cell, looking glum. There wasn't an audience here...

Cynyr returned to the Library, but he wasn't happy with what he found. The Library was the same as before; but no Werr. The plush chair he had been sitting in was now on its back, claw marks obvious on the white fabric. There were signs of a struggle; the curtain had been shredded, and there were scortch marks on the floor. Werr's staff, the one made for him by Welk, was lying on the floor. Toro had apparently been little more than a diversion. And he had said it himself, he was from Silver Tornado...

That, and the room bore the scent of the werewolf that had attacked them before, not so long ago.

Cynyr stared around at the room, his mouth open in shock, then his jaw clenched hard in his mouth. He moved to pick up Werr's firestaff, but it spat fire at his claws. He glared at it, but didn't question it; he was filled with murderous intent, after all. Of course it wouldn't let him near. It never let ANYONE near, except for Werr and Welk. He left it there and took panther form, heading out after the werewolf with a dark essence in his silent steps.

It didn't take him long to find them, and when he did, they didn't even know he was there. He was silent like a breeze, blending into the shadows like he was meant to be part of them.

The werewolf - in human form, naturally - was sulking around the back alley toward the edge of the city. He didn't dare go further out right now. Toro had been his distraction, and he had missed his chance to escape; the only reason he was still in Amnarius was the fact that there was a huge serpent-like creature just beyond that gate - one that kind of wanted to murder him due to the fact that he had escaped its grasp on the way in.

Wulf (forgive the unoriginal name) breathed out a heavy sigh, looking around before reaching a hand down to the person next to him. It was Werr, leaned against the wall and very much unconscious. There were bruises in various places, but more noticeably was his leg, twisted up the wrong way. His arms, which looked just plain wrong, were broken in two places for each arm. A little more subtle was his chest, which looked fine, but housed three broken ribs and pretty much all of the rest were cracked.

The fight had been as follows; Wulf had broken into the library and asked Werr if he would come quietly. Of course, the boy had refused, so Wulf transformed and attacked. His first swipe got nothing but chair, Werr had managed to duck out of the way quickly enough. A blast of fire from Werr's staff only served to make Wulf angry; he batted the staff aside, grabbing Werr up in his claws. Then he proceeded to smash the poor boy to pieces against the floor. Wulf kept going until Werr stopped moaning.

Now, Wulf checked Werr's pulse, making sure the boy was still alive. He had to get him to Queen Libira alive, after all. Wulf snorted once he realized that Werr was actually awake, a tear slipping down from barely open eyes, mingling with blood leaking from the corner of his lip. Wulf snorted. "Shoulda come quietly, kid." He wiped away the blood, silently noting that perhaps he went too far. The boy had a lot of internal damage; Wulf doubted he would still be alive by the time he even got to the boats...

After about five minutes, Werr started making noise. It wasn't much, but he knew that if he did, it might attract the attention of an Amnarian wandering by. And that would mean he would be saved. It was just a quiet cry, but it didn't work; Wulf just gagged him, then punched him in the face. Werr was out like a light again.

While it didn't get an Amnairian's attention, it was noticed by something much, much worse.

For Wulf, that is.

A dark shadow passed over him, flitting from rooftop to rooftop. A breeze that shouldn't have been there flowed past, ruffling the hair of those in the alley. "Oh, but you weren't quiet enough, you see," the low, angry voice came, floating on the wind. "You were far too loud, werewolf. You thought yourself quite the hunter, no doubt. Silent, deadly, ferocious. Well I have news for you."

Cynyr landed with scarcely a sound between the werewolf and Werr, his single yellow eye set in a terrifiying way.

"I'm just as silent, deadly and ferocious as you," he said, his ears flicked down against his head.

((Edited last post. Also, have you noticed a few spots where words like 'dead' and 'blood' have been somehow deleted (in past posts)? Strange...))

"You again," Wulf growled, already transforming. He knew what Cynyr could do, after all. He wasn't taking any chances. "Look, Queen Libira just wants to talk with the kid. I don't even think she cares about who comes with. You could come with us! We could even get your healer friend to fix whatever...damage I did to the boy. Simple enough, no?"

((I noticed that, but I caught them.))

Cynyr's glare didn't so much as lessen or fade. "Pardon me if I don't care one bit,"  he snarled. "If that was really your goal, you could've come to us and asked face-to-face. The second you lay your filthy hands on his head..." He paused and gestured back at Werr, then grinned darkly. "...it was a death sentence." He lifted a hand up, pointing one clawed finger out at the creature.

Wind shot forth and burrowed into the werewolf's arms, leaving gaping holes.

((Okay, thanks. :T))

Wulf screamed, but he ignored the pain and charged forward, kicking out at Cynyr angrily. "Like that'll stop me!" He roared as he lashed out. Werr was still unconscious, but his breathing had turned to short gasps as he had fallen onto his side. Blood still dripped from his mouth, as well.

The panther ducked neatly to the side, bearing his teeth in a snarl. He planted one leg securely against the ground and threw his other one up, putting wind behind his attack. He kicked the werewolf hard, right in the jaw, knocking him backwards, then swept his hand around and pointed once more.

A gaping hole was blasted through the beastial creature's leg, ripping the said apendage off completely.