The Forgotten Zodiac

Wulf screamed again, a bloodcurling sound that split the already uneasy air of Amnarius. He fell backwards, paying little attention to his cracked jaw now that his entire leg was off. Blood sprayed, splashing onto the alley ground in waves as he struggled to stand again. Stubborn as ever, then. He knew, in a back part of his mind, that he was pretty much finished. He slashed at Cynyr, though his movements were quickly slowing.

Cynyr grinned at the blood that gushed along the ground, some of which splattered across his outfit. He dodged the next feeble attack, then pointed his hand once more. "You messed up when you hurt my friend," he said, his voice dangerously low. "And this is the price you pay."

The blow fell and the werewolf fell silent.

A groan came from behind Cynyr. Werr was waking up again, woken by the pool of blood reaching his face. He jerked his head up, staring blearily at the crimson liquid, but he was in agony at this point. It was too hard to keep his head up though, so as disgusted as he was (and confused), he had to drop his face again. His unbroken leg pushed weakly at the wall next to him, trying to push himself out of it.

Cynyr turned neatly on one leg and walked quickly over to him, bending down and scooping the boy up into his bloodsplattered arms. He lifted the human teenager, hefting him a bit in his arms, then turned and ran off. Wind formed under his legs, hardening into a bridge that swept up into the sky. The panther ran up this, his long legs carrying himself and the boy easily. Using the sky bridge helped him avoid all of the things on the ground, and in this way, he found the Divine healers quickly and arched down to them. "Seria!" he called, spotting her long red hair. "Hey, here!"

She whipped around from where she had been talking to one of the healers, her mouth dropping open. She ran forward and met him halfway, coming close as Cynyr dropped into a crouch, holding Werr gently. The female half-cat came forward and bent down, moving her hands to the boy's wounds.

Werr groaned again, and once it was more comfortable to talk, he did so. It took him a few moments to remember how to form words, though. "What the heck...happened?" He shook his head, clearly not remembering much. He kept his eyes shut tight, knowing there was blood on his face and hating every second of it. "Welk? N-no...he's still in the dungeons..." He murmured to himself, starting to tremble slightly. He dared to open his eyes, sighing with relief when he saw it was Cynyr and Seria. "I'm so tired of being targeted," Was the first thing he said, after coughing once or twice to dislodge the blood caught in his throat still. "If you weren't here, Cynyr, I'd probably turn into little more than a smorgasbord."

Cynyr snorted lightly through his nose-holes, flicking his tail around to rub it over Werr's cheeks, clearing away the blood. He pushed gently yet firmly against the boy's skin, rubbing lightly with his long, fluffy black tail. "Shut up," he said softly, his eye holding a troubled look. "Just...keep quiet. You need the rest."

The nicest way he had of saying 'I'm glad you're okay'.

"We'll go see Welk when you feel better," he said. "You can't go in and touch him or anything, but...I think you both need to hear the other's voice."

Werr sighed heavily and closed his eyes, shaking his head a bit. "I'm okay, I think...just don't leave again." He took Cynyr's tail in his hand, not pulling or squeezing. He just needed the comfort for the time being. He closed his eyes, sighing again. "Yeah. I'm okay. Thanks, Seria..."

The panther curled his claws close to the boy's neck, allowing him to hold onto his tail. He didn't mind at all, really; it was Werr doing the holding, after all. Anyone else, they would've gotten their eyes clawed out. But not the human king. Not the one that had claimed part of the harsh mage's heart, along with Welk and Seria. The three he trusted most in the entire world.

Seria smiled at him, saying "Of course, your Majesty." She chuckled good-naturedly, flicking her ears back.

Despite his mental arguments with himself about whether or not he should sleep, Werr slipped into unconsciousness only a few minutes later. After that, he was easily carried to the guest house and put into bed where he could rest in peace. And he never once allowed Cynyr's tail to slip from his grip. He would start to shake and moan as though caught in a nightmare whenever the half-cat took it back.

Obelisk, in the meantime, was just being dragged to the healers by a couple Amnarians. The delay had been caused by Obelisk waking up fully and starting the usual crackling magics, which made the Amnarians who were carrying him drop him on the spot. Obelisk couldn't walk though, due to the fact that his feet were no longer attached to his legs. It took him several long minutes to reclaim the use of the bandages that were left, which started working as his feet in their place.

Finally, he reached Naminai and the others, though he said nothing. He was extremely uncomfortable; no healer had ever laid hands on him. Even ones he had captured and demanded healing from, they had either downright refused or were too caught up in terror to do anything at all.

So the mage didn't take it back. He sat there on the edge of the bed, gently stroking one hand over Werr's head; a foreboding, dark figure with a surprisingly kind heart.

A few of the younger-looking healers took steps back, their mouths really the only things visible under the edge of their hooded white cloaks. Their mouths were open in shock, gaping at the creature before them.

Namanai took one look at him, blinked once, then took it all in stride. As if she were dealing with any normal patient.

"Marana, Keesha, begin your reattachment processes. Come now, ladies, can you not sense his injuries?" she asked, shooting all of the healers glares. That finally seemed to snap them into movement. Namanai WAS the most renound of the Divine healers, after all. The leader, in a sense. They came forward and took on calmer expressions, one of the older ones even smiling at Obelisk. Not a forced smile, either.

She touched his shoulder and beamed at him, giving him a little flood of her energy.

Obelisk shivered back from her touch, still frowning a bit. He was a bit suspicious, and her smile did nothing to ease this. If he had eyes, he would be looking at all of them with a mix of discomfort, pain, and heartache. His heartache came from their expressions; it was all the same, he had realized shortly after arriving in this room and seeing their shock. He wasn't wanted anywhere.

Well, too bad, Obelisk sighed inwardly. Because I'm here whether or not they want me. It's not my fault I'm a freakish creature of lore. It's not my fault I can't be called human anymore. Yet still, they stare at me with shock, and if they know me from before...hatred.

Only three of the healers were really needed to reattach Obelisk's severed pieces. The others really just wanted to see what he was, what kind of creature the being in front of them could possible be. They never touched him, simply examining without coming close. Several were missing multipul body parts or one major one. One was missing both eyes and both ears, while one was missing the arm they had wrote with. Another was missing both legs from the hips down. Each had given a part of themselves away in order to gain these awe-inspiring powers. The only one to earn them naturally was Namanai. She had worked and trained and studied for years upon years of her life, and she had been gifted the powers naturally. A healer to her fullest.

Seria stood nearby, watching ever-silently. She suddenly wanted Cynyr near her. She couldn't explain it; she suddenly, desperately wanted his touch, his kiss, his scent near her. She glanced down at the ring around her finger; a sign that they would be brought together in marriage. She loved him so much, and it had overjoyed her to say yes to his proposal, but...

She wanted to go and hear him say that. It was just different coming from him, who had always struggled with his love and emotions. She wanted him to say it to her, with meaning.

Obelisk looked at all of them in turn. They had given up their parts for a good cause; the wellbeing of others depended on their sacrifices. Obelisk sighed heavily after they were done, and asked something. "Might you repair something else, as well?" He said, taking the bandages off from around his neck. He then removed his head, holding it out to the healers. He fully expected them to recoil in shock or something of the sort, but he didn't care too much. He just wanted his head back on his shoulders.

Indeed, a few of the seven healers either gasped or blinked while Namanai didn't do a thing. Nothing seemed to phase the wizened old healer. She moved a hand up and tucked a stray gray hair back into her tight bun, then moved forward and pushed the other healers aside. "I shall take this one, sisters," she said, fixing Obelisk with a straight-faced look. She took the dark creature's head into her hands, studying him close, then said "I wish we could do more for you, Sharp-Spirit." What she called him was in a dragonish trait. It was as Zephyr had done for Werr once, calling him Dark-Eyes. A name for the certain person, gifted by someone else in honor of the dragon customs.

Usually, the person had to have premission from the dragons themselves to gift names like that.

Obelisk didn't (couldn't) say anything until his head was placed back on his neck. He sighed after that, nodding once. "You probably couldn't," He said after a moment. "It's fine. I doubt I'll be restricted to this body for much longer. The ever-elusive death will be mine as soon as Lord Malice is gone and done for. So...thank you." He said, turning and shuffling away.

Namanai watched him go, letting a small sigh escape her lips. "My sisters, take note of this encounter," she said, keeping her head turned in the direction Obelisk had gone in. "There is so much pain in the world that we can never heal, so we must do whatever we can to ease the burdens of those who are suffering. Though it might not be much, still, we must try." She sighed again, then turned and said "I will retire for the night. I leave the care of those in the infirmary to you all, my sisters in the healing arts."

She walked out, her lean frame seeming much older than before.

*

Tasia slowly opened her eyes, lifting her wings slightly as she glanced up at the ever-glowing sun.

She and Nate were laying in a field not far from the city, where they had flown to in order to be alone. They had talked and kissed and spoke some more, then both had fallen asleep, completely entwined in each other. Even now, Tasia's tail was wrapped fully around Nate's, her wings brushing against some part of his. She was folded into the male dragonian's arms, held close, her arms wrapped around him even as his were around her. The grass beneath them was warm, but warmer still was the sense Tasia got from remembering what Nate had become; no longer a boyfriend, but her fiancé. Her soon-to-be mate. That thought alone made her smile widely, flooded with happiness and joy.

She shifted a bit and leaned up, touching her lips to Nate's in order to wake him.

Nate jerked awake, suddenly sitting up and wrapping his arms around Tasia with a gasp. When she looked up at him quizically, he breathlessly explained, "J-just a nightmare. A bad one. I'm not sure, but there was Forin...and an explosion. A huge one. I...I'm not sure." He quickly relaxed, shaking his head. "It was just a dream. I'm fine," He smiled a little, kissing Tasia on the forehead. "We should go check on the others, though. We've been away for long enough, I think. And they need to hear the news, after all." He took her hand in his, rubbing her ring finger. He made a mental note to make something as soon as possible. Perhaps he could get Welk to help.

She smiled a little, a tad embarrassed. She was always a bit sensitive about her hands, of course. It wasn't like the sadly twisted little digits could be fixed, after all, and it made her sad to see the other girls in the group, with their perfect, normal hands. But she didn't dwell on it, as Nate loved her despite her troubles. She lifted her hand and gently touched two fingers to Nate's lips, then leaned forward and replaced the fingers with her lips for a moment before pulling back and rising up.

Nate used his wings to push himself up again, smiling as he stretched. "I can't remember the last time I slept on my back," He started off back towards the roads of Amnarius, wrapping his arm around Tasia's shoulders as he walked. "We should tell Zephyr first. He'll be excited to hear the news." He said happily, smiling away. "Then Seria, she'll go head-over-heels with joy!" He chortled at the thought of it. Then he sighed wistfully. "We could get married here, you know." He said thoughtfully.

Tasia leaned against him, fiddling with his hands like she enjoyed doing. She liked seeing the ways his hands bent and moved, the ways hers never could. She nearly tripped with her slightly turned-in feet, but kept upright since Nate was supporting her. She looked up at him when he spoke, her beautiful blue-green eyes shinning. "We...could?" she said, leaning a bit closer. She turned her head down and thought for a moment, then looked back up to him and said "I want to, Nate. You're the only person that I could ever be with. You looked past my flaws, as bad as they are, and loved me anyways. I don't want to wait." She gave his hand a squeeze, holding on tight. "I don't want to wait for anything," she murmured, resting her cheek gently against his shoulder. "Because I know that we have no reason to wait. We're not dating, we haven't just met; I've been with you for a little over two years now. And I love you with everything I have in me." She looked up at him, sighing gently. "I love you," she murmured, closing her eyes halfway.