The Forgotten Zodiac

Werr looked up at Naybrin, then smiled a little. Then he sighed again, standing up. "Thank you, Naybrin." He wrapped his arms as far as he could around the great dragon again, then stepped back. "I should probably be getting back to those friends again. Er...friend. I still don't know where Welk is..." He shook his head, then looked up at Naybrin again. "Any time you're ready."

Naybrin lifted his head and smiled down at the human, then lowered a hand and offered it to Werr. "At your ready...your majesty," he said, his eyes regaining only a mere spark of their once young and energetic gleam. But it was a spark nonetheless. He curled Werr carefully into his hand, then moved to the edge of the mountain and jumped off, into a slow, graceful glide rather than the all-out free-fall that he had done before, so long ago. He flew along peacefully, content to simply enjoy his time in the air with the human whom he was friends with.

Werr sat down happily in Naybrin's hand, used to the great dragon's speed. He watched as they flew over Alastor, and Werr looked down sadly at the smouldering wreckages and empty streets. "You have quite a few things to fix," Werr said quietly as they flew over what once was the castle. "But as I said, I'm more than willing to come with you. To better show that you mean to repair the bond between us."

Naybrin sighed and said "Yes, I know. I hope to fix it all. After I repair more of the damage I have done." He headed towards the Sacred Plains, where Seria was curled up against the barrier. Mithor had taken Boko to the crystal cave and had left her here. Having nowhere to go and no one to help her, she had just curled up in cat form, hoping someone remembered her. When she heard Naybrin, she glanced up hopefully. Her gaze grew disheartened until she saw Werr, where she climbed to her paws and wagged her tail in slow, graceful arches, smiling up at them.

Naybrin swept low and scooped her into the same paw, then headed into the Sacred Plains.

"Werr!" Seria said, purring and rubbing her muzzle against his face. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Seria? What are you--oh. Boko." Werr sighed, scratching Seria behind the ears. "What did Boko want, anyways? Cynyr was extremely upset that you were taken. He's still having a hard time moving, though, or he would have come after you. Sorry..." He looked up at Naybrin, smiling a little. He turned to Seria again and said, "We've made peace, obviously."

Seria brushed her soft-furred ear against Werr's cheek, then looked up as Naybrin landed. "Seria, you must heal the other wrong that I did," he said. "If he's still alive." He lowered his hand to the ground and let them off, then looked towards a figure laying still and silent on the ground.

Zephyr was alive, but just barely.

The knife was still embedded in his stomach, but his condition was more or less 'okay'. "We found him like this, but my only thought was ransom," Naybrin said. "I was going to give him for you. I see now that it was not the right thing to do."

"Oh. Oh, dear..." Werr murmured. He looked up as there was a wail and the crackling sound of the barrier as poor little Boko started smashing into it again. He felt better after his rest, and Mithor had gotten him food, too. But he had noticed Naybrin's return and he was desperate to see his father again.

"Daddy!" Boko wailed, sinking his claws into the barrier and trying to tear it up from there. It didn't work, obviously.

Naybrin turned his head and frowned back at the barrier, then sighed and turned his huge body around. By merely moved his head on his long neck, he stuck his head through the barrier and closed his jaws around Boko, picking the drakeling up and pulling him inside. He lowered his head to the ground and opened his mouth, letting Boko out as Seria got to work carefully excavating the knife from Zephyr's stomach. She had to be very careful. Too big of a jostle could result in the knife sinking further and killing the once-dragon.

((You okay? Why you no on mumbrez? :[ -ish worried-

-feels stalkerish but clings anyways-))

Boko slid around her and his father, using his wings to make a shelter and give Seria and Zephyr some privacy. He knew that they didn't need it, but he wanted to be absolutely certain that he could snap at Seria if she tried to do anything but heal Zephyr. The little Drakeling had lost a lot of trust for pretty much everyone because of all this. It wasn't really his fault, either; but at the same time, it was difficult to blame anyone, really.

Slowly, Seria worked the knife out of Zephyr's abdomen, until she could finally cast it aside and simply close the wound. Zephyr winced and slowly opened his eyes, biting his lip with his sharp teeth. His gaze was blurry and unfocused, but he slowly recognized  Boko hovering over him. He pushed himself up and quickly put his arms weakly around Boko's neck, barely able to sit up for more than a few seconds. With his arms draped over Boko's neck, he was able to lean against him and thus not fall.

Seria tutted, but continued work on his stomach from the new position.

Boko licked Zephyr's cheek, curling his head around his father as much as he could manage. "You've gotten bigger, Boko," Werr said, attempting to make light of the situation. He had to jump back into Naybrin's hand when the Drakeling turned and snapped angrily at him. "Okay, right. Got it," Werr frowned, wondering why this was. He didn't get it at all.

Naybrin stared down at the little drakeling, but said nothing. He watched as Zephyr sighed and stroked his son's muzzle, slowly licking the side of his head, just near his eye. "Little one..." he soothed tiredly. "Please...don't snap..."

Naybrin brought his muzzle down to Werr and spoke with only the tiniest of breaths. "Just give him time," he whispered. "He is angry...like I was." He exhaled deeply through his nose, whipping Werr's hair and clothes wildly, then carefully touched just the tip of his diamond-hard nose to Werr's forehead.

Boko just whimpered, keeping himself curled up around Zephyr. "Right." Werr nodded after a bit of thought. "I guess that's the problem with revenge. You always end up hurting other people...and bad moods are like a disease."

"Boko is not sick," He growled. "Boko is worried for daddy and daddy must get better. No humans near him. Only Seria."

There was a thud behind them as Mithor landed, folding his wings against his back and walking over. He was nearly equal to Naybrin is size, but there was a difference between them other than their colors. Mithor was much more muscular and thick while Naybrin was slender and tawny. Still, that didn't stop Mithor from walking forward and touching his nose to his king's, greeting each other silently. Mithor remained on alert as Seria finished with Zephyr and stood back, just letting the dragon-human lean against his son.

"What do we do with him?" Mithor asked quietly. "He is..."

"I know what he is," Naybrin answered, just as soft. "And I don't know what to do. If he can't be returned to his original form, the other dragons will kill him, regardless of anything I say. And they won't stop at him. Vaira and Boko's lives will end as well."

"No!" Werr said quickly. "Ophile, Ophile knows what to do. He had a potion...but he's still in Amnairus. But we can return Zephyr to his dragon form, he doesn't have to die!" He looked back down and watched as Boko shoved Seria away, curling himself completely around his father and placing his head in Zephyr's lap.

"He will not." Boko snorted. "Daddy will not die."

Seria frowned at Boko and moved over to climb into Naybrin's hand, taking cat form and curling up near Werr.

Naybrin nodded, then said "We will return to Amnairus, then, and recover what we must." He bent his head forward and spoke to Boko with a no-nonsense tone in his voice, saying "Bring your father and both of you climb into my other hand. I'll return you both to Vaira and hopefully to where Zephyr can become a dragon once more." He offered his hand, watching as Zephyr heaved a shuddering sigh. He was very weak, though not totally from his wound. Being transformed from a mighty, massize dragon to a relatively small, weak human was draining.

Werr moved closer to Seria, much needing to scratch someone behind the ears, mainly for his own comfort.

Boko glared at Naybrin for a long while, then quickly relaxed and shifted himself around to where the bulk of his coils - Zephyr included - were on Naybrin's waiting hand. He then pulled himself on, although hesitantly, careful to stay wrapped around Zephyr the entire time whilst trying not to jostle his father too much. It took about five minutes, but he got it well enough in the end. Then they were ready, and took off in a flash.

Naybrin picked them up and he and Mithor took off, leaving the Sacred Plains behind. Once they were in the air, the two dragons paused and said goodbye. Mithor had to stay behind and watch over the remaining dragons, after all, and Naybrin wouldn't be returning soon. He had many things to do outside of the Plains.

When the group entered the place between worlds, they found a different, lonely little figure waiting there.

Dark was sitting at the very edge of the bridge, his legs hanging over the edge and swinging softly as he kicked them lightly. He looked sad and bored and just...small. Smaller than usual, of course.

He was alone.

The group ignored Dark, but they did pass Sylas strolling along on the bridge, returning from a soak in the Amnairian healing springs. He had definitely needed it. But, he had noticed Dark and didn't want to drop off the edge to hang with the divine just yet. Instead, he plopped down next to Dark; the older human smiled at the smaller artificial being, patting his shoulder. "You alright, lad?" He questioned quietly. "You seem a little down."

Dark angrily shrugged Sylas' hand off, scooting away from him and looking in the opposite direction. "Like you really care, human," he spat, sending Sylas a vicious glare. "You don't understand anything about me and I don't care to explain myself to you. You're all chummy with your stupid big lizard...thing...and you've got your son and his friends and Galai and BAH." He wrapped his arms around himself, looking perfectly tiny against the black backdrop of the endless abyss. His fine white hair draped over his eyes, covering his expression other than his mouth. "I have no one," he whispered, curling tighter into his little upright ball.