The Forgotten Zodiac

"Daddy, daddy, you're okay? Does it hurt inside?" Boko asked, starting to cry, though mostly out of happiness. What the young Drakeling had been through recently only added to his tears, though. "You were human and Boko was captured and then you came and saved Boko! You were hurt, and meany-Naybrin caught us. Naybrin would not let she-cat heal you and so we brought daddy here and daddy got better, and then Dark-Eyes fed daddy a potion. And daddy is big again!"

"Nice to see you normal again," Werr smiled a little up at Zephyr. "Feeling any better? I can go get Vaira, if you want...or Nate. Whichever."

Zephyr blinked hazily, trying to understand what Boko was saying. He blinked again, his lids making a clicking sound as the thick scales came together and parted, then lifted his head high on his sinewy neck. Very, very high. He could potentially give Mithor a run for his money with his newfound size. Maybe even Naybrin. Vaira would be pleased, though she would a bit more than a tad smaller than him now. Zephyr glanced around, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked around with much more vigor.

"I...I'm a dragon again!" he said, struggling to stand up. He collapsed instantly, hitting the ground with a thunderous boom that knocked everyone off of their feet except for Cynyr, who still staggered and nearly fell. Zephyr didn't try to stand again after that, simply looking elated. When Werr's words sunk in, he quickly nodded, saying "Yes, yes! I...I would like to see them both!"

Werr's smile grew, and he nodded. "I'll fetch them both at once, then." He turned and started off, but not without making sure that Cynyr was following. He found Nate with Tasia; he was training her with her special knife, the one that was moulded to her hand shape. "Nate, Zephyr is in the courtyard of the castle. He wants to see you." Werr said, saying nothing of what had happened to the now-huge dragon. "You can go, Tasia."

Tasia looked over at him, then walked over to Nate and leaned against him, whispering quietly to him. Her throat had recovered somewhat after the brutal attack that had been done to it, but she was now fearfully of a lot of the group. Especially Werr. What she whispered to Nate was simple and the truth; she wasn't feeling good, so she wanted to stay here, but Nate could go visit his friend all the same. She sat down after that, leaning against a tree and closing her eyes exhaustedly.

Nate leaned down and gave his bride a kiss on the forehead before standing, a soft smile on his face. "Alright, I'll go."

"Right. Have you seen Vaira?" Werr asked before Nate could move off.

"She's sunbathing over that way. Kind of hard to miss," Nate pointed down the road, and Werr started off that way while Nate made his way towards the castle.

Werr walked down the road at a steady pace, easily finding the dragoness he was looking for. "Vaira," He said quickly, looking up at her. She was sunbathing on a roof, of course. Where she could get the most sun without getting in anyone's way. "Zephyr is back with Boko. They're in the courtyard."

Vaira jerked her head up and stared at him, then stood up and quickly pushed off from the roof, flying hurriedly towards the courtyard. When she spotted Zephyr, she released a ringing call that made her mate look up at once. "Vaira!" he called, his ears flicking up happily. Vaira landed with yet another ground-shaking thud, instantly pressing close to her mate's side. "Zephyr!" she said, licking rapidly under his chin. "You're a dragon again! ...And you're much bigger!"

"Yes, thank Sylas for that," he said, closing his eyes and stroking his muzzle down her flanks. He nipped gently at the back of her neck, making her arch her back in pleasure, then they both turned their heads down to Boko and showered him with licks and purrs and carresses.

Boko straightened up and stretched himself out as he was licked and nuzzled, purring happily, though hot tears still slid down his face. "My goodness!" Nate exclaimed when he arrived. Of course, he was slower that Vaira thanks to the fact that he had decided to walk. "Zephyr, you're a dragon again!" He grinned up at his dear friend, finding that he had to tilt his head back even further than before.

Zephyr lifted his head and smiled widely, then bent his head forward and put his nose right against Nate's chest, staring down his muzzle at the dragonian. He purred happily, closing his eyes, then extended his tongue and touched Nate's forehead with the tip, the closest to a lick he could get. At this huge size, he was even more unwilling to shrink down, taking pride in his form. He smiled and pulled back, offering the space between his shoulder and arm for Nate to sit on.

Nate climbed up at once, leaning against his dragon friend. "I see Boko is well, too. That's good."

Boko took a deep breath and explained what happened again. Nate was smiling widely by the end. "Did you really have to do all that? Well, you're quite the tough one, aren't you, Boko?"

"Yes! Boko is very tough." The Drakeling nodded and beamed, before yawning widely. "Mommy...I'm tired," He whined, stepping towards Vaira. "Very, very tired."

((Also, Tasia won't be in the training area. She went to a healer.))

Vaira brought her muzzle close to her baby, murmuring "Alright. Shh, shh..." She scooped him up into her mouth, turning onto her side in order to bear her pouch. She slid him inside the warm space, making sure to tuck in all of his coils and tail before licking his snout and withdrawing her head. The inside of her pouch smelled like warm smoke and distant flames, both soothing to baby dragons and drakelings alike. The scales inside of the pouch were soft and leathery, like a thick blanket that molded against Boko's body.

Zephyr tucked his head down around Nate, humming contentedly and flicking his tail once in a while.

((Got it.))

Boko curled himself up there, quickly drifting into a sleep that wouldn't be disturbed any time soon; and with his broken claw stuck in his mouth (as he was sucking on it now), he was quite the adorable sight.

"So," Nate smiled at Zephyr. "How does it feel to be so big? Especially after being stuck as a smaller being. That must have been hard on you..."

Zephyr sighed and flickered his eyes in what was the dragon version of rolling them. "You have no idea," he said, curling his paw a little closer around the dragonian. "It was...very, very hard. Especially there at the end, after I was injured. I just...couldn't keep going. My magic and my inner fire were tearing me apart at the seams." He snorted, then said "But look at me now! I'm positively gigantic!" He smiled, his wide, slitted pupil fixing on Nate.

"You are!" Nate chortled, smiling happily. "And it's wonderful to see you like this, Zephyr. It's wonderful that you have your son back, too. I heard he was a bit...snappish, though. Is he doing alright? I'm sure he's doing better now, he certainly seemed a little more exciteable and a little less grumpy. Brave little guy," Nate put his hands on Zephyr's muzzle. "He takes after you, at least a little."

"I imagine with his father back to normal and not held captive helps with the mood," Zephyr said, purring as Nate touched him.  He press a little into the dragonian's hands, wanting a more rough petting out of him. He liked having the creases of his scales scratched, where he couldn't reach with his large talons. He flicked his ears, then said "So how are you and Tasia, Nate-lahnir?"

"Tasia's been doing better," Nate said with a smile. "I've been fine. Wishing I could help more, actually. But I have to stay with Tasia, I'm not going to let anything happen to her. But I'm glad things have worked out for you and your family." He said, starting to scratch Zephyr. He knew enough about his friend to know where he liked being scratched.

Zephyr purred mightily and closed his eyes in pleasure, then said "You're lucky to have Tasia as your mate, my friend. She's a lovely young woman and you're a lucky young man. And luckier still to come." He didn't say what he meant by this, and Vaira looked over at him in confusion. With the tip of a claw, Zephyr touched one of Nate's wings, pushing the limb out to its full length. "It suits you," he said, grinning.

Nate laughed. "I still walk pretty much everywhere. It's not that I don't want to fly, I'm just so used to walking." He grinned, folding his wings back up behind him. His tail flicked around behind him, expressing his happiness. "I still feel as though I owe Naminai something for this gift, though. I haven't the foggiest of what I can do to repay her, though...Tasia likes them, too. Now I just have to avoid getting them ripped off again." He snorted, leaning against Zephyr.

The great emerald dragon tilted his head just enough so that Nate could get to the scales around his horns, then said "I'm certain that you could charm your way into any dragon's heart, lahnir." He purred happily, breathing out a cloud of smoke, then closed his eyes and just enjoyed Nate's company.

*

"Stupid bear..." Cynyr said, pulling the aformentioned teddy off of his back and tossing it onto a nearby bed.

He and Werr had retreated to their room for some quiet, hoping not to be disturbed. Cynyr hoped Werr would rest, because he still seemed like he needed the sleep.

"Don't be mean," Werr sighed, picking up the bear. "...Okay, it's a toy. I've got that. But there's something else, it's been bugging me since I saw it. It's just a teddy bear, and I've only had one before, but...I know this bear. So...so what? Ugh, I don't know. Maybe I need a nap." He sighed, flopping down on his bed.

After a few moments of silence, he finally said, "Hey, Cynyr...I'm glad we met."

Cynyr was quiet for a long moment, then he softly murmured "Yeah...I am too." He, of course, didn't know the course his life would've taken if the two had never met. He shook out his thick black fur, then walked over and jumped up onto the bed with Werr, laying down next to the boy. He hesitated, then put his head on Werr's chest, sighing quietly. He didn't purr, just comforted through touch. "Just keep the bear with you, then," he said. "I'm sure it has some meaning."