The Forgotten Zodiac

Galai stepped regally over to her husband, her smile growing wider when she saw the look on his face.

The stunning white dress that he had sent her was now a stunning pitch black dress.

She and her seamstress had turned the white dress into a long, sleek black one, and Galai's had crafted a new crown to wear. It was black as night and shaped like a delicate spider, the tines stretching out like legs. A long white and black sparkley train followed behind her, wrapped around her waist and tied in a bow.

"Titus," she greeted, sweeping the edge of her dress back into a smooth curtsy. "I am here, my dearest love."

Titus stared for a very long moment before stepping forward and taking Galai's hand in his, kneeling and kissing her hand. "You look marvelous, my dearest," He said quietly, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm honored that you attended my party. It's not much, I'm afraid...not as glamorous as an Amnairian party, I'm sure. But...it's what I have."

"It's perfect," she said, smiling gently. "I wouldn't have it any other way." She pressed close and put her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his torso, then glanced over to the trio in the corner and smiled.

Diana was sitting in Forin's lap and Luen was curled completely around him in human form, his arms and legs alike wrapped around the Tartaran. He was telling Forin everything that had happened to them since they had parted, speaking in his gentle, quiet voice. His eyes once again held a bright spark, though, and when he finished speaking, he just nuzzled his nose and chin up against Forin's neck and whimpered.

Forin didn't talk much, just quiet nods of recognition. Diana was talking again, and rather happily. "I'm so happy to see you again, Forin," She sniffed, pushing her face into his shirt again. It made her feel so much better, breathing in the familiar musky scent of his clothing.

"I'm glad to see you, too. I...dreamed about you," He said with a small smile. Hallucinated would be a proper term. The dungeons were built to drive those contained into a state of constant regret and misery. Hallucinations were rather common. But he didn't want Luen and Diana to worry. "So, you can use a bow now?"

"Yes. And I'm getting good at it, too. It took a lot of practice..." She pulled back and beamed at him.

"Well, practice makes perfect, dear miss Diana. Perhaps...I was too protective of you. Perhaps it's best that I'm out of the equation now. You're growing stronger in my absence."

"No," Diana looked horrified. "No, no, it's not a good thing that you're here. You can't say that...don't ever say that again, Forin!"

"I'm not your Summons anymore, Diana..." Forin said quietly, hugging her again and holding her tight. "But I won't say it again either way."

"Why?" Diana sniffed, her small voice muffled by his shirt again. "Why can't you be my Summons again? I want you back..."

Luen pushed closer against Forin's neck, like a hungry vampire searching for the right spot to sink its teeth in. Or a desperate kirin wanting the right spot to breathe deeply of his closest friend's scent. "You don't understand," he murmured. "We weren't training for the heck of it. We're training so we can protect you." The stump of his right antler rubbed against Forin's head as the kirin spoke. "You've always done so much for us. Now we want to protect you! Don't give up, please. We'll be together again soon, I promise."

"What...?" Forin blinked at them.

"You nearly died saving me loads of times...and then you did die, helping Luen...so it's our turn. Okay?" Diana nodded, agreeing with Luen completely. "We'll figure something out, Forin. We'll get you out of jail and back with us, right where you belong."

"Yeah...alright. I'll trust you two. You've never given me a reason not to, after all..." Forin nodded.

Luen took Forin's hand into his and rubbed the Tartaran's scarred fingers, very gently, somehow warming them in his own naturally chilly ones. "I promise we'll get you out," he whispered, flicking his long ears. One brushed Forin's head, soft like velvet. "I swear it." He let go with one hand and wrapped his skinny arm around Forin's torso, hugging him close. Frosty tears dripped down his pale cheeks, though he brushed them away with a slender hand. "We love you, Forin," he murmured, grasping one of Diana's hands in his own.

"Don't cry, Luen..." Forin said softly. "I hate it when you cry." He gave a small smile, then looked down at Diana, who wasn't even trying to stop her own tears anymore. She wept and wept and clung onto Forin as though someone may try to take him away from her again. "I'm sorry, dear Diana. I only have until the suns rise...then it's right back to the dungeons. So please...cry when I'm gone again. Not while I'm here."

"O-okay..." She nodded shakily, then jumped as there was a small bark from behind her. Galliant was there, holding a small bowl with three pieces of delicious-looking cake and several pieces of wrapped candies on the side. He set the foods down and ran right back to Kiraki, who was obviously keeping her distance from those celebrating.

Luen pressed his mouth against Forin's back, between his shoulder blades, and muttered something unintelligable. He didn't risk moving away from Forin to eat anything. He just held on tightly, like he would never let go. Like he couldn't live if he let go. He looped his arms under Forin's and crossed them over his chest in an X, holding on tightly. "I can't let go," he said softly. "I can't. I can't." Forin's shirt was quickly becoming wet with the kirin's tears. All of the once-wolfling's pent-up stress was flowing out of him, unstopping. "I'm s-sorry," he sobbed. "I k-know you don't w-want me to c-cry. B-but I...c-can't..." He hugged Forin tighter, sobbing very, very quietly.

Diana kept to Forin's lap, pulling the bowl closer. She quickly started to eat the cake, happy to find that it was chocolate. It did well in distracting her from her tears; she didn't want to cry. Forin had told her not to cry, so she didn't want to. "H-here...taste it, it's good." She said quietly, feeding her once-Summons a bite.

"It is good," Forin nodded with a smile before looking over her shoulder at Luen. He sighed a bit, not minding the fact that his shirt was wet, nor did he mind the fact that Luen was crying. Even though he had told his friend not to. Forin closed his eyes, pulling Diana closer. He couldn't cry. He had to be strong, even as his dear friends wept. He refused to allow himself to cry. Not even a little.

Luen sniffled and rested his cheek against Forin's shoulder, lifting his gaze up to watch as Galai and Titus swept past in a graceful dance.

The queen looked utterly elated, her head resting on Titus' shoulder as he nearly carried her into soft, twisting circles. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his, smiling into it. She moved her hand up and ran it gently through his black hair, her long dress flowing around her like the air itself.

Titus' eyes were as dull as ever, though he kept them locked on Galai. He displayed no emotion, however much he may have wanted to. And oh, how he wanted to. Galai, perfect, beautiful, stunning, astonishing, patient, kind, caring, all that Galai was made Titus long and yearn to love her like she loved him. It took much self control not to turn his face away and glare angrily at the one being hugged and smothered by Luen and Diana. Ever since Forin's creation, Titus had lost what he once had. He despised the young Tartaran for it, too.

His main problem was the fact that for all his research, all of his time spent in the libraries with his nose in a book, he hadn't found anything about how to get them back. About how to take them back. Kiraki, on the other hand...she seemed well practiced in said taking arts. Which was the main reason Titus had kept her (although she was turning out to be quite the delightful girl and Titus wouldn't dare just use her and dispose of her).

Now, though, it was time to put such thoughts out of his mind. Titus forced a smile on his face as the song came to a stop, as did their dancing.

Suddenly, there was noise outside of the front doors, then an angry Cynyr and a confused Werr were both shoved through the doors, followed by Sylas. Cynyr tried to go back through the doors, but Sylas blocked his way with a stern look. The panther was high-strung, as was obvious by his rapidly flicking tail. He looked over at Werr, who had Welk strapped to his back, then snorted and glanced around.

His eyes fell on Leo, sulking in the corner, and Cynyr froze at once.

Werr recoiled upon seeing the look on Cynyr's face, bumping into Sylas. "Why are you carrying this around?" Sylas questioned, taking the teddy bear off of Werr's back.

"It's complicated," Werr mumbled. The sudden image of Kiri ((Werr's mother's name? oAo; -forgot-)) flashed into his mind. Of her tearing apart a stuffed animal of his. He didn't think of Sylas as the same as his mother, but it made him paranoid in an instant. "Give it back!" He yelled, snatching the supposed mere toy back and holding it tightly. Sylas blinked but dropped his hand and stepped back so he was leaning against the door. He watched Leo, unable to hide the concern on his face.

The panther was in panther form, watching Cynyr with his dark yellow eyes. Cynyr was shaking fearfully, his body racked with tremors. When Leo rose up and started to move forward, Cynyr's eyes widened and he turned in an instant, taking panther form and bolting across the room. Leo moved into an easy run, quickly lunging after his wayward son. He tackled the wind mage, sending them both rolling, then grabbed Cynyr by the scruff of his neck, triggering an instant and humiliating (for Cynyr) reaction; the smaller black panther went limp like a little cub being carried by its mother, crouching on the ground and closing his eyes, a soft mewl escaping his lips.

"Come with me this instant," Leo rasped around a mouthful of his son's thick fur, then released him and let him stand. "I need to talk with you." His ears were shoved forward agressively, his tail held out straight behind him in complete dominance. Cynyr kept close to the ground, his ears back and his tail between his legs. His eyes darted helplessly to Werr, as if afraid that Leo was going to take him somewhere where Cynyr would never see the boy again, then Leo nudged him towards a side door that led to a hallway that connected to the throne room. Cynyr had no choice but to slink slowly along towards the door, Leo hounding his steps and occasionally nipping his back just to show that he was the boss.

Sylas jumped and moved to follow, but Sylas grabbed him by the collar. Werr squirmed, trying to break free, but Sylas shook his head with quite the serious look on his face. "No, Werr. Leo won't do anything to harm Cynyr, trust me..." He said, but he looked doubtful. Werr broke out of his grip and stepped two steps away, hugging the teddy bear with his eyes downcast.

"Now, son--" Sylas started, but Werr cut him off in seconds.

"Don't call me that." Werr snapped. "You're not much of a father..."

"Right. Well, Werr, we're going to have a talk of our own. But...later. I need to check on something first." Sylas sighed, though he didn't move. Werr stood there, unsure of what to do, then decided to at least try to eat something. When he turned around again, Sylas was gone. Werr wasn't about to leave without Cynyr, though.

Leo herded Cynyr out into the hallway, where the panther managed to squirm away from him and attack his father, slamming the bigger panther back against the wall. "What could you possibly want to talk to me about?!" he shouted, his lips drawn back into a horrendous snarl. "Come to insult me more? To make me feel like crap?! Like I need to give up everything that makes me human and revert to some twisted creature?! What could you ever want now?"

"To apologize!"

Stunned silence followed after Leo's outburst.

"I..." Leo murmured, his eyes distant. "...loved your mother. I loved her...so much. When you were born, it hurt her, through no fault of your own. She was too frail for childbirth. Too weak. It took her hours to deliver you, and when you finally came, so was so tired that the healers had to practically pull you out of her. She just...never recovered. You were a small child, so it should've gone well. But it hadn't. She did better on the girls, something I'll never understand, as there were two of them. I guess her body was just ready for them." He closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly. "I blamed you for everything. I shouldn't have, but I did, and it ended up being...one of the worst mistakes I've ever made in my life. And you paid for it."

Cynyr slowly backed up, listening in silent, well-masked shock to his father speak.

"I'm here to apologize," Leo said simply, hanging his head. "I've hated you for a long, long time. And it was wrong of me. At this point, all I can say is...I'm so...deeply...sorry." Just to say the words hurt like fire inside of the dual mage, but he forced them out. When he looked at Cynyr, all he saw was a young panther that had been deprived of the life he should've had. His child, whom he had treated like an outcast and a criminal.

Cynyr took a step back, letting Leo's words process in his mind. He closed his eyes, then lifted his head and said "So that's it? You just...expect me to forgive you or something? After all that you've done to me?" He laughed sharply and suddenly, a humorless bark, then lifted his head and knocked the mask from his own face, screaming "You gave me these scars!!" He drew his paw back to claw Leo's face, but something stopped him. He slowly lowered his paw, 'tsk'ing and stepping back, hot tears dripping down his face. "You ruined my life," he snarled, his jaw quivering painfully. "At least...that's what I once thought."

Leo slowly looked over at him, then froze at Cynyr's next words.

"I forgive you."

Father and son stared at each other for a long, painful moment. "I will never love you," Cynyr said flatly, emotionlessly. "You have no place in my life. I will always hate you with a burning passion. But...I forgive you." He turned away, ready to be done with his father, then paused. "You know I'm engagged to be married, right?"

Leo looked up and gave a slight nod, then looked down again.

Cynyr didn't say anything for a few long seconds, then murmured "You can watch on the day we're wed together. But after that...you're less than nothing to me."

Leo nodded slightly and whispered "I understand. I'm sorry..."

Cynyr looked away, then whispered "I am too...father..."

Then he took his leave, heading back out into the party.

Silence followed. No call of congratulations from Resu, no humorless voice from nowhere. Perhaps she couldn't reach into Tartarus, or perhaps something was wrong. Leo wouldn't know; he had never gone through a trial himself. He wouldn't know anything different.

Werr was waiting when Cynyr emerged from the hallway. "What happened? Are you okay?" He questioned nervously, biting his lip. "Father went off somewhere, but...we should probably stay and enjoy the company. I kind of want to say hi to Forin, too."

Cynyr nodded dryly, rubbing a paw over his face to conceal his tears. Werr didn't need to know he had cried. A quiet sniffle was more than enough to alert the boy, but Cynyr denied everything. He padded by Werr's legs, his ears back and his tail dragging the ground. He paused and just leaned against Werr's legs, letting the boy support him for a moment. Only a moment. Then the panther pushed away and led Werr over to Forin and his two clingers.

"Hey, Forin," Werr said as they approached. "You three alright?"

"More or less." Forin nodded once, not wanting to shrug due to Luen still crying into his shoulder blades. "Less for me and more for them, obviously."

"Right. So, uh...how long are you in for?"

"5 years. Cern has it worse; 90 years and no day passes. I would feel sorry for him, if I were you. He cries himself to sleep every night. And for a Tartaran, that's pretty serious."

"Ech, I dunno if I could ever feel sorry for such a monster..." Werr looked away, then realized something. "Luen, Diana, I haven't seen you two for awhile. Where have you been?"