The Forgotten Zodiac

"I could," she said, smiling at him. "But I'll have to do it after I get my chores done. If I don't, father will-" She cut off suddenly, blinking sharply and looking away. "I-I'm sorry," she said. "I should go." She turned and moved to walk away, then looked over her shoulder and said "I'll...see you around. Hopefully." She darted off, now looking nervous.

Cynyr stepped close to Werr, watching Lexi run off. "She's cute," he remarked, then slid his single-eyed gaze down at Werr. He smiled slightly, flicking his tail and brushing Werr's wrist with it.

"I wonder what scared her off..." Werr blinked.

"Maybe she recognized you." Sylas snorted. "Come on, son, are you going to fuss over a girl or are you going to get the information we need so we can hurry on out of here?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Werr sighed, turning back to the inn. "Might as well ask around here..."

They were in and out in a few minutes, with directions to the homes of those who lost children. Werr led the way there, apparently still thoughtful about Lexi. Sylas seemed to be getting more and more jumpy the longer they stayed here.

Cynyr followed closely behind Werr, keeping an eye on their surroundings. Leo stalked along behind Sylas, moving a hand up to rest on his friend's shoulder. "S'alright," he soothed, his yellow eyes flicking up to the man's face before moving to a building to scan it. "Stay sharp, Silver-Tongue," he said, keeping his tail pressed to Sylas' back to comfort him. "We'll be okay."

They approached the homes and Leo and Cynyr both pulled up their cloak hoods and stepped back, letting Werr and Sylas be the mouthpieces.

Werr looked over at Sylas, then sighed and shrugged. He knocked on the door; what better way to get people to open it? The man who came to the door looked distraught, to say the least. Almost sickly, himself. "Excuse us, sir. We need to ask you a few questions about your child." Werr said quietly, knowing all too well what the man was feeling.

"Yes...of course. Rov. What do you want to know?" The man blinked at them tiredly.

"Did you see any suspicious figures lurking around your home while he was ill?"

"No. Not that I can think of." The man shook his head, taken off guard by the question.

"Did he come into contact with any other sick children?" Werr continued asking.

"None that I can think of...it all just happened so fast...almost overnight, people started getting sick...about a week ago, almost. Aren't you...your highness? What are you--"

"Let's not advertise that," Sylas said, drawing himself up to his full height and giving the man a curious look that said, 'it's too dangerous'. "We're here investigating the deaths and illnesses. Is there anything you can tell us?"

"Look, you shouldn't be here. Any of you. You'll get sick if you stay in that inn. And it's more than just a couple of kids, too...a lot of them are the ones in jail." The man spoke in a hushed voice. "They've cracked down on their 'law' a lot. I've seen them drag off someone for so much as littering. And the next night, you see them burying the 'criminal'! No one knows but me...I tend to the cemetery. So if you don't want your corpse winding up in my backyard, you lot best leave!" He said, then shut the door in Werr's face.

"Well." Werr blinked.

"To the jail, then." Sylas nodded once, turning away and promptly running straight into a muscled, thick looking man. Almost twice the size of Sylas, at any rate, who backed up a couple paces. "Uh...excuse me."

"There's no excuse for you," The man growled, but continued walking away. Sylas swallowed hard, watching him leave.

Leo hissed warningly at the man, sliding closer to Sylas and glaring at everything. He took panther form, putting his side against Sylas' back. Cynyr took panther form as well, and the resemblances he shared with his father were uncanny. The same noble, proud shape to his head, slender shoulders, thick black fur and heavy paws. Cynyr shook himself, rattling his armor, then nuzzled under Werr's hand right at the same moment that Leo did so under Sylas'. Both noticed this and glared at each other, their tails flipping in the cat-like show of anger.

Werr smiled at this, but shook his head and led the way to where he guessed the jail would be. He guessed correctly, of course. The jail warden opened the door when there was a knock, but slammed it shut at the sight of Werr. There was the sound of orders being given, and for a few long moments, there was silence. Then the door opened again, and the jail warden bowed. Werr was able to see past him and into the jail, where the guards were standing at order, all saluting. "What do we owe this visit, your highness?"

"I'm here to make inquiries about the recent deaths," Werr said quietly, then coughed a bit. "I have a feeling you know what I'm speaking of. Did anyone see anything suspicious overnight?"

"No," The warden replied. "Everyone we put in here, even overnight, they start coughing blood. And before we can get a doctor in here, they keel over and that's that. Just like the kids, 'cept they died in their homes..."

"I see. Thank you," Werr turned away. He started pacing on the road, apparently putting his mind to good use. Something he didn't do often enough. He stopped to cough exactly four times. Sylas counted. They hadn't even been here for an hour, and Werr was already starting to get sick...

Cynyr frowned, watching Werr closely. "Are you okay?" he asked, padding close and rubbing up against the boy's side. "What's happening?"

"He's developing the sickness."

Cynyr whipped around at Lexi's voice, tempted to growl but more wondering how she had snuck up on them so easily. The girl stepped closer and said "He'll die like all of the rest soon. Just like my mother and older brother did." She sighed quietly, then said "So far, there's no cure. They all die."

Cynyr curled his lips back and growled softly, taking a step towards her. Lexi retreated a step in fear, her soft brown eyes widening.

"What? You said it was just two kids..." Sylas blinked at her. "And we haven't even been here that long..."

"C-Cynyr, don't," Werr stepped forward. "Lexi...I think there's a way to stop all this. I think it's caused by certain items of power...fairly certain, at any rate." He coughed a bit more. "I-if we can find the item, then the disease will stop...do you know of anything like that? At all?"

"And would you just want to tell everything about your family to strangers you just met?" Lexi shot back, turning to face Sylas before looking back to Werr. "I didn't want you to know that some of my family had died, but now that you're sick, I feel you should know everything possible, your Majesty."

Cynyr stared at her, then said "Wait...you know he's the king? I thought you didn't."

"I did," she said. "but he doesn't look that much older than me. I figured that maybe he would rather liked to be talked to without a lot of pompus buttering-up and general simpering. Besides, I could hear you talking to him, panther, and you didn't sound like the other kinds of guards and things that usually follow a king around."

Cynyr snorted, then said "You've got guts, I'll give you that."

"Werr," Sylas interjected. "All this seems a little ridiculous..."

"I trust her." Werr said, completely serious. "There's no reason not to. And my theory of the sicknesses being caused by the artifacts is on-" Another coughing fit. "Only reinforced by this sickness I've developed."

"How so?"

"Just as you're getting skitterish about whoever is after you, I have enemies here, too. Lexi," He looked back at the girl, pulling something from his pocket. A Silver Tornado pendant, given to him by Toro when the Rabbitzen pledged allegiance to Amnairus. "Have you seen anyone wearing one of these, or are there marks like this anywhere around town?"

((Make sumthin' up. I'm debating making you play the person weilding the Artifact, too. xDD I won't make you if you don't want to, though. Also, I will be home soon. We've stopped to pick up groceries, that's all.))

((Otay. I'll do anythang. xD))

Lexi took the pendant and stared at it, a strange look passing over her face. "Oh..." she said quietly, holding the pendant close. "Well...maybe," she said. "I...might've seen someone with one like this." She blinked up at Werr through her long black lashes and said "What are you going to do with the person? If they're here, of course."

Cynyr frowned a bit at her.

Werr looked uncomfortable at that question. "We...I have reason to believe that they're the ones making people sick around here." More coughing. "Not to mention that the organization they belong to are guilty of treason against the throne and have already--" Cough, cough. "Attempted to overthrow my reign and replace me with a tyrant. They nearly succeeded in doing so for Storaph, as well. It's imperative that we find these people and stop them--" Cough. "Before it's too late. At any cost. It's more than just for my own sake. My people are suffering here in this town. I see that now. So please. If you know anything, tell us."

Lexi didn't say anything for a long time, then she finally pushed the pendant back at Werr and said "I'm sorry. I have to go." She dipped her head once at him, then raced off, her skirt flowing around her.

Cynyr watched her go, then said "There's something she's not telling us. She's obviously hiding someone."

Leo nodded and said "So we follow her."

Cynyr gave his own nod, saying "Sounds like it. I'm good at that."

Leo smirked a bit and said "Bet I'm better."

"Bet you're not."

"What? Think I'm too old?"

"I know you're too old."

"Sure, you believe that."

"I do."

They both blinked suddenly and looked away from each other, realizing that they had almost had a normalish conversation without growling or putting each other down severely.

"Anyways..." Cynyr said, scuffing a paw along the ground.

"Let's go," Werr said, quick to start moving after her. "Cynyr, take the lead," He said over his shoulder. Sylas, however, prodded Leo on the head, pointing to the alley in the other direction.

"Let's take the alternative route, shall we?" Sylas smiled, leading the way. "I have a feeling we may need to utilize the element of surprise. Werr isn't going to be very sneaky, what with that cough of his."

Leo nodded, then ducked under Sylas and bounded off, moving quickly and silently.

Cynyr pushed under Werr and cantered after the girl, slowing to a trot in order to keep their presence a secret. Lexi's trail was easy to follow with Cynyr's sense of smell, and it brought them to several different places. She clearly had had other things to do, or she had been trying to avoid them incase they followed her.

Werr did his best to keep his coughing contained. Cynyr could feel it; he was already feeling feverish. Whoever was doing this was targeting Werr, or so he figured. Which meant their presence here was known, and it was most likely Silver Tornado. Werr and Cynyr continued on, following the mysterious girl's trail.

Sylas and Leo were hot on Lexi's trail, Leo not to be outdone by his son, and Sylas just concerned for his. They came to a screeching halt, however, when Sylas let out a yelp and fell right off of Leo's back with a thud. Blood spurted forth from where an arrow was embedded in his shoulder; as he tried to slide around to find some cover, another arrow landed in his leg.

"Got 'im!" A call came from the roof above, a single archer. "He's all yours!" He called down to the alley. The large man from before stepped out of the intersection joining the back alley with the road. He took two steps forward and grabbed Sylas by the neck, intending to strangle him.

Leo lunged around, snarling. He didn't waste his breath on petty words; he slammed into the man holding Sylas, claws out, throwing his whole weight down onto the man. It forced him to let go of Sylas in favor of getting the huge panther off of him. Blood splattered, to say the least, and not much was Leo's until the archer shot an arrow at him, catching him right in the side. Leo yowled and glared at the archer, then gave the burly man and kick and leapt up after the archer, clawing his way up in order to pull him down from the roof, on fighting grounds. The panther put the most part of his magic towards putting a fire and wind barrier around Sylas, protecting him while he brought down the archer.

Sylas sat still, gasping for breath. Sylas snapped the shaft off the arrow on his leg, clutching his shoulder as much as he could. Calm down, keep breathing. What was going on? They had been attacked, obviously. They were in a tight spot, too. Sylas realized this. He realized something else, too. Something a little more serious. "Tranquilizer," He uttered before his eyes seemed to be forced closed, no matter how he tried to stay awake.

Leo brought down the archer easily, but when he jumped back to the ground, his legs crumpled quickly under him. He looked confused as he tried hard to get back up, but he wasn't able to make it. He glanced at the arrow sticking out of his side, then slowly sank down, unconscious. The wind and fire fizzled out, and there was nobody around to see the two of them be dragged away.

Werr had noticed that his father and Leo had gone off in the other direction, but he thought nothing of it. His father's business wasn't his own, and they were on a serious mission right now. They were still following Lexi; apparently going in circles. It was starting to give Werr a serious headache; either that, or the sickness was. Either way, his head hurt and his coughing was becoming painful-sounding. Even more so now that he was trying to stifle it. Back to matters, however; where on earth was Lexi going?