The Forgotten Zodiac

Forin sighed. "If I were able to turn back the clock and change anything, the only thing I would change would be blowing myself up in order to kill Nelu. That was a bit hasty of me, and it tore me away from them for a time. But even then...Diana can fight now. Have you seen her use a bow? She's good at hitting people in the legs. Causing them to drop. I don't think she would ever directly kill someone, though..." He smiled a bit, but that faded as he held Luna's hand in his. "Her nightmare last night told it all, Luna...she'll never forget. And even if she does somehow forget all the misery her life has offered her thus far, there's still the fact that her parents are gone. It's always the same dream, she told me once. She would run and run through a big field, run to people that she didn't recognize, but she knew were her parents. But they would be replaced with their corpses, and then everything melts away like hot wax, which burns her as it sucks her in. Then she's frozen in place, forced to watch as everyone she cares about is killed, again and again and again..."

He was silent for a moment, then released a small sigh. "It's a brutal reminder of how cruel people can be. You say she's too sweet, but sometimes I wonder what it must be like for her. Sometimes I think she forces herself to act childish. Although whether she wants to maintain her sanity, or live out the kiddish desires she couldn't meet before, I have no idea." He watched the girl chase the ice bugs around, smiling and waving as she turned and waved at him.

"Bad memories will always be there, it's true," Luna said quietly. "But there's nothing we can do but make good ones to outweigh the bad. If your mind is filled with good memories of friends who are close enough to be family, then the bad memories will be pushed away. She has Luen to play with her, you to take away her nightmares and protect her, and me to mother her in the ways she needs." She moved her hand up and carefully brushed her wig off, revealing her short-but-growing crop of silver hair. She moved her hand up and touched his cheek, stroking his skin gently. "Just relax and lets enjoy our time here. I have brutal memories of my own, but the more good ones I make, the less I remember the old."

"Okay," Forin murmured, leaning against Luna and forcing himself to relax. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so negative all the time. I hope you're right, Luna...I really do." He sighed slightly, then closed his eyes to rest. Just for a minute or two.

Diana darted about, catching ice butterflies and releasing them a moment later, only to chase after different ones. She was having loads of fun, a big smile on her face.

Luna put her forehead against Forin's, stroking his hair back gently and occasionally kissing his lips or the space to the side of his eye softly. She held his hand and kissed his fingers, just making soft, delicate touches to calm and reassure him.

Luen moved closer to Diana, taking deer form and giving his head a slight toss. He held still as a few butterflies landed on his nose and antler, with a single little ice bug resting on his broken antler nub. He shook his head once and they flew off, then came back.

Forin sat still and allowed Luna to smother him with love. He kissed her back once or twice, but otherwise sat back and allowed himself to slip into relaxation under Luna's gentle, loving care.

Diana giggled as the ice bugs settled again, then stood on her tip-toes to give Luen a kiss on the muzzle. "I like deers," She smiled happily, patting his neck before going back to chasing the bugs.

Luen blinked softly at that, then smiled widely and twisted up onto his back legs, his emerald eyes sparkling. He stumbled when he came back down, snorting quietly as he righted himself. It was hard only having his left arm, but he made do as well as he could. He limped along after Diana, making more butterflies as he walked.

Diana helped him, not at all offput by the fact that her friend was missing an arm. Or in this case, a front leg. She was all smiles as she said, "Luen," She spoke with an air of curiosity. "Forin once said that missing limbs still feel like they're there, even though they aren't. Is that...true?" She questioned, waving her hand under Luen's stump. "Just curious."

Luen smiled a bit and said "Well, sort of. It's like a ghost effect. Like sometimes when I want to brush my hair back or pick something up, I instinctively go to move that arm before I remember it's gone. And it feels like it's still there, sometimes." He sighed, then nibbled at Diana's hair gently with his soft muzzle. "It's fine, though. I'm used to it now." He tugged a lock of her hair (softly, of course) and flicked his little tail, saying "Come on, have a ride." She nudged turned his head at his back, where the little handmade saddle ever sat.

"Alright," Diana climbed up onto Luen's back, careful not to plop down too roughly. She held the handle on the saddle, smiling happily as Luen started off at a soft trot. "Do you like being a deer?" She asked suddenly, stroking his neck a bit. "I remember when you were a wolf...I like you both ways, but I want to know if you like it."

Luen thought about it, then said "I do like it. I'm taller in this form, and even though people would hunt me down more than I'd like, I just...feel better in this form. I know I was born as a wolfling, but a kirin suits me. I feel stronger...more sure of myself. And besides, this form enabled me to come back to you and Forin. Without that, I would still be in the stars." He slowed for a moment and nuzzled the girl's leg, then turned back around and resumed his trotting. He was staying in sight of Forin and Luna, mostly just moving in large circles.

"Yes...I think I prefer that, too." Diana nodded happily, leaning forward and urging Luen to speed up a bit.

Werr jerked awake. He hadn't slept for long, but a nightmare had disturbed his sleep. He opened his eyes in time to see a flicker of darkness pass by his room. Obelisk. Easy enough to guess. It explained the nightmare. Werr rolled over, draping his arm over Cynyr, blinking in surprise when he realized that Cynyr was...bigger. And he had both eyes? They glared at him, two yellow orbs of anger. Werr let out a yelp as Leo reared up and raked his claws against his arm, then snapped at his face.

Werr sat bolt upright. Nightmares...good grief. He laid back down, but not before double-checking that Cynyr was actually Cynyr, and not the other panther.

Cynyr shifted a bit, a small raspy purr working into his throat as he flicked his tail, letting it lay over Werr's leg. Welk had been curled up on Werr's chest, but when the boy had sat up so suddenly, he had been thrown off with a sharp squeak. He landed with a soft thump on the blankets, glancing around in shock. "Wha...?" he murmured, his eyes wide as he looked around. "What happened?"

"Just a nightmare," Werr shook his head, speaking quietly. "Sorry to wake you, Welk." He pulled the Specral closer, scratching him behind the ears. "That was pretty bad, though...I dreamed that I was attacked," He sighed. "By...by Leo. I don't think he would ever really do such a thing, though...I don't believe that. It was scary, sure, but it was just a dream..."

Welk stared up at him for a moment, then snuggled closer, pulling himself up a bit against the boy. "It was just a dream," he said soothingly. "We're here." He looked over as Cynyr rolled over, draping a heavy paw across Werr's legs and making a slighty wheezy grunt in his sleep. Welk giggled softly, flashing tiny silver teeth in his usual grin, then looked back to Werr and laid still, letting the boy scratch him. He was silent for a moment, then he concentrated hard and slowly managed to shift his form. A few seconds of hard concentration later, and there was a hand-sized silver lion laying weakly on Werr's chest.

Werr smiled happily at this, running his finger down the length of Welk's back. "I'm glad to see you're getting better," He said quietly, happily. "But you can't stay like this forever. We'll put you back where you belong, little brother. Don't worry." He moved his other hand over to Cynyr's paw, stroking it a bit as his laid there in silence, sighing slightly.

Welk smiled, arching his back slightly on instinct under Werr's finger. "It hurts really bad to shift," he said softly, his voice a bit strained. "But...I think I can do different forms. I'm too tired to try right now, though... And I don't have claws." He lifted a small paw that was no bigger than Werr's fingernail and curled tiny toes, revealing rounded edges devoid of claws. "And my mane is horrible. It's choppy and not red." He ran a paw over his head, feeling the snippets of mane he had. "This sucks..." he said quietly, slowly standing and wobbling his way up to Werr's neck, where he flopped down and curled close.

"It's alright," Werr said softly, starting to close his eyes again. "You'll have your red mane back soon..." He opened his eyes again when there was a knock on the door.

"Werr? It's almost dinnertime." It was Nate, of course. He opened the door a crack. "Oh, were you sleeping? Sorry. Are you planning to come to dinner?"

"Yes," Werr nodded as much as he could. "We'll come out when it's served."

"Alright. Just call if you need anything." Nate said, shutting the door again.

"Right..." Werr murmured, closing his eyes yet again.

Welk opened one crimson eye slightly to peer at Nate, then sighed and closed it again, going back to sleep in mere moments.

Cynyr never woke nor moved, other than a twitch of his paw as Werr touched it.

*

Lexi wandered the hallways as quietly as she could, her sketch pad and a thick pencil in her hands. Since she had some time before dinner, she had decided to start on the drawings of Obelisk and Remor. She hoped Remor would agree to be drawn. She wanted to have everyone, of course, and she didn't want to leave someone out. Even if it was just a shell of a person. She opened her book as she walked, studying a picture she had started of Forin and Luna. She bit the end of her pencil for a moment, then slowed down as she put the pencil to the paper and worked on it a bit more.

Obelisk spotted her wandering about. He walked behind her silently, not even his feet making sound on the floor. He kept his distance, just watching her draw as she milled about. It would probably seem a little creepy to whoever they passed, but Lexi didn't seem to notice, and Obelisk didn't seem to care that he was acting a bit stalker-ish. He was content to watch.

She scribbled away, shaping out more details on her drawing, then paused by a large window and smiled. She sat down on the sill and sketched away, humming a song happily.

"Whisper away lover,

hush now my heart,

beat ye not loudly so

we might take part.

In the flutering moonlight,

for just you and me,

to see the shining of the fairies,

as they pass by."

She didn't notice Obelisk, too caught up in her drawing. Her hand moved quickly over the paper, skilled in use.