The Forgotten Zodiac

Luen crashed to the ground, squealing in pain, then shifted to human form and formed a huge claw of ice, lunging forward to rake it down Lu's side. It left bloody trenches that were fairly deep, considering who made them. It also left frost all over the snake's body, which started to spread, making it harder for him to move.

((BBFE. Best Bunny Friend Ever~))

Lu thrashed and released Ophile, who whimpered and limped back, bleeding badly. That, however, left Seria vulnerable; Lu's tail smashed into Seria full force, sending her backwards. Forin got back on his feet at this point, pouncing on Lu from behind, his claws reaching for the Naga's neck; but he remembered at the last second that they needed him alive. He redirected his slashing at Lu's jaw, but that was hardly effective; the snake threw him off and Forin hit the ground in front of Lu, then found himself being crushed by the hulking bulk of Lu's first coil, the tip of his tail wrapping tight around the smaller Tartaran's neck. There wasn't room to struggle, and his hands were pinned under himself, so he could do nothing but open and close his mouth as his airway was cut off.

"Drew isn't here to save you now, is he?!" The Naga screeched at them, throwing the weight of more coils onto Forin.

"No, but I AM!" Luen roared, more fury than they had ever heard pounding into his voice. He twisted into a single, fluid circle...

...and the room was instantly filled with ice, faster than they could blink.

A flick of his hand was enough to freeze Lu in place. With his mind alone, tendrils of the ice wormed between the coils and Forin's neck, prying the snake away from Forin with barely any effort from Luen. The ice was immensely strong, and Luen had near-perfect control over it. He was perfectly in-tune with his magic, and it showed. The ice just kept coming, wrapping around Forin's waist gently and pulling him backwards as spikes were twisted through the snake's tail, staining them red with blood. Luen snarled and threw his arm up, and the entire snake was frozen solid, leaving just enough space around his nose for him to breathe. Then the entire thing lifted, supported by two thick strands of ice, and Luen moved his hand in a circular motion. The frozen snake spun so quickly and so long that when Luen stopped, Lu was hopelessly dizzy. Only then did Luen let the frozen structure he had created around him lay still.

Forin spluttered for air, coughing heavily as his airway slowly retook its normal shape. Bruises were already forming around his throat, especially on his hands, which looked...broken, from the way he was holding them. He ignored it, walking towards Lu the second he could stand. His hands, broken as they were, sank through the ice effortlessly and fell into Lu's chest. The Naga could do nothing but breathe as Forin slowly worked his way around Ophile's magic. It took awhile; a bit longer than five minutes, in reality, but the Naga wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Finally, Forin tore the powers out of Lu's chest and took the small black orb over to where Ophile was lying.

"Swallow it. Don't chew it," Forin said softly, putting it in Ophile's mouth. The wolf jerked his head upright, swallowing at once before lying back down again. He was bleeding badly, and had to wait for Seria to heal him before he would even try to get up and move.

((-sigh- More testing. And apparently I still have to go to choir after that, sooooo...I'll be back at 3.))

Seria slowly staggered upright, panting and looking dizzy. Lu had hit her hard, but a quick scan of herself showed that herself and her baby were both okay. She stumbled over to Ophile and wrapped her arms around his neck, beginning to heal him with her magical touch. There was a quiet flopping sound behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see that Luen had collapsed in a heap, unconscious. Having such intense control over his powers was draining; he barely had the energy for minor spells, much less huge dramatic displays like that.

Once she was finished with Ophile, she reached up and took Forin's hands into hers, gently repairing the broken bones. Small brushes of her fingers against his neck were all it took to heal the bruises.

((Awwwww, okay. -huggles- Luv youuuu~))

Forin sighed as Seria healed him. He seemed anxious for some reason, nervous. Ophile stood and shook himself off, sighing with a general air of unhappiness still. But he was able to hold himself up now, it seemed, his chin a little higher than before. "Thank you," He murmured softly before standing and sniffing Luen's limp body. "He's unconscious as a log," The wolf said over his shoulder, watching as Forin walked over and picked his friend up carefully.

"It's okay. We can make it out of here without much problem. And then we need to go see about Diana, I...I dunno. I need to make sure she's okay." Forin shook his head.

"Guardian senses tingling?" It may have sounded like a bad joke, but Ophile was quite serious. Forin could only nod numbly and turn towards the exit.

Seria stood up, knitting her fingers into Ophile's fur once again as they walked forward. She slid her hand up onto Forin's shoulder, making sure she wouldn't get lost, and they managed to work their way out of the caves. Seria was very tired, and when asked about it, she gave a stare and said "You try being pregnant sometime, hmm?" But she was alright, and they all trekked back to the guest houses without incident.

((Shower time. .u.))

Forin was thoughtful as they made their way back into the city. Diana...what could be going on with her? It was about the time of day that she would be taking a nap, if she had been playing before...old as she was, she didn't get enough sleep at night sometimes, and napping did her some good. Day and night were very well the same, what with them being in Amnairus all the time, so Diana didn't have much a problem with falling asleep. Could she be having a nightmare? Forin thought long and hard, wondering if Luna had stayed in the room with her. He didn't realize that they had arrived at the guest house until Ophile nosed open the door for them. He was quick to move to the stairs, eager to put Luen down and check on his summoner.

((:J))

Luna was indeed in the room with Diana, curled up on the bed in her true form . Her animalistic features had an other-worldy beauty about them, from her slender face to her silver fur and long white-gold wings. Her snow leopard tail was curled around her leg, and she was stroking the side of Diana's face gently, showering the little girl with affection.

Forin stepped into the room, already having dropped Luen off in another. "Diana...are you alright?" He said gently, moving forward at once. "Are you hurt? Did someone threaten you?" He put his hands on her cheeks, examining her thoroughly for any signs of blood.

"N-no...just a...a nightmare..." Diana said softly, her eyes downcast. "You weren't here..."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm here now, and I don't plan on leaving again anytime soon. How...how bad was the nightmare, Diana?" He questioned relentlessly. He turned his questions to Luna. "Is she okay?"

Luna kissed him, silencing his questions, then pulled back and said "She's alright, Forin. Just shaken up. She'll be okay. We're here, right Diana?" She nuzzled the girl's head, sighing softly, then took Forin's hand and folded it around Diana's, curling her own hand around both of theirs. She spread her wings around them both, resting her head against Forin's shoulder.

((Okey. No knives. :T This is why I ask for your opinion on these things. xP))

"Okay...I just...got the feeling that something terrible had happened..." Forin shook his head. "What was the dream about?" He kissed her forehead, frowning slightly still.

"You..." Diana said quietly. "You and Luna and Luen...all dead. I...I couldn't look away...Cern...Cern, I don't know who he is, but that name..." She shivered.

"Okay," Forin sighed, relieved that it was just a nightmare after all. He remembered that the Tartaran had removed memory of him from Diana's head, but apparently the name had stuck. "It's okay. Like Luna said...we're here. Right here. Cern can't get you, not while we're here. You have too many nightmares, my dear mistress..." He wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes.

Luna nuzzled Diana gently, then sang a quiet, gentle song in the Amnairian language. Only Forin could understand it, as Tartarans shared the same old language. A simple lullaby was what Luna sang, and her voice was sweet and kindly. When she was finished, she smiled at Forin and asked quietly "Perhaps you could let your true form out? Mine is right here. You don't have to if you don't want to, but...I would like to see your true self."

((Ooooooooookey. :3))

"Yes...yes, I suppose so." He nodded once or twice. "It's not beautiful like yours, but..." He tilted his head to the side, examining her for a moment before a shadow crossed over him. He stood much taller in his true form, his eyes darker and his entire build a lot bigger. He was easily more menacing in this form, it was a wonder he rarely let it out. But the reason became obvious when Diana recoiled into Luna's fur a little, almost afraid of Forin. She had never really gotten a good look at his true form; his true self usually followed suit. And Forin knew that if he let his true self slip out, Diana could very well be killed.

Forin kneeled, holding his hand out to Diana. "Mistress, there is no cause for alarm. I am in complete control..."

"I prefer the big shadow thing..." Diana muttered. Forin laughed a bit, his laughter deeper and fuller than before. He was smiling still when he was done.

"I can't bring that one up whenever I wish. Only when I need it the most. Thankfully...we don't need it now."

Luna studied his true form quietly, blinking her eyes softly. She then smiled softly and leaned forward, whispering to him "Not beautiful, no...but very handsome indeed." She kissed his cheek, her breath warm and sweet against his skin, then rested her head against his shoulder, putting her forehead to his neck. Diana was still held gently in her lap, safe and protected. Luna felt so happy here. Loved and able to love. She couldn't imagine life without her newfound boyfriend and the darling little girl in her arms.

Diana slowly warmed up to Forin's more threatening look. It took several attempts of prodding at his sides for some reason. She was trying to make him mad, perhaps. Forin would never get mad at her for any real reason. So when Forin did nothing but smile at her, eventually Diana leaned towards him and hugged him tightly. She stood and circled him, inspecting his true form.

"You can fly?" She asked, pulling on his wings a bit. He stretched them out so she could see.

"Yes, I can." Forin nodded, keeping his eyes on Luna.

"Can you carry me?"

"I can."

"Okay then. Forin, I order you to fly me around for a bit."

Forin turned and looked at her, a soft smile still on his lips. "Consider it done, Mistress. Come along, Luna, I wouldn't mind some company," He stood, scooping Diana up into his arms. She looked even more frail and small than before in his arms, but she looked happy.

Luna smiled softly, standing up and stretching her long wings out. "I think that sounds perfect," she said, kissing him gently. "Come on! This will be fun." She stepped around them and opened the door, leading them outside. She smiled at the soft gray light filtering through the clouds, then turned and flicked her tail at Forin. "Ready?" she asked, her smile delicate and graceful, just like her.

"Always." He smiled, taking off. He wasn't as fast as Zephyr or Naybrin, but they were huge; this was a different experience entirely. Diana was terrified at first, the howling wind rushing past her ears forcing her to press her face into Forin's shirt. She realized that even his clothes had changed; it was similar to Nate's soldier uniform, but different. Black and silver, with badges and straps and a belt across his chest that could be used to hold a sword. Of course, her guardian didn't really use bladed weapons too often. His last one had been forcefully removed from the Storaphian throne recently.

When they reached a high enough altitude, Forin slowed his ascent and settled into a gentle glide, turning in long circles over Amnairus and Tartarus combined. Diana peeked at this point, twisting around in Forin's grasp to get a better look at the world below. A huge smile spread across her face at this. Even as they flew over the dead forest that had once been on Tartarus alone, she was grinning and giggling, overcome with euphoria.

Luna followed quietly, watching the two with a delighted expression in her eyes. She knew it was important for Diana to be happy. The poor girl had already had too many troubles in her life. The Amnairian swept by, flicking her tail out and sliding the fluffy strands of her fur against Forin's cheek. She smiled widely at him, then darted ahead with a laugh, curving up and down in beautiful arches.