The Forgotten Zodiac

Toro blinked, remembering who the two were. "Uncle Sylas," The Rabbitzen said, poking his head through the branches of the tree. Sylas jumped terribly and sat bolt upright, staring up at Toro.

"Uncle?" He blinked, frowning a bit.

"Yes, sir..." Toro rubbed his arm a bit, wondering what Sylas would do. "Your wife took care of me for awhile..."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sylas continued to stare, although he was now looking past Toro. At Galai, instead.

Galai stepped forward, and the long, hanging leaves of the tree parted for her. She touched Toro's shoulder gently, then sat down next to Sylas and slid her hand under his chin, tilting his head up at her. "My dearest Sylas..." she soothed. It was all she said, but it carried the love she felt for him. Not like her love for Titus, but a special love that had been forged through time. She moved her hand and stroked his hair back, feeling Leo shift a bit behind her. He didn't mind Galai leaning on him, but then again, it was Leo; he didn't like much at all.

Sylas, on the other hand, started crying. He just broke down again, weeping. Toro looked on, wondering if it had been something he said. This just wasn't like the Sylas that Toro had watched. Sylas had been strong of mind and quick in wit and banter. Yet here he was, weeping and crying like a child. "Galai, it was her, I saw her, I swear I saw her," He wailed into the folds of her dress. Who 'her' was rather mysterious and awfully vague.

Galai wrapped her arms around him, putting one hand gently on the back of his head. "Oh, Sylas..." she breathed softly, pressing her cheek to the side of his head. "What have you done to yourself?" She stroked the back of his head gently, sighing into his black hair. She looked up when something warm and large brushed her arm, and Leo wormed his head between the two, resting his chin in Sylas' lap. Galai extended a wing to Toro, not wanting the little one she had pretty much adopted to feel left out.

Toro sat next to her, though he watched his uncle with worry in his eyes. "Uncle Sylas...are you okay?"

"No, no..." Sylas shook his head, tears sliding down his cheeks. "Galai, you have to make the pain stop, you have to make her stop..."

"Who is 'her'? Who are you talking about?" Toro questioned quietly.

"Asha...Asha is who, who else would I be talking about?" Sylas trembled at the very name escaping his lips. Toro still looked confused, so Sylas continued. "She used to be a Goddess. The Goddess of Trade. But she faded into legend with the fall of the Titans, and she was bound to a human - though not mortal - body. She can still die, but she never grows older. I made a deal with her, and went on my way...b-but I realized too late that she had turned her end of the deal sour."

He swallowed hard before continuing. "I...can be healed. But I feel pain no matter what the healers do. Their sleeping spells only work as long as I would naturally be asleep, and whatever delirium they try to press onto my mind is rejected. Illusion spells don't work on me either, but that's a hefty price for such a small reward. And my end of the deal...I thought it was nothing at the time, but I'll never, ever do it now. I can't..." He let out a sob. "When I died, sh-she brought my soul to her...she put another curse on it and sent it back to my body. And here w-we are...and it's not going away. The pain, the agony...I know my stomach is there, I know it's healed, but it hurts so badly..." He started crying again, his hand moving to his stomach again. Just to be sure.

Galai held him close, letting him cry on her. She had a sense of boundary between royalty and commoners, yes, but she had a stronger sense of love and kindness. She didn't care for that boundary, and to her, she wasn't allowing Sylas to cry to her. She was letting him do what made him feel better, out of the kindness of her heart. She was too kind; made of the purest light, it shone from her in her actions. "Sylas, Sylas..." she said, putting her hands on either side of his face and tilted his head back to look into his eyes. "You've already felt my touch once. That is the limit of my powers. A full, complete healing, removing everything from scars to current wounds, but the result is that I can't heal you again for a long, long time. You've not yet surpassed the time when I can heal you again. You have several years before that time comes again. But my powers are still great indeed. I can take your pain away for a moment, but when night falls again, the pain will return all the same. It'll give you enough time to think properly." She kissed his forehead, and his pain slowly melted away into nothing. She pulled back, blinking softly. "Sylas, what was your end of the bargain?" she asked.

Sylas slowly calmed down, and stopped rubbing his stomach. He wrapped one arm around Galai's and one around Leo's neck. "I can't, I can't do it...it's not possible..." He murmured, shivering slightly a final time before swallowing and speaking again. "She wants...she wants me to give her the so-soul...of someone close to me. I can't," He whimpered, shaking his head.

((So that's Werr, Leo, OR -dundundun- Sylas' wife. o3o))

Galai stroked his hair again, thinking over what he had just said. She watched as Leo allowed the tight arm around his neck, merely closing his eyes and saying nothing. Leo and Sylas really were just older versions of Cynyr and Werr, it seemed. Both half-cats were completely loyal to their human companions, and vice versa.

"I won't force you to do anything, Sylas, especially since this involves a life," she murmured. "All I can do is dull your pain during the daytime and offer my support." She kissed his forehead again, just to make sure, then turned when she sensed something coming their way.

Welk floated along through the air, looking weak, sickly and tired. In his haze of sickness, he had gotten lost, and he couldn't remember any directions. He just wanted Werr. That was all. Werr...

"Oh no," Toro gasped, standing up again. He hurried over to Welk and held his hands out. "Here, Welk, land here!" He called out, urging the little Spectral to land on his hands. "I can take you back to Werr, I know where he is..." He trailed off and froze as Obelisk's searching shadows crossed over the area. When it was gone, the Rabbitzen returned to urging the little Spectral into his hands, but he was interrupted yet again by what sounded like a scream. A very high-pitched, inhumane scream. One of the Things jumped out of the bushes, but it didn't get very far before darkness reached out from the shadows and grabbed it, dragging it away from the group. Toro trembled, watching it being pulled away.

Welk darted for Toro's hand, landing and wrapping his tiny arms around the rabbitzen's thumb. He was limp there, breathing hard. Another of the Things had appeared and had swiped at him during his wanderings, scaring him and making him expend more energy in getting away from it. He was too warm in Toro's hand, burning with fever. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, whimpering with a pained, soft moan.

"Toro, don't go fine Werr alone," Galai said warningly. "I can't lose you, and Welk in turn, to those monsters."

"Yes, Galai," Toro nodded, scurrying back. "Can you give him a little energy? He feels so weak..." He murmured, hugging Welk close to his chest. "We have to get him to Werr soon, the king will be worried," He added, nodding quickly.

"Yes," Sylas stood on his own. Of course, with Galai having taken away his pain during the day, he was okay. For now. "I'll help you. I need to have a word with Werr, anyways..." He looked down for a moment, then towards Galai. He squeezed her hand and gave a small smile. "Thank you, Galai...for everything."

Galai stood up, continuing to hold Sylas' hand. She was taller than him, and her six large wings made her look slender, which she was. Other than being tall, she was the same size as a normal human. She hugged Sylas again, saying "Always, my dearest Sylas. Always." She pulled back, watching as Leo staggered up, grunting as old bones popped. She then turned, taking the limp little Welk into her hand. She stroked down his front, and he gasped sharply in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut as a bit of energy flowed into him. Just enough. He didn't feel quite so delicate after that, but it would wear off soon enough. If she gave such a tiny little being too much energy, it would hurt him rather than help him. Then she slid him back into Toro's hands, saying "Keep him close. Don't hold him too tightly, and make sure he's cool. He feels cold now, and he wants to be warm, but the fever is tricking him. Heat will only make it worse."

"Okay," Toro nodded, shifting his weight from foot to foot while he waited for Sylas and Leo to move ahead first.

"Where do you think they'll be? Hopefully they haven't run into any Things..." Sylas murmured, stretching a bit before moving forward. He felt better, but he still looked downcast and a bit beaten. He led the way into the castle, strolling down the halls quietly. Toro followed, jumpy as ever. The shadows passing seemed to be coming faster now. Toro would jump and whimper with every one, watching them pass before hurrying to catch up with Sylas and Leo.

Welk kept trying to press closer to Toro, too sick to understand why the rabbitzen wouldn't let him. He shivered hard, but his body wasn't really cold. The fever was tricking him into thinking he was cold, when really he was burning up hot. All he really knew was that the person holding him wasn't Werr, and he wanted Werr. He wanted both of his brothers. This person has a smiliar feel to Werr, but it just wasn't the same. So Welk tossed and turned and whimpered, panting and trying to see straight, but just having to close his eyes again.

Sylas found his son and Cynyr together in the guest house again. Werr was quiet, but Cynyr was deathly silent, looking worse than Sylas at this point. Werr looked up as Sylas, Leo and Toro arrived. Werr stood at once, pushing them away from the door and Cynyr. "He's not feeling good right now," Werr shook his head, deciding not to directly tell them what was wrong. "What do you...Welk? Welk, I've been looking for you everywhere, thank goodness..." Werr moved forward at once, taking Welk from Toro. "Don't run away like that again, Welk, I was so worried...I even asked Obelisk for help finding you, but he said you were close to Galai so I shouldn't worry...I didn't know you looked like this!" He exclaimed, starting to tear up. "Oh, Welk, I'm so sorry..."

"This is a...bad time, I see," Sylas murmured, sighing a bit.

"I-I-I'm...s-sorry!" Welk sobbed, shoving his face into Werr's shirt and clinging desperately to him. "I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry! I don't know w-why I left! I d-don't even r-remember..." He went limp, gasping for air and clinging so hard to Werr's shirt that his miniscule knuckles started to bleed slightly. He didn't even have the strength to float anymore.

Leo peeked around Werr's legs, staring in at his son. Cynyr hadn't even moved so much as a finger. Not a flick of his seemingly lifeless ears, not a single movement at all. Finally, he gave a soft, shuddering sigh and fell forward on the bed, burying his head into the pillows and blankets as his shoulders shook with utter, brutal exhaustion.

"It's okay, it's okay," Werr comforted quickly, hushing his friend. "Please, calm down. I love you, Welk, please don't cry like this..." It took a few minutes, but Werr finally realized that he was still standing in front of everyone. "Oh...sorry. Father, did you...need something? You said it was a bad time..."

"It is," Sylas shook his head.

"Tell me anyways."

"Well, I don't think--"

"Just tell me, dad!"

"It's a really bad idea at this point in time, I--"

"So important that you have to keep it a secret from your own son?"

"I have to kill someone close to me!" Sylas said, flustered and annoyed.

Werr instantly looked shocked and a little afraid. "S-so that's what you're coming to tell me? You don't want to sacrifice Leo to whatever this is, so y-you came to tell me that I'm going to die at your hand?!"

"No, Werr, no!" Sylas shook his head. "Your mother, not you."

Werr stared at Sylas furiously for several long moments. Then the door slammed shut between them, and Werr leaned back against said door. He slid to the ground, tears forming in his eyes. He wasn't sure what to think, but he knew he wasn't happy.

Welk panted heavily, his tiny chest heaving for each breath. He struggled and managed to lift his head for a moment, his eyes completely unfocused, but he had to drop his head and close his eyes a moment later.

There was a heavy flopping sound from the bed, and Cynyr slid off in a heap, sitting tiredly on the ground for a moment before finding himself able to move. In human form, on his hands and knees, feeling seconds from throwing up and like his world had been ravaged, he made his way over to Werr and laid next to him, resting his head on the ground near the boy's legs. His back was pressed to Werr's hip and thigh on his left side, his head touching just next to the boy's knee. Cynyr curled his legs close to his chest, sighing heavily, his eyes staring blankly ahead of him. A garbled sound squeaked out of his throat, and with a slight cough, he cleared it and tried again.

"Werr...th-thank you...for...e-everyth-thing..."

Then silence as the panther covered his eyes with a hand and wept soundlessly.

((Dear Bun,

forgot to leave a note before turning off the Mumble. So. Here it is.

Ho boy, I don't feel good. It's that special 'time' for me right now, and let's just say that I have a very low tolerancy for pain. Sheesh...

And I think it's funny that I trust you enough to tell you something like that.  Like, I usually get super embarressed, but...no. Not around you. And you've trusted me like that before and I understood completely, and sympathized with you. -hugglestight- Just part of being girls-who-are-friends, I suppose. We understand a lotta stoof. xD

I can't wait for tomorrow. More time to talk with you. Also, remind me that I decided to draw you Werr and Spectral Welk sometime, a'right? -Dang nabbit, there's Keir again- That's too cute of a scene for me to pass up. I have been meaning to draw a Werr chibi...

I should go to bed. Currently, It's 12:02 AM for me. It'll probably be later than that when you actually see this, but meh. ;3

I love you~ So much love for here, there is here. Right here, with me.

-hugs-

♥ ~Trin))

((Bahaha, I know the feeling, Trin. I know that feeling. I call it being 'healthy'. And hey, you're in synch with my mom! But I'm next, sooo D: Bad. Not good.

Well, whatever. It happens. LOTSA STOOF IS UNDERSTOOD. I also understand why you don't want Chzy to see these 'footnotes'. xDD And yay, chibi Spectral Welk~))

Werr looked down at his friend, then snapped himself out of his own shock to shake his friend. "Don't talk like that, Cynyr. Don't. You're not leaving me, you can't...it's not the end of the world, okay? All of our worlds, they keep on spinning. People die every day, the world doesn't end. Even if you kill yourself, things still have to go on, s-so...don't do it, okay? I'm right here, I won't let you, either!" He hugged Cynyr tightly, careful to keep Welk between them. "Look, Welk is back, too...see? Welk. Our little brother. You can't leave us, so don't talk like you ever will, okay?"