The Forgotten Zodiac

((LET'S GET THIS PAJAMA PARTY STARTED. o3o))

Castle Alastor. A beacon of hope for the kingdom, as well as the one next to it. Werr Krow ruled with a kind and just heart, as he always had. Despite the long winter the land had suffered, it had burst into life again in the spring, and the land was prepared for the scortching sun of the summers. Werr was prepared for the kingdom to suffer a drought; he couldn't be sure, but he definitely wanted to be prepared. Preparation was important, after all. He still disliked his kingship greatly, but he wouldn't give it up for the world. A year passed without major incident, and then another winter. But as usual, spring was well capable of breaking through winter's cold curses and blooming with summer.

A year and a half. Even less time since the previous disruption of peace. But this time, things were different. Drastically so. For once, Werr didn't suspect any magical foul play; there were no imprints of Obelisk or Malice, or anyone of the sort, on the situation. Another kingdom, far away, was in desperate need of help, drowning in a sea of war. The time set to leave was tomorrow.

"Does everyone have their bags packed?" Werr asked as he sat down at the head of the dinner table. "We leave at the strike of dawn."

"We plan to," Forin corrected him. "Nothing is set in stone."

"Well, if you had your bag packed already, we wouldn't have any delays," Diana giggled at him.

There was a crash from the hallway, then Welk galloped in, saying "I didn't do it!"

"Get back here and help me pick up this mess!" Cynyr's angry tone followed, and he stalked in a moment later. At 22, when he normally would've been in the prime of his youth, he looked a tad old. He was still as flexible as ever, and as fast as ever, but sometimes in the cold mornings of winter, Werr had caught him having a hard time getting up. A small speckle of white fur had grown in on his shoulder blades, giving a slight tint to his otherwise completely black-furred body. Other than a few new, smaller scars, he was mostly unchanged.

Welk, at 20, had never seemed to change. He was still hyperactive 24/7, still a fire mage, and the only real change was that he was even more ruggedly handsome than before. He was also an expert flier by now, his new wings no longer 'new'. They didn't hurt him anymore and he and Werr would commonly go flying together. It was a new, joyous experiance for them.

Welk walked over to Werr's chair, his red-orange mane fluffed up wildly. He purred and rested his chin on the young man's leg, smiling.

Werr grinned at his friend. "Have a seat, Welk. You and Cynyr can take care of the mess later." He chortled, then looked up as Nate entered the room, Tasia following him closely behind.

"Good evening," He said simply, sitting down. "The castle is secure."

"Nate, the castle has been secure for the past hundred times you've given that report at the table." Werr rolled his eyes.

"Doesn't hurt to be certain," Nate returned, tutting a bit, but it was obvious that he was taking Werr's words lightly.

"Well, at any rate," Werr leaned back in his chair, scratching Welk behind the ears absentmindedly. "You should eat."

Welk purred loudly, then took human form and flopped down in his chair, putting his arms behind his head and peeking around with one bright crimson eye. He wore a red shirt that was currently unbuttoned, showing off the top of the large, twisted X-shaped scar on his chest, and his armor covered his arms, shoulders, back and legs. It was much lighter than it had been before, and the chest piece had a large 'V' cut it in. He favorited not covering his large scar so much; to him, it was a trophy of what he and his friends fought so hard for.

He glanced down the table and gave a grin, saying "Hey Luen."

The kirin glanced up at him, giving a slight wave with his mechanical hand. Other than a small ponytail pulling his hair back, except for two locks he let frame his face, Luen looked unchanged as well. He moved his claw hand out effortlessly and picked up his cup, taking a small drink before setting it back down. He was skilled with the use of his new hand by now, ever grateful to Forin for making it for him.

Forin was currently tinkering with a piece of metal, painting it yellow. It had small wheels that let it move across the table smoothly. It looked a bit like a duck, aside from the fact that ducks weren't normally yellow. It had a string attached to the front of it.

"Forin, no toys at the table," Diana chided, pouting at him. "You've told me that hundreds of time. We're eating with Werr tonight, too, you can't just ignore everyone and--"

"Alright, alright," Forin shook his head, setting the toy aside. "Sorry." He chortled, smiling. "Where are we going again?"

"Bulliete." Werr answered. "You spent half a year trying to learn the language and you can't even remember the name of the country?" He grinned, shaking his head.

"Whatever makes one happy, I suppose," Luen said, sounding like he was born to speak Bulliete's language. His pronounciation was near-perfect and he sounded almost like a native of the land. He giggled, his voice hiccupping in its usual laugh, then he said "I'm ready to leave at the correct time."

Cynyr flicked his tail, snorting and saying "Show-off." He glanced up as several people walked into the room.

Seria was as beautiful as ever, her long red hair flowing behind her. The stripes on her face were their usual dusty red color, and she was wearing a pretty green gown. She had recovered from the loss of her baby in time, but she and Cynyr hardly even kissed anymore... It was like she was afraid to ever try again, and she was distancing herself from her husband to prevent that. Cynyr still tried his best to comfort her, but it never seemed to help very much.

Lexi, on the other hand, had only blossomed. She had overcome quite a bit of her shyness and the halls and rooms were filled with her artwork. In her stunning black dress with a thin white trim, her slightly-curly black hair down in waves around her shoulders, she was a sight to behold. Like a diamond after polishing, she had grown more beautiful, both in body and soul. She was kind and gentle, and she was a better healer now, to boot.

Luna trotted over and gave Forin a good kiss, smiling the entire while. Her long white dress brushed against his leg as she fluffed his hair, making it stick out like crazy in all directions before taking her seat.

Tasia smiled at the display, holding little Ariana in her lap. The one-and-a-half year old baby was a total daddy's girl, and she patted the edge of the table and gurgled baby-talk that sounded like "Dadadadadadadadada~."

Forin could only smile after that, quite happy to have such a loving girlfriend. "No, no," Diana giggled at the little one. "Say 'mama'. That's who's holding you right now. 'Mama'."

"She can say who she wants," Nate grinned, picking up the small child and holding the baby close. "Hi there, Ariana. You be good for mommy, alright? Daddy has to go away tomorrow." He cleared his throat and blew out a puff of smoke, although he was careful to direct it away from the baby. He handed Ariana back to Tasia as he started to serve up dinner for himself and his wife.

"Lexi," Werr looked over at the girl, smiling happily. "How was training today? Good, I hope?" He directed the question towards both Lexi and Seria; of course, the more experienced healer was helping the other get better.

Lexi smiled and sat down next to Werr, turning her bright brown eyes onto him and saying "It was really good. I learned several new spells and Seria gave me a new staff to use. It's tuned to my magic, which means that it'll be really powerful if I'm the one using it."

"She's a good healer, and she still has more potential," Seria said softly, sitting down and fluffing her tail lightly. "I'm glad to teach her." She glanced over to Cynyr and he returned the look, then she looked down. He sighed, giving himself a light shake before looking back up.

Lexi smiled at Seria's praise, then gave Werr a gentle kiss, holding his hand for a moment.

((-sighhuuuug-))

Werr beamed at her, then slowly looked more serious. "Lexi...as I'm sure you're aware, we're leaving tomorrow morning. But you...none of you have been told why. The reason we're off to a foreign land, the reason we're leaving here and going somewhere far away, is because Bulliete is in danger. An empire threatens to swallow them whole, practically. An empire of savages, really...Herrace is known for its complete destruction of enemies. Bulliete has only lasted this long because they have hope that we're going to do something for them. I don't know what they expect...from the words of the letters we've been getting, I suspect they think we're superheroes or something. But...we're not." Werr sighed heavily. "We're going in there to assess the situation and see whether or not we should evacuate the people. And as I said, it will be dangerous. We've...always brought a healer with us, Lexanna, but I'm worried you could get hurt beyond what Seria can fix. These people are ruthless, they know what they're doing. Herrace's soldiers are trained to go after the support before striking the front lines, which means archers, strategists, and most of all, healers are especially in danger if they can break past the main fight." He squeezed Lexanna's hand. "And these people fight to kill. They don't care about information, or anything of the sort. If they're given the chance, they will kill you."

"Been dead before," Forin rolled his eyes. "It's not much to worry about, really. Peaceful, almost."

"I still don't want anyone dead," Werr frowned at him. "Anyone."

((Mewmewmew~))

Lexi looked sad, thinking over what Werr had just said, then she bent her head forward and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. "That's why I have you and Cynyr and Welk and everyone else to protect me. And you didn't know this, but Cynyr taught me some self-defence."

Cynyr looked away, frowning.

"I can, if the need comes up, defend myself," the girl said, nodding. She rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, sighing.

A slight cough from behind them made her lift her head and glanced over. Naybrin was settled on a huge, soft red pillow, watching the two closely. He hadn't changed at all, except for filling out once again in a full recovery from his previous trauma. He wasn't as frail and thin as he used to be, back at a normal weight. He bobbed his head and gave Lexi a wink, making her blush.

Werr sighed, then slowly nodded. "Alright. I was going to ask if you would stay here, but okay. For those of you who are staying here, all guards have specific instructions from Nate to get you out of here at a moment's notice. At the slightest sign of danger, you'll be taken to the town where Jag and Lily live. Far away from the castle, where Jag can protect you." He looked mostly at Tasia as he said this. Of course, she wasn't much of a fighter, and she had a child to attend to. Nate was needed, as he was Werr's closet guard (excluding the knights) and Werr needed all the help he could get.

((Goooood mornin~ I gotta go to school early today 'cuz of my class being first. :C))

Tasia nodded, saying "Of course, Werr. I understand." She bounced Ariana gently, hearing the baby giggle and suck on her own fingers. "Deenaaaa," she gurgled, flailing a chubby fist in Diana's direction. "Fwee!" she bubbled at Forin next. "Fweeee." Tasia stroked the infant's dark pink hair back, sighing. "I've mantained a connection with Lily," she said. "Through letters. I know I'll be welcome there." She looked up at Nate, her eyes soft and sad. "I wish you didn't have to go..." she said softly.

((Nooooo. -cling-))

Nate leaned over and hugged Tasia tightly, kissing her cheek. "I wish I didn't have to go, either. But...we all must sacrifice something to help others. I'm determined to only sacrifice time with you, because the other options are less desireable." He tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear, smiling slightly. "But it's okay. I'll return home sooner or later."

She nuzzled against her husband, then said "I trust you." She sighed, then lifted her head and toyed with Ariana's ruddy wings and tail.

Welk wiggled around in his chair, seemingly unable to sit still. He quickly finished what was on his plate and said "How's that weapon working out for ya, Forinny?"

Vorpal, known now as the Great Black Blade, immediately scoffed and spat "I work perfectly fine, tailless! Master Forin and I have improved greatly through the years we've spent together. We are an unstoppable duo! We cannot be bested! We-"

"-are annoying?" Welk said, wincing and folding his ears down. "And by that, I mean you, Vorpal."

((Off period~))

"We've spent one year together, Vorpal, and it's not like you've met much of a foe lately. You could be getting rusty. Perhaps you need to be sharpened." Forin said calmly, although it was a fairly serious threat. Sharpening did hurt the blade in the long run. Especially since Vorpal kept himself perfectly sharpened. "Saying that 'we cannot be bested' is cocky and rude. What if a swords master challenged us because of your big mouth? You know that it's custom for the loser to be killed in a proper duel. I still have things to do here."

Vorpal was quiet for a moment, then he said "...Very well, master. I will...be...quiet." He tried his hardest, keeping his thoughts to himself and letting his magical hum die down to a lower level, but they knew it wouldn't last long.

Luen brushed his hair back with his metal hand, saying "That's a moment of peace that I think we'll all enjoy."

Vorpal growled, but said nothing.

Lexi smiled and held Werr's hand tightly, saying "He's a good weapon. I know he doesn't mean to be so angry all the time. It's just how he is."

Forin smiled. "Don't you think you might be a bit too harsh on him?" Nate frowned, tilting his head to the side.

"If you want to take him, be my guest." Forin shrugged. "But you can't. He'll burn you. He's my burden now, and so help me...I'm not going to let him screw us all over by way of his massive ego and huge mouth."

"Well...at any rate, there's something I wanted to discuss," Nate looked towards the head of the table, at Welk and Werr. "Werr, do you remember what we talked about?"

"Yeah. I just haven't gotten a chance to ask him yet," Werr looked over at Welk, smiling slightly. "Nate...Nate thinks it would be wise if we switched places. Not even the emperor would know. If you were wearing the regal clothing, and I posed as a simple servant, I would be a lot safer. Or so Nate believes. What do you think?" He questioned, though he knew Welk would deny him nothing.

((This will come into play later, when the helper character of mine comes in. xD))

Welk blinked, then leaned back heavily in his chair, saying "Aw, but I hate fancy clothes!" He grinned and flicked his ears, however, saying "Of course I'll switch places with you. Anything to keep you safe, you know." He quickly grew serious, his bright red eyes staring right into Werr's. "I'll do the best I can," he said, sticking a claw into his mouth and nipping the edge lightly.

Welk wiggled his way out of his chair, taking lion form and rubbing his chin against Werr's knee. "Let's go, then," he said, purring and flicking his tail happily. He bounced backwards and spread his golden wings, arching up and flying in circles around the room.

"Oh, um... Can I come with you?" Lexi said, looking concerned. "I just...want to stay close."

"For goodness' sake, I think he would like your company," Cynyr said, pushing back from the table and taking panther form, only to have Welk land on him. "Augh!" the panther cried, flailing around as Welk scrambled off. "Sorry! I need to work on landings," the lion said, shaking his mane out.

"I'll say," Cynyr scoffed.