The Forgotten Zodiac

"Luen," Forin turned his eyes on his friend, then did his best to speak in Bulliete's language. "Stay with her. I must investigate why the townsfolk call her a 'priestess'." He said quietly, then looked down at Diana. "I've got to go do some work now, okay? Here," He pulled a few small toys from his bag. "Play with me and tell me later if they can be any better, okay?" She slowly nodded, watching as Forin turned away and walked off.

Diana sat down with a sigh, pushing the little toy forward. It was a miniature wagon, that had tiny figures of people in it. They were all smiling, but Diana was not.

Luen stared down at her for a moment, then looked up as Welk and Werr walked by, meaning to check on Nate. "Welk," Luen said, trotted over and grabbing the half-cat's arm. He quickly leaned in and spoke quietly to him, then they bent down on the ground and seemed to work on something. Diana heard the soft, familiar rustling-crackle of Luen's ice powers, then the louder snapping and popping of Welk's fire. Luen seemed to strain with something, then the noise stopped and the two straightened. "Thanks," Luen said, then turned and walked over to Diana, cradling something in his hands.

When he opened them, there was a tiny crystalized deer and a little girl in his hands.

Both shimmered like the ice he created with his powers, except they were hard and weren't melting at all. Welk had crystalized them with his flames while Luen had kept their shape, twinning their magics together to retain the little forms. Now Luen gently placed the soothingly cool sculptures into Diana's hand, saying "Come on. Let's play with this wagon, eh?"

Diana blinked in surprise at the new toy. "It looks...like the carvings we saw in the market." She smiled, then seemed to realize something. "Luen...were those little statues...of me and you?" She looked up at him, confused. "Are we famous here for something?"

Isslia, who had been following Welk and Werr, looked down at her. She then smiled. "You don't know? That's crazy. You're the priestess, of course." She gave a small laugh. "I'm more inclined to side with the other, but it's good for your followers that you returned in a time of need. The prophecy says that upon the priestess' return, the demigoddess herself will return to this world, also. Although, I don't believe in that. But it gives people hope, you know?"

"What am I a priestess for?" Diana questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"Yem--" Isslia was cut short by Werr clamping a hand over her mouth, shaking his head quickly at her.

"Nothing, Diana. She's just kidding," Werr chuckled slightly, nervously. Isslia pulled on Werr's hand, grumbling incoherent words through his fingers.

Diana, however, was not to be fooled. And the single syllable that Isslia had gotten out was enough of a clue. With a trembling voice, she said, "Yemara...isn't it?" Isslia's eyes lit up and she nodded. Diana slouched, her body starting to tremble as she realized why people were fawning over her in the market. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, unsure of whether she should be angry or sad about this.

Luen shot Isslia (and Welk in turn, as he was her 'owner') a glare, then bent and picked Diana up, leaning back against the wall and holding her close. "Shh, shh," he soothed, kissing her forehead and the side of her face gently. "It's okay, it's okay." He let her lay against him, holding her hands tightly in his own and kissing her fingers gently, ignoring the fact that she was still holding the tiny little crystal figurines.

Diana started to cry, then suddenly jerked and threw the crystal figure against the wall. She had loved it, but it reminded her too much of the marketplace. Suddenly, she hated these people. Every last one of them. Herrace could destroy them, and she would be happy. Diana sobbed into Luen's shirt, then suddenly tore away and ran down the hall; she was stopped by Forin.

"No, no, no, Diana, don't go anywhere," Forin grabbed her at once. "You must stay here. You mustn't leave us, not now."

"I already know, Forin!" Diana wailed. "I'm some kind of priestess and th-they want to sacrifice me again or something!"

Forin blinked. "No, they don't. The followers of Yemara want nothing but to see your face. Those aligned with Cyprus are angry, though. If they're given the chance, they won't hesitate to take you from me, so you cannot leave. Understood?" He said firmly. Diana only sobbed harder at this, but she let Forin lead her back to where Luen was sitting. She sat between them, crying as she held onto both of their arms. Forin sighed, and looked up at Luen.

((So yes. Tonight, just have Naybrin and Diana awake together in the same room. Cyprus will show up, and poof.

Either that, or he'll drag her unconscious body to where Naybrin is. xD))

((o3o))

Luen had slowly been picking up the shattered pieces of the figurine, frowning sadly. He sighed and put the shards into his pocket, meaning to throw them away, then looked up at met Forin's gaze over Diana's head. He sighed heavily, then slid Diana into his lap and scooted close to Forin, resting his head on the Tartaran's shoulder and holding Diana as close as he could, praying that he never had to let go.

Diana didn't try to pull away this time. "I-I'm sorry abo-about the toy, Luen..." She sniffled. "I was mad at it..."

"Shh, it's okay. He can make something different." Forin said soothingly, though he had no idea what Luen had made. There was nothing they could do, though...all Forin could do was wonder how long it would be before the religious nutcases stormed the castle looking for Diana. And which one would come first; those who would revel in her presence, or the ones who wanted her burned at the stake?

Either way, Forin would kill them if they dared try to take her away from him. If he thought Diana's life to be in danger, he had permissions to do whatever he so pleased.

"Come on, let's check on Nate," Werr pulled on Welk's arm, taking his friend into the infirmary. The Dragonian was still fast asleep, but oddly enough, his eyes were open ever so slightly. He had woken up for a split second, just long enough to peek at where he was, but he had been out like a light before he could even close his eyes fully again.

Welk moved close and leaned over the dragonian, flicking his tail rapidly in a happy movement. He moved his clawed hand up and gently closed Nate's eyes all the way, purring, then said "I'm glad you're still around, Froggy." He nuzzled against the dragonian's side, then pulled back and took lion form, rubbing up against Werr a few times, still purring away.

"Where's the man that had been here?" Werr blinked, looking around. "He was here just a few hours ago..."

"He left," One of the healers shrugged. "He was perfectly healthy, there was no reason for us to keep him here."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Werr blinked, but sighed and started scratching Welk behind the ears. "Well, Nate is alive. That's what matters most. Right?" He sighed, closing his eyes.

"King Welk," Lennon stepped into the doorway, stepping easily around Luen, Forin and Diana. "His majesty requests your presence. It is dinnertime, after all..."

Welk groaned and slapped a paw over his face, then shifted to human form and said "Fine, fine, we're coming..." He looked over at Werr and mouthed 'you owe me for this king crap', then winked, showing that he really didn't mind that much. At least, because Werr was the one that had asked him in the first place. He turned and walked out of the room, saying "I'll be down there in a second. Give us a bit more time, 'kay?"

((It was raining. A cold, drizzly downfall that was quickly whipping into a full-out storm.

He tried to hold on for as long as he could, his best friend's life and his own sanity hanging in the balance. Literally.

"Don't let go!" Welk cried, trying desperately to grab hold of the rocky edge, knowing Werr couldn't hold onto him forever.

"I'm trying!" Werr answered, frantically digging his nails into the edge of the cliff, trying not to be taken over with the half-cat.

Slowly, inch by inch, his grip was slipping. Soaked by the rainwater, it was becoming harder and harder to hold onto his dear friend.

"Don't let me go!" Welk cried again, icy fear etched into his voice.

"I won't! I promise!" Werr answered, struggling to pull the half-cat back up onto stable ground. He had promised. He couldn't fail now.

He did.

In one sickening second, Welk's hand slipped from his.

"No!" Werr screamed, only able to watch in horror as his best friend plummetted downwards, disappearing from sight. The fall was too far down to keep sight of him; he would never survive the fall.

He fell, taking Werr's heart and soul with him.

-

...Guess what's going to happen later on. 8D ))

((WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. WELK HAS WINGS. Y-YOU KNOW WHAT...HERE.

"I don't want this..." Cyprus whimpered, watching in horror as Yemara SLICED WERR'S HEAD OFF IN A YUCKY DISPLAY OF HOW POWERFUL SHE IS.

BWAHAHAHAHA. -flails arms about-

...-cough- owe And, uh, in case you didn't guess, that's not actually going to happen, you just...I'M STARTLED, TRIN. YOU'VE STARTLED ME.))

"Of course," Lennon shrugged. "Take your time." He glanced down at the three near the door, then smiled slightly. "It's not all bad, you know. You could probably solicit money out of your followers, young Priestess." He suggested lightly, then turned and walked away.

"I don't want to." Diana sniffled. "I just want to be left alone...I like it better when strangers ignore me..."

"I know," Forin shushed her gently. "We know."

Izan was waiting at the head of the table. He had already started eating, but he looked...distracted. Troubled. Of course, Lennon had already told him most of what had happened...

((o3o -> e3o -> o3e -> e3e))

A few minutes later, Welk walked in with Werr, Cynyr and Isslia at his side. "Sorry for the wait, Emperor Izan," he said, giving a slight bow. "We were...waylaid." He looked over at Cynyr, who gave a slight nod to reassure him. They walked forward and took their seats, and Seria entered a moment later with Luna. When questioned about Lexi, Seria told Werr "She's not feeling good and wants you to go to her later." Then she took her seat.

"No problem, no problem." Izan waved his hands. Werr nodded once, then looked up as Izan spoke. "So, friends. You just got here and you already convicted one of my heirs and returned a man from what you thought was death. You also brought with you what I see as a nuicance; we're at war with a nation of demons and you bring in something that will cause a rift between my people, and will ultimately destroy us if it gets bad enough...but no matter! You'll work it out in the end, yes you will." He clapped his hands together, smiling as a maid moved forward and refilled his wine glass.

"Now then, how are you planning to be rid of the Herrace threat?" He questioned with a smile.

((Dear Trinity,

I take a moment now to speak with you in private. I've only a moment before the terrible fiend that is my creator's mind sucks me right back in, but I would like to take this second I have and use it to thank you. Obviously, without you, my creator would have used me for other purposes; and though I would much like to die and never be used again, I have rather enjoyed the time I've had - and the time I've yet to have - tormenting your precious characters. And for some...simply enjoying their company is enough.

It seems we are of different worlds, though I should have you know that my creator is grateful for you, as well. She's overjoyed to have a friend such as you. And she hopes that no matter what challenges you both face, it will be easily overcome and overlooked. And through her mind-numbing paranoia, she prays that nothing she does will ever hurt you, because that would be hurting herself at the same time...goodness knows we don't want that.

Well, it seems that I must go now. Farewell, Trinity. May we speak again sometime in the future.

And now, a message from Cyprus...

MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME.

That is all.))

((:happycry: Aww. That's so...aww... -cling-))

Welk swallowed, then said "Well, what with all of these troubling things that have risen up, we've not really had a lot of time to think about it. But I was thinking that maybe we could visit the leaders and have a discussion with them. Try and figure out both sides and see if we could find a way to encourage them to stop the war. It's a work in progress." He shrugged slightly, saying "A bad part was finding out Mirage was leaking them information. Who knows how long she was on their side." He sat back in his chair, thinking, and gave his plate a slight push, as if he had lost his appetite. Something that usually never happened.

((I don't exactly know what to do about the Herrace thingy. Idearz needed. D: ))

((Mememememe?

Pfft, Werr was going to evacuate people, remember? Just get everyone out.))

"Mm, yes..." Izan said thoughtfully. "I have tried to meet with their leaders to negotiate, but those meetings were always foiled by people trying to kill us both. You can tell how that went." He sighed in annoyance, shaking his had. "Isslia can tell you why the Herraces are attacking us. At least, why we think it is. Have you even spoken to her at all? I gave her to you so you could learn our ways, our religions...I gave her to you so that you might not disgrace us further in our time of need."

"But...she's an informant..." Werr started, confused.

"That doesn't mean she can't answer simple questions, foolish boy." Izan grumbled, clearly unhappy.

((A'right.

Ffffft, nobody calls Werr foolish around Welk. :3 ))

"Don't you dare call him foolish," Welk snapped, standing up in his chair. "You know what, I'm going to be frank. We didn't have to come here to risk our lives to help you, but we did! Give us a little more credit. I propose we start evacuating people and clear the immediate area as fast as possible. If any attacks were to start up, your people would be in the way and they would be killed like animals." He barely bit back a growl of 'except you already treat them like animals, so what does it matter', but he held off in time. "You asked for our help, right?" he said, flicking his ears and tail. "Then let us do it our way. Clear the area and prepare for war. Because we'll try negotiations, and if it fails..." He trailed off, and everyone knew what he meant.

"And where are we to run to?" Izan stood at once. "Alastor? Storaph?"

"What choice do you have, Izan?" Werr's voice met the emperor with a strength that was unlike Werr. Rather unlike a servant, but there wasn't much from stopping Werr. He didn't care if Izan knew about their trade-off; it had only been do avoid targeting by outside forces. "Either evacuate or be slain. I don't know what you thought you were bringing in by asking us for help, but we're not killing machines, nor are we prepared to lose our lives for a country that isn't ours. Our main focus here is keeping you and the majority of your people alive. Evacuate the smaller towns and prepare for the evacuation of the capital. If the negotiations go well with Herrace, then your people can return home. If not...your final battle with them will be fought keeping them away while we get the rest of you out. We're prepared to give up a large island off the coast of Alastor. It should be enough land to house your people for a few eons."

Izan fumed at them, then sat back in his chair. "Give me time to think. I will see you tomorrow evening for dinner. Leave now. Go back to whatever you were doing before." He shooed them away with a wave of his hand.

Welk snorted, then muttered where Izan couldn't hear him, "I hate this place." He took lion form and stalked out ahead of the others. When Werr and Cynyr both sped up to catch up to him, he slowly dropped back to walk between them. Cynyr knew all of this was stressing him out more than he needed. He glanced over his shoulder as the girls caught up to them, then said "We can eat in our own rooms, if you're still hungry. I'll see if I can't get something sent up." He looked over at Werr, then curled his long tail over and brushed the boy's wrist. "Take Welk and go find Lexi. You could use some time alone." He shook his black hair, then said, in a quieter tone, "I'm going to see if I can get Seria to warm back up to me. She..." He sighed heavily, then said, in a soft whisper, "...It isn't going well between us..."

Werr scratched Cynyr behind the ears for a moment, smiling a bit. "Good luck," He said. He was worried, of course, but he had no doubt that things would be okay in the end. For now, he had to find Lexi. "Get us there, Welk," He said, sitting on Welk's back, knowing the half-cat wouldn't mind. Especially since the human king could scratch Welk behind the ears from where he was sitting.

"Nate is awake now," One of the healers said, looking towards the group at the door. "You can come see him, if you want..." Forin stood, as did Diana, who pulled Luen up. Nate was indeed awake, although it didn't seem likely that he would be moving around yet. The healers had been forced to give him a couple blood transfusions. Dmitry had gotten four.

"Hey," Nate said, managing to smile a little when his friends came into his view. "Give it to me straight...how do I look? Is my face scarred?"

((You has your phone? 'Cuz I'm leavin' now, and you must has your phone. :U))

((I has phone. -cling-))

Luen gave a shaky smile, slowly inching over to him, moving his burn-scarred hands up and putting them over his mouth. "You're fine," he said quietly, already brushing away a few tears. He tilted his ears back, then suddenly said "Oh! Y-your cloak..." He pulled Nate's cloak from his shoulders, saying "I...I had been wearing it...to comfort myself..." He held the edge of the cloak against his face, hiding his eyes. "I thought you were dead," he said, sounding in the verge of tears.