The Forgotten Zodiac

"Certainly," Werr smiled at the girl, then stood and turned towards the door. Most of his food was untouched, although he had eaten the meat. At the very least, he wasn't letting himself starve, but it was obvious to everone remaining at the table that Werr was worried. Of course he was; his country was vulnerable while he was away. Sure, the advisors could take care of things in his absence, and yes, he had indeed named another heir. But that heir was Lexi, and she was coming with them. So yes, Werr was greatly concerned, indeed.

But, sitting in his large library chair (that was twice the size of him), Werr's worry melted into relaxation as he picked up the book he had been studying before dinner rolled around. It was a book about Buliette's heiarchy and past. The country was wealthy thanks to its weath of citizens who had mastered the arts in a number of areas, but it had minimal military support and was mostly focused on defending. Which was why they had lasted so long with few casualties, but Herrace was threatening to overrun. Just like they had with all things.

Werr was certain that the emperor thought they were killing machines, at that. That they would turn around and win the war for Bulliete's favor. It was foolishness, at best, but Werr really did only want to save whoever he could. He didn't know where they would go or what they were do, but he wanted to help them.

Cynyr brushed up against Welk as the two walked in, heading towards the soft black pillow provided for him. He curled up and sighed, closing his eyes and dozing off quietly. Lexi walked over and sat down in the crook of his back legs, beginning to gently stroke his black fur. He didn't move away, but he didn't purr either, showing that he really couldn't be bothered.

Welk flopped down on a big red pillow, rolling around for a moment before laying similarly to Cynyr, smiling up at Werr with his signature big goofy grin.

Werr gave Welk an absentminded pet as he read through the final page of his book. When he was done, he picked up another; this wasn't odd. Werr, thirsty for knowledge as he was, usually had his nose in something or other. It was a good thing to see him getting into books rather than trouble, which was another thing entirely. His majesty Werr had a keen habit for getting himself into sticky situations. By luck, nothing had happened as of late, but it was still evident from the number of slight scars he had accumulated over the years. Seria was a wonderful healer, but sometimes she wasn't able to get to the wound before it dried out. Werr had large spots littering his body; proof of his time in captivity under Malice, where he was practically eaten alive in chunks. Seria had been nowhere near, completely incapable of healing him until weeks later. Malice only kept him alive out of desire to use him as a bargaining chip.

They had all suffered. Far too much. So, Werr had decided, he wasn't going to let others suffer while he sat idly by. This was his driving force for wanting to help the people of Bulliete. This was why he read his books from dinner until evening, when a maid came in and started to light candles when it got too dark to read.

Finally, Werr put the book down again. "Welk," He sighed slightly, then smiled widely. "Thank you. For being such a good friend. For all this time, and for all the future times that you'll do gods know what for me. I couldn't ask for a better companion..." He looked over at Cynyr. "You too. I'm so grateful to all of you," He said, his eyes trailing to Lexi. "I've said it before, but you know I wouldn't be alive now if not for you all..."

Lexi smiled, gently braiding a lock of Cynyr's thick fur. "It's okay, Werr," she said softly. "I love you." She looked up as Welk nuzzled his head into Werr's lap, purring loudly and letting the boy fondle his ears. He lifted a paw and rested it on Werr's knee, unsheathing and sheathing his claws in a kneading motion. "You're a good friend too, Werr," he said, smiling. He pushed his muzzle against the young man's abdomen, sighing as he breathed in his friend's scent.

Cynyr snorted and said "To think that I used to hate you and think you were horribly annoying. Times have changed, no?" He flicked his tail, then glanced down at Lexi's hands and said "I hope you'll kindly undo that braid when you're finished."

She blushed and said "Sorry. I just like to work with my hands."

Werr chortled a bit, then stood. "Alright. We should go to bed." He sighed then stretched, yawning a bit. "We gotta get up early." He smiled slightly, then headed towards the door.

"Oh, there you are." Nate was already there. "Just checking in one last time before I head to bed."

"Of course. Thank you, Nate." Werr nodded. "We were about to head off as well."

Welk stood, rubbing up against Nate's leg before taking human form, wiggled off down the hall in a silly little dance. He spread his wings and curled them around himself, standing quietly and waiting for Werr with his wings curled around himself like a blanket. He sighed, turning his bright eyes onto his friends with a grin. Then he bent down and took lion form once more, walking close to Werr so the young man could sit on him.

Cynyr wordlessly allowed Lexi onto his back, making sure to stay close to the other two. Lexi sat quietly, both legs hanging off sideways, sidesaddle like on a horse. She didn't want her dress to bunch up, after all. She held Werr's hand as the two half-cat knights stood side by side, and Welk gave his brother's ear a gentle tug.

((Oh, Trin. xD You know I was just kidding. Sylas, on the other hand, would have the hintings of a beard. :3 He's old, I can do that. xD

Oh...giant frog. I dunno when I'd be able to get my hands on one, much less ride it. .3. There aren't any frogs here. Oh, and also, -HUGGLEHUGGLEHUGGLE-

That is all.))

Werr reached over and took Lexi's hand, beaming as they were taken back to their rooms. When the arrived, Werr helped Lexi off of Cynyr and escorted her to her room, directly across from his. "Good night, Lexanna," He smiled to her before turning away and heading into his own room. It was only a minute or so before he had changed and gotten himself ready for bed. Less than half a minute before he was in it, and only about 10 before he was fast asleep, dreaming about something or other. No nightmares tonight; a smile was planted on his face while he slumbered.

Lexanna, however, was interrupted before she could fall asleep. Ophile nosed open her door, sniffing a bit. "Uh, sorry to disturb you," He said softly, jumping up onto the bed and laying himself out next to Lexi. "I've just been having terrible dreams lately. I seem to have caught Werr's old problems, I suppose," He snorted softly, blinking at her. "Is it okay if I sleep here?"

((Sylas, that's okay. xD Gots his stubbleubbleubble.

Here, you can borrow my frog. -tugs leash and watches as a giant frog flops around the corner- ...Hello.))

Lexi smiled and moved her hand out, stroked his head gently. "Of course, Ophile," she said softly, scooting close and snuggling up to him. "I almost feel better like this, because you can protect me in the night." She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder. She twinned her hand into his fur, gently kissing the bridge of the wolf's nose before sighing and falling asleep.

((Yaaaay, stubble! : D

.o. Should I be scarededed?

Hihi~))

Ophile hummed a happy note before starting to drift off, himself. Perhaps the ghosts of haunted dreams would leave him alone, now that he was with Lexi. She definitely seemed the type that evil couldn't touch. So kind and sweet. Ophile wagged his tail once or twice just thinking about it, but it made heavy thudding sounds against the blankets, so he fell still and dozed off.

((Don't be scared. Frogs can sense fear.

-huggles-))

When morning came, it found the castle still and silent. Everyone was mostly still asleep, except for the occasional wandering guard.

Luen opened his eyes and sat up with a yawn, rubbing his emerald eyes blearily with his single living hand. He slid to the edge of the bed and reached for his prosthetic arm, carefully putting it to his shoulder stump. He pulled the first loop over his head, tightened it, then fiddled with the other straps until he could send a small flush of magic into it. It immediately physically attached to his body, a bit painfully, but bearable. He moved it around for a moment, then flicked his hair out of his eyes and glanced around.

((A-ah...okay. So I should just climbs on top?

Also, I had a midea. What if Forin couldn't use his powers with his hands, but he could channel his powers into Vorpal? It wouldn't be as good as his extractions, but he could still take out enemies easily.))

Forin was awake still. He hadn't slept last night. Diana hadn't slept much either, stuck between nightmares. She always had nightmares. Forin was powerless to stop them, at that. At the moment, he was holding the ten-year-old tightly in his arms, curled up to her as she slept as much as she could. He didn't move much as Luen moved around, but he did smile slightly and follow his friend with his eyes.

((Yepyep. Just hop up here on 'dis froggeh.

And that sounds good. : D ))

Luen winced and rubbed his right shoulder, clenching and unclenching his metal hand as he studied it. He glanced up and spotted Forin, then smiled at him and murmured "Good morning." He yawned, covering his mouth with his thin fingers, then stood up and picked up his clothes. Without his shirt on, Forin could easily see the long burn-scars covering his arms and the narrow scar on the back of his neck. The kirin's antlers had grown back in, full and big, and they were sharper than ever. They seemed to shine with the brightness of new snow.

Forin watched his friend, wondering how many more scars Luen would get before this adventure was done. He himself had too many to count, although he had a story for each one. He disliked telling a lot of them, though; they were practically sob stories. The scars themselves were supposed to be signs of strength. They all told of how he had gotten into fights, trouble, danger, so on, and survived. Diana herself had a few scars, one of which was on her stomach; the mark of Yemara. Seria had healed it the best she could, but the scar wouldn't go away. Forin had even taken Diana to Namanai to see what could be done, but the old Divine Healer was unable to do a thing. It didn't hurt Diana at all, she was still just a happy, almost normal 10 year old girl (although her growth was still a bit stunted). But the scar bugged Forin. He didn't like it. It was, to him, almost a mark of how he had failed. Only a year and a few months ago, at that...

((Also, have a picture of me. http://my.deviantart.com/messages/#/d5jud1g ))

Luen smiled and proceeded to pull his white hair back into a very small ponytail, except for the clumps he let frame his face. He moved very slowly for this, placing his metal hand very carefully in order to hold everything together, and managed to tie his hair back despite his handicap. He pulled his shirt on over his head, then took deer form and spent a moment grooming his white fur. He liked it when Diana brushed him; it always felt good to be rid of any clumps of loose fur or tangles.

He walked over to Forin, his metal hoof making a gentle clicking sound, and proceeded to lip and tug at his friend's hair.

((I will look at that when I get home. :la: Can't see it from the school, though.

Yay for off periods, regardless. ;D))

Forin reached up and gave Luen a pat on the muzzle, then stroked Diana's arm. The girl slowly stirred, opening her eyes after a few moments of Forin quietly saying that it was time to wake up. When the girl sat up, so did Forin. "I'm still tired," She muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"I know. It's okay, you can rest more on Naybrin. I made sure we were both packed, so you can even stay in your nightgown, if you want to." Forin smiled a bit, brushing back the girl's hair a bit.

"Mmft...good morning, Luen," Diana shook off some of her tiredness to greet her deer friend.

((Get it? Deer friend, dear friend? 936))

((Byew~ -hugs tightly- You be mai best friend. Nobody ever gonna take you from meh.))

Luen smiled and bent his head, giving Diana a gentle nuzzle. He nibbled on a lock of her soft brown hair, then softly planted a kiss on her forehead before turning away. "I'll be outside, getting breakfast," he said, hooking his small bag with an antler tine and lifting his head. The bag hung without hurting him or hindering his movements, and he said "Join me when you're finished, okay?" He smiled, his kind face easily shifting to the loving expression, then he turned and walked out of the room, his metal leg holding him up perfectly. He walked as if he had never lost a limb, as if the prosthetic had always been there.

((^^ Yay~!))

"Alright," Forin nodded and stood, starting to prepare for the day. Diana sat there, still a bit too groggy to do anything.

Nate was already at the breakfast table, trying to feed Ariana mashed fruit. The baby kept turning her nose up at everything but crushed pears. She wouldn't even eat strawberries. "Good morning, Luen," Nate glanced up before putting another spoonful of fruit in his child's mouth for her to gum at and swallow. He didn't look very happy. "I, uh...looked at a map of the place last night. I thought it was west of the Hadarrak desert. No one ever told me that it was a different continent entirely. We'll be going over an ocean." He shuddered at the thought, then suddenly straightened up and looked towards the door.

"We're here! We're here to visit!" Spy yelled at the top of his lungs, running around near the door and then jumping up onto the table, grabbing an apple up in his teeth before sliding off onto a chair. With his mouth full of apple, he gave a goofy grin towards the baby, who stared at the Chimera oddly.

((You told me you would make him useful in the third book. : P))

((Yes I did, and I have all the things prepared. They'll need him to find Luen. o3o Later, of course.))

Luen flinched at the initial burst of sound from the little chimera, but quickly shook it off. He moved closer to Nate as the door opened again to reveal Jag and Lily, the later of whom was holding baby Cinnoa in her arms. Aside from a small tribal ring in his left ear, Jag looked pretty much the same. His bangles clacked as he held the door open for Lily, then he turned and gave Spy a soft stroke. "Careful around here, Snack. You might get stepped on," he warned, tugging on Spy's ear.

Luen glanced up at the gryphon and human, giving a smile as he rested his head on Nate's shoulder. "Hello," he said quietly, content to comfort Nate rather than mingle.

((p3p WHAT YOU GONNA DO TO LUEN? I'MMA DO DAT TO WERR TENFOLD. >:U

Okay, I'm joking. xD I do have stuff of my own ready. We're going to meet Cyprus AND Yemara! Obelisk is going to release them both! : D Although really, Cyprus isn't bad. He was framed. 936))

"I won't," Spy shook his head. "I'm good at dodging." He giggled, then looked over to the baby Airiana and started to play peek-a-boo with her. She was giggling and laughing away in mere seconds, which seemed to ease Nate's discomfort quite a bit.

"Oh, Cinnoa. He's grown," Nate smiled at the baby in Lily's arms. The woman beamed and nodded, then looked at the bag beside Nate. She remembered that bag; the Dragonian had several for different occasions, but only one for travel.

"Are you going on a trip?" She questioned, her eyes trailing to the bag caught in Luen's antlers.

((I already told you. Werewolf attack. xD Werewolf bite + lycanthropy stirring up old wolf blood when it's meant to be deer now = a horrible mismatch of a deer/wolf creature. Will return to normal later on, of course, as always.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I hate Yemara! D:< ... o3o" ))

Luen nodded once, saying "Yes. Werr's been called on to help with some problems in a far off land. Bulliete, if you've heard of it."

"I have," Jag said at once. "My mother had migrated from there. She met my father here, in this land."

"Right," Luen said. "Well, we're going on diplomacy reasons. Trying to stop a war and all that. Hopefully...we'll be able to do something." He bent his head around and blew a soft breath at Ariana, who squealed and proceeded to flail her hands and cling to Luen's soft nose, refusing to let go.