The Forgotten Zodiac

Cyprus nodded. "I did enjoy it. I feel rejuvinated again." He smiled a bit, then sighed. "I can give you your dragon form back, if you want...and that's not skin. That's clothing. Coth and other materials..." He plucked at Naybrin's shirt to mimic the first king's movements, smiling a bit. "It's not exactly skin...at all. You can take it off, you know."

"It is?" Naybrin said, sitting up and tugging at the shirt. He slowly pulled it off, staring at it for a long moment before saying "Fascinating." He spent a few minutes touching all over his chest, feeling his muscular stomach before saying "I need my dragon form back, but I want this form. I love being human, but I do still feel the pain of not being a dragon. I love being both, you could say." He sighed, fiddling with his shirt, then looked down at himself again and suddenly gasped. "Good heavins!" he exclaimed. "I have a small indent in my stomach! I've seen this on the others a few times, but I've never known what it was!" He put his shirt back on after a moment, then sighed.

((Heavens, you mean? xD))

"That's a belly button," Cyprus chortled, smiling a bit. "That's how baby humans get the food they need from their mothers while they're inside the womb. I don't have one," He lifted his shirt, running his fingers over the spot where it was supposed to be. "That's because this form was originally crafted straight from the Goddess' hand. There was no need for a blemish like that." He smiled, then put a hand on Naybrin's shoulder. "I'll return your dragon form to you. But...I will also let you keep this new one. You can freely switch between them at will, but I can't make it perfect, like a Lerloch's. It will...be painful. But you'll get used to it, I'm sure." He smiled, then closed his eyes to start concentrating.

He was stopped short by the door suddenly being flung open. Isslia stood there, eyes wide. "C-Cyprus...Cyprus, it actually is you..." She stammered, staring for a moment before remembering her place. She ran forward and once and bowed low. She had heard Werr and Welk talking about Cyprus, and had run to find him immediately. Of course...the Demigod was worshipped here by many. Isslia was no exception.

"Oh...oh, um," Cyprus looked from Naybrin to Isslia, looking a bit alarmed. He had been worshipped before, but not recently. And not really like this. Normally people...hugged him. He liked that more. Even if he couldn't express it directly.

((Also, I feel that it's fair to note that Cyprus will be weak due to the state of his Garden. If he had all of it back, he'd be almost as powerful as a Titan, but there's only the central part of it that Naybrin was able to save. Therefore, the larger spells (such as giving Naybrin the ability to switch forms) must be cast very close to the tree.

Furthermore, his magic will deplete much quicker the further away from his tree he gets. Also, Herrace soldiers may or may not burn the entire surrounding forest down, and Cyprus' tree will inevitably get caught up in that...))

((Yeah, I fixed that today when I saw it. I was tired and typing fast.

Also, I can see Naybrin doing something silly like trying to look at his bellybutton during a serious conversation.

Werr: That's why, Izan, we've decided to advance- Naybrin put your shirt down!

Naybrin: oOo ! -does so- o_o))

Naybrin smiled, then looked over at Isslia and said "Young canine, I ask you to please not bow to him. Demigod he may be, but things like that behavior tend to startle the lad." He exhaled heavily in a move that normally would've expelled smoke, then stood and said "I must go and eat something now. Those sheep didn't agree well with me." He touched a hand lightly to his narrow stomach, grimacing, then looked up at Isslia and said "Welk is searching for you, little one. What do you think of him? The one you..." He smiled widely. "...cuddled with last night?"

((Awww. pDp))

((Bahahaha.

On a sadder note, I have to go to school today. :< On the bus. -rolls around-))

Isslia immediately turned bright red. She straightened up at once, wringing her hands together. She completely ignored Naybrin's jab at her cuddling the previous evening. She had been exhausted, really...

She let out a small yip when Cyprus moved forward, hugging her tight. He then pulled away and patted her on the head, beaming as she flushed and tripped over her words, shocked that Cyprus would touch her. Much less hug. But the Demigod moved past her, smiling away as he motioned for her to follow. "I'm hungry, too. Let's go get some with the others," He said towards Naybrin.

((p3p))

Naybrin stood, walking a bit easier than he had before.

When they reached the dinning room, most of the others were already there. Welk glanced up at them, his eyes somehow going right to Isslia. He smiled and stood up, saying "Hi, Isslia." He pulled a chair out for her, his hacked tail flicking slowly from side to side. Werr could hear him purring softly in the back of his throat.

((Also, this is cute. A cat and a dog in a relationship is an adorable thing.))

Isslia sat down, smiling a little. She served herself the food that had been set out, then started eating. She only ate a little bit before she stopped and looked up at Cyprus again. He was eating happily. Isslia watched as he took a piece of bacon off the table and fed it to Ophile, who enjoyed it quite thoroughly. Finally, she looked back up at Werr and Welk. "Is that really...Cyprus? It just seems too...too good to be true..."

"That's what Naybrin said his name was," Werr shrugged. "What's the deal with the religions here, anyways?"

"W-well...there are the two dieties, Yemara and Cyprus. They lived among humans, a very long time ago. The Goddess made them for us. To watch over us and help in our time of need. Some say that they lived during the time of Titans, but no humans did, so that doesn't make much sense to me. Cyprus is the Demigod of life. He's kind and gentle and he cares about every living thing. Yemara...is the Demigod of decay. She wasn't inherently evil. In fact, the books say she was as kind and easygoing as Cyprus is...but she grew jealous of the attention that Cyprus got. She got angry over the fact that everyone loved Cyprus but feared her.

"Here's where the rift is between the religions. Cyprus...was framed. For a lot of things he had no part in. Followers of Yemara truly believe that Cyprus did such things, but I don't think anything of the sort. How can the Demigod of life demand sacrifices like little children, and even infants? But when the bodies were found on Cyprus' altar, he was banished to the Temple of Stars, a place very far from here. His mortal shell was destroyed and his spirit trapped. One of Cyprus' followers found evidence against Yemara, though...and eventually, she was banished as well. But...the Goddess chose not to give Cyprus another mortal form, though she did set his spirit free. While Cyprus roams as he wishes, Yemara is confined to her temples alone, though she hasn't made any contact with humans since her banishment.

"I'm still confused, though...I don't know how Cyprus is back in a human form. He looks exactly the same as the pictures and statues, though. I recognized him on the spot." Isslia sighed, realizing that pretty much everyone had been listening to her speak. She shut her mouth immediately.

The Demigod blinked at her, then sighed thoughtfully. "It's true. Even I don't know how I'm back in a mortal shell. But here I am." He smiled a bit, then looked at Naybrin. "I kind of want to see the temple. I got a glimpse of it. It's huge...I wonder what it looks like on the inside."

((Fixed. Just took out the 'now'. Cyprus' temple was never really here; humans used to just stay away from the area altogether because it was where Cyprus and Yemara lived. So the Bullietes were living in Herrace territory in the past. And they technically were Herraces, but split off 'cuz of the fact that Herrace...doesn't believe in any Goddess at all. And they hate people who do believe she exists. Yepyep.))

((I see.))

The dragon fiddled with his fork for a long moment before he realized he was being spoken to. He blinked and nodded, saying "Of course, good Cyprus. Perhaps we'll see it again." He gave his fork a lick, then slowly tried to pick some of the food on his plate up and put it into his mouth. He blinked when it slid back off, but he wasn't deterred. He kept going, taking a spoon instead and using his fork to hold the food down onto it.

Welk had been watching Isslia the entire time, just staring at her and watching her speak.

Werr nudged Welk a bit, but Isslia spoke again before Werr could prompt his friend. "Did you..." She said, blushing still. "Have any questions?" She asked quietly, poking at her food. "The temple priests can probably answer any technical questions you had...I'm biased towards Cyprus, as you could probably tell...that, and if you can read Gregorian, you can take a look at the temple books. All the prophecies, history and everything is in those big books." She suggested quietly, still a bit embarrased over her monologue.

"Prophecies..." Forin looked thoughtful at that. "Isslia, didn't you say there was a prophecy about...the priestess of Yemara?" He asked, frowning.

"Yes, there is. I don't know the details, though. I didn't spend very long studying the religions." Isslia shrugged.

"Right, then." Forin stood. "I'll be back before dinner. I need to take a visit to this temple of Yemara's. You, in the meantime, have work to do." He looked pointedly at Werr. "There was an assassination attempt earlier."

"What?!" Werr looked shocked. He hadn't been told anything of the sort yet.

"Someone tried to kill Dmitry. Spy saw the whole thing. We're lucky Marion was there, or they might have gone after Nate and Spy after finishing off the heir. I suggest doing research into why Dmitry is wanted dead, and not the handful of other heirs Izan has."

"Right." Werr sighed. But Forin was right, he thought as he watched the Tartaran leave. Work had to be done by someone, and they had come here specifically for this purpose...

Welk pushed away from the table, saying "Then let's go talk to Dmitry. See if we can get him to open up over anything. Maybe he did something to the Herraces and they want revenge? Maybe he's magic and has a power they don't want him to use? Who knows?" He shrugged, then he suddenly flinched when shouts rang out. He turned and ran to the high windows, peering down into the streets below.

Several men were trying to subdue a beautiful blonde gryphon. The same one that had been in the wagon with Nate. She was in gryphon form, fighting as if her life depended on it to get free. Screaming and cawing and making sounds that would've made nails on a chalkboard sound beautiful.

Welk was immediately ablaze with anger, and he turned and ran to the door, flames floating along behind him.

((Still haven't decided if I want to make this gryphon be Luen's girlfriend or not. My only problem is I don't want to back myself into another self-relationship again. -shrug- But she is a character I want to use either way.))

"Welk, wait!" Werr ran after him, not wanting his dear friend to be caught, as well. And he was worried for the Gryphon, of course. Isslia followed, concerned that the king would step outside his boundaries. He may be a king, but...not so here. His rule meant nothing in this land.

Cyprus watched them leave, then turned and tugged on Naybrin's arm. "Come on," He said with a smile. "The time is nigh to return your dragon form to you." He beamed, ignoring the yelps coming from outside. It wasn't that he didn't care, he just knew that there was absolutely nothing he could do. He would start worrying when there were sounds of dying, which he doubted would happen. He shivered at the very thought! No...he'd step in himself if it came to that. Even then, though...he wasn't some knight in shining armor.

Welk charged outside and slammed into one of the men holding the gryphon's reins, bowling him over. "What is the matter with you?!" he shouted, taking human form and facing them with fists clenched at his sides. "What is going on here?!"

"She's too unreasonable to sell. Three owners have already resold her," another man said, too busy trying to hold the screaming gryphon down to get Welk for knocking their friend over. "We have to execute her."

There was silence on Welk's end for a moment, then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Execute her?! What is WRONG WITH YOU?!" He would've punched the man in the face right then and there if Werr didn't lunge forward and grab his arm.

((Okay, I've decided this gryphon isn't for Luen. That means you get to be his girly once it permits it. :3))

"We'll take her. We'll buy her, even." Werr said at once, dragging Welk back. "How much?"

"One hundred gold," Another of the men laughed. Werr glared at him.

"How much really?"

"Oh, fine. Five. But you're only losing money," The man snorted, but was glad to take Werr's money and walk off. Werr stared down at the handful of gold coins in his bag, realizing that this girl had been worth less than a horse. But, he sighed with relief that they didn't argue much.

"I'd take a life over coins any day," Werr shook his head, looking towards the Gryphon.

She was glaring at him, hissing whenever either of them tried to come closer. The man had nailed her chains to the ground before leaving, so she couldn't move, much less fly away like she wanted. She hissed and snarled at them, but when Welk persisted in walking towards her, her eyes filled with fear. "S-stay away from me!" she shrieked, digging her claws into the ground. "I'll rip the rest of that tail right off of your body!"

Welk blinked, then said "You're sure fiesty, aren't you?"

She screeched and struggled against her bonds, then said "If you know what's good for you, you'll let me go! I won't be held captive by the likes of you!"

Welk blinked, then said "O...kay."

"We're not going to hold you captive, but if you try and run recklessly, you'll just get caught again." Werr shook his head. "We're trying to help you. We really are." He reached into his bag and pulled out another collar. "Here, this will keep other people from taking you places you don't want to go. If...if you want, you can just wear this and leave...I don't think anyone will mess with you..."

"Actually," Isslia cleared her throat. "There are poachers. They'll cut off the collars and put on their own. It's basically stealing. If you catch them in time, the tools leave behind a small cut on the victim's neck, but it fades before long, and professionals don't even leave that cut..." She looked down, turning red again. "It's illegal, though, so if you stay around populated areas, you should be fine..."

"Don't you dare put that on me!" she screeched, swiping at the boy with her sharp white claws. "I won't be caught by any of you! I want to go home, back to the desert!" She screamed and fought against her bonds, but she sagged down after a moment. She had been fighting for hours. Days, even. It was hurting her now. Under her feathers, she had whip wounds streaking across her skin, from her previous owners trying to break her.

They had failed, so they had sold her in effort to make their money back.

Welk bent down, staring into her bright purple eyes, then said "Why don't you at least come inside and get some food? We won't hurt you, if that's what you're afraid of."

She glared at him, panting heavily.

"We have no intentions of any such thing." Werr sighed and shook his head. "Like I said...I wouldn't care if you just put this on and...well, left. Or...you could hang around with us for a bit. We'll get you back home. Which desert are you from, anyways? I didn't think there was a desert near here..." He frowned, then remembered something. "The Hadaarak desert? Did you really get dragged that far? You're awfully fortunate. I," He paused, remembering his role. It probably didn't matter in this case, though, so he continued. "I'm Werr Krow, the king of Alastor. Hadaarak desert included. Does that help you trust us a little more?"

Her eyes shot open, a bright, brilliant purple, then she said "You...you're joking! You must be joking!" She stared at him for a long moment, then said "I...I don't trust you."

"Hey!" Welk said, flicking his tail and taking lion form. "Werr's awesome! And he really is the king of Alastor! We can take you back home." His eyes pleaded with her, a bright, stunning red. "Please..." he said quietly. "I don't want to see someone like you end like this."

She glared at him, then slowly grew still, folding her wings in and retracting her claws. A silent sign that they could unlock her chains and that she would hesitantly follow them.

Werr smiled a bit. "Is there anything I can do to prove it to you? We're here to help Bulliete with its war. You're very lucky we found you, really. But," He said warningly. "We did a swap for security's sake. Understand that when you address me in public, I'm nothing but the 'king's friend'." Werr took the key he had been given, unlocking the chains and leaving them on the ground. He put the red collar in her hand, deciding not to force it on her. She'd put it on if she wanted to.

She slid gracefully into human form, holding the collar and glaring at it with her lip curled. She was stunningly beautiful in this form, like some sort of desert princess. Despite her scant clothing, she was covered enough, and her hanging golden baubles and bangles caught the sun in a lovely way. Her long blonde hair was soft and silky and her skin was a darker tan, obviously from the sun. The thick gold band around her neck shone and the three earrings in both of her ears made a clinking sound as they bounced against each other. She wore sandals on her feet, stepping with quick, light movements.

She glared at Werr, slowly attaching the collar to a loop on her belt instead of her neck. As if daring him to make her put it on properly.