The Forgotten Zodiac

Werr patted his friend on the back. "It's alright." He said quietly, grimacing a bit. He was on his toes as well, but he wasn't nearly as jumpy as his poor friend.

They arrived at the inn before long, and the innkeeper ushered them in quite willingly. "I am honored," The man said in their language, bowing slightly. "Please, stay as you need. I speak with the baker near doors, he will prepare food for your eating."

Luen tilting his head at the man, then gave a slight bow and spoke in Bulliete's language. "Please, don't trouble yourself so much for us. If you want, I could even help you. I am very willing to help out, really..." He straightened, giving a gentle smile.

Welk was sticking very close to Werr, suspicious of everyone.

"No, no, by all means. Please, stay here and rest. Allow me." The innkeeper insisted, now speaking in his own language, smiling happily. He looked up at Diana on Luen's back, and did a bit of a double-take. He kept the smile on his face, though, and looked back towards Luen. "Is it...not to your liking? There is another inn nearby..." He sounded slightly disappointed, but he refused to let his joyous smile fade in the slightest. "Or perhaps you need to visit our temples?"

Werr made an odd movement, like a bit of a flinch, but he said nothing.

((Heehee, Werr knew the entire time who the people here worship...>:3))

((Poooo.))

Luen blinked, then quickly said "No, that's okay." He sighed, then said "We're perfectly find with staying here, I assure you." He smiled and leaned back a bit, resulting in a quiet click from his metal leg as it shifted. He gave a bow with his head and said "I assure you, this inn is perfectly fine. But...I'm passing on the temples. Thank you." He turned away, walking over to Forin and nudging his arm, saying "Scratch under the left side of my saddle, if you don't mind. It itches..."

"Yes, of course." Forin nodded, scratching where his friend suggested. "We're not exactly the worshipping type, you see..."

"Oh, I see. So you follow Cyprus." The innkeeper nodded solemnly. "Not an issue, no problem whatsoever. We accept all types here. The rooms are upstairs, here are your keys," He held out four keys, smiling slightly. "If you need more rooms, I can provide..." He said quietly, looking at all of them.

"Right. Thank you." Werr said quietly, taking the keys and doing a quick head count. "Okay, I think this'll work...Lexi, do you want to sleep with me and Welk, or...with Nate and Ophile?" He suggested simply, smiling a bit."

Lexi blinked and looked down for a moment, then took a deep breath and looked back up. "I...want to stay with you," she said softly. She glanced up and realized that Cynyr was smiling slightly at her. "Wh-what?" she said, frowning.

"Nothing, really," he said, tilting his head a bit. "Just...happy to see you and Werr together. As the oldest of the group of mismatched brothers, I like seeing him with his little girlfriend." He quickly grew serious, saying "Just don't stay up too late, all of you. We've got a job to do here." He looked over at Welk and couldn't resist saying "Especially you, your Majesty."

Welk lunged for him and the two took off down the hallway, quickly getting into one of their minor cat-fights.

"Oh...my." The innkeeper blinked, frowning slightly.

"Think nothing of it." Werr sighed, shaking his head. "Thank you, my good man. We'll go and rest now, and pay in the morning--"

"No, no, please! Don't even try, I will not take your money." The innkeeper said at once, shaking his head. "It is an honor just for you all to be here."

"Oh...alright then, I suppose..." Werr sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, thank you."

There was a crash from the other room, followed by Welk's typical call of denial. Everyone trailed off to their rooms then, breaking apart into their predetermined groups for their rooms. Forin, Luen, Diana and Luna in one room, Nate, Ophile and Spy in another, Cynyr and Seria in the third, and Werr, Welk and Lexi in the last with Naybrin. All the dragon needed for a bed was an extra pillow that Werr gently put next to the bed.

Welk took over the bed at first, rolling all over before hopping off and saying "I'm going to throw on my PJs. I call bathroom!" He ran into the bathroom before Werr could do anything about it, leaving him alone with Lexi for a few minutes.

Werr chortled, then stretched out on the bed. "Sorry for pushing you so hard, Naybrin. Nate wouldn't have enjoyed you landing in the water, though...I think he might have screamed. Did you see how white he went when we crossed over the ocean?" He grinned.

"I HEARD THAT," Nate yelled across the hall.

((Ah, Nate. xD

...WE FORGOT DARK. oDo He's got to be in this sooner or later, so I'll think up something. Maybe he ran after Sylas and Leo.))

Lexi giggled softly, smiling as Naybrin grunted and said "To each their own, you know. All I need is some rest and I'll be fine." He curled up in a pile, sighing through his nose and releasing a burst of steam.

Lexi tilted her head to the side, studying Werr and Naybrin before glancing at the bathroom and saying "I guess this means we're waiting to change our clothes..."

((That'll work. :3 We'll edit him into the other half of dat side story. ^^))

"That's fine. Welk will be done before long. He can't spend more than five minutes in there." Werr grinned. "He can't sit still for any longer than that unless he REALLY has to. Like today. He can hold still when he wants to, but not if he doesn't have to. Does that make sense?" Werr blinked, realizing he was talking in circles.

((Yesh.))

Lexi, however, smiled and gave a nod. "Yes, I understand. He's very hyperactive, but if you need him to be very still, he'll do it for you." She sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling softly at Werr. She moved a hand out and gently brushed his hair back, trailing her soft, gentle fingers down the side of his face. She leaned forward and kissed his forehead gently, closing her eyes.

Werr wrapped his arms around Lexi, hugging her close. "I'm glad you came with us...I still fear for your safety, but...I'm sure you'll be okay in the end." He sighed, putting his nose close to her hair and breathing in the sweet scents that Lexi carried. "I'll protect you no matter what..."

She put her face close to his neck, holding on quietly to the fabric of his shirt. She snuggled close to him, feeling safe and secure here, with the one that had stepped into her broken life and had put it back together, better than ever. She gently gave him a kiss, keeping her eyes close as he kissed her back, then flinched as a voice interrupted. "Woah, woah!" Welk said, leaning in the bathroom doorway. "I leave for a few minutes and you two get with it!" He winked once, then said "Lexi, you go into the bathroom now. Werr can change out here. Unless you'd rather me leave again." He was grinning from ear to ear, looking like some sort of little imp.

Werr snorted, then shook his head. "No, no. It's fine." He gently eased Lexi off of himself and turned her towards the bathroom. "Thanks for moving so quickly, Welk." He grinned as Lexi went off to change. He himself worked off his tight-fitting servants clothing and put on his sleeping clothes. Comfortable silk. It was subtle, though, and he really doubted anyone was watching them now. Ophile would know and warn them.

Welk purred and flopped down on the bed, rolling all around on the covers. He was wearing dark red pajamas with big, bold flames sewn thickly onto the front and back. He rolled around and around, enjoying himself, then just sat quietly and spent a few moments brushing his tail with his claws. He took lion form and laid quietly on the bed, beginning the process of grooming his soft blonde fur. He liked it when Werr brushed him; the lion's fur was much thicker than Luen's thin fur, though not as thick as Cynyr's. Still, Welk liked it when he was free of clumps and extra piles of fluff.

"Oh," Werr rummaged around in his bag, then sighed. "I forgot your brush, Welk...sorry." He said, looking disappointed with himself. He normally didn't forget things, but they were headed off for such big reasons that such a little thing had slipped past his mind. "Oh well." He sighed, climbing up onto the bed with Welk. He wrapped his arms around the great, big lion's mane and was falling asleep before Lexi returned from the restroom.

"Whee~!" Boko squealed as he flew in circles around the salt caves. It was his birthday today, and he was lapping up all the attention he could get. Technically speaking, he was 30 years old to this day, but Dragons and Drakelings matured differently. Mentally and physically, Boko was about 12. He was already getting bigger, though; runt of the litter he may have been, Boko had grown a full three feet in length and two in height since he was proclaimed prince of dragons.

It still confused him, the title of 'dragon prince'. He was a Drakeling...but for now, such thoughts were completely out of his head. Vaira and Zephyr had taken him to the salt caves to celebrate, and Boko was making it a point to pick out the biggest rock he could carry. Simply put, Zephyr and Vaira had agreed to let him take one of the larger salt rocks home, but he had to carry it. So, Boko was now flicking from large rock to large rock, trying to find one that was easy to carry but packed full enough of the salty flavor to last him through the rest of the summer.

Zephyr purred and watched his beloved son as he flew from rock to rock, humming and letting Vaira lick his neck. Since becoming king of the dragons, Zephyr had matured a lot. It showed in more ways than one, as well. His great dark green horns were larger than ever, showing his title, and he was very big. A transfer of some of Naybrin's powers into him had ensured his growth; he was now the third largest, in the order of Naybrin, Mithor, and them himself.

Vaira moved a hand up and touched gently under Zephyr's chin, making him turn his head to look at his dear queen. She gave him a kiss, smiling, then turned her head to watch Boko work.

Finally, Boko had found the rock he was looking for. It was tucked into the very back of the cave and through a small tunnel. It was the perfect size for him to wrap around and lift. It was stuck to the floor, though; he had to start digging. It was no problem for him; the broken tip of one claw had grown back, sharper than ever. The tough salt rock was no match for his Drakeling shovel-claws. So after a few minutes of noisy scraping and chipping, Boko finally let out a happy squeak of excitement. "I found one, I got one!" He called, dragging the large rock out of the tunnel and into the open cave. "See? See, mommy? It's just the right size for meee~"

Vaira purred and nuzzled her son's head, saying "It's perfect, Boko. That will last you for a long time." She gave him a soft lick, then said "Alright, let's go back home." She and Zephyr stood up, both staying close to their only child. Zephyr gave his wife a gentle lick, loving every second of being with his family. He didn't care that Boko was a drakeling while they were dragons; they all knew love was all that mattered in a family. And Boko was potentially the most loved child in all of the Sacred Plains.