The Forgotten Zodiac

Snider shrieked with agony as the tines were dug even deeper into his shoulder. But the damage was done; Luen collapsed underneath him, which left Snider to dislodge himself from Luen's antlers. He was quick to set about his work, removing all traces of his name, face, and most recent encounter. Then he cleaned the blood from Luen's antlers and the wall, breathing heavily while he recovered from the fight.

Luen lay panting on the ground, his expression blank and lifeless. He gasped in great, heaving breaths, shaking his head occasionally as if confused. He slowly stood up, his legs shaking, suddenly filled with the need to find Forin and Diana and Allie and Luna and Nate. He needed them. He needed them so much.

His legs still shaking, he slowly walked towards the door, his emerald eyes still blank and dull.

Snider watched him leave, sighing heavily. Enough of the games. This was going to be finished tonight.

The warm, breezy afternoon gave many invitations for a walk. But Werr had ignored all of them. Right now, he was reading a book. Trying desperately to distract himself from the cold reality that stared at him from every corner of his throne room. A silver syringe lay used by his throne's side; not a terrible, mind-numbing drug, but a simple antidepressant. Werr wasn't sure if it was working or not. He didn't feel much different. He still felt...lonely.

Maybe he could come to terms with this somehow. He was still the king of Alastor, after all...his people needed him. Especially with Gossain pressing in on their borders. Tourists had already started trickling in, it seemed. The larger cities were like attracting beacons. Werr stopped reading, realizing that his thoughts had overrun his book, and he hadn't been paying attention for the past two paragraphs. He went back and read them again, but couldn't quite get himself to focus.

The doors were pushed quietly open, revealing Cynyr, who glanced from side to side before spotting Werr. His tail flicked a greeting, as his hands were full of two cups of tea, steam still billowing from them in droves. He walked over and slid a cup into Werr's hands, taking the book from him and folding it critically as he put it away. He stood beside the throne, then, carefully taking a sip from his cup. He swallowed, then winced and rubbed his throat softly before his hand came down to rest on Werr's shoulder.

Werr looked down at the tea in his hands, then sighed. He swallowed hard, then said, "I'm not doing so great, Cynyr...I-I saw him. Before I passed out. And now I keep hearing this ringing in the back of head...and I know what it is now. It's him. He's screaming, and he won't stop, and..." Werr sighed, staring up at the bright glass roof. He took a sip of his tea, then sighed again. "I...don't know how much of this I can take..."

Cynyr's hand stiffened slightly on Werr's shoulder, but he didn't take it away. In fact, after a moment, he carefully set his drink aside and took panther form, nudging at Werr until he stood. The panther then jumped up into the throne and settled down against the back, flicking his tail in a way similar to a gesture.

It was Welk's old favorite way to relax when sitting with Werr. Sit at the back of the chair and let Werr lean against him like a huge pillow.

Werr leaned against Cynyr willingly, running his fingers through the panther's short fur. "I'd say I think I'm losing my mind, but...I already know that I am. But with Lexi gone, there's no one to take the throne...and the advisors are already mad at me for the past few months, and...I just...I don't know what to do anymore..." There was a long moment of silence. Birds could be heard out the window, the last of the flocks headed south for their annual migration. "Do you...do you think it would be okay if I just...if I..." He looked at Cynyr's torn ear, feeling the scar with his fingertips. "No...I don't think it would be okay. You'd be more sad than I am now, and that...well, you have Seria to care for, and...I can't do that to you. Sorry for thinking about it," He sighed, pressing his face against Cynyr's neck, where Welk's mane would have been.

The panther's gaze was questioning, but understanding, as he looked at the young man - a mere boy, really - laying so broken and upset against him. Werr had just grown into manhood, it had seemed, when all of this turmoil and loss had overcome him. The panther gently licked the side of Werr's face, the cat tongue rough but not unpleasant against his skin. It was comforting, as it felt extremely close to Welk's.

Werr closed his eyes, starting to doze off, when a familiarly loud thud sounded from outside. A dragon had come to call. Werr pushed himself upright, wondering where Naybrin was. He hadn't left, Werr would have sensed it. Then who was this, visiting now, of all times?

It was Zephyr, of course. The green scales were unmistakeable, but...the little, smoky-black Drakeling trotting at his side was unfamiliar. It couldn't have been Boko, that little one was silver. Werr decided not to question it directly, but instead greeted Zephyr dully. "Good afternoon. Everything okay up in the Plains?" He seemed well enough, but Vuker could hear a certain tone in his voice that signaled misery.

"All fine," Zephyr said, nodding. "We're just here to speak to Naybrin and see how everyone is doing. Is that alright?"

Cynyr, who was standing faithfully at Werr's side, nodded once.

Zephyr leaned his great head down and peered at Cynyr, asking softly "You have removed your voice, panther. I suppose it's your own choice, but I should like to hear the tale behind this later."

Cynyr's single pupil contracted every so slightly, then he gave a faint nod, stealing a glance up at Werr.

Werr looked away. "I want to know too...but I wasn't going to bug you." He sighed. "Who might you be?" The king eyed the Drakeling.

"My name is Vuker," He trilled. "I'm a representative of the Drakeling tribe. I've come to speak with Naybrin, nothing more."

"Well," Werr sighed. "He's around here somewhere. You're in luck in that regard, I imagine." He looked back down at Cynyr.

The panther slowly turned his gaze in the opposite direction, then rubbed his head under Werr's hand, getting his fingers against the backs of his ears.

Zephyr pulled back, glancing around. "Where is Naybrin, then?" he asked, casting his gaze about for the ancient dragon. "He's usually close to Werr, is he not?"

"I am indeed, my friend."

The reedy voice, wizened with age, came from the roof, where a huge, long tail now uncurled from the edge and hung near Werr, a mere signal to the size of the one it was attached to.

"Oh. Found him." Werr said dully.

"Ah!" Vuker looked up, smiling. "Wow," He murmured, silencing himself quickly after the little outburst. He didn't want to be rude.

"You're another reason I can't kill myself," Werr stated plainly, craning his head back to look at Naybrin. "I don't want you dead or sad, either. I guess the sad part is hard to avoid, considering...but...well, you know." He looked down again, taking a few more sips of his tea.

Vuker crawled a little closer. "I think you should go out for a fly," He said quietly. "You look miserable, and misery is never good for long periods of time."

"I've been like this for four months. If a simply fly-about with Naybrin would cure this sadness, I would have done it ages ago." Werr shook his head. "Thanks for the concern, but I think I'm pitying myself enough. You don't need to give me any."

The long tail stilled for a moment, then pulled back. From over the edge of the castle roof, a massive head appeared on a long, wiry light-blue neck. The lips curled slightly, naturally, revealing rows of sharp white teeth. The long ears flicked in a sad sort of way, the deep green eyes giving a dull twinkle that was a mere haunting of his former self. He turned his gaze down upon those below, clearly in his largest and most impressive form. The one where even Nate wouldn't outmatch the length of one of the dragon's pupils.

He bent a narrow-muzzled head around, blowing Werr backwards slightly with a breath from a single nostril bigger than Werr's entire head.

Werr stood and walked to the castle doors. He reached his hand out and patted one of Naybrin's scales, his hand no bigger than a fourth of it. "Hello, old friend," He greeted quietly. He looked back at Cynyr and Zephyr, giving Naybrin a pat before walking back to his throne. "There he is. You can talk to him now."

"Er...thank you, Werr." Vuker nodded.

Zephyr watched Werr go, then looked up into Naybrin's celestial eyes. "Have we come at a bad time?" he asked softly. "I mean...I know he's still suffering from his loss, but..."

"Every time is a bad one for him now," Naybrin said, dipping his head to plant a light nip on Zephyr's nose, a sign of respect for the other king. "There is nothing more we can do." He was literally able to step from the castle to the ground below in one smooth, swift movement, bending his head down to smile at Vuker. "Welcome, little one. Both of you, come inside, I insist. We can speak at our leisure."

"Yes, sir," Vuker chirped, trotting inside. He paused to nibble at his claws, dulling the tips so he wouldn't scratch up the tile flooring. "This is a nice place. But...it seems kinda cramped. That's to be expected, I guess," He chuckled. "This is neither a cave nor a tunnel! This is a place built for humans. Oh! What are these wooden squares?" He sniffed a door, just as the knob turned and out stepped a weary looking Fawn, supported by Cern. "Oh, oh, uh...hi," He bobbed his head, backing up. Fawn smiled tiredly, waving a little.

"Stay back," Cern warned. "She has a rare strain of Scarlet Fever. I don't want the virus spreading more than it has to."

"Right. Sorry," Vuker backed away, poking his nose into the doorway and sniffing about. "Is this a room? A human room?" He wound up with his nose on everything; the bedsheets, the books to the side, the meal dishes.

((Aaaand now Vuker is carrying the virus. They'll be greeted by Forin and Diana here soon. 9u9))

((Booooooooooooooohwell. xD))

Naybrin bent his head around, watching Fawn closely before turning away. "Before I speak to you both, might I escape for a moment to have a moment with Werr? As we are bonded, I must make certain his needs are met before my own." They gave consent and he departed, soon finding the wayward little human curled up in the library with Cynyr, who was allowing himself to be used as a mix between a plush pillow and a beloved stuffed animal.

((And while Naybrin and Werr are gone, Vuker can be turned into a human! : D))

Werr looked up when Naybrin nosed the door open. "I'll be back later, Cynyr," He said softly. "You should go check on Seria." He walked towards Naybrin, already knowing what his bond-partner wanted. He settled down in Naybrin's hand, chewing on his thumb absentmindedly. "Let's go to Kessex Mount. I want to see it again this year, before the winter clouds settle in."

((O3O !))

The dragon gave a nod and turned, saying "It shall be as if you have blinked." Out of the castle they walked, to the great courtyard, where Naybrin grew in size until he was a creature none could ever hope to match. He unfurled wings that seemed to cover the sky, blanketing even the clouds and the sun from view. Then he leapt high, arching towards the heavens, and they were gone.