The Forgotten Zodiac

((It'll be like he wandered off, and Zephyr finds him locked in a closet. :la: ))

Werr stared up at the bright sky, then he draped himself over Naybrin's thumb and watched the cities and forests, plains and towns, lakes and hills all slowly passing by below. Blocked occasionally by a floating cloud, which was blown far away as Naybrin's massive wings treaded the air. Werr closed his eyes, feeling the wind rush by; but then, there was the familiar thud and scraping sound as Naybrin landed and locked his back claws against the rocky mount. And then, of course, there was the ever so gentle lick from the tip of Naybrin's tongue, allowing Werr to breathe in the sparse oxygen.

"What's it all worth, Naybrin?" Werr questioned, looking up at his huge companion. "What's the point of continuing from here? Do I still have something to gain from this world...?"

((WERR, YOU FOOL, IT IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN GAIN FROM THE WORLD, BUT WHAT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO IT. -foams at the mouth-))

((XD Lovely.))

Naybrin looked down quietly and kindly at him, exhaling softly before speaking.

"My dear little friend. Do you think I have never felt the way you do? I lost my mate, way far back in time. For dragons, it is not an easy thing to overcome. We are bound through our very souls. My mate was...everything to me. And she died brutally. I have...never quite forgiven myself for allowing her to die so easily. I should've been stronger, I was in the wrong place, if I had only been there...but she's gone, and I am alone. For a long time, I was scared and afraid, and just the way you feel. Then...I suppose I realized I couldn't continue on the way I was. In the end, I realized that all I could do was try to give to the world, though it had taken much from me. My darling mate would never have wanted me to pine for her...she would want to look down on me from above and be happy that my life was not over yet..."

Werr didn't really say anything. How could he? Naybrin had indeed lost more than a friend, he had lost his wife and mate, connected by something stronger than what he and Welk had. Werr narrowed his eyes as he stared down at the Kessex waterfall, a heavy cascade of crystal clear water, turned white from the frothing and churning of the great distance it fell. "Give to the world...what do I have to give?" He looked up at Naybrin. "Have you ever been mad at the Goddess? Did you ever feel the anger I felt towards her, last month? Before last month, I mean..." He sighed, knowing that the First King had felt the exact same rage he had. Their emotions were tied into each other, and it had affected Naybrin badly these past few months...

Naybrin sighed and gave a small nod. "I am not proud of what I did. But I grew quite angry with my mother Goddess. I spurned her efforts, I destroyed much of what she held near and dear. In your history books, I'm sure you read of the old home of the merfolk, Atanalai, which was cast below the waves? I was the one who sunk that city. I've long made up with the merfolk for my shame, but...I have not yet made up with myself."

Naybrin bent his head down and gently pressed his nose to Werr's side, closing his eyes when the boy wrapped his arms around the smooth scales as far as he could reach. He exhaled, whipping Werr's clothes and hair in a burst of wind like a high breeze. A hum started up in the back of his throat, one that seemed to fill Werr's entire being with the sensation of floating.

The great dragon's gaze, however, was distant until he closed his eyes.

Werr leaned against Naybrin's muzzle, closing his eyes. "Let's stay here for a little bit..." He muttered. "I don't want to go back yet."

Vuker pushed his nose through some cleaning supplies. He turned to leave, but ran right into an odd little man with a long white coat on. "Oops! My apolo--" He stopped short. The human looked...furious.

"What are you doing here...?" He growled. "Where did the king go?"

"Zephyr? Zephyr is--"

"Werr! The human king!"

"He went off with Naybrin. For a fly, like I suggested..." Vuker frowned. "Who are--" He didn't even get his question out before a strange force pushed him back into the cleaning cloest, and everything went black.

Zephyr, who had been separated from Vuker for a time, was wandering the halls with Cynyr, who was speaking through air words, along with Zephyr's ability to speak through minds. He was telling the dragon of the loss of his voice, but there were several gaping, blaring holes in his story that didn't add up to the king. Zephyr didn't question it, however; the panther would tell who he wanted, when he wanted.

They were interrupted by banging from a closet. "Hello? HELLO!?" Came the muffled screams behind the closet door. There was a leakage of cleaning liquids from under the door, which obviously signaled that whoever was in the closet had thrown supplies at the door.

Behind said door was a young boy, stripped to nothing but bare skin. He had long black hair that hung damp over his face, which was round and featured a nose that looked squished, bright purple eyes that obviously belonged to something not human, and white marks that were barely visible on his pale skin that trailed delicate swirls and runic patterns all over him. "LET ME OUT!" He screamed, clearly very scared.

The two quickly rushed over to the door, with Zephyr pressing his muzzle against it, saying urgently "Vuker?! Is that you? What happened?!"

Cynyr gestured for the king to back up, then promptly blew the door off of its hinges with his wind magic, sending it flying down the hall.

At once, Zephyr snaked into the room, reemerging with Vuker's naked form curled in his wings. "Who did this to you?" Zephyr said, nosing all over the once-drakeling to make sure he's okay.

"I dunno! I..." Vuker blinked. "I don't remember. I just woke up in here, and...WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HANDS." He screamed, staring at his skin. "I...I look like you!" He pointed at Cynyr. "What's going on here? I feel so odd..." He shivered, realizing how cold it was. "Zephyr, I-I think I need some of th-those clothing things..." He curled up tight in Zephyr's grip, feeling as though he was freezing over from the toes up.

The dragon stroked along Vuker's back, crooning softly. "Shh, shh, it'll be okay," he said, beginning to walk along the hallway. "Cynyr, would you be so kind as to lend Vuker some clothes?"

The panther nodded, turning and disappearing at once.

Soon enough, Vuker found himself dressed in Cynyr's old clothes; a dark black cloak meant for winter, to keep him warm, a plain red shirt that had been mended many times, and tawny brown pants. He had to have a belt wrapped twice around his waist to keep the pants from slipping down to his ankles, though.

Soon after began the comedic show of now-human Vuker attempting to walk. He naturally had two legs, but his tail end was commonly slithering about on the floor behind him, keeping him well balanced and steady. Not so like this. He marveled at his fingers, his upright figure, his toes and his hair, but walking was a struggle. He found that walking on his hands and knees was much more effective, but not very fast at all. So he attempted to walk on just his hands, but it just didn't seem right. That, and all of his now-human blood kept rushing to his now-human head, making him dizzy.

"I don't get how humans walk around," Vuker grumbled, back to crawling on all fours. "I understand the concept of clothing, I understand the need for shoes, but I just don't get why walking on two legs is so difficult..."

Zephyr smiled and carefully pressed his nose to the once-drakeling's back, helping Vuker stand. "It gets easier over time," he said, bobbing his head. "Worry not, I and Naybrin will be here to help you. Now, one step at a time, it's all you can do." He let go of Vuker and sauntered down the hall, swaying slightly at times.

Vuker followed Zephyr's lead, but the two of them stopped short when their paths crossed Forin and Diana.

"Hello, Zephyr. Who might this be?" Forin questioned, casting his gaze on the scrawny boy.

"Hi there! I'm Vuker!" he answered at once, smiling.

"Nice to meet you." Forin held out his hand to shake. Normally he wouldn't be quite so friendly, but Zephyr seemed quite happy around the kid, so it couldn't have been anyone bad. Vuker, however, did not quite understand the concept of shaking hands. He grabbed Forin's hand with his own, then promptly bowed his head and licked it. Forin stiffened something unsightly.

"Was that not right?" Vuker frowned. "I'm sorry. I was a drakeling until today..."

"Ah...that certainly explains it." Forin wiped his hand on his shirt, only to have Diana hug him from behind due to fear of the strangers. "It's alright, dear. Zephyr is a very good friend of ours."

"I don't remember," she muttered. "Can we go see Seria now?"

"Yes...I suppose." Forin nodded, then looked up at Zephyr. "Good luck with your walking practice."

((Aaaaand from Vuker's mouth to Forin's hand to Forin's shirt to Diana's hand. Infection complete.))

((Booooooofine.

Also, OH MY GOSH. I JUST REALIZED THAT I WAS FREAKING SUPPOSED TO BE USING ZEPHYR, NOT NAYBRIN, WHO IS OFF WITH WERR.

DANG.))

The dragon king bobbed his head happily, continuing to guide his wayward little friend along towards the kitchens and elsewhere in the castle. Vuker seemed to steadily be getting the hang of it, though not as fast as Naybrin had, who Zephyr knew had long studied humans and all of their habits, memorizing things not even the great green dragon could remember.

Forin and Diana were quick to find Seria and Cynyr in their room. Forin opened the door, and Diana stepped in first, a smile on her face at the sight of her friends. "Seria, I'm so glad to see you..." She said, holding onto Forin's hand. But she trailed off upon realizing that Seria was asleep. "Oh...I'm sorry. I'll come back later," She whispered, nodding at Cynyr.

The panther looked up from where he had been gently stroking Seria's hair back, over and over, sitting by her side on the bed. He looked up and gave a light nod, signaling that she was free to do as she wanted when his wife was awake. He ran a hand lightly over her round belly, smiling when he felt the faint flutter of a tiny baby moving.

Diana watched for a moment, then took Foin's hand again and started pulling him away. "Diana just wanted to let you and Seria know that she remembers you now. It's slowly coming back, person by person." He turned and left again, smiling down at his summoner quite happily. She smiled back, then walked with him back to the gardens.

Cynyr watched them go, then sighed and returned to gently stroking Seria's hair, watching her sleep and picture the two tiny lifes growing inside her.

*

Riordan slowly opened his eyes, wondering what had happened. Last he remember, he had painted a picture and had explained to Ink about the color red, and then...nothing. Everything was black, but he faintly remembered being in pain. Bad pain, from the back of his neck...

His eyes widened slightly, then he quickly sat up, rubbing the place frantically. He needed a mirror...