The Forgotten Zodiac

"Yeah, fine," Welk answered, frowning at the claw marks scattered throughout his fur. "Sheesh, that hurt though." He pressed his paw against one of the bloody cuts, pulling it away to stare at the redness. He licked Isslia's forehead gently, then looked back at the blood on his paw, finally lifting his head again and staring after Cynyr. He looked up in concern at Werr for a moment, then stood after nuzzling Isslia again, racing towards where Cynyr was disappearing behind a corner. "Cynyr! CYNYR!" he shouted, charging forward even as the panther turned, growling, already expecting another tackle attack.

Welk barely screeched to a halt in time to avoid a full-on tackle, and even then, both of them slid a few inches. But it wasn't an attack like earlier. Cynyr found himself blinking as Welk pressed his head to his older sibling's chest, tucking his forelegs up against the thick black fur and leaning on his haunches, eyes pressed closed and ears back. "I love you," Welk said softly, slowly looking up at his beloved sibling for a moment before turning and heading back to Werr and Isslia.

"Are you sure that was quite neccisary?" Drew blinked, frowning a bit. Werr just shrugged.

"It wasn't a lie." He pointed out. Isslia waited for Welk with open arms, hugging him again as soon as he stopped walking. She didn't really need to hug him so much, she just wanted to. For her comfort as well as his.

"Can we just go back to bed?" Isslia asked again, shivering again.

Werr sighed. "Yeah. Cynyr will be fine. Let's go," He nodded.

Welk followed after them, still glancing over his shoulder. He had the oddest feeling, that Cynyr wasn't going to be 'fine', like Werr said. But he couldn't do anything about it until they either figured out what was wrong or Cynyr told them, and the latter was highly unlikely.

So he just shifted forms and hugged Isslia close, enjoying her company and walking alongside Werr.

*

Riordan led Ink along the halls of a new tunnel attached to his room, off towards the surprise he had mentioned before.

Ink was practically skipping after Riordan, excited beyond words. He was rambling on about something or other, clearly talking to someone, but it wasn't Veros. He kept calling it 'Sarah'. Just someone in his head, he would state, if Riordan asked who he was talking to. As usual. Almost like Veros wasn't there. Like nothing had changed in the past days.

"Won't you give me just a tiny hint?" Ink asked, smiling a bit.

((Bun, you just ran away and left me on Mumble... -sad head tilt- I know you got a new thing to play and such, but, ya know, we've always been two peas in a pod, tied with that invisible string. You just...didn't come back.

I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow, then? Yes?

...Please?))

"No," Riordan answered, continuing his stiff walk. "You'll see any second now." He briefly rubbed the back of his neck under the scarf, where the strange tattoo still shone on his skin, burned into his very cells. He shook his head and pulled his hand away, finally reaching the end of the hall, where a door stood sentinel. He opened it slowly, revealing a beautiful (but fully and completely enclosed) outdoor garden, complete with a small pond and a tall, lush tree. "Here we are," he said. "This is yours, Ink."

((I thought I told you I was gonna play Civ. .D. Dun worry, I found a new MC thing we can play tomorrow. Hide and Seek! It might sound childish, but it's a lot of fun. And we're definitely playing it. -nodnod-

-hugs- We will talk. We will talk lots. I promise. I have somewhere to be in the morning, though; I'll be home at 4 my time, and then we'll play. Okay?))

Ink stared, stunned. Flowers everywhere, the little pond complete with lilypads, and even a little frog. Ink spun about in circles,  looking at the tree, to the grass, to the pond, and even the little cobblestone path. "This...this is amazing, Riordan. Wow..." He looked about, then turned and smiled at his brother. "Can I hug you? Please? Just this once? This is so great..."

((Okey. That sounds like fun.))

Riordan tensed as if asked to remove a limb, staring at Ink from the corners of his eyes. "I...think you should look around first," he answered. "I mean, you've never seen outside before. You've just been inside that room. Don't you want to...I dunno, run around and do stuff? There's a swing over there." He gestured offhandedly at the swing hanging forlornly under the tree.

((You betcha it is. >:3 Bit hard to get in as a group, though; it's the Hive, so. You just gotta hold the spam on the same sign, even when it's full, and you'll get in sooner or later.))

"No. I want to hug you first. To show gratitude!" Ink frowned. "I've never understood why you don't like hugs. Zex gives me a hug whenever I want! ...Where is he, anyway? I haven't seen him for a few days now...did you send him away? You did, didn't you?" He pouted, then marched over to the swing. He plopped down on it, but he didn't swing. He just sat there, frowning at Riordan.

((Okey.))

"No, I have no idea where he's off to," Riordan answered, sitting on a small rock nearby. "And I'm sorry, but I've just...never quite enjoyed...hugs." He knew his argument sounded lame, and he was already resigning himself to the fact that Ink was going to win this one. There was no way for Riordan to get out of it without hurting Ink's feelings or making him mad.

((I gotta go soon, so -hugs-))

"But why not? You hug Valley..." Ink sighed, starting to swing a little bit. He looked down at his feet, then slowly smiled as he pushed himself. Within a few moments, he was swinging and grinning as widely as he had been before. "Look, Riordan, it's just like my hammock!" He laughed, going higher and higher. The swing had been rigged to not go much higher than a few feet, but Ink was enjoying it immensely.

((Meep~ -hugs back-))

Riordan watched quietly, his elbows on his knees and his hands folded under his chin, his deep eyes watching his older brother's every move. There were times where he wished he could love his sibling, truly there were. But it was hard for Riordan and how he had been raised, and now moreso than ever, what with the mark on his neck. Nevertheless, he still wished that, at times, he didn't have to be the older brother to the older sibling.

Ink enjoyed the swing for several long minutes before sliding to a stop. He hopped off and smiled at Riordan. "Hey, I guess I'm not supposed to make so much noise out here, huh? I might attract attention. I gotta be sneaky when I'm on the swing, right? Hey, hey, don't look so glum. I mean, I know you failed miserably in the execution of that stupid girl, but you couldn't know a dragon was going to save her. How could you know?" His voice changed, and it was obvious that Veros was talking. "The men you sent after her will perish in the desert. She's already safe, back in the hands of that filthy group. We really must do something to bring them here a little faster. Any ideas?" He smiled curtly, not expecting a word out of Riordan. "Hmm?"

"I don't know, okay?" Riordan snapped, glaring into his brother's face and knowing who was looking back. "Just give Ink back, please? I'm getting tired of you constantly taking him over to be your mouthpiece." He brushed a hand through his hair, frowning.

"Would you rather I use you? No. Certainly not. Perhaps Valley? Of course not. And I'm not letting him talk again until we have a solid plan of what to do. So stand up. Pace. Sit down again. Think. But it won't help anything at all. I already have a plan. I'm just curious as to what you're going to do when you see it. After all...you're so similar to him. To Werr. You don't even know it. But you and he are two peas in a pod. You want the same thing. You want your friends and family safe. You want to survive. Such predictable human beings...

"I'm mad at you, Riordan. You've failed me. I cannot accept failure once we move on to the second stage of my plans. Are you still worthy of reaching your goal? Are you and your people still capable of overcoming the obstacle of Alastor and reaching your promised land?"

Riordan met the stare he knew was not his sibling and answered.

"You know all of this and more, Titan of Ages. But before I continue, I want to ask, as I know Titans are bound to truth. My family is going to remain safe and whole, correct? And I want to know, though I already do, in a way...is the plan you have ready going to involve more pain and heartache to these Alastorians? Will I be forced to kill them and torture them, through pain that is both physical and mental?"

"Your family, from Valley to Ink, will be untouched by my hands. It is not in my plans to break you apart, or have you harmed in an way." Veros said solemnly, then smiled at the next question. "Why, Riordan, are you having...a change of heart? There's no time for this." His smile faded. "Yes, you will order their executions. One by one they will fall, whether through emotional agony or the chopping block. I've been watching them for a very long time. And if my servants would stop failing me, their downfall would come much sooner."

He stood, walked to Riordan, and knelt in front of him. "Remember my promise. Your family will be fine. Free to enjoy your paradise of Kaislun. But it's a delicate plan. If one thing falls out of place...your family will be the first to know."

((-hug hug hug hug~- I'ma be seein' ya tomorrow, bunneh.

Love ya, sis~))

For some reason, Riordan didn't believe him. Despite the fact that Titans couldn't like, despite everything he was telling him, his words still sent a chill down the young king's spine. But he couldn't back out now. If he did, Veros would likely turn his anger onto Valley and Ink. He couldn't risk that.

"Alright," he answered calmly. "I'll do what you need."

((^^ It goes without saying, I love you too.

Also, Veros isn't lying, you silly goose.))

"Good. Very good. So good, in fact, that even though you haven't given me any ideas to fix what you broke, I'm going to let Ink play for a bit. He rather likes this, by the way. He's very grateful, and he's very upset because he has absolutely no way of showing his gratitude. You rude non-hugger, you." Veros chortled, and Ink stood, brushed himself off, and went back to the swing.

((Perhaps, but I still suspect he has some evil plan for them up his sleeve. XD))

Ink scowled after the titan, giving his head a shake to turn his expression normal again. He tilted his head down slightly, letting his black hair fall in front of his face, then looked up at Ink with a sigh. "You can come out here whenever you like," he said, tilting his head at the tunnel they had come through as indication. "If you want, I'll have some work done on your room. Maybe make it a bit bigger, put in some things..."

((x3 Only if they mess up.

Also, Zex is still hanging around Kaislun. When the time is right, Cynyr is gonna haveta help him kidnap Isslia and Lexi.))

"Sure! That sounds great," Ink smiled brightly. "Thank you, Riordan. It's not really worth much saying that..." He slid off the swing again and tilted his face up to the sky, smiling. "I can feel the sun and the cool breeze...I can smell flowers and grass, and it's better than anything I ever dreamed. I feel so...alive."