The Forgotten Zodiac

Eltanin nodded, then looked towards the door. "Aries! C'mmere! I need you to get something for me!" he called.

It took a few minutes, but Aries soon appeared in the entrance. "Sorry, I had to tuck Gabe in for a nap...what did you need?" She asked. Bershee explained everything.

"There's a pot next to the tent on the outskirts of town. Inside the boiling water, there's this container...you should be able to get it out if you pour out the water. Inside the container there's a red liquid...put the liquid in one of those beakers," She pointed towards the shelf across from her bed, where thick glass beakers sat, with tight lids. "And bring it to us, please..."

"Sure." Aries fetched one of the beakers and ran off again, always eager to do something to help.

Bershee looked down at her hands, which still had blood on them. "Eltanin...is there a rag and some water in here?"

"I'll get one," he said, standing and walking across the room. He rifled around in the cabinets for a while, then went to the door and picked up a bucket, and finally came back over to Bershee. "Got it," he said, taking her hand in his own and beginning to wipe it off.

Bershee started to protest. She wasn't useless, even if she was hurt, but...it was no good. She realized that Eltanin would do it whether she wanted him to or not. She didn't say anything for a long time, then sighed. "I really should leave...I knew your people disliked me, but I thought they were beyond attacking...and when I submit myself to their punishment, I didn't think they'd..." She trailed off, closing her eyes.

"I know, I know," Eltanin said. "Believe me, I'll set them straight," he said, a scowl crossing his face for a moment before fading. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I feel better...my carrying sac was damaged a bit. Internal damage is never fun...I-I nearly spit up the others. I have...only four more. And I can't take them back in once they're out...I have to keep them safe until the time is right. I can't risk losing them..." She looked away.

Aries came in a moment later, the beaker half full of the red, hot liquid. "This was all I could get out of that pot. You sure it's enough?"

"Yes," Bershee nodded. "Eltanin, go ahead and apply a drop to Aries' ear...it should grow back."

"My ear?" Aries blinked. "Grow back?"

"Yes...the jellyfish this potion's base is made from has regenerative capabilities. This can heal any wound, but it's useless against illness and disease. It's more for...wounds."

Aries stared at the liquid for a moment, then handed it to Eltanin. "That's pretty amazing."

"I'm glad that Bershee knew of it," Eltanin said, standing up to apply the potion. "Just a little works, right?" he asked, turning to Bershee to make sure.

"A drop should do the trick." Bershee nodded. Aries kneeled, so Eltanin could reach it easier. Indeed, it only took a little droplet of the red liquid. Aires let out a little yelp.

"It stings," She noted. But when she reached up to feel her ear, she could already tell that it was a little taller than before.

"It'll grow over time. By the time you reach the Manakete palace, it should be back." Bershee nodded.

"That's wonderful." Aries smiled brightly, taking the potion from Eltanin. "Here, let me help these Selkies with this. You should stay with Bershee."

Eltanin hesitated a bit, before smiling. "All right. Thanks," he said. He went over and sat down at Bershee's bedside once again, offering her a smile. "The others are just in the other room. Make sure you warm them about the stinging," he said.

"I will!" Aries assured him before she left to take care of things.

Bershee watched her. "And away she goes. She could have taken it, you know. When I explained it, she had a light in her eyes that I know well. She wants some of it, probably to take back to her friends. Well...her family, I suppose I should say. But...she wouldn't take any unless you allowed it, Eltanin. These Forest Champions are more valuable than you can imagine..."

"...I know that," he said, watching as she ran off. "And it's true that they probably need it more than we do. I'll... have to think about that," he said. He reached for her hand and took it, but continued to look out the door. Finally, he spoke again.

"What is it that makes you want to help us?" he asked.

"A small portion will do them good, I imagine. But it'd be best to keep most of it here, considering their rough and tumble lifestyle." Bershee shrugged. When he asked his question, she waited a few moments before replying. She sat up when she did. "Because, Eltanin...I told you before. I don't wish my fate upon anyone else. I don't wish the tragety of my people upon yours. The Octi race, with our strong magics and proud heritage...all the progress we've made as our own people, all of that was erased. If I am to die, then my race is to die with me."

She blinked at him with her wise black eyes, though he wasn't looking at her. "You don't know, do you? Before the Oceanids and Selkies turned their attention on you, they looked to my people for help. We refused, so the Octi immediately became a threat. If we refused them, we would doubtlessly side with your people...rightly so. We had the foresight to know that they would attack us before long. We just didn't expect it to be the night after the refusal...

"Very few made it out alive. I...and an older man named Jethroh fled. He and I became citizens of Oceanica as soon as we could; his papers were forged, but mine were real. I had just turned 18, after all...it may have seemed traitorous, but at that time, it didn't matter. What mattered was survival. Jethroh was gifted with a foresight beyond my understanding...he ensured I would be kept safe from the massacre that my family and people died in. And then he turned himself in after impregnating me. He did everything right. He made me a true citizen of Oceanica, and it seemed that I had lived there my entire life, adopted by some unknown family...

"And then, when the Octi race was declared to be no longer a threat, I returned to my people's land. The Diggarus Reefs, on the other side of Fomalought from here. I found nothing but...nothing but bones and blood. Sharks and other carnivorous fish were all over the place, hunting for scraps of meat, attracted by the blood that filled the water for days after the last fight. I realized then that they were no longer a threat...because there were none of them left. And when they announced that the Selkies were their new threat, I knew...they wouldn't attack directly. They would send the Sirens, since they're at a disadvantage on land...and when I discovered my theories to be true, I began to prepare. I found my caves, and began my 'snatching' task.

"Does that answer your question again? Do you see now, why I help in spite of the hate I receive?" She whispered, closing her eyes again. "The bones, the blood...when I look at the children I've saved, I see those I could not. My own family and friends and race...dead. Fought into oblivion, not a child left alive. None but me...that is why I do what I do, and that is why I will continue. The precious, innocent lives I keep in my caves may someday be all you have left of a race, Eltanin. I pray that this does not come to pass, but...with the numbers I have, it...it is a much better situation than my own race's."

Eltanin listened carefully to her tale, nodded at the right moments to show he was listening and indicate that she could continue. He kept a loose hold on her hand as she spoke, but it tightened a little as she went through the awful story. When she finished, he turned to her, concern in his gaze.

"...I feel I owe you an apology," he said, frowning deeply. 

Bershee slowly shook her head. She closed her eyes again. "I was a fool to allow myself to fall under their fist and foot. A mistake I will not be making twice. You do not owe me an apology, nor do I want one. I don't want thanks, either...I know how hard it is, being separated from those you wish to be with. It is not something to thank or wish for. Far from it. I think...what I wanted has already come to pass. All I wished for was for one Selkie to fully understand my plight and duty. Has that happened, Eltanin?"

Eltanin smiled at her warmly. "I don't know if anyone can ever fully understand what you've been through without experiencing it themselves. But I certainly sypmathize with you. And I've come to like you. More than like, really. And more than sympathize." He hesitated. "I'm not sure it's what you want, but it's a start, is it not?" he asked.

Bershee shook her head. "It's exactly what I wanted, Eltanin...for someone to not hate me. I guess that's what I really wanted. To know that the Selkie race wasn't entirely against me." She leaned forward and hugged him, closing her eyes. "Thank you."

Eltanin put his arms around her lightly, smiling. "You're welcome," he said.

((I'm sorry that's so short.))

((It's fine. xD))

"I'm finished!" Aries announced upon her return. "I made sure that it was known that you made the potion. After they were healed, of course. Oh! Am I interrupting something?" She smiled a bit.

"No, it's quite alright, Aries...thank you for your help." Bershee pulled away, blushing a bit now. She cleared her throat, then laid down again. "I need more rest."

"No kidding. Here, Eltanin." Aries held out the jar. Hardly any of it was missing; Aries hadn't taken any. As Bershee said she wouldn't.

"Thank you, Aries," Eltanin said, taking the potion back. He let go of Bershee to stand and walk across the room, placing the remainder of the potion in the nearby cabinet. He then came back over, but remained standing. "Are you, Jerod, and Gabe going to be returning to the manakete palace soon?" he asked.

"We are. We were going to leave soon, actually. Gabe is napping with Jerod now." Aries nodded, smiling. "Was that all you needed?"

"I think we're good, Aries." Berhsee nodded. "Thank you for your help."

"Anytime. Just call if you need me again."