The Forgotten Zodiac

"Let me know before you leave," Eltanin said, watching as Aries left the tent after that. He then turned to Bershee. "You should rest," he said, sitting down next to the bed. "Don't worry - I won't leave you," he said.

Bershee smiled, and nodded. "Okay. I trust you." It took her several long minutes regardless, but she finally dozed off. She was pretty even when asleep; she looked much younger, her stern and wizened features soft and delicate while she rested.

Awhile later, Aries, Jerod, and Gabe were getting ready to take off. "I've got my junk." Aries said with a bit of a smile. Jerod agreed, as he hadn't really brought much more than his scales. "I think we're ready."

Gabe had snuggled close to Jerod, tucking himself close to the dragon as he practically sleep walked around with the manakete. He smiled faintly as his mother spoke, then offered her a wave. "Going home now, mom?" he asked.

"We are!" Aries beamed. "Are you ready to go, Gabe? I want to get back to the Manakete Palace as soon as possible. We've gotta catch up with the others, so...come on, son, let's get out of here."

"Okay," Gabe murmured with a smile, before reaching up in the classic "wants-to-be-held" motion. "Are we going to say goodbye to the selkies first, though?" he requested.

"We could," Aries nodded a bit. She scooped Gabe up, balancing him against her hip. "Who do you want to say goodbye to?" She questioned, smiling.

"Quay," Gabe said, tilting his head against Aries's shoulder and yawning. "Why am I so tired?" he asked her, rubbing his eyes.

"You just woke up, after all." Aries chuckled. "It's okay. You'll be fine soon. You can take a nap while we're in the air, then. Let's go find Quay for now." She meandered off, intending to find Thuban or Eltanin and see if they knew where Gabe was.

Eltanin was, of course, still in the medical tent with Bershee. When Gabe and Aries came in, he smiled. "Are you heading out, then?" he asked. He stood and went over to the cupboard, openening it and taking out a vial containing the potion. "I want to give this to you," he said.

"Oh?" Aries recognized it at once. "Thank you, Eltanin. This is a great gift, one that won't be forgotten anytime soon." She smiled, taking it and tucking it into her bag. "I'll put it to good use, I assure you. Have you seen Quay? Gabe wants to say goodbye before we go..."

"Quay's down on the shoreline," Eltanin said. "I believe he's gathering seaweed. It shouldn't bother him too much to say goodbye to you lot," he said, grinning.

"Alright. We'll head down there." Aries nodded, smiling a bit. She stepped out of the tent, on her way to the beach. "Stay awake for now, Gabe, we're almost there." She said gently, her tone light and happy.

((I'm half expecting something to happen, like a magical growth spurt of some kind for Gabe that will burn Aries' arms and side, or something along those lines.

MY ROLEPLAY SENSES ARE TINGLING))

"Mmm... sleepy," Gabe said, wrapping his arms around Aries's neck. "I feel like I've done a lot of work, mommy. Tired..." he said.

((Sure, let's go with that.))

((Oh, okay. xD Aries will probably still demand to be taken home in spite of the burns.))

"You just woke up though, baby," Aries hoisted Gabe up a bit, frowning slightly. "You feel a bit feverish...it's okay. We'll say goodbye to Quay, then head home, okay? Look, there he is. Quay!" She called towards the beach, waving with her free hand.

Gabe's eyes suddenly widened. "Down, mom! Down, down!" he commanded suddenly. The boy's skin had begun to give off a slight glow and was heating quickly. "Something's... what's happening?" he asked.

"What? No, I'm not putting you down!" Aries objected, ignoring the heat. "Gabe, what's going on?"

"It... feels funny..." Gabe said, closing his eyes. "Doesn't... hurt. Sit me down!" he said, squirming.

"No! I'm not putting you down, something could happen, and you'd...you'll get taken away from me!" Aries only held onto him tighter, but she did sit down to make it easier to hold him. "I'm not losing you!"

"Mom, I'm fine, really, I--" Gabe suddenly shuddered and went limp.

Aries continued to hold on, but the heat quickly became unbearable. She let go of him, but not before obtaining a severe burn along her arm. She ignored it and stared at the glow that was her son, terrified of what would happen now.