The Forbidden Art

Vexoz jolted back awake. As carefully as he could, he tried to look at how much further he had left to go. Something seemed slightly different directly ahead though. The warrior cautiously grabbed ahold of the closest crevice on the mountainside and pulled the blade out. A short climb later, and it became apparent that he had finally found the path to the village.

Really! It was right there the whole time! He spent who knows how long resting on his blade and it was just this short of a climb to the.... Screw it....

Finally, Vexoz gave a groan of effort and pushed himself onto the ledge. After ripping the vides loose and putting his weapon away, the warrior started to walk up the propper path.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

June tried to think of somewhere to run when she came across the campsite of a random mage of some sort.

"Stay verry still!"

At first she wanted to try and run away, but something told her to truse the mage. After all, if he thought he was safe then maybe they were? Oh gosh, too late to hide! She froze in place and stood as still as she could as they seemed to run right past her. Suddenly they stopped, seemingly confused about something.

One of the older ones tried to find some footprints or something. "Which way did she go?"

"I thing she warped off or something.... Keep an eye out, men, she could be anywhere or anything...." Suddenly, one of them pointed at a nearby tree.

"Was that raven there before?"

"Good eye! After it!"

June waited as they chased after the bird into the darkness of the woods. As soon as they were gone, she just fell over onto the grass, releaved. Then, a wave of panic made her literally cringe. "Oh gosh, I don't have anywhere to sleep! What am I suppost to do now?!?!" Frantically, June looked around the camp, then back at the mage who saved her. A smile sneaked across her face.

"Uhh, Mr. Illusion mage? You wouldn't mind if I spent the night here, would you? At least until I can find a new town to move to." As she spoke, June held her hands behind her back. In her right hand was her mirror. Her left was ready to pull a dagger from it incase this guy couldn't be trusted.

Ret watched his return and smiled, "How did it go, dear?"

Kailyn nodded at both Drake and Falks. They both had good points. She leaned forward and let the dancing fire warm her face.

"My question being, could we have their deaths on our conscious?" Kailyn said suddenly, still looking at the flames, "No doubt we will have casualties... and--," Kailyn was overcome with a sudden twist in her stomach. She stopped talking and put a hand over her mouth and the betraying organ. Maybe it was nerves? She wasn't sure but she didn't like the feeling.

"Excuse me," She said, rising up and walking away from the group. She bumped into the daydreaming Azirak along the way.

She leaned against a tree, unbeknownst to her, there was someone else in it. She put her hand against her forehead. It didn't feel warm but she could swear she was sick.

"Ugh," She groaned, sitting down and putting her head between her knees.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Vera looked at Tellas with a crease of worry across her flawless face, "Drappy..." She said sadly. She reached out and gently brushed the tears off his face, "Who's Luna? Your sister? And don't worry, Drappy, whoever would reject you is an idiot! I'm sure a lot of women want to have your pups... drakes... drups?" She rambled, "And if they don't then they aren't worth your sadness! I'll beat 'em up!" She puffed out her cheeks and flexed her arms.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Asinoir smiled at his fiance, "I believe it went well. They want to talk to Vera and Vexoz whenever they get back," He said as he took her hand, "Apparently, everyone knows about our upcoming nuptials as well. I need to talk to you about that, by the way. But let's do it someplace less... nosy," He nodded towards the bystanders, their ears throbbing as they leaned closer to hear the conversation.

With another warm smile, he led her back to his house. He entered through the door and suddenly everything looked foreign to him. He didn't want to live there anymore. It wasn't warm, it wasn't a home, it was just somewhere that he rested at night.

Suddenly, a vision of a house out in the fields came to him. He saw his Princess sitting in a nursery, holding two babes in her arms. She looked so angelic, so beautiful, she overwhelmed the entire house and brought a calming heat into it. She was looking down at her daughter, beaming ear to ear. His entire life shifted in that moment, in that simple picture and he realized why he didn't feel at home where he lived. She didn't live with him. She was what made a house a home. She and the two babes in her arms.

Asinoir blinked and the vision was gone. A strange feeling overcame him, a pleasurable tightness in his chest. There was the fierce call to protect and to nurture, to teach and to grow. He was sure that the babies in his vision would become true one day. He just knew it... and he already felt the connection to them. He squeezed Ret's hand affectionately, knowing she would be the mother to his children and his lover forevermore. Which brought his thoughts around to a full circle.

He lead them to the couch and sat down, placing her lithe body on his lap. He kissed her neck a few times and nuzzled her hair, inhaling her scent and committing it to memory. He drew small circles on her thighs.

"The council mentioned our wedding," He began, his free hand massaging her shoulder, "They said that there is a storm brewing, that we will be facing a war soon. They suggested we marry in the next few days... just in case," Asinoir readied himself for a possible rejection. He was more than willing to get married even within the next hour, if she'd let him, but he wasn't sure if she wanted to. Some would say they were moving far too quickly but Asinoir felt such a peace about this whole situation, he knew it couldn't be the wrong thing to do.

He knew Ret loved him, too, for some reason. Out of, quite literally, the thousands of her admirers, she chose him. He didn't know why Fate gave him its blessing. He just knew that he was forever grateful for it.

Marneila squeaked in fear at the sudden voice below her and her grip slackened. She was too late to grab the tree once more before the plantform dumped her unceremoniously on the floor, painfully, in front of the human below her. She groaned in pain slightly before she realized that she was close to a human.

She curled up her body, hugging her tail close to herself with all arms and her wings, "D-D-don't hurt me! Please!"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Luna is another name of the moon," He said before looking into her eyes, "Vera... Thank you." He said rising off the floor but staying on all fours. He decided, at lst, to take a chance and reveal it... He didn't know whether her mind was thinking of him or someone else but there was one thing he needed to say, "Very few women, nowadays, would even think about coming near me. But you... Your beauty your actions..." He finally rose to full height, "Vera... regardless of where yours decides to go... know that you hold my heart." He felt far better having revealed the truth to her, but now he, for the first time, felt fear... that he would be met with rejection.

Kailyn squawked as a winged woman fell from the tree she was leaning against. The woman quickly curled into a ball and pleaded not to be hurt. Kailyn tilted her head. She had scooted farther away from the surprising and slightly clumsy newcomer.

"Geez, new people are just falling from the sky now?" Kailyn said, plucking a leaf off her head. She offered a small, friendly smile at the winged woman.

"I won't hurt you," She reassured her, holding up her hands, "Unless you hurt me or my friends, that is."

Azirak was daydreaming when the woman from earlier bumped into him, jolting him back into the world of reality. He hoped that no one had noticed him daydreaming, but he just could not stand tactical stuff. he was a soldier. Point him at a target and watch as the target gets fried. He relied on other people for that sort of tactical bullshit...

He was almost about to start daydreaming again, when he heard something. A sound of someone moaning a thump, then a terrified voice.
"D-D-don't hurt me! Please!"
Hoping that it led to a fight, and looking for any excuse to get out of this meeting, he went outside, charging a bolt in his hand as he did so.
He saw the woman from earlier, who he had heard referred to as kailyn, scoot back from a strange creature, which looked like a human, but had four arms and large wings.
"Um...who are you?" he asked, unsure how to react to the new person.

Vera's eyes widened and blinked rapidly, her head reeling from the shock, "Me?" She squeaked, pointing at herself. She looked over her shoulder a few times to confirm they were, indeed, alone.

"Bu-bu-but..." Vera stammered, for once at a loss of what to say. No one ever confessed love so genuinely to her before. Sure, she had the few that were just trying to get into her pants but those are easy to see through. Tellas, on the other hand, was as true as an arrow.

"I like boobies! An-and vagina!" She replied, standing up. She was still pointing at herself. She remembered her activities earlier and then added, "I think," at the end.

"Yeah, most of the time. I'm at that awkward, 'I think I'm bending this way but most of my body is the other way' stage," She said, expressing it by leaning to one side, "I still don't know what I want."

"And... my experience with men hasn't been very nice," She mumbled, swallowing the fear that rose in her throat. Fantasy was one thing but the actual act still terrified her. She could imagine it didn't hurt when a man entered her, that their members were made of glass or rubber, but her previous encounter told her otherwise. When they... it burned and stretched and ripped and wasn't as gentle as a woman's touch. The idea of enduring it again, that torture that only a man could enjoy, that... THING... tearing her apart, it sent a shiver of fear up her spine.

"I'm sorry, Tellas," Vera offered, hanging her head down low and finding her twiddling thumbs very interesting, "I'm just... confused."

She uncurled slightly, "Y-you... won't hurt me?" She asked, "B-but you're human!" She shivered, "Humans hate me!" She was too fixated on the other woman to even listen to the male to inquied to her identity, "N-Naelashi are just monsters to humans!"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Tellas laid one paw on her shoulder, "I think I know what you mean, Vera," She said before moving to hug her, "I'll give you all the time you need to decide. But I'll never do anything to harm you, ever."

"Thank you, Drappy," Vera said gratefully, returning the hug, "You're the best."

She broke away from the hug and gave him a sad smile, "Now then, let's get Cee out of my room!" She said, bounding off the roof and flying into her bedroom.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"I don't even know what a N-Naelashi is," Kailyn replied and then pointed with her thumb over at Azirak, "He's some sort of rude asshole Dynari and we get along just fine for the most part. Though he is a little suspicious. You seem fine though. Shy, even," Kailyn stopped talking.

"Er, exc--" She didn't even get to finish her sentence. She ran over to a nearby tree, doubled over, and heaved. The acidic feeling burned her throat and she touched her forehead again, "What's wrong with me?" She asked, leaning against the tree for support.

"He's some sort of rude asshole Dynari and we get along just fine for the most part."
Azirak growled.
"Yeah, thats right, antagonise the Dynari when you have all your friends at your beck and call. Anyway..." He turned to the creature on the floor as kailyn ran towards a tree and was sick.
"Anyway, ive never heard of you, and you dont seem to be trying to kill me, which is usually good."
He held his hand out to help the so called "Naelashi" up.

Tellas nodded taking a longer route (purely because he was too big to go through the window) and going into her bedroom via the doorway, standing so that Cee could get through the door.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

She looked at the man and let him pulled her up, she beat her wings to aid her ascent so that she was, once more, off the ground, "Th-Thank you," She said before turning to where the human was, "He's not an assho- Wait... what's wrong?"

Azirak walked up to kailyn, and looked at her, checking for electrical activity in her brain. Everything seemed alright.
"are you ok?"
There was a flicker of something, but he ignored it. If normal diagnosis fails, just ask.

Vexoz finally got far up enough that he should be at the barrier. Unsure exactly, what to do, he tapped slightly at the wall.

"Who's there!" A voice yelled from the village.

"I'm Vexoz. Had to do some things outside the village."

"Oh yeah! You're that new guy, aren't you? Come on in," the man stated, "I've heard the council wants to say something to you." Suddenly, a hole opened in the side of the wall leading into the village.

This was it. He looked back for a moment. It was the last chance for him to run off and be done with thier plans. "I've got a few things to say to the council as well." The warrior walked through the barrier as it shut behind him. Now, straight to the council!

........

Part of him did somewhat feel bad for Vera. She seemed awefully upset, there was no way he could've known that.... THAT had happened to her! As he walked, he could feel his feet drifting directions.

"Fine. I'll make it up to Vera somehow. THEN it's off to the council!"

---

Vexoz finally made his way to Vera's house and began knocking on the door.

Vera flew into her bedroom. She was about to kick Cee out when her door knocked.

“Visitors!” She exclaimed, blinking in a quick succession so that she was in front of the door in seconds. She opened the door with such force it rebounded from its hinges, hitting her on the back, “Bad door! Stay!” She ordered before facing her visitor.

“Vee-Vee!” She said excitedly before remembering she was supposed to be upset with him. She rearranged her face so that her lips were pursed and her brows furrowed, crossing her arms and leaning against the still swaying door, “I mean, Vexoz,” She corrected, lowering her tone a little, “What are you doing here?”

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Kailyn didn’t dare move from her comfortable position by the tree. She still had her head laid against the bark when she was asked a few questions about her health, “I told Falks not to put those mushrooms in the stew… they looked funny,” Was her reply, although she wasn’t quite sure of its honesty. She felt a little better after seeing her dinner again, although she was nowhere near one hundred percent.

“FALKS!” She cried out, “You’ve poisoned me!”

Tellas shook his head at Vera getting distracted before saying, in a threatening tone, "Cee. Out. Now." He glared at the male, his axe ready to instill force into his order.

Falks didn't know a damn thing about what was going on when Kailyn yelled at him, then it donned on him. He just walked back to the wagon with Mira following him. "Should have thought of this before you two banged like fucking rabbit back at the hot springs." He said with a laugh. He pulled it his case of capsules. "Damn it.... only five left." He walked over to the tree and handed one to Kailyn. "Take that when you wake up in the morning. I hope Drake really loves you..." He whispered low enough that no one could hear.

He walked back and helped Mira up into the wagon where she had made a makeshift bed out some sacks of hay and a blanket.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Unbeknownst to Vera and and the tiger lizard, Cee had made his escape almost as soon as Vera left. After a while of rummaging around and finding all kinds if interesting things in her night stand, he discovered what appeared to be a diary. After leaving a letter he had prepared on her bedside table he made his exit through the window, also noticing Vexoz standing on the front porch. Cee lowered himself into a chair in his house. He broke the open the tiny lock that kept the book shut and began reading through some of the pages.

Azrael looked over at Kailyn when she screamed poison. His eyes turned solid black as he watched Falks give Kailyn some capsules for her sickness. Azrael's eyes reverted to their normal hazel brown and he slid back in the chair. He remembered a soothing his mother told him, and that calmed him down surely enough. He turned to Drake and sighed.

"Do you know if there are vampires here in the area?" Azrael's stomach grumbled slightly. He held his head down and softly groaned.

Vexoz wasn't really sure what to do when Vera answeared the door. Usually, whenever something like this happened, he would just try to find another girl.... But something about Vera was different. Something about her made him want to come back.

"I guess I came to... well, apologize. I had no idea that you went through something like that and shouldn't have grouped you in with the rest of the Chosen." Although his words were sincere, in the back of his mind Vexoz couldn't help but think 'how was I suppost to know!'

"You're not like the rest of them. You're...." The warrior stopped, unsure exactly how to continue. "Uhh.... I'm no good at this kind of crap. How about I just get you a cake after a while? After all, I did had to find my way up here all by myself."

The council would just have to wait until he got this sorted out.

"That sounds perfect to me~" Ret decided, "The Mana Spirits will be able to help if, by some miracle, we're routed too," She added.

"Does tomorrow soun good for the wedding, dear?"

Dear Page One,

Today, I learned how to ride horseback! Daddy was so proud, he gave me you! Well, you and all your cousins… and great aunts, and alcoholic uncle. Anyways! It was so fun, it was almost better than blinking! No, not actual blinking, but this thingie I do. Anyways… uh oh, Daddy’s coming to check on me, I’m up past my bedtime! Night Page One!


-=-=-=-=-

Dear Page Two,

I don’t know if Page One told you, but I learned how to ride horseback yesterday! And now, my arse is sore. Hehe. Don’t tell mum I said arse. She’d kick my… ARSE! Hehehehe!

-=-=-=-=-

Dear Page Three,

I’m lonely. Everyone calls me a demon child. I’m not… I can’t help it. The wind talks to me. It’s my friend. No one else wants to be my friend.

-=-=-=-=-

Dear Page Four,

I’ve been neglecting you for a long time! It’s been what, six years? I just found you today and why the hell did I write Dear Page Four? I guess my old me still is rubbing off on me. Good thing I’m not crazy like that anymore!

Anywho, my debut is coming up. Sweet sixteen, as they say! I’m going to be wearing a turquoise blue dress that has poofs! Poofs! I’m so excited. Everyone’s going to be in love with me. I’ll have callers left and right!

-=-=-=-=-=-

Dear Page Five,

Crap, did it again. Oh well. Anyways, today was my debut. It didn’t turn out as well as I thought. They made me dance with this guy and… well… he stank really bad. So I kinda blew the air away from me and towards the other guests. I think I blew it a little too hard because next thing I knew, he was flying through the stain glass window!

I hope that doesn’t affect all my callers.

Cee closed the diary and steeled his nerves. He stood and picked up his katanas. As he grabbed the handles, memories flashed through his mind. Memories of a massive futuristic city with buiilding stretching past the sky. There were memories of a teenage boy in a black hoodie and jeans.

He strapped the sheathes to his belt and another memory hit him. It was less a memory and more a vision. Falks and his friends were laughing and chatting happily around a table of food. A tear rolled down Cee's cheek. "At least someone can be happy because of my actions." He hoped Vera would read the letter he left. "I love you..." He muttered before he walked out the door and towards the barrier.

Kailyn's face turned bright red when Falks mentioned her and Drake's... activities. She accepted the pill without a word, remembering the miracle cure he'd given to her previously. She watched as people started to migrate to their various sleeping stations and decided to do the same.

"I'm better now... I think... some sleep should help," Kailyn said, slowly rising to her feet. She rubbed her temples a little and then started to move to the makeshift tent she made. She had bent branches and vines and leaves so that her and Drake would have somewhere to sleep that was at least dry.

Like so many other nights, Kailyn made a pillow out of leaves and put an older shirt over top to make it less itchy. It was almost nostalgic being back in the forest where one was away from luxuries.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Asinoir nodded and placed a gentle kiss on Ret's head, "You hungry, Princess?" He offered, "Or... we could just go to bed," He said with a wag of his eyebrows and a lopsided grin.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Vera had her eyes narrowed suspiciously and her face was leaning closer and closer to his as he went on with his speech. She had unfurled her arms and instead had them against her side. Due to her height disadvantage, she had to use her magic to float so she was on the same level with him.

She was still going to ream him out, mainly because she wanted some form of "down on his knees" groveling... that is, until her ears twitched as a single word rang through them.

"Cake?" Vera squealed, suddenly very, very happy with him, "I love cake!" She grabbed him by his shirt and, very forcefully, dragged him into her house. She closed the door behind them with a flick of her fingers.

She pulled him into her kitchen, grabbed an apron from a drawer, pulled it over Vexoz's head and smiled at her accomplishment. The apron said, "I Heart Titties".

With a delighted squeal and a clap of her hands, she floated upwards and sat on the counter top, "Now bake!" She ordered, pointing her finger at her indentured servant.

Drake looked over to the tent that Kailyn had made, seemingly without him noticing. He shook his head to signify he hadn't and went to lay down inside of the tent. When he saw that Kailyn was using the leaves for a pillow, he knew that she would be more comfortable if she didn't have to use it. He pulled Kailyn to him from behind, and wrapped her in his arms. He laid his chin on her shoulder, and quietly laid there, not wanting to disturb her.

"It looks like you're feeling better... Thats a relief..."

The worry he had felt earlier had left him, and a warmth filled him as a thought passed through his head. The thought was a good one, and brought a dazzling smile to his face.

"You don't think that we could be... That you could be..."

He stuttered to finish the sentance, the prospect of it making his stomach fill with butterflies.

"Do you think your pregnant?"

He finally managed to get the question out, and imagined what life would be like from now on if she was.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Robin got up quietly, and went to sit under a tree, less than a few feet from Drake and Kailyn's tent. She overheard them, but ignored the conversation, since it wasn't her business. She sat with her knees to her chest, and hopped Azreal would soon follow her. She waited for a while, and watched the fire from a distance.

Cee grimaced at the sight of the dead bodies. The blood of the dead mages ran down the edge of his blade and stained their white robes a deep red. They had fought well, but their magic was nothing compared to a paladin of his caliber. He watched as the barrier began to weaken. "Damn... the Chosen aren't gonna let something like this go unnoticed."

The naelashi's mind was in a whirl. The girl was sick, cured by a man, things were said she couldn't understand properly and all she could do was just stay in place. Then she cautoiusly tried to get the attention of the man that helped her off the unforgiving floor, "Hey um... thank you... I'm sorry for not giving my name... it's Marneila Cumaltim," She finally said.

"Could I ask you something? Um... somewhere that the humans can't hear us possibly?"

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Tellas moved outside the building, avoiding Vexoz for the time being. Something flickered in the corner of his eye and he swore, rather foully, under his breath, "What's-" before he could even finish his mind's question he reentered Vera's home and simply moved into her earshot before stating, with a voice full of urgency, "Vera, The barrier's flickering! I know not what this means but it reeks of betrayal!"

"Hey um... thank you... I'm sorry for not giving my name... it's Marneila Cumaltim,"
Azirak nodded at the new person, and smiled.
"Im Captain Azirak Dynari of the fourteenth kyren battalion. Nice to meet you."

"Could I ask you something? Um... somewhere that the humans can't hear us possibly?"
He looked around at the humans.
"They are usually too stupid to notice anything, but sure."