New Earth Chap 4 - The Mind's Eye
#4 of The New Earth
Well, here we go again! Sorry for the delay of this chapter. I had friends around this week and then was very sick this weekend, so I didn't get much work done on my story until Sunday. But enough of my troubles, your not here to listen to my whining, right? ; ) Last we left our heroes, they had finally made it to China and were shown around the underground ruins of a 700 year old society that somehow had something to do with the RED virus that had transformed nearly the entire world into furs. Uzanti had revealed an ancient seal depicting the 12 (+1?) animals of the Chinese zodiac and was floating and glowing and collapsing; sufficed to say it was not a good day for him after all. Did I forget anything? Oh ya, TREY AND UZANTI MATED!!! XD How could I forget that :P
What happened to Uzanti in that chamber?
Will he be ok?
And what about all the other 'clouds'? Where did they go?
**And by the way, I will show 'dream sequences' for now on by a division of tilds** ( ~~~~~ ) <--like this
And now the warnings. Warning: This series is of a fictional nature, and involves violence, strong language and sex between anthromorphic beings. If this is not what you're looking for, or are under the age of 18 (or 21 depending on your state/country) go back a few pages or send an angry email to yahoo :) You've been warned!
The characters I have come up with are furs of my own creation. Any resemblance to any other creatures is purely coincidental. If you want to use any of my characters, ideas or repost my story, all you have to do is ask me. I'm sure it will be fine. And any artist out there who wants to draw my characters, email me and I can give more thorough details.
PS. If you haven't read Chapters 1-3 of this series yet, you'll be hopelessly lost O.o Just click on the "more from this author" link next to the story title to find the earlier chapters.
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The New Earth - Chap 4 - The Mind's Eye
Uzanti awoke feeling like his limbs were encased in cement. Trying to lift his arm felt like lifting 100 pounds, and resulted in a yelp of pain as a tingling sensation played up and down his limb. It didn't turn out any better when he tried to move his other arm. Looking to his side to see what the problem was, he realized that there must be something covering his eyes, as they were open but everything was dark. Rubbing the side of his face against the pillow his head was laying on, emitting another yelp of pain as the tingling sensation ran through his neck and muzzle, Uzanti managed to get some of the coverings away from one eye. Looking at the white pillow he was laying on, he saw bandages ribboning away from his head. Trying to get his vision to focus, he slowly moved his eye around the room. A bed, monitors, curtains, "Ok, I'm in a hospital..." flowers and cards, "Ok, my friends and mate have been here...." a familiar looking gray wolf laying in the bed next to him, door leading into a hallway.... a wolf? "Trey!"
Trey awoke to a strange gurgling sound, thinking he might have somehow awoken himself with a snore. He hadn't left Uzanti's side since they got him to the hospital, and the doctor eventually forced him to take a nap, allowing him to use the bed next to the dragon. He looked around, the stark and boring hospital room slowly lulling him back to sleep. He turned over as he heard another gurgling sound and saw Uzanti, the bandages removed from one eye, looking at him and trying to say something. "Uzanti! You're awake!! Nat, Greg, get the doctor, Uzanti's awake!" Trey shouted while getting out the bed, nearly tripping over the bed's bars on the way. He could hear Nat and Greg running away, they had been just outside having a tea. Rushing to his love's side, he pulled the rest of the bandages off from around Uzanti's head, rubbing his paw lightly over his forehead in a loving manner. "Don't try to talk. You've been asleep for 3 days now. You're throat must not be use to talking."
"3 days?!" Uzanti gasped, but it came out more like "thhhewdazz". Trey just put his paw on Uzanti's mouth. The touch actually caused pain at first, but the touch of his best friend, his lover, quickly overrode that pain. Silent tears streamed from Trey, the sight of the dragon in pain and confusion, but alive, too much for him. His own pain he could live with, but the sight of Trey crying proved too much for Uzanti, his tears soon joining the wolf's in their journeys to the ground (or in his case, soaking the pillow). Nat and Greg ran in, not ending the sad yet happy moment but adding to it, their own feelings soon overcome because of the two mates. The doctor then walked in, the short owl forcing the friends away from the patient so he could check the monitors and Uzanti's appearance. Apparently satisfied, he patted the dragon on the head lightly, a slight grimace appearing on Uzanti's face. "Don't worry about that slight pain when touched, that should go away soon. We think it has to do with an electrical field you were exposed to. Otherwise, looks like everything's back to normal, though I still don't know what the cause of your coma was. Your friends brought you in here 3 days ago, your vitals fluctuating and weak. We did all we could, but all anyone could do was wait and hope you would pull yourself through. Your canine friend here never left your side, even at my orders. He even snarled at a nurse that was trying to shoo him out." The short owl smirked at Trey, moving down to the end of the bed to a clipboard in a slot there. "Now that you're awake and moving, you should be able to go home as soon as you feel comfortable leaving. Just see the duty nurse before you go." The doctor put the board back, and walked out of the room to continue his rounds.
"Well, now that he's gone, how about we talk about what the HELL happened down there?!" Nat asked. Greg decided that they shouldn't discuss anything about the ritual room until Uzanti awoke. Without the input of the fur that caused everything to happen, all they could really do is infer. Now that Uzanti was awake again, and seeming better, all she wanted to do was figure out what had happened to her best friend. Uzanti looked up at Nat's face, seeing the remnants of dried tears in the soft feathers around her eyes. Looking at all his friends, he could see the stress he had put them through. He started to tear up again at the thought of them standing around him, worrying about him as he slept. Sure, he felt loved and cared for, but it hurt to think that he caused that much grief to them all. They all saw the shimmering in Uzanti's eyes, his silent gaze at them telling them more than his partially paralyzed voice would. Nat started to cry again, Greg looked away, unable to look at Uzanti like that, and Trey just put his paw on Uzanti's shoulder, the touch finally not causing any pain for him but making him feel alive again. Trying to talk again Uzanti was able to get out some actual, though rather garbled, words. "I'm sorry, everyone, for what I put you through."
"Don't worry, Uzanti, we all survived this, and you not only unlocked what is possibly one of the greatest secrets of New Earth, but are somehow involved in it now. What did happen up there? All you managed to get out was that you somehow knew what to do." Greg pulled up a chair to sit next to Uzanti, starting the conversation everyfur there wanted to hear. Trey sat on the edge of the hospital bed and Nat sat at the end, all interested in hearing everything. Uzanti attempted to get up on his elbows, his muscles slow to respond, eventually managing to sit upright. His voice must have started recovering, as it was getting easier to talk. "Well, like you said, it was like I was meant to do that. I was following you guys when I somehow realized that there was something different about the ground. My toeclaws were making different sounds at different spots. I followed what must have been those "pipes" that were under the floor to the springs at the sides of the room, and somehow knew to block the flow of the spring water. The water started flowing in the pipes, glowing and forming that seal. I guess you know the rest."
"What about Lee? Where'd he go?" Nat asked, remembering that their red panda guide hadn't been seen since after he told them about the caskets in the tomb chamber. Uzanti looked at Nat, thinking for a moment. "I never saw him, I thought he was with all of you." "Nope, we never saw him after the tomb chamber, and he hasn't shown up at the ruins or been seen by anyone since. Dr.Ranford's been looking all over for him." Greg added. Uzanti thought back, remembering something odd. "Actually, I did see something out of the corner of my eye while the seal was "drawing" itself. I thought I saw a flash of red heading out the double doors. Maybe that was him."
"Forget about Lee, that's not important. What about that whole glowing thing? What happened when you were floating in the air and glowing green?" Trey changed the subject, getting to what everyfur wanted to know. "I was floating and glowing?! I don't remember anything after being kissed by you, Trey. Actually I remember feeling like I was on fire, like with my morphing, and feeling this tingling, like electricity. What the heck did happen to me?" Uzanti sat up straighter, very interested now in what his friends had to tell him.
"As soon as Trey kissed you, you stepped into the missing Dragon symbol, and the symbol appeared and you started floating and glowing green, unconscious. Trey tried to get to you, but was tossed halfway across the room somehow." Nat explained. Uzanti looked at Trey at this, surprised at this news and a little worried that he somehow hurt his wolf, even unintentionally. Trey just patted the dragon on the forearm, letting him know it was ok. Nat continued on. "Travis tried to tackle you out of the beam of green light, but was tossed even farther. Don't worry, he's ok too. He had a concussion and a broken arm, but he's a tough koala. Then Jenna told us that these blue clouds of light were leaving the caskets downstairs...oh ya, you never saw the tomb chamber. Under the seal chamber is a room that has 12 caskets in it in a circle, the same circle as the seal. On each casket is the symbol of a zodiac animal, as well as what Lee described as attributes. Well these clouds could pass through walls and even us, and were flying all over the chamber before disappearing. One, the Dragon one we assume since it came up from right below you through the Dragon symbol, started flying around you really fast before it disappeared. You then started glowing blue and landed on the ground again." Nat finished her retelling of the day's events, Uzanti looking really confused. He put his hand to his chest. "All that happened to me? Hey, where's my necklace?!"
Trey dug the charm and chain out of his pocket. "It somehow broke off in the chaos. I asked Greg to get it fixed while I was here with you." He leaned over and put the chain back around Uzanti's neck, the comfortable weight making Uzanti smile for the first time since he awoke. "There were also two red symbols, the Dragon and Mind, on the back of your wings...before you try and look, they're not there now. They faded and disappeared when we were on the way to the hospital. And that's about it. We've been waiting for you to awake ever since; Nat and Greg here every day until they were forced out at night. Emily, Resa and Clay have been here every day with Dr.Ranford's team, but work still has to be done at the dig, so they've been working in the ruins." Uzanti had been attempting to get up out of bed since Trey mentioned the symbols on his wings and now managed to stand up, stretching his arms and wings, his muscles tingling with the movement but a good tingling. He looked out the window, the sun rising in the distance. "Um...Uzanti..." Trey started giggling, Nat and Greg joining in.
"What, what's wrong? What's so funny?" Uzanti turned around, causing his group of friends to laugh even harder. Uzanti looked around, finally looking down. His hospital gown had somehow bunched up, catching in his wings when he stretched them and pulled it up. He started blushing profusely, realizing that he not only just mooned all his friends, but also showed them all his sheath and balls. Quickly pulling down the light gown, Uzanti somehow managed to rip it in half, the strips of fabric falling off his body. His friends just laughed even harder. The duty nurse walked in at that point to see what the noise was, a very small dalmatian, and she gave a little yelp and ran out right away after seeing the naked 7 foot tall dragon standing there. Everyone doubled over in laughter; Nat falling off the bed and Uzanti joining in as he tried to grab the blanket off the bed, Trey grabbing the other end with an evil grin on his muzzle, stopping his dragon from covering up.
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Back at the apartments that they were given, they allowed Uzanti to relax on the couch in Greg's apartment as they prepared an early lunch. Giving the dig site a call, Nat told Emily that Uzanti was home, and that they should head back for a lunch break. After checking with Dr.Ranford, she came back and said that they had been given two hours off, and that Dr. Ranford said to take their time, and come back to the site whenever they felt they could. Getting off the phone, Nat went back to help Trey with the stir-fry he was working on while Greg made sure that Uzanti was comfortable. "Greg, it's ok, I'm fine. After sleeping for 3 days, I want to move around, not sit and do nothing. Let me help." Uzanti said, pushing the blanket off that Greg had gotten from his bedroom. "Ok, but I want you to sit down if you feel anything unusual, promise me that."
"Alright already, Greg. Geez, you're like my mother." Uzanti smiled at Greg, lessening the insult, and went towards the kitchen to see what he could do. Getting the bowls and cups out, Uzanti felt better just doing simple things again. It didn't feel like he had been out for 3 days, his muscles nearly back to normal. That feeling was short lasting though. Carrying the large stack of bowls into the dinning/living area he suddenly swayed, his vision blurring. Greg came back out from his room, and Trey and Nat from the kitchen, at the sound of dishes breaking to find Uzanti lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious again. Uzanti drifted in a swirl of blacks and whites, not hearing the cries of his friends, his mate. A yellow glow appeared ahead of him, growing until he had to close his eyes to the brightness.
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"Where am I?" Uzanti asked out loud. Looking around, he appeared to be in a room with a bed, dresser and mirror in it. It seemed a little simple, almost stark, and then he realized there were bars on the windows and the door was made of a heavy wood, reinforced with metal bands. "Am I in jail?"
"No, this is my bedroom, or at least it was." Uzanti jumped, the voice coming from nowhere. Turning around, he saw a gray shape forming at the bed, the shape eventually forming into that of a cat morph. After becoming solid, Uzanti could see that the cat was coloured like a black and gray tabby, though it was quite a bit furrier than most he had seen. The cat was wearing simple white shorts and tunic, and had its long head fur done in a braid. The cat's tail was more like a wolf's, thick and fluffy-looking. The eyes, a dark amber colour, seemed to bore into Uzanti's, studying his mind, his soul. "Who are you? Why am I here?" Uzanti asked the cat, moving over next to it as it sat down on the bed, looking around at its surroundings.
"My name is Ten-Xao. You're here because this is your mind. Before you ask, I'm here because I invited myself in. Don't worry, I can only see what you let me see and show you what I want to show you. I can't look through your thoughts or memories. I entered because I needed to show you mine, and tell you what you are." Ten-Xao explained. "What I am? What are you talking about? And why are you showing me you room? It looks more like a jail anyway." Uzanti realized he might have sounded rude there, but didn't really care at that moment. This feline had invaded his mind to show him this other reality. Who knows what was happening to him in real life. His friends were probably worried to death over him again.
"Well, you're right. This did turn into more of a prison later on, once my father refused to let me out in case others saw me. He was scared of my appearance. I heard the servants talk about how much trouble he was going through to try and cure me of this....curse." Ten-Xao grabbed his tail at this, dropping it down next to him again. "Eventually he found someone that had an idea, an old orcle that knew of an ancient prophecy. Being the emperor, my father had resources to gather the cursed needed for the prophecy...." Uzanti interrupted the cat at this. "Wait, you father was an emperor? Is this about the zodiac?"
"Ahh, I see you already know something. My father must have left a record of the curse in the zodiac chamber. Well, as the winner of the war writes the history books, so I must assume my father wrote the records to his benefit. It probably tells how he tried to cure me, to cure all the cursed of his land, but that was not his goal. He was so scared of us "demons" that he wanted to destroy us all. The zodiac, unwittingly, were to help him do this with their combined powers. The oracle that supplied the prophecy of the zodiac to my father also told me, but included some details he left out when telling the tale to the emperor. Although not knowing his motives, I decided to trust him. It turns out that what my father started when he combined me and the zodiac in the chamber is to be finished hundreds of years in the future, when the world is engulfed in the curse. My father, despising all of us cursed so much, decided that it would be better to take care of the few of us now himself, and allow the prophecy to take care of the supposedly billions of cursed throughout the world in the future. After the ceremony, which I thought I might have been able to change, I watched as his guards killed all the other zodiac. I managed to kill my father with my last breath, but the prophecy had been started. In 700 years, the ceremony will come to fruition, and all cursed will die. That is unless the reincarnated zodiac can stop it. That's where you come in, Dragon." Ten-Xao finished his story, looking to Uzanti and gauging his reaction.
"Oh...my...God...all morphs will die?! Only one percent of the population aren't morphs! What was he thinking?! This will be the greatest genocide in the history of earth!" Uzanti panicked, thinking of all the furs in the world, wiped out because of the petty hating of one long dead Chinese emperor. His dad (his mom was still human), his friends, his mate....himself, all gone. Right then and there, he decided to do whatever he could, though at that time he didn't see what he could do. "What do you mean 'the reincarnated zodiac'? Do you mean that those clouds that my friends saw were ghosts? Have I been possessed or something?" "Ha ha ha, no, nothing like that. It's not a real incarnation, just the powers and the position as a member of the zodiac. As the Dragon, the first one found back in my time, so shall you be the first one in your time, and your powers should help you find the others. The Dragon received the power of the Mind from fate, the abilities of telepathy and telekinesis, as well as precognition. These powers will soon emerge, especially now that you know of them, but you must remember that the fuel for these powers can be limited. The entire zodiac use a different source of energy, some more readily available then others. I believe the Dragon, since his power was of the Mind, used the brain's energy as a source of power, more specifically, his dreams. You must remember to rest, or your strength will leave you." Ten-Xao got up from the bed, looking out the barred window to the non-existent landscape of his ancient homeland.
"That must be why I was out for 3 days, my body recharging itself after that event at the seal. So how will I know who the other zodiac are?" Uzanti asked, joining the tabby at the pointless window. Looking at the cat, he realized that it was very tired looking and started fading. "I don't have much strength left, so I'll leave you with this. You must search out the other zodiac. I will know more soon, as more zodiac are awakened like you have been and my strength grows, but the time is coming for the completion of the prophecy. I'll try to contact you again when I can, but for now, trust your feelings. They will be augmented by your powers soon." Ten-Xao started walking back to the bed again, being nothing more than a cloud in the shape of a cat. "Wait, how can I be talking to you when you died 700 years ago!" Uzanti asked as the cloud started to dissipate. "I have been reincarnated, the real way, since I died, waiting for the day the Dragon would awake so I could guide him. That is my destiny, just like it's my father's to destroy all cursed...." Ten-Xao's voice faded to nothing, just as the cloud disappeared. Left in the room alone, Uzanti wondered what he should do when all of a sudden he felt like he was falling.
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Waking up with a start. Uzanti nearly bashed his head off the underside of a chair at the dinning table. Nat, Greg and Trey all jumped back, startled by the sudden movement of the dragon. Rubbing his eyes, Uzanti looked at his surroundings, seeing himself back in Greg's apartment, the pile of broken dishes on the ground next to him. Looking back to his friends, seeing their worried expressions, all he said was..."I need to think. I'll be back in a bit." Heading to the door out of the apartment, he felt a soft paw grab his tail. "Wait, Uzanti, are you ok? What happened?" Uzanti looked around at Trey, the wolf looked very concerned, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. Pulling his mates paw from his tail, he smiled at him to assure the wolf. "I'm fine, I was just contacted....no, I have to think this through first....don't worry you guys, I'm alright, that had nothing to do with the last 3 days...well, yes it did, but not in the way you think. I'll be right back." Opening the door Uzanti walked out into the hallway. On the way down the stairs he met up with Emily, Resa and Clay. "Glad to see you're better, Uzanti. Where you going?" Clay asked, happy to see the dragon up again. "Just have to think of something, don't worry, you guys will hear it all soon. The others are in Greg's place, but they may seem upset about me. Reassure them that I'm still me, ok?" Resa looked a little confused but nodded, and pulled Emily and Clay after her to leave Uzanti alone.
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Uzanti just wandered aimlessly, thinking about everything Ten-Xao told him, eventually finding his way to a small but beautiful garden. There he found a small bench to sit at as he sorted out all he just learned. It was a lot to wrap his mind around. He had a part in what could end up being the end of the world for the vast majority of sentient beings. He knew what he had to do. He knew he had to prevent this any way he could, it was just very intimidating to think about. Looking at a fountain in front of the bench he saw a can sitting on the edge. Thinking of what Ten-Xao said about his powers, he thought now would be a good time to try them out. If he could show everyfur that what he just went through was true by lifting an object with his mind, that would add some proof. That was the main reason he needed to leave. He could hardly believe what had happened himself, so he had no idea what to tell his friends.
Focusing on the can, he imagined it lifting in the air a few centimeters. Nothing happened, the can just stayed where it was. Trying harder, feeling kind of dumb and sweating with concentration he raised a paw, pointing it at the can and slowly raising it. At first he thought it might had been his imagination playing tricks on him, showing him what he wanted to see. Then he realized that the can was floating just a little above the cement edge. Straining, he thought of the can moving towards him, landing in his outstretched palm. The can started moving, leaving the edge of the fountain and speeding up. Turning over his paw, the can floated right up to it before it dropped, landing right in the middle of his outstretched paw. Smiling to himself and filled with a new courage, he got up from the bench and went back to the apartments, tossing the can in a recycling bin on his way out of the garden.
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Opening the door to Greg's apartment, Uzanti was immediately greeted by a rush of fur and feathers and six sets of eyes and voices, all attempting to talk to him at once. Laughing at the immediate output of concern from everyfur there, Uzanti pushed between Nat and Resa so that he could sit down at the table where dinner was waiting. Taking the hint, and relieved that he seemed normal again, everyone else sat down too, waiting for Uzanti to talk first. While the stir-fry was handed out, Uzanti started to tell them all that Ten-Xao had said in the 'dream world' as he decided to call it. They all listened intently, none of them interrupting him as he told them of the real motives of the emperor, and the powers that he inherited as the Dragon of the zodiac. Clay laughed a little at that part, before being silenced by a kick in the shin under the table from Resa. Uzanti smiled himself. "Don't worry, Resa. I didn't believe it myself at first, and I'd be kind of surprised if you weren't all thinking just now that you needed to get me to an insane asylum, and fast." "Well, it's not that unbelievable." Greg stated, getting looks from everyone there, including Uzanti, who asked, "You believe me, Greg?" "Of course I do. And you all should give him the benefit of the doubt."
"But Greg, it's all just so far fetched. I mean, c'mon, super powers, the end of the world, an ancient prophacey, it sounds like some cheesy cub's show. I would think you would need proof, being a scientist and all." Clay asked. Greg nodded, saying "Yes, as I scientist I need proof, and the proof I have is what happened 3 days ago. Have any of you ever seen a fur float without wings while glowing, and have these clouds of energy pass through the walls and yourself? Since that time, I am willing to believe anything Uzanti says. He's now a part of something we could never fully comprehend. It is a noble goal he sets out to accomplish, and we should give him our full support. Saying that, though, I would like a demonstration of these, as Clay so eloquently put it, 'super powers' Uzanti. Could you show us please?"
"Ya, Uzanti, read my mind." Clay asked the dragon. "I don't need powers to read your mind, Clay, it's so simple." This got a good laugh from everyone, except Clay, who just pouted. "I'm sorry Clay, you made that one easy. Anyway, I haven't tried that aspect of my powers yet, but I can do something else. Trey, did you leave the water jug on the kitchen counter?" Trey looked at Uzanti kind of confused, then nodded. "Yep, next to the fridge." "Ok, Nat, let me fill you glass for you." "Sure."
Concentrating like when he moved the can, Uzanti found it a little harder this time. Not only couldn't he see what he was doing, but the jug was also filled with water and he didn't want to spill any of it. Closing his eyes to help him focus, he knew that he was once again moving something with his mind as the room was filled with gasps. Opening his eyes so he could see what he was doing, he saw that the jug was right where he pictured it was in his mind, floating above Nat's plate. Being very careful, he tipped the jug, pouring water into her empty glass, managing to spill only a few drops. Righting the jug again, he let it float down to the table where he let go of it with his mind, and it sat precisley where he left it. Turning to his friends, he saw the shocked expressions on their faces, but they weren't looking at the jug or Nat's glass, but at him. "Umm...guys..." Nat pointed to at Uzanti, interrupting him before he could ask what was up. "Uzanti, your wings, they're glowing red again, just like in the zodiac chamber!"
Turning around, trying to get a look at his wings, Uzanti only managed to knock over his glass. Greg got up and opened the hall closet, revealing the mirror that hung on the back of the door. Moving over to the mirror to see what they were talking about Uzanti could see symbols, seemingly engraved into his scales. The deep crimson symbols of the Dragon and Mind seemed to throb in his wings, though Uzanti couldn't tell that they were there until he was told so. He turned back to his friends with a slightly worried look on his face. Greg walked over to him and patted Uzanti on the shoulder. "I'm sure it's ok, Uzanti. If you didn't even know they were there then I think it's normal. Well, normal for you know. Just a guess, but I believe it has something to do with your powers. Those symbols appeared when you received your status as a zodiac 3 days ago, and they appeared now when you used your telekinesis. I know you lifted that water jug to prove to us what this Ten-Xao said, but these symbols, the symbol for the Dragon of the zodiac and the Mind, are more than enough proof. We need to figure out what to do now."
"What do you mean we, Greg? It's me that has to search out these zodiac. I don't want any of you to be a part of this, it may be dangerous." Uzanti pulled away from Greg's grasp when he noticed the red symbols had faded, and walked back towards the table and sat down. Greg closed the closet and joined him, looking serious again. "Uzanti, there's no way you're doing this alone. Just the logistics of this 'search' is enough to prove you'll need help. Those clouds that were the spirits of the zodiac could have gone anywhere, staying here in China or traveling throughout the world. How do you expect to find all these zodiac yourself?" "Ya, you're not going anywhere without our help. You may have powers we don't, but you're still Uzanti, and we're still your friends." Nat added in, Trey and the others nodding their agreements. Uzanti stared at his friends, touched that they'd be willing to help him in this possibly dangerous quest. "I'm going to go see Dr.Ranford and let him now what's going on. Hopefully we will be able to convince his backers to provide us with a grant so we can find these zodiac. You three should be heading back too." Greg said this to Emily, Resa and Clay. "I'll be back later. Relax for now, Uzanti, you don't want to strain yourself too much. You guys can stay here if you want." "Yes, Greg. Bye everyone." Uzanti waved to them as they got up to leave.
After Greg and the others left, Nat, Uzanti and Trey cleaned up from lunch and just talked for a while about all that had happened in the few hours since Uzanti had awoken. It wasn't long before everyone started yawning. Trey and Nat had an excuse, since they had gotten very little sleep in the past 3 days, watching over Uzanti. "Why are you tired, Uzanti? If I were you, I'd probably not sleep for a week after being out for that long." Trey asked after Uzanti let loose a particularly large dragon yawn. "I don't know, I'm just really tired all of a sudden. Wait a minute, Ten-Xao said that the abilities of the zodiac are powered by different sources. He said that that Dragon in his time needed dreams to be able to use his powers. I must be this tired because I've used my powers twice already, and I'm still learning how to use them."
Natalie got up and stretched her wings. "Well, I'll head back to my apartment then, and let you two get some rest. I'm expecting you to take care of him Trey." Nat hugged Trey and Uzanti and left. Since they didn't have a key to lock his apartment, they had to stay at Greg's. Heading into the bedroom they stripped down to their boxers and got under the covers, Uzanti removing the necklace. Trey snuggled up to the dragon, happy to once again be able to be with his lover. "I'm so glad you're ok. You don't know how worried I was when you just wouldn't wake up." "I know, Trey. I was so happy to see you there when I woke up. I knew everything was going to be ok with you there with me." Uzanti licked the side of Trey's muzzle, Trey murring with the wet kiss from his mate. Leaning even farther into the wolf, Uzanti wrapped his arms around his shoulders, pressing his lips to Trey's, holding him in a kiss that had been 3 days in coming. Both male's lost themselves in the kiss, their worlds shrinking to the bed and each other.
Staying that way for what seemed like forever and not long enough, Trey eventually broke the kiss. Looking into his lover's eyes, Trey moved his paws down the dragon's muscular chest, running his soft pads over the sensitive nipples, resulting in a moan from Uzanti. Drawing his roaming paws back up to Uzanti's head, the wolf locked him in another passionate kiss, pushing past the lips to explore the inside of the mouth, tasting each other and wrestling with their tongues. Separating for air, Trey then moved his mouth to Uzanti's neck, nipping and licking at the corded muscles of his collarbone. Purring at the sensations his mate was putting him through, Uzanti grabbed his love's ear with his teeth, lightly nipping the triangular lobe. Trey let out a murr as his sensitive ears were teased. Breaking away once again, Trey looked at Uzanti as he moved his paw down to the dragon's tenting boxers. Nodding his encouragement, Uzanti leaned back as his wolf pushed his paw past the band of the boxers to grab at the enlarging cock. Nearly at his full 9 inches already, Uzanti got there quick enough as Trey moved his paw up and down the shaft. Trey moved down the bed, pulling off Uzanti's boxers and moving his head towards the dragon crotch, sniffing at the wonderful musky scent of his mate. Continuing to stroke the hot shaft with one paw while cupping and fondling the large balls with his other, Trey quickly got Uzanti moaning in pleasure. Moving forward, Trey licked at the bead of pre that had started to gather at the head of Uzanti's cock, getting a short gasp from the dragon. Pulling back again Trey smiled as he heard a light whimpering coming from his mate. He then engulfed the entire head in his warm mouth, lightly sucking on it and tasting the precum that had gathered again and licking the shaft with his tongue. Covering his lower teeth with his tongue, Trey started moving up and down the large shaft, his own saliva lubricating the movement. Unable to go all the way down on the giant cock, he went as far as he could, the head hitting the back of his throat and causing moans to once again come out of Uzanti's mouth. Small spurts of pre shot down Trey's throat, as Uzanti got closer and closer to climax. Eventually the intimate ministrations of his lover were too much and he started to cum, the hot seed spraying into Trey's mouth and down his throat. The force of the climax was so great Uzanti let out a roar, the feeling of ecstasy overwhelming him. The amount of seed was too much for Trey to keep up with, small drops seeping out of the corner of his mouth. Finally, Uzanti stopped cumming, and Trey worked at cleaning the leftover cum from the still throbbing cock. Licking his lips with his long tongue when he finished, Trey moved back up the bed to lie next to his mate. Looking at Uzanti, he saw that the dragon was already asleep with a silly looking grin on his muzzle. Smiling to himself, Trey cuddled in next to him, resting his head gently on Uzanti''s chest and laying his paw across him, only to fall asleep himself in seconds.
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Looking around, Uzanti saw that he was in a terminal of some sort. Plane or train, he couldn't tell. He knew something was wrong though. It was like he was underwater, his vision wavering and no sound reaching his ears. Then a group of furs walked right through him, and he realized he must be dreaming. "Or is this some kind of manifestation of my powers" he thought, as he looked back at the group of assorted furs as they rushed to get wherever they were going. Moving farther into the terminal, Uzanti recognized a group of signs..."This is the airport. Why am I dreaming this?"
Uzanti started walking again, not really knowing where to go. Lost in the dream world airport, Uzanti just wandered, paying attention to everything just in case it was important. He was in a section of the airport that he had only passed by on their way into China 3 days ago. It was an area that was under reconstruction, exposed pipes and wires all over the place. Then something startled him, he could actually hear something, and it wasn't a good sound either. Panicked screaming met his ears as he rounded a corner, and if he had not been in an ethereal form, he would have been bowled over by the mad rush of furs that were running away. It seemed that all sound returned to him, because Uzanti heard a strange roaring sound. Finally, all the furs passed him, and he could see what was the cause of their panic. Standing in front of him was a gorgeous white tiger wearing a muscle shirt and jogging pants, easily as tall as he was and of a similar build. The amazing thing was that the tiger seemed to be physically holding back a wall of flame. Leaning into the fire, seemingly impervious to the heat that was surrounding him, it looked like he was stopping the fire from going any farther into the terminal with his bare paws. Looking at the source of the fire, Uzanti saw what must have been exposed gas lines, and assumed that they must have somehow burst and ignited. Uzanti was amazed until he saw something that made the whole unbelievable scene make sense. On the side of the tiger's shoulder, hardly visible due to the red and orange flames wrapping around him, was a glowing red symbol, much like his own in style only a different symbol. Somehow Uzanti knew the symbol was that of the Tiger. "He's a zodiac!"
Uzanti barely had time to register this before a group of security furs rounded the corner, weapons drawn. Seeing the tiger in the midst of the fire, the security furs were confused and scared. The tiger turned towards the furs, but seemed to look at Uzanti instead, the sad, deep blue eyes boring into his memory. Then a long trail of flame got beyond the tiger's control and hit the scaffolding across the hallway, causing the scaffolding to collapse. The loud crash startled one of the security furs, and he shot by instinct. That one shot started a barrage of bullets, many hitting their mark, and the tiger crumpled to the floor, dead before he landed, his sad eyes still locked with Uzanti's. Now that he could see both of the tiger's shoulders, he could see that there was another symbol on the other side. However, both of the red symbols were now slowly fading.
With the tiger gone, the flames were able to explode outward. The whole hallway was quickly engulfed, all the security furs screaming as there uniforms and fur went up in flames. The flames couldn't touch Uzanti, but the roaring caused him to duck his head and close his eyes.
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Opening his eyes again, Uzanti sat up, knocking Trey off of him. Looking at his mate, Trey gasped as he saw the glowing red symbols on Uzanti's wings again. Knowing that they were there himself because the dark bedroom was lit up like it was on fire (a reminder that wasn't lost on him), Uzanti looked to Trey and knew what he had to do. "We have to go to the airport, right now!" Uzanti got out of the bed and went to put his clothes on. Trey got up too, trusting his mate that he knew what he was doing. Heading out, they knocked on Nat's door down the hall. "Nat! Nat! Wake up!" Natalie came to the door, looking sleepy and wearing only a pair of shorts and a tank top, but fully waking up when she saw the look on Uzanti's muzzle. "What's wrong?"
"I just had, I don't know, a vision or something! I know where the next zodiac is, and he's going to die if I don't help him!" The words rushed out of Uzanti, somehow he knew he didn't have much time. "How do you know it was a vision? Couldn't it have been a dream?" Nat asked. "Nat, those symbols were glowing, like when he lifted that water jug. That means he was using his powers, or at least that's what Greg thinks." Trey explained. Uzanti nodded, and added "Ten-Xao said that the Dragon also had the power of precognition. I think I saw the future, and if I don't do something, the Tiger, as well as a lot of innocent furs, will die!"
"Ok, I'm going too, then!" Nat went back in to get some clothes, but Uzanti yelled back to her. "We can't wait, and we can't leave Greg's door unlocked! He's got a lot of expensive equipment in there! We'll be ok, and back soon!" With that, Trey and Uzanti ran out of the building, lucky enough to grab a taxi as it drove by. Nat followed to the roadside door of the apartment building, a tear of worry making its way through her facial feathers.
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Arriving at the airport in record time, mainly due to the huge tip they offered their driver, Uzanti got out and ran to the terminal entrance. "Do you even know where to go, Uzanti?" Trey asked as he raced to catch up to the dragon after paying the driver. "Ya, it happens in that section that was under construction we passed by on our way in. That was close to gate 14, right?" Uzanti barely dodged a luggage cart as he ran full tilt down the main concourse. Trey hopped the cart, getting a yelp from the lizard that was pushing it. "Yep, just after it."
The two mates ran full tilt, swerving around the furs, getting quite a few dirty looks and growls. Getting to the security checkpoint, they had to wait in line until they were able to get through. Running again, they made it to the construction zone, just when they heard a loud bang and a roaring sound. Crowds of furs were running towards them, a sea of fur and fear that Uzanti and Trey had to wade through. Eventually the crowds thinned, allowing the two to start running again. Uzanti had a huge sense of deja vu as he rounded a corner, pushing through a final group of furs, and seeing the white tiger from his vision standing in front of a wall of flame, the same symbol of the Tiger on his bare shoulder. He could hear Trey gasp behind him, and Uzanti realized he never told him what was about to happen. "If I don't somehow do something, Trey, the security guards are going to shoot him, and this whole area is going up in flames." "What security...Ok, do what you need to, I'll help in any way I can."
Moving slowly toward the tiger, trying not to distract him from the wall of death in front of him, Uzanti caught his eye, the tiger focusing those same deep blue eyes on his gold ones. "You must be the Dragon of the zodiac." The tiger said, his voice deep but strained with effort. Uzanti was surprised that the tiger knew of the zodiac already. The tiger saw this, and explained as he held back the fire. "I was contacted in my sleep a few days ago by this whacked out cat that said he was the dead son of an emperor from 700 years ago. He said I was the member of some group needed to save the world, and had special powers. Obviously I didn't believe him, but then there was this fire in my restaurant back home in America, and I somehow was able to stop it. I decided to believe him at that point, and come to China like he asked me to. He said the Dragon would find me, and so you have, though I think this is all pointless...I can't hold this back much longer, and they've already tried to turn off the gas."
Looking around, Uzanti tried to think of something to save the tiger. Hearing something behind him, Uzanti turned to see all the security furs lined up, their weapons drawn and pointing at both the tiger and himself. Trey, feeling rather worthless up to that point, moved to block the path between the security force and his mate. "Trey, no!" "This is all I can do to help you. You worry about making your premonition wrong." The security force, very confused at what was going on, held their ground. Looking around again, hoping to find something to stop the fire and thus prevent the scaffolding from collapsing and scaring the security furs into shooting his mate, Uzanti saw a pile of sheet metal leaning against the wall a little farther down the terminal. Thinking quickly, Uzanti ran and grabbed a sheet and brought it back close to the tiger.
"What's your name, by the way? Mine's Uzanti Mastis." Uzantis asked, thinking his plan through. "It's Mike. Mike Dalton. What are you going to do with that? There's no way you can get close enough to put that over the hole." "You weren't told about my powers then, were you?" Smiling, Uzanti held the small sheet of metal in front of him, closing his eyes in concentration. The tiger gasped as he saw red symbols similar to his own appear on the back of the dragons wings, and nearly lost control of the fire as the sheet of metal floated out of his hands. Hearing the gasp, Trey turned around, smiling as he saw what Uzanti was doing. Moving the sheet of metal towards the flames, Uzanti had to focus very hard. The flames were coming out with greater force than he thought, and they were pushing back on the metal, making it hard to move. Pushing harder, he began to make progress. Opening his eyes, Uzanti could see that the sheet of metal was almost at the pipes, glowing white-hot, the flames billowing around the metal. Straining hard, he pushed the metal against the pipe, forcing the now nearly molten metal to wrap around the pipe and holding it there until it cooled to a dull red, effectively sealing the leak. Finally able to relax, both the tiger and the dragon collapsed on the floor, exhausted from their efforts. "I'm going to have to sleep for a day after that one." Uzanti said, gasping for breath. "Huh?" Mike looked towards the dragon, confused. "I'll explain later. Let's get out of here. I'm sure most of the furs around here won't understand how a tiger was able to block fire with his paws, or how a dragon lifted a sheet of metal with his mind. C'mon Trey, let's head home. You got somewhere to stay, Mike, 'cause we got this apartment you can stay at. We got lots of room right Trey."
Leaving the group of stunned guards Trey joined them, nodding his assent. "Sure do. And Uzanti, never let me do something that stupid again, ok?" "Right. Hopefully not all the zodiac are as clumsy as this one, getting involved in something a dangerous as that." Mike punched the dragon in the arm, none too lightly, but laughed along with his new friends.
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"Well, it's been done. The Dragon and Tiger know me, and they should have found each other by now. Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" The black and gray tabby kneeled in the spotlight in the midst of total darkness. A voice rang out from the darkness, "are you questioning my methods, Ten-Xao? Maybe it's time for another one of our 'sessions'."
"No master, I just thought that exposing ourselves to them already could bring trouble. I apoligize for my audacity. I will seclude myself back in my room for the evening. Goodnight, M'Lord." Rising up from his knee, Ten-Xao left the chamber.
"It has been far too long. Not only is he thinking for himself, but he's also acting for himself. He left without my permission. Set things up for his treatment, it shall be done before nightfall." The bodiless voice commanded, as an old human in long robes walked out of the shadows. "Yes my master, but if this insignificant servant may ask, why did you allow me to hear his report?" "I have my reasons, don't question them unless you also want to become a participant of our little 'sessions'. Now leave and attend to my wishes."
The geezer left the chamber, once again torn between the commands of his master and the young cat he now had to attend to.