The Kingdom, Retaken - Printable Version

The cycles spent in Monoceros hadn't been wasteful - The Kingdom had spent a good amount of time growing their own garden in the hot, windy cave, and had done their best with the bare resources that they'd had at their disposal. But Rift still missed their old home - the damp soil beneath his feet, the trees and ferns, the great tree that they lived around and the garden he had spent his entire life cultivating.

Even after Mercy and Oliver had returned to Eridanus, however, Rift stayed behind. More out of fear then anything - perhaps it was selfish, but he couldn't believe that Astraea had simply given up and let him go after refusing to do what he'd asked, and he'd rather not die. But, after a long time of waiting, he decided that it was time to finally go home.

His first step into Eridanus was like the first breath of a man drowning. He froze, the air that flowed into his lungs cool and welcoming, so familiar, and so incredible. He didn't notice Huckleberry almost bumping into him from behind, so entranced by the forest. He could just stand here and breathe in that air all day. He would be content with nothing else, then finding a warm spot, breathing deeply, and allowing the lights of Eridanus, which had always been so much more mild then the intense light in Monoceros, to spread across his fur.

But he had a job to do, and when he started forward, it was with haste.

He returned to his garden, already prepared for the mess that awaited him. But...it wasn't as bad as he thought. It was overgrown, sure, but nobody had burned it down, at least. It was still there and almost entirely intact. A soft smile spread across his face. Home...at last.

He started forward, climbing up on to the roots of his tree and pressed his paws against the familiar bark. He wasn't used to casting this spell anymore on such a big object, and all that he managed to do was cause one of the branches to shiver - nowhere close to the violent shaking he'd once caused to call his allies together, but that was alright.

He turned, sitting on the elevated root and called out into the forest, as loud as he could, "The Kingdom of Eridanus has returned!" No need to be quiet about it - if Astraea was going to find him back here, it wouldn't be subtle. No need to try.

Binh had been resting. He'd, ever so slowly, managed to slither halfway across Eridanus over the course of a few days. A short distance for a long time, yes, but it's hard to get anywhere when your head alone weighs double your body. He hadn't seen anyone else, save for the occasional jungle mouse or butterfly he gobbled up, and came to rest near some dilapidated clearing. The cobra was young and rather a hermit, so he had no idea this was once a kingdom's garden. To him it was just a bunch of funny plants. Either way, he liked it here, so here he stayed.

This particular day Binh was draped over an overgrown branch, his crystalline head angled towards the sky. His stare was blank, his body almost completely still-- to anyone passing by he might as well be dead. Of course, Binh was just being Binh, and his pupils turned the moment Rift spoke out. Who was this? Some funny green feline? And what was he yowling about? ...a kingdom?

Safe to say, Binh had no idea what this cougar was yammering about. But he was curious. Maybe kingdom was good! Or probably bad, but this cat didn't seem very evil-y. The gold-speckled snake slowly picked himself up and crawled out of the leaves, just close enough to be visible. He needed to ask a few questions.

"... Whooo aare yoou?" Binh hissed, an emotionless, drawling rumble. "Whaaat isss a 'kingdom'?"

Sebastian was dozing.

Things were changing in the Caves, and if there was something he had learned in his life, it was that Change was dangerous.

So he kept on guard, even as he dozed. Took cat-naps in fits and starts, and as he rose to wakefulness he reached out and pressed his paw to the tree, listening.

The trees whispered, tattling of something big, something coming, of leaves trampled beneath numerous paws and hooves, voices and whispering. So he stood, shook sleep from his fur. Stretched with a yawning growl, and began to bound through the trees.

When he heard his brother's voice, he nearly fell from the tree.

A rasping laugh - oh, Rift! How he'd missed him! He'd sought, but not enough, feared leaving Eridanus that it might burn - and he raced, faster and faster, until he leaped from the trees and skidded to the ground, looked about, thought for a moment he'd found Enka, his heart gave a pang when, no, much too young, and then he looked at his brother and laughed again, bowing his head and rasping "Long live the King."