Hey, heads up.

Like the one chapter a while ago, this one changes perspectives from Krel to Lunalis. However, it only happens once halfway through, unlike the last one. Both halves were too short to make two separate chapters, and I think it works out okay.

I hope you enjoy!

—————

The next step was to tend to the wounded.

My sister had been contacted to retrieve the missing Akiridions, and she was hysterical when she had me in her arms. She was nearly identical to when I last saw her, with the same spiky hair that fell down her shoulders and extra pair of limbs, though a large, crown-like object was hovering behind her head. Then, I saw an Akiridion I recognized all too well that scooped the both of us up in gigantic arms, six eyes crinkling in glee as he laughed deeply and freely.

"It is good to see you again, young royal!" He said, a bright grin on display across his face. "Varvatos Vex is most disappointed that he missed out on spreading carnage and GLORIOUS DEATH!!!"
"It's good to see you too, Varvatos," I smiled, hiding my tears as I hugged him tighter. "Tell me, princeling. How have things been?"
"Who is the girl with the big ears behind you?" Aja asked, watching Lunalis behind me.

"Oh! Let me introduce you!" I replied, before hopping out of Varvatos' arms to come to Lunalis, leading her back with a hand in mine. "Varvatos, this is Lunalis, my love," I introduced them with a dazzling smile, finding no other word proper to describe her after what we had been through. "Lunalis, this is Varvatos Vex, a great general and my protector for a time on Earth."

"A please to make your acquaintance, young lover!" He grinned, taking a knee to shake her hand in one of his much larger ones, stubby fingers wrapping around it easily. "This woman is strong of heart, and in battle! Glorious! Keep her." He directed this last statement to me. I lit up dark blue and put a hand on my face. Lunalis laughed. Traitor.

"I am Aja," my sister smiled, pulling her into a hug. "I am glad you have brought my little brother out of his shell. He's quite dense when it comes to emotions."
"Hey!" I protested, but Lunalis laughed again. "I have a feeling we'll be good friends," she smiled.

Aja smiled in return, before turning her gaze and lighting up. "My blonde oaf!!!" She yelled, waving wildly from across the field and taking off towards Steve, dipping him as he caught her and kissing him passionately. "Ugh," I gagged. "Gross."
"Can't say I blame her; she's been talking about him every day since we've left."

"PEPPERJACK!!!" I grinned maniacally, grabbing and yanking him in for a tight hug. I'd missed him just as much as Aja, seeing as he was my first and closest friend on Earth. He'd gotten much taller, his face older and more defined with the first of a handsome stubble coming through on his jawline. But he still had the same nerdy glasses as before, and his hair was the same dorky style.

"Who is this...creature?" I heard a familiar voice rasp from behind me, and I smirked, Lunalis grabbing my hand and giving me a look. I gave her a look back to say, Just watch. Insanity leered closer as Eli paled, sniffing him once, twice, before sneering. "He looks like a sack of meat."

"How dare you insult the great warrior Jack of Peppers?!" Varvatos bellowed indignantly. Insanity lit up with a manic smile. "This little human? A warrior?! Interesting. I shall have to see his prowess in battle."

"No one shall give the Jack of Peppers a glorious death but Varvatos Vex!!!" Varvatos tackled her with full force, all eight feet of him rolling as she went down. She laughed maniacally and fought right back, kicking and punching but never enough to seriously maim or kill. Lunalis had panicked when Varvatos had first initiated, but soon looked on with awe after a minute. Zephyr wandered over as well, gasping with joy when she saw her loved one playfighting with someone who was truly her match.

Claire and Jim made their way back to the battlefield to review the damage and transport those who were ready home. Claire looked a little bit green opening the last portal, but allowed for ten large cars to be driven through by various Arcadians so the gravely wounded could seek medical attention back in town. Once her work was done, she threw up, and proceeded to collapse in Jim's arms unconscious.

Toby and Aaarrrggghh!!! were helping to direct trolls to carry the injured and put them in their proper places, carrying stretchers and cots to and from with the other trolls. Señor Uhl had even sucked up his pride to give us a ride into town when we were ready to leave the battlefield.

Steve was following Scales around like a lost duckling, chattering on and on about them being "bros" now, and attempting to induct him into a secret human society called the "Creepslayerz". The poor Dragon looked so confused watching him toddle around with his weapon, attempting to lose him by weaving through the medics (and failing). I laughed, watching Scales press his face into Aquarius' hair and refusing to look at the persistent teen.

Then, I turned to Lunalis and squeezed her hand. Everything was going to be alright now.

**********

A deep rumble from behind me made me turn, and I was surprised to see Ramos there, down on one knee with his head bowed low. My Goddess, he said, voice now mellifluous and smooth like velveteen instead of dark and raspy like before. I have fulfilled your wish, and heeded your call to arms. Now, I wish for you to restore me to my former state.

What..? I asked softly, shocked and confused.
You know what I mean, Si—Lunalis. He sighed heavily between words, eyes closed in contemplation as he continued his monologue. I....I have lost to you. You have challenged me for the role of Alpha, and have won it. It is in our nature for the loser to die, the weak to be consumed to empower the strong. I only ask that you grant me my request of becoming stone once more.

Why? My head was flooded with conflicting thoughts, each and every one racing by me too quickly to see or pay much attention to. Why would he do this? Did he truly mean it?? Was it yet another trick I had yet to see through???

Ramos' chuckle brought me out of my head. I looked down at him, now on both knees and staring up at me. He, for the first time that I had ever seen him, finally looked happy; at peace with his decision. Looking forward to it, even. I have no more use here to this den, he said, looking at the Ventils in the clearing. I have caused more harm to my pack than I have good, and were I to return, I would be ostracized anyways. A fitting punishment, no doubt, and yet... He rose to his feet, shoulders back and wings spread proudly, head held high and strong. You have decided my fate, O Mighty Eclipse, and proceeded to halt it to better our people. Now, please. See it through.

I started to cry unwillingly, tears blurring my vision as a sob wracked my body. Yet again, I would be losing a brother, though this time by his own volition. My hands shook as I gently placed them on either side of his muzzle, leaning my forehead towards his own. He complied, his own frequency low and slow; accepting of his decision. As I pulled back, he nodded, tears filling his own eyes. Thank you, he said, and I nodded.

Slowly, I closed my eyes and trailed my hands down to his chest, leaving them there until living, breathing warmth of his fur was replaced with unforgiving marble, glossy and cool. I looked up, the tears coming harder now as I saw his face, immortalized in stone, looking more at peace than ever before. Thank you, I could almost hear him saying, face filled with acceptance and peace at last.

"What's happened, Lunalis?" Raven asked, taking my hand and staring at the statue that was once our brother with uncertainty. I drew a ragged breath, wiping my tears with one hand and pulling her closer to my side with the other. "Eclipse has decided his fate," I said softly, unable to bring my voice above a whisper without it clouding with sorrow. "He is sleeping in the stars, now."

"With...with Scorpio?" She asked so tentatively, voice so soft and sweet. I smiled down at her, nodding. "Yes, Sister. With Scorpio."
"Then who shall lead us now?"

I looked out to the Ventils, shifting and churning amongst the people of Arcadia Oaks. I saw Cephas laughing with Toby; Scales avoiding Steve's overenthusiastic ramblings about their fight together; the Sisters tending to the wounded, both human and Ventil alike; Insanity, begrudgingly putting on a display of fiery tricks to entertain the young ones. And yet, I could see the looks in the other Ventils' eyes. The ones of mistrust, of hesitation.

"We were never meant to be domesticated," I said finally, turning back to Raven. "We are our own people, as are humans. Our ways of life are too different. Trying to integrate with human society would be our downfall."

"Then what happens?" She whispered, and I pulled her closer, still watching the crowds. "We coexist," I sighed. "We are like the sun and moon, day and night; we are too different to exist at the same time in the same place. But...we can both live in peace, so long as we go our separate ways."

Raven was silent for a while, thinking. I kept holding her close, rubbing her shoulders with a hand. "Mother wants you to come with us," She asked finally, breaking the silence. I turned my head, watching her as she slowly continued. "She and Father both. They....they've decided to let you come back. Everyone has. You would become an Elder, help our people grow and prosper with Eclipse. Please..."

I closed my eyes, sighing softly. The news did not instill any sense of joy or acceptance in me; rather, I felt even more cold and empty. "I have long since stopped caring about their approval," I finally said out loud. "Our people do not want me; not as I am. They want Eclipse, an all-powerful deity to lead them to greater heights. I am not that deity."

Raven began to cry, squeezing my waist tighter. "Then what...what will become of us?" She cried, tucking her face into my stomach. "We will exist as we have always done," I said, taking her face in both hands and turning it up to face mine. I dropped my forehead to hers, closing my eyes, and she did so in turn. "I love you, my sister. We will see each other again."
"But—"

"Our people need a leader, yes?" I interrupted her, brushing tears from her face. "Someone strong, and loyal, and gracious, and kind. Someone who would stand claw-to-toe against the most fierce enemy the Ventils have faced? The sister of Eclipse herself?" Raven was confused for a moment, before her face went pale and she stumbled back. "I-I cannot!" she squeaked, face now turning red with embarrassment. "I'm just a-a-a pup! I—"

"Pups do not go to war and stay as pups," I said. "You are a warrior, Raven; I have seen it with my own eyes, before all of this. You challenged an Alpha with the intent to save our world, even at the cost of your own life. You have battled against the greatest enemy of our people, and saved thousands of lives. You have helped bring the three tribes together for the first time since the First Queens. There is no one I see better fit to this role."

"But...I don't know what to do," she said finally, wringing her wrists as her ears and wings drooped. "I have no one to turn to, no one to guide me..."
Perhaps she needs someone to turn to in times of need, a tiny, raspy voice whispered into my ear, barely even audible. A guiding presence.
"Perhaps," I agreed, offering a hand out. She placed her smaller one in mine, and I covered it with the second.

My palms glowed hot for a minute, shining with light from between the cracks in my fingers. Raven winced, ears flattened and biting her lip, but did not pull away. When I removed my hand, she drew hers up to inspect it, confused at the lack of physical marks on it. Then, her eyes flew open in surprise as someone inaudible to me began to speak to her.

"I have given you my blessing," I smiled at her. "The Voice of Eclipse will help you in your endeavors. Guide our people well, Raven."
"I hear her," she whispered incredulously, looking up at me with stars shining in her eyes. "I hear you."

Magic the color of the deepest night sky imbued itself into her essence, raven feathers flickering with it, her hair glistening and skin positively glowing with the power of an Alpha. The once-empty socket was now filled with an inky darkness, studded with stars.

"Rise, new Alpha," I smiled. "And claim your place as my eyes. Lead with kindness, with the sun in your heart. Lead with wisdom, with the moon in your mind. Guide our people to prosperity, Raven."

She sobbed, launching herself around my waist and hugging me harder than I ever thought possible. "I'll try," she whispered, squeezing me tight. "I'll make you proud. I promise I'll make you proud."

"You already have," I smiled, a surge of affection bubbling up out of me. "You are all that you need to be."

**********

Raven's inheritance was met with joyous howls and Ventils clamoring to lay eyes and connect to her. She seemed startled at first, but took to it with the grace and ease I knew she would. Her wings would grow to shield our people from the worst of the world, and to lift them all up to greater heights than ever before.

A throat cleared from behind me, and I turned. I gasped in shock when Insanity dropped to a knee, head lowered. "Thank you," she growled out reluctantly. Zephyr smiled, patting the top of her scarred head affectionately. "That was very nice of you," she smiled.

"I am not nice." Insanity snarled, but accepted the head pats regardless.
"Where do we go from here?" Cephas asked, hoisting Ela up into his arms, much to her (weak) complaints. "We have been reunited, yes, but in the aftermath the responsibilities fall to us," Ela began, before Aquarius put out a hand to stop her.

"Sister," Aquarius said softly. "Our people have changed since we have left them. They have no need for queens and descendants of a great goddess. They have their leaders, their faith. To disrupt their way of life would be..."
"Catastrophic, yes," Zephyr agreed, fluttering down and wincing as she landed. Insanity offered her a hand, which she took.

"Then where do we go from here? I refuse to be separated again," Scales said firmly. Insanity gave a single nod in ageeement. "Do we form our own packs?"
"Do we conform to the new dynamic?"
"Won't people seek us instead their Alphas?"
"It could undermine their entire social structure."
"Then—"

"You do realize that you guys are Arcadians now, right?" Jim cut in.
"I'm sorry?" Zephyr asked, four eyes blinking one after the other.
"You've all been through so much with us," Claire said, even acknowledging Insanity. "If it wasn't for you, we'd be frijoles on toast."
"And that dragon thing was AWESOMESAUCE!!!" Toby said, squealing the last bit with pure joy. The sisters laughed, smiles overtaking their faces.

"You're free to leave if you wish it," Archie said as Douxie walked over to join the rest of us. "But you will always have a place here, in Arcadia."
"And we can find accommodations for you all," the wizard added. "I've got room at the bookshop—"
"I can convince Blinky to make some room in the basement," Jim said thoughtfully, and Claire smacked his arm with a look.

"You would really...do all of this?" Aquarius asked, disbelieving. "After everything..."
"Well, I'm a bit hesitant to let her back into the Mothership after everything," Krel said, jerking a thumb in Insanity's direction. "But I wouldn't complain. You deserve a home to come back to."

"Yeah, man!" Steve grinned, slinging an arm around Scales' shoulders as he bristled. "We're bros! Bros don't leave each other hanging!"
"Must we be?" The dragon muttered, steam puffing from his nose as Cephas tried to stifle his bleating laughter.
"Like it or not, you all are my family now," I smiled. "Human and Ventil alike. Get used to it."

"I suppose I could make us a cozy little nest somewhere in the bookshop," Ela wondered aloud. "I don't think Nari would mind another woman around the den."
"Uhhh, wasn't it destroyed?" Steve asked, mimicking the column of fire that had sent it up in smoke with his hands and mouth. Scales leaned away from the flying spittle. "Nothing a little bit of magic and persistence cannot fix," she said with a glint in her golden eyes. "Nari will be a big help."

"We can help as well, as long as we can stay for a time," Aquarius agreed. Zephyr added her assent. Douxie and Archie looked as if they were about to cry, the young wizard flinging his arms around Ela from where she was and squeezing, sobbing loudly. She shushed him, petting over his hair like she would her own child. Archie purred as he clambered onto Cephas' shoulders, flopping over like a furry scarf and content with the future of their home's reconstruction.

"If there is anything at all we can do, we will see to it that it happens," Douxie finally said as he pulled away, red eyes coming away damp. "Likewise," Insanity acknowledged. It was at this point where Toby suddenly got That Look on his face. The one that said he had one of his ideas that would end incredibly well, or horrifically bad.

"You said anything, right?" He said, edging closer to the group, hands drumming on the side of his pants. The Ventils looked at each other, before nodding slowly. "Yes," Zephyr said carefully. "Did you have something in mind?" Tony began to grin, pulling out his twelfth-broken phone. "Have you guys ever heard of the Battle Of The Bands?"