Reincarnated Remake

[pudding]

((He does, he just hadn't seen it yet.))

 

James nodded and stood up again, carrying the blankets with him back over to the bed. Pulling on the pair of socks he had discarded the other day, he looked around before wandering over to the small dresser by his bed. Opening up one of the drawers, he smiled when he noticed several pairs of pants inside. Oh, perfect! They had given them extra clothes! Taking off his shirt, he slipped into a different short-sleeved shirt, tossing on what looked similar to a blazer overtop, though it longer and made of a thick material. Well, it would work well enough to keep him warm.

Rumaging through the dresser, he located a pair of black pants and quickly switched out the lose shorts he had been sleeping in for those. As he was pulling the pants up, however, he paused when something else caught his notice.

"Really?" He asked, grabbing ahold of the thin, whip-like tail that had previously been coiled around his leg like some kind of snake. The end was tufted like a lion's, further adding to the cat motif that his body seemed to be working with. At this point, he wasn't even that surprised. The feet and claws had already caught him off guard enough that adding the tail was simple. At least it could be hidden as well, since it was thin enough to just coil around his leg. Pulling the black pants on the rest of the way, he looked over at Derek. "I'd love to know what...this is," He replied, gesturing to himself. "Because at this point, I'm positive it isn't human." In the dim light of the room, his eyes had started to lightly glow.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Exactly. I'm sure I'm not either with my ears and tail. And hair... I look more like a dog. Even my feet are padded and rough so i don't need shoes. Your eyes are glowing... " He said. His eyes were too, only slightly more reflective of what little light was in the room. He saw in clear black and white, although he could see color in light. He had on a wine dark shirt and dark brown pants, although to him they both looked black right now to him. He grabbed the book and pocketed the stones for later use. He repeated his question, nervously brushing his hair with a comb he found. He did his tail too. "You think we'd see the King? ................ " He turns his back to him hiding from his sight. "If the mages send us off its one thing. But it's a big deal if she sends us off.."

[pudding]

"Why? I mean, who really cares?" James asked, clearly confused. Well, he understood the fact she was royalty and important but this wasn't their world. They were from a different time and a different place. Besides, it was by order of the King that they were stuck in this mess. James would be lying if he didn't feel some animosity towards her. Not enough to act upon it, of course, but he was still frustrated with everything. But he was distracted by his reflection in the mirror, jumping slightly when he noticed that his eyes were glowing. Not just glowing, but glowing blue. "Whoa!" He yelled, not immediately recognizing his reflection despite the fact he had been looking at himself only moments before. His heart continued to race as he quickly realized that it was him dressed like that with strange, glowing eyes and took a few breaths to try to calm himself down. Well, that was embarrassing. But also really freaky. Leaning in close to the mirror, he stared at the reflection of himself, staring at the glow. "Why are my eyeballs having a rave?" He muttered to himself. As he examined his own reflection, his tail slipped free of his pants and began to whip from side to side like the tail of an excited puppy.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"If you truly are like a cat, your eyes would have little mirrors in them to reflect any light and help them see at night. Most nocturnal animals have night vision, including wolves. How I know that, is because I love animals and I do research on them to make my drawings realistic. Watch the tail, it's longer then mine!" He backed up quickly. "I dunno, maybe I care. I want this over as soon as possible. If the king is counting on us, and sees us off, we'd leave quickly. Maybe she'll give us a clue where to go first to find out what we are and our past. The faster we do that, the faster we stop this evil and get back home before both of us get fired."

[pudding]

“But it’s blue,” James replied, blinking several times as he pressed his face closer to the mirror. He frowned slightly then glanced back at his tail as it wagged from side to side, frowning as he did so. Why couldn’t it just stay hidden like the day before? He had missed all of these things before so clearly they could be hidden away. He didn’t need a tail wagging around and tripping people. He also didn’t need people grabbing at it either. He could already tell that would hurt horribly. “The mage mentioned a guide. I figured they’d escort us where we need to go.” He grabbed the tail and quickly forced it back into his pants before walking over to the door and opening it up. "Besides, I'd be more concerned about dying than being fired." Waiting outside was a mage, a smile on his face.

“Good morning, Heroes!” The mage chirped and his voice immediately identified him as the same one from the previous day. “If you are ready, we have prepared everything for your travels. If you would follow me, I can escort you down to where you will be departing."

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Lead the way.. oh... " He saw the colors in the torch light in the corridor. "Red isn't my color. To late to change now though. Go on. Oh, and can I take the book and the stones? I like to keep a clear head and it's good to know what we're going up against in the woods..." He followed the mage out and down to the meaning place.

[pudding]

"Absolutely!" The mage replied, beaming at Derek from under his hood. "We've included other texts that might be helpful on your quest. I made a note to add some historical pieces to help refresh your memories."

"There isn't really any refreshing," James replied with a slight frown. "We're different people. We've been over this before."

The mage glanced back at James and lapsed into silence, looking away from him as James crossed his arms over his chest, looking rather irritated. The mage led them down a large flight of stairs that eventually let out at a dirt road that led away from the castle. A large covered wagon that looked quite majestic was waiting on the dirt road. Attatched to it was Fia, who was scratching at the dirt impatiently. While crates were loaded in the back of the wagon, there was still plenty of space inside to sit.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Ash stood next to the bird, he had on a sweater on his hot half, a blanket on his back, and saddle bags with herbs and ready made antidotes along with some star reading tools.

 

"James..." Derek said lowly to his friend. "You've known me forever, since grade school... have I ever held a grudge against someone? Ever was really angry with anyone? Last night I felt anger... and it wasn't from me.. me but elsewhere. I look at you and the king and get a since of da'javu ... you have to admit that is odd, even for me.. I think we were here and reborn elsewhere after we died. It can be possible. Like Spock being reborn on that planet when Khan killed him in the wrath of Khan...if you watched that."

[pudding]

"That movie was literally the worst Star Trek after Genesis!" James screeched back, clearly offended by that particular reference. He was a huge Star Trek fan but that meant he was especially critical of the odd numbered movies in particular. The Search for Spock was an especially bad one in his opinion and both the reference to that film and the fact Derek didn't know how much of a fan of Star Trek he was felt insulting. Frowning, he looked away, huffing as he hunched forward slightly, arms still crossed tightly over his chest. The glow in his eyes seemed to brighten significantly as he avoided looking directly at Derek or anyone else. Speaking softly now, he frowned. "I'm not some kind of reincarnated cat.... thing. I'm James. I've only ever been James. I am tired of people trying to tell me I'm someone else."

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Oh come on it fits this situation! These bodies had lives here. Our souls are different yes, our souls are us! But for the love of all things science fiction.." He got in front of him and grabbed his shoulders shaking him roughly. "Aren't you the least bit curious about what life this form has lived?!" He nearly shouted at him. "Come on! This is better then Star Trek, star wars, Avatar and all of it! We are living the real deal! How many nerds would whip out their light sabers for this out of body experience with a different culture and way so unlike our own?! Just go with it James! Just think of it like Avatar. Come on man...."

Edited July 23, 2015 by AroaraAngelwolf

[pudding]

James's eyes went wide when Derek suddenly began shaking him roughly. The action did not work very well to calm him down and, if anything, shut him down further. Frowning, he pushed Derek away from him, trying to free himself from his friend's shaking. "No, I'm not!" He yelled back, his eyes enveloped completely by blue. "Neither of us are heroes, Derek. I know you believe in a lot of things I don't but this is completely and utterly crazy." His voice came out in a low hiss as he continued, looking honestly scared now. "Don't tell me that everything is going to be fine like some...some movie! You know damn well that it isn't!" Pushing himself further away from Derek, he turned away quickly and faced away from the group, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

 

Fia lifted her head and glanced over at the two heroes as they began to argue. Tipping her head to one side, she watched them for a moment before looking at Ash. Was this right? They weren't really behaving properly for heroes. Maybe Ash could defuse the situation. She was sort of stuck with the cart at the moment.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Derek's eyes darkened to electric blue, as he bore sharp canine teeth and actually growls as anger flashed through him. He was a gentleman who hardly swares but right now he was at his last straw. "Don't you think I'm scared -less here! I was raised for the first seven years of my life in foster care, in not very good homes, and finally adopted by two men who are the best thing that could happen to me. I'm absolutely terrified of losing all of that! Dieing is up there with going blind and ophiophobia! Pretending everything is fine is how I cope with like this James! I can't believe you don't know that by now! If you want to stay here in that damned cat body fine with me, but I got the feeling doing nothing isn't going to get us back. I'm leaving...... with or without you. " He hissed back before heading down to the cart. He wanted to claw at something. It took several deep breaths to calm down enough so he doesn't snap at everyone.

 

 

Asheron clopped forward and cleared his throat. "We best be leaving now. We'll be out of the wilds into another kingdom by nightfall if we head out now sirs." He said in his low deep voice. He bent a leg to his belly leaning his human half in a bow. "I am Asheron, your guide for this journey. Please, call me ash."

[pudding]

James remained facing away from Derek, refusing to make eye contact with him. As he spoke however, he hunched over further, unable to help himself. Of course he knew that. Of course he knew all of that. But even though he felt guilty, how was Derek making this any better? Guilt tripping him? Not helpful. Comparing everything to a movie? Not helpful. He was honest to god stressed about everything going on but he knew, deep down inside, that he was James. He wasn't some crazy cat-thing who saved the world and he would never be that. "Fine," He hissed, venom filling his words as he turned around, ignoring the centaur completely, and walked to the front of the cart, climbing in that way and sitting down with his arms crossed on one of the wooden seats. Casting a concerned look at Ash, Fia frowned then looked back at the cart. How....awkward.

 

 

Suddenly, a loud commotion came from the castle. Brushing away advisors, the King quickly descended the stairs that James and Derek had walked down only moments before to get to the road where the wagon was. "Enough of you," The King told the people following her who clearly were not mages based on the fact their faces were uncovered. "I ordered them into this world again, I can at least see them off on their quest." Frowning, the King waved away the advisors as she reached the dirt road and quickly closed in on the wagon that was still standing there.

Edited July 24, 2015 by pudding

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Derek had bowed to the centaur, introducing himself. "Your people call me Arkin.. but.. I'd prefer the name Derek. That is James." His ears twitched as he whirled around to face the king, ears perked as she approached. Ash had bent lower as Her Majesty came up to them.

 

Derek swept his foot back and bent over his arm as he bowed elegantly to the king, the feeling he saw her before was unshakable. "Your Majesty, it is very flattering you come to see us off...." He glanced up and winced, seeing his beautiful drawing on the steps smudged by the men who followed her out. His ears went to the side at that. These men didn't appreciate art and beauty.. poor souls.

 

 

 

((Q:can it be possible that 200 years ago, Arkin was in love with a werewolf woman who looked similar to the king (minus the wolfish features) ? Would also explain his attraction to her a bit more... other than male wolves are attracted to a strong female...))

[pudding]

((That's entirely up to you! Go ahead if you want to.))

 

The King smiled as Derek bowed but gestured for him to rise. She didn't pay much attention to the centaur, though that was probably for the best. Her gaze briefly drifted to the wagon in which James sat, refusing to move from his seat, but quickly returned to Derek again. He was a hero so she'd allow him some slack. He could remain pouting in the wagon if he really wanted to. At least one of the heroes was glad to see her, even if it was to send them off. "Of course," she replied with a smile as the people gathered awkwardly behind her. "I also wanted to ensure another thing reached your hands. As Viziel is not currently...willing to exit the wagon, I will give both of them to you."

Holding out both of her hands, the King revealed two items. The first was a dagger, easily held in one hand but sharp no less. The other was a medium-sized stone that was speckled with small lights so it resembled the night sky. "These are the two relics we still possess from two hundred years ago. We thought that they might be useful to you or at least help bring back memories. The dagger belonged to you while the stone is believed to belong to Viziel."

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Derek righted himself and took the items carefully from her. He studded the odd dagger. The housing was old leather, plain and boring. He handed the rock to ash and asked him to give it to James. The centaur righted himself and did as he was told.

Derek carefully slipped the dagger out of the sheath. "Wow... seems even in this life I appreciated art... although on a weapon.. isn't what I would do now..." The dagger blade was sharp and double edged on silver with a polished wooden handle. Beautiful, but the warn faded blade clearly saw some use. "Something like shouldn't be used for battle...." He he muttered as he slipped the dagger back into the sheath and tied it to his hip. He smiled softly at the King. "Thank you for seeing us off your highness. I hope you're right about these items bring back lost memories... Until we meet again." He once more stooped in a Broadway show worthy bow. "We must be off now."

Edited July 24, 2015 by AroaraAngelwolf

[pudding]

James glanced up as the centaur returned to the wagon and handed him a rock. Frowning, he stared down at the stone in his hands, observing it. It was about the size of his palm and rounded on the edges. It had a bit of height to it but was fairly flat, making it somewhat resemble a skipping stone. What the rock was made of was most interesting, however, as the entire surface of it seemed to perfectly capture the night sky. Small specks of white lined it's darkened surface. Rubbing his thumb over the surface of the rock, he bit his lower lip when a sudden but small burst of emotion bubbled up inside of him. What the Hell? James bit down harder on his lower lip as his shoulders began to involuntarily shake. Raising his free hand to his eyes, he wiped away at the tears forming there. What was wrong with him? It was just a stupid rock but seeing it, for some reason, made him feel so sad.

 

 

"I will look forward to your return," The King replied with a smile as she waved to to Derek. According to what they had told the centaur guide, the group would first venture to the Elven kingdom. Relationships between the humans and elves were fairly close and the Elves were a long-lived race. No doubt meeting with them could help bring back some memories the Heroes had lost.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Derek had climbed into the carriage in the back as the centaur set the pace at quite a clip. He waved to her until they were out of sight and looked at the blade again. On it was a wolf amidst the etched curls. He touched the wolf... emotions flicked through his mind. Pride, joy love, sorrow, pain, heart break. He whimpers as something inside whimpers as well.

 

Not wanting to feel those things anymore, he put it away and looked at the supplies, he found the books and set them around him. He went to pull out a pair of glasses, only to realize that he didn't have or need them. He read the book about the creatures first. "Do you think the dreams we had are just coincidence? Or if.. they were fuzzy memories... sight, sound, smell,taste and touch are powerful. I look at this knife and feel a emotional connection between me and it. Someone close gave it to me. Someone I cared deeply for... then... lost...."

[pudding]

As Ash began to move forward, Fia dug her claws into the ground. The wheels of the wagon slowly began to turn but she pressed onwards, forcing the wheels to turn much more quickly. Snorting loudly, the bird began to run, carrying the wagon behind her so she was running alongside of Ash, keeping the pace quite nicely despite the fact she was pulling the wagon behind her. Now at a steady pace, the bird began to add a small bounce to her step, moving her head from side to side and chirping to herself as she moved along.

 

James didn't respond, instead turning his entire body away from Derek as his friend rambled. He didn't have any dreams like Derek did. He didn't believe in any of the things Derek did. He didn't need to be guilt tripped to go on some stupid quest and risk his life just so he could get back home. And he had yet to hear any kind of apology from Derek for violently shaking him earlier and then getting mad at him. So he just wasn't going to talk to him. The silent treatment was childish, he'd admit, but turning the cold shoulder to Derek would eventually force him to realize he had done something wrong. So he looked away and stuck to his small corner of the wagon near the front, keeping his body facing forwards so he could look out towards the forest they were slowly approaching.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Ash kept up the pace until the way was smoother and moved a little faster so the woods came quickly. Going fast on the straight paths and slower through the woods made it easier to avoid accidents and keep ears open for trouble.

 

 

After a moment of silence. "I will apologise for shaking you like that, but not for getting mad. Remember when you taught me MTG, and I kept comparing it to pokemon and D and D. It's how I handle something new. Besides, you didn't apologise for snapping at me first. Sooner or later, you have to realize that this is our reality now. I wasn't trying to guilt trip you on this trip. Let's say we switched spots. I wanted to stay and you wanted to go. Would you want to go into a strange world with strange things and not have someone you trust by you? I bet you'd drag my sorry tail on this thing anyway. Do you understand me now? Not like the last near eighteen years would've had helped any..." He said sourly, still upset with his friend. He turned the page and read about centaurs, the creatures were in alphabetical order.

Edited July 24, 2015 by AroaraAngelwolf

[pudding]

Oh so that was how it was. Not actually an apology but a switch around on him. On him?! He hadn't snapped at him, he had responded to his analogy to one of the worst movies of all time. Derek had made it physical by grabbing him and roughly shaking him. He didn't want to be here. He didn't know how Derek was so calm about everything but a half-hearted apology like that wasn't going to help at all. So he didn't respond, instead keeping his eyes trained forward. He didn't have to take that. He didn't have to accept that kind of half-apology. And if Derek was going to be that way, he didn't have to speak to him either.

 

The bird pulling the cart continued to press forward, though she turned her head around to stare at those inside the cart, her black eyes blinking before turning around again. Heroes were so weird. Why were they fighting when they were supposed to be friends? Weren't the Heroes meant to be close? The stories she had heard always expressed them like that. Oh well. They would sort it out eventually as the ride was long an they had plenty of time.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Derek got to the S creatures in the amount of time the silence dragged on. He read about the swan maidens and went up to the front. "You're a swan maiden.. aren't you? Both of you can talk to me, I don't mind... ask me anything." "It was said you two were very close.... but it doesn't seem like that to us now.." Ash said as they were allowed to break the silence. "We are.... just sometimes friends don't get along or agree on something. We're from somewhere else. Not on this planet. It's... different and difficult to adjust. I guess... I've moved around so many times in my life.. something new isn't really new. I'm so calm because I just.... shut down and don't think, just keep moving. If I didn't... I'd be locked up for attacking anything that comes near me. For me... it's better to believe it's a strange dream or game or something I can relate too. It's hard to explain. This place it to strange even for me. "

[pudding]

James inched away from the front of the wagon as Derek walked up there and began to speak with their escort. Frowning, he moved towards the back of the wagon were many crates of supplies had been loaded in. Each one was carefully labelled so that they could tell what was inside. Glancing back at Derek, he scowled then stepped up onto the crates and began to climb on top of them. As the wagon bounced along, he worked his way over the tallest stack of crates so he was at the back of the wagon. Sitting down there, he sighed and let the stacks of wooden boxes act as a barrier between himself and Derek.

 

 

"So you don't remember anything? That's weird!" Fia stuck out her tongue as she pressed forward, making sure the cart didn't lose any speed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the one Hero vanish over the crates but didn't comment on it. They were going too fast for him to jump off so it was fine. "We weren't told you lost your memories. Maybe they're trying to keep that hush-hush. I dunno why."

[AroaraAngelwolf]

His ear twitched as he heard the boxes complain softly about being climbed on as his friend moved to the back. "I guess, this Evil really got to everyone. If we don't have our memories... we can't remember what the spell was to seal it, then we can't remember how to redo this seal... that would cause panic. That wouldn't be good now wouldn't be good for everyone would it?" He said softly.

[pudding]

"Probably not," Fia admitted with a slight shrug and a small sigh. "Maybe that's why we're supposed to go to the elves first. I've heard they live longer than anyone else so maybe they know something. Like....a way to bring back your memories or something!" The bird smiled as she kept going, though she paused ever so slightly, tipping her head to one side. Listening for a moment, she frowned slightly but didn't comment on whatever caused her to do so, instead just picking up the pace ever so slightly on the wagon. "I've never met an elf before. They don't leave the forest."