A story by guestsurprise and Steelcode! Enjoy and no flames!
Sage overheard that the mysterious Ecstacio was still missing and he wanted to assist in finding him.
"I can help find him," Sage smiled.
"No that won't be necessary. I will find him," Devon replied, now walking towards the brothers. Sage arched an eyebrow at the young teen in front of him.
"Hey there. Who are you?" Sage asked.
"Devon. I am Four Arms' and Gena's son." Devon replied, now turning away gently. Devon was not always trustful of new individuals.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sage. You know I can still help you," Sage offered.
"No thank you." Came the short response.
"You know that there is nothing wrong with asking for help. I can see if I can pick up his scent," Sage offered, now transforming into his wolf form.
"Sorry, but I do better on my own," Devon replied, now looking into the distance.
Jocu smirked and so did Jest. They thought that pairing the two probably would be the best idea after all.
"How about you two go together? After all, we can all search with larger groups," Jocu said.
"No thanks; it's better for me to go alone," Devon replied, now about to walk off. Sage got a determined look and ran in front of Devon and gave him a concerned look. "Why is he looking at me like that?"
"He wants to go with you. After all, you all are cousins in a way," Jest said gently.
"But it is easier for me to track by working alone; I do better that way," Devon answered calmly.
Sage transformed back into his human form and walked towards Devon. "Devon, c'mon. We need to do this together. And if you won't do it willingly, then I am going with you whether you like this or not."
And with that, Devon only shook his head and he and Sage began to walk into the distance, but the brothers only smiled. They knew that everything was under control.
An hour later…
Sage and Devon had been walking for a while and there was still no sign of Ecstacio. Devon was now becoming worried.
"Where is he?" Devon said to himself.
"You really care for him don't you," Sage commented.
"Yeah. He rescued me when I really needed him and I could've been Nitian bait if it weren't for him," Devon replied, now looking into the distance.
"I haven't met him personally, but I hear he is very strong and brave," Sage said.
"He is. And he needs to show himself because we all miss him and are worried," Devon said, now looking around with more concern.
"Now relax Devon; he knows that you all care. We'll find him," Sage said, now transforming into his wolf form and running down the grass path. Devon hurried after him, hoping they would at least get his scent.
But after a few hours, still nothing.
"We're never gonna find him," Devon said, now sitting down in defeat under a tree. Sage walked over and gently nuzzled him. He was trying to say 'never give up.' But Devon was getting more discouraged as the time was passing.
As Sage continued to nuzzle him, he got a scent out of nowhere. He looked around and even though he saw nothing, he sensed something. He then transformed into his human form once more.
"Devon, something is here." He said.
"I know; I just felt it too," Devon said, now turning to his left and his eyes widened in surprise. For there in front of them stood a tall and strong, snow white Lauhinian. He had a large gash on his chest that appeared to be healing and a sober expression.
"Devon…why have you been searching for me all this time?" the Lauhinian asked.
"I-Is that…" Sage said in surprise.
"Yes…he is Ecstacio," Devon smiled, now standing and walking towards the large behemoth. Ecstacio looked down at him and still remained stoic.
"You should not be this far from the castle. It is dangerous if you travel too far," Ecstacio said calmly.
"Ecstacio, everyone is concerned about you! We miss you and wanted to make sure you survived the Nitian attack!" Devon said.
"Rest assured I am fine. Now you can return back to the castle," Ecstacio replied, now turning away. Devon hung his head and that is when Sage walked forward.
"Wait!" Sage called. The large being turned and looked at him solemnly. "We all want you to come back with us!"
"Sage. The young shapeshifter. I knew you would be in the realm sooner or later," came the unamused reply.
"Huh?!" Sage asked confused.
"Yes, I am aware of who you are. And the many others that have asked about my presence," Ecstacio replied without even blinking.
"Well, it is nice to meet you, but we do want you to come back," Sage said gently, now coming forward a bit.
"I do not wish to be among any of the others. I prefer my space," Ecstacio replied, now turning but Sage ran and grabbed his tail. That made Ecstacio flinch and immediately turned to him in agitation. "Release me…now…"
"Please don't be angry. We just want to see to your wound. A-And we're not leaving until we do…" Sage said bravely.
"And if I refuse?" Ecstacio smirked gently.
"T-Then we will have to make you!" Sage said, now transforming into his wolf mode and pouncing at him. Ecstacio easily dodged, but that is when Devon jumped in and the two began to try and get Ecstacio to lay down so they could clean his wound. But no matter what they did, he easily dodged and did not seem to be tiring at all.
"This is most intriguing. You both have spirit…however…." He said, now snapping his fingers. Within a second, both were grabbed by vines and held tight. But Ecstacio noticed the two young teens were laughing. They were enjoying this, much to his surprise!
"Ecstacio c'mere and stop being stubborn! Let us help clean your wound!" Devon chuckled, now trying to get free of the vines.
"Yeah, c'mon! We just wanna help!" Sage laughed, now trying to squirm free.
"I do not need assistance. Therefore, you two will remain here and I will summon the brothers to come and find you," Ecstacio said, now turning and walking deep into the thick brush.
"Not so fast!" Devon called, now using his staff to break the vines and Sage quickly got free as well. Ecstacio turned just in time to see both teens pounce on him but Devon's eyes opened as Ecstacio didn't move this time! Both then plowed into him and Ecstacio lay on his back and stared at the two young men.
"Your determination is admirable. But seeing as how this game of chase could last for centuries to come, you may clean the wound," Ecstacio said, now leaning his back against a tree. The two teens were stunned! He actually LET them catch him. But both were snapped from their thoughts as Ecstacio bore his teeth as he yawned. "Please proceed. I prefer to get this accomplished before I am another century older."
Both teens then quickly pulled out their supplies and began to clean his wound. Ecstacio didn't even flinch, but only stared at them wordlessly. His red eyes seemed to peer deep into their hearts and he could sense everything they thought and felt. Once they were done, they saw him shift.
"Are you satisfied?" he asked, now arching an eyebrow.
"Not until you come back with us," Sage smirked. Ecstacio only gave a small, toothy grin and then chuckled.
"Remember young one…I am the one that makes the rules in my domain," Ecstacio said, now disappearing into thin air. Both teens dove for him but landed on top of each other!
"DRAT! He moves too fast!" Devon growled, but he chuckled as Sage shifted under him since he was on Sage's back.
"Aww c'mon Devon. Don't be upset; we will catch up to him eventually. But until then, how about we get better acquainted?" Sage smirked, now sitting up.
"Well, there isn't really much to my story; I was a thief sadly before Rachel and the others took me in. I was forced to steal for the knights," Devon replied, now looking down sadly. Sage only nudged him gently.
"Hey, that was in the past. I see you're good at karate and your staff," Sage said.
"Thanks. I've been training since I was 5," Devon smiled.
"Impressive. Now how about we head back; we can tell the others what we found in terms of Ecstacio and then get some pizza. I still wanna get to know my new cousin," Sage said, now getting down on all fours and about to transform. "Get on!"
"Naw, I can walk," Devon said.
"Scared huh?" Sage teased. Devon's face flushed and then he gently took his staff and nudged Sage over on his side. "GAAAH! Hey!" Sage laughed.
"I'm not afraid of anything. Catch me if you can cousin," Devon winked, now flipping into the trees as Sage took off after him in human form. He couldn't help but laugh as he chased his cousin; meeting new family and friends made life all the more wonderful! As he chased him, Sage thought to himself.
"Ecstacio…I'm glad we met you…but please…don't stay gone too long; we all would like to see you again," Sage said. As he chased, he glanced over and smiled. For in the distance, he could see a snow white being watching them intently as they headed back to the castle. Perhaps Ecstacio did hear him after all.
guestsurprise: Hope you all enjoyed it! This was a small collaboration between Steelcode and I!