A Love That Destroyed Time

by Melanie Ray

  From that point, everyone sang along. Wye tried to mouth the words, but they didn't seem to matter. X, his brother, at least on Earth, was dead. Gone. All the days on Earth they spent together was all he had left of his friend. Even if they made it back home somehow, everything would be different. X wouldn't be there, and since M-Win couldn't remember anything past about three weeks, he'd have to tell her why over and over again. He listened to the anthem, it sounded nice, promising, something people wanted to hear after a tragedy. The tune was familiar too, sounded like something from Earth. Then it didn't, a part he couldn't grasp was sung. It didn't sound familiar, the tune was the same, but there was not even the slightest ringing of a bell in his mind. Happy had said that the song had changed after the war, that part must have been added. How much had changed? It would have been nice to know. Dwelling on a song and ignoring the fact his brother was dead could at least occupy his mind for a few seconds.

  Then he felt a different hand in his. Wye looked up and saw X, smiling. X held his finger up in a shooshing manner, and moved around to grab M-Win's hand, making Foggy move to Yed's other side. X let go of her hand once she saw who it was and grabbed her closer for a hug. He began to sing along, knowing the words. The words Wye couldn't remember, but everyone else knew. The words that were bringing everyone together, but we're making him feel even more left out. "Sing. You'll remember, just try," X whispered the words rapidly to Wye so he could join in. Wye stopped lip synching and began on the third round.

  Around our whole planet

  we were out of our minds

  but then one day soon came

  where green was divine.

  Up from the mountain

  our inhibitor

  came to come save us

  we were insane no more

  Our sparkly green savior,

  we worship thee here,

  you are the leader,

  of each Ring so dear.

  You guide us and trust us,

  with the power you hold,

  We'll never abuse you

  you're more precious than gold.

  At that point, X couldn't sing anymore. Wye knew they must be the new changes Happy mentioned. His brother only hummed, his mind focusing on the new words.

  If only we could have,

  kept ou-our promise,

  Rings would still be here,

  and none of the rest.

  The Pinks they are soulless,

  The Sleeks have no passion,

  Us Furries are next

  to go in good fashion.

  But though it's all over,

  we kno-ow one day,

  we'll meet our creator,

  that sent us to play.

  We'll go back to his home

  with our loved ones again

  the ones that were hurt

  we can see once again

  So now we will wai-it

  for each day right now

  we are still alive

  and not ready to bow

  We are still alive

  and not ready to bow

  After the ceremony was over, it was time to get X to spill. "X, hell, you're alive? That was a fatal wound."

  X held up the small inhibitor necklace he had been thrown previously. "You know, it's amazing what these things are capable of." X patted his shirt. "It still hurts a little. Of course, I wouldn't be alive if I didn't have the inhibitor charm so I can't complain."

  "The inhibitor charm? Well, they've been known to do that if close enough to a wound fast enough. They really are a miracle," Foggy said. "Good to see you're okay."

  "Yeah," X said, "lucky me."

  "Lucky you?" Wye came over to X and double checked his friend. "You're really okay?" He looked at the inhibitor. "I can't believe this, you're okay. Everything's going to be okay."

  "Not really," X didn't seem as thrilled. "We lost our way back home."

  "We know," M-Win said, "but that was nothing compared to losing you though." She patted him on the shoulder roughly. "Don't do that again or I'll kill you myself!" She grabbed part of the necklace and gave him a good choke with it. "If this saves lives, everyone should have a piece you'd think."

  "The bullet was right beside where it hung," X choked and took it out of M-Win's arms. "If it's more than a few centimeters away, it doesn't work. Besides, these things used to be very expensive. Back in the day."

  "Well I don't care how chic it used to be, you're alive because of it. Don't worry, X, we'll figure something out," Wye assured him. "The important thing is you're okay. We'll find another way somehow."

  "Like how," Syo scoffed as he approached them. "That's the very last one we had, even the Pinks learned the dangers of opening up to other worlds so fast. They were attacked, and almost wiped out because they hadn't studied a planet when conquering it. Wiped out a third of them and four hundred fifty two Sleeks." He chuckled, "they couldn't breathe. If only all of them went up..." He held up his hand and pointed at Wye's head. "In order to get back, you need a spaceship and those don't exist on Pagnia. You might find the stolen transporter in the Pink Kingdom, but in order to get it back, you have to become Yeducavich Smilliat again."

  Wye held up his hand. "I know, I know. Can't we just sneak back into the-"

  "I warned you before you left," Grammy Happy scolded him. "I told you your plan was stupid, and if you blew it, you wouldn't get another chance. It's obvious they knew Muinela was taken away by intruders."

  "She's right," X had to agree. "We were idiots, they're going to be watching everything now."

  Wye groaned and looked at the ground. Getting back to Dallas was going to be harder than ever.

  "Don't be so sad," Grammy Happy smiled at Wye. "Maybe this is a blessing? It will give you a fighting chance to remember. To help the ones you truly need too." She looked over at where Tiger and Carress had been at. "Gone again? I guess it’s better that way, they're much better surviving on their own."

  M-Win looked uncomfortable. "Wye? I never even spoke to them. I pretended like no one said anything. I think I should have at least said hi before. I didn't know."

  "Don't get too sad," Grammy Happy touched her shoulder tenderly. "Zar and Cooey took off before the biggest fiasco, remember? They booked it. I've raised kids in Dens for many years, and I can tell you, they do have a knack for survival. Normal may not have made it, but don't give up just yet, okay?"

  M-Win only shrugged her shoulders, which Wye understood. In less than an hour, she found out she was a mom, didn't know how, didn't remember, and then lost her kids maybe permanently. How the hell was someone supposed to feel after something like that?

  Chapter 38

  NOT HALF BAD

  Wye looked up at the sky and watched the clouds pass by a small moon. It had been three weeks since the disaster, with no memory help. No external voices, and no battling in or out of his head. Nothing but silence. How long would it take at this rate? Where was the voice of that old Yed guy? He sure could use some of his wisdom now. Not only that, but the weird tail he once had was growing back. It was like a headache located in his rear end that hadn't gone away for about three days. He didn't feel any pain now, but he was getting used to having a swishy tail. Blue, and white hairs had emerged on it. The blue and white ringed around the tail almost playfully.

  X touched his shoulder. "Wye, thinking about stuff again? Anything new? Maybe it takes more time."

  Wye ignored him. X could talk all he wanted, he remembered being Xiam in the past. At least something exciting was happening for M-Win. She didn't remember the distant past, but coming back to Pagnia had freed up her mind. She could have long term memories, and the look on her face when she realized it was priceless. If she could change, why couldn't he? He came to the conclusion that Yed guy deep inside of him was nothing but a jerk. That guy only chose to help him in the beginning. Damn, that guy couldn't shut up at first. But now? He hadn't heard a peep from his other self since the funeral, and apparently, he wasn't taking over his m
ind either like on Earth. No split personality, X vouched for it. "Somehow, I've got to remember my past to get us out of here."

  X talked to Grammy Happy while Wye grabbed his new tail and looked at the colors. Dreams, voices, I don't care Yed, give me something you stupid old self. This is important. We're never going to get out. Then, as if to answer his call, he got his wish.

  I can't leave my family.

  I can't leave my family.

  I can't leave her...

  Wye looked at the moon as an image appeared across his mind. A Ring woman. A different Ring woman he'd never met, but he felt close to her. He envisioned a cheery smile with a gorgeous dress and shawl just twirling...

  She chuckled as she saw the expression on Yed's face. "Hello? Yed Smilliat, are you there?"

  "You look nice." He coughed and shook his head. "It looks suitable if you don't go near any guys." He crossed his arms. "Remember, if anyone comes near you-"

  "I'll call you right away. I promise, Muin and me are gonna be fine. You worry way too much." She giggled. "Are you sure you like this? You keep staring at me."

  Wye cocked up his eyebrow at the weird memory. Well, I asked for any old memory, but howdy. A smile graced his face in exemplary fashion. That wasn't half bad.

  "You okay, Wye?" X questioned him, "you've got a strange look on your face."

  "Yeah, I think I was remembering someone." Wye shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back onto the colored grass. "Don't know who, but she was sizzling and had this little-"

  "If you say red or pink dress, I will hurt you."

  "What?"

  "It was probably Ezraponia. Tall, sweet, and sort of a looker to some guys."

  That was her? "Easy," Wye chuckled, "it was only a thought, nothing else."

  X hadn't been looking too kindly at him. "I guess, you would remember her eventually."

  Wye watched X leave. X's sister sure was a touchy subject. He went to looking back at his weird tail, hoping another memory would come back when X strolled over again with his Chronicle.

  X held it up for him to see and said, "we're running out of options."

  Wye couldn't help himself a grin. "Oh, omnipotent one, I can finally know who I used to be?"

  X fidgeted and looked at the Chronicle. "Few warnos-er Rings-had ever left the planet. Our minds are different, and it's tough news to remember, when you get to that point. It's been almost a month since you've been here, so I think your mind can handle it. I hope you can."

  "Hey," M-Win strolled over with interest in the Chronicle, "check that thing out. Must be worth something, is that gold? No, it couldn't be. Dig the gnarly archaic weird symbols on it. Freakin' cool, what is it?"

  "It's a catalogue of everything that's happened throughout daily adventures in my past," Wye said.

  "Oh no way, it's a diary? You kept a diary?" M-Win laughed. "Oh wow Wye, wouldn't have pegged you for a diary keepin' fella."

  "Everyone did," Wye said in defense. "It was tradition. And it's not a diary, it's blogging. Yeah, that's it. It's a blog, Sunshiney Fur."

  "Hey, don't tease," M-Win said as she grabbed her new tail. "It's different, but it's okay. Matches my hair at least. Guys seem to like it a lot, these aliens keep hounding me to settle down. As if."

  "They are doing what?" Wye stood up as his eyes darted around. M-Win had been right, about every eye had been casted her way, and some of them even seemed to be sniffing the air like dogs. Come to think of it, Wye realized, she smelled strange there. He couldn't place it. It was like sweat, sweet perfume, and Star Anise seasoning. Icky and alluring at the same time. "What have you been bathing in, M-Win? You've got a funk to you."

  "It's her umm...it's the ummm..." X rubbed beneath his nose briefly before saying, "...scent. The pheromone thing, remember? Every woman smells a little different, especially with age."

  "Well, I say funk," Wye said as he looked back at M-Win. "You smell weird."

  "Look who's talking Mr. I-used-to-be-a-badass-but-can't-remember," M-Win placed her hand on her hip. "Class A jerk more like it. A lot of these fellas like me though, so ha. I'm popular for once without even trying. Now, if only I could get guys on Earth to treat me as nice." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm heading over to the right, I've been invited to dine out again. Let me tell you, out of all the crap available for us, I always get the best fixin's. So shut it, Wye. Ta, y'all."

  "Ta, y'all," Wye mocked her as he looked at X. "You believe that? Man! Sisters." He decided to ignore her for now, one day he'd remember and get the chance to hold that over her head. No way would she remember first, she couldn't even understand the language yet, and they didn't even know where her Chronicle had disappeared to. Wye played with the locks, knowing they should simply slip off with the right guy touching it. After his prediction came true, he held the now vulnerable book in his hands.

  "Wait," X placed his hand on Wye's shoulder. "Only read so far, do not read after 5676 AI. Not yet," X warned him. "You won't be able to handle it."

  Wye nodded his head. "Don't worry, X. 5676. Got it," he said as he cracked the Chronicle up to the first page.

  Wye smiled as he read. He was an excitable little guy. For awhile the entries were only about getting a special treat, or fighting with someone called Millerna. Most times, he didn't even put a date on an entry. But then, his tone drastically changed.

  I lost everything. Waryes' attacked and took mom and Millerna. Dad put up a fight, but he lost. I wanted to help, but I didn't know how to fight. Dad was a Protector and he still couldn't beat the waryes'. He told me before he left that he didn't put all his effort into becoming a Protector. He was a level W, but he could have gone higher. He left me with 500 wiggles and told me not to make his mistake. I ran. When I came back, our whole town was gone. So now, everything's gone. Because no one was here to defend it. Today, I'm taking off to the King's City. Even if I'm only 150, I'm going to be a Protector. I can't change the past, but I can change the future. I'll learn how to fight and one day I'll get Millerna and momma back.

  ''So that's why I became a Protector." Wye stared at the page. I lost my parents. Wye scanned and read while the group walked, and continued when the group nestled down for the night. A lot of his Chronicle was about becoming a Protector. At one hundred and fifty he was considered much too young, still a kid. Not only that, it took money to become a Protector. To be a Z class, the money would be easy, but he wouldn't make the same mistake his dad did. Once he quit the course, he would be a Protector at that level forever. He could make money, but there were no second chances of going back so he saved enough money to get him through eighty years. He would settle for no less than A class, and he saved every scrap he could to reach that level. It took him fifty years to make the money he needed, and that had been the easy part. He had to do everything perfectly to move onto the next level. Each year, he needed an A to keep going in the level. After three years, he'd move up and it became harder, but he went all the way. Class A, eighty years of grueling studying and training.

  At two hundred and eighty, he was officially free with an A rating. Life sure had been different on Pagnia. He had been quite different, yet he felt connected to his old self more than he thought he would. When the Chronicle reached him at the level of a Protector, less writing came. Only one entry, saying that as a Protector, he had to protect his clients' privacy at all costs. Many years went by in his entries. It turned out every fifty years a Protector earned himself two years of vacation. Those were the only things he wrote about. Being a highly sought out Protector, Yed Smilliat had no problem with money anymore. Two houses on the beach, one in the mountains, a yacht, whatever he felt like having.

  Geez, I sound kind of full of myself, Wye chuckled. Eh, I was rich. I probably was. Then he saw the date on his next entry. 5677. Wye looked over at X who was fast asleep. I did promise him. He thought about it for a second, before his attention was captured by something more pressing.

  "You jerk, stay the hell away from me, or I'll whack you wi
th this!"

  Wye got up, dropped the Chronicle, and ran to M-Win, X closely behind. He went up onto the hill where M-Win had bragged about her powwow. He saw M-Win, part of her shirt ripped by the arm and breathing hard with a large stick in her hand. Not enough to hurt anyone, but enough to carry a warning. "What's going on here?"

  "That jerk right there," M-Win pointed to one of the Furries, "just dove at me and ripped my shirt."

  "I..." The jerk who attacked her had a trembling voice and his hands were rubbing themselves over and over. "But, her scent, so sweet. Needed," he said as he licked and smelled his hands profusely. "Must...have..."

  Wye moved between the attacker and M-Win, grabbing his arm. "Stop right there, you're not laying a hand on her!" He spun him around and threw him out of the way. As he looked from each Furry though, he knew this wasn't it. Their eyes danced in a wide manner, possessed. Aw damn.

  "Back." A mighty voice rung out as King Regwallis appeared over the hill. He strutted over to Wye and spoke to the Furries. "You are consumed by the scent of the woman. You're senses are not used to it. Her body is adapting itself back to its regular state, and you want her. I know. However, it's foolish." He patted Wye's shoulder. "This is a Protector, Class A. Though none of you understand, I assure you he could fight each one of you that gang up on him and break every bone in each of your bodies. Now, pinch your noses and back away from the woman, or I will sick the Protector upon you for this woman's safety."

  Everyone slowly backed away as King Regwallis looked over at M-Win. "I..." He laughed nervously. "I grew up around it, I know it, it has been awhile though so..." He looked back at Wye. "Good thing you are here."

  "Yeah," Wye held his hand next to the King's ears. "You know I couldn't actually do anything, right? There was over forty guys here."