Zodiac Elemental Crisis

Nothing Like a Meeting in the Mid-Afternoon

"Good morning fellow Elements! Rise and shine! The meeting will be in two hours!" announced Gemini, standing in the hall in front of the three wings. She spread the announcement through the air down each wing using her powers. Her voice danced and travelled through each hallway and room like a dandelion through the wind.  One could reach out and touch it if they wanted to.  Some of the Elements hadn't gotten any sleep, but many had their secrets.  Ways to hide the exhaustion or at least cover it off enough.  Regardless, almost too quiet to make out groans came from the rooms.  Eventually, however, they all got ready in their best outfits and made their way to the main dining room of the Air palace. Just in time too. The Air element was already there waiting. No one wanted to be late nor did they want to be early.

There were cards at each seat with the names of the Elements inscribed in beautiful handwriting. Each sign found theirs and then sat at their designated place at the long regal wooden table that looked to be ancient.  It was fitting. Even with all the years it had stood and been used, it looked glorious. It matched the Elements perfectly.

Aquarius sat at the head with Gemini and Libra on either side of her.  Next to them were Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus in between them on one side and Sagittarius, Aries, and Leo in between them on the other side.  Pisces sat across from Aquarius with Scorpio and Cancer on either side.  There was a bountiful amount of food representing every element along with their corresponding beverages.  Gemini and Sagittarius had worked very hard through the night before.  The groups of Elements whispered among themselves and ate the spread before them.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Let's just get right into it. I summoned you all here due to this feeling I had concerning the safety of us all. I sensed a dark, yet familiar feeling, threatening presence." Aquarius announced, no longer sitting at her place.

"How did you or where did you get this feeling?" Virgo asked skeptically from her seat. She took a big bite of the chicken leg that was taunting her from the plate. 

"Intuition?" Aquarius retorted.  Everyone gave her look, some laughed as did she, and finally she actually answered the question.  "Besides intuition, I was wandering this very palace, except the territory you all haven't been near recently and saw a darkness looming in the distance.  Clouds were turning black as charcoal.  Now, I know that storm clouds are dark, but never as dark as this.  The waterfalls and rainbows were blackening as well.  The very silver and gold was rusting!"  Aquarius's voice was cracking and her facial expression was one of concern and fear.  "Have any of you encountered things like this?"

"I did!  When Scorpio pushed me off the dock one day, I felt a deep heaviness I'd not felt before.  The sea was getting thick and dark.  I could hardly move!  I thought I saw something rolling in the darkness.  Almost like creatures so dark and hellish, I've never seen before!  Every sea creature is documented in the Water Sector, but I didn't recognize those." Cancer answered, thinking back to only a couple days ago.  She shivered. 

Capricorn stood up.  Taurus and Virgo looked at him in surprise.  "I saw something also, but I never told anyone.  In the Earth Sector, there was a part of the trees very deep in the forest that were the same as the water and clouds.  Black and shadowy.  Unhealthy and definitely unnatural.  I saw eyes glowing that I hadn't recognized.  They were white.  Now animal eyes don't normally glow white.  There were also sounds that I couldn't make out as anything I'd heard before.  Almost a rustling or howling or growling or snagging...I don't know!  It was so unusual." he explained to the others.  Taurus and Virgo were shocked, but nodded in agreement that they'd seen and heard unusual things also just days before now.