the sacred tome

Renato started to come to his senses: he was kneeling, in the middle ring, looking towards the valley, that once used to be the great canal that led outside to the open. His sight slowly cleared from black and blurry... but beside seeing the present desert, his memories from the long-lost previous life brought back the view of these lands filled with water.
And then it hit like a train... Not him, but he as the high priest, realized what happened exactly. He failed his people... He promised to protect them from the elements, he, who had the power over the storms - and he failed. This hit him so hard, he started to scream like a wolf in bitter agony, and cry hystericly, punching the ground with both hands. He was a damn monster... causing the death of thousands because they trusted him. Hell could tell, what happened afterwards... was this the first wave that caused the zoolooks to be treated as monsters? Were there any survivors? What happened to his reputation both as high priest and zoolook?

Among the desparate cry and screaming, suddenly he felt someone grabbing his shoulders, and through his tears he realized a shadow.
-Look at me, Reno...- It was Casey, starting with a softer voice. As she didn't get any reaction from him, he shook him hard once:
-Look at me! Renato blinked the few times, focusing on the bat's voice. Slowly, as his past self calmed down, and started to sink back somewhere deep in his subconscious, he recongnized Cez, getting her details by piece to piece, and maintaining eye contact with her. The bat firmly looked into the albatross' eyes:
-You're with me, Reno? Renato slowly nodded. He wasn't capable to speak yet. Casey seemed a bit relieves. She placed both her hands on the albatross' face, holding it firmly, still keeping the eye contact, leaning a bit closer. Her raspy voice was held quiet:
-It's all gone now... It's over. That was the point when Renato could held enough grip to speak - even if his voice was weak and trembling:
-You saw it all, too... It was all my fault... I couldn't protect them... He burst in tears again:
-They have died because of me! Cez embraced him, and held him tight:
-You're hard on yourself- he patted his back providing sympathy- you've always been. Now we all know, why. She sighed:
-None of us possess such great powers to mass with forces of nature this great. No one can expect any one us to stop a volcano, an earthquake or a tsunami. We only have the power to tinker with some elements, but not a full control on any of it. Hearing him calming down, and his desparaite cry turning into sipping, Casey continued:
-No one is to blame. You still did your best agaist the odds. Your primal instinct was not to flee... but to charge that tsunami with all your might. She held a little tighter:
-Actually, I'm proud of you. You willed to sacrifice all, even if you knew the cost. Just admit yourself, that it you couldn't do more. She started to whisper:
-Let this burden go... Just, let is slide away with the backing waves... You've given a new change as Renato Atu.  Renato has recognized her pattern. This was another hypnotic treatment. But he felt too weak to resists. He couldn't argue much. Slowly, he surrendered to her arms, loosen his body, caught his breath... and let the guilt from his previous life slip away, gently as the breeze. He let out a deep breath, and hugged the bat back:
-Thanks Cez. I really needed that. Casey smiled, and pat his back again:
-I know, you dummy.

They started to let go on eachother, and as they were done, they have faced eachother again. Renato wasn't sure how to feel, beside having this extra knowledge on zoolooks' history and Atlantis... but also started to see Cez in a new light. She looked gentler. And that vision from the previous life... Casey was caught off-guard... seemed that she had the same in mind. She blushed a bit in emberrasement:
-Uhm... you saw other things too, right? Renato nodded, feeling a little awkward:
-Well, kinda... when you became the guardian of the sky. The bat nodded a few, quickly, as the awkwardness intensified:
-Funny... eh? I used to think back then that we wer ment for eachother, but I never realized we used to have a history. Reno smiled:
-You think, that's a sign? Casey looked back - despite being small by default, she looked ever smaller:
-Dunno. What do you think? Renato shook his shoulders:
-Why asking me? You're the spiritual one. Cez sighed, staring right in front of her. It took her a while in her hesitation, but after long minutes she finally broke the silence:
-I miss you, Reno. And I'm sorry I screwed up. I can't promise to be better, but after all this... I wish the two of us could be back together. Renato digested what he has just heard: the hot-headed Casey Vada just apologised and asked him back?

He was about to responde, when they heard the other two from a bit further.
-Holy crap!- first it was Phillie, the lion, who scanned himslef back and fouth, patting all over his chest, hips and tights- I was a fucking chick! How in the hell?  His paws stopped on his chest:
-And where are my fucking boobs? I had gorgeous hips and boobs! Why would I had been a soldier when I could have been a goddamn quite with an army of fuckboys?
Ags, still in dragon form, was his absolute contrast: he was kneeling in the sand, staring with disbelief.
-I.. I had a purpose. He slowly raised his head to the others, smiling in grace, weeping tears of joy:
-I had a goal... I could do it. He shook in his whole body, as he pushed himself up in stand. Grace was taking over him, it was slightly touchable in the air:
-I can do this again!- he cried in joy, as he was cleaning his face- I feel so renewed. I feel that I have my life purpose back. He was trying to catch his breath again, as he looked straight to the albatross:
-Thank you, Reno! It seems you have saved me twice... Renato smiled back at him:
-Don't mention it.

Then, something snapped. His smile suddenly melted down. Something was missing... and he knew it exactly, as he sensed its presence. Reno jumped down, almost right to the feet of the others and started digging like a madman. The others were just staring in their surprise. Casey had enough courage to ask:
-What is it?
-Help me dig it out!- Renato replied briefly, not stopping for a bit. The other three joined him, and started to dig with their bare hands, pawes and claws in the rocky sand. It took about 30-40 minutes, sometimes with swearing here and there because of the heat rising, and joints burning, but they have finally found it. Reno just stopped them with a wave of a hand, then he slowed down his movements... as his sank his hands in the last reachable layer in the sand. He felt it... grabbed it... and with a strong pull, he felt it how the ground releases it. His friends were watching with excitement, as Renato slowly pulled out the very object. And as the sand was slinding down from it, slowly they object showed it's true form: covered in gold and silk, a bit dusty and worn, but there it was.
-The high priests' tome... - whispered Renato with his throat dried as he raised the time above his head.
-So..- asked Phillie- what does it do? Reno turned to him:
-This is valuable to our history as zoolooks- he kept the tome high above his head- we shall deliver this to Deen, and decypher all the information it contains, from both Atlantis and our people. Casey nodded:
-I agree- her eyebrows rose- But.. how did you know ut was there? Reno looked back on the tome:
-I'm not sure- he caressed the cover gently, swiping off some sand- but maybe, delivering this to our matriarch would be my redemption....