ORIGIN

He had been in hiding for so long. Too long. He did not want to be remembered as the leader who always rested within the cover of shade, nor as one who could be seen as a coward. No, he'd be remembered as something far greater. A great leader, and an even greater Gembound. It did not occur to Azazel that his sanity was trickling away due to his hiding, and that his heart was to be tainted. That he would soon disappear from the world once again. Oh, the future was so difficult to predict.

The Bone King stared placidly at piles of bone from a rocky precipice, the one he had apparently claimed to be his throne. 'A war is coming, I can feel it. But from who?' He mulled quietly over the words that Giggle had told him in his fortune. A time of strife was on the rise. It felt so close, yet so far. Who would attempt to shear Azazel of his power and dignity? Who... "Whooo..." he thought out loud, carmine gaze turning upwards. And he stared into the darkness that was Tunnel K, what lead outwards into the rest of Origin Caves. Closing his eyes, he pondered. He had made many enemies, but most had been made up to and wouldn't attack him. Fisher, Cancer, and others. Who had he forgotten about?

Ah yes, the thief. The small creature who had stolen from Canis. It could not be a rat, mouse, or rabbit. This Gembound was sentient. It had changed it's colors to blend in with the iron-rich rocks of Canis and escape. Their speed was unrivaled. He knew not of a name, but... he could try. Flapping his wings, the Ave lifted from his perch and gazed at the rock, and he focused his magicka to his talons.

So the lammergeier would attempt to see into the past of the stone, and more specifically a few cycles ago when Canis was stolen from.

Threads of magicka spiraled from the bird's talons, reaching into the earth, only fade out of existence and be dispersed about the world, potentially powering nearby golems that seemed to slumber within Canis. The few threads that did reach Azazel were incoherent thoughts and memories, only a second or two of blurred images that could not be interpreted in any way other than simply static images with no meaning, garbled text and scripture with no definition other than the wild ramblings of mankind before their doom. Perhaps the writings that of ancient Gembound that had lived long before the first generation of this time. The earthen floor that Canis resided on yielded no results in the Ave's quest for the thief's identity.

Knitting his brows and narrowing carmine orbs to slits, Azazel channeled and focused his magical energy once more, the chalcedony stone placed into the base of his tail feathers glowing a pale orange hue, which spider-webbed to his talons. Once again, they struck the rock, and The Bone King waited, closing his eyes and clearing all thoughts in his head so he would be ready for the vision, if it even came.

And it came, a flash of light, and then gone.

Once more, tendrils of magicka seeped into the earth, returning to Azazel with quite vibrant memories. They came and went quickly, yet Azazel could interpret what he saw. All he cared about was the appearance of this critter before they escaped. That was what he had focused on in his vision. A orange-ish creature with a stripe of russet down it's back. It seemed feminine, yet lean and small. Eyes of silver, and one white paw. Then it muted it's colors, turning a boring shade of tan. Azazel could have seen her, but he had not focused enough, and he thought she had simply disappeared into nothing.

Hiding his carmine gaze for just a moment as he thought of this creature, he realized... he had yet to see it once again. It had been cycles since she returned. When would this diabolical Gembound return? Azazel did wonder that. Where did she resi-- no, reside wasn't quite the word -- hide like a coward? Thieves were nothing more than cowards, sticking to just shadow for protection. Darkness would not shroud your cowardice and fear. Work for what you desire most, and get it. That was how Azazel had created his clan of Bonebound. Then perhaps a thief thought she could come and tear them down.

Perhaps she was right. The future was just as unpredictable as the present.

Azazel (Original)

Azazel (Original)

Azazel (Original)