ORIGIN

Carcino carried Remedy quickly through the long tunnel that led from Orion to Canis. The whole way there, the little hybrid was silent, mournful- as if despite their reassurances, she still thought herself in trouble. Carcino didn't have time, or energy, to assure her otherwise. He could only hope that Azazel would be ready to receive them now- and willing to watch over Remedy in his stead, while he caught up with the others in Eridanus. He could only hope the other Bonebound would be accepting of their new additions despite the extremely short notice.

He was just glad he'd gotten to speak to Azazel about his intentions when he had, or this would be a fruitless effort.

The pair rounded into the bone cave finally, Cancer's armor clinking softly as they came to a halt. He placed Remedy between his paws and raised his head, bellowing that feline call that filled every corner of the cave with his summoning voice.

"AZAZEL!" He called, "Come quickly! I've urgent news!" He bowed his head low to Remedy's ear after the roar had echoed back to him, placing a reassuring touch to her forehead as he rose back up, the words inaudible to all but the pair of them. As he rose his head again, he watched and waited for those tell-tale broad white wings to appear. Between his paws, Remedy shifted uncomfortably.

The soft rustle of feathers and wing beats brought Carcino's gaze skyward. Remedy peered up front between his legs timidly as she too heard the beats. Together, they watched the vulture land and inspect them both. Hearing the concerned tone in his voice when he spoke, Carce pushed Remedy towards the Bone King with a gentle but firm paw.

"Something dead took her sister from Orion tonight." He spoke with a rumble in his throat, as if he were mimicking the sound Raheerahy made summoning his fire- a wet, savage growl unlike any sound the cat had ever uttered. Remedy squirmed to get past his paw and back under safety of her Pa's fur, but the older cat held her in place, her tiny frame pinned with one wide-spread paw. "I'm going to get her back. I'd hoped we'd have a home to return to here, after the matter is dealt with."

"But Pa, I wanna come! I wanna help!" The tiny hybrid cried, her mewling pitious against the darker tones of her sire. The dark king shook his head.

"She stays here, no matter what happens. If we can't..." He trailed off. If we're too late... His eyes said the rest, grim and uncertain. Vazi had done a tremendous number on Leon. Carcino had grown over the cycles, his magic powerful, his armor refined- it shone a deep crimson under the light of Canis' ceiling, with glints of gold and patchwork leather here and there. His mask was absent. Still, despite his confidence, the sighyt of Leon's injuries left him uneasy. Even with Amaria and perhaps others there to back the battle in their favor, they didn't know for sure what they were up against.

Whatever the case, Carcino had a grim assurance that it wouldn't end well. There would be bloodshed. Some gembound might die. He wanted to be certain Remedy, who had stayed out of trouble thus far, remained safe with someone he trusted. Azazel was his only steadfast friend in all this. King of his own land, Remedy would be safe under his wing. If something bad happened, if none of the others returned, he was certain the Bone King would raise the hybrid right. His daughter.

"I can't stay. Amaria and Leon and headed out already. I have little time to catch up." He fidgeted, and with the weight of his paw removed, Remedy rolled forward towards Azazel, thoroughly displeased and again near tears. She had her father's emotional turmoil, the poor child. "Please, Azazel." It wasn't a request.

Azazel enveloped Remedy in his wings and for a moment, Carcino envied the other male. With him, Remedy might learn to fly, where Bevy had little time to spend teaching her. Now, less so than ever. Looking at the two birds- one only half so but still- Carcino felt a pang of remorse. Guilt. Bevy wouldn't get to watch her Remedy grow up. Raised by another female. He'd have to arrange something, if he got back in one piece with the family in tow. He sighed shakily, then steeled his expression.

"Ancients protect you both. Their will be good, I'll be home soon." He looked upon Remedy's mortified expression and forced himself to move, back into the caves and away from Canis and the pair. Facing away, they wouldn't see the wet gleam in his eyes as he fought back his emotions and ran all out to find Amaria and fight by her side, to save his Cure. To finally put an end to the curse his family seemed to carry.

-exit Cancer-

Remedy watched front behind wide wings as her Pa disappeared back down the tunnel. She made an odd keening sound in her throat, one that rattled in a high pitch tone and carried a fair distance. Then, with a choked sob, it ended and she buried her face in her wings. The cub felt horrid. She'd let her sister get hurt! Get taken! Some monster with big horns and hooves, like a deer but bigger, was going to eat her or stamp her to death and it was all her fault. Stricken with the thought, Remedy flung herself from Azazel's feathers and half-scurried, half-leaped towards the nearest wall. There, she curled against the edge and sulked, shivering.

"S'no fair. I wanna go home! I hate it here!" She scorned, baring tiny fangs behind curved keratin edges. Her ears pinned back and the tiny hybrid shuffled even closer to the wall's surface, flattening one wing against it completely. "It's her own dumb fault for runnin' off. Stupid sister." More pouting followed there after.

Remedy's hiccups softened at the sing-song note the big bird uttered. She looked up with tear-soaked eyes and slowly tucked her wings to cross at her chest by the wrists. Her flight feathers, barely ready to fly, brushed the stone floor slightly as she sat upright. The big bird sang, and with his feathery face revealed, Remedy wasn't so scared. He sang and slowly, as his tone shifted into the chorus, her head tilted side to side along with it, as if hypnotized by the rythum.

As he sang one verse over, she found herself smiling despite her clenched heart. She stood and took a step towards him, and when she opened her beak, she sang back in a sweeter, gentler town than her usual squawks- fact was, a mix of cat and songbird, her voice was stunningly beautiful, if a bit pitched by her youth.

"Home we'll go, home we'll go!" She sang with him, and after he paused, she broke his song by continuing to sing the same lines. It was cute, at first, but she quickly realized there was more to the song. She paused with a trilling hum, considering what else he'd said, then picked up.

"Do let your head hang low.
You've seen the darkest skies I know.
Let your hyeart run, child, like horses in the wild,
So take my hand and home we'll go!"

She hoped he'd sing along still, forgetting her sorrows in the one thing she loved better than food or practicing her skills- singing. She'd sang before, but never a real song. The talent came naturally to her, as it had her father before her, and likely her mother as well.

"The sun it glows like gold,
Feel it warm as burning coal.
Let your soul shine bright like diamonds in the sky.
So take my hand and home we'll go."

Remedy belted out the song with a newfound energy, and as the pair of bird-faced allies sang, the little cub felt her sorrows float away with the tune. She delighted this time when Azazel came in close, and as the long whistling note ended the song, she took a brave step forward and pressed her beak to his chest. When she pulled back, she was grinning, beaming widely.

"I didn't know you could sing like Pa!" She chirped, happily. "That was a good song!" Then, as if it were barely an afterthought, she sat back and tilted her head sharply to the side. "I'm Remedy. Are you my Pa's friend? Are we really gonna live..." Her eyes, all reds and greens, shifted to the cave surrounding them. The bones, the damp. She shivered. "...here?"

This cave lacked the glittering starlight in its ceiling like Orion had. Instead, long sharp stone teeth loomed overhead, as if they sat inside a beast's open mouth. The ceiling was lower, but the ground dipped down near the center- she imagined it wouldn't be easy learning to fly here. Only one tunnel led out- no other doorways here. She cringed- didn't Pa always say to have a backup plan? What if their tunnel caved in? The tiny bird lost her grin, but looked to Azazel for answers hopefully- maybe it wasn't so bad here. Maybe it just looked gruesome.