ORIGIN

Since his hatching, one little birdie had stayed with the juvenile Gembound. That little birdie was named Krakarak. He was jet black and a bone-eater like Aza'zel. The ave didn't ever hesitate to share his yummy meals with the carrion-feeder, as there were plenty other bones and carcasses to feed upon. Little Aza'zel was happy that he had a friend, another Gembound like him... eating bones all day and night.

Right at the moment, he had been picking apart a bone that he had smashed on the rocks. His yet-developing hooked beak pressed into the marrow, cleaving it from the bone easily and scooping it into his mouth. The vulture relished the taste, despite the extra free offering of dust and dirt. Usually, when he would crack the bone, it'd send up a plume of dirt... but as long as little Aza'zel got his commodities, he was fine with it. Carmine eyes flickered off in the distance, gazing off from his rocky perch. His talon that formerly held his meal to his mouth lowered, head tilting as he saw a flicker of purple and black, then a raucous little voice. It seemed Krakarak had found yet another gem that was his. Keeping a chuckle to himself, the vulture crouched, hiding amongst the iron oxide-filled rocks.

Juvenile wings spread wide and he wriggled his haunches, talons rarely leaving the perch in any noise. He was being as stealthy as he could be. There were a few clicks and clacks, especially the hallow thud of his meal, which he had forgotten about. The ave willed his magic toward his wings, intending to use a gust to propel him, but this time, he used a new ability! Aza'zel was also successful at using this new ability as well! Red jasper glowed, and wind was expulsed from his blue-black feathers. Within seconds, the vulture had reached his little friend, landing with a loud CLICK! to signify his appearance. The bone in his right claws thudded softly on the floor, sending up a little plume of dirt.

Curiously, the vulture looked toward what the little raven had clutched in his talons. "What Krakarak find?" The young vulture chirped, peeking over the raven's shoulder. It was a pretty blue stone, even if the bird didn't have any interest in the gems that littered Canis. What interested him was... the big footprint that the two stood in. Or what would be big to the tiny critters. One foot was elevated above the other, and that alone stirred up interest in the creature. Looking to his left, Aza'zel squinted, tracing the lines of the footprint. It was really hard now, but what could have made this? "Looks like Blue's feet." He squawked, remembering the small gorilla he had aided in Cetus. The little Gembound's feet looked a whole lot like these... But these were flatter? Tilting rusty red crown, Aza'zel only stared, juvenile mind unable to figure out what these footprints were. He hadn't noticed them before, and they littered the whole place!

"Speech"

His sneak attack was succesful, and that alone amused and satisfied little Aza'zel to a point that his chest swelled. The juvenile Gembound tilted his crown, gazing at the stone for a brief moment as the raven did not hesitate to show him the new shiny he had found for his hoard. "Pretty shiny, Kraky." As the jet-black bird stumbled, the vulture stretched out a wing to help steady his friend, before the bird was apparently offended by Aza'zel focusing on something other than the stone. When he spoke of Blue, Krakarak had obviously not met the little gorilla. He was completely and utterly confused by Aza's statement, and rufous crown twisted curiously over to the bird. "Not the color. Gembound Blue." Bobbing his skull to assure himself, the young ave stared back at the footprint, now having caught the raven's attention with his question.

It was the mention of giants that made Aza'zel go cold. "Giants? Giants?! In home? Why? Giants don't eat bones, right? I saw giant when I born... or I think it a giant. Before you and Bevy came." Pulling up a wing, he pondered it for a moment and leaned closer to the stone. "Giant hunt? Chase them out of home! Leave bones alone!" The bird cawed, hopping toward his previously-a-meal-but-now-apparently-a-weapon, and picked it up with one talon, twisting it experimentally in his claws. "Bone stab giant!" But what if Blue was a giant? But her feet were less flat than these Giant footprints. Blue couldn't be a giant! Yes. That was true. Maybe if he saw the little gorilla again, he'd ask her if she was a giant. After all, Aza only wanted bones to himself and Krakarak.

"Speech"

When he spoke of Blue as a gembound, the ravenesque critter to his side nodded in understanding, a bit eager to know what he had been referring to. Definitely not the color. But maybe Aza'zel would have to check if the color blue had feet. Just to be sure. Carmine and silver eyes flickered to the bone he now clutched in his talons, and then moved a wing to balance himself as he picked it up. "Giants eat bones?! Not on watch!" He guffawed, giving a short cackle after his speech. If there was anything Aza'zel would fight for, it'd be his friends and definitely his bones. Nobody would touch his bones if they weren't allowed to! The raven goggled at him once more, awestruck by his sight of what he thought was a giant. "But Krakarak, don't know if it a giant! Could have been something else!" Bobbing his head to assure the little bird, even though his words seemed to go right over that birdy head of his.

Rufous crown turned to see his little friend hop off to find his own weapon. A soft click-clack of talons disappeared into the darkness then reappeared, growing in volume as the little raven egged on. He now bore a skull atop his head and a bone in his amethyst-taloned foot. The bird had nudged a rabbit skull toward the bone king, and Aza'zel squeaked, setting his bone down for a moment to grasp the rabbit skull and put it upon his rufous crown. He felt mighty and awesome with his new crown! "Thanks Krakarak!" Bobbing his skull up and down, the bird picked up his weapon once more, a half-empty and sharp rabbit femur. They were ready for war! "Giant hunt!" He cawed, looking around gleefully.

At the sound of another raucously spoken lyric, Aza'zel turned to see the raven give a salute to him with one taloned foot and a sharp bone blade. "Not the bone king yet! Too little!" He was more of a prince. He hadn't earned his rightful place on the Throne of Bones yet! Yet. Either way, he raised his own bone, cawing righteously. They'd chase this giant out no matter what! What the duo of carrion birds did not notice was that they didn't know the concept of giant. All that Aza'zel thought was giant was this footprint. The young ave didn't know about just how small they were yet, even if the Raven was about three quarters of the lammergeier's size yet. Hopefully they'd find out that they aren't high and mighty after all... soon.

"Speech"

He had listened when the vulture tried to assure him that it wasn't necessarily a giant he had seen but still the little raven liked to fancy that it was. It would mean that his friend had giant experience... Besides what if it had been a giant and he just didn't know it! Krakarak was pleased to see that Aza'zel was happy with the offering of the skull helmet. The raven cawed happily, "You much much welcome, Azza Azza!" Yes! They were certainly ready for a giant hunt now!

Aza'zel wasn't the bone king yet? To him he certainly looked like a king! He was huge! Well, in Krakarak's eyes he was huge and thus certainly deserving of the title. However, the little raven was always eager to please his friends so he reconsidered the title. "Okay okay, no bird king, yet!" He tapped the little mouse femure against his skull lightly as he thought and came up with an alternative that he hoped would please the vulture. "Krakarak has it! Krakarak ready to follow Bone Prince!" He stated. Princes were almost like kings... only smaller.

Now he hopped up to Aza and nodded, prepared to march for the glory of their home!

He was prepared until a grinding sound echoed throughout the room. It was an awful sound, a scary sound! Krak's beak began to chatter with fear as the sound resounded within his eardrums. "W-w-w-w-what that? Kraa...." He croaked out fearfully. The sound began to get closer and closer and in terror he hopped forwards to grab a hold of the vulture with his wings wrapped around him. "Azza Azza! The giants be coming! Kra! They heard us wantin' to fight'em! Kra! They mad!" Oh now they were in for it! They should have just kept their beaks shut and left the footprints alone!

In fear he shut his eyes for a moment until the sound grew so loud that it had to be in the same room as them. He peeked out with on dark brown eye and saw the huge lumbering thing coming right at them. He launched away from Aza'zel and into the air briefly. "It gonna eat our bones!" He didn't know if it were a giant or not, its feet didn't seem to be the same as the footpring, but whatever it was it was certainly scary. "What we do, Azza Azza!" He was fully prepared to bolt but would wait until the vulture said so. One thing could certainly be said about his loyalty.


____

The two were happy and ready to chase out these giants, and show them that Canis belonged to The Bonebound! Okay, well The Bonebound weren't official yet, but they could dream! Then there was The Bone Prince! That was a perfect name! Aza'zel nodded happily, waving his bone weapon around gleefully in preparation for war. He appreciated Krakarak's amazing sense of coming up with names and such for critters, and this was the best one yet. He loved the sound of The Bone Prince. What would Kraky be called? "Krakarak should be called The Gem Collector!" The raven collected gems all the time, keeping them stashed who knows where. Not even Aza'zel knew where the bird kept his shinies and other various treasures!

Well. They had been ready.

Then there was a low grinding sound. Coming from the edge of the room, quite near to the birds. Suddenly, Aza'zel wished he and Kraky had kept their beaks shut, because it seemed a giant was headed right toward them! Squinting into the darkness, he found the faint outline of a mass of stones and gems moving. "Giants are too big! Mission abort!" The bird cawed, nudging his friend quietly and flapping his wings, dropping his bone weapon on the ground. The giant had awakened, and it was going to eat all of their bones! Then the bird's bones when they were dead! Panicky, the bird fluttered his wings and squawked to Krakarak. "Get to a small hole! Follow!" And he released what pressure elemental magicka that he had left.

When nothing came, panic and fear settled into the Bone Prince's system, and he was suddenly feeling a lot smaller as the golem came closer and closer. This wouldn't be the end. Carmine eyes flickered as the juvenile flared his feathers, hopping backwards and leaving his rabbit helm in his wake. Soon, he turned and flapped his wings, but he was too exhausted from his magic attempt to fly very purposefully. Stumbling weakly, the bird retreated into a small crack int he floor, where he was sure that Krakarak had flown into. Giving a strong caw, he wanted to make sure Kraky was nearby. If he had gotten hurt because Aza couldn't keep his mouth shut about giants... he'd never forgive himself. Wedging himself tighter into the crack, he tried to hide from the golem, unknowing that he could be seen by the golem because of his magic affinity.

"Speech"