ORIGIN

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Bones hadn't felt actual exhaustion before - but he had a good feeling this was close to it. His legs were only semi-responsive, more dragging themselves along tunnel K rather than actually walking. His head hung low, ears slanted downwards and his tail limp.

Where had Giggle gone? She wouldn't just... leave him, would she? Would she? The dog gazed sadly at the dark walls as he made his way along. He had searched the entire caves for her - but to no avail. Did she die? People in a cave just can't vanish, can they? The dog shivered.

After what felt like days, he limped into the familiar territory of Canis. He didn't know what to do now - he had ran (or rather, hobbled as fast as he could) out of Canis when Giggle was nowhere to be found and from there on out the result was the same.

Orion - he has searched in all the buildings, all the ruins. The tower, the throne, behind the throne, and nothing. If he could, he would have checked the stars gleaming on the ceiling and he still hasn't ruled out the possibility of Giggle being trapped in a quartz. Polaris - he was sure he had his head under the water longer than he should have. If he shook his head, he could still hear the water in his ears.

Pisces. Cetus. Eridanus. Monoceros. It didn't matter where he checked, Giggle was absolutely nowhere. He wanted to cry for a few days, but he would have to sleep first. Bones slowly made his way back to his den, stepping among the ferns and fungus. The disgusting scent of his mother still lingered, practically kicking him in the gut.

He paused before he left again, paws moving around the mushrooms. The bone pile would probably also smell like Giggle, so no point going there. He moved with his shoulder on the West wall, before he fell onto his rump. With ears flat against his head, he proceeded to whine: "Graaaaandpaaaaa!"

@Azazel
(and bonebound if ya want)

Remedy was slowly getting used to her new home. She'd made a few friends- mostly the three heads of Kerberos, mind you, so technically, only two, if one counted Azazel. Precisely four, if each head counted as one- and despite the dog's protests that he was indeed one being, she didn't believe it to be true. The three heads all had their own minds to speak, one playful, one brutal, one intelligent. To her, that meant they were seperate entities. Just like her Mama. Mama had many Bevy birds in her head. Her Mama was Enna, or so Papa had explained to her before Cure was kidnapped. Enna was sweet and kind and always cared for her Papa, even though they could never be together. She felt a spark of emotion at the thought...

...and so she stood where she was, high up on the wall, and spread her wings. The height was dizzying. She wasn't sure her next actions would be wise... but she'd been practicing. The last few days, she'd felt stronger... and so, she stretched her wings a bit wider and took flight. Except, it was more gliding. Actually, it was a controlled fall. She lifted from the perch on the wall and quickly- too quickly- slid down on dry air to the cave floor. With a yelp, she landed too hard and tumbled against the far wall.

When her eyes opened, she saw only the patchwork pelt of a stranger. The hybrid gasped, a grin twisting the corners of her mouth. A stranger in Canis meant a new friend! She was getting used to making friends. This would be no different! She rolled onto her stomach, then trotted up to the dog from behind- he'd likely heard her by now, but she didn't wait to find out. The cub toddled around until she stood in front of him.

"Hi! My name's Remedy! I like your fur! Are you a Bonebound? I am! 'Zazel's my Pa's best friend in the whole world, besides Mara, but they snuggle and stuff so I don't think they're really just friends in that sense. My Pa brought us here to live! Is there where you live? Do you know 'Zazel? Do you know Keberos? I like them. They're lots of fun to talk to. Do you like talking to new people? What's your name? Do you know any games?" Then, as if as an afterthought, she added, "Why do you look so tired? Are you sick? My Mama's a healer. Should I try and find her?" The cub turned to look towards the tunnel leading out. "Except she's all the way in Pisces, and I don't really know how to get there, and Pa said I need to stay here. I could get Kerberos to go, though. Except, he's guarding the gate. I think 'Zazel went out looking for Ashy, too. Oh, but don't tell my Pa that if you see him. He'll get some mad if he finds out I was left alone here. He thinks the giant deer will find me and take me too. That's who took my sister, Cure. She got kidnapped by a giant deer with bloody horns. It was really scary, but Pa and Mara are handling it, so I guess it's okay. 'Zazel says they took on a dragon before and survived, so a deer should be easy. We eat deer, but nothing that big. I don't like it much. Too stringy, gets all stuck in my beak. I like mice though, and rats. I much prefer bugs, most of all. Oooey Goooey bugs! Pa says Mama likes bugs too, so I must get it from her. Do you have a Ma?"

@Bones

His ears lifted as he heard a squawking yelp, but he only turned his head as a great thud sounded from behind him. He had hoped to see Azazel, but he was greeted with, what he first saw, was a black and red bird.

....Bevy?

No, not Bevy, he quickly decided. As the thing got to it's feet, he realised it was... well, he didn't know what exactly it was. The thing definitely looked at least a little bit like Bevy, as bird-faces go, but it had the body of something more akin to Dovefeather, but bulkier and entirely black.

He barely managed to open his mouth when the creature began talking - it was difficult for the dog to keep up. Remedy. Fur. Bonebound. Azazel. Pa. Live. Kerberos? He tried to open his mouth to talk back; but the thing that he assumed had called itself Remedy was relentless. He was briefly surprised how it could make so many words in so little time.

She paused, only briefly, and Bones had to make the effort to ram in as much information as he could before she kept going. "H-hi. I'm Bones. Thank you. I'm Bonebound. I live here. I know Azazel, he's my grandpa. Kerberos is my brother and my bestest best friend. I guess? I know some games." he could hear his own voice, drawling and slow, as if his tongue were already asleep.

He had barely finished talking when it continued. He didn't answer, but he did manage to piece together that it was probably Bevy she was talking about - Bevy was the only healer he knew about, after all. He even zoned out a little as he started thinking about the little mender-bird, half-fondly.

Do you have a ma?

If he were moving, he would have froze. Yet his ears flattened against his head quietly and he had to fight the tears threatening to leak out of his eyes. "My... my mother is missing and I can't find her," he said shakily.

@Remedy

The dog, Bones as he called himself, was quick to try and answer her multitude of questions. Remedy appreciated that, so she listened when he spoke. This was Azazel's grandson, and Kerb's brother! Oh, that made sense! Oh, but his mother was missing! Oh, how sad! Remedy's smile shattered, becoming a frown of empathy. She felt horrible for asking about it now.

"Oh, I can help!" She suddenly perked back up. "I can help you find your Mother, and we can be friends, and afterwards, we can play games with Kerberos and stuff!" She offered, all too willingly. She wanted to help. She was certain they could find his mom, but only if she was in Canis. Where else could a Bone Mom be? She turned in the spot as if to begin the search.

"We can start in the chambers. Maybe she's there laying down, or hiding. What's your mother look like?" Remedy imagined a bird-dog. Half bird, half spotty white dog. She must have had babies with another dog to produce Kerberos and Bones! Neither of them looked anything like Azazel, after all. Maybe Azazel was from the other side of the family, though. She tried imagining a mixture of Kerberos and Bones. The resulting fusion of painted colors on a three headed hound shocked her. She'd never seen such a creature around here! Maybe she wasn't in Canis after all...

@Bones

Bones didn't hold much hope for his mother being in Canis - he had already searched the entire area, barking for her and waking up several gembounds in the process. He shifted. "Well, she kind of looks like me. But darker, with black spots. She has mushrooms growing on her back and she smells really bad. She laughs a lot," he said, then added. "She smells really bad."

Bones was fairly sure that if they did find out where Giggle was, they'd definitely smell her before they even saw her, but he shook his head a bit, dismissing the thought. "I don't think she's around here. She must be somewhere else now."

He paused and tilted his head. "I haven't played games in a long time. What kinda games do you know about?"

@Remedy

Remedy listened to the dog's description of his mother and found it strange. Smelled bad? What a thing to say about one's own mother! He continued, and she decided this Mother lady must've indeed smelled terrible.

Remedy felt a pang of doubt. She hadn't noticed a smell in Canis. It smelled of stale death, but nothing that bad. She often wandered all about when no one else was around. Surely she'd have noticed?

Then, Bones suggested a game.

"Oh! I know tons of games! Hide and Seek, Bone Dig- that one's new, I made it up here in Canis- and oh! Grounders is one! Though, I'dunno if your legs are good for it... can you climb? I can climb pretty good. It might not be fair." She paused, thoughtful. "There's Tag and we could draw, Pa showed me how to use rocks against rocks to make pictures! Oh, or we could play Knights and Dragons- Cure and I used to, 'cause I made such a good dragon, and she'd always be the knight." She paused, suddenly stiff.

Cure. Her sister was off god-knows-where getting tortured by some insane murderous giant deer. He was in Orion. Isn't that where he lives? I'd seen him there... Her eyes wandered to the tunnel. But what use would it do them? I'm so small. I can't even fly or cast... The cub looked disheartened, longingly staring into the darkness beyond Canis cave- wishing she were bigger, stronger, better.

@Bones