ORIGIN

The war was over.

Well, at least he hoped. Ischi knew that there were still fungus piles scattered through the caves, that he needed to run back and let the others know if he found any. But there would be no more fighting, no more killing, no more exploding Lessers.

So he trotted through the bone piles, following those familiar paths that he had made in his cycles of wandering, the ones that had become so familiar since he had finally managed to become un-trapped, freed after nearly a full four cycles stuck with only Bronx and Amma for company.

It wasn't uncommon to find Gembound around, but this was a stranger. He sniffed the air, didn't smell the Mother on them, and hesitated--should he approach? They weren't Bound, he'd recognize their scent if they were, though he didn't interact with them much their scents layered the cave, but they were in a stranger in the cave and who knew what they were doing here?

Well, it wouldn't hurt to see what she wanted. So he skittered up one of his bone piles, flicking his ears as some of the bones shifted, intending on watching her before approaching.

He trotted after the zebra, paws careful as he walked, staring at her head in a way that was probably a bit too focused--he was trying to make out the shape of it beneath her flesh, mentally stripping away her mane and fur and eyes, to figure out what her skull would look like. He'd seen one before, or maybe two? He was almost certain-

a skull beneath him grumbled watch it! and he leaned down to brush his tongue over it in apology, not bothered by the dusty taste, continuing after the zebra. His ears twitched, and he stared as she began to graze--how could she eat that? He'd tried the grass, once or twice, and found it disgusting.

"How-how-how can you eat that?" he yipped and, whoops, cover blown, so he began to skid down the bone pile, dropping onto his rear and sliding down it as though he were a dog sliding down a snowbank, sending bones every which way. "It's dry and tastes bleck," he stuck out his tongue and shook his head, "Why don't you eat rats? That makes sense." He nodded his head as though he'd made a Very Good Point.

He yipped a laugh, dropping down on his haunches, "I was following you, you aren't Bound and so I wanted to make sure you are safe to be in the cave." He nodded again, tail thwapping on the ground. His ears twitched, watching as she cringed at the taste, yipping another laugh, "But you think they taste bad." the coyote said bluntly, "and rats are fun to catch. And they taste better, so why not?"

He tilted his head, too big ears flopping, and asked "Eridanus? I've heard of it, never been there. Never left here, 'cept when I went to Cetus for the war. I didn't like Cetus, it was sticky and mucky and gross. Is Eridanus sticky and mucky and gross?"

He looked at her, wide eyed. "Bound? Bonebound? We are all Bonebound here, we protect each other. Listen to the bones, honor them! My best friends are bones!" he smiled, as though that was a Very Normal Thing to Say, tongue lolling out.

The coyote tilted his head thoughtfully, reaching up with a back paw to scratch behind his ear, kicking out tufts of fur, "Huh, I guess I dunno. It's what I've done my whole life, had to to survive. Easier to find and gives me energy, so never needed to try."

His eyes practically bulged out of his head when weeds popped up in front of her hooves, leaping to his paws and dancing forward to look at him, bouncing from paw to paw, tail wagging violently, "Oh! Oh! Is that your magic?" he yipped, spinning in a circle and snapping at his tail, "That's so cool! I can only see at night but you can make things that is amazing!"

"War! Yes," he nodded, spinning in front of her again, but this time in the other direction, "There was a fungus controlling Gembounds and we had to join other Gembounds to fight them and destroy the fungus and free them it was scary but we HELPED them! It was scary and very mucky and gross but we freed the controlled Gembound." he nodded again, before listening intently about Eridanus,

"That sounds pretty, I have not seen many plants in one place before I cannot imagine it. I would like to see that some day!"

He tilted his head, ear flopping over his head. Oh, poor zebra. He'd learned that not many could speak to bones as he could, though Giggle could read them, and the other Bound could see through their eyes, none of the others could walk and talk with them. "They talk to me! Just... like you do! Although the other Bound and me can see the bones saw when they died, it's part of our magic!"

The way Oleander looked at him went clear over his head--romantic feelings were completely beyond him, anything more than vague friendship, really. He barely knew any of the other Bound, and his bones were friend, mother and uncle in turn. So why would he think anyone of the way she looked at him.

"It was! A bunch of Lessers exploded it was really messy." he shook his head, wrinkling his nose. That was why he liked bones, they don't explode and make a mess.

Usually.

"A hero?" he sneezed in amusement, "Nonono not at all, Giggle and Aure are the heros they pulled the funguses out I just pinned a winged-ringed-thing down while they did it." scratch-scratch-scratch went his paw behind his ear. "I don't leave Canis but maybe someday? Chatter likes to travel, it got him got by an eagle though. Amma and Bronx would like to hear about it, but Amma would fuss if I didn't go with someone else. We could go together?" he offered.