Despite the difficulty of it, Bartos would stay true to his word. Astraea had asked him to seek out someone named Jinsei, and so the cat returned to Pisces with a new goal in mind: to find the one he had named Jinsei. Bartos couldn't recall hearing the name anywhere, but Astraea seemed to speak as though Bartos had met the Gembound once before. He rolled through the list of Gembound he had spoken with recently which, admittedly, wasn't very long; there was Apzohra, but she wasn't Jinsei. And there were the ones who had intruded on him when he thought to set paw out of his den the first time, but he didn't believe any of them to be Jinsei, either.

During the walk back to Pisces, he wracked his brain trying to remember. And then it hit him, slowly at first - a haze of a memory, barely existing, barely important at the time. He remembered sitting with all his stones, examining them. Testing magic on them, as he often did. And he remembered the appearance of a young mammal at his den, asking him questions, his horns just budding from his head. A sharp violet pyramid sprouting from his brow. Bartos hadn't cared for the Gembound, and if he had spoken his name, the cat lacked the attention to stow it away. But something nagged at him. The Gembound's interest in him, his curiosity - could he be the promising Gembound Astraea had spoken of?

The cat slunk among the hills, dark eyes flickering between the fronds of grasses and low-lying vegetation, his ears twitching at the sounds of lesser creatures scurrying away. He parted his lips, tempted to speak the name, but remained silent for fear that he might attract someone else's attention who wasn't Jinsei. He barely even wanted to talk to Jinsei. But he had to, for some reason. He didn't know why - he supposed he'd find out when he found said Gembound.

Tail twitching, Bartos paused to breathe in the musty, still-plagued air of Pisces. He kept a wide berth around the tainted lagoon, but now he was finding himself at a loss. So, with no other options, he reached inside himself for the magic that had long since lied dormant. Perhaps his innate connection to the cave, the gems and their magic would serve him well once more.

There - he thought he felt something in the distance. His heart tugged in that direction. Bartos twitched his whiskers and turned, carrying forth in a limping gait toward the feeling, his stomach tightening with the weight of uncertainty.

takes place shortly after this thread - as such @Apzohra is welcome to join, otherwise this thread is private for @Jinsei

if there's a shadow hanging over our fate

we won't forget that deep inside we're the same

jinsei

Nearing a larger size now, the kudu boy had to relocate to a more accommodating den; though his quickly growing horns were a strangeness to him and caught easily on things he did not expect. Jinsei often trapped himself within his new den, stuck for moments with his head angled awkwardly, attached to some overhanging moss or plantmatter that a horn had snagged on. It was just so, now, that he stood near the entrance of his den having intended to leave, his neck crooked with his head sharply angled to the left.

Expressionless eyes stared blankly into Pisces. Occasionally, he jerked his head, hoping to snap the vegetation, but was inexperienced at... whatever one might call this skill. Or, not a skill, yet. He stomped a hoof in frustration. His neck was starting to cramp. He hated this new den. Exhaling loudly through his large nostrils to prepare himself, he took a deep inhale and filled his chest proudly. He would not be defeated.

Leaning backwards into the snag, Jinsei risked possibly his life at the expense of his neck, tugging forward harshly with a deep grunt. And! SNAP! He was free! Rounding on his den with anger, his nose thrust upward in challenge, a growling-bark like sound escaping from deep within his chest like a warning. Fight him again! He dared...

Apzohra didn't know why they were heading back to Pisces. She was eager to look at other rooms, but it seemed that Bartos had business to attend to, so she followed him obediently. The young cub remembered the time she hatched from this place not too long ago, where she first met Astraea and her mentor. She knew she would grow, but she didn't know how big she was going to get. She had no clue what Bartos had to do here, but she was cautious. The young cub was was going to have to be careful, her instincts told her that perhaps Bartos was looking for another gembound, but she wasn't sure. All she could hope for is that this encounter went well. Yet again, if Bartos was here to meet another gembound, it would be nice to see another of her kind. She stuck behind him close, and stayed alert. She wasn't scared, in fact she was over confident. But a little caution wouldn't hurt. "Bartos, are you here to meet someone?" She whispered behind him. She couldn't help but ask, she was a curious cub.

He kept a steady pace, allowing the pull of the magic burning in his gemstone to draw him forward. The cat didn't know what he was looking for, but he was sure, whoever Jinsei was, he would find them at the end of the unseen path his paws followed through the warrens. Next to him, Apzohra had been remarkably quiet - so much so that he had nearly forgotten she was there, until she finally spoke a question that tore him out of his focus.

The cat cocked his head peered at her over his shoulder, though his paws kept moving, propelling him forward with the ease of a hunter trailing its prey. Bartos hadn't hunted in - he couldn't even remember how long ago it was - but the motions came just as easily, like they were ingrained in his body, his mind. He was and always would be a predator, even if he didn't feel like it. His nose wriggled slightly in thought. "You remember when Astraea left you with me?" he murmured, turning his gaze back to the ground. "He spoke of a gembound named Jinsei. I'm looking for them."

As if on cue, Bartos' attention shifted to a sudden movement up ahead. The cat paused, watching a figure take shape from the darkness of a den dug into the hills. An ungulate of some kind appeared half-way immersed inside the hole. He narrowed his eyes, discerning its awkward posture, its head tilted sharply, and watched as it struggled against some unseen snare. The magic in his gem tingled and snapped like electricity - this must have been who he sensed.

He waited patiently, unsure if he should approach or not. The animal seemed preoccupied. Or perhaps it was stuck and needed help. Though, that theory was quickly debunked when the creature suddenly snapped itself away from the grasping fingers of the vegetation, uttering a bark of challenge now that it was finally free. Something stirred in Bartos. A sense of familiarity.

Bartos glanced quickly at Apzohra to ensure she was still following, then drew forth in slow, cautious steps, his expression smoothed into stoicism. But his heart thundered. His paws itched. He hated allowing yet another gembound into his quiet, lonesome bubble, even if he had to.

"You know, it doesn't grow to spite you. That's just the way it exists. A chaotic mess - that's the nature of it," he pointed out dimly, coming to a halt a few meters away.

Such were the intentions of vegetation and their roots; to wind down deeply, to break apart, to dismantle and ensnare - if only to ensure that new life could sprout in its wake.Perhaps that in itself was the motive of chaos: to break down what existed in order to pace the way for something new. It was ironic, how the ultimate end of destruction was its counter. Creation.

There was a flash of candid revelation in Bartos' eyes, then he blinked it away.

"Are you Jinsei?"

@Apzohra

if there's a shadow hanging over our fate

we won't forget that deep inside we're the same

jinsei

He waited for any further challenge from his den, but he could confidently assume at this point he had won. Yes. He was life, this plantmatter was life; but he had come out on top. Jinsei dug a hoof into the ground, marking this spot as his own. One of his large ears twisted at the arrival of others and his head turned swiftly to view them: ah, the strange-eyed cat and some sort of cub. Black eyes regarded them neutrally as the shiny-eyed cat informed him of his den's vegetation, and Jinsei snorted. Yes, it was clearly a chaotic mess. He had figured that much out on his own.

And—ah, was he Jinsei?

"Yes, I am life. It was you who told me so," he answered dutifully. "Jinsei is a vessel." His body turned to face them, head rising and chest swelling with pride. "It is the calling which came to me, the meaning of which must also be life. So yes, I am Jinsei. I am life."

His large ears cupped toward them, dark eyes intense; a green sheen swirled behind the black of his deep eyes, hidden and strange. Only if the light hit it right.

"You?" his voice barked. Jinsei did not have a proper grip on controlling short and single syllables, especially if he may be asking a question or demanding something. He was very prone to just guttural sounds or barks. "I have not seen this cub with you before," he added.

@Apzohra

Apzohra looked at the hoofed mammal with horns. She had no clue what he was called, and wondered what he could be. Her golden eyes scanned the odd creature before her, her curiosity spiking. When he mentioned of Apzohra, the young tiger decided that it was now time to introduce herself. This gembound spoke without fear. "I am Bartos' apprentice, I am learning from him. My name is Apzohra Swiftwater. I am a tiger and a gembound. Yes, this young cub was learning quickly, and getting better by the day. She showed promise in her learning skills, but was still young and naive. She was polite in her speaking to this unknown creature, but she knew that he was called Jinsei, the one that Bartos was looking for. She didn't know what they were discussing, but she was smart enough to stay out of it and let grown ups talk.