His dislike for Cetus at the initial step into soggy, wet mud didn't stop him from making his way through the heavy fog and swamp ferns. It was kinda gross here. Like, really gross. He snorted, trying to wipe off some sludge that had gotten on his ear somehow, but accidentally scattering more on the side of his face. With a disgruntled noise, he shook his head, but the feeling of slimy, cold water remained. His fur bushed out, very cat-like at his displeasure, and he did his best to avoid the worst of the water.

But then...he could see light. Green shapes - and a bright green at that, like Eridanus, not this horrid swamp green everywhere else. He rushed forward, intrigued, and soon found himself standing before the Divine. And standing in front of that was...

He blinked, remembering the film in Cepheus. Artio? She had the same colors and body shape...kind of. But...no, that wasn't her. She didn't have the same trailing grenery that the master of plant did. As he got closer and his poor vision adjusted, he saw more differences and felt himself calming after a sudden rise in his irritation.

But it wasn't just her here - Lessers, scattered all over the place. He approached one of the Catsquirrels, which had collapsed and was barely moving on the forest floor. It looked sick...very sick, as did most of the others, as he moved to get a good look at them. There were others here, too, he noticed then, appearing out of the darker parts of the swamp.

His eyes flicked to the Divine. "What happened here?"

It turns out Ursa is too much for a baby bird. Despite being hatched into that cave, she hadn't survived it for long. Evidently, her gemstone decided to just pop her back into the chrysalis and cook her a little longer. So, she'd hatched a second time, a little bigger and hopefully more resilient. She'd awakened into a blanket of mother's gift, quickly wrapped into Her embrace. A couple lessers had guided her to a tunnel, and then further. Since her second hatching- which had been nearly a cycle ago- she had lived in Eridanus. She helped where she could, feeding and cleaning nodes and the general area around them.

The Divine's call had not reached her directly, but it had reached mother's ears, and thus her own all the same. Something in Cetus that should be carefully investigated- that might bring about knowledge useful to her Family. And there was no one better to do it than Eira, with how expendable curious she was about the world.

Traversing through Cetus was NOT a nice experience. Too much icky mud and murky water. By the time she'd gotten to the clear patch of land where she was supposed to be, she just HAD to take a moment to preen all the muck from her feathers. Eugh.

After that, she crept forward, watching from the very edge of the clearing. She watched with some alarm- what had happened to all those lessers? She would try to fly up into a tree to watch from, but as she landed the branches rustled cacophonous, and swayed, nearly throwing her off. She eventually stabilized herself, wide-eyed and frozen. Would anyone hear that?

Mai had come along partly out of desire to help and partly out of fear of being alone. Whatever had happened to Eridanus was scary, and Her Caretaker had very few answers for it other than it was dangerous and they shouldn't linger. The only thing keeping her from being shaken completely was that it resembled nothing of what she'd remembered before her Long Sleep. Somehow, a new fear was better than a old one.

The journey through Cetus was worse for Mai than it was for the goose, with Mai having neither the benefit of flight nor waterproof plumage. She didn't dare complain, of course, but she was noticeably unhappy with the situation. The vibrant green patch of land- reminiscent of the cave they'd been forced to flee- had been a welcome sight. She took a moment to shake the worst of the mud off her fur before trundling after the white goose.

The clearing itself was... overwhelming. She immediately found herself huddling close to her Caretaker, nearly tucking herself under a wing if allowed. It wasn't just the crowd but the... smell. Of blood, sickness, and fear. She had a feeling she had known that last scent particularly well.

Of course it was bad. They were here to make it less bad.

Another faint memory brushed the edges of her brain. She crept out from the goose's shadow, into a more open part of the clearing. Something to help.

It had been a moment of wonder, among the fear and confusion. She remembered her stomach hurting. It had been the same bone-and-stone for a long time. Too long, she think an adult had said. Talk of choices, and various dangers, and disagreements. A rare voice of confidence, and then. Right before her eyes. Growth.

Back at the present, a bloom of fungi spread from her paws, practically devouring the soil. Trumpet-shaped mushrooms the color of old, dirty bones, darker and textured on the inside of the 'tube'. Some more well-traveled or knowledgeable gembound may recognize it as a fungi native to Canis among other places, and a edible one at that.

Mai was surprised at what she had done, or rather, how well it had worked. Most of the mushroom were no taller than an inch, but some were double or triple that size. She.. didn't think it had worked that well in the past. She'd glance to the white goose before turning to face The Divine, although her gaze didn't reach the dryad's face. "Food, to help the hurt ones." She explained quietly. "If they are hungry.."
@Nameless

Her hands sink into the muddy bog of Cetus when she touches the ground, as they always have. She has been alive (conscious, rather) for so little time, but it is with a quiet kind of peace: this is home. This has always been home. Kudzu has never known anything different.

Except, of course, the strange rat that had scurried up her tree and called, Help! Help! in an equally as strange voice. She'd tried to catch it—it amused her, she wanted to know more about it, wanted to see if it could say other words or maybe hold a conversation—but it had quickly escaped her grasp.

She'd followed it (of course she did), only to stutter to a stop at the large crowd. She's never met other Gembound before: suddenly encountering so many at once is like being plunged into an ice bath. The shock of it leaves her frozen, instincts at a loss to tell her how she should handle this.

Long as he'd known it, Canis had been a graveyard, a haphazard dumping ground for residents of the ancient past. For all he knew, it might be the resting place for those of the present as well—who could tell when those bones could just as easily be scattered amongst the dusty ones of their older fellows? A shred of flesh and a glimpse of black fluid would be the only things to distinguish them, buried beneath many a femur, rib bone, and skull. It was a cave existing as testament to the harsh passage of time; all who travelled these tunnels would succumb eventually to the same sad fate presented there, their decisions what determined how soon they would meet it.

But that had been before the fungus had swept through, and despite his negativity about death's pervasive influence, East couldn't find a reason to prefer the current state of the place. A final resting spot had been traded for waves of living souls shambling about like vast armies of the undead. Lessers who operated to the beat of some distant drum heard by them alone, eyes clouded while their legs moved with unknown purpose alongside those they'd normally otherwise consume. Their behavior defied reason, their actions riddled by some unknown sickness. To witness it invited repulsion, and so he couldn't stand to linger in their unsettling presence.

Better to pursue answers to his curiosity about anatomy elsewhere while such unnaturalness reigned unopposed.

This sentiment was what made him more open to the words issued from the throats of passing Echoing Grays. Snippets of parroted rumor held a chance of being more, or perhaps a foolish hope had been attached to them by his truly at the possibility of return to status quo through helping nature spring back to the stability it so desperately needed. Either way, they were what led him to settle in the branches of a nearby tree, brimmed gemstone tipped downward to overlook the proceedings underway. The collection of Lessers said he was where his services were required. Nevertheless, assumptions were for those who leapt into predator's jaws, thinking themselves to be safe.

"At risk of being a mite sacrilegious, would I be mistaken in calling you Divine?" East called out. He shuffled to the very tip of his gnarled perch, wry humor glittering in yellow eyes as he evaluated the tree-like being tending to her charges. "I heard you needed a hand. Are talons and a beak within your standards?"

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

strong language

A horrible, shockingly large gremlin flapped clumsily into a tree above. They collapsed into a thick branch, claws scrabbling to maintain purchase. Their bodyweight caused the tree to shudder and the branch to bounce, leaves cascading onto them. Skein shook the leaves from its eyes with an annoyed gurgle, and turned a orange-eyed glare first towards all the injured lessers, and the gembound.

"Intruders," they muttered. Skein's claws dug into the branch, flecks of bark dribbling into the water below. Skein drilled their eyes into the one at the center of all this-- the Divine, although Skein did not know her name. "Weird eyed tree...bringing all these stupid gembound into our swamp. All these injured lessers taking up space in our mud." They muttered more beneath their breath, gaze sweeping on the assortment of creatures, feathers slowly rising as they stirred themselves into a self-righteous frenzy at the idea of all this turning Cetus into a derelict swamp. Skein let out an angry hiss, and their eyes flickered into a bright, flame-like glow.

"HEY HEY HEY!" Skein barked at the Divine from the safety of the trees above. "WHATS ALL THIS TREE LADY!? YOU'RE BRINGING IN ALL THESE WEIRD FUCKIN GEMBOUND! AND THOSE LESSERS..." Skein coughed, choking on their own outrage. "They're MUCKIN up the Children of Rot's turf with their blood! And that one--" Skein said, pointing an accusatorial claw at Mai. "And THAT one with her fuckin mushrooms everywhere!"

Grootslang had been aware of the injured lessers being sent here for some time. The lurking beast had followed their journey mostly submerged, only her three sets of seafoam eyes and wooden horns visible. She had thought about snatching a lesser; they were already injured after all. But as more and more gembound showed up, Grootslang's want for easy energy subsumed. Instead a new hunger began to gnaw at her--curiosity. But some of them had hands and bodies so small that Grootslang had trouble keeping track of what they were doing. Especially not from the water, submerged as she was.

Grootslang rumbled deep in her throat. Eventually she deigned to reveal herself. Grootslang rose from the water, woody exoskeleton leaching water, swamp plants trailing behind her. She did not bother with the effort to shake and rid herself of the algae and surface plants that attached themselves to her. With heavy steps like those of a drowsy tiger, Grootslang trudged up behind Casmir. With no respect for personal space she settled on her haunches behind him, looming over him as he fed the tiny rabbit. She could see what was happening much better now. Grootslang's chest depressed with a deep, hissy sigh. "I could not...see." She growled.

@Casimir ((Grootslang says hi))

CALL THE APOTHECARY!

The Divine watched, patient and elegant, as more and more Gembounds answered her call. They truly were the aid that her Master had assured her, then--good. "I welcome you all, and know that these animals were not harmed by our hands. They need our help. These are the ones that the cold, heartless march of Order has taken over. And now we have reclaimed them, but Order does not care for the individual leaves that make up its canopy." She paused, and rephrased. "Individuals mean nothing to it. But to me-... We must mend them. I will show you how... they will remain calm, for now, but I need many hands. Please-... do not harm them." A glance to the baby orangutan ended in perked brow, and after hesitation, a pat on the head--but she left her to find her own way.

Her voice was imperious, but sweet, and she turned, gesturing around at the Lessers. "The first step is finding out what is wrong. Come to them. Look at their eyes--are they clear? Are their nostrils clogged, is their breathing ragged? Touch their pulse: are they too warm... do their hearts race? These are symptoms of disease."

She gestured toward a Lesser deer who was huddled in on itself. "If there is blood, then their open wounds must be tended--so look for blood. Are there broken limbs... do they hold a leg close to their chest? If their head is held low, and eyes closed, they may have wounds within, where we cannot see."

"Lift the skin of the neck. If it does not return to place... they need water. If they are thin, skin and bone, they require food, but water should come first..."

The lesson continued, the Divine's sweet tones guiding them as she swept slowly from place to place through the clearing.

---

Gembounds may roll to attempt to determine what is wrong with each Lesser present. (Players may decide results!) They may use either the following new Tactic after claiming it, or any other roll they deem suitable.

Each round, a new mending-oriented Tactic will be unlocked. These tactics will be available in the shop, and Gembound currently present may post in Update Me to be granted the spell for half cost (the magicka should be available on that account).

Unlocked this round:

Diagnose.
Low Intensity Detection. Prior experience can be used to make an educated guess as to the nature of an ailment. Even minor symptoms are used to diagnose viral, bacterial or fungal illness, internal injury and more. An accurate diagnosis can open the way toward treatment, where a failed diagnosis may lead to the wrong treatment path.

@Fulgur @Alek @Cadenza @Nameless @Gaheris @Lumut @Star @Adenium @Casimir @Kass @Eirlys @Mai @Kudzu @East @Skein @Grootslang

"Now, let's not forget our manners here," East teased. Once the Divine's actions came across as satisfactorily genuine underneath scrutiny, interest angled away from her to the nearby tree shuddering in his periphery. There a territorial behemoth seemed intent on testing the strength of the local wood, a branch swaying worse than it would against high winds. He clacked his beak, cheek irresistible in the midst of strings wound so tight that they dared to be plucked. "It's Mister Weird Gembound to you. Want anything friskier than that, hunt me some dinner first."

"Also, " added the bird, demeanor unflappable as wings were opened for a casual stretch and preen, "there's no reason to ruffle yourself over some shrooms either. Be better off thanking the kid; the sooner these Lessers can choke those down, the quicker everyone can get out of your fur."

Returning his gaze to their host on the ground, he listened then for a spell to the instructions she conveyed to the gathering. Nods followed every second or so, a mental list of the descriptions of symptoms and resulting illnesses written up for future use. Used to autopsies more than living patient examinations, the information provided possessed a value greater than one might think: insight into influences on behavior, signs of weaknesses to exploit or mend. Quite a tool to wield if one knew how, and East endeavored to be that one. To take the opportunities presented to him and wring every drop of knowledge out.

It started with his choice of patient, a bold choice for a creature of his size. The threat of being swallowed kept him hovering just above them, darting the safest possible distance around their head to avoid fangs in a mouth held agape. Blended well into the muck of Cetus, an upright pose was what distinguished the Lurker from their surroundings, labored breaths exuding from them confirmation of an issue which put typical predatory aggression on hold. The once great constrictor was reduced to a pitiful length of twine, their substantial girth wasted away.

Snakes weren't his area of expertise, too many able to make a meal of him than he of them. Any chances for observations he'd ever had were accomplished from afar as a speck in the air their lunges had no ability to reach. Nevertheless, a spark of recognition lit at the sight of crusted-over nostrils. Many a time he'd encountered bodies piled high sporting the same dried mucus coating, rat packs decimated as sickness raged through their numbers.

East exhaled and aired his suspicions. "It's an infection—nasty business. Surprised he hasn't keeled over yet."

The tree in the center—or, was it more of an animal, with the way it moved and talked? A person, in any case—spoke of wounded, of injured animals. Those words snap Kudzu out of her brief social-shock, making her tear her eyes away from one rather loud Gembound and trace, instead, over the large number of wounded Lessers.

Oh, huh. That is an awful lot of blood. And other things besides; curiosity gets the better of her and she lets the mass of surrounding Gembound fade out for the moment, walking closer with eyes narrowed to examine.

She approaches a jungle mouse. Tilts her head, runs a hand through the fur. Poke, poke.

The problem presents itself quickly with her idle prodding: a bite mark hidden behind the fur, oozing sluggishly and sticking the fur together in a matted red tangle. More (careful) brushing of the fur aside reveals the shape of the mark: not a chunk ripped away as she expected, but rather two terrible pockmarks. The flesh is blackened there, necrotic.

"Spider got this one," she speaks, voice quiet and rough with disuse. "Big."