In a corner, rather a small nook in the corner, was a large, ruby-red stone, encasing a once ravening beast. The garnet chrysalis has laid in wait for many cycles, hibernating until the great beast inside was ready to awake. A loud crack! brought an echoing sound through the tunnel connecting Polaris, Eridanus, and Orion. Resting closer to the entrance of Orion, the echo may have reached into the room and been heard by any who linger there.

Within moments of the loud cracking sound, a shattering sound rang through the tunnels, though it wasn't nearly as loud. As fragments of the chrysalis fell to the tunnel floor, liquid and a rather large beast poured out and graced the caves with it's return. A once great lion was now nothing more than a bag of bones with skin stretched nearly to it's limit across them. His coat was still as black as night with ram horns of the same stone protruding from his skull and curling around either side of his head. It didn't take much time for the man to stand and gain his balance and bearings. Sapphire eyes sleepily blinked, as if he'd been awoken suddenly from his resting spot. In a way, he had been. He didn't even realize he was sleeping, much less trapped in his chrysalis once again.

Realizing where he was after a few moments, he noticed how the tunnel hadn't changed much. Or maybe it had - regardless, he knew where he was and quickly moved himself out of the corner he apparently decided to re-chrysalize in. He blinked slow, taking in the empty tunnel. He wasn't close to Canis really, instead rather close to Orion. Having been spending many cycles in Canis prior, he wondered why he rested here. With a huff, the large, albeit skinny, lion began to make his way towards Orion on his way back to Canis.

@Eythan - other future bonebound can join in too with navy's permission!!

This was a rather odd corner of the world for Eythan to be nowadays: he had been avoiding Polaris while he could in fear of deciding to shirk all responsibility and repeat the cycle of impulsive actions and painful consequences. So, that was why he was returning from Eridanus with a couple small fish his mouth. He figured that Aure should taste all things he could so that he could decide what exactly to hunt for himself when he was older. So far, the little one had had bones, marrow, and cave rats. Now, it was time to try out fish! Eythan wasn't too keen on giving the little one any sort of bird considering they were both half bird and that felt like cannibalism. Also, Giggle wouldn't be the happiest with that considering the whole situation with Omen.

Rather contented with himself and his work, Eythan trotted down the worn paths and winding steps toward Orion, making great time through the caves at this pace. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something large and black. Skirting closer to the wall and naturally unfurling his wings a little, the gryphon's gaze drifted to it, ears flickering forward. Curved horns like a ram's --- like Aries's --- encased its ears and there was a large, shaggy mane rolling down its neck and nape. Something about it was familiar, like an old friend or a brother in arms. The creature reminded him faintly of someone who had once been Bonebound, but it was all skin and bones.

He had to know, at least.

Eythan took to the air, intending to simply fly over the large lion; he stayed high enough to be out of any sort of leaping distance, in case this wasn't an old friend. Peering down as he moved above the large beast, carmine eyes widened and he nearly dropped all of his fish. With a swell of his wings and a twist of his body, he had spun in the air and alighted a few feet ahead of the barbary lion. With his mouth full of food, the gryphon admonished, "Zurh-hes?" Spitting the fish out on the floor, he repeated, "Xerxes? Holy shit, it's been fucking ages since I've seen you about, man." The fuck had happened to him?

@Xerxes

Xerxes was happy with his solitude in the tunnel while he regained his senses and bearings. As he approached the entrance to Orion, something swooped over his head. He paid no mind to the other gembound, assuming they'd just carry on their way and pay them no mind, only they flew over him again and landed some feet before him. Xerxes paused, but then realized who had just found him. Eythan, an old friend from his prior existence in these caves, was still around and doing well it seemed. With fish in the others mouth, he questioned his name at first, but dropped the fish and continued on. Xerxes smirked and strode towards the other, swinging a large paw at him to bring him in for a hug if the hybrid allowed.

"Eythan! You look great, been doing well these last many cycles?" He smiled now, eager and happy to find an old friend. His friends had a knack for disappearing and after Cure had been lost, be it to death or some other reason, he was beginning to have trust issues. The fact that Eythan was still around and at least remembered him was enough for Xerxes to have some kind of faith in life here in the caves again. "What about the Bonebound?" He asked soon after his first question, eager to see if he had revived the group once again and if there was still a place for him. He didn't want to assume, but he certainly hoped that he wasn't wrong and he'd be welcome back provided the group resurrected or would be soon.

@Eythan

Eythan was eager to accept the hug from Xerxes, placing his weight on his hind legs so that he could stretch a paw up around the large lion's opposite shoulder. With a dry laugh, he fell back down onto all fours and stepped back a little. "I've been doing a whole lot fuckin' better than you, apparently." Ah, shit. That wasn't what he should've said at all. Flicking his ears back, the gryphon cleared his throat. "It's been kinda rough. I couldn't just hibernate like everyone else did. I was hanging out in Polaris for a fucking century after..." he paused, staring down at his paws, "after my dad died." No matter how much time had passed, it'd still be hard to say and hard to swallow.

"It was goddamn quiet. Then Carni came along and forced me to not be a pussy and come home," Eythan paused again, wondering if he should give the "full story" as some called it. It wouldn't be full of truth, but it'd at least explain something about the status of the Bonebound, right? "Carni and I got into another fight and I..." 'Well, spit it fucking out, eh?' "I ran away, again." 'Fucking pussy.' "I haven't seen him since then." Well, it was true.

"So, the Bonebound haven't been around. We're still scattered around the caves, I think. Giggle came and dragged me back home with the fucking responsibility talk," the end was traced with a light-hearted sarcastic tone and a bob of his head. "We found the Bone King's stone and unearthed his bones so that we could make a fuckin', uh, cairn for him. And Giggle gave his stone life so that there could be a true King to bring back the Bonebound." With a sidelong glance towards Canis, Eythan sat down. "His name's Aure and... he looks a lot like Aza'zel did. He's a little different, though. His stone sticks out like little lumps on his brows and he's fucking adorable." A sigh whistled from the gryphon's beak and he turned back toward Xerxes, who he hoped had sat down too.

He gave a huff of finality, "I don't know about the Bonebound, honestly. Giggle and I agreed to let Aure decide if he wanted to be the Bone King or not and if he wanted to get the gang back together --- for real, this time. Not in a day."

Carmine eyes slipped down toward the fish he had discarded at his feet, and he figured a few could be sacrificed for the sake of an old friend. With a careful, calculated talon, he flicked a few fish Xerxes's way. "You're always welcome back home, though. Whenever you want." Keeping one fish for himself, he had tossed about five or six fish toward the black lion. "Even if the Bonebound never really form again, you're welcome in Canis, brother." A snide smirk slipped onto the gryphon's beak and he tossed his head toward the offering of fish, "you better eat those fuckin' fish now, you damn fool."

@Xerxes

Pulling the old friend into a bear hug of sorts, he let the hybrid go after a good squeeze and dropped to his paws. Reclining back, he laughed lightly at what Eythan had said. He knew he was thinner, he could just feel it. He didn't mind though, training and food would bulk him back up and lord knows he could use some of each. He didn't dare try to use what magic he had this early into the game, since for so long he had no magic, seeming to have lost himself. Not that know was the time for it anyway, but it would certainly be some time before he gave it a whirl.

"Man I'm sorry about that. I know it must be rough for you." Xerxes frowned and pinned his ears back briefly. Eythan continued and he was happy to listen, though it wasn't much more good news. Carni was back briefly, and may still be lingering around somewhere out of sight. Xerxes didn't worry too much about it, Eythan seemed to be doing better now and he imagined the reappearance of their sibling would bring a lot of emotions to the surface, and probably not good ones.

Chuckling when Eythan spoke of Giggle dragging him back, he was glad Eythan at least had somebody to knock some sense into him, lest Xerxes have to headbutt him into his senses. Hearing what he had to say about reviving the King's stone did make him a little uneasy. While they were a direct reincarnation of him, or most of him, did Eythan not fit the bill? Being his child seemed like a good reason as any to sit on the throne, unless of course he didn't want such a role. Eythan boasted about how adorable he was and Xerxes smiled, eager to one day meet the child despite his feelings on their future role. "I'm glad you have something keeping you busy then, it's hard when you're alone in these caves." Something Xerxes knew all too well unfortunately. He'd been alone many different times, the most painful one when Cure disappeared, reappeared, and disappeared again. He knew what Eythan had gone through - he's isolated himself to Eridanus just before he joined the Bonebound. It was when he joined that his life started picking back up again, so hopefully the birth of a new Bonebound would come and lift Eythan's mood.

"Why not run things until he's old enough? Give him a feel for the job before he leaps head first into something." It was just an idea, and surely one they'd already considered. Xerxes was simply curious and it came off in his tone even if his words seemed somewhat hard. Eythan tossed him some fish and welcomed him back should the Bonebound ever rise again. Until then, Canis would remain his home and he would be happy to be around some of the old members rather than none of them at all. Eyeing the pile of fish that now accumulated at his paws, Xerxes happily ate one whole and it seemed he had forgotten what food tasted like until that bite, because then he easily finished the rest while Eythan barked at him to eat them. He laughed while he chewed, happy that the hybrid was doing well at least and had some others to keep him company during this difficult time for him.

@Eythan

Eythan smiled warmly, shaking his head, "I've had time to cope, get shit sorted. I'm pretty close to 90% fine now, y'know." Laughing noncommittally and waving a dismissive paw, he had continued to tell his tale and all of the non-grisly and -true parts to it.

"Yeah... it's hard not to get caught up in your own thoughts," his head dropped low and he stared down a little, scuffing at some stray stone with his talons. For a moment, he could see blue and the sheer cliff he had planned to descend without aid of his wings. "For a little while, I thought life wasn't worth living." Ah, may as well get dark and heavy with your old friend. "But I was afraid of dying. I was too much of a goddamn pussy to go back home or to the grave." Trying to force on a smile, Eythan laughed, "good thing being in fuckin' limbo kept me alive, eh?" Flicking his ears back again, he frowned. "Sorry for getting heavy and shit on you, but I know you understand. Living's worth it at some point. You just gotta get there and find something --- or someone new --- to live for."

Rather happy to change the subject, he pondered on the idea of letting Aure try out things. Eythan was, in no way, a leader. He tended to follow --- rather blindly --- than to guide. The little one was certainly someone he had been guiding but that was different. Aure was true family in flesh and blood. He was descended right from his father's own stone. Eythan didn't have that boon, that right. Regardless, there would be no harm in at least letting him explore his options. "That's a good idea but..." he gestured vaguely at this, "it's kinda fuckin' hard to make up circumstances where someone needs to step up to the damn plate." Speaking of, Xerxes had very quickly and easily demolished his, licking his lips clean of fish within seconds.

The gryphon thought about it for a moment, laughing mirthfully as his friend continued to wolf down his food as fast as he could. Perhaps... "I could maybe ask him to go out into the Caves and try to help a couple Gembound? And I'll watch and see what he does? That's... what the first King did. He helped out a lot of Gembound and that was how the first Bonebound started."

It... made a lot of sense, actually.

@Xerxes

ooc - sorry about the wait and the length, not feeling too hot this morning but I want to get some posts done

- - -

The lion patiently waited for the gyphon to finish, mentioning that he was too weak to go through with the suicide. Her understood - he'd been there when Cure abandoned him more than once. He knew the feelings that Eythan had felt, but had either of them gone through with it, they wouldn't be here today and Eythan wouldn't be the pseudo-father to Aure and leading them down the correct path to leadership. "All that means is that natural selection decided it wasn't your time; that you were needed." Xerxes shrugged, almost nonchalant about it. While he was grateful the gryphon hadn't ended things, he couldn't fault the kid for thinking and almost acting on his thoughts.

When he went on about things for Aure to do and he agreed with letting him handle situations, Xerxes nodded. "You could always make up situations too - I don't mind playing a character for his benefit." He shrugged again, eager to help Eythan out should he need any help with Aure's training or otherwise.

@Eythan

Natural… selection? No, that hadn't been it. Eythan only furrowed his eyes at the notion. For a moment, his beak had cracked open with the mere thought of a word, before closing again. Finally, the gryphon narrowed his eyes and shook his head with a quiet murmur, "no… it was definitely fear on my part." But, enough of that subject. Ever the expert of avoiding — at least temporarily — heady stuff like this, the hybrid glided right towards the topic of Aure again.

"Making up stuff doesn't feel to… y'know, genuine. I don't want to babysit him," Eythan demurred softly, gently as he could. "If I do that, he's never going to be able to think on his toes or open to actually meeting and helping random strangers." The little one had a strange thing for cats and cat-shaped things, going right up to them and making friends in seconds. It was worth noting: "plus, he's got a weird friend-attraction to cats. It's probably because of me, but he'll come right up to you and probably try to snuggle instantly. It's cute and all, but he needs to be more open to everyone else."

@Xerxes