Naturally, Skeena knew the first place to look for Gemstones: her nook.

Her nook was full of the bones that she had collected, the ones' whose stories she knew, if only a brief glimpse. The ones that she was working to carve, so that she could never forget those who were dead and gone. It was an odd sentimentality that The Other never let her forget ('Weak, fool! No one will show you the same courtesy once you're dead!') but she saw it as her duty. As Mother was the Boneseer, she was the BoneKeeper.

And she had a fair amount of bones by now, having been collecting them for cycles upon cycles; so it wasn't long before she was able to feel Magic nearby, reaching out and finding the bone, carefully prying its Gemstone loose, clinging to it with the same paw that held her precious bone.

Scurrying on three paws, the jerboa-hyena darted back from her bone-stash, reaching a small nook in the wall she hadn't yet found a purpose for. Well, now she had! It was easy enough to set the Gemstone in the nook, and she took a moment to make sure it wouldn't fall, before stepping back. There! Easy enough, then.

Turning about, she trotted back to the miniature cavern, where there was a messy heap of bones. It was fairly hard to withdraw only one bone from the heap, but she had learned how to do so a long time ago.

The hybrid perched at the edge of the hole, peering over it. Her ears perked up, still dripping water from the other hybrid's impromptu storm (she shook herself, desperately attempting to dry her fur), and she stretched her Magic out to cover the entire heap. There was Magic in there... somewhere. That much she could tell. She groaned, and began to scurry out along the ledge, following it until it began to grow weaker.

Thankfully, the source of the magic was near to the edge, and so it was simply a matter of stretching out (and nearly falling in, but she managed to catch herself) and grabbing the bone, holding it still as she pried the Gemstone loose.

It was probably a good idea for Skeena to go and set the gemstone in the nook with the other before trying to grab another, but that meant having to crawl along the ledge then go back out on it. So maybe it would be better to see if there was another nearby?

Carefully balancing herself, she cast out her Magic again, narrowing her eyes. There was a very thin thread nearby, nothing more than a candle's flicker, but it was only just near enough that, if she stretched very carefully, she could grab the bone and pry the Gemstone from it.

And so she did.

Skeena grinned, preening at having been able to get two in a roll without leaving the ledge. But she only had four paws, and she needed three of them to run, and she already had something in her paw. So two more somethings was pushing it, and the hybrid began to carefully make her way along the ledge, intending on going back to the nook. It was awkward, and she feared falling, but the ledge was relatively sturdy, leaving her able to make her way back without falling.

Before she could, however, she ran nose first into a Gemstone. The hybrid squeaked, and jolted back, staring in shock at the Gemstone sticking out of the tunnel. Where had that come from? She shook her head, ignoring the Other snickering, and carefully pried it out with her teeth, before returning to the nook, placing all three inside.

Skeena's first Fledgling (+1) stone is a raw chunk of Aquamarine the color of the tropical sea, complete with impurities reminiscent of ocean surf. It once belonged to a Gembound who was a mix of Red Fox and Dromedary Camel.

The second Fledgling (+1) gemstone is a bright, slightly yellow-green rough shard of Peridot that once belonged to an odd Gembound indeed: a humanoid creature, covered in short, light pink fur, with a weasel-like face and bird-like eyes. The fur extended to a shaggy mane around the neck, and a pair of long horns twisted back from its head; slender spines ran down its back.

The third and final Fledgling (+1) stone is a polished, shining, deep green Jade gem, its last owner a hybrid of Domestic Cat and Highland Cattle cow.

The single Pupil (+2) gemstone is a glittering, many-faceted blood red Garnet, once belonging to a Meercat-African Lion hybrid.

@Skeena