Kalama showed up when she heard the call. It was sorta required for Kalama to show up to a bonebound meeting. Her teacher was a bonebound, so she would have to be around as well. Though she was currently angry at him. She'd been in a sulky mood since Hydra. He'd prevented her from entering Hydra when she really wanted to. She wouldve won, she knew it. Plus, she'd seen something that looked kinda like her hatch from one of the chrysalises. It meant that champions blood ran through her. She probably was a champion reborn.

She trotted up to the meeting place, uncharacteristically quiet in her anger, a puff of feathers. Her newfound size did not match her behaviour, nearing her full growth at just under two feet tall. Her down had finally shed for the most part, though, which she was extremely proud of. She kept her beak pointed to the dirt, wings tucked tight. She took her seat behind the crowd, and began to preen her wing feathers, glaring at Aure with one eye. Waiting silently for the meeting to begin.

Speech. Thought

Kalama could sulk and skip out on their brief training sessions all she wanted, but Eythan stood firm in his decision to keep her from entering Hydra. Bright eyes had narrowed upon (begrudgingly) accosting the Collector, demanding that he know what the deal was with that cave and the odd Masked Merchant. That tall bastard had simply laughed in that stupid dark voice of his and gestured for him to take a look at the cave's exit. Fewer had emerged from the cavernous tunnel than had gone in. Those that came were... changed. Their faces were sullen, broken. Some had different features --- mutation? --- and others were simply at death's door.

Eythan was glad that he had managed to top Kalama, when he did.

But, upon realizing that one of their own could be dead (with not even a bone to recover)... the gryphon was distraught, to say the least.

Masking it with a deadpan look and narrowed eyes, the hybrid stepped carefully toward his brother's (what a fuckin' weird thought...) rock outcropping, dutifully awaiting the meeting called. His haunches met the dusty earth, wings tucked and tail curling daintily about his paws.

Call he did, and come they did. No matter how long he waited, how long he went silent without a word... they'd arrive.

Even with few shared words and even fewer shared experiences, the Bonebound were a loyal family --- a family with visitors, as he noticed: a fairly chipper greyhound was standing out from the crowd of Gembound, setting to harassing poor Eli. The kid finally met his match, even if he was somber with the absence of his sister. I hope this meeting helps him, a little, Aure thought quietly, resolving in moments, I'll check in on him, after. His gaze was drawn back to Giggle and her slightly smaller adoptive child. A hulking polar bear sat alongside Zawadi. Wilder was off to the side, warily observing. Eythan's friend was standing near him, fire near-literally sparking in his eyes. Skeena was close, as were a strange coyote and a fairly large chicken, sulking and preening away.

The unfamiliar faces would be addressed, he hoped, and hopefully listen to what he had to say about the Bonebound.

Aure chirped once, to silence any chatter, and sighed deeply. A breath that tested the limits of his lungs, and he began: "Bonebound, it's been cycles since I last properly called a meeting; I'm sorry for that." Bright eyes shifted, sweeping the room. He had practiced this over and over, and knew what he wished to say. It was time for, as some say, a one-sided information dump. "The caves are always changing, but more has changed in these past cycles than they have in my entire life. A few cycles ago, I and my mother were called to a meeting with other leaders of groups. We discussed all that we knew about the caves, and an alliance for the purpose of seeking knowledge about them and the Ancients. I'm not going to go into detail of all of that --- it's a lot --- right now, but I'm willing to talk about it later. What I will say now, though, is that we need to be wary of the Ancients. We don't know everything there is to know about them, except that they are much more powerful than any of us, alone. I'd like to ask that you," his gaze swept the crowd, again, "be careful of what you tell them, of which of the Ancients you trust. Learn as much about them as you can." His thoughts drifted idly to what Pride had said about Khloros, the Gembound that had gone beyond death itself and returned. That didn't seem like an appropriate thing to present to the class, right now.

The wyvern paused, allowing everyone to digest the influx of information (and allowing himself to take a breather,) before continuing: "we need to learn about the caves, and learn about what has happened in here, our own home. The bones," he directed a slight glance toward Giggle, "have said things about death, something keeping their stones from coming back to life on their own. Something happened here, and we must learn what it was, in order to prevent it from happening again. If it --- whatever it is, happens again... any revivals we've done will be for nothing, all that we aim to build will be for nothing." Aure paused, again, sighing. "I ask you, not as Bound, but as Bonebound, to explore. To learn. To grow strong, together, and protect our own." His head tilted downward, bright eyes beckoning. "Those who are already Bound to us--- come here. My mother, Eythan, and I have discovered a magic that will help us in this quest of knowledge-seeking. It is called Marrowsight," he cast his gaze downward to the rib clutched in his blunt claws, left there hours earlier. A flick of magicka, invisible to the naked eye other than the subtle glow of eyes and stone, "it allows us to see into a creature's last moments, to see what befell them. These bones hold secrets, and we have a way to uncover them."

The thrum of footsteps, panic, heavy breathing. A shot of magicka. Shadow vanishing down the wall. Seeking safety. Jaws, snapping shut. A flash of acidic green. Shrieking, strangled call. Gurgling. Nothing.

His gaze averted hastily toward the Bound --- he hoped they had stepped forth, at least --- and he addressed each in a quiet, serious tone. "This is our first Binding Ceremony, to teach Marrowsight." Aure flitted down from his post, stopping before the first in the lineup. The following was rinsed and repeated with each Bound, giving them the Bonebound name.

Choosing loyalty. "Do you choose to guide, protect, and care for all of us, even in death?" He chose loyalty.

Choosing life or death. "Would you have your stone see life again, or that it rest with your bones?" He chose life.

And finally, choosing a title. "By what title do you wish to be known by?" He chose the Firefly.

It's time for the (new) Bonebound's first-ever Binding Ceremony, babes! The following are eligible for being promoted and taught the Marrowsight spell, which can be claimed in Update Me!: Zelk, Zawadi, Eli, Aries, and Wilder.

All others can watch (no need to post, in that case) or choose to join the Bonebound!

I'll be posting again on Aure a week from now, approximately June 25th @ 5:00 PM, provided not everyone has posted by then.

@Giggle @Zelk @Zawadi @Eli @Aries @Wilder @Skeena @Ischium @Laurel @Kalama

Giggle sat there uneasily.

Eli was there--and Giggle was a bit irritated that Eythan had never presented his kids to them when first he'd made them. The Bonebound should've been there to teach them, to guide them; Eythan alone wasn't... proven enough to be trusted with the raising of children. Giggle had no way of knowing if Eli--or the other one, the one who'd run off--had been taught about wisdom, about honor, about death. She eyed them for a moment, thinking, her expression and her thoughts masked. "Pup," she said, at last--a sort of grunt of greeting. "I think it's beyond time we got to know each other, if you've time after this meeting."

The coyote was asking questions--and she'd never met this one. She took it upon herself to answer him. "A family. We listen to the wisdom of the bones of the dead, and we look after one another." The explanation wasn't emotional; it was flat, gruffly-given, but not unfriendly. Giggle was not happy with the caves as a whole, so her demeanor was equally tense and distant.

The greyhound--Laurel--this one she also didn't know.

Bones, but there's a lot of Gembound here, she realized, glancing slowly around. She figured, though, that her explanation would be enough for that one, too. "Sit down, and be quiet," she told Laurel--but this time, her tone was kind. It was a suggestion, quiet, rather than a barked command. Giggle had never disliked children. "This is an important meeting. You may watch, but don't interrupt, hrm?" A friendly tilt of her head--and ahhh.

Here came Skeena. Relief, and motherly love, and Giggle felt some of her stress fade. She offered her daughter a nuzzle atop the head, though to the banana, she gave a quiet "No, thank you. It is good to see you here." Not that Skeena was ever particularly absent, but she'd nearly gone with the others--gone into Hydra.

The hyena turned her attention last to Aure. He was speaking, now--and speaking well, she realized. Pride further blossomed in her as it dawned on her that Aure had grown: grown into a full adult, well-spoken and good. He was not lacking in any way; he was trying to shoulder the burdens of kinghood, and he was doing well. He was kind, he was empathetic, but he was strong, too, and honorable. He was no fool, either--perhaps naive, perhaps a little too hopeful and ready to believe the best, but that was a flaw that would be tempered well enough by those around him. Better that, anyway, than the opposite: suspicious and cold, hostile.

She wondered at his choice of "firefly," but she left it, for now; it wasn't her place to speak, aside from offering solemn nods and murmurs of congratulations as each new Bound was inducted fully in.

________________

ROLL THE BONES

Zawadi watched as the meeting went on. Suddenly it sparked in her head of her age! She was four cycles now, which meant she was an adult, no longer a cub. Zawadi proudly stood up as she walked to the front of the group, with the stance of a dominant female. She sat down in front of Aure as he repeated each question. And with each question came a strong response from the adult hyena. Her voice had changed since she last met Aure and Giggle, to the voice of an adult. "Do you choose to guide, protect, and care for all of us, even in death?" "Yes I do." "Would you have your stone see life again, or that it rest with your bones?" "I would like my stone to see life again." "By what title do you wish to be known by?" "I want to be known as the Bonehunter" With that, the spotted hyena had achieved the goal she had dreamed of for so long. She was now a true part of the Bonebound.

Zelk stepped forward as Aure called forth those already in the group who wanted to be bound. The polar bear was happy to become a true Bonebound. Though, she also wished that her friend Orlaith was here to join her in the moment. Though, the tiger did tell Zelk that she wanted to be on her own, or carve her own path at least. She sat alongside the hyena, Zawadi, as she answered Aure's questions in confidence. "Do you choose to guide, protect, and care for all of us, even in death?" "Yes I do." "Would you have your stone see life again, or that it rest with your bones?" "I want my stone to see life again." "By what title do you wish to be known by?" Zelk wanted to be known as a protector of the group, so she already knew the name she wanted. "By what title do you wish to be known by?" "I want to be known as the Guardian." Zelk's strength was now going to be used to defend her home, and those inside of it.

Her eyes drifted around the Bonebound, watching as familiar faces arrived, as well as some unfamiliar creatures that made her entire body quiver. Every nerve was screaming to leap to her feet, purr as loud as she could, and greet them as she had greeted the Bonebound in the first meeting. But she was staying out of it right now. She couldn't just go running into the middle of it. She'd promised Aure and herself that, at least for now, she'd keep her distance.

But that didn't mean she didn't have a place here. Her eyes closed for a moment as Aure spoke, but, at the moment, being wary of the ancients...finding the secrets of the caves...that didn't matter. The only secrets she was concerned about was her. What had happened? Why was she like this? Was there a way to stop? Those are the questions that she'd find answers to. Perhaps, along the way, more would be revealed.

She opened her eyes again as Aure began to walk through the ranks, performing the binding ceremony to each and every member that pledged themselves. She shivered a bit as she stood, slowly slinking forward until she was in the middle of the group. She was wary, of herself mainly, but came to a stop by Aure when he turned to her.

She blinked slowly as he asked his questions. Guide, protect, and care...Aure already knew, of course, she had promised him this already. "I do." Life after death? No question at all. "Life...please." But the title? She wasn't really ready for that one and stared blankly for a second. A title for her? What would she do? What would she give back to the Bonebound?

The answer was so obvious, she wondered why she didn't immediately realize it. Her face broke into a grin and her eyes shone happily. "The Friend!" Of course, it was perfect! She was everyone's friend so why should her title reflect anything else?

L A U R E L
i'd prolly rather nap than wonder

Laurel was soon to quiet at the kind words, huge, wide eyes looking up to the larger canine. Her body paused as her jaw hung open, dark eyes threatening to tear at the kind words. She had no clue why. Crying just seemed to be appropriate. Luckily, she managed to hold them back as she stood, her tail drifting to a slow wag.

Well, the hyena's words made sense. Laurel dipped her head respectfully as she backed off from Eli, moving away a couple of feet before circling in space. After just the right amount of paces, her speckled butt fell to the floor as she sat down side-saddle. Her long muzzle pointed to the hyena as she yapped out an excited but muted "Okay!".

She stayed quiet as more Gembound gathered, taking them all in. Her long tail wags persisted as she began to pant. Goodness, it was hot here. Ears perked as she looked around before her attention was brought to the reason she was here.

Laurel didn't really understand a lot of what the bird had said. Bonebound? Ancients? It was all a lot for the pup to take in, but she was definitely interested. This was a perfectly fine way of learning things, even if the material was a little somber.

Her excitement peaked as others approached the bird and took something- a Binding Ceremony? Those felt like important words. Her muscles twitched as she held herself back from moving forward, looking back anxiously to the hyena. They seemed calm. Something Laurel couldn't yet grasp, but something she could emulate. With her one brain cell she thought to plant her butt over the overexcited tail attached to her, keeping it in place as her panting continued. Those people seemed happy as they answered the questions. Maybe she could be like them? But.. She wasn't one of the 'Bound', whatever that meant.

She'd just have to wait and see.

Aries stepped forward.

The ram carried his head high, and despite the slight limp, he seemed strong. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Finally, he was to become Bonebound. His golden eyes met Aure's, solemn but proud.

"Do you choose to guide, protect, and care for all of us, even in death?" "I do."

"Would you have your stone see life again, or that it rest with your bones?"
"Life." He stated with a smirk. "Can't let the party end."

"By what title do you wish to be known by?"
Aries bent his good knee and bowed. "Call me the Bold." Aries the Bold. He thought. That sounds hot. He glanced at Eythan and gave him a wink. There was no way that gryphon could resist a title like that. He's totally falling for me.

Aries rose gracefully, chest puffed out. "I am honored to serve the Bonebound." He said to Aure, dipping his head respectfully.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: // OOC:

ELI
I CAN GO THE DISTANCE

"Huh?" He said to Giggle. His mind was in such a haze that he almost missed her when she addressed him. "Oh, yeah, sure!" He tried his best to seem glad. It wasn't that he didn't want to hang out with Giggle, he really did, there was just.. a lot on his mind. It occurred to him that the didn't know very much about the hyena. Eythan never properly introduced them, but he liked being around her. Maybe I can tell her. He thought hopefully. She'll listen.

His train of thought was interrupted by a squeaky voice. He blinked in surprise. It came from a puppy, one not much bigger than when he was a puppy-kitty. She seemed playful and chipper. Eli felt awful that he found it grating. "Ye-yeah!" He forced a smile and giving his wings a flap. "I'm also part cat too!" He meowed.

Their conversation was cut short by Giggle shushing them. Eli shut his trap and watched the puppy go, feeling sorry for her. Giggle didn't mean it like that.

I wasn't long before it was his turn to take the oath. Strangely, Eli felt nervous. Why am I like this? This is my family, I should be excited. He slunk up to Aure and gulped, kneading the ground with his paws.

Aure stated the first question. "Um, uh.." He glanced back at the others, hoping Elyon, and even Vincenzo, to be among them. They weren't. Eli looked down at his paws, unable to look Aure in the eye. A lump grew in his throat. "...I do." He finally said.

Aure stated the second question. Eli felt his back grow hot. What are you doing? Look happy! They're all watching you! He still found it hard to look at Aure, he didn't even want to look at Eythan. "Um.. can I have it.. um, rest with my bones, please?" He gave Aure a sheepish smile. An unexpected answer for someone notorious for being larger than life, but Eli didn't feel like being revived. Not now, anyway.

Finally, Aure came to the last question. This time, Eli finally found it in himself to glance up at his leader. "The Trickster". He said, without skipping a beat. Sorrow swirled in his yellow eyes, but Eli smiled. If there was one thing he had going for him, it was that he loved pranks. That's who he was, an impish merry-maker.

@Laurel