Serek's fur was on end as he'd finally arrived at Canis. Was he avoiding this? Perhaps. Yeah. Most likely.

His head was dipped low as he wandered over familiar, old paths, trying to remember how to return back to where he hatched. He huffed- last time he was here, he cried and ran out on his mother. Really? Nice going, Serek. Let her see you again with this news.

But- it was probably a false alarm, right? Did he really need to get all the Bonebound?

Better to be safe than sorry. As he neared the bonepit, he glanced down into it, teeth grinding. "Mom?" He called at a normal volume. She could be asleep, for all he knew. It wasn't late, but- Whatever. He had asked for her, and he sat by the precipice of the pit, looking to where her den- his old home- was.

[ Open to all - Bonebound & Hive preparation thread ]

Giggle's head came up, and she barely had time to register the voice before she reacted, almost without her own intention. She was up on her feet, rushing down to him, greeting him happily.

"Serek!" she rasped, and her voice, in another world, might've belonged to the world's happiest tenement-living two-pack-a-day mom; "How've you been? It's been awhile--let me look at you," she added. Nose and happy eyes worked him over quickly--she'd not seen him since the Bonebound meeting a few cycles ago, and damn, she always missed her kids.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

Nearby, a massive white lump of fur had been chewing on a relatively fresh femur bone, snake tail making fleshy slappy sounds as it thumped happily. However, the thumping stopped as the sound of something approaching caught Kerberos's attention, ears pricking as he remained hunched over his bone.

The voice calling for "mom" was obviously not for him. Giggle's answer was fairly expected, but now the big doggo was curious. Another sibling? One head, then two, then three all rose and turned in sequence toward the pair of red-spotted shaggy furred gembound, and then the entire mound rose into a hulking shape of a cerberus. Five bright eyes locked on the unfamiliar face, and Kerberos began plodding over.

"... Serek?" One head echoed, curious... And then, another, slowly growing excited, "Another Bonebound?" He had never seen this one before, though there were many, many new faces since his absence.

He drew up behind Giggle, doing his best not to crowd or hover in a fashion too intimidatingly. Even though Giggle was the shortest among them, she was much, much bigger than her physical size. "I am Kerberos," he offered his name eagerly, tail snaking in a slow wag behind him. "Welcome home, brother!"

It took almost everything in the big guy not to barrel forward and cover the hyena-colored hybrid in puppy-dog kisses. He managed, all things considered, to put on his best manners.

i'm ready to start
the conquest of spaces

His mother was nearby, and his muscles trembled as she came close. He bent to receive her nose- touching back and humming into her fur. "I've been okay," he chuffed out. He was- althought, both Raheerah and now this had been giving him... fears.

His head flicked up when a dog- three- dogs? came close. "That's me." He blinked when one said his name, confusion muddling his expression. He was- Bonebound, yes, but official with the Children.

Two families kind of made this hard.

"Kerberos." He dipped his head in greeting, trying not to curl into his proverbial shell. "It's good to meet- er, all of you." Were they separate beings? Or... One? But- this wasn't who he was here for.

As his mother's eyes roamed over him, he glanced away in guilt. He had to say this. Had to warn them, to get help- "The... The Children are in danger." He gulped hard, stepping over his own feet. "We- there's a fungus problem going on in Cetus. Someone from the Eridanus Kingdom came by and told us that there's this stuff growing that controls people's minds. There's a bunch of Gembounds there- big," he glanced up to Kerberos. Maybe not that big, but.. Still, a lot. "I haven't talked to them myself, and they might just be a group of 'em, but apparently they want other people under their fungus too. Oliver said that they'd just work themselves until they die to feed the... Fungus? I don't know what type it is."

An ear flicked as he looked to Giggle. "I mean, I don't want to make assumptions, but Dragon wants me to get someone to check with fungus magic. Mine's not strong enough- not yet." He paused, shuffling again. "... He also thinks there should be backup. Just in case they really are malicious. I mean, if- if they didn't want to infect us, I'd leave them to their own devices, but."

He was getting worked up, running over himself. Shaking his head, he tried to calm down his nerves, his muscles tightening. "I don't know. I just- I.. I'm scared. I don't know if it's true, but I want to check, and I wanna make sure the Children are safe."

@Giggle

"Ahh! Serek, this is Kerberos--he is a good son, if not of my stone or magic. A good guardian and a Bonebound. Kerberos, Serek is my magic, given to a stone here from among the bones. I think I mentioned I made children-? I raised three from them, before Aure," she explained.

It struck her, suddenly and abruptly, that she had four actual children now, along with her two adopted ones. Boy, was she a mother.

She felt suddenly old. Hrrmph.

Giggle's brow drew down as she listened; there was no more time to think of herself. Round ears swept forward, attentive at this new tale of horror.

"Shit," she breathed. "Well, I can look for it, if that's what you mean? I'll need to ask the bones about it," she added. And then, without warning, bellowed: "AURE? EYTHAN? -Shit," she repeated. "Someone find them, it's Aure's call what to do. But I'll ask the bones meanwhile, so he has my advice to work with," she added.

In obedience to unspoken command, Omen rose fluttering: circling, screaming its bloodcurdling cries: but this time there were words in them, words pressed into its mind by Giggle. And as the bone-reader went to her pit and pulled free a twisted, malformed bone--as she trotted to her ledge above, and tossed it--Omen circled through Canis, calling.

'EYTHAN. AURE. AUR-THEN. EYTHRAURE!'

Giggle glanced up only once, and grunted. "...She tries," she said.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

@Serek @Aure

'EYTHAN. AURE. AUR-THEN. EYTHRAURE!'

The wyvern's head twisted up at the garbled sound, a mockery of Giggle's voice and so unmistakably Omen - mostly because he could see the bird's silhouette fluttering around.

He spread his wings, taking off after the Caller and following close in her circling patrol back towards - "Serek!" Bright eyes lit up as he descended, talons extending out and alighting with not too much kerfuffle. "It's nice to see you, brother." Either he'd forgotten about the hybrid's last visit to Canis, or it was simply moot, because Aure stepped forward to greet him before finally reading the room. Serek was standing there like he'd just delivered some grim news, and Kerberos was watching on. Giggle must have been here at some point but...

The young King craned his neck, looking for her like she was some sort of lifeline, (which was, frankly, kind of unfair.) He could handle this on his own. She was off doing - something important, he was sure.

Aure was hyper-aware that he was a little bit late to the proceedings (and that this wasn't a friendly visit home,) and shuffled his wings awkwardly. "What's going on?" he asked with all the appropriate urgency.

@Kerberos

Serek's head dipped as he was introduced to Kerberos. Singular, then. He gave the canine a brief look over and he tried to give a smile, before shaking his head and getting on with his speech.

Shit was right. The more words he spoke, the more he felt wrong, on edge, and tense, toes curling into the rocky ground below. The bones would know- of course. "If- if you can, Mother," he whined out when she confirmed on looking for it. "I don't know how bad it is. I- I don't even know if they're bad, but-"

He jumped at the call, eyes wide. Aure would know- Aure had to know- Serek's eyes shut tight as he felt himself spiralling. Calm down. Deep breaths. It worked, somehow, and he looked back to Giggle with a sigh, glancing to Omen fluttering into the air.

If it weren't for the grim situation, he'd laugh at the bird's words. Instead, he only watched Giggle step away, hesitating to follow, one foot in the air as he stopped in motion.

Was he overreacting? Were they all? What if this fungus was really dangerous, though, and they did nothing about it? Oh, how his mind spun with doubts and worries and fears. Aure pulled him out of them and his head wheeled around at the call, eyes widening. That was quick. "Brother," he sighed in return. It was good to be once again a part of the family, but he had no time to celebrate.

Aure was looking around. For his mother, perhaps? "Giggle is reading the bones; there's... Something dangerous in Cetus. The Children aren't safe- none of us are if it keeps getting worse, apparently." His body turned to face the wyvern. "I don't know how bad it is. Which is- probably good that she's reading them, then. They'll- know what do to." His nails were scraping little marks into the dust, now.

"But- there's some kind of fungus. Dragon wants the Bonebound to help, to- to get it out. If it's there. If that happens there's probably gonna be a fight and I don't want to put anyone in danger but we need help and-" He huffed, words running into one another. He was driving himself down a hole again. Shaking his head with ears flopping to either side, he lowered his head and looked up at Aure. "It's not my call, but- Dragon's asking for the Bonebound, anyone, to help against this. If it ends up bad. If it doesn't, that's- that's fine, but if it does we'll be stuck in there if it's just us. It's- a family of Gembounds, and they're... Defensive. Like, they say they wanna live, but if it's true they're just hurting themselves and looking to hurt others too, without even knowing it."

Perhaps it was good timing that he came after the Opal's discovery, then. The aquatic creature was an unknown to him, but the lines to be drawn were obvious.

@Giggle

Giggle half-listened as the final bones rattled into place.

"...Hrmph. A gift, alliance... this I see; cooperation and benefits on both sides. But whose? And... travel, communication. Riding another. Surely it does not refer to us? We are not to accept this fungus? -And the voice, last, of something... divine. A greater power." The hyena's eyes narrowed as she eyed the fungus.

Everything about this reading seemed to promise only good things of the fungus, and in an effort to confirm, she picked up the bone and tossed it again. It wasn't doubting the bones but asking for clarification. And the results were clear: victory and success.

"The bones claim this fungus to be the voice of a god, in short," she told the others, looking to them--and her dark gaze was troubled. "Protecting us from other things."

She had always listened to fungus, though, had she not? Trusted it.

"If you have more questions, I will ask them of the bones. But our course of action is yours to decide," she told Aure.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

Something in Cetus - ?
The mentioning of fungus sprung something akin to a tripwire in his brain, thoughts of Opal flitting to the forefront. But, of course, the eel had yet to awaken and there wasn't any further context other than the clear statement of danger and the implications of manipulation and being... used. The eel had said something about being used, through the mind. That was all Giggle had been able to glean.

Aure's beak opened and closed a few times, still tumbling through the prospects and potential too quickly to offer any words of assurance to Serek. All he could do was step forwards and place his head on the taller hybrid's shoulder, lifting a wing in a mock-hug. He hoped it was a comforting gesture.

The Children of Rot were allies and friends of the Bonebound, however few their meetings and encounters were. As it stood, they were the longest-enduring collection of Gembound in the caves - they'd outlived Aza'zel's Bonebound and the failed revivals. They only looked to survive, and Aure knew his decision with surprising confidence.

But, he waited until Giggle returned with counsel from the bones. Alliance and benefits, riding upon one another - those seemed promising, but the divine... that the fungus was the voice of a god. Aure's feathers ruffled, ears flickering back as his gaze drifted to his feet - stepping back from Serek. Thinking.

"Do the bones say what this... god is protecting us from? How do you know that they's not referring to one of the Masters or something just as powerful?" Aure voiced finally, clearly conflicted; if Dragon was afraid enough to ask for assistance from other groups, this couldn't possibly be something so... benevolent. Serek seemed so convinced, too, that they were all in danger (and the wyvern didn't want to chalk it up to paranoia or anxiety.)

The young King waited a moment, and looked to his family - the ones he loved and cherished and knew were strong. "I say that we - help the Children of Rot with whatever they need," Aure called, then faltered slightly, "I believe they'd do the same for us." He swallowed, voice losing its strength as he looked to Serek, "but we can't - leave now. Astraea's coming in a few days' time to check in." So that they wouldn't be forced to surrender Bonebound for Hydra. "He's put us in charge of protecting someone, and the consequence will leave us - not able to help the Children."

They may very well be on a clock, but Aure had to plead: "do you think that we can wait just a little while? You can stay here until then, and we can get the Bonebound together and - prepared."

@Serek

As much as his words tumbled out of him, Serek knew he had to stop eventually. Come to a drifting close, let Aure say his piece, but- No. His still sputtered on as his half-brother approached. The indication of recognition came through a slowing of his words, reducing them to vague mutterings of one gripped by anxiety, only to be frozen in their tracks by a warm touch.

He was leaned into Aure's mix of fur and feather, taking in a deep breath to calm himself when Giggle approached. He had to look presentable, This- he couldn't be compromised like this. Breaking himself free, he shook out his coat and looked to his mother, ears dialed back in anticipation of the worst.

He didn't expect the vague praise given to the possible danger. Aure had spoken, and Serek tensed at the mention of the masters, squinting down to the clay and bones below. "Maybe it's... It's an alliance, good for themselves, them in it, and not for anyone else. I- Godly beings are not always so divine in meaning." His head swung down in deference. "But- I don't mean to.. Reinterpret the bones. Sssorry if I overstepped," Dark eyes glanced to Giggle's in minor pleading, in that he didn't speak out of turn, his senses keyed into how he stood and wavered in his voice.

A weight lifted when Aure confirmed the Bonebounds' help. Serek couldn't resist letting out a minor "thank you," as a sigh. "We would. I would."

They were still his family, as much as the Children were, too.

His toes dug into the rock at the idea of waiting. How long did they have? They'd had the group of them in their cave for over two cycles now; they should be able to wait. Nobody knew the intentions of the others, after all.

"That's fine," he concluded after a moment of deliberation. "Is there still room in the den, Mother?" He looked to her before turning back to Aure. "Thank you- for... For doing this. For hearing me out." Of course he'd be heard out, but some inner part of him needed to drive home the fact in his brain that he wasn't in control here.

But, he was family, he chided to himself silently. He would do the same for them in a heartbeat, after all.

@Giggle