Travelling through Ursa again wasn't one of Fulgur's idea of a fun time. The cold clinged to his smooth hide, and his Flock shivered in the snow. So when Leo opened into a large, warm - no, hot - cavern, he was glad for it.

He soars past the beaches, past the sea stacks, settling among the black-seared rocks of the volcano slopes. It seems like just as good a place as any to look for gemstones, or anything else that could serve as a suitable bead for the Tailor's finery.

He decides to land on a large rocky protrusion, clinging onto it with his wings. The black sand glitters as his six eyes survey the blasted lands. With chuff and a flash of his biolumiscent patches, he hopes her can send his little ones soaring, looking for shinies to take back to Cepheus.

With a chitter, they leap off him, wheeling around and skimming over the land.

Hopefully they don't get themselves hurt, he thinks to himself. A natural instinct had told him that his Flock was his, and that he had to protect them. So it was a little nerve-wracking to send them off.

At least he knew they wouldn't stray too far.

It doesn't take long for them to circle back to Fulgur. He's a little dismayed to see that only one carries anything, and that it's just a black rock, like all the others.

Maybe somewhere else would work better.

He takes off again, lifting into the air as his Flock swarms behind him. "There has to be something here," he murmurs to himself, as he rides over lava flows and black ridges.

Something glittering catches his eye, and he slows down, landing next to the object to inspect it. Lifting it with a claw, he finds that it's a lovely piece of crystal, rough and coated in ash but still beautiful. This'll do, he thinks to himself. He tucks it into his mouth, since its too big to give to one of the Flock to carry.

He looks around again, in the ash under him, but it seems like that gem was the only one. Onward, then.

He can't really talk with the gem in his mouth, so again to command the Flock the undersides of his wings light up again. Black bodies only shift, and pink eyes stare blankly back at him.

So much for that.

Come on, little guys.., he thinks to himself, as his companions regard him with curious eyes. It's more than a little frustrating, but he can't be mad at him.

Maybe he needs a different approach. Instead focuses on himself, to give them a small jolt. He knows, somewhere in instinct, that maybe they'll listen to the current.

...well that didn't work.

Okay, fine. The Flock can sit back. Fulgur will do it himself. He launches back into the air, scanning the ash with his pink, careful eyes. The red cast from the lava did light up the room well enough, and hopefully any stones would pick that up.

But the slopes seem just as desolate as ever. Maybe Fulgur picked wrong?

Am I doing this wrong? he asks himself, perplexed. Is he blind? Is he stupid? No, if he was blind and stupid, how would he protect his companions? Surely he's just unlucky, right?

He swoops low again, his wings catching the lava's angry light like a mirror. He's not even looking specifically for gemstones, just anything interesting.

Ash is all that greets him, kicked up by his wings and launched into the air. He coughs and hacks, but luckily doesn't drop his already found stone.

Come on, there has to be something here... He'll comb the rocks all day if he has too. The Tailor had seemed so desperate, and he'd hate to come back to her empty handed.

He lets out a low rumble, another attempt at getting the Flock to cooperate with him. Eventually, some of the little guys do take off and fly off, but not all of them. Better than nothing, though.

He watches, circling in the air, as his companions fly low over the rocks. He hopes they return with their beaks full of trinkets and goodies, gifts for the Tailor.

One avian brings back a piece of tattered scaled hide, and other a bunch of white feathers. Not the gems Fulgur had been hoping for, but Mimosa would probably accept them all the same.

At least he now has more than just one something to give. But he's going to keep pressing on, in hopes of finding something really nice. Eyes, don't fail me now.

A red sparkle catches his eye. He dives low, skimming it off the floor with one of his wing claws. It's a hard maneuver, but with two sets of wings he can use one pair as arms for a short while. He briefly inspects it, a fine piece of garnet, before setting it in his jaws next to the other one.