hey, PSA: this thread will have mentions of gore in it later so be careful for that if it makes you queasy pls <3 also hey alm are you ready for pain part 2??

Tunnel K had been unwelcoming—he'd almost elected to turn around and wander through the labyrinthine vault full of stars. Spindly fingers of fog had clung to him, making his fur stand on end. Glowing to keep the mist at bay, he had moved in a hurried pace. If any Gembound had tried to make conversation, they were entirely missed in favor of getting to his destination. Which was nowhere in particular, if he were to be honest. The excitement of new encounters had almost shaken him to the core. Rattled him out of the same, consistently boring routine he had fallen into for so long. It prompted a craving for exploration. To wander every corner of the cave yet again. He'd make his rounds from Tunnel I, a loop back to Eridanus. His inevitable home aside from the dirt he was far too intimately familiar with for his liking.

As he emerged into Canis, he wondered what had become of their garden. Barren, dry bones were scattered about the room, strategically placed piles so that they didn't seem so haphazard. Of course, the imagery was still there. Absently, Mercurius offered life to the bone pit, willing a sprout to emerge among the hollowed eyes of a raven nestled among some sort of vulture. While it wasn't much, a pathetic little white carnation grew between the two.

@Carni

Carni had honestly been napping. The day had taken its toll on him, and with the blood finally cleaned from his fur and Eythan resting somewhat soundly near the twins, the King felt safe enough to finally relax a bit.

And yet, it was not to last.

The arrival of a white lion, like nothing he'd ever seen before, caught Carni's eye immediately. From his place high on the walls of Canis cave, he watched the newcomer- though obviously grown and aged physically- urge plants to grow in their desolate home. This intrigued him, and for a moment, he left the lion to his flower...

...but a King had duties to his kingdom, and after just a few quiet moments of consideration, Carni lifted from the walls and glided easily down to land before the larger white cat. He wore his wings high, head tipped back a bit- not boastfully, but in an air of respect and nobility. He took a moment to look the other over carefully, then turned to face him fully.

"Welcome to Canis." He started. "I am King here, and should your intentions be just, I welcome you into my home." He gave a little bow of welcome and respect, then stood up properly again. "What brings you here, white lion?"

Back-dated to a few hours after his fight with Eythan, but before he heads to Polaris, for simplicity's sake. @Mercurius

A slight flutter of wings was enough to stir the attention of the lion. It ebbed towards the creature ambling over to him, wings riding high into the air despite painfully fresh incisions in their stone and raw wounds. They tried to portray an air of royalty that made Mercurius cringe slightly, memories unearthed as if they were fresh and new. The idea that the gestures of nobility seemed subdued, respectable. Without the curse of arrogance and influential gluttony. Hoity-toity words were enough to confirm the suspicions of royalty.

"Of the Bonebound?"he murmured, mostly to himself (that name niggled at the back of his mind due to its faint familiarity) before deflecting the nickname given to him in a confident swoop, "my name is Mercurius Albu." Swaybacked and rather uncomfortable, the feline rocked back onto his haunches and coiled his tail about himself companionably. "I've come seeking only simple wanderings; I've been wanting to tell stories in my free time. Words come from influences in the Caves." He hoped to someday be as good as she was.

@Carni