Beyond

Ocelot made his home near the river bordering the Forest and Night Legions, warding off tresspassers with warnings and elaborate traps. He continued to build machines and investigate all that was new to him. He would often visit the central city to barter his goods for food or new materials, rarely returning to the Forest Apex.

He would also regularly visit the Night Slums, where he would do more bartering but also provide random acts of kindness to those in real need. Once, he found a merchant selling a set of lightly enchanted bangles; they weren't quite Ocelot's style nor was he fond of showcases of wealth, but he bought them anyway, fascinated by their link to other magical items. He discovered enchanted items will reverberate with others nearby; he continued to wear the bangles to sleuth out other enchanted items when out in the world.

Seasons passed, and Ocelot heard tell of his parents' wherabouts through his connections in the central city. They were going further off the political deep end, opposing the greatly popular Grandmaster Vexillum, gaining small but significant numbers of violent followers. One day, his sister Ginkgo found him at his hut, bleeding profusely from her chest and begging for sanctuary. Ocelot tended to her wounds, though they were deeply infected he had enough medical knowledge to save her life. She told him she'd opposed their parents' extreme ways for as long as she could, but their followers caught up with her, jumped her and left her for dead. Both having severed their ties with their family, Ocelot allowed Ginkgo to stay with him until her wounds healed.

For some time, a group of mysterious Sky Legionnaires whom Ocelot suspected to be hybrids had been buying his custom hunting weapons in the shady streets of the city. Ocelot could care less about who he was selling to and where their gold came from so long as they didn't attempt to swindle him. Ginkgo, however, had an entirely different impression of them upon meeting them, and she urged him to inquire. Having been business partners for some time, they entrusted Ocelot with sparce information: they were an outlaw group with lofty goals. They also extended an invitationt to join them, since his contributions have been invaluable to their operation thus far.

The siblings left that day, thinking over the offer. Ocelot didn't care much for it, thinking he could get by on his own, but Ginkgo thought differently: it was only a matter of time before their parents' followers hunted her down to finish the job, and upon finding her brother, they would show no mercy. No amount of traps could stop an angry mob, and as much as Ocelot hated to admit it, his weapon of choice was his mind, which would not fare well against the crazy. Being with a group would offer them protection and the ability to utilise its greater resources, two concepts Ocelot valued enough to consider.

They returned to the city and met with the group's representatives again, expressing their interest in joining. It was ultimately Ginkgo's enthusiasm that was the deciding factor for Ocelot. That night, they agreed to meet with Red Leader.

Thriving

Curatrix Ocelot and Aviatrix Ginkgo took to Red Army life quite well. Ocelot has not fully abandoned his hut by the river, but he did transfer most of his equipment to his lab in the Red Army Headquarters. His primary job, although not a formal role, is Head Scientist; in addition to his duties as a Curatrix, learning basic defense and medical healing, he is tasked with building various tools and gadgets for his comrades and for Red Leader.

Per the rules of the Army, with regards to his safety, Ocelot is no longer permitted to make excursions far outside protected Army territory without the accompaniment of an Adjutatrix, but that doesn't stop him from making his old rounds. The Adjutatrix most often assigned to him is Archetto. Since they share so much time together, the two have struck up somewhat of a friendship, as far as Ocelot's concerned; Archetto finds him to be a major hinderance, and Ocelot can't stop himself from pushing his buttons and annoying him further. No matter how much he hates Ocelot's guts, Archie's forced to stay by his side, and Ocelot loves to (kindly) rub it in. In exchange, Ocelot teaches Archetto more than the basic Agitatrix's course in healing provides.

In addition to Archetto and Ginkgo, Ocelot also has connections to many other members of the Red Army. Fellow scientist Freedom is the only dragon permitted to work alongside him in his lab; Demo is strictly prohibited from coming anywhere near it. He often enlists the aid of Adjutrix such as Mistral and some Gladiatrix to help him gather resources. He also will agree to train anyone who asks if they are curious about a machine's function and/or upkeep. Just like his time as a loner, Ocelot will get along well with those who are receptive to his snarky behaviour.

When he's not tending to the needs of the Army, Ocelot likes to journal his findings in a massive series of scrolls stored in the Red Army Library. All his knowledge accumulated over his life on foods, materials, and other resources from the Forest Legion and beyond are free to access for any Army member. During lulls between projects, Ocelot likes to take an Agitatrix to scout out different areas of the realm and report his findings, ever curious for new things to discover.