It was one of those things that Huckleberry had always been curious about. There had been that day, that horrible day, when they had been faced by those creatures - the stag and the weasel that mother seemed to hate. But Huckleberry did not have any ill-will towards them. That was before everything had happened. They had only taken part in the mutilation because Mother had commanded it. They had seen red and then it was all over, like nothing had happened. They didn't even remember any of it.
But now they wanted to know what had happened. They had smelled them during their wanderings, a smell that had led them here, to Orion. They wanted to know why Mama hated them so much. And they wanted to know who they were.
Curiosity, in this case, was probably misguided. If they had been in their right mind, they probably would never have dared step foot anywhere near where the group had made its home. But things had changed and Huckleberry was a different creature, their love for the gem and their forced distance between them had driven them into an almost mindless state. It was as if they were a child again, a couple of cycles old, oblivious, crazy, and completely unpredictable. They wandered aimlessly, having lost the scent some time ago. Perhaps if they kept this up they would just...come across them?
When first he saw one of them wandering Orion, he expected--perhaps sensibly--an incursion. The stag dipped back behind a building, watching for a time. Then he moved away, slipping toward the tunnels that led toward Polaris, wondering if they had for some reason chosen this bulky member of their group as a scout. But why not the black wolf, then, or even the bird, on the wing?
Surely it would not be foolish enough to simply be wandering in alone? He searched the tunnel mouths for scent, listened for sound, but after some minutes of motionless silence he found no sign of the rest of the sadists. Eventually he slipped back after the scent of the stranger, following it at some distance and keeping as best he could to the shadows. It took him time, even then, to find it again; he was overly cautious, and its shape--darker than his--was harder to pick out against the distant ruins.
He pondered, for a time, and then focused. What are you doing here..? he pondered, to himself. He gathered his magic together.
The stag concentrated, slipping his mind out toward the other, trying to passively listen in upon its thoughts and its emotions for a few moments. If it were planning a trap, he would find Envy at once, and warn them.
How lovely it would be, he thought to himself, grimly, for them to spring a trap--only to find us waiting.
What Pride found was silence; either he wasn't focusing his magic correctly, or the thing was protected, somehow.
Or... he was simply too far away.
With a faint twitching grimace of frustration he turned, slipping off alongside the buildings, trying to get closer while remaining out of sight. He remembered, though, that the thing had an irritatingly exact sense of smell. He'd have to be ready for combat.
@Huckleberry
Huckleberry halted, their nose twitching curiously. They could faintly smell something familiar on the air. They couldn't tell which way it was coming from, only that somebody was close by. They shivered, nervously, their wings twitching, as if they wanted to leap into the air to try and get more comfortable. But they had to face this here - they didn't want them to get the wrong idea.
But they were terrified. What if they all attacked? What if there were more? What if there were enough to just...kill them? They were frozen, their eyes stretched wide as these possibilities swam across their eyes. With a sudden jerking movement, completely irrationally, they shot to the side and dove behind a boulder, shoving themselves into the shadows. Perhaps the one following them wouldn't see them here. Perhaps they could just go unnoticed and then go back to the cave.
What if the person following them was Blackberry? The thought was even more terrifying then having one of them being the one. Their breathing sped up as they crouched lower into the shadows.
Pride paused, nostrils twitching. The thing had simply leapt aside, after a moment of sniffing about; had it caught his scent?
How irritating.
Ahh, well. He could no longer try to establish a link with the creature out of sight; he'd need to make direct contact. Or rather, not direct contact. If there were others somewhere, hiding, that might be too dangerous. What if they are already ahead..? His mind sparked up in concern, wondering if perhaps this one were merely late to an attack on Envy--... but no, he'd scented nothing, seen nothing since his last meeting with the King.
With a soft sigh through his nose he stepped further into the shadows, briefly closing his eyes to more clearly concentrate. He focused his magic on creating a double of himself, one to step out and speak in his stead... one that, if it were attacked, would simply dissipate into nothingness.
It took effort, and even when created, the image of himself flickered unsteadily every now and again--but it worked, the other-him staring at him as if awaiting orders. He nodded to it, and then manipulated the magic to control it outward. His own voice rang out.
"Stranger..." he called, still so far that the voice could have come from either of them.
As the double moved on, he slipped along quietly beside it, shadowing it from the hidden crevices and darker places among the ruins while keeping the other-him in plain sight. His voice continued, musically soft and fluting, but loud enough to carry. His words, though delicate, were precise.
"What are you doing in our caves? Are you not one of these... ridiculous 'berries?' The sadists... the killers? Have you come to bring your violence here?" His tone was merely curious, but he made it clear: he knew who the other one was. Lies would not fly, here.
He wanted to know the truth.
And, he thought to himself, I need to report to my King. Perhaps there might be a way I could learn to contact Envy mind-to-mind even from a distance? To warn them of these things..?
He pushed the thought from his mind, for now, and continued on in the shadows as his double strode slowly on toward where he'd last seen Huckleberry.
@Huckleberry
Huckleberry nearly jumped a mile when the voice rang out in the cave. They squeaked and tried to press themselves farther into the shadows, but it wasn't very effective. They were more then a little too big to make themselves look small. They watched the copy, what they thought was the real one, as it padded towards their hiding spot. Thinking that they had been found, they slunk out to face the stag, their wings trailing on the ground and their ears flattened.
What a pathetic sight they must be. If mama saw how they were acting, she'd tear out every feather. But they couldn't help it. The stag was so confident and proud. And they could feel the magic. Their own abilities made them sensitive enough to know that this was not someone to mess with.
As the question came next, they felt a flash of anger and suddenly the shyness and fear snapped away and they stood up taller, eyes blazing.
Pride listened quietly, perking up his ears. His first thought was utter disdain--of course they were ridiculous. They were all named after berries, for cave's sake. They called themselves blood berries, how could they possibly be any more ludicrous?! He was, however, more tactful than to push the point, and regardless, another thought occurred to him.
But then... there is always the possibility that their mad leader is truly insane enough not to realize how silly it sounds. That bodes even worse; I had thought her merely a sadist. And this one... sorry, hmm? Now that is interesting. I wonder if it is genuine, or an act?
For a moment, he debated internally--whether to continue remaining hidden in case of ambush, or to go and speak with the creature more directly. But he could still sense no sign of anyone else nearby, and all signs had pointed to the way being clear.
He inspected Huckleberry from a distance, a critical eye taking in their posture closely. What if they are genuinely torn? What if the insane goose has this one--what, indoctrinated..? It may do good to speak with it. Get information, perhaps even turn it away from such a path. And beyond this faint urge of morality, followed the thought-- --and if it is a trap, I am fairly confident it would be a good opportunity to destroy at least one of them. This did not extend to arrogance, however; Pride knew very little of what they were actually capable of. And so he was still wary, his nerves still threaded tight, as he released his doppelganger and stepped out into the open himself.
He walked toward the hybrid with a stately step, first moving into the open and then following the same path his fake-self had, approaching Huckleberry with a neutral appearance. His head tilted slightly as he came to a stop, still a few yards away, his branching antlers tilting with it.
"What," Pride began simply, his voice confident, but softly musical--"is it for which you are sorry?" His tone held nothing but mild curiosity--no reproach, but rather as if he were making conversation. This is all it was; Pride was simply curious.
Was the creature merely apologetic out of fear? Was it a lie, to bait him out? Or was the hybrid genuinely remorseful..?
@Huckleberry
Huckleberry widened their eyes as the figure of the stag suddenly disappeared and another one came padding out. A fake? But it had seemed so real! They had never seen magic like this before! It was so strange and Huckleberry wasn't sure they liked it. The shifted uncomfortably, but they couldn't keep showing so much weakness. They tried to shake off their unease, but it stuck to their fur like oil.
But how could he ask what they were sorry about? Shouldn't he know? How could he not? No, he had to know! He had to he had to!
Huckleberry's agitation was starting to grow, seemingly out of nowhere, tears collecting in the corner of their eyes as they stared up at Pride.
And they don't know that Envy's alive. Interesting. He mulled this over only briefly, considering telling the stranger, but decided against it; it was not his place, not yet, to simply hand that knowledge over to the enemy.
He did not, in fact, attack; he merely stood there, watching the stranger, placidly confident. His melodic voice came reassuring, even, in its town.
"Well... it is good that one of you, at least, does not see this as wondrously desirable." He paused, considering. "My name is Pride. When I was hatched, a stranger was waiting at my gem. She wished to use me for her own ends; to fill my mind with her beliefs, her lies, and to use me as her tool. Her weapon. I get the impression that your... Blackberry, does the same. If you have followed her until now, perhaps it is not your fault. But to continue down that path is certain death, for you and for others. What is your name?"
@Huckleberry
Huckleberry cowered in front of Pride, listening, wide-eyed. Was Mama really like that? Selfish and manipulative? Did she really just use the family as her weapon to her own ends? No, that couldn't be right. No. No! Mama was good to the family, Mama loved her family!
They shook their head, refusing to believe that Mama was like that.
They looked up at Pride, wondering what this other creature was like. Were they like Mama? Or was Mama like them? Or perhaps it was so different it was a comparison that didn't work. Pride didn't understand the family. Pride didn't know how strong they were. It made Huckleberry angry, seeing him so confident, as if he knew everything. But it was anger that did not last as they thought of how distant they were to the family now. Defeat, instead, settled in and they look down, their head hanging, almost hopelessly.
She kept us safe and taught us to fight. Pride studied the hybrid as it spoke. For their own benefit? he wondered, or as her own personal army..? Perhaps this creature can be useful. At the very least, it deserves a chance. Perhaps the seeds can be sown for its escape from its family; or perhaps it will offer up some slip of information, if not. As soon as he was done here, he'd need to report this to Envy.
For a moment, as the hybrid spoke further, he turned and glanced away. He managed not to wince at the name--why the hell had the goose named them all after berries, if her mind was so fixated on murder..?--and then turned back with a slight nod.
"Perhaps she has her own reasons, then," Pride said non-committally in regards to Blackberry. "It is good to meet one of you willing to speak, regardless, rather than indulge in sadistic violence. What brings you, then, to Orion, if I may be so bold as to ask..?"
His tone was polite enough, curious. He showed respect to those who showed it in turn, and so it was not a false or manipulative front. He did not, too, believe that Huckleberry was liable to be lying, or that this was a trick; he merely wondered, as his pale eyes drifted over the creature once more, what precisely had drawn it here.
@Huckleberry