ORIGIN - A Jay in the Snow

The small cub found himself curled up against the wall of Tunnel N, near the nests his new family stayed in. His brow still ached painfully from the fight with that little beast. It seemed like the only gembounds he had met were scary or mean. Blackberry was sort of scary in the cubs eyes. He often had to remember that she couldn't be that scary since she had given a home. And then the other gembound he met was that awful thing that just kept fighting him. He was told there were others around, but he had only glanced them in passing, too shy to really speak up.

He pulled himself up on to his haunches with a sigh and looked around. Snowberry could hear the distant sound of footsteps, was someone there? Was it someone in his family or a stranger? He stood up and sniffed the air.

"H-hello?" He called warily, listening as his voice bounced off of the tunnels walls.

@jayberry
Sorry for the super lame post xc it'll get better I promise!

Jayberry ran.

The windhopper raced in front of her, its sides heaving with each desperate breath. All she could see was the flag of its tail, the meat that clung to its bones.

She leaped.

The windhopper barely had a moment to scream before her fangs tore it asunder, ripping out its throat in a display of primal hunger. She tore it into pieces, gulping down the meat with little care towards the mess she made.

Her stomach full, she picked up the remains of the windhopper. It was little more than bloody bones at this point, with sinew holding it together. But there were scraps of fat and flesh and meat clinging desperately to some of the bones, and she thought one of the others could eat. A large part of her family were, sadly, herbivores, but there were a few fellow carnivores, and some of the herbivores would still eat meat.

However, she was waylaid by a called hello. It was weak, and didn't seem to fit her family. But she was quick to recognize it as Snowberry, one of the newer members of their family. She hadn't had much of a chance to speak with them and, actually, she didn't remember ever speaking to it at all.

Dropping the corpse of the windhopper, she grunted a "Hello. Snowberry, right? I'm Jayberry. Want some?"

@Snowberry

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

A wolf that was darker than an onyx Snowberry made an appearance. The only thing that contrasted its dark fur was its vibrant yellow eyes and the body of a windhopper that was clenched between its jaws. This wolf seemed to fit in with the rough and tumble crowd that was his new family. The cub, however only a appeared to be rough by the cut on his eyebrow. Only the size of his paws hinted to the beast he would be.

"Yes, that's right." The white bear sat up, attempting to seem tougher than he was. The offering of food was too good to resist, and his little facade fell away as he bowed his head. "I would, thank you." He held down the carcass with his large paws and tore away at the remaining meat. It was delicious. Even the scraps were satisfying.

"Jayberry?" He murmured her name, looking back up to her. "You are the first of my new family to talk to me. I haven't been able to catch the attention of anyone else." His voice was mildly concerned. Did they not like him? Was he to small? "H-how to I make them notice me?" The question, seemingly innocent, was genuine. The cub wanted desperately to fit in.

@jayberry

The she-wolf observed the cub. The family was growing, that was good. There was herself, Mother and Papa, Elderberry, Baneberry, Mulberry, Huckleberry. Hellberry and, now, Snowberry. They were a force to be reckoned with. By her and Mother alone, almost ten Gembounds had lost their lives.

The cub was small, and looked unpracticed in the art of fighting. Where she was scarred, he had only a cut on his brow. They were pure opposites - she with her dark fur and scars, massive for her breed, and then he, with his pure fur and unmarked flesh, puny as could be.

She sat down, licking her lips as the bear dug into her offering. While she was able to get the blood out of her fur, it had long ago stained her teeth.

She was disappointed, but not surprised, to hear that the cub hadn't been approached by anyone else. "Well, you need to make yourself known. Bring others gifts of food, or trophies from fights. Approach them with offers to spar. If you get in good with Mother, though, you get in good with everyone. She's partial to meat, even though she's a bird." she offered the advice.

@Snowberry

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

Snowberry mulled over the things she had listed on how to get the others to notice him. It seemed like fights were the main way of getting others to respect or acknowledge him. There was only one problem, he had only been in one fight before and he honestly had no idea what he was doing. He looked at Jayberry closely and then squinted his eyes, getting an idea. He desperately wanted to fit in and if that meant sparing.. then so be it! Sparing is better than a full on fight.

"Jayberry? Could you show me how to fight?" He paused, realizing how lame that made him sound. "I mean, can you show me how to fight well? I've been in one fight and I had no idea what to do."

Asking Jayberry for help seemed like a better idea than asking Blackberry. For some reason he had a feeling that Blackberry would not hold back. Of course, he didn't know what Jayberry would do either. He could only find out for himself.

@jayberry

Jayberry angled her head to groom the fur of her chest, eyes never leaving the bear to see how he reacted. Thankfully, it didn't seem that he was opposed to the idea of fighting, as he did not cringe or cower. Instead, he seemed to be thinking.

"Show you how to fight?" she grinned, baring blood-stained fangs. "Of course, I am only behind mother in the number of Greaters I have killed." she boasted, but it really wasn't a boast. It was merely a fact. She stood, and planted her paws, standing strong as she eyed the bear cub. "Here, why don't you go first, let me see your offense."

@Snowberry

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

Snowberry was pleased as she agreed to help him improve his fighting skills. A little twinge of fear ran through his mind as she bared her blood stained teeth. Perhaps he should have chosen a mentor less... murderous? The cub inhaled deeply and gave a nod as she encouraged him to go first.

The bear rose to his feet and observed Jayberry for a quick moment. Maybe if he tripped her he could get an advantage, she was taller than him at this age. Snowberry made a run for it, aiming to use his whole body to bowl into her front legs.

Round I of Combat
Attempt: Knock over Jayberry
Defenses: /
Injuries: None

@jayberry

Jay took a deep breath, watching Snowberry critically. He was small, but stocky, and would surely grow as he got older. From what she knew of bears, he would likely remain stocky, so he needed to learn to take advantage of it.

He burst into movement, charging at her and slamming into her legs. She grunted, overturning, but twisted nimbly, rolling and quickly regaining her feet. Dropping into a battle-ready position, she barked a laugh, "Good! Using your size to your advantage, smart!" The wolf nodded her head proudly, "Now, come at me again!"

Round: 1/?
Attempt: Roll with it
Defenses:
Injuries: None

@Snowberry

"She speaks." 'She thinks.' She does.