Gojiberry whipped around as...somthing came soaring down, snarling at the family gathered around Shimmerberry. Their eyes were wide and they tried to move closer. They wanted a better look. They wanted to see because everything was blurry and they wanted to know what it was. But, before they could even take a step, the creature had grabbed the still body of their sibling and was gone.
They stared at the place where the creature had disappeared, watching Jayberry scrabbled furiously, trying to get back to her daughter. It was pitiful to watch, but, for once, Gojiberry had nothing to say. They hated their mother, but they weren't heartless. She wanted to mourn.
But, at the same time, they knew that it was her fault. If she had been more careful, if she had cared more, Shimmerberry would not have been born like that. Shimmerberry would have been able to eat. She could have stuffed the food down their throat if, after all that, they were still deformed. As Nettleberry pressed herself against their leg, their composure broke and they flinched, pushing themselves away.
They pushed past the little rabbit-wolf, their paws reaching forward to grab at Jayberry and get her attention.
*exit, unless stopped
The flash of white instantly alerted her and she flinched, lurching back violently, sure that it was Pride, preparing for an attack or to run away if she needed to. But a second later, it was gone, and she was left with nothing but Jayberry scratching desperately at the crevice where it had disappeared and Gojiberry - no, Agony, walking out with lashing words. Shimmerberry was gone.
She shook her head, staring at the place where they had once been. This wasn't happening. This was terrible. She was cursed. Her family was cursed. Everyone she'd raised...and everyone they raised. Everyone was cursed.
Her energy waned, whether from the desperation of her digging or just the flood of emotions, leaving Jayberry unable to do anything other than butt her head against the crevace, slamming her horns so hard into it that her bones rattled, teeth slamming together, only her claws digging into the ground keeping her from reeling.
A paw grabbed her, and she flinched violently, whirling to face Gojiberry and staring, unseeing, at him.
And Mother was trying to leave, to.
Her ears twitched, and she cowered, wondering what Mother was doing. The air smelled of fear and pain, and she was terrified, but she couldn't make out what had happened too well. She hoped Gojiberry would tell her, would act kind even just for once, but instead they jolted away, and she flinched away to regain her balance, head slumping forward, whimpering in fear as her rough fur stood on end.
Mother was sobbing, and shouting, and she wanted to go to her, but she couldn't see her, and feared the thing coming back, so she huddled down as low as she could, eyes wide and shaking violently.
@Blackberry
Through Blackberry's haze of despair and self-hatred, she heard Jayberry's pleas. She blinked and flinched, moving her head down to face her. For a moment, she seemed to check out, eyes dulling like the burning embers of a dying fire, and a shiver went down her back. Her expression hardened and twisted at the sight of Jayberry, of her daughter, the one she'd raised to be a killer, the one that had tormented over and over and over, killed over and over and over...groveling and crying. The fangs gritted in her mouth as she stepped forward.
She reached forward with one of her talons, grabbing at the scruff of dark fur around Jayberry's neck, trying to wrench her back to her feet.