ORIGIN

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Huckleberry heard as Orlaith moved off, but she was making too much noise. Blackberry glanced over to the rocks as the tiger moved, but, thankfully, she made no attempt to flee. Huckleberry couldn't care less right now. He shivered again, but this time with anger. She was trying to manipulate him again. She was trying to get on his good side. He wasn't going to fall for that. Not anymore. "It's me...Blackberry," he confirmed, his voice monotone and emotionless.

He took a step back as she stepped forward, his lips curling. "Don't call me that! I'm not your son anymore! You don't own me! Not after w-what you've done!" Orlaith appeared on the other side of Blackberry and he sighed with relief. At least she'd gotten in place. He nodded to her, every fiber of his body trying to stop himself from releasing a blast of magic her way. "She's right. I'm not here to...to...go back to you or anything! Or help you! I'm p-part of the Kingdom of Eridanus now!" His composure was starting to break, the familiar tremble making its way back into his voice. He didn't look confident at all. He was a mess. Body trembling, wings shivering, ears pressed back, but whether in fear or anger, it was hard to tell.

She noticed the shifting behind the rocks immediately, glancing over. Someone was trying to sneak up behind her. Whatever. She didn't care. Huckleberry was here, that's all that mattered. And it was time to die. If it was going to be by them, it didn't matter. It was all pointless.

She stared at her son with the eyes of the walking dead. She knew it. Of course. She didn't deserve to call him her son anymore. Not after hurting him so much. Her eyes traced the scar that stretched across his face. She'd done that, and all the other scars on him...she'd done those too, hadn't she? She was really and truly a monster. "I know," she rasped, her voice barely a whisper. "Nothing I ever say...or do...will ever change what I did to you and to everyone else. I should never have..."

The voice behind her surprised her. She thought they'd stay behind her, waiting, cutting off her escape. Her eyes widened with surprise at this new revelation. The respect in her voice, the arrogance, the entitlement...it was almost too much. And when Huckleberry confirmed it...that she wasn't going to die, she wasn't going to reunite with one of her only blood children left...

Crack!

Her gaze warped. The change was subtle but, suddenly, she wasn't the broken creature anymore but rather a monster of glass, cracks spidering across her psyche. "Whaaaat?" she hissed. "Who the hell are you? Who the hell do you think you are, giving orders to me? Rift? I thought I killed that piece of shit. He doesn't own me. I'll do whatever the fuck I want and if you take one step towards me, kitty, I'll rip you up stripe by stripe."

She whipped around towards Huckleberry, a smile slowly spreading through her expression. "Oh, Huckleberry, my precious child. How could I ever hurt you? I love you so much it hurts me to be apart from you! I'll protect you, don't worry, they won't kill you like they killed Elderberry! They won't imprison you like they did Baneberry! They won't ever hurt you like they hurt Jayberry! I'll kill everyone in the world to keep you safe, don't worry! I'll die again and again and I'll come back and keep you safe again! Please, Huckleberry. Please. Come back to me. Please. I'm begging you. Come back. Come back. I love you, COME BACK!" Her voice had raised to hysterics and she staggered forward, a crooked wing reaching forward to touch him, her son, her only son left. Her eyes were bulging and her whole body was shivering out of control.

@Orlaith

That was it. Orlaith had tried very hard to be civil, but now the claws were out. Orlaith was no kittty, she was a tigress, and a member of the Kingdom of Eridanus. As soon as Blackberry stopped talking and reached a crooked wing towards Huckleberry, she acted on force. She used the spell fountain for the first time, attempting to knock Blackberry off her feet and onto her face. Her words towards Orlaith, truly proved to the tiger that this goose was no good. She was of pure evil and ill intent. Her voice and words turned into that of a strong yet controlled terrifying thunder. "I am Orlaith Clawvale, member of the proud and peaceful Kingdom of Eridanus. These orders are for the benefit of every gembound in these caves and whose lives you have taken! The trial will happen whether you agree or not. You forfeited your right to freedom when you have done what horrors you committed. Rift stands for the peace in these caves, unlike you. I am no kitty, I am a tiger" Orlaith took a sharp sigh of irritation, struggling to keep her composure. She then continued. "The children you lost is due to the horrid path you led them on. That is all your fault. You have none other to blame but yourself and I have no pity for you." Orlaith then spoke firmly to the goose one more time, the respect from her eyes gone. "Now will you come with us willingly, or will we have to use brute force? Your choice" How pathetic it was for her to break down in front of her child after all the wrong she has done, rather than facing up to what she did? How about the cries of her previous victims. No, Orlaith had no time for such foolishness. The golden tiger raised her hackles and stood straight, ready for whatever Blackberry had to throw at her. She was coming to Eridanus whether she liked it or not. With her eyes stuck on the goose, her voice got softer as she spoke to Huckleberry. "Huckleberry, this may not be easy for you, but I may need help for her to follow instructions." She could see how angry he was, she didn't expect this to be easy for him.

@Huckleberry

Huckleberry was confused. Mama wasn't right. This wasn't right at all. She was supposed to yell at him, tell him that she had done so much for him, that she loved him and the pain had been necessary. Not apologize or be regretful or sound so pitiful. It threw him off for a moment and even Shiny leaned over curiously, nose twitching, four ears held erect.

And then it was over. He didn't know what had happened but she changed. It was Blackberry again but something was different, something was off. She'd always been unhinged but this was a different level. Out of fear, Huckleberry stepped back. This wasn't right. She wasn't supposed to be like this. Huckleberry hated her because she was a sadistic monster, because she was completely irredeemable, because she didn't ever love him or anyone else but herself. But someone pushed so far to this edge, broken so hard and so completely, it was disturbing to see. And Huckleberry found himself pitying her.

As her wing reached out to touch him, he couldn't help it. He reached back, the twisted, crooked form surprising him. What had happened to her while he was lounging in Eridanus? He heard Orlaith talking distantly and watched as the water came flying her way. His eyes widened with shock as he realized what she was doing. "W-wait! Stop!" He tried to call the wind to stop the water in its tracks, but when nothing came to help him, he did the only other thing he could - reached out his talon to stop it himself. The water hit him hard and wrenched his wrist, splattering only a few droplets of liquid on Blackberry.

She was reaching, stretching. And then the tiger was talking and that moment was over. Crack! She turned back around, eyes almost bulging out of her head and a loud hiss rising in her throat. The insolence, the presumption, the oh so annoying entitlement! Her claws flexed as the water appeared. She'd break this kitten in. She'd whet their appetite for real and true violence, if that's what she wanted. She'd see blood fly again, she'd taste it sweet on her tongue. Oh, it would be wonderful, glorious, like the time she and Blueberry took on a lion, a dragon, and all those other victims that fell beneath her claw...

She was looking back through the trees, a glance really. There was a terrible screech. A single point of darkness had opened. Pain blossomed in her backside as her whole tail was wrenched from her body. But she didn't care. She saw him. With a face like hers, ears like the one she loved. Pulled back, screeching. Blood was flying through the air and then pulled right back. Bones were crunching as he was smashed into nothing. Terror gleamed in his eyes as every nerve was ripped apart, crushed to dust. And then the scream was cut as the rest of his head was torn off and completely obliterated.

She was staring ahead with shock, the anger blown away like the flame of a candle. She weakened again, deflated, just as Huckleberry's arm came out to catch the spray. A whimper of pain came from the hybrid and it stabbed through her heart like a spike of quartz.

Everyone was hurting. She couldn't protect anyone. She couldn't save them. Not worthy. She wasn't worthy of them. She couldn't be a mother, she didn't deserve, ever, to call herself as such.

Without hesitation, she bolted. She ran. Away from Huckleberry, from that annoying tiger that'd broken her again, words rippling in her head. A speed she never knew she'd had before, aiming for the river. She'd jump in, perhaps, and escape that way as long as they didn't catch up. Where she was running, she didn't know, but she couldn't be near them.

*attempt to exit

@Orlaith

Orlaith realized too late when Huckleberry told her to stop. Her eyes widened quickly after realizing what she had done. She had meant to aim for Blackberry, to prevent her from reaching out to Huckleberry any further. Though she didn't realize him not wanting to attack her, especially after Blackberry had threatened her and gloated about killing Rift. Then all of a sudden, Blackberry made a break for it. Not on her watch. Orlaith moved with the quick speed of a tiger, and caught up to Blackberry quickly. She attempted to catch Blackberry and attempted to hold her in her paws. Orlaith refused to fail Rift, but she also minded herself not to harm Blackberry. This was frustrating. Why someone who had done so much evil, refuse to be dignified enough to answer for her crimes? Orlaith would apologize to Huckleberry later. She could not allow this goose to get away.

@Huckleberry

Huckleberry stumbled back, whimpering at the sudden soreness in his claws from stopping the force of the water. Blackberry was bolting and he instinctively reached out to try and grab her, but she slipped away. He limped after her, gasping every time his claws touched the ground, but Orlaith is quicker. He saw the claws coming out and his heart began to race. This couldn't be happening!

"STOP!" he cried, lunging forward, but his magic got there first, sending volts of static electricity into the air, all around and in front of them. He needed to stop this before it turned into a fight. He needed to stop this now! The sparks danced around his whole head, sending him into a dizzy spell, tottering forward desperately. "Don't...fight! Please...stop! You can't!"

Blackberry thought she was gone free. But then a weight came crashing down onto her, right onto her broken wings. She screeched and tumbled down, the heavy weight smashing her into the rocks, the teeth on her stomach clacking painfully against the hard ground. She struggled furiously, but she couldn't ever hope to contend with the strength of a tiger. She could scratch and tear at her paws, of course, but the thought of shedding blood right now....no, she couldn't. She couldn't do that!

"LET ME GO," she honked, futilely trying to free herself from Orlaith's grip. It occurred to her a moment later that she could very well die right here. Right in the tiger's grip. This tiger that she'd done no wrong to, that she'd never met before. Not to Kera or Rift or even Huckleberry...a random tiger.

And she was oddly okay with that.

It meant she would never have to deal with Jayberry's bullshit attempts at restarting the family. She wouldn't have to deal with the horrible weight of guilt on her back or the rising madness that threatened to sweep her away again. It meant she'd never have to suffer anymore.

It meant she'd see Blueberry again.

She suddenly went limp, her eyes glazing and staring out to nothing. She said nothing. She did nothing. If Orlaith let her go, she'd stand but not run. She'd go quietly because she didn't care anymore.

@Orlaith

As Orlaith ran, she did not notice Huckleberry cast his spell. She felt confused, agitated and somewhat numb in certain places but nevertheless she still chased Blackberry. Orlaith successfully caught the goose, and it took a moment to recover from Huckleberry's magic. Then the tiger noticed the goose go limp. She then softened her grip and asked the goose the same question she had asked twice now. "Are you going to come with us willingly? I do not wish to hurt you, but if you continue to defy my instructions I will have no choice but to carry you there." It seemed that Blackberry was finally listening, but the tiger just wanted to be sure. Though her strong anger towards the goose had not vanished, she decided to give her some leverage since she was not attacking anyone or running. Orlaith was not a savage, she was simply following orders. She waited for the goose to give her answer, and if she said yes, Orlaith would release her and allow her to follow them willingly unrestrained.

@Huckleberry

Huckleberry eventually caught up to the two, dizzy and reeling from his own magic, barely even comprehending that Orlaith seemed almost unaffected. His legs felt numb and he eventually collapsed in front of them, falling on the weakened leg from earlier. He could see that Blackberry wasn't fighting anymore. In fact, she looked dead and the only thing that convinced Huckleberry that she was even still alive, was her breathing.

He sat there, panting, waiting for the numbness and the dizziness to wear off, while Orlaith let go of his mother. He didn't know what to feel about this, what to think. Should he hate her? Pity her? Should he be attacking her and trying to kill her or help her escape?

No, they needed to go back to Eridanus. Even though Orlaith was clearly going about this the wrong way, she was at least focused on the right thing.

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Huckleberry

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Orlaith

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Orlaith

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