[M] The leaves are stirred, revenge has come

Blackberry looked back as the leaves around her shivered and she saw them behind her. The family that had gathered with her, including Yewberry and except for Acaiberry. The coward. She would punish them when she got home. But otherwise they were there and ready to fight.

She turned back to the place where the trees ended, the garden that lay beyond. He had to be there. Who else would have such an extravagant, well tended place in Eridanus?

At Cloudberry’s question, she nodded in the direction of the garden. ”He is there. I know it.”

She was done waiting. The family was here, all the family that she needed. Her vengeance would come now.

She leaped our from her hiding spot and let out a loud screech and launched herself forward, racing out into the garden. She immediately spotted Rift upon the roots of a great tree and bared her teeth. ”Go, my children! Attack!”

RE: The leaves are stirred, revenge has come - Rift (Original) - Jan 06 2019

Rift was, in fact, in his garden. He was lounging on top of one of the roots of his tree, looking down at the nature below. He wanted to see everything so he’s know when Sebastian was here. The two hadn’t spoken in a long time, not since the fire, and there was a need to clear the air. It was this day they had decided to meet.

He didn’t suspect at all any kind of attack. He didn’t hear the gentle stirring of the leaves, and he didn’t notice how quiet everything was. He was too deep in his thoughts to be concerned. He was nervous, very nervous, for his meeting with his brother. Would they reconcile and part in good terms or would their relationship finally come to an end? That was such a horrifying concept to Rift that the mere thought got his ear to fold back.

But he was jerked out of those thoughts by a horrible sound ripping through the air. He stood up in an instant, his ear perking a second later. From the edge of the trees, a shape came flying. He narrowed his eyes to see it closer and realized that he vaguely recognized it. The brown body, black and white head. It was changed and horrible, but it was, most certainly, Blackberry.

At first he was furious that she dared to show up here again and intended to leap down and teach her a lesson but then he saw the shapes behind her. His eyes widened with horror as he saw how many they were. It wasn’t just Blackberry here.

He had to warn the forest. He needed his allies. He could not face these horrible creatures alone. He pressed his paws hard against the bark as magic flowed and he sent it up to the top of the tree with one message - alert the forest.

A second later, the branches of the great tree began to shake. Faster and faster, making such a loud, shivering noise that Rift knew it would carry a good distance. The branches were waving wildly, as if a gale unlike anything the forest had seen was shaking it, calling out to all creatures in the area, attract anyone that could see. Rift needed the forest at his side now.

He did not leap down from his spot, growling down at the berries gathered below. He growled lowly and unsheathes his claws. If they wanted him down for a fight, they’d have to force him to the ground.

@Elderberry @Cloudberry @Jayberry @Yewberry @Sebastian @Flit @Enka @Oliver @Mercurius @Pride @Petals
I’m pinging anyone I know that lives in Eridanus and those that said they were interested in helping Rift defend himself. The battle has now begun!

RE: The leaves are stirred, revenge has come - Pride - Jan 07 2019

When Pride first saw the shaking area of trees, he was lying half-awake with the children. He at first thought that perhaps one of Amras' experiments had gone wrong--it was from the correct area, at least, or at least he assumed: Rift's garden.

"Mercurius, I'm going to see if Amras needs help with something. It looks like one of his works has gone wrong," he said, wryly and tiredly amused. "Look after the children?" He then pushed out, stepping into the forest and moving down the path at a swift, floating trot.

Behind him, he felt his familiar touching their mind-link, tentatively and tiredly, in a question that could translate to something like, Do I stay? Or come with you?

Just stay there, he thought back at her, firm and reassuring. There was no need to bother her with this, though if Amras had done something catastrophically bad she might be curious to see it. He wanted her to learn, too, as best he could, but-...

Pride froze, in motions as well as thoughts, as he saw the blur of colors up ahead. The Bloodberries..? Here, now? Really? Alarm, outrage and disgust sparked up in him at once. They must be attacking the trees, then--or someone in them.

Thinking fast, he sent his thoughts back to his familiar.

Pride began to summon up a mist around him. He had a plan--and he had to move fast.

_______________

Back at Mercurius' garden, the white hare abruptly sat stiffly upright. Her pupils dilated, ears flicking up, as if terribly alarmed--and she was, by Pride's adrenaline surge along their link. Something was wrong.

Then, directed by his imagery and thoughts, she scurried over to Mercurius--and rapidly began to scratch a drawing into the dirt before him.

It was a goose--badly-drawn, but as close as she could approximate to Pride's swift instructions--with teeth along its chest.

The hare then bolted from the garden, toward Orion, to seek further aid.

in case Amras would come--
@Amras

RE: The leaves are stirred, revenge has come - Oliver - Jan 07 2019

Oliver was in Eridanus simply for gathering seeds. Rift had given him baskets, which made it ten times easier to collect and transport them.

His own garden, in Canis, was coming along well. There were pools of purified water, rings of ferns and sprouting trees, and grasses forcing their way through the thin layer of dirt he'd laid over the rock. The bones, in their own way, helped--it seemed that they were good fertilizer, somehow. But--

Oliver froze, ear-tufts flicking up and eyes widening. He sat up a little, peering into the trees, where one was swaying madly up ahead.

...What was that?

"Rift?" he called out, hesitantly. He pushed up, gathering the seeds to him; he'd seen plants move, but only by the cat's magic. Never any other way. So the whole tree swaying was--bizarre. He moved toward it in bounding glides, awkward even with the baskets, until it was closer in sight. And then he saw the Bloodberries--and Jayberry among them.

She looked good! He was relieved, by this, and called out a greeting.

"Jayberry! Are you okay? --What's going on?" The last was something of a confused afterthought.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}