Blackberry's Game - Printable Version

The family was growing yet Blackberry's patience with them was running thin. The training fights weren't happening enough, they weren't terrorizing others as much as she wished they were, and it seemed that nobody yet knew the fear of her family that she had always dreamed. She was disappointed. She was bored. She was sick of sitting around and watching her family pass here and there. She was ready for something...new. And, yes, the arrival of all her new children, especially Cloudberry, was rather exciting and breathed fresh life into the family, it wasn't quite what she was thinking of. No, she wanted to play a game.

She turned towards Jayberry, who stood at her side. "If you've done your job well, then the family shall gather very soon. If they do not...then they will have our wrath to face." She snapped her beak firmly and swiveled her head to stare at the entrance of Polaris...and then Orion, Polaris, Orion. They would come soon, those that weren't already gathered her. They better come soon.

Huckleberry hadn't even step foot in the family cave for some time. Fear for both themselves, in case they slipped up around Cloudberry, and fear for Shiny, who could be subject to Mama's wrath, in case she didn't approve of them having her. So when she reached the mouth of the tunnel she froze, her legs feeling like they'd turned to stone. Why do you hesitate, Huckle-friend? Shiny was perched on their back and as she spoke through the mental link, she began to groom the fur on Huckleberry's scruff. The soft rasp in their ear and the soft feeling of her tongue soothed Huckleberry and they were able to calm down enough to take a deep breath and continue forward. "Nothing...it's just been a while."

They felt oddly still, their brain so nervous and anxious that its usual chaos and calamity had gone completely numb. They were hyper focused now, ready to catch themselves once Cloudberry arrived. They couldn't slip up. They couldn't.

As they reached the place where Mama and Jayberry were, they found themselves relaxing just a bit for some reason. Maybe it was the familiar spot, the smell of home, or just seeing her mother again not looking super angry. They released a breath they didn't realize they had been holding and stopped before the two. "Hi, mama. Hi, Jayberry. This is my new friend." They could feel Shiny's nervousness through the link and they felt a flash of pity. Their minds were connected so the catsquirrel knew all of Huckleberry's fears - she saw all their memories and all the violence. Meeting the family was a huge step. Nonetheless, she climbed down Huckleberry's side and stood in front of Blackberry, crouching to the ground in submission.

Jayberry had long become Mother's task-dog, and she didn't mind in the least. It made Mother happy, and kept peace among their family, so she was glad to do it. She kept an eye on the others, kept an even closer eye on Huckleberry, and passed on messages.

Most recently, she had gathered the family. Running and running, sniffing them out, until she had tracked them all down. They had been told, in no uncertain terms, that they were to present before Mother soon.

And now she stood beside Mother, head high and ears pricked, tail wagging lazily. Any of the family who acted out would be punished by her fangs at Mother's command. And at Mother's words, she grinned. "I will make sure they won't forget their mistake." even her own child, Yewberry, wouldn't be spared. Any who dared not to show their face, or to be late, would be left with a scar to show their shame.

First to show up, to her surprise, was Huckleberry. Maybe they realized the line they were dancing on with Mother. They had a Lesser with them, and Jayberry nodded to both. "Hello Huckle, hello catsquirrel." she said, although she deferred to Mother's judgement for the Lesser.

Next was the white-feathered bird, Acaiberry. "Hello Acai," she said, offering the bird a smile and a wag of her tail.

She was starting to grow angry that Yewberry, her own flesh and blood, wasn't beginning to show, though.

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