Rift approached the Throne, tail swinging gently behind him, his speed one of haste. He had a lot of ground to cover and very little time. He'd already notified Dragon of the trial - Cetus was just next to the entrance of Eridanus, after all, so his path took him now to Orion. The Seven and, after that, the Bonebound. Already, people were talking. Whispers were going around about the trial and the murderer who would be put under question and finally be judged if her life could continue living. Rift shuddered at the thought, only now wondering what would happen if she was judged guilty. He would bet that many would choose to kill her, but how could he serve that sentance when he'd sworn his Kingdom as an organization of peace, only called to action if they must absolutely must? It was a little scary to think about and he had, not for the first time, an intense stream of doubt.

So much so that he paused, wondering if he should continue. If he should just turn around and cancel the whole thing. But he'd started this already, the northwestern caves were already alight with rumors. He couldn't call it off now.

He steeled himself, whispering to his thoughts that this is the right thing to do and whatever punishment she got, if that was what the jury decided, she would deserve.

Rift continued forward until he was at the base of the Throne, around which the Seven gathered. He cleared his throat, his deep, rumbling voice calling out and echoing through the stony cavern. "Pride. Livius. It is Rift, I must speak with you."

Rift dipped his head to the stag as he approached, only then noticing the bones that sat next to the Throne. He blinked, wondering if they'd been there the last time, or if they were perhaps old bones, like those in Canis. No, they looked fresh. Or, at least, newer then the ancient, blackened things that littered the ground in the room of bones. He shuddered, wondering what creature had met that fate and why they had seen fit to display their bones in such a manor.

He was silent for only a moment while he considered this before turning his attention back to Pride. "Yes, everything is fine. I've come with news for the Seven, actually." He paused for a moment, remembering how Wilder had asked him, no, begged him not to tell Pride and Livius. He had considered it, of course, but in the end, there was no way he could keep something this important from them. After all, he trusted them far more then a cat that was barely a stranger.

"First of all, Blackberry is alive," he started, bluntly. "She survived your attack and is slinking around the caves somewhere, staying out of sight. We're not sure where she's hiding, if she's with the remnants of her family or living alone, but she's definitely alive. The Kingdom of Eridanus has decided to hold an official trial for her - something I believe you suggested once, but we will be carrying out in full. We'll gather everyone in Polaris - anyone that knew her, either personally or as an enemy, as well as as many neutral parties as possible to pass the final judgement, under the understanding of a truce." He paused, giving Pride a moment to process the slew of information he had just presented.

Rift wasn't at all surprised at Pride's reaction - he was, as his name rightfully suggested, extremely prideful. Knowing that he'd failed at something he'd long believed to be true would definitely be hard. He waited for the link to open (since, surely, Pride would do so) and immediately began thinking back to when Wilder had told him all of this. She'd looked worried, terrified, and Rift felt only confusion - they'd spent some time together, good time. They'd searched through the forest and Rift had only harbored a sort of fatherly affection for the cat during their little mission, patiently following her and allowing her to take the lead as she explored. So this news, that his enemy was still alive, it was a shock, but he was, at least, certain that it was true.

"I know you don't trust the cat," he rumbled, "but I came to know her a little. She is not bad, at least from what I can tell. I may not have liked her before, but, to be safe, I'm choosing to believe her."

He paused, wondering if Pride was still listening in on his thoughts before he continued. "Either way, the Kingdom is out searching for her now. Should they find her, they have direct instructions to report right back to me, in case it is a trap, for their own safety. I do not want her running freely through the caves without some sort of justice, if Wilder is to be believed."

Rift was ready for Pride to be angry, but still, when the stag hissed and staggered back, Rift at first mistook it for a small tantrum. His one ear pressed back and he stepped away instinctively, ready to run if, for whatever reason, Pride chose to attack or something, but he wasn't counting on it. He knew the deer to be more level headed then attacking him purely out of anger.

He blinked slowly, calmly, wondering if backfiring the magic of the mind caused physical pain. Perhaps that would explain his sudden break in composure, but he didn't think too hard about it. That wasn't important. "It isn't important, I believe you when you say you killed her. How she made it through...I have no clue." Against the combined force of Pride and Livius, after all, who could survive? Especially a goose with no magic talent. And, if Wilder had been telling the truth, quite a pitifully injured goose at that.

He flicked his tail. "I understand, but if she is telling the truth, if Blackberry is still alive out there, we can't just let her roam around freely. If she was lying about her motives, then she could be forming another army as we speak. I'm not going to let that happen. I know it isn't likely that it's the truth - I'm sure that even just you against her would be enough to kill her, with Livius helping it seems impossible to get out alive. But the possibility exists and we're not going to ignore it."

When Pride mentioned the gemstone hibernation, the phenomenon that had somehow saved him and many of the kingdom, a sudden thought occurred to him and an expression of alarm crossed across his face. "Maybe so...hopefully, she didn't mutate as well." He knew that she'd mutated once - after all, she hadn't looked so monstrous at their first meeting. Having more natural weapons at her disposal would be a problem for everyone.

Rift paused for a moment. "If the Seven are willing, we could certainly use extra eyes to make sure nothing goes wrong. As for Jayberry...I couldn't agree more. She's a danger to everyone if she's allowed to go free but still, I'm not going to use this trial as a trap to catch her. The word I sent out was as a truce for everyone, including Jayberry and all the other children that still follow her. If Jayberry makes trouble, however, that protection is invalid for her. I'll take her out myself if I must. We're planning to hold it in Polaris - neutral territory, easy to find."