He was sitting a little ways away from where Blackberry was kept, nervously fidgeting on the ground. He wanted to talk to her, to say something, anything, but he was scared. So, so very scared and nervous. Shiny was curled up next to him, grooming the wiry fur on the side of his neck, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was too concerned about everything and wrapped up in what he was going to say, but it was at least calming enough to keep him from having a meltdown.

A voice interrupted his thoughts and he raised his head curiously, swiveling towards the voice. Someone was approaching, a pup. A very small pup. A baby? Immediately, he tried to brighten his features. "Uh, hello! Are you new?" He tilted his head a little curiously as they leaned over to brush their nose against his leg. He jerked back a little, mainly out of surprise then anything, but the transfer of magic was lost to him.

What Zavenlora would find herself seeing was confusing. A lot of flashing lights, the loud echo of thunder in the air. Frustration in her heart, anger and confusion so intense it nearly blurred her vision. There wasn't anyone else there - she was alone with nothing but raging emotions and a lot of lightning.

Huckleberry blinked. "Um, I'm...fine. I'm Huckleberry, by the way." He flinched as he blurted out his own name, wondering if it was wise to be doing so. But, then again, she was new. There was no way she would associate the name with anything...right?

Huckleberry was a little surprised by this wolf in front of him. She was very very enthusiastic and it kind of put him off for a moment, but he could entertain her for a bit. It, at least, took his mind off of Blackberry for a little while. "Oh, uh, welcome." It was a little lame, but he wasn't really sure what else to say.

He tilted his head a little, eyes narrowing. She was a little weird. "Uh, yeah, I know what an omnivore is." He glanced at the mouse the pup was carrying and his stomach twisted. Quickly, he shook his head. "Uh, thanks but no thanks. I don't eat meat. You can have it." And it wasn't like he was hungry or anything - this whole ordeal was making him sick to his stomach, the worry and the stress was getting to him really bad-

Mind off, for now, he reminded himself. But she was turning, turning to the one place he didn't want her looking. He glanced over as well, an unreadable expression crossing over his face. "Yeah," he choked, "there's a bird in there. You shouldn't go in there, though. Unless Rift lets you."

Huckleberry's ears flattened against his head. She was being very very loud. He leaned back from her, his head shaking from side to side a bit, as if trying to flick off a flea. "Uh, um, she's bad. She did bad things. You don't want to meet her. And Rift is our leader so he can tell us what to do." He wiggled around uncomfortably, beginning to scratch at the side of his head.

He kept glancing towards where Blackberry was kept. He was starting to worry about. He was starting to freak out. No, no, no, he was taking a break, right? He hated that he was always freaking out like this.

Huckleberry continued his nervous habit for a moment while Zavenlora apologized. Shiny looked up and let out a small chirping sound and he immediately paused. Oops. He'd been doing it again. He brought his talons away from his face and looked at the tips. No blood this time, at least. He shook out his head again, scattering little bits of course fur before looking back at the pup.

"It's okay, okay, all okay. I just, uh, I know her. I don't like her much. Don't get involved, it's not worth it." He took another deep breath to steady his nerves. Why did everything have to come circling back to Mama?

The place he'd been scratching was starting to grow itchy, like it was begging him to scratch at it again. He lifted his claws again, rubbing at it with the palm of his foot. "Um, yeah, I live with Mercurius...I'm not too comfortable around here since....since....uh, nevermind, I just like to live a little ways away. I'm sure its comfy and cozy and nice but I don't like getting close." He looked up at the tree, feeling a wave of shame in his stomach. He'd touched the tree only once - he'd been close enough to touch it once and now it felt like he wasn't allowed to, like it was some perfect creation that his blood-soaked claws should never touch again. He hated getting too near it - even now, close as they were, he wanted to run into the forest and never look back.

Huckleberry glanced down at the mouse as well. If he was as small as the pup, perhaps he'd want more too. He tapped carefully at the ground, expecting a banana to grow where he wanted, but his magic quickly sputtered and failed.

Disappointed, he retracted his claw and glanced back up at Zavenlora. The word stuck in him for a moment and he was confused. Friends? Why? They'd just met? Huckleberry didn't have many friends and those he did, well, they weren't exactly normal relationships. How was one supposed to have a friend? What did friends do?

He didn't realize that he'd gone silent for a moment, his eyes taking on a distant look before Shiny nipped at him gently, bringing him back around to the world. "Oh, uh, sure! I'm not...a very good friend but I can be friends."