As the chrysalis between Gojiberry's jaws began to shatter, they immediately released the small creature, but not before they received a nice kick in the face. With a distorted yelp, they stepped backwards, one of their front paws coming up to rub at the place where they'd been hit.

And then this "Mother" was shoving her way between them. They didn't know what they expected her reaction to be, but they hadn't expected her to be angry. They hadn't expected to be scolded. They had helped her! Confusion and hurt passed across their face, but it was quickly stuffed down by even more angry. "I helped!" they shouted, stepping back awkwardly. "You wouldn't so I did!"

They looked down at this 'Nettleberry' (what a ridiculous name) and their lip curled. They shouldn't have helped her. Ungrateful, all of them. They had tried to do something good and they got nothing but a kick and a growl.

But there was something they wanted to know. For a moment they considered not even asking Mother purely out of spite, but they were too curious and there was still something in them that wanted to believe that she had wanted them and that she loved them. They wanted her to be a good mother, although so far she was failing miserably. So another chance. "Bloodberries? What is that. What is a berry? And family?"

@Nettleberry

Light and color and blurs! It was all so much, and too much at once! She wanted back in her Chrysalis, it had been tight and uncomfortable but also quiet and dark.

The hybrid, newly christened Nettleberry, curled in on herself, before twisting around, struggling to get her paws beneath her. Her head drooped, and she huddled down, ears twitching this way and that. While the figures were little more than blurs, funny looking ones, their words were almost painfully loud, echoing in her ears.

She didn't know many words, was beginning to understand as she became aware, but she knew what helped meant. The one blur had helped her, and so she blurted "Thank you!" and shook her head, trying to gather her bearings.

Jayberry's ears flicked back, and she flinched, as she saw Nettleberry kick Gojiberry. Shit, this was all going so badly.

He looked so confused and hurt, even if only for a moment, and she felt a jolt of guilt, rolling low in her chest. She wanted Mother, she wanted Mother so bad. Someone, anyone, to tell her what to do. She was thinking clearly now, and trying to do things while thinking was hard, she was quickly discovering. "Gojiberry," she said, and then did something she very rarely did--she apologized, "I'm sorry."

She turned to nudge at Nettleberry when she spoke, carefully nudging her with her nose, making sure she was alive. The bunny looked awful, and there was again that feeling of guilt. What had she done? "I did not think to help her, you acted before I even considered it." She leaned forward and, if he allowed it, attempted to lick where he had been hit, "Are you alright?"

But he was asking her questions, then, hard ones that left her wordless. She was quiet, for a long moment, struggling as she searched for an answers. "Bloodberries... we are... we were something great. We were known throughout the Caves, and I will tell you of all of us--some of us died, some of us are just gone. A berry... well, it's a food. They're not my favorite, but they're alright."

His last question, though, was hard. A family, what was a family? Most would say 'Gembounds who share magic or stones' but half the Bloodberries hadn't shared either, had they? She was a Moosegoose at heart, but it didn't run through her veins. "A family is two or more Gembound who love each-other more than anything. They make mistakes, but forgive each-other. They stand by each-others sides, no matter what, and are willing to die for one another. We, you, Nettleberry, me, and your sibling in their Chrysalis, are family. The other Bloodberries, wherever they have gone, are family, too. A family never purposefully hurts each-other, whether with tooth or claw or Magic or words." she looked from Gojiberry to Netleberry, "Both of you must promise me that you will never harm a family member, understand? Promise me that."

@Agony

As his Mother leaned forward to lick his cheek, at first Gojiberry wanted to step away, but he forced themselves to stay still and let her do whatever, but they didn't look all too pleased by it. At Nettleberry's thanks, they turned their head away, sneering to no one. "Whatever."

They continued to look away as their mother began to answer their questions. They frowned a little bit. Were something great? She was sure right about that. All that Gojiberry saw was a mother failing at her job, a tiny little creature that could barely stand upright, and them, of course, half blind, mouth hurting, hideous, and unable to stand comfortable.

But that was all they even knew at all. They were smart enough to realize that this wasn't right, that being so deformed wasn't a natural occurrence, but they didn't yet know of their purpose. Of their origins, of the family's origins, and so they sighed, frown deepening, expression sour. "Won't hurt family," they started, but then they swung their head at their mother and glanced at Nettleberry with another sneer. "Unless I must."

They looked back at their mother, still burning with questions, but they would rather die painfully then let her know that they were anything but spiteful. "Why name the family after food? Stupid. What happened to the rest?"

@Nettleberry

The bunny flicked her ears as she heard Gojiberry speak--was he addressing her?--and then realized it must have been him she hit, saying "Sorry, sorry!" anxiously. Energy thrummed in her veins, and she wanted to move, but she was so very tired.

The bigger one was talking, then, and she listened, their voice loud in her ears. Her forepaws thumped at the ground (she wanted to digdigdigdig but she was too small and young and the ground too hard-packed) as she listened. The other, the brother, responded sourly, and she was quick to add, "I won't, I promise, I won't. No matter what."

Well, at least Gojiberry hadn't struck her, or flinched away, or refused to let her touch him. That was... well, it was a start. 'Deep breaths, Jayberry, deep breaths.'

The she-wolf moved so she could see both of her pups, the new moosegooses, before sitting, reaching up to scratch her muzzle with her handlike paw. Well, at least they both had promised not to harm family, even if it was with a caveat. "Only if you absolutely must, Gojiberry, if your very life depends on it."

And he had more questions, and she was proud of him for it. She had never questioned Mama and Papa, and it had landed her in hot water more than once. Although the comment on what he thought of the name had her fur rising. "The family is named 'berries' because my Mother and Father, your grandparents, the Gembound who created this family, were named Blackberry and Blueberry. And they named their children after berries, as well. So the family became known as the Bloodberries."

When he asked what had happened with the others, she twitched her ears back. How to go about this? They were newly-hatched, only young, and yet she couldn't let them go about unaware of the dangers of the caves. "We... we had, and still have, enemies. A cat who caused harm to your Grandmother, who has a kingdom. Your grandmother launched a war against him--your uncle Huckleberry, your aunt Cloudberry, and your sister Yewberry were taken captive. Your uncle Elderberry was murdered. Your grandmother escaped, but went missing. The cat's allies, a white stag and a green weasel, kidnapped your aunts Baneberry and Sylvanberry. Your grandfather has been missing for a long time. There were others who left, as well."

She shook her head. "They are why you must stay close, if they knew who you are they would not hesitate to kill you. If you must leave this tunnel, tell no one that you are a Bloodberry. Go by a false name, or just shorten yours. Call yourselves Nettle, Goji, or something else entirely."

@Agony

Too much, this was way too much at once and Gojiberry found themselves struggling to keep up. Words were still not forming in their head fast enough and by the time they could figure out what one meant, she was moving onto another. So many names and creatures and animals, god they wished they'd never asked. "What?" Their front paws waved rather pathetically, as if trying to motion for their Mother to stop. "Uh, enemies? Why do we have enemies? What are those? And...uh, cat...kingdom...don't know those." It was embarrassing to admit that they didn't know but they weren't going to ask for an explanation and further lower themselves.

"What's a war? Why is everyone gone? What reason?" It wasn't enough for them to know what had happened. Their intrigue was rising and for a moment they forgot their spite out of intrigue. Apparently, there were more, many more that were supposed to be here. It wasn't just them and Nettleberry and mother and whatever monstrosity was in the final gemstone. There was Blackberry, Blueberry, Cloudberry, Yewberry, Huckleberry, Elderberry, Baneberry, Sylvanberry...maybe more that were just not around right now. And...all named after berries. That just seemed quite ridiculous.

And the last bit that concerned Gojiberry the most..."Why would they kill us? Is everyone like that?"

@Nettleberry

As the final remains of the Bloodberries conversed among each other, the final of the three stones remained still and silent. The creature inside was awake already, but it made no effort to break out of its shell. Its blood-red eyes blinked slowly as it listened to the distorted words that made it through the chrysalis. It understood and continued to listen, silent, for a time. There was no reason to leave its shell. Not yet. Maybe it was some instinct that kept them from breaking out, calling for them, begging them, not to leave.

Stay in here. It is safe in here. Out there is cruelty and harshness and an unforgiving world.

But they could not stay in their chrysalis forever. The shell around them was weakening to the point where a single push would drop them on the ground. Still, they did not move. But it seemed that the crystal had enough. Cracks began to appear along the surface of the gemstone and the creature felt a thrill of fear. It didn't want to leave yet. It was perfectly content here.

The chrysalis didn't care. A moment later, the jet shattered and they were dumped on the ground. They lay sprawled there for a moment, blinking slowly, their clear red eyes moving around to stare at their family. They'd heard the whole thing about family, but they still didn't know what that meant. Nothing had happened to them so they did not understand.

And not yet did they understand the direness of their situation. While Nettleberry and Gojiberry had deformities to be sure, this creature was simply wretched. And a single step forward made them understand exactly how bad they had it. Their fin crumpled uselessly on the ground as they put their weight on it and they collapsed forward. They didn't try again.

And... wow, Mama was talking a lot. The bunnywolf twitched her ears, trying to make out the words, but they were unfamiliar and she was confused, so she lurched forward, struggling to hop until she was at Mama's side, curling into a tight ball. Mama was warm, and her bristly fur felt good against her own, and she thumped one of her hind legs contentedly.

There was a crack, and the bunny's ears twitched. She perked up, standing on her hind legs and looking back at the jet. It gave way to a... well, she wasn't really sure what it was. It crumpled to the ground, and she looked up at Mama--what would she do?

Nettleberry burrowed against her side, and Jayberry melted, curling just slightly to provide a better pillow for her rabbit-pup.

Gojiberry waved his... hands? paws? and she looked back at him. He asked what enemies were, adnd why they had them, and she hummed, trying to figure out how to explain it, "I'm sorry Gojiberry, I'm not the best at explaining things. I'm not very smart, honestly. But enemies... they're Gembound who don't like you, who hate you. Who want to hurt you and think hurting you is a good thing."

She licked her lips, trying to determine the best way to word this. They were pups, after all, but she had never been one for mollycoddling. "A war... it's like a very big fight. Where there are many Gembounds, all attacking each-other." she tilted her head, pressing her nose into the rabbit-pups fur as she thought. "They're gone... because, well, they have their own reasons. They didn't like us, or didn't like what we do. Didn't share our ideals. Others... I'm not sure why they left. They just up and disappeared one day."

But he sounded concerned with his next questions, and she was quick to reassure him. "No, no, not everyone is like that. The ones who are are rare, there aren't many of them." that was... a bit of a lie. "There are many, many Gembound in the caves, and most of them don't wish to harm us." Her ears twitched, something catching her attention, and she turned her head, "They want to kill us... well, they aren't good Gembound. They think we've harmed others for no reason, and are trying to harm us for it. They view us as monsters, as bloodthirsty beasts."

Before she could speak more, however, there was the sound of a Chrysalis shattering. She sat up, looking over at the jet, praying desperately that they would be okay, would be born normal, be born healthy.

'Oh, caves.'

Her stomach churned at the sight of the poor thing, crumpling as it tried to walk. Oh, caves, and for a moment she contemplating just snapping its neck, putting it down and out of its misery. But she couldn't, couldn't bear to see the life drain out of its eyes, to lose another family member. Couldn't bear to harm another of her pups. Her heart thundered in her ears, and she scrambled to her paws, loping forward to shove her muzzle under their chest, trying to guide them to their feet, murmuring, "On your paws, pup, on your paws."


@Agony