Pride watched, disgust again welling up within him. There were a thousand arguments that he could make, a dozen reasons that this goose, and not he, were the idiot. He could point out that unnecessary suffering could be a very definition of evil, or that he had already stated he was trying to figure out morality.

Instead he turned to pace toward the bird, as mild-mannered and polite-sounding as before.

"I suggested," he stated calmly, "that you keep your insults to yourself." There was no sign of threat in him, bar perhaps the fact that he was approaching, yet he reached out with a lash of sudden, violent magicka, trying to sieze hold of her mind.

His own went back to Aster.

He had opened a mind link with her when her leg had just been broken. He had, himself, felt the fiery agony, the terror of death, both of which drove out all other thought. She had wanted it to end, yet feared it ending; it stretched on and on, tortuous and seemingly eternal, eclipsing all else.

Pride did his best to draw on this as he moved closer, silver eyes intent. To push it into the goose's mind. To make a point, and show her what it was like.

The link surged open, and he flooded the imagery forward, gaze locked unblinking on the goose. "It is not pleasant. It is what most would call... bad. If it is bad for you to suffer... then it is bad to inflict it on others. That is, at least... how I would interpret it."

His voice remained completely mild.

@Blackberry

He once again warned her, but Blackberry paid no heed. She had insulted many before, she had degraded so many others and where were they now? Beaten or dead, like the snake, like the dog, like the cat in his forest. She would not keep her insults to herself because it was amusing to see Pride think and think all wrong, as every good creature did.

No threat he could make would scare her. There was one thing in this world that could possibly scare her and he was in no position to even know about what it was. She smirked as he stepped forward, but was not quite prepared for the barrage of thought and magic that suddenly slammed into her brain.

She could feel pain and fear and death. She could feel such familiar things for a second, she wondered if he had been there. If he had been beside her in hell. But no, this was not his suffering. This was the suffering of something with longer fur and different legs.

She opened her beak wide, her eyes bulging, looking as if she were about to scream with pain, but, instead, only a hoarse, honking laugh came through. "WHO SAYS ITS BAD?!" And she knew she would be able to send something back as the link between them, she could feel now. She felt his mind at the other end, like crystal, clean and pure. She wanted to defile it, darken it, just as she had been destroyed.

And through the mental link she sent every memory of that day. When she had been torn apart under the wolf. Its jaws snapping through her skin, pulling out her feathers. Every moment closer and closer to death, every moment more agonizing then the last. Blood and pain and screaming without end. And then within the shell, in utter hell, where death hung through every moment. Where its fingers tickled her spine and every hour of the day. How she could not sleep and how she longer for death. But faces, so many faces, laughed at her, clawed at her, tore her apart. And this went on for what seemed like forever.

And she let this memory go as she screeched through her laughter. "Is it bad to want justice? Is it bad to want revenge for my pain? But...that was life! There is no pain in this world that can make up for what has been done to me! But it is not bad, no! Pain is our greatest teacher! Suffering our deadliest tool! You do not know this, you little fool, because you are young and have not been tested by this world just yet. Do not think that you can teach me or anyone else, arrogant little child, until you have been taught yourself!"

Was now the time? Time to tear into his fur? To rip those gems right out of his little throat? No, wait, see his reaction. If he would attack first. If not, it would be her to start the fight.

@Pride

He had a moment, when she began, where he could slam the link shut. He could, and for an instant he nearly did. The reverse surge of agony nearly knocked him physically off his feet, and he flared nostrils, staring into the middle distance as he steeled himself, allowed Blackberry's memories to roil over him.

Only when she had finished did he allow the link to slip shut, considering what she had shown for a very long moment. He then shifted his gaze once more, focusing on her to speak, somewhat more quietly.

"It is not wrong to want revenge. But if pain is such a wonderful thing, why do you want revenge at all? Why are you not," he added, taking a single step forward, his head tilting ever-so-slightly--"seeking out the one who granted it to you... to thank them for such a gift?"

His tone, still, was mild, albeit with a slight quaver--not of fear, but simply due to the intensity of what she had shown. He was still reeling from it, just a little, and finding it difficult to focus around the very concept of these horrors. "You wish revenge because it is wrong, you were wronged. Harming others does not make it better. Causing more suffering will not take yours away--but you know that, don't you?"

He stood in place, watching her for a long moment, thoughtful, before adding--"I think you are just angry. You call me a child, and yet you are merely throwing tantrums at mice. It does not make what was done to you, any more right."

There was one benefit, at least, to this conversation: his morality was taking a clearer stance. Regardless of lesser versus greater, and so forth, it was very, very obvious to him that torture was not right.

@Blackberry

Still the thinker, Blackberry could not stand it any longer. But she was so wrapped up in her memories that she merely smiled and closer her eyes. "Perhaps I said the wrong thing. Perhaps I spoke too quickly. Because my vengeance is for the lack of death. I will take revenge upon the one who killed me and I will take revenge from those who kept me from dying completely. For suspending me in hell, for making my pain, unwanted then, a thing of eternity. Pain is good because it is good to make others feel pain and it is good to feel pain in turn. Perhaps you have no felt enough pain to know this yet. You have not been hurt beyond repair. I have. And I throw no tantrums at mice. I simply enjoy the things I am good at. Don't you?'

For a moment, she stared at Pride curiously. "Of course, you will feel pain very soon. I don't care if you like it or not. You piss me off. You're too arrogant. I'll enjoy turning your white pelt red. But first...I must ask...are you afraid?"

She gave him a second before she did what Huckleberry had taught her to do. The magic that fueled her family's core. A spark of magic, jumping from her gem towards Pride, to make him fear, to make him see everything and anything that could make him afraid. Terrify, paralyze, so that the fight would be made easier.

Round: 1
Attempt: Make Pride afraid
Defense: natural defenses
Injuries: none

@Pride

As he listened to her ranting, he did his best to pay attention to the words. It was what someone polite would do, and he did pride himself on being respectful, even if this bird was not. It was clear, however, that she enjoyed causing pain; and causing pain was, in his eyes, not something that was--well, good.

She spoke, too, of attacking him, and he was already preparing, in his mind--but there was a fear there, then, trickling into his brain before he could do anything at all, breaking his focus, his concentration. No.

He had had to cast magic before when terrified--when lying by Aster, frantically trying to aid her, yet unable. The panic then had been nothing compared to the fear that thrilled through him now, but this was still here, still distracting, and he did his best to clamp down on it immediately.

The young deer briefly remembered his fight with Elspet, how she'd distracted his casting, what he had done--all in a blink--and he focused, at once, gaze sharpening on Blackberry as he willed his mind to its apex. He could feel his thoughts seeming to catch quickly up, and he ran silver eyes over Blackberry's body, thinking rapidly, pushing away the fear as best he could.

Scenarios flickered through his head, though not as swiftly as he'd have liked--not as clearly.

But it would have to do.

Round: 1/?
Attempt: Speed his thinking to keep up past the fear
Defense: None
Injuries: None

@Blackberry

His lack of response gave Blackberry all the answer she needed. Her spell had worked, even if she wasn't the most adept at using spells. But it seemed that Pride had his own tricks, from his clear eyes. At least he had gotten a taste. And now to make him fear for real.

With a honking screech, she lunged forward, her wings billowing out to launch herself into the air. They weren't good for sustained flight, but they would be good enough for this. Whatever magic the deer had at his disposal, she didn't care. All she cared about was seeing his blood. And first to bloody that face of his.

Round: 2
Attempt: Slash across his face
Defense: natural defenses
Injuries: none

@Pride

He focused, heavily, but she came flying at him regardless. The half-clarity granted to him by his prior spell told him things very quickly: he could leap aside, avoid the bird's attack--or he could retaliate with magic, and hope for the best.

In his split-second instinct, he chose the former.

He feinted one way, then threw himself the other, long legs springing him forward and then out. It wasn't quite fast enough; he still felt a collision of body to body, and wasn't sure what had hit him. It was violent, dark and swift, but he could feel no blood drawn, and he rotated to again face the goose--this time with a fiery snort.

Unlike Blackberry, he didn't want to inflict pain; but if she forced him into it, he would do his best to fight her off.

Round: 2/
Attempt: Leap aside!
Defense: None
Injuries: None

@Blackberry

Pride had had significant amount of time to dodge her attack - it was no surprise that it had mostly missed. But that was okay, they had much more time for her to get a good score in.

Now that she was just above him, she had so many options. But if she could get him down, if she could stop him from moving, then tearing into him would be so much easier.

She whipped around so that she was facing Pride again and reached out with her talons to try and grip his head, letting her weight fall down on top of him, to try and get him to fall down onto the ground with her.

Round: 3
Attempt: put his head in the dirt
Defense: natural defenses
Injuries: none

@Pride

As he turned to face her, drawing on his magicka already, he felt the weight slam into his head. She was surprisingly heavy, and he was forced down almost at once, dropped to his knees with his nose banged heavily off the rock.

There--there was a taste of pain. Anger welled up in him, or more than that--defiance. He would not be cowed by this flapping imbecile. This-... This bully.

His magicka welled up again, drawn upon by his irritation albeit weakened some by the loss of focus from having--well, a goose gripping his head. There was a muffled THUMP as it rocketed outward, sending stones flying and, hopefully, flinging the goose violently away.

Away, and off of his head.

Round: 3/?
Attempt: Throw Blackberry... flying. I mean she's a bird, but...
Defense: None
Injuries: None

@Blackberry

She chuckled with satisfaction as the deer's face was pressed into the rocks. Where he belonged. Where everyone belonged. Yes, she, Blackberry, and her family, would triumph over the rest. They would be the ones on top, stepping on the rest of the caves. Destroy them!

But then she felt herself being flung off by some invisible force. Most likely Pride's magic and she hissed with frustration. It didn't hurt, particularly, but she was now farther away from her prey.

...but this gave her yet another opportunity. His back was now wide open for her. She focused on the soft white hide and, as soon as she stopped moving, pointed herself down to land right on the middle of his back. At the last moment, she flung out her wings to stop her descent and opened her talons to latch onto his skin.

Round: 4
Attempt: land on his back and HOLD ON
Defense: natural defenses
Injuries: none

@Pride