This thread is rated M

Huckleberry was screaming. Screaming and screaming and screaming. As he ran, stumbled, fell, and stood again. Running far away, far through Polaris, get far, get far, AWAY. Everything was pain, everything was agony. His entire body seized and protested against the radiation that pulsed through his veins and nerves. He was shutting down, but still, he ran.

His magic was starting to go crazy. Light flashed from his gem, attempting to create some spell, destroy something and cause chaos, but nothing happened. Merely sparks flew from his head as he finally gave up and flopped on the ground. Moaning and groaning, he cried and screaming. This was not fair! Why did he hurt so much? What did he do?! Why did the bird have to do that to him...to his family!

His family! He had abandoned them. His moans grew louder as shame came across everything and, suddenly, his own pain didn't matter. He had left his family behind! That was something he could never never never never do! He cried and beat at the ground, a child throwing a tantrum of pain and misery.

He continued to cry as he thought about what he had done wrong. Mama had said to attack the bird and he had. Was that wrong? Was following Mama's orders wrong, for some reason? Was he not supposed to hurt people? But no, Mama did it and Mama was fine! Actually, mama was not fine. She had been hit too! Then it was the bird! The bird was evil! And Huckleberry had left his family to deal with him themselves!

The anger that welled within him was so great that it was unleashed through his gem. But the magic went awry from his breaking mind and, instead of booming out in a loud clap of thunder, it rang through his body, setting all of his nerves alight and sending a loud clanging noise through his ears. His eyes went wide and rolled and he screamed a terrible, horrific scream as his body spasmed with pain.

Lights were flickering in and out of his vision, things were going dim and bright all at the same time. Images passed through his eyes and mind and things stabbed into his pelt. He heard voices and laughter through his ears, screams and moans that were cut off suddenly and he laughed with them, he screamed with them, he cried with them. His entire body was jerking and foam bubbled at the corner of his mouth. His eyes were wide and unblinking, looking straight forward at nothing.

Tears were streaming down her face as the volts finally lessened and released from her body. She was still screaming herself hoarse - blood was starting to trickle from her mouth from the force of her shouts and cries. More magic sparked from her gem, this time filling the air with a static the also tickled her own skin, making her nerves go numb. She panted hard through the pain and the anguish, still beating at the ground.

What would her family think? Would they hate her for this? For running away? Would Mama attack her or drive her away? Mama was scary, after all. Each thought sent more volts into the air until the atmosphere around her was charged with electricity and static. But she didn't notice, she didn't care. All she could do was cry and scream.

As the young gembound cried, more and more static was thrown into the air. Cracks of thunder rang through Polaris as spell after spell was cast from the apatite gem on their forehead. Their screams and cries were rivaled only by the deafening bangs. They were strong enough to be heard all throughout the cave and even in the tunnels leading away. It was like the storm all over again, the storm that Huckleberry had never known, but his mother had that had blazed in the darkness.

After curling up in her den and sinking into an uneasy sleep, Kin-kin was more than ready to let the slow swell of dreams wash away her problems so that she didn't have to. but it seemed that even that was too tall an order. Kin-Kin was rudely awoken by a loud and guttural screaming, a sound that chilled her right to the core. Her eyes snapped open, and her head raised from her paws, her spine bristling, and her den shrouded in the musky scent of unease.

The wolf popped her head out of the den, looking out over the crystal river, and towards the spire. Combing the sloped landscape before her, it was easy to pinpoint the source of the sound, which seemed surrounded by flickering lights. The wolf forced her stiff body out into the open, shaking the stiffness from each limb in turn and using the back of a paw to rub the sleepiness from her eyes. She couldn't help but bristle whenever the sound restarted, so she knew she wasn't gonna look her best. But who would, when rudely awoken by such an unearthly screaming.

The she-wolf thrust her sword into its sheathe, pushing everything else from her mind to seek out the source of the sound.

---

When I speak.

When I think.

She followed until her ears were ringing and her still-tired brain throbbed. As she drew nearer, she could pick out the sound of thunder, and make out the arcing of lightning from its screaming source. The wolf's head lowered as she approached, caution seeping into her steps. Was there a fight? Was someone under attack? It didn't sound like it. There was only one voice screaming.

Careful to keep out of range of the electric sparks, Kin-Kin approached, and sat down just beyond the range of the stranger's lightning. She could see now that they were a child- foaming at the mouth and down on their side. Kin-Kin's tail twitched uncomfortably. She didn't know quite what to do in this situation; Kin-Kin had never been one for healing, but she felt she ought to do something. Surely there was something that could help. She was demigod of light and ex-champion, after all. If she couldn't do this, then who could? But first, she needed to get in close. and that involved... somehow... avoiding the lightning.

"Yo, Kid," she called firmly but not unkindly, from the sidelines. It was quite an effort to keep her voice even with her ears ringing so painfully. "Can you try toning it down a tad? I can't help you if I can't get to you." She paused. "I know you're hurting, but give it a try, okay?"

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Huckleberry

Huckleberry could barely hear the wolf's shout over her own screams and the claps of thunder that continued to ring from her gem. Barely. But she did. And it terrified her. Maybe it was the bird, come to finish her off? Maybe it was some enemy, there to try and get her to lower her defenses. No, yes! Yes yes yes yes yes yes

that was it, yes yes, that was it, enemy. Mama said they were all enemies. Only the family was not enemies. Yes, yes, KILL

Through tears and cries, Huckleberry forced himself to move. It was extremely painful, his nerves quivering from the lightning and his body wracked with radiation poisoning and more cries came as he moved so that the creature was in sight. He had not idea what it was, with that strange gem on its face. But it was an ENEMY. YEs, it could not be anything else! This was what convinced her and she cried out again, this time with anger and fear as a thing jolt of static sparked from her gem, straight towards the wolf. She shivered as the aftereffects ran through her, but it was nothing compared to everything else. She was too focused, anyways, on watching the wolf. It needed to fall and scream with her, scream with terror as she screamed with terror. FEAR. PAIN. DEATH.

@Kin-Kin (oops, sorry, mood generated as terrified XD)

The screaming didn't stop. in fact, it only seemed to intensify- until Kin-Kin's ears pinned back against her head. When the kid began to advance, Kin-Kin retreated, keeping out of range of the lightning, which she was now sure was directed at her. Although she kept a calm face, the fur along her spine was raised, hidden beneath her cape, and her tail was raised in preparation for confrontation.

She kept note of how the lightning behaved, leaping at anything that appeared to catch its attention- but only certain materials.

Her glow brightened as her magic manifested, and she stomped a paw roughly against the ground. The earth creaked and groaned as her power manifested itself, until finally a spike of pyrite crystal rose up out of the ground between the two gembounds, drawing the lightning's ire in her place. "Listen, kid. I don't wanna fight, but I will," she growled sternly. "Believe me, I will."

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Huckleberry

It started as soon as it stopped. As soon as the lightning began to collect by the wolf's lightning rod, Huckleberry felt all the effort leave their body. All the will to continue fighting dissipating like it was nothing. Tears rolled down their face as they looked at the wolf, their screaming dying down until it was a small, bottled sobbing. The thunderclaps ringing through the cave began to go quiet as all the magic they were using quickly disspersed and stopped shooting out randomly from their gem. Too much pain, too much too much too much.

Everything hurt, even their feelings. Whatever feelings they had. Why had they attacked the wolf? Weren't they trying to help? They didn't know and they hated themselves for it. Huckleberry continued to cry and curled in on themselves, trying to hide their face from the wolf. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry..." the muttered between sobs and tears. How could they make up for what they had done?

Mood: Dismal

@Kin-Kin

Finally, the kid seemed to come to their senses, the lightning that arced around them finally giving out. Kin-Kin's stance relaxed slightly, though she was still glad that the lightning rod had worked and now stood handily by, ready for whatever surprises might come next. Even after the child's voice had died down to a low sobbing, Kin-Kin's ears were left ringing, throbbing audibly even as she perked them forward. Why did she keep doing this to herself? It wasn't like she particularly needed to be here. And it wasn't like there was anything making her stay.

But she didn't leave; the worst had passed, after all.

In a display of confidence, the wolf sat down elegantly, facing the tearful youth from a comfortable distance away. "Now, what's eatin' ya, kid? You're in quite the state," she asked, straight to the point. The quicker that she could get to the bottom of this, the better. She flinched as the kid started to wail, murmuring and weeping apologies. Her heart softened slightly, but she couldn't help a wince. Kin-Kin was good at making Gemlings feel like they could achieve anything; she wasn't exactly known for being an emotional support pillow. "Hey, hey. Yo, listen here. No hard feelings. Cryin' and apologizin' ain't gonna solve anything. Now, where does it hurt? Is anythin' broken?"

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Huckleberry