Kin-Kin was feeling the profound weight of the hybrid upon her back as she entered tunnel N, but she ddn't show it. She'd trained for many cycles, after all; even if she thought that she'd started to slack lately. But that wasn't her fault, of course not. Things had been... odd... for a while. But they were just about starting to go back to normal. Starting with heroically escorting a wounded hybrid back to their family. Yes, she was quite the hero, and she was looking forward to a hero's welcome when she met their family, whoever they happened to be.

Kin-Kin glanced back, making sure that Huckleberry was still in place. She was in the right place, that much she new- Huckleberry had specifically said the tunnel that started in Polaris and ended at Orion. And now they were here.

Kin-Kin pressed on down the tunnel, heading away from the Core.

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Huckleberry

Huckleberry had fallen asleep on Kin-Kin's back, the struggle against the bird, the magic they had exhausted, and the pain they had endured wearing them out completely. The rhythmic movement of their savior had lulled them into a state of unconsciousness that perhaps couldn't quite count as sleep. But as soon as the familiar smells and sensations reached their brain, they woke up immediately.

They looked around calmly, feeling relief at being back in the family home. Mama was here somewhere. Mama would make everything okay.

The suddenly raised their head and let out a shrieking call, much like the bray of a moose but...different. It resonated through the tunnel, a clear call for something to appear.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

emotion: Shocked
tags:
notes:

Blackberry was resting from the battle, her body still shivering from the effects of the radiation. She had been the one to take the blunt of many of the attacks and her body was still recovering. Jayberry and Mulberry had brought her back to the cave and they were gone for now, probably off to hunt somewhere. They were good children, but she worried. Where had the others gone? She had not seen anything of Baneberry or Huckleberry since the end of the fight and she was worried about them.

But then the shrieking call echoed through the cave and her head snapped up, gazing into the darkness from where the noise had come from. She leaped to her feet, all weariness forgotten and sprinted through the caves. That sounded like Huckleberry! At first, there was an unwelcome twinge of disappointment that it had to be her problem child, but she quickly pushed it away with her instincts to still care for them. She had been so worried that they had been terribly injured or even dead. The bird's attacks had been brutal, after all.

They soon became visible and Blackberry slowed down at the sight of the glowing wolf where she thought her child would be. After a moment, she spotted them draped across the wolf's back as if they were a rag doll. The feathers along her neck began to rise and her eyes narrowed menacingly, taking a few steps forward, unsure of what was going on. "Who are you?" she hissed. "And what are you doing with my child?"

@Kin-Kin

The noise of Huckleberry's shriek left Kin-Kin's ears ringing, and an involuntary shudder ran from her head to her tail. She assumed that the sound meant they'd arrived, so she shook her head and continued, but not for long. Soon, a figure appearing in the corridor ahead of her brought her to a halt. She looked at the stranger warily, seeing their eyes narrowing, and the danger in their stance.

She wasn't afraid, but she knew when the time came to tread lightly.

The goose's words also set her fur prickling with anticipation. So this was part of Huckleberry's family. Bingo! This was the place. Kin-Kin stayed where she was, and motioned to the hybrid on her back. "Ah! You're just the one I've been lookin' for, ma'am. Huckleberry here was in quite the state- asked me to help 'em get back home. Right Huckleberry?"

She looked at the hybrid. "-So, here we are. Don't worry, though! They're in a bit of a state, but nothing' a little TLC won't fix, eh?"

She offered a smile.

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Huckleberry

Huckleberry waited, suddenly on edge, wondering if Mama would appear and what she would say at their terrible appearance. And the weakness of having to ride on a wolf's back. Perhaps they should get off now. They were feeling much better, afte rall! But as they shifted a bit, they found that their muscles were too sore and too tired to do anything about it right then. So they waited, quite impatiently, for Mama to appear.

And then they heard the familiar clack of talosn against stone and looked up. There she was! "Mama! Mama Mama Mama! I found you!" Huckleberry's relief was evident in their voice and tear suddenly leaped into their eyes at seeing Blackberry again. She looked good too, better then she had at the end of the fight, not that Huckleberry had been paying much attention.

They suddenly started struggling to get off Kin-Kin's back. The movement upset their aching body and they winced with pain, but they eventually managed to tumble off of their friend's back.

They stood up and gave themselves a good shake before looking up, eyes shining. However, all of their worries and fear suddenly came back and they were suddenly reluctant to move forward. They looked down and pawed bashfully at the stone under their feet. "H-hi Mama. I'm sorry I ran away."

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

emotion: Relieved
tags:
notes:

Blackberry glared at the wolf, a feeling of what could only be described as jealousy rising and almost chocking her throat. How dare this stranger take care of her child? How dare they tell her not to worry?! But, at the same time, they had apparently taken care of Huckleberry for her. She looked down at her child and opened a wing to allow them to come close. For a moment, her burning gaze rested on Huckleberry, wondering if she should be angry at them for leaving and running. Perhaps later she would teach them a lesson, but for now she was simply relived to have them back. Her gaze softened. "My child. I was worried." The softness vanished for a moment. "But never do that again. You know better."

She looked up at the wolf again, confusion pricking at her brain. She didn't like strangers and she didn't like the confidence this wolf stood with and how they treated her so kindly. It was weird and it made her angry. She bared her teeth. "I asked you a question. Who are you? And you," she looked at Huckleberry, forgetting her gentleness for a moment, "haven't I taught you not to trust strangers? Anyone can be the enemy." She turned her burning gaze back to the wolf, as if daring her to argue this fact.

@Kin-Kin

Kin-Kin met the goose's glare with an even stare. She'd fought before, and won, many a time. The bird could do nothing that would hurt her. Not even Imperia had managed it. But she didn't say it aloud. She watched the interaction between mother and child cautiously, taking careful note of the momentary coldness, but saying nothing. She knew little of what parenting was really like. It was probably for the best.

She felt a sly feeling of guilt worm its way into her heart, but she pushed it down with the slightest twitch of her tail.

She gritted her teeth in annoyance as the goose still responded with aggression, but nodded regardless. "Kin-Kin. Demigod and master of light. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me," she said, choosing her words carefully. "And... if it makes you feel any better, ma'am, when I approached Huckleberry, they struck out with magic to drive me away. But they were too weak to manage it."

Kin-Kin glanced momentarily at the hybrid, hoping that they'd understand she was trying to give them a leg up, before her gaze returned to their mother. She wasn't in the mood for a fight.

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Huckleberry @Blackberry

Huckleberry paced around in front of Mama, a little nervous that she would strike out at Kin-Kin but also hoping that she would. The wolf was an outsider and had played her purpose...but she was their friend, right? She had been nice to them and helped them get here. Perhaps they would have to convince Mama of this. Or perhaps they should let her do what she wanted.

They stopped pacing and shuddered, trying to make sense of what they should do, occasionally shaking their head as if flies were buzzing in their ears. They looked from Kin-Kin to Mama and back again. Family or friend? Family or friend? Family or...friend?

No, family came first. It was one thing that imprinted on their mind as a child. Family. Mama was boss and Mama was scary. Only care about the family. They closed their eyes and stepped behind Mama with a submissive dip of their head, their ears back. "I'm sorry Mama, I won't do it again. Family, family, family. Family comes first." They sat behind her and looked away, not meeting Kin-Kin's gaze.

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags:
notes:

Blackberry's eyes blazed as Kin-Kin spoke to them as if she were a child that needed to be reassured. How dare she speak to her like that! How dare she assumed that everyone should know her? She bared her teeth and one of the claws on her stomach twitched threateningly. "Blackberry, the Terror of the Caves. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me." She said the last words with scorn heavy in her voice before bringing up a wing and shifting the collection of trinkets hung over her neck, as if hoping that Kin-Kin would notice these. She wondered if Kin-Kin had known any of these gembounds, especially the dead ones. That would be perfect and ironic. She smiled inwardly at the thought.

Anger flared in her stomach again and she hissed quietly. "Don't patronize me," she snapped. "My children are all stronger then you think! The family is stronger then anyone thinks!" The anger went away a little bit as Huckleberry slunk behind her and apologized and she took a deep breath, looking away with slight embarrassment. Whatever she said, she was relieved that her child had gotten home safely. "Well, I guess I should thank you for bringing Huckleberry back to me safely..." she looked back, the fire back in her eyes, "but that doesn't mean you're welcome! You've done me a service and my thanks is not ripping you apart for stepping foot in this cave!" She hissed again and lowered her head a little bit to show that she would still attack if the wolf pushed her further. In all honesty, she also didn't want to fight - battles with wolves so far had not turned out so well. She didn't want to add another to the list.

@Kin-Kin

Kin-Kin shrugged. She was starting to get the impression that Huckleberry's mother wasn't about to warm up to her no matter what she did. "I guess I've fallen out of touch with the kids lately." Her gaze flicked over the necklace for a moment, but she appeared unimpressed. The wolf had lived through enough cycles- seen enough death- to know what to do to avoid it, and exactly how to court it.

The she-wolf had held a cool façade in front of this goose for quite some time- but now, she felt that her patience was just about spent. She couldn't help but let out a snort, watching Huckleberry instead of the goose. She was starting to regret bringing the kid back. Was regret the right word? Poor kid would probably be better off on their own like she'd been at their age. And she hadn't even gotten a well-deserved thanks.

At the goose's next words, Kin-Kin couldn't help but burst out laughing. The threats stirred memories of cycles long past- of the life-and-death struggles between herself and Imperia. Once upon a time, the caracal had vowed to be the one to rip her into shreds, but that day had never come. "Oh, please. I've heard it all before, lady. You know what? I will be back, because I'd love to see you try." She winked, turning her back on the goose and child with a confidence only she was capable of, and began to walk away. "Peace!"

In the end, it had all been for nothing after all. After a few paces, she glanced back. She opened her mouth, about to add salt to the goose's wounds- but she stopped herself. Telling this crazy thing that its child had almost refused to come home seemed like a death sentence for the poor thing- and unnecessarily spiteful, too. Instead, she shot a smile Huckleberry's way, and tried briefly to meet the child's gaze. "You've got a good kid there," she said finally. "Try not to ruin it."

Then the tunnel plunged into a darkness so absolute that nothing would be able to penetrate it. For a few minutes, the darkness remained- and when it finally faded, the she-wolf was long, long gone.

-exit kin-kin-

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Huckleberry