The creature Jayberry had met had been disgusting.

It was unlike anything she'd seen before, and she'd seen some strange creatures. But this one was large, with no fur. It looked like it had had fur that had been burnt off, with skin that she could see through. Could see the lifeblood pumping through its veins. It had four limbs like the majority of her family, but it also had two extras, on an oddly upright body. It's face lacked the protrusions she was sued to.

But it knew about the loud crystals she had been seeing, their vibrant colors hard to miss. Apparently it was seeking those things, and would give some sort of reward.

So began to stalk the area around her home. Something about Polaris drew her, and so she found herself wandering it, following her ears. The ringing of the crystals were hard to miss, and so it didn't take her long to find her first gem. Plucking it from the ground with her teeth, she looked around, trying to figure out where to put it.

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

Jayberry wasn't the only one who'd met the strange centaur-thing, nor was he the only one on the hunt. Another black, mostly-canine shape was sniffing along the ledges high overhead, audible as it scratched here and there in its own search.

He wasn't sure what Jupiter was, and he wished he could find his father to ask him (his dad knew everything), but it was probably going to help figure out if the strange crystals were dangerous. With a quiet hum of his own he set about searching the higher reaches of Polaris, his feather-tuft ears rotating this way and that.

He found nothing up top--but below, he heard something, and with a quiet ruffle of wings he glided down--only to find a large, black wolf already having spotted one of the things.

"Oh!" he said, surprised--he hadn't even seen it down there. "Sorry, I didn't mean to just--jump down-... Are you looking for these, too?"

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Jayberry

The black wolf frowned, lifting her head and looking around. She kept hearing... something, but the ringing of the crystals covered up the small scratching sounds.

The sound of the ringing drew her, and she stopped, scratching at the soil with large paws. It wasn't long before she unearthed a small gem that rang weakly. This was quickly tucked away into her cheek along with the other one she had, and she startled when a black thing that looked like her, but with wings like Mother, fluttered down. "No worries," she said around the gems. "I take it you met Jupiter too?"

@Oliver

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

Oliver gave a little nod, and eyed the crystal from a distance.

"I did. I wanted to help but I can't find any of the ones that make noise. But you found one so maybe--that'll be enough?" He paused; he didn't want to be rude and try to make the stranger talk even more around the stone in their mouth, but he didn't want to just wander off, either. That would also be rude.

Softly, he continued. "I'm Oliver. I didn't mean to uhh--make you talk with... things in your mouth," he added, flattening back his ear-tufts apologetically. "If you're going back I won't delay you or anything. I hope it helps." He wasn't sure what, exactly, Jupiter was doing--or whether she should even be helped--but... it was probably important, anyway, he thought.

{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

@Jayberry

Jayberry listened as the black dog - a dog, not a wolf. Similar to herself and Mulberry, but not. He had wings like mother, and Huckleberry, and Baneberry. She hadn't really met many like her, and she was startled to realize she was taller than him. Her barrel was larger, her legs longer, and her face more feral than his. She didn't know what to make of that - was she the normal, and he the oddity? Or was he the normal, and she the oddity, twisted by being raised by mother and father?

The dog introduced himself, before apologizing. She shook herself dismissively, and lowered her head to set the two gems on the ground. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips, mouth feeling oddly distended from holding them in her cheeks. "No worries, Oliver. I'm Jayberry, of the Bloodberries. It's a pleasure." she inclined her head politely. And that was her way - be polite until there was no reason not to be.

"I'm hoping to find more Gems, actually. Two heads are better than one, yes? Want to work with me?"

@Oliver

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