Pride watched, anger rising even higher in him. One Gembound, and then the other, threw themselves--missed their mark--fell. There was a tangle of combat, of slashing and hostility. And Huckleberry-... Huckleberry, he ignored. There was no time, and the hybrid had made his choice. Pride would help him later--if the chance arrived--but on conditions. What was important, for now, was this wretched beast of a goose. He felt as though his magicka were boiling within him, bubbling in rage, chaotic and ready to burst.

It was Blackberry he focused on, in his white-hot, blinding anger. She was the impetus behind this all. She was the violent maniac, the one who would kill, the one who would gather armies with her torment of children. She was the one who would hurt others. She was the one who had to die.

He gripped his boiling magicka, shaped it, formed it, making no attempt to control it. Just to guide it, to lash it to Blackberry. She'd evaded him once before, but now she was focused on the black bird-dog hybrid before her, and Pride snatched at the chance.

The ground just beneath her flashed into sudden boiling plasma, and Pride snarled--as best a stag could--in savagery himself. He hoped that it would swallow her up. That it would burn her away, that she would be nothing but a flash of white light and then--nothing.

That the rest of them could live in peace.

He wasn't even sure the supernova wouldn't hit others, as well--he just wanted Blackberry gone.

M for mature - violence/harm

The hybrid quailed back with a cry of fear as the monstrous goose bore down on him. He wasn't a fighter! This thing was spiked and bloody and ugly and scary! When pain struck a moment later he yelped in further fear, a slash of those nasty talons cut right down the left side of his face. It barely missed his eye, ripping down his cheek and into the fur of his neck. He felt the sting of hot pain, caught the scent of blood, and his panic and misery rose.

Adrenaline claimed him. He no longer knew what he was doing, instinct driving him in terror, desperation guiding his actions. She was close--she was smaller--he lunged out, eyes rolling wide with fear, and tried to snap down on the leg, the one that had slashed him, to grapple her there.

White light.

A searing heat struck him, and overwhelmed his consciousness. His jaws closed on fire, oh caves that's fire, help help help-- and he reeled back, a hound's screams echoing from him in a way that sounded like someone else. He could feel his face burning, feel agony climbing through him, over him, and he thrashed back and away, still panicking, wings flaring and rising as he reared up and fell back.

The bird-dog hybrid lay thrashing and burning on the ground, screaming and clawing at his face, ignited in white-hot fire.
{Table code credit to Madison, altered a bit!}

Elderberry had bellowed, for although he had trained, and trained, putting body and mind through rigorous regimes of his own devising, he was wholly unprepared for the mist surrounding him to suddenly begin to boil. He had been hoping for honourable combat- the chance to prove his worth to Mother and sibling alike. But the first strike had showed nothing more than treachery.

After he had composed himself, the mist was long gone, and though his skin burned and stung, the fighting was happening all around him. Ears twitching, he strode tall and proud into the centre, still looking for the one perfect fight to truly put his skills to the test, even though his eyes burned and his motions twitchy from blistered skin. As the roots beneath his hooves began to suddenly move, Elderberry reared back in surprise, springing up to avoid the spearing and grasping roots that could easily have destroyed him. He would not make the same mistake twice.

However, no sooner had he made the effort to leap out of reach than he felt the roots grasp a hold of the ankles of his hind limbs and with strength spurred on by magic, pull him to the ground. A trumpeting honk of startlement emerged, and trailed off into a screech as sharp points ripped through feathers and flesh, leaving him to squirm and writhe and try to escape the impending agony. With wild eyes he looked around for his opponent, and saw him-- the cat responsible for so much of his mother's misery. His vision reddened with rage at the thought that whatever happened to her might be about to happen to him but he struggled to remain calm, and clacked his beak low and threatening, flattening his ears back against his skull.

"I came here for an honourable victory," he rumbled, driving his hooves into the earth but still unable to drag himself free of the roots that tore into his flesh. "But you come instead with tricks and traps. I will not let them be the end of us."

He hissed.

---

"When I speak."

When I think.

@Rift

He said nothing. He stared straight ahead. Huckleberry knew he would have heard him. He knew. But he ignored him. Dread and despair settled into his stomach. Had he lost him? From one stupid, battle-crazen statement? Had he lost one of the only friends he had?

Tears leaked freely from his eyes as he gave a loud moan. He couldn't save Cloudberry. He couldn't do anything. She was here...and he could do nothing for her. He didn't deserve to be a father. Mama was right to raise her away from him. He couldn't do it. He couldn't do it!

He looked back at Pride and realized that he had barely moved. He hadn't charged, merely stepped out out the trees. Why was he staring like that, so full of hatred and fury, but not charging or attacking? And then Huckleberry remembered that his magic was one of mind and energy. Powerful. Dangerous. And lethal.

He followed his gaze and with a jolt of horror realized that it rested of Blackberry. His eyes widened as he realized what Pride was about to do. "No....no please! Don't, Pride, don't!" He scrambled to his feet but tripped in his hast. "Please Pride! She's my mama!" Desperation and fear caused his body to tremble out of control. He panted as he looked between them, his body frozen. "SHE'S MY MAMA!"

He let out a terrible scream and lunged forward, shooting like a bullet straight towards Blackberry. The wind came bursting in from behind him as magic streamed from his gem but it was out of control as his emotions were out of control. It threw him forward and he tumbled, skidding to a halt just before Blackberry, unable to even touch her. Reaching out to try and push her away but he could not. And when Pride's supernova came, he took the blunt of it.

He screamed. It was a terrible scream and he reared back, his body covered with glowing white. He shone like a star as he fell back, writhing on the ground, trying to rub it off of him, trying to stop his body be consumed by the plasma. But it was too late. His breathing was coming faster and his heart growing weaker. His struggles slowed until he was lying flat on the ground, facing the white stag. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he stared at the friend he once had. Hurt and betrayal were clear in his eyes.

The gem on his head shivered. His body was destroyed by the plasma, burned, broken, and he couldn't be fixed. The blue began to spread just as the last breath left his body and his eyes glazed. Within a few moments, his dying body was covered with smooth, dark blue crystal. He couldn't save Cloudberry now.

*exit to chrysalis

@Enka @Sebastian

Slowly her mind began to clear from the after affects of both a terror spell and hallucination spores piled one on top the other. It was a struggle to make sense of the battlefield has bodies rushed back and forth. Slowly it became clear that both her father and uncle were safe, though the latter quite wounded. Seeing blood pouring from his eye socket made her stomach clench and vile rush towards her jowls. Normally dark eyes were now wide with the vibrant whites clearly showing. They were safe, but for how long?

Enka did not get the chance to tell as suddenly a black form appeared besides her, just barely missing her back legs only by luck of her dizzying stance. Growl sounded and teeth flashed against the dark fur. It was clear that this beast would try to prevent her from reaching her family, from helping them in their time of need.

This could not be allowed.

Enka was normally a passive creature, joyful and serene. She had never had to fight before in her life other than in the form of simple play games. Yet instinct was instinct, something every creature had. With a loud bellow and a scuffing of the torn covered ground with a front hoof, the springbok lowered her head to point all three horns towards the wolf. With a snort mixing her feelings of frustration, pain, and fear, she charged forward to meet the canine head-on.

---

Speech
Thoughts

Tags: @Jayberry specifically
Notes:

The hybrid growled, rolling and twisting on her paws to face Oliver. Her mis-matched eyes widened, and she smirked as Grandmother struck him, licking her lips as his blood-scent joined the rest in the air.

But then he lunged, trying to bite the goose, and she ruffled her feathers, wondering what Mother could do - and then she flung her head back and howled a laugh as he unintentionally saved Grandmother, taking a Supernova to the head. Her ears perked, and she revelled in his screams, trotting towards him with a huff.

Drawing back her head, she moved to run him through with her pointed beak. But before she could, he thrashed, some of the fire landing on her paw. She yelped, and jumped back, flailing her paw to put out the flame.

Jayberry snarled, crouching as she stared down the deer. It looked unlike any deer she had hunted, with its long, flowing horns, and holding sentience. But it was a deer, and she had killed Gembounds with sentience before. This would be easy, she thought, with a flash of her fangs, and a bristling of her mantle.

And then the deer bellowed, and lowered her horns. The wolf grinned - oh, a deer with some fight, then! This would be fun! She twisted, bracing herself to take the force of the blow with her shoulder, growling in pain as she felt Enka's horns slam into bone, tearing muscle. Jayberry whirled around, aiming to sink her teeth into the deer's leg and pull her to the ground.

"She speaks." 'She thinks.' She does.

@Enka

Brother, understand whySee it's burning me to hold onto thisI know this is something that I gotta doBut that don't mean I want to

Motion caught the panther's eye, his brother having slipped away. Something green, but changing colors as the light hit it, drew his attention - what was that?

Something was screaming, a baying howl that sent chills through his blood. Sebastian whirled, seeing the feathered hybrid standing over Oliver. He didn't know the dog, but the dog had tried to protect his brother, and that was enough. In two bounds, he was beside the hybrid, and she whirled to face him with a growl. He didn't give her a chance to strike him, lunging forward and sinking his teeth into her side, finding himself with a mouthful of feathers even as the hybrid shrieked like a bird.

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

What I'm trying to say is that, I love you I justI feel like this is coming to an endAnd it's better for me to let it go now,than hold on and hurt youI've gotta let it burn

Blackberry felt her claws digging into flesh and heard the cry of pain that she had been waiting for. She gnashed her fangs in approval and she whipped around, intending on leaping for the cat. But he was gone. He had run. And she realized that he was headed for Elderberry next.

With a loud honk, she started forward to chase him but hesitated when a scream rang through the clearing. Huckleberry was hurtling towards her and she watched with shock as he tumbled in front of her right where a burst of white flame suddenly appeared.

She shrieked and stepped back, but Huckleberry had taken the blunt of the attack. While their body was engulfed by white flame, she just felt a splatter of the burning stuff touch her skin and feather. But even with the tiny bit, it hurt. A bit of it seeped into the frayed skin beneath her stomach claws and it hurt. It hurt worse then the original wound that had torn open her stomach. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. But she wasn't on fire. Her son was on fire.

Her vision blurred from the pain as she tried to swivel around to see where Pride was. So she could kill him. Destroy him for hurting her and for hurting Huckleberry. And, from the cry she heard a moment later, for hurting Yewberry as well. But her eyes did not find Pride, they found the green cat first and her mind was set back on track. If she killed him...just killed him, then this would all be over.

She lunged forward with an effort and strength that she hadn't used yet in this fight. His back was turned now. He would be expecting her to get caught in Pride's attack. But she wouldn't. With the burning hot plasma still coating her feather, she leapt onto Rift's back and completely lost control.

She hadn't fallen into such a frenzy since before her mutation. She hadn't had such a fit of terrible anger, of mindless destruction since she was young. And, depending on where an observer was standing, this was either the most horrifying thing or the funniest thing. Her neck was waving as her beak lunged in and tore away fur, her claws were scrabbling at everything in sight, catching on skin and ripping it away. Her wings beat at anything and everything, a flurry of brown and black that only Blackberry could pull off.

Battle Report
Rift goes off to confront Elderberry to try and hurt Blackberry the hardest.
Many gembounds are thrown into disarray as Pride creates a ball of burning plasma in front of Blackberry.
Oliver is struck by Blackberry and is hit with the plasma in his face.
In an attempt to save his mother, Huckleberry instead lands right on top of the plasma and is completely ignited. Within seconds, he is in his chrysalis.
Yewberry goes to Olive to inflict further harm but instead just steps in the plasma.
Enka attacks and wounds Jayberry's shoulder who retaliates with a bite to the legs.
Sebastian leaps at Yewberry and gets a good bite in.
Between Oliver and Huckleberry, Blackberry takes a relatively small hit from the plasma. Enraged by Huckleberry's pain and her own memories, she attacks Rift and begins to tear into him.

There were screams behind Rift, horrible screams as gembounds fell but he wasn't paying attention. He just had to fight this hybrid. He snarled at his request but then something struck him. Why was this thing that was so obviously a descendant of Blackberry calling for a fair fight? His talk of honor, tricks, and traps struck him as a little odd and quite hypocritical. The Bloodberries had come to destroy him, just him, and the whole family had come. If he had no help, how honourable would that victory be? But still...the strangeness gave him a glimmer of respect towards the moose creature and he allowed the vines to loosen.

"Fine, then, if it's an honorable victory you want, I'll fight you with tooth and claw." It had been a long time, a very long time, since he had fought this way. His claws were already out, so he sunk them into the dirt and bared his fangs. He was just about to leap when something crashed into his back.

He turned to see his attacker and his stomach dropped as he was met with the furious, glowing face of Blackberry. He didn't have a moment to think before her claws sunk into him and a burning feeling began to spread across his skin.

He yowled and collapsed, the sudden onslaught giving him little time to react to the attack. And he hadn't expected the sudden feeling of fire across his skin. As droplets of the plasma leaped off of Blackberry and onto his fur, he cried with pain. The few plants still remaining on him burst into flame and his skin was suddenly alight with fire and the claws of his enemy.

He tried desperately to do something, calling into the ground for plants to rise and save him, cover him with plants, close the wounds Blackberry was inflicting before he lost too much blood but there wasn't any time. He tried to fight back but she had him on the ground and he couldn't get back up. She wasn't heavy, but his legs weren't behaving, burned from the fire that seared through the vines that once covered them.

@Pride