Oliver's cry of anguish was not due to his own pain. His injuries were bad, yes--burns and lacerations, bruises--but worse still was the pain of seeing Jayberry--someone whose life he had saved!--slaughtering an innocent. He didn't know what to do, other than to scramble through the loose leaves, stumbling and crying out. His magic flared, and he tried to strengthen Enka as he had Rift--but his focus was really on Jayberry. His voice twisted with horror as he cried out, tone begging.

"Jayberry!" he cried--"Why are you doing this?! Please stop! What are you doing?!" It was childlike, desperate, and he knew there was nothing he could do against her savage physical combat.

He didn't know what to do other than to rush in their direction, trying to break past the chaos of the fight to get to Enka, his magicka flaring.

Oliver wasn't sure if Rift would survive. He wasn't sure if anyone would survive. He didn't know why anyone was doing any of this, and the world spun further around him in surreal and nightmarish colors.

@Elderberry @Enka

Mature Warning

The wolf’s words echoed in her mind. She was right; the others were fighting their own battles. The images from earlier appeared before her mind’s eye, the ones showing a much more mutilated and traumatic scene. It could already be reality at this moment as Enka could not see distinctly where they were. The canine’s strange laughter reverberated in her head as tears welled up. So this was going to be the end?

Eyes shut as Enka embraced the final attack…

Only to have to snap open again as Rift miraculously appeared before her, warning the wolf to stop. Her body even somehow felt stronger now that he was there. Enka bellowed, overjoyed to see her father there to save her. If anyone could, it would be he, master of the forest and caretaker of all the plants within it; the one who had found and taken care of her so long ago. He’d be able to protect her and put an end to the horrible fight.

Enka smiled, opening her mouth to thank the cougar for hearing her cry … but words didn’t come. Instead a searing pain erupted from her stomach as fangs dug deep; past the flesh and fat and down towards the muscle. A strange warmth began to coat her stomach. With wide eyes, she looked down to see her blood beginning to pool below her. Despite Oliver’s spell the bleeding did not clot easily. The wolf had experience. More than that, the wolf had a sadistic pleasure and drive to mutilate her.

The springbok did not speak, did not cry. She merely stared at the now open wound of her stomach. Slowly her body began a strange chill as the warmth from earlier began to fade away. And still the antelope did not speak. She did not know if the wolf would continue her attack or not, but some part deep in her brain knew that it didn’t matter. Already her skin began to itch as her horn gave off a soft glow.

Barely even blinking, Enka turned to face her father. “Rift! I …” She swallowed, words getting caught in her throat. Speaking was becoming more difficult as her ribcage expanding caused the slowly dulling pain to increase. “I’m sorry … I … couldn’t … help you. I….”

No more words came as Enka lowered her head. It wasn’t clear even to her if she had no more words to speak or if she had no more ability. The sounds of the battle were growing softer, the scene playing out before her becoming dimmer. She could no longer look at the father she had failed, standing before her covered in blood and torn fur. And then, soon enough, she could no longer see at all.

Deep brown eyes closed as a coat of green like the grass beneath them reached up and blanketed her gently. Soon she was covered in a shell of milky white and hundreds of shades of green, each shimmering. A piece of beauty amidst the terror where she would wait until peace could once again return.

---

Speech
Thoughts

Tags:
Notes:

Elderberry tried one last time to wrench himself free, driving his hooves into the earth. He felt the plants tighten around his chest, he felt a crack as one of his ribs- hollow, like the bones of a bird- cracked. But then the pressure loosened, and he was free, his wounds streaming blood and his head hanging low. His feathers were slick and wet, his hide dyed crimson-- but he was alive.

But there was little else he could do. The time for an honourable victory was long passed. There was no way he could win now, and he knew this; now was about winning. making his mark, and fighting until his last breath. He cast his gaze around until he found his mother where she viciously attacked an armoured stag of pristine whiteness.

His vision blurred red with rage, and his steps shaky, splattering droplets, Elderberry moved towards her, letting out a wheezing bellow to announce that he was coming-- and that he was winning.

---

"When I speak."

When I think.

The hybrid growled, jerking her head from side to side in hopes of doing some damage, but the flesh there was loose and, while it tore and gave, there was little true damage she could do. No arteries to nick or muscles to tear.

His needle-like fangs sunk into her flesh again, and she snarled, a sound somewhere between a carking bird and a growling wolf. In a twisting moment, she pulled her beak free of his ruff, and drove it in towards his throat. It sunk in with a satisfying give, and she jerked her head, feeling veins burst, although that life-giving artery was nowhere to be found.

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

CW: Gore

The puma snarled, the strong muscles of his jaw tensing as he attempted to crush bone beneath sharp teeth. But he didn't have a good enough grip, and so he only jerked away with a mouthful of flesh and feathers. He sneezed, pin-sized feathers filling his nostrils, and shook his head.

But then the hybrid was at his throat, that horrid fanged beak sinking into his flesh. He flinched back, instinctively trying to protect the life-giving artery, skin tearing open in a wide, gashing wound as he wrenched to the side.

The hybrid whirled to follow him, dull beak dripping with blood. Her tongue, so long and thin and creepy, darted out to clear her beak, and he snarled, flashing his fangs. In a smooth movement, he leaped, and she couldn't follow him. His fangs sunk into the back of her skull, and bone shattered, the base of her skull shattering beneath his powerful jaws like a dropped watermelon, severing her spine. He held on, even as she went limp beneath him, her gemstone beginning to spread and creep over her pin-like feathers.

"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

note: Yewberry is my own character, so I am writing her a bit here

The deer had given up - her eyes closed, body tense.

But then there were pawsteps, and the deer's eyes opened, and then there was a voice. It was the cat - snarling for her to get away.

But she was already in motion, and even if she wasn't she wouldn't have stopped. Her smile was a mockery of Enka's as her fangs sunk into the soft belly of the deer, tearing through muscle and flesh and sinew, mouth filling with blood that spilled to the ground. Tail wagging, she stepped back, licking her lips clean.

Blood-drunk, she watched as the deer tried to force out her last words. The wolf felt no pain, adrenaline buzzing in her ears, although she would be in a fair deal of pain later on. But the taste of the deer's blood in her mouth had her own boiling, thrumming in her veins.

So she smirked, laughing that harsh laugh ack-ack-ack, sneering at the cat in a dog's way. The deer was soon covered in a green chrysalis, joining the others in their sleep among the bloodshed. She was wholly unaware that her daughter was among them, and if she was it was likely that she would have abandoned this cat to try and kill the other.

"You've failed, kitty cat. Too slow, too slow. Too little, too late." she crooned, voice dripping with pity. "Poor you, losing her. She'll never be the same, you know?" She adjusted her weight on her paws, and lunged forward, aiming to sink her fangs into his ear, wanting to try and throw him off balance.

Whether she landed her blow or not, she only had a moment before she was knocked off balance, a mass of feathers slamming into her face. She yelped, staggering back as her own Mother was flung at her face.

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

Blackberry felt her talons digging into Pride's flesh and she hissed with satisfaction as his red blood welled under her claws. He wasn't moving, he wasn't fighting back, he stood still as stone and it took Blackberry a moment to realize that that was wrong, especially for Pride. It was too later - the magic grabbed a hold of her and flung her backwards with a strangled honk of surprise. She felt something soft against her back and her momentum managed to push both her and Jayberry over. She tumbled off her daughter and scrambled back to her feet, still dizzy and weak from pain but her adrenaline pumping so strongly that she felt she could run through the whole caves and tear out every throat on the way.

But as soon as she was on her feet she caught her eye on Yewberry nearby, the black cat holding her in his jaws, and crunching down on the skull. Within a moment, a chrysalis formed over the wolf hybrid and she dropped to the ground.

Blackberry didn't know that Huckleberry was gone as well. She didn't know about Cloudberry either. But she saw Yewberry and she screeched with anger. She didn't say anything, just shot towards Sebastian, forgetting about Pride, aiming to stab her beak at the wound Yewberry had inflicted, wanting to tear it open farther.

Battle Report
Rift and Oliver both try to go to Enka's aid, but it's too late for her and the damage Jayberry caused her sends her into her chrysalis.
Pride takes a hit from Blackberry but then uses his magic to throw her into Jayberry.
Elderberry is advancing against Pride, having finally escaped Rift's plants.
Sebastian is stabbed in the neck by Yewberry, but he retaliates by crushing her skull and sending her into her chrysalis.
Jayberry goes for Rift but is then pushed over by Blackberry, who jumps off her immediately and goes for Sebastian, intending on ripping a larger hole in his neck.

The Bloodberries have lost:
Cloudberry, Huckleberry, and Yewberry
Blackberry, Jayberry, and Elderberry remain

Rift's friends have lost:
Enka and Rift (next post)
Pride, Oliver, and Sebastian remain

Beyr and Artume are nowhere to be found

Rift couldn't do anything. He could only watch. Watch as Enka turned towards him, eyes growing dim, and say her last words. Rift had never seen anyone go into their chrysalis before. He had never seen anyone die before. He did not know...did not realize that she would come back one day.

He thought that he had lost her, the one he called his daughter.

He was still as stone, tears in his eyes, and the whole world was blowing away. What was the point of this? What was the point of any of this? So much pain and blood and death...

He was screaming but he didn't remember screaming. He was crying but he couldn't feel the tears streaming down his cheeks. There was a thought in the back of his head that kept repeating itself over and over. Protect them. Protect them. But he could not. The forest was so far away. The earth was cold against his paws. A mourning keen ran through his ears and there was a jolt as his body hit the ground. He didn't even feel Jayberry's teeth prick his skin. He could barely even see as his movement threw off her aim and, instead of sinking into his ear, her fangs sunk right into his face.

The pain didn't register. Nothing could register. Everything was numb. The hearing in his gem ear seemed to get louder and louder and for a moment that was all he could feel, the sound in his gem. The green was spreading across his body now, just as it did on Enka. He was dying now.

There was a bit of panic as the gem reached under his belly. He didn't want to die like this, though! He didn't want to be cut off from the earth! No! It couldn't happen like this! He tried to reach forward with his magic again, but it was too late. The world was sealed off and his consciousness was wavering, fading...fading....gone.

*exit

@Pride

Pride's eyes snapped open, the pale grey flicking over the scene. Blackberry was recovering quickly, lunging for another attack. He blinked and shook away a bit of blood, grim as he realized how few remained. On both sides. Never mind; he was certain that he could kill Blackberry, and likely that... green... monstrosity. The wolf might be a problem, if she got lucky.

He knew her; he'd fought to protect Huckleberry with her. But as with Huckleberry--well. They'd attacked first. He had no intention of showing mercy so long as they continued to strike out at the innocent.

Now left alone, at his leisure to touch at his magic, he stood calm and quiet in the shadows of the fight and he focused. His intention was to grip Jayberry with it, to lift her high, high into the sky and simply release--and let gravity do the rest. For now, the magic didn't come, but patient, Pride waited, willing the spellwork to coalesce.

Oliver still had no idea as to what to do.

Panicked, frozen with fear, he stared with surreal horror at the blood being spilled only a couple of feet away. Jayberry was completely ignoring him, instead taunting the others present in a distinctly sinister fashion. He stared, the moment freezing in his mind, in--again--deepest horror.

He'd... saved her.

He'd saved her.

This was his fault. If he hadn't helped her-...

He squeezed his eyes shut, trembling, willing some sort of miracle to happen--then opened them. A blinding-bright orb had formed before him, and he pressed it forward, into the knot of murderous Gembound--the wolf, the goose, the green thing.

"STOP!" he wailed yet again, hoping that the light, at least, stopped them from seeing what they were doing. He focused on Jayberry, mostly--doing his best to blind her--because... she was his fault.

@Elderberry