This thread is open to all but is rated M for sensitive subjects.

The sounds of the olympics were fading behind Huckleberry as he walked away, his feet dragging on the stone floor. Shiny walked behind him, a few paces away, watching his back with an expression of worry and impatience. Every time she got too close, Huckleberry would growl. It was a soft, barely audible growl, but she took it as a warning to not disturb him. She didn't know what to do. He had never done anything like this before and she knew it was because of that wolf. All the horrible, terrible things she had said to him. It made Shiny want to shake and scream. She was the only one that knew Huckleberry on such an intimate level, all of his quirks and shortages, where he was strong, where he was weak. She knew how hard those words had hurt. She could feel their sting even now and how much they had wounded the already fragile mental state of her friend.

At last, Huckleberry stopped. It wasn't even gradual. One moment he was walking, the next he was not and a moment later he was curled on the floor. Out in the open. It seemed that he couldn't even be bothered at this point to find a hiding spot. He just slumped forward and curled in on himself, his entire body unnaturally still.

Unsure of what to do, Shiny circled around until she was close to his head. Tentatively, she began to creep forward. When he didn't make a sound, she got closer until her nose brushed against Huckleberry's ears. And still, he didn't react.

Worried beyond belief, Shiny pressed herself against him and sat herself down, trying to let him know that at least she was here. She would always be here. But Huckleberry didn't respond. Nothing was going through their connection, nothing but an overwhelming sense of hollowness and emptiness. Like there was nothing left to fight for. Nothing left to live for.

In silence they lay until Shiny could take it no more. They were still connected - Huckleberry would probably die before he willingly broke their connection - so she did what she could to speak to him. Huckle-friend...please talk to me. Tell me...

Words started flooding through the connection, not Huckleberry's voice but rather the words that Kera had spat at him during the match. "It's a shame she spawned an actual offspring who looks like some pathetic monstrosity. How many gembounds have you killed? How many more did you pretend to cry in front of? How many of those gembound did you rip the stone out of, and instead of burying them, revive them? Indoctrinated them into your mother's little murder-army? How many times did you leave her, and come back? How many times did you have the chance to run, or kill her, and walk alongside her anyway? You're not fooling anyone with whatever the fuck this display is." With each and every word came Huckleberry's own thoughts, not in words but in images, feelings. Apple was laying on the ground, pleading up at him. Blackberry was snarling in his face. There was a white hot pain as one of her talons came down and slashed him clean across the face. There was agony as she dug into his side with all the intent to murder her own son. There was blood in his mouth, Apple's blood, and her body went limp between his jaws. Everything was green and he was tearing Rift away from the tree. Horrible, horrible pain and terror as his body was consumed by flame and the shell covered around his burned and broken body. Pride's face, blazing with fury and hatred, was the last thing he saw.

She's right, he finally spoke across the connection. I should be dead. I should be killed. I've made too many mistakes. How could I ever come back from that? How could I ever live? His talons clenched against the ground as, finally, his body began to move, small shivers causing his body to tremble where he was curled. I keep thinking that Mama is bad because she kills and she hurts...but I have killed and hurt too. I am as bad as her. I know I am. I should not be forgiven. I don't deserve it.
Shiny didn't know what to say. This was too much for her to fully understand. Perhaps she had been given the gift of intelligence when their connection had been forged, but that didn't give her the same kind of mental capacity that Greaters had. All she knew was that Huckleberry was hurting and she couldn't do anything about it.

She pressed against him harder and started licking the top of his head. No reaction from Huckleberry. He was back to a state of emptiness and nothingness, the small burst of speech and emotion now washed away.

Getting into some fight club sure wasn't Zeke's plan when he ended up here, heh suppose it had to be vague about it, after alll, there are rules against openly revealing fight club and all. OK, kids, he kids, heh, Zeke is well aware the dragon messed up royally in believing to entered some napping contest and even so, he chose to continue with it when given a choice. Kinda wanted to help lighten this mood maybes, as wow, tough crowd round here. No way was Zeke gonna drop out this now if he had another chance to improvise a good plan, or well, a joke to get everyone to lighten up here, tough crowd or not, not gonna stop him from getting a chuckle outta someone from here, even if they are having fun here.

Stillll, what he planned anyways, buuut while on his break thing and laying down, only one eye open to a slit as he observed all this gathering here and other contests or something here, might be tiring for him to do but they sure do seem fun alright.

Eyes shot open though as what sounded like genuinely violent fighting was happening, well maybes not like so but uhhh, there sure was a lotta shouting and screeching and all, not something for a supposed friendly contest. Zeke observed and find another wrestling thing which was vastly different to how Zeke's was, yet also unexpected it seems. Unlike Zeke's anti-climatic one on a giant fluffy dragon such as himself whose probs bigger than everyone here maybes, napping midway and confessing the hilarious way he ended up here. This battle was the opposite, the fighters in this one were going at it, he can't tell if they're breaking the rules from here from where he is resting but one those judges had to stop them and sounded pretttyyy peeved at them.

Whatever happened though, one seemed to be crying while their opponent from their tone they were using when speaking, needed to take a chill pill cuz geez, they seemed to keep on yelling bout something.

So when said one who was crying walked off from everyone in such a sad and languid pace, he got compelled to keep an eye on them, some lil bud tryna help them it seems to no avail.

It was when they were only entirely bits away from everyone else is when Zeke stood up and moved from his sleeping post to follow, his pace quickening a lil with a face filled with worry for them when they flopped down on the cold, hard ground like they were in pain and maybes fainted or something.

Their lil bud with them still making an attempt to help or maybes rouse them awake now, once again, to Zeke's eyes didn't seem to be working, all except for some movement with their talons and a body shaking like a leaf, only got him more worried for them.

Are... Are they OK?

OK nope, Zeke carefully trodded right up to them, careful to not accidentally knock anything here as he goes to lay down when right next to them, folding his front legs under his chest like a cat would head lowered to appear as non-threatening as possible while being able to observe them better this way.

"H-Hey, lil buddy... You guys OK there?? What's wrong? You need any help...?" Zeke tried his best to ask his questions as softly as he can with his deep but soft voice speaking in basically a whisper, although they were uttered pretty fast they might be hard to perceive, but still come on please be OK buddy...


Pippy thinking. "Pippy speaking." Zeke thinking. "Zeke speaking."

@Huckleberry

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

Basking in the embrace of the Crystal-Father revitalized the spider witch in more ways than one. In body, mind, magicka, she felt a wholeness here no where else in the cave. Others must have felt the same way, because today, many gembounds gathered in Polaris to test their meddle. Thothaga had watched some events from afar, not yet know what to make of the whole ordeal, other than that it seemed...

Fun.

She wandered from the crowd, noting the electric blue light of the mighty Spire in the distance. What do you think of all this noise, Father? The Spire just crackled in reply. It always did.

I should join next time, Haha! Yes. I will prove to the Spire-Father that I am--!. Her train of thought was interrupted by a fluffy figure up ahead. The creature's white and blue coat stuck out like a pompous flower. Thothaga crawled closer, curious as to why it pestering a brown, winged figure. Moving nearer, she could see it was that whiny, hooved whelp from that fight with.. Argh.. what was her name? Kerrot? No.. that's not right. She had not seen the outcome of the match, but by the moose-hybrid's sullen mood, he must have lost.

"Hey!." She called out to the fluffy dragon-thing upon overhearing him. "Can't you see he's wallowing in self-pity and loathing?" Her eyes weren't the best and even she could see that. Of course, announcing it that wasn't the most delicate approach, but Thothaga was not a delicate lady when it came to words. "Not that I blame him, that she-wolf looked like she could bite your head off with a single glance!" She chucked at her jest, completely misreading the environment.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

@Huckleberry @Zeke

Perhaps if Huckleberry wanted to be alone he would not have stayed out in the open like that. He would have at least crawled into some overhang so that his body was covered in shadow. But the weight of his hopelessness had driven all the strength from him, leaving him an empty shell curled quite pitifully for all the world to see. So, of course, the world came to see.

He could hear someone approaching and all that did was cause him to curl tighter into himself, his eyes squeezed shut underneath his arm. There was a bolt of fear from Shiny and he heard her squeak and hide behind his wings. This, in turn, made him fear. What if it's Mama? What if its Kera?!

No, no, that couldn't be happening. He wanted to be alone, he wanted to be alone! Nobody else, he didn't want anyone else to come and hate him. He had enough hate for himself to fill the whole caves. There didn't need to be any more.

So when the creature's booming voice rang in his ears, he merely flattened them against his head and mumbled something along the lines of "go away" although it wasn't a very comprehensible sentence.

But the second voice made him flinch. How had she struck it so hard on the nose? Why did she have to say it out loud? Why was she so loud? Why was she here? Huckleberry let out a moan and lifted one of his wings, covering his head as if to block out the world. He didn't want them coming in. He didn't want them to see him. Surely, if they knew, they would hate him too.

Shiny was filled with terror, meanwhile, staring up at the two giants before him and she began nudging at his back. H-h-huckle-friend...it's a monster...and a spider! She sent garbled images of the two beasts and that was enough to finally spark something in Huckleberry, enough of a tiny taste of curiosity to lift his wing and open his eyes.

Perhaps the Huckleberry that existed about an hour ago would have screamed. He would have scrambled away and run as fast as he could for fear that they would eat him but this Huckleberry, hopeless and lost, merely stared at them with a gaze without vitality. "If you're going to eat me, you don't have to do it slowly."

@Zeke

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

Thothaga sighed. This again.

If she had pebbled for every time someone begged her not to eat them, she would have a mound as big as the Spire. "I'm not lesser-minded cave spider you fool. Besides--" She tasted his scent."You're too depressing to eat." Then, the spider spied the poor fool's, pet. It was a fluffy little thing, no bigger than the rats she would sometimes eat. "However.." Her beady eyes sparkled deviously. She wondered if his sad little heart still cared for it. "This little fur-thing over here looks quite tasty. " Thothaga moved towards the familiar, reaching for her like a skeletal tree branch grasping at fur.

It wasn't Thothaga's intent to snatch his familiar away, she just wanted to test his boundaries. Perhaps she could use it to rouse him from this pathetic state, but if the moose-hybrid didn't care, then she saw no harm in a free, little snack.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

@Zeke @Huckleberry
ooc: sorry its short

No no... Don't curl up more; he can help you lil bud, come on... Hey...

Tempting to give them nudge them a lil, but Zeke only barely manages to stop himself from doing so here. Gotta wait things out here, they are not unconscious and all, so no need to try his best to help wake them up before things were too late. Things are solemn though, but he dunno how he can help right now what with this itself seems to be a pretty delicate matter, which Zeke must deal with bout as carefully as he does with interacting a small buddy like his lil bud Pippy. Well metaphorically speaking anyways, this involves carefully planned words, strong maybes anyways he dunno what they want from him still.

"Hey hey... Buddy...? I'm uhhh... Sorry I didn't quite catch that there... You need some help there...?" Zeke's ears caught some muttering from them, but sadly he hadn't the slightest clue what was said. Still, least there is a lil progress here with them kinda speaking to him, maybe if he keeps on gently prodding, maybes the dragon could have a better idea on what he could do to help here.

Course, Zeke's attention got diverted when someone was yelling out to maybes him. Turning his head to wherever in the world it was coming from with single eye narrowed, his other eye widened a lil with a brow raised so high. If a metaphorical heart can drop to one's feet, the opposite can be so as well, for his eyebrow here is metaphorically raised so high it's probs right above his horns, his forehead creasing a lil.

Well... Uh... A pretty big fellow there, he's probs still more substantial in size, but it's a lil weird to find someone who isn't so small and not a dragon. If anything, if maybes they were a tad bit bigger, Zeke would probs be scared of them himself really, cuz uhhhh, their physical appearance is kinda a... interesting one there. Zeke has never encountered anyone like them before.

Though what they said next, was a kinda obvious statement, though it made Zeke glance back at his smaller buddy in concern when a moan came from them. OK, maybes not so definite, after all, it may have seemed like he was napping from where he was a second ago, so to a supposedly only woken up guy, it may appear more like this other feathered one was in physical pain, not emotional or mental pain.

Zeke betrayed his utterly confused face for a flat one, one which appears like he got told a bad joke or something there, not helpful there at all, can't they be a lil quieter or something and let them talk first.

Their next words though seemed only to make Zeke's expression more flat and unimpressed, and probs would be a lil like a glare towards them depending on perspective or something here. Come on really? True he supposes on said she-wolf, like he thought before, they need to chill out, though, it was compelling to snort over an idea like said she-wolf could be capable of biting his head off, yeah right, like for them to even try with Zeke himself, a huge dragon, not he likes to use his size in such a way.

"Wow... Gotta say there pal, speaking as a pro who really loves some great comedy here and there, you seriously suck at being a comedian, that wasn't funny at all," terrible, just terrible, no skills, his snarky words here is far better humour.

"Soooo maybe you uh could ya know stay quiet for now?" Zeke tried to ask them this with calmly, but with the smallest edge to his tone to give them a lil warning here. Be best unless they now speak with better wording. "Cuz... you knowwww, youu'reeee noooottt hellllllpinnnnnggg~!" he had a lil sarcastic singsong voice there, best get thing across here while still trying his best to make things only a lil less tense, they sure made it more tense with what they said.

His attention went back to the smaller one laying here like in such agony again, the gentle expression returns to him as he does so, was about to try again and asking them, but his eyes widened a lil in maybes awed surprised or something when one wing lifted, and some eyes peeked at him.

He gave them a lil soft smile when they made eye contact, said smile appeared a lil sheepish on the dragon as things remained still. Zeke was expecting some initial fear from them, which he understands when it does happen. Zeke is huge and used to others being scared due to said fact bout himself, so he's prepared to help ease any initial fears here. But it never came. What expression he did find from them as they seemed to process all this was maybes worse than usual terror he gets from others when they meet Zeke.

What wha-? Whoa, whoa, whoa, he has no intention of eating them, ugh no, no thank you, nope, not his thing, better be a joke even if it's also a terrible one. Zeke reacted with a flinch to those words with such a horrified expression more fitting for being told if someone just said a death threat to his face outta nowhere or something.

"Whoa hey buddy, I don't plan on doing anything like uhh... that, gotta say, quite an imagination you got there. No bud, I don't want to hurt you or anything, just wanna know if I can do anything to help ya here. Soooo is there anything maybe I can help...? Like maybe... Carrying you somewhere a bit more private or comfy than this place...?" Could be a good start, something tells him it wasn't entirely their intention to flop down on some spot which isn't even a den hole or anything like it.


Pippy thinking. "Pippy speaking." Zeke thinking. "Zeke speaking."

@Huckleberry @Thothaga

Huckleberry listened to them impassively. He didn't care what they had to say. The fluff-thing's words of comfort fell on deaf ears and the spider's depressing comment fell into a hollow pit without end. He already knew he was too depressing. He didn't care if they were going to eat him or not. He would just have to find another way to die. Maybe he should find Kera. She, surely, would not hesitate. Or Mama. She wouldn't either.

But as the spider reached towards Shiny, something in Huckleberry snapped. The catsquirrel sqeaked with fear and tried to burrow closer to her friend while Huckleberry moved so violently that she had to jump away from him as well. He jerked himself up, suddenly awake, alive, and shaking with anger, his ears pressed firmly against his head. There came an explosive sound, causing the rocks beneath them to tremble and bits of dust to fall from the ceiling. It banged through Huckleberry's head but he didn't care. They were getting too close, too comfortable. And she dared to threaten his only friend.

"If you touch either of us," he spoke in a cold, dead voice, "I will send lightning to kill you." His gaze moved to Zeke and he inched away, one of his wings flaring protectively over himself and the other over Shiny. He looked between the two, daring either of them to get closer.

@Zeke @Thothaga

as a maiden she tiptoes shy with her light...

Thothaga flinched at the initial shockwave, though her leathery exoskeleton protected most of her insides from harm. It still ratted her head, though.

However, should could not help but feel, success.

"Ahhh." She rasped, slowly unfurling her legs. "So, it does care..." It was hard to see a glimmer of satisfaction in the spider's dark eyes, but it was definitely there. She flashed at glance at the fluffy dragon. He'd been trying to rouse this sad sack of fur and feathers since he got here with honeyed words, even scolded her for being to blunt, but even he could not argue with results, now could he. Her face wasn't all that expressive, but her mind said it all. You're welcome.

"Good, now that you're alive-- wait--" Now that the moose-bird was standing, she could see new features. Goose-feet.. wings... The spider shuffled her fangs with intrigue. There was only one goose she heard of in this cave. "Are you related to the terror-goose, Blackberry?" Thothaga question wasn't one of disgust, but mere curiosity. The tales of infamous Bloodberries had morbidly fascinated her for cycles, and here she was, standing in front of one their ilk who was threatening to kill her.

And she had no doubt he would.

"Thothaga speaking."
Thothaga thinking.

@Zeke @Huckleberry

No avail still... Hmm, not even this other ones' tactless words did much to help either, though Zeke kinda expected theirs not to work.

But what they said next, Zeke was so tempted to bring a paw to his face, oh my god, he can't believe they said that. They better not though. The dragon was initially glaring daggers at the spider from behind as they got closer to the lil guy who was with this depressed bud. OK they better not, if they try it, he may have to grab them from behind and pull them away a bit roughly to give the message to knock it off already.

And damn when this lil guy squealed a lil in response, showing in a way they perhaps understood what they said, Zeke was pretty much was bout to barricade the two with one massive paw, nope he's not letting it happen.

Zeke though was taken a lil by surprise when the lil bud actually got up, a killing aura just emanating from them by their body language alone. Now that Zeke considers it, maybes it's not so surprising as it does seem like the lil guy with them is a friend, but from how... lifeless they were, even Zeke was starting to have some kinda doubts much will prompt them back so quickly, kinda expected a slow process. But still, as if the world itself shuddered in fear from their pure rage for daring to have their buddy threatened, a loud sound came which made Zeke's ears pop like he was on a plane which has just took off. This sound rattling the world, hurt Zeke's ears so much as he flinched and brought a left paw and right wing around both ears as a response. OK... ouch... First, he gets whacked on his cheek so hard it made him accidentally bite his mouth, and now this... Kay the first one was kinda deserved, but wow... didn't hurt any less.

Oh...! Oh... This is uhhhh, whoa quite a change here, OK no need to go to drastic measures, hopefully anyways. Still, even though couldn't hear as well right now, he got their message there and scooted back a lil, letting them have their space. His bad there, he shoulda considered it a bit more what is considered safely out their personal space, not bothering to stand up to do so, he doesn't wanna stand but also, standing back up when things are this tense... Best not to stand right now.

"Whoa whoa... I'm not gonna hurt you or your lil buddy or touch you guys if you aren't OK with it, everything is OK," Zeke was rendered a lil speechless, finding himself hard to hear his own words and while he sure won't do anything, he can't say the same for this other one.

What this other one said though next made Zeke stare on with such confusion, he kinda appeared half-asleep with his eyes like so, he was so baffled here. They gotta be kidding... was it a ruse to get this smaller buddy to react to anything? Still... Wow, they're bolder than Zeke thought, they just got thrown a genuine death threat, and yet they seem proud on their accomplishment.

Still, when their voice filled his head clearly despite his plugged ears telling him he's welcome is when he kinda begrudgingly conceded defeat there of sorts. Fine... did a better job than he did, dunno if getting them anxious enough to throw death threats at them with some shifty statements is truly the best way to go about with this but... Fine...

"...Thanks," quietly once again with how might be a lil weird to say this when it was in his head, for all Zeke is aware he was hallucinating there. Well, and his ears as well, but still thanked the other anyways, coulda be sincere and sassy at the same time but eh, not like he was cursing them out or anything.

Letting a sigh out, Zeke's expression changed to a soft smile again only to have a blank one with how confused he is on this weird topic change bout someone called uhhh 'Blarberrah'? Can't tell he is still too hard of hearing right now. The dragon had such a clueless and oblivious face on himself on who the heck they were talking about; the dragon has obviously been living under a rock not even to have an idea about an infamous terroriser.

"...Uhhh, sorry... Who??"





Pippy thinking. "Pippy speaking." Zeke thinking. "Zeke speaking."

@Huckleberry @Thothaga