Blackberry's eyes peeled open to the same image she had seen a moment ago, but this time Wilder was no longer present. She felt that hollow pit in her stomach once again and it seemed that all the world had gone gray. Nothing mattered anymore, nothing was right. Blueberry was dead and Blackberry was alone.

She stared into the darkness for what seemed like an eternity, hollow, wallowing in her grief. A statue, still and lifeless, uncaring, unmoving. She wished that Pride would come now and end her life. She didn't care if it was quick or painful, if he toyed with her or snapped her neck. She just wanted it all to end.

Wilder had given her hope, a temporary hope. That was what had fueled her in the time that she was away. She had been getting a little stronger, eating and drinking enough to keep herself alive and healthy, but now that she had the news, now that she knew what was coming, that hope melted away.

She didn't care that Wilder had told Pride, for surely she had. How else could the stag have learned of her location? She didn't care if it had been willing or he had forced it out of her mind, although the latter made her blood boil, only for the sake of Wilder's innocence and Pride's ruthlessness when it came to hunting her down. The kitten didn't deserve any of this. For a moment, Blackberry wished she hadn't gotten involved, but then she would have gone through her life with a half hope and despair.

Slowly and mechanically, Blackberry rose to her feet. She wanted to leave this cavern. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be where Blueberry was, where Elderberry was. She wanted things to go back to the way they were so she could do it all over again. Back to that moment when they were gathered - Blueberry at her side and their three children falling out of their gems. Mulberry and Jayberry mingling with the new hatched. She wanted to go back to that so she could try again, raise her children the way they were meant to be raised. Teach them to be better then her, love them, care for them, not push them and abuse them and make them into the army that she had refused to believe she had made. But it was too late now. It was all too late.

When she squeezed through the crack between the cave and the boulder, she was hit by cold air. This place was familiar. She remembered it so well. A little white snake had been here. She had tore at it, mocked it, made it feel terrible and she had been paralyzed by its venom. And then...Blueberry...this was where they had met.

Remembering that first day, the first time she had seen his face, only a young gangly child and bearing no antlers, it broke the dam. The tears spilled out of her eyes before she could stop them and a gurgling noise came from her throat. He was gone. GONE FOREVER.

And so was Alan. So was Aka. So was Splotch. And Apple. And Elderberry. They were all dead because of her. She had messed it all up. She didn't care if the Bonebound came to collect her. She didn't care if Pride barged in and killed her. She didn't care if Wilder tried to comfort her. She wanted nothing and no one. No one but Blueberry.

The tunnel's frigid air pricked at Septiezal's scales like a million little claws. He hated the cold, but it was the only way to reach Cetus from Pisces. His hunt for Astraea had be unsuccessful, like usual. Septiezal was beginning to doubt is ability as a Child of Rot. Perhaps I could learn how to read rocks. He thought. Or maybe he could guard Aquarian's meat pile in Cetus, now that he had gotten used to his new limbs.

The serpent had gotten braver the last few cycles. It had been ages since he explore the caves in their entirety, but in each little trip from Cetus, he found himself slithering further and further away. For the first time in a long time, he felt that he was healing. Though the great, honking beast and its hooved monster were never far from his mind. How could they not? Those two vile creature almost killed him, maimed him so horrifically that his body had to change form.

And for what? Pleasure?

He had heard of a horrible, bloodthirsty family through the ivy-vine, and how they scattered to wind after a failed attack in Eridanus. He toyed with the idea that two of their members might have tried to kill him all those cycles ago. In any case, he was glad they were dealt with. If the ran into one of them, this time, he would be ready.

Septiezal's talons gripped the ice at the memory. It made him angry more now than it haunted him. He always thought about it. Septiezal continued down the tunnel at moseying high-walk, dragging his long, muscular tail behind him. Sections sharp vertebrae poked through his skin like spikes, old wounds where the hooves crushed his spine. His forked tongue flicked in the cold air, searching for a snack to grab on the way the back.

Instead, it found something familiar.

A low hiss escaped Septiezal throat. He knew that scent, the one he had been stalking his nightmares, tangled in his own blood and the thick musk of Cetus.

But this time, it was alone.

His six eyes glared like embers when he finally saw it-- her, the winged terror from his past. His disemboweler, his would-be murderer, the monster lurking in the shadows. She was right here. He bowed his long neck as the memories came flooding back. The red, the pain, the taunting. It was all too much.

"You! Septiezal hissed scathingly, his voice wracked with anger."YOU!"

@Blackberry

She didn't hear the other creature slinking down the tunnel. How could she, so wrapped up in her emotions, in her grief? How could she come to notice or even care about anything else? She didn't care, that was the point. That's why she had dared to leave her cave. Why she was in the open, every emotion open to the world, the tears like a pillar of defeat. She was waiting for Pride to kill her. Or Envy. Or Rift. Anyone. Because Blueberry would never come back to her.

She didn't flinch or start at the voice. At first, she didn't even bother turning her head. Just stared on forward, eyes cold, dead, and empty. But then that tiny spark in her that Wilder had placed, that little bit of life still left in the shell of Blackberry gave her enough reason to at least turn around and see who was approaching.

She didn't recognize them at first. It was an understandable mistake - the last time they had met she had been young, insane, and they had looked quite different. Especially when they were covered with blood and smashed to death by Blueberry's hooves. But now here they were, with spines, extra eyes, and...arms. A moment later, she recognized the snake.

The spark flared into a fire. A small one, but it brought her a bit back to life. She could not help but think that this was more then coincidence that she would meet one of them here, one of those that she had killed. The one day she stepped out, the day she learned that Blueberry was dead and her enemies were coming for her was the day that she would face her own justice.

She simply stared at them for a moment, taking in all of their features, wondering, for a moment, if they liked this new body better. Their other had just been a snake, armless, with only two eyes, and definitely more boring then this one. But what cost had come with such a drastic change? A lot of pain. Death. Torment. She wondered how it had affected them. Her own death had changed her too. She had become angry, furious, vengeful, and unquestionably insane and only now, cycles upon cycles later, was such a change finally wearing away. What misery had she brought upon this creature in her stupidity?

What could she say in such a situation? That she was sorry for what she had done? She wasn't sorry then, even if she was now. And such words were useless. The damage was done. Should she beg for forgiveness? Perhaps, but she wasn't looking for forgiveness. She didn't deserve it. All she wanted was Blueberry, solitude, and death. So, in the end, all she managed to get out was "Me." It was dry and a little lame and her voice was so lifeless it was amazing her blood was still warm.

@Septiezal

Septiezal was somewhat thrown off by her short response. Was she mocking him? This didn't sit well with him. He could not think of any witty comebacks. Embarrassed, he clutched the stinging ice, opting to tower his head over in an attempt to look more intimating. With glaring eyes, he looked down on the deformed goose, flicking his tongue as if she were little more than a meal to him. "Why," He demanded. "Why did you try to kill me? Was it for fun?" He said the last part mockingly. Septiezal had always wondered why, but now that he was face to face with Blackberry, he suddenly did not care. No answer could justify the pain and cruelty. "You disgusting creature..." Septiezal spat those words like venom.

He flicked his tongue once more. Where they alone? Suddenly paranoid, the serpent cut his eyes around the frozen tunnel while keeping a pair locked on Blackberry. He did not see him, he did not taste him. "Wait-- where your hoofed brute? I know he's around here somewhere.." Was he hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike? Septiezal felt his gut grow cold. Had he fallen for their trap? He lapped the air, searching for even the faintest sign of that musky order which haunted his dreams for cycles and cycles. "You will not get the better of me this time!!" He hissed in her general direction, hoping her partner would hear. The serpent shuffled back and curled his tail, feeling uneasy that he could not sense the bone-breaker. Where was he hiding? He must be using some kind of magic! Heat sizzled in his guts, causing wisps of steam to lift from his body.

He would not be caught unaware by these two, never again!

"speak"

@Blackberry

Blackberry's dull eyes followed the serpent as he raised himself taller but she showed nothing but indifference for whatever intimidating pose he was trying to pull off. Perhaps other creatures would have been afraid of him but Blackberry no longer feared anything. Fear is death and she wanted for death more then anything else she could have.

Her eyes flicked away just for a second and her beak opened to answer his first question. But she paused. What was her reason for attacking the snake? She had thought it was for vengeance but he had done nothing wrong to her and no amount of hallucinations would properly explain the insanity that had plagued her. Her eyes narrowed in thought before the words escaped her throat. "...Yes, I think. I did it because fighting was fun and killing was a game." His comment, though, brought a humorless chortle from her stomach. "Yes, you're right. I'm quite disgusting. I'm a horrible creature. I've done terrible, disgusting things. Not just to you, of course. At least you came out alive."

She went silent for a moment and she looked away, hoping that the sudden tears that sprung to her eyes wouldn't be seen by the serpent. She had done truly horrifying things and nothing she could do would ever make up for any of it. The pain that came with the mere nameless mention of Blueberry sent a stake through her heart and she couldn't help but sigh softly at the snake's terrified assumption. "Blueberry is dead," she retorted stiffly. "Nobody living in this tunnel is going to hurt you, certainly not me. On my life, on the lives of my children, and on Blueberry's memory I swear this to you."

Of course, she didn't expect this to mean anything to Septiezal. She didn't expect him to believe her either. She swung her head back, the tears passed and dried already, and stared at the snake's multitude of eyes with her lifeless gaze. "I won't apologize, though. Not because I'm not sorry...I'm more sorry then you'll ever understand. For what I did to you, to Splotch and Alan, Aka...and everyone else I've hurt. But there is nothing I could ever say or do that would make me worthy of forgiveness. If you want your vengeance, feel free to take it. I won't fight back. If you're just going to stand there and make stupid assumptions, though, do it somewhere else and leave me alone." She turned away from the snake and let her neck curve back against her body, staring ahead with half-closed eyes.

@Septiezal

The tunnel was quiet after Blackberry's speech. There was only the occasional, faint tapping of water droplets from the ceiling. Septiezal could hear his own beating heart. This sad goose was not monster he expected. In fact, she was hardly a monster at all. She was nothing.

She's lying!

The thought seethed in his ear, in his mind, hissing hatred.

She.. she has to be.

He wanted to believe that, he really did. After all the torture he endured, after all the pain, and suffering, the mental exhaustion, his scars demanded justice-- no, revenge! They demanded blood! He could do it right now. He could lunge for her throat, shred her to pieces with his claws like she did. He could watch her bleed out over the white ice and relish in her last, gargled breath. He wanted to too, more than anything, or, at least he did.

Finally, the silence was broken by the serpent's sigh. "You know," He said, his voice a low hiss.
"I've dreamt of this moment for ages-- that I'd find you, the one who killed me all those cycles ago. I dreamt torturing you. I dreamt of gouging your eyes out, breaking every. single. bone in your body. The same for your brute of a mate too." Frustration rose within Septiezal, like lava in his chest."I want to tear my claws across your belly, He seethed, raking a claw across the thick ice, carving deep gashes in its wake. "And watch your entails spill out." His eyes flicked with hatred, perhaps with a similar, sadistic glint Blackberry had back then. "I wanted to you and your ilk suffer and beg, just I had all those cycles ago." He spat.

Then, the serpent sat back, his anger seeming to melt away. He chuckled to himself. Septiezal was surprised at his own maliciousness. You're a monster, Blackberry, He hissed. " And with all that you've done, it's all you'll ever be." His ember eyes gleamed darkly at the goose. In that moment, he realized how frighteningly similar he really was to her, and how close he had come to becoming the monster he had feared for so long.

Perhaps I am a monster too.

This was not how he expected his revenge to go. Here she was, Blackberry, the Terror of the Caves, standing before him. The evil creature that caused so much pain and suffering, not just to him, but to many more, perhaps, even her own children. Her she was, nothing more than a sad husk of a cold-blooded killer, offering herself to sate his own lust for vengeance. She wanted to die, didn't she? It was disappointing. He breathed in as he remembered the stillness of his final moments, how all the pain ebbed away as he slipped into the sweet, merciful nothing.

Septiezal would give her no such pleasure.

"I'm not going to kill you." He said coldly. "I see how sad and pathetic you've become-- you've lost your partner, your children, everyone hates you... Death would be a mercy-"

The serpent turned away, his claws scraping the ice as he hauled his bulk away, coils twisting and unfurling. He peered at the goose one last time, his tongue sliding out, tasting her misery. " -and you deserve so such thing."

Septiezal turned away, sliding onto his belly in a slither. His long black tail slipped over the ice like a retreating shadow as he headed towards Cetus. Septiezal smiled. For the first time in a long time, he felt the talons in his heart.. lift.

*Exit Septiezal (unless stopped)

@Blackberry

Blackberry tried to not listen to Septiezal's words (his very graphic words), but it was difficult not to. He was right there and she knew that she could at least do him the courtesy of listen to his attempt at verbal revenge. But just the words and the thought of everything he was saying, it made her stomach churn. It made her want to be sick. A shiver of emotion ran down her spine and she looked visibly uncomfortable during Septiezal's speech, as if she were trying not to throw up. Which was exactly what she was doing.

Her eyes turned to Septiezal, horrified by what she was hearing. It was striking her so hard, emotionally, because it was all familiar. She had heard all of this before. He sounded just like her when she was younger. Although at least he was more justified, but still, to know that she had sparked such hatred, such a thirst for vengeance and blood through the caves, that her victims had become just like her...that was perhaps the most sickening thing of all.

She gulped and closed her eyes for a brief second. She wanted to say something, to warn him the path he was going on, to agree with him and say it was justified or something...but all she could get out was "Y-yeah." That was lame and pathetic but she just couldn't get herself to speak.

She couldn't have torn such a hole in the world. She wondered if all of them were like this - Winter, Albeon, Envy, and Asimona. She feared that they all had become creatures of hate and blood. She couldn't just let that go. Not now when she knew better.

She found her voice a moment later, words going out before her brain could really comprehend. "Death would be a wasted opportunity. At least alive I could answer for my crimes." The serpent was beginning to go and the goose lurched forward. "N-no, wait!"

If he stopped for her, she'd arch her neck back and snip the vine hanging from her neck. It clattered to the ground, all the trinkets and trophies pattering on the rocks. They were old, decayed, but it had meant something to Pride to take his back all that time ago. Perhaps by returning these as well, she could at least give something back that she had stolen. Give back what she could.

She leaned down and cut off the vine that was attached to the sliver of mottled black and orange scales. She stepped forward and tossed the skin forward. "It's not much, but...if it means anything to you, please take it back. It's yours and I should never have taken it from you." What others words she had to say were lost as her voice gave out, a bump in her throat lodging anything else underneath. She hastily turned away and gathered the rest of the necklace, tossing it back in her cave before sitting back down with her back facing the snake.

@Septiezal