Wilder felt the link slipping closed by the moment of silence where Pride took the time to calm down told her exactly how angry he was and she shrunk before him. This was too much for her, this was all too much. She had wanted to do a kindness for someone that was at their lowest low. But she'd messed it up. Everything.

She looked away, unable to look at Pride anymore, even when he spoke. When he warned her not to contact Blackberry, she felt a spark of rebellion in her heart. She knew a way and she would be damned if she would go all the way to Canis without trying to warn the goose of what was happening.

The knowledge that they were going to the Bonebound, though, it made Wilder both relieved and fearful. Aure was her friend but she also feared how he would react to the knowledge that she had spoken with their enemy. Maybe he would understand, maybe he wouldn't, and Wilder feared the confrontation.

She nodded wordlessly at Pride's offer. "...I would like that...thank you." Perhaps if she was able to fall asleep she would be able to contact Blackberry in her dreams. At least she very much hoped that she'd get the chance and Pride wouldn't be listening in on her the whole way to Canis.

@Pride

Envy was at the throne; as usual, and resting as they listened to the calm quietness of Orion. Somewhere along the line, they heard voices. As they recognised one being the rude cat from the gathering, Envy decided, out of spite more than anything, to keep their distance. Pride would take care of it, and besides, they didn't feel like moving.

In any case, they couldn't quite make out the words from here. And although the weasel felt vaguely curious about whatever happened to be going on, they cared more about focusing on healing. They'd hate for these scars to mar their hide forever; as it was, green fur was only just beginning to re-cover them.

But then they heard their name called; and it was Pride's voice, no less. With a sigh, the weasel realized that their time to rest was over, and they forced themselves up onto all four paws and pattered towards the source of the noise. As they approached, they held their head high and mentally prepared themselves for another lecture in regards to their size. As they drew nearer, however, and heard Pride continue to speak, their curiosity peaked.

Very important? Uh oh. That can't be good. they thought, as they scampered into view and quickly pulled themselves onto Pride's back.

"I'm here. What's going on?" they asked curiously. Was this even something they wanted to get involved with?


Speech. Thought.

Pride turned, looking toward Envy with obvious relief. He began to speak at once, rapid and to the point, nodding down at Wilder as he did so.

"I suspect Blackberry is up to her usual tricks. She has sent Wilder out looking for Blueberry's gem--undoubtedly to make more soldiers for her twisted army; she has also convinced Wilder that she is changed, full of love for family and remorse for past acts and all the usual nonsense." He sounded bitter, but as he glanced down at Wilder, he seemed to concede: "Perhaps there is truth in it. But, Wilder, I fear that is precisely what is happening, and that you are being manipulated quite badly. King Envy, I have assured Wilder that we will not rush off and kill Blackberry, but that we will seek a trial for her, if we should find her--to find out the truth of the matter and to decide what to do about it--and I have warned her not to try and contact the bird by mind, if she is able. I wish to go to Canis to ask the Bonebound if they wish to come along. I wished to ask if you had any orders, or wanted to be involved. Perhaps you can get the Kingdom--I think she is in the tunnel where we had the meeting with the other leaders."

As he spoke, he sent a flicker of magicka Envy's way. He was careful not to say too much--he had no idea if Wilder were capable of the same level of magic as they were. I do not know how you want to handle this. If you want to go to Rift and gather his people, and then to Blackberry, while I take this one to Canis-... She is in a small cave half-hidden by a large stone.

@Wilder

When Envy appeared, Wilder looked away, her ears still drooped shamefully. The only time she'd ever interacted with Envy she's completely blown that as well. They probably hated her. Why was she always making these mistakes?

She didn't want to wait any longer. She bunched her short legs and hopped onto Pride's back, keeping some distance between her and Envy, and curled up right on his back. She was so light that Pride probably would barely feel her weight. She looked away from the two and stared into the distance, ears still pressed against her head.

She wanted it to be brief, in case Pride tried to look in on her thoughts while she was incapacitated. Her eyes went blank as her magic pulled her to sleep, although, since she was turned away, hopefully they wouldn't see.

She was back in the cave where Blackberry rested. The goose, thankfully, was sleeping and quite peacefully, she noticed. That made her feel all the worse for what she'd done. "Blackberry." At the sound of her voice the goose lifted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Wilder? Uh...is this a dream?" Dream-Wilder nodded but shuffled her paws. "Yes, but I'm using my magic to speak to you. I'm...I'm sorry...Pride knows where you are. I'm with him now. He's taking me to the Bonebound to set up a trial for you."
To her surprise, the goose stared at her impassively. "I see. And Blueberry? Did you find him?"

Wilder felt her heart crack. She wasn't going to avoid the question, nor was she going to lie. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before answering. "He's dead. One of the Seven killed him."
When she opened her eyes, she saw that Blackberry had not moved again. Her eyes were closed and pain registered in all of her features. "Ah," she moaned. "I see. Thank you Wilder."

Wilder waited for her to say something else, but when she was silent, Wilder tilted her head in confusion. "W-what about Pride? And the Bonebound?"
The gaze that Blackberry locked Wilder with then made her shiver and her stomach grew cold. There was nothing in her eyes. Darkness. Emptiness. Defeat. "I don't care. Let them decide what to do with me. I'll be right here." She turned away and the dream began to grow hazy until everything was dark.

Wilder's eyes snapped open and she realized that she was shivering. She didn't speak to Pride or Envy. She stayed silent and mourned over all her failures.

@Envy

Envy listened with narrowed eyes, their breaths catching in their throats as they felt a prickle of dread flooding through them, lifting their quills. They snorted and shook their head. "I don't think that's possible," they twittered, sourly, with a pointed glance at the cat.

They continued to listen at Pride's assurance that they wouldn't simply rush off and find the goose, and they felt their quills relax slightly in vague relief. They opened their mouth to respond, but their gaze was drawn to the cat; they were sitting right by it, after all. And despite the stress, despite the situation, she simply curled up and... slept. That wasn't right. With Pride's consciousness, his request lingering in their brain, they thought back to him, their consciousness prickling with suspicion.

Pride, wait, they thought. She's... sleeping... I think she might be...

They considered pricking or biting her, just as a protective measure; but knew that, if she wasn't doing what they thought she was, they'd be in trouble. So instead, they sucked in their breath, and, heart pounding, reached out.

But, perhaps it was their nervousness, or their lingering connection with Pride; but the link failed to manifest.

As Wilder awoke, they arched their spine and bared their teeth, their quills bristling with aggression that barely disguised their nerves. Their eyes were narrowed, their heart pounding. They peeled back their teeth to bear tiny red-tinged fangs and said; "Good nap? Now that you're awake, you can tell us what you were doing?"

Speech. Thought.

@Pride

Pride, in fact, cut himself off--part of his message to Envy, even--the moment he felt Wilder go strangely limp on his back. He turned his head slightly to see her simply lying there, and he shifted at once, trying to dislodge her from him, to wake her up and knock her off, perhaps. He broke off his mind-link to Envy, trying to turn it on the cat, to see what she was doing in that tiny black head of hers; her sympathy with Blackberry was clear, and her sudden loss of consciousness spoke strongly to Pride's already-highly-wary mind of her magic. Was she contacting the goose? He wasn't sure, but he tried to pry regardless.

"Wilder-? What are you doing?" he demanded. His tone was sharp and stern, but coldly even.

As a result, of course, half of his mental message--if not more--to Envy never made it there.

@Wilder

Unfortunately for Wilder, the spell didn't break when Pride shifted. She tumbled off his back, still limp and sleeping peacefully for about ten seconds before the connection cut. When she opened her eyes she found herself on the ground and immediately jumped to her feet, embarrassment flooding her system. Pride's pry into her mind would most likely reveal the last bit of her short conversation - Wilder asking about what Blackberry would do and her response to do nothing. And, unfortunately for the cat, she had no idea that he'd seen it.

The stern gazes of Pride and Envy bore into her and she felt both a bit of fear for the spot she'd stupidly put herself in and slight exasperation that she'd have to dance around lies once again. "I'm tired," she complained. "I walked all the way from the tunnel to Canis and back here without sleeping!" If Pride still was looking in on her mind, he'd see the moment where the Collector wrapped the ring around her neck as she happily licked at a bowl of cream. She pouted at the two and turned away. "If you're not gonna let me sleep on your back then we might as well just get going so I can take a nap sooner."

@Envy

He caught flashes of the tail-end of it, brief imagery and words. Pride stared down at the cat in silent, utterly derisive shock as it faded.

She'd seemed so... innocent, so naive, so friendly.

He should have known that it was an act; a kitten this young, being drawn into the dark caves--surviving them, even--with such idiocy? Such idealism? He turned his gaze to Envy, silver eyes burning. His mind was rapidly growing very weary with all of this chit-chat, but he did his best to send them a simple message nonetheless.

She's... lying. She warned her. Blackberry is waiting for us. A--trap or not, I do not-... but he found that the link was wavering. Too tired, then.

He glanced at Wilder, not deigning to respond, his gaze empty of expression--and then he looked back to Envy.

"Your orders, my king?"

@Envy

Envy's eyes narrowed. They didn't believe the cat, not even for a moment. And the touch of Pride's mind against theirs was enough to confirm their suspicions. "You've come here, told us that you're friends with the goose, accepted that we may put the goose to death and you'd rather sleep than see it through?" they asked incredulously, only a flicker of their gaze indicating Pride's touch.

Finally they turned towards Pride, hesitating, quills twitching. They didn't have the magic necessary to call for the Bonebound at a distance; not yet, at least. All they knew was that it involved sleeping. But unlike Wilder, they didn't think they'd be able to just go down and sleep, not in a situation for this. That was something to take note of, sure, but not now. Later, perhaps.

Envy wanted-- no, needed the backup. If they left it any longer, though, the goose could fly away and escape. They had to go now. With any luck, they could go to it, kill it, and be out again before anyone could stop them.

But no... there was the trial to think about. Why couldn't they just kill it? That way, there would be no way to backstab them whilst no-one was looking, no way to make escape plans. No way to go out with one last bloody massacre.

Why the fuck would Pride think a trial could be in any way fair?

They slowly, but surely, looked up at Pride. "Let's go get that goose," they hissed through clenched teeth.

Speech. Thought.

@Pride

"Get on," he told Envy, his voice ice. And, adding to that, via mind--Kill, I should think. I tried to suggest a trial to keep the cat reasonable but it seems she's already betrayed.

"You may remain here, since you are so tired," he said to Wilder.

It was not a suggestion, nor a request.

Pride would wait for Envy to 'mount up,' and then race away from the Throne as fast as his legs would take him--first toward Canis, and then, once out of Wilder's sight, swerving straight for the tunnel in which Blackberry lay.

exit Pride? unless stopped.

@Wilder @Envy