Every second was worse then the last. They could not stand this bullshit. Jayberry was absolutely terrified of this goose and she was bowing and apologizing and the goose? She was pathetic! No wings to use, breaking into sobs for no fucking reason, growing into hysterics when she couldn't find the kids she left at the park, it was exactly the opposite of what Gojiberry expected from any of this. Enough was enough.

As soon as Jayberry mentioned them, they stood and limped out of the shadows, glaring at the goose. "One of them is here, actually," they growled. Their hazy eyes flicked to Jayberry with a sneer. "I don't think she was meant to have kids." They opened their front paws, gesturing towards themselves. "If you think I look bad, you should see Shimmerberry!"

They spat and turned away stubbornly, not coming closer, and refusing to say anything further. This was bullshit.

Blackberry sighed with relief. It was fine. Sylvanberry would be fine. Even if Pride and Envy turned her against her own mother, perhaps it was for the better. If she raised her, what would she be like in the end? For a moment she was sad - Sylvanberry had been reborn from her first kill. But the emotion vanished in an instant, followed by disgust. She'd killed people and given life to their gems...how did she think that was okay?!

"Don't worry about her, then," she snapped. "If she's gone, she's gone, at least we know she's safe." She caught the sight of movement in the corner of her eyes and turned towards it, expecting some impressive wolf hybrid to walk out. When she saw what appeared from the shadows, though, her eyes bulged and her heart almost stopped. "What in the fuck..." As it opened its paws, she realized that it, in fact, had three sets of limbs. But paws on the front? And...whatever those were that it was walking on? It body was a mess - was it hide or fur, she couldn't tell and one look in its eyes and she knew that it couldn't see, or at least couldn't see very well. This was wrong.

Her anger, for once a righteous anger, blazed into high gear. She whipped towards Jayberry, every feather on her neck bushing with rage. "WHAT," she screeched, "DID YOU DO?!" She looked back towards the creature, shaking with anger. "Show them to me!"

@Jayberry

Jayberry flinched as she was snapped at, tucking her tail and flattening her ears, blinking away tears. She had been so happy to see Mother, and now Mother was so upset with her, she didn't understand.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she shivered, not wanting to show weakness to the one she desperately wanted to make proud, the one she wanted to show that she had managed to keep the family together while she was gone, as hard as it had been.

Agony stepped out from the shadows, then, and she was vaguely proud--she hadn't been aware of him in the least. But his words were poisonous, and she chewed her tongue to keep from reprimanding him--not in front of Mother, and not when her temper rolled hot in her chest. She was hurting, and sad, and when she was sad she took it out on others as anger, and she refused to scream at her children as she had Yew; she had made so many mistakes with her that she refused to repeat. Perhaps she was going too far the other way, ruining her children by spoiling them, by coddling them and allowing them too much leeway, but she rather that then hurting them.

Mother yelled, and it startled Jayberry so badly that, in a very cat-like motion, she sprang into the air, leaping back and crouching to the ground, staring wide-eyed at Mother. "I... I didn't know, they, they seemed fine until they hatched. I've been trying, I've been trying so hard."

But she whirled, "They're in their dens, this way!" and trotted in that odd slinking way of hers down the tunnel, calling out "Gojiberry, with us," as she went.

Arriving at the dens--she tunnel-like one she had carefully carved out for Nettleberry, and the shallower one she had dampened for Shimmerberry, she called out "Nettleberry, Shimmerberry, I have someone I want you to meet, come out here please."

Nettleberry liked sleeping.

She was a groggy Gembound, one who spent her time off sleeping. The bunny was small, but growing fast, and would likely be fully grown by the end of her second cycle. So she ate, and slept, and grew, and ate, and slept, and grew.

But even she couldn't ignore the approaching sounds of footsteps, her keen ears picking up the family click-click of Mother's claws. She stretched out her aching bones, scrabbling out of her tunnel and squinting at the blurry forms--Gojiberry was familiar, as was Mother, but she didn't know that one, and the scent--her nose twitch-twitch-twitched--was wholly strange.

"Mama!" she bounded to Jayberry, nuzzling into her leg, the wolf rumbling happily as she licked between her ears.

@Blackberry

Shimmerberry was starving. She hadn't eaten anything since their hatch a cycle ago. They'd tried it once, trying to bit off a bit of rat, but their twisted muzzle and cracked teeth only made them choke on the food. Even when Jayberry mashed it up, they could not get it down. They were weak. Starving. Barely alive.

But still, they persevered, more out of instinct then any real desire to live. Jayberry had to move them from place to place because they could not walk. She had to help them drink, she had to sit with them because they were completely helpless. Useless. All effort on them failed and, it seemed, even they had given up.

There was still excitement, however, for them to experience. Sounds reached their ears and, with a great amount of effort, lifted their head. Someone was appearing around the corner, following mother. A strange bird-like creature. Was it a bird? They had never seen one like that. Was it the "goose" Jayberry talked about? Blackberry? Now...that was exciting! It was like Jayberry's stories had come to live before them!

For the first time in many days, they tried. They reached forward with a pitiful sound. "Hello!" they rasped with a voice dry and weak. They struggled to pull themselves forward...but it was too much. It was too much effort. They were so hungry.

About halfway to Blackberry, they collapsed, eyes widening with surprise for a moment. Their heart was speeding, beating faster and faster, as if at the end of a long, exhausting race. They opened their jaws to speak, to tell Jayberry about it and ask what was wrong, but the only thing that came out was a rough groan before their body seized.

Only a couple of seconds later, they went limp, their heart giving one last beat before it went silent.

*exit

Gojiberry smirked as Blackberry unleashed her anger on her daughter, relishing in the goose's shrieks and Jayberry's flinching and timidness. Getting what she deserved, at last! They were all too happy to lead the way into the den, but their lip curled slightly when Jayberry barged past. Apparently, she couldn't let them have anything, not even this.

Whatever. This was hilarious enough. They followed them in, watching as Nettleberry and, oh, what a surprise. Shimmerberry was getting to their feet as well! Or, at least, trying to. They were the most pathetic of the lot, to the point where Gojiberry actually had some semblance of pity for them. Imagine that - having pity on someone lesser then them. Incredible.

But something was wrong. For a moment, Gojiberry lost their composure and smirk. Concern flitted across their face as they leaned forward to watch as Shimmerberry struggled, froze, and then collapsed, growing still. For a moment, Gojiberry was in silence before they pushed past the two and reached forward with a front paw, nudging the wretched creature. They didn't move. Their skin was already growing cold.

"Holy shit!" they breathed. "They're dead!"

Shaking with anger, Blackberry followed Jayberry towards the nest. Already, she'd given them the berry names. Without her permission. Without asking, without thinking. In the Bloodberries of the past, these kids would be killed. Thrown out. They were useless. Had something happened to Jayberry too to forget this? Blackberry shook the thought out of her head, disgusted by the memory of who she was. But still...these poor children. What on earth had happened?

She laid her eyes on the last two and visibly recoiled at the sight. The rabbit that leaped forward to nuzzle Jayberry wasn't bad, but the other one...it was a nightmare. She'd never seen such a horrible creature in her life. Horror, disgust, and pity all welled up within her as she watched it struggled forward. To think...this is the future of my family right here.
And when it shuddered and died right there, right in front of Blackberry, right in front of the family, she could not handle it anymore.

She trembled, tears welling at the eyes. "What...what have you done?!" she whispered. She didn't care what Jayberry was doing. She didn't care if she was rushing forward to mourn her child or simply standing back and watching with horror. Blackberry shook her head. There was no way this could be worse. "This is not the Bloodberries! The Bloodberries are gone! They are no more! We do not deserve to have children for they are all destined to die!" She snapped her head towards Gojiberry and the other one. "You! Whatever names you have, abandon them immediately. Nobody will ever hold the name again. Pick new ones. You will never be a Bloodberry because the Bloodberries will never exist again!" She looked like she was about to actually explode any moment, ever feather on her body quivering.

@Jayberry

As the body of the golden-speckled creature began to bubble with black goo, the jet on its shoulder cracked and grew, trying desperately to form a chrysalis around the seemingly deceased. A shuffling among the tunnel crevices started suddenly and a low, mournful whine echoed off of the stone.


*This art is not final!

Bright blue eyes appeared from under an overhang and a skinny, long arm reached out to grab the upper half of the rock. A soft, white creature slowly appeared to be climbing upside-down toward the group. It was large, its head larger than even Jayberry; its toes, long and clawed, pulled the entire length of the creature out into the dim light of the tunnel.

It curled and coiled around itself, long petal-like fronds unfurling from its head and raising as if they were receptors of some kind, and long whiskers curled and suspended in the air. It looked somewhat like a long snake with four legs, but its scales were soft like petals. It had a subtle blue glow to its lips, nostrils, and eyes; and the glow shimmered off of its longer fronds, as if emanating from its neck or the base of the strange petals themselves. Its tail could not be seen and was curled somewhere behind its body.

The blue glow intensified as it looked upon the others and curled its lips, hissing cautiously at them. Blue electricity sparked across its body. Deep within its throat burned a blue so bright and intense, it was almost blinding.

And it was sad. It had not witness death so strange and fast like this before. It descended to the cave floor with grace, baring its large fangs at the others before it reached out with its long nose to sniff at Shimmer's body. It poked the body with a claw, then tried to roll it over, periodically crackling with electricity as it turned its head to hiss at bystanders.

It had only been out to see things—to find the creature that always had cared for it—but this was not what it had been expecting to find. It made the soft creature sad. It knew sadness, but it did not know this sadness.

So without any more suspended time, it snatched the body of Shimmer into its clawed foot and barked a short scream at the others before twisting over itself and crawling back into the crevice. Behind it, finally, was its tail: a large flower-like appendage that had long, floppy petals closed around the base of the tail itself. Traces of its body could be seen as it crawled through holes in the rock, finally reaching the low ceiling of the tunnel and running across its length to an exit.

It headed toward Pisces, its mournful chirps echoing down the tunnel until it could no longer be heard.

In its wake were several of its strange petal-scales. They were soft and velvety to the touch and smelled sweet, flowery; the first touch might give a small static shock, but otherwise, they were harmless.

A strange creature has taken Shimmer's body, stone and all!

Nettleberry greeted them first, as she always did, and Jayberry rumbled happily--she could never be angry around her pup-kit, never allowed herself to be, at least. She wasn't repeating Yewberry, what had happened, refused to. She licked between her ears, looking up at Shimmerberry, eyes widened as they called out.

"Shimmerberry, hello!" she beamed, thick tail lashing in place of wagging. Shimmerberry seldom talked, and they sounded weak, and she hurt, but they were trying and she wanted them to be strong. And they were walking in their own way, Jayberry stilling as pride rolled in her chest, wanting them to strengthen themselves.

But they dropped, and she couldn't breathe. Her claws dug into the ground, and she couldn't move.

Agony said those words, those horrible words, and her world fell out from underneath her feet. 'No.' she couldn't lose another Bloodberry. 'No.' she couldn't lose another member of her family. 'No!' she couldn't lose another pup.

The ground shuffled, and there was a sound, something crawling from the ground. She remained still, frozen, unable to move or breath or think or act, staring as the thing approached Shimmerberry "NO!" she lurched forward but wasn't fast enough, the creature vanishing into a crevice, the she-wolf ramming into it. Futilely, she began to dig at the crevice, trying to get through it, to her pup, to the creature that had taken it away, movements jerky and stilted and frantic, ears ringing and wholly deaf to Blackberry's words.

Nettleberry was so confused.

Shimmerberry was moving, which was rare, but then they weren't? And Mother reeked of distress, and the ground was shaking. She trembled, huddling down to the relative safety beneath Jayberry, ears flattening and claws digging into the ground.

Something big and white was there, then, and she squinted to try and make it out but she couldn't, shaking her head and cursing her poorly eyesight. She licked her lips nervously, trembling and whining, but the thing was gone, then, and so was Mother and she was left out in the open, scurrying over to Gojiberry and gasping "Gojiberry, what's going on?" as she huddled against him.

@Agony