Gojiberry whipped around as...somthing came soaring down, snarling at the family gathered around Shimmerberry. Their eyes were wide and they tried to move closer. They wanted a better look. They wanted to see because everything was blurry and they wanted to know what it was. But, before they could even take a step, the creature had grabbed the still body of their sibling and was gone.

They stared at the place where the creature had disappeared, watching Jayberry scrabbled furiously, trying to get back to her daughter. It was pitiful to watch, but, for once, Gojiberry had nothing to say. They hated their mother, but they weren't heartless. She wanted to mourn.

But, at the same time, they knew that it was her fault. If she had been more careful, if she had cared more, Shimmerberry would not have been born like that. Shimmerberry would have been able to eat. She could have stuffed the food down their throat if, after all that, they were still deformed. As Nettleberry pressed herself against their leg, their composure broke and they flinched, pushing themselves away. "Don't call me that," they snapped. "Didn't you hear Blackberry? We don't get those names anymore. I'm Agony now, because that's the only fuckin thing I've gotten from this family."

They pushed past the little rabbit-wolf, their paws reaching forward to grab at Jayberry and get her attention. "Hey! This is your fault! All your fault! If you weren't such a useless fucking parent they wouldn't have been hatched like that. They wouldn't have starved to death! This is all on you, Jayberry!" They turned around and stalked away, making sure to shove at their mother before they left the little cave. They couldn't stand this anymore. They didn't give a shit about any of it - not about Jayberry, or Nettleberry, or Shimmerberry, wherever they were. But they weren't sticking around until they died too.

*exit, unless stopped

The flash of white instantly alerted her and she flinched, lurching back violently, sure that it was Pride, preparing for an attack or to run away if she needed to. But a second later, it was gone, and she was left with nothing but Jayberry scratching desperately at the crevice where it had disappeared and Gojiberry - no, Agony, walking out with lashing words. Shimmerberry was gone.

She shook her head, staring at the place where they had once been. This wasn't happening. This was terrible. She was cursed. Her family was cursed. Everyone she'd raised...and everyone they raised. Everyone was cursed. "I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have come. I'm bad luck. Children die wherever I go. I can't...I can't stand it..." She backed away, but made no move to leave. She didn't step forward to comfort the wolf either, simply stared ahead, as if seeing something else.

@Jayberry

Her energy waned, whether from the desperation of her digging or just the flood of emotions, leaving Jayberry unable to do anything other than butt her head against the crevace, slamming her horns so hard into it that her bones rattled, teeth slamming together, only her claws digging into the ground keeping her from reeling. "Shimmer, please," slam, "Shimmer, no," the force of the blows made her head hurt, and finally she just slumped against the wall, pressing her horns against at as she whined.

A paw grabbed her, and she flinched violently, whirling to face Gojiberry and staring, unseeing, at him. "You-" her voice cracked, and gave out, falling away into a low, keening cry as she wavered, swaying on her paws.

And Mother was trying to leave, to. "NO!" the sound tore from her throat, more sound than word, and she staggered forward, beginning to sob as tears trickled down her face. Her world was falling out from under her... her pup, dead... her pup, denouncing her... her family, all she had ever known, no more... and Mother was leaving, too... "Mother, please... Mother don't leave me, please, I-I need you, I can't do this on my own. Mommy, please don't leave me, I can't do this alone," her voice gave, and she sobbed wordlessly, standing still and hanging her head, swaying in place and desperately wanting her Mama and her Papa, wanting comfort and for someone to tell her that it would be okay. The ground around her nose rocketed out, her Magic lashing out violently in reaction to her wild emotions.

Her ears twitched, and she cowered, wondering what Mother was doing. The air smelled of fear and pain, and she was terrified, but she couldn't make out what had happened too well. She hoped Gojiberry would tell her, would act kind even just for once, but instead they jolted away, and she flinched away to regain her balance, head slumping forward, whimpering in fear as her rough fur stood on end. "Goj-Agony, please!" but they were already shouting at Mother before stomping away, ignoring her even as she begged "Agony, don't go," huddling in on herself as her family fractured.

Mother was sobbing, and shouting, and she wanted to go to her, but she couldn't see her, and feared the thing coming back, so she huddled down as low as she could, eyes wide and shaking violently.

@Blackberry

Through Blackberry's haze of despair and self-hatred, she heard Jayberry's pleas. She blinked and flinched, moving her head down to face her. For a moment, she seemed to check out, eyes dulling like the burning embers of a dying fire, and a shiver went down her back. Her expression hardened and twisted at the sight of Jayberry, of her daughter, the one she'd raised to be a killer, the one that had tormented over and over and over, killed over and over and over...groveling and crying. The fangs gritted in her mouth as she stepped forward.

She reached forward with one of her talons, grabbing at the scruff of dark fur around Jayberry's neck, trying to wrench her back to her feet. "Stop that," she spat. "Who the fuck do you think you are?! Stop your blubbering and suck it up! You'r a murderer yet you break down when someone you actually know is killed by your own incompetence? Get fucking used to it, you useless sack of shit! What happened to Jayberry, the ruthless daughter I raised you to be?!" She shoved away, stepped back, her whole body shivering as her eyes moved from Jayberry to Nettle, to the place where Shimmerberry had disappeared before she suddenly collapsed with a wail, the embers extinguished in a second.

"A CURSE!" she screeched. "This family is cursed! I should never...I shouldn't! Blueberry, why did we do it?! They're going to die! All my children will die! PLEASE COME BACK AND SAVE THEM!!" She raised her head and let out a screeching honk before descending into a fit of coughing and shivering, every feather puffed, eyes stretched and staring ahead unseeing.

@Jayberry