He stumbles out of the brush like some cumbersome rhino tripping on his own feet. Idiot she thinks as she balks, afraid he might stumble into her and touch her. Instantly her ears slide back against her neck, practically a default response at the sight of him. Immediately her headache worsens and she slings him a dirty look for it.

Ampere is thankful for what distance remains between them as he speaks, certain that his exhale is as foul as his heart. Words, or something like them, push between the oaf's drug stained teeth. Even if she hadn't heard what nonesense he muttered, by tone alone she knew it wasn't good and wanted to kick him for it. She might have just left actually, not interested in tangling herself with him when she had enough other knots to sort through. Unfortunately she did hear what he had to say.

"Wha- YOU!" she started to snap back, even going so far as to accentuate it with a crack of her tail against her flanks. He was the one who stole! She couldn't get much of a word in edgewise though because just as quickly as she took a heated step forward, teeth clicking around her wagging tongue, more intent to bite than reason, his companion (hers), involved herself. Ampere did not know this, at least not a first (she still didn't fully understand what the boggart was.

What she did see and understood however, was the horrific image set before her.

All at once the heated outrage that was boiling over inside her, set to wash over and scald Oxy, came pouring back against her. Like an imploding spar Ampere withdrew in a terrible scurry of backwards, halphazard steps. She ripped out a chunk of her own tail as she tucked her ass, only stopping when she bumped against a tree and there stood rooted. All the while her eyes, wide as headlights, stared at the egg. Her egg.

Their egg.

"No!" the cry wrenched out, fighting back a sob as she looked to her god, her savior, her light. "You don't understand," she tried to beg to him, head falling low and wings slumping against her sides, tired. Although in many ways she still blamed him, was angry at him for the egg, the disappointment that marred his features struck her in the gut. What would he say, what would he do!? Would he hate her? Burn her? Kick her out of the home she had just gotten back into? She deserved them all in one way or another - she had just been lucky no one had asked about why she left, she hadn't had to explain it. Out of anyone to know though, she hadn't wanted it to be him.

"I'm sorry" she whispered, looking away and resisting the urge to crash onto her knees. "I am not, strong enough."

In this moment of weakness the Mother forgot that Oxy was present. Forgot that this was a trick played by him before (would she ever learn?). She was too crippled by the reality of the scene and overcome with the self hatred for it.

[SORRY I thought she would go hulk rage mode but apparently not until next post]