[Whitetail Woods] Green Water Woods

[Gerrard]

"Your assignment today Gerrard is to connect the house of a Granola Gracie to a water supply. An easy task of course, all you need to do is find a suitable water source, hook up a filter and extend the line to her home in the white tail woods," a clearly irritated griffon thought to himself as he remembered hearing the department head hand out his death sentence. He had learned from experience that these types of assignments were the worst. You needed to carry all of your materials and do all the work yourself. If this were the griffon kingdom, they probably would have made the pony pay a gratuity from having such an annoying home location, but that was neither here nor there, he was assigned to make the day of this pony and he set out to do so, even if it killed him!

The black and silver griffon carelessly wandered the whitetail woods on talon, his strong frame unable to fly about in the forest with a pair of unreasonably heavy saddlebags contorting his back. Carrying so much equipment made him feel like a mule, but his journey was near it's end, the hybrid spotting his destination at the fabled woods. His golden eyes scanned the cool winter environment, taking in the beauty of the depleted, almost golden woods. There was a certain air of tranquility about it all, something intangible that he couldn't quite wrap his head around. After a moment of thinking, the word hit him, quiet! What he wouldn't give for a bit of quiet, not to mention an escape from burdensome assignments like cross country flights with an armory on his back.

After musing over a simple life of peace and relaxation, Gerrard let out a contented sigh and approached the heavily camouflaged tree. It was an interesting design, something he vaguely remembered seeing somewhere, probably nothing too important. He couldn't think of any important people that might live in a tree, it wasn't like a princess would live in a tree, right? The black griffon raised an equally dark talon and roughly knocked on the door trying to get the attention of the resident. "Hello, delivery pony here. I brought your mail. You ordered the deluxe water set, right," he joked as he slipped off his heavy bag of equipment. In his heart, he knew he did important work, but assignments like these required him to take himself less seriously, the architect knowing that not every job can be a high profile work of art.

[Hippo]

Granola Gracie figured this was long overdue. For a pony who deals with plants and the taking care of several species of flora, some which are very rare in Equestria, it was important to the brown earth pony to have options that would allow her to give her guests whatever they needed whenever they needed. These guests, of course, including nothing more than a house full of plants. The plants ranged in many colors, though most wore the predictable green colors. Some were small and sat in pots on tables, while others hugged the outlines of the hollowed tree with it's thick vines.

And among the crowd of very green almost-lifeless creatures, sat a potted venus flytrap that was reclining on a window sill. "Oh, Precious, I can't wait for this irrigation system to be installed. I don't think my roaman daisies can last another long parched day without water." Precious, who's body was thin and frail and had a large red mouth seemed mostly uninterested in what Granola was saying as he looked out of the window and moaned. "And just look at these Appleloosan cacti samples I got last year. Even they seemed like they are thirsty!" Precious continued to ignore. "And let's not forget about you, too, Precious!" Granola walked up to Precious at the window and used her hoof to caress the bottom of Precious' mouth. Immediately Precious melted at the affection Granola was giving him, creating a wide smile with his large mouth-like leaf. Precious was not very responsive to much besides the verbal and physical affection his owner gave her. To anypony not his owner, including flies, he was very hostile and unforgiving.

There was a knock on the door, and pony here to deliver the deluxe water set. Granola jumped in excitement. "It's here!" Precious, meanwhile started growling at the door the moment Granola's hoof left him. The pony went to the door and threw it open, revealing for the carrier her wide smile on happy she was that it had finally come. "Yay! Wait. You're not a pony," she said with a smug look on her face. "Come on in!" Granola left the door open and walked back to let the griffon inside.

​

[Gerrard]

The griffon looked over the brown mare with a cursory glance. He saw a pleasant eagerness about her, no particular ill will on her smug expression. He paused for a moment to come up with a clever rebuttal for her as he dragged his clearly heavy bags into her home. "I'm not? Oh pony feathers, I must have forgot my hooves at home. Gerrard Grayfeather, nice to meet you," he introduced himself with a chuckle as he took a moment to look over her home. His golden eyes looked over her rather eccentric home, the griffon curious as to why anyone might live in such a remote area. He could only come up with plants; her home, its contents and his assignment all hinting to that semi-obvious conclusion.

His back ached from the long journey, but that would have to wait for a moment as he soaked in her hospitality. "In regards to being a pony though. My employer is an equal opportunity kinda guy in Canterlot. He says ponies and griffons gotta work together to service this continent. Sometimes the fliers gotta do all the distant work for the sake of everyone else at the university he explained proudly to me on the day I got hired. I of course agreed to take my fair share of work for the team like any honorable griffon, and once I had signed the agreement, he informed me that I was the only irrigation specialist that had wings," he mused aloud, chuckling at his own misfortune as he let out a light yawn and wildly contorted his back, letting out a loud series of pops from his spine as stretched.

"Interesting home ya got here. Lots of interesting plants on display here lady! I don't get to see many cacti in the heartland. Reminds me of my youth in Aquellia to be honest," he commented with a smirk as he carefully poked the cactus. The griffon was careful not to hurt himself, his tough claws taking care to avoid the numerous spines before something strange caught his attention. A strange little plant with a clearly definable mouth almost seemed to be looking out at the world from it's window. He had to pause for a moment to remember the name, he had read about them during his time at the Royal University of Canterlot, but never imagined to actually see one in person! "Oh wow, is that a fly trap? A meat eater by my own heart," he commented with a chuckle as he gently prodded his pony host with his elbow as he unwittingly addressed her dear pet, albeit in a congratulatory manner.

[Hippo]

"Why thank you!" It was nice to have a guest, even someone for hire, to compliment Granola in her home. Far too often she had expected several visitors to gawk at her place for it's unkempt lushness and exotic smell of green. Granola, however, wondered how fast the griffon would turn tail if he had finished the job and had been paid in full. "The place has pretty much every plant you could ever see in Equestria. Although I'm able to receive samples of plants from different lands and discover new species that hide in the darkest corners of the forests we walk by every day. So I guess you could say the collection is always growing. Get it? It's always growing!...?" Granola wore a cheesey smile as she tried to make the griffon chuckle at her horrible joke.

Granola started trimming some of the dead vines from her otherwise healthy shelves of plant-life. She did not immediately recognize that company would require her attention away from her plants, as she was used to attending to her plants constantly, in a cycle around her house, maintaining all of them in due time. "That fly trap has a name. His name is Precious." Granola walked over to Precious. "And he's the cutest little guy in the whole wood!" Granola cooed, and Precious smiled warmly at the pony's gesture, performing a greeting as well to the visiting griffon. "Let me show you a cool trick I taught him."

As Granola walked away towards a closet out of sight, the fly trap started growling viciously at the griffon, every once and a while snapping his leaf jaws and reaching for the feathers of the visitor. Eventually, the fly trap would use it's weight to try and inch his way closer to the griffon, jumping the clay pot he sat in nearer and nearer to the guest. His snarl was deep and frightening, harvested from the deepest shadows of the darkest, most dangerous parts of the unknown forests in Equestria.

Granola walked in with a tiny plant food treat. Precious reverted to his warm smile and his responsiveness to attention. "Wait. Now dance!" As Granola commanded, Precious started wiggling left and right playfully. "Good boy!" Granola tossed the treat to the trap, and he snatched it with his mouth with satisfaction. "He's such a well behaved plant."

Granola reserved activities with Precious for later, as for now it was time to install the water system Granola had so much desired for several months. "So, the water line is all set? How long with it take before it runs water? And is it possible to have the pipes run all the way around the house, so each plant section has their own access to the water?"

​

[Gerrard]

The griffon smiled as she thanked him, the hybrid loving to get praise, even when it was unwarranted. He listened to her go on about her plants, further cementing the idea that she was a botanist. When she mentioned an outright awful pun, the architect was stunned for a moment while he tried to collect his thoughts."Ya you might say that your collection is... growing on me," Gerrard commented, countering back with an even more terrible joke as he laughed at his own ineptitude in jokes while wearing a mirrored grin on his maw.

"Precious? What a cute little hunter," he almost cooed as he leaned in to take a closer look at the plant after she had introduced the two. To his amazement, or possible to his fear, the seemingly docile creature started chomping, thrashing and hissing at him. Gerrard took a step back and raised his brow in disbelief, not sure of what to say. This plant was like a friend to her but it was a being of pure evil, nothing he said would probably convince her otherwise though, the alarmed griffon having to think fast to solve this situation as she quickly returned to feed the little devil a treat. It was being rewarded for being a monster, surely no amount of training could probably undo his crazed psyche.

When asked about the water line though, he blinked and glanced over to his piping and tools. "Ahh the idea of setting up an irrigation system here was agreed on. There isn't enough information on the area to have a preplanned blueprint though. I need to survey and build it myself. We should be able to get enough water to your house to water everything. Well, everything but precious I think," he playfully joked for the mare. When her attention was turned elsewhere, the griffon narrowed his keen eyes and stared down the plant in an accusatory manner as he tried to show it who was boss.

Gerrard cleared his throat for a moment as the flytrap voraciously devoured his food that was awarded for appeasing his oblivious master. "Ma'am, I would look into securing his pot, he was a lot closer to the window a few seconds ago. If you aren't careful, his pot might fall off the counter and break. It would be a tragedy of mythic proportions to be sure if this little predator was hurt trying to snatch a fly that was just out of reach," he calmly reasoned, trying to use her love of the plant against him for his own protection.

[Hippo]

The moment the griffon suggested that Precious be the one plant left without enough water, Granola angled her eyes at him. How rude, she thought. She wanted to speak up about how nasty she felt that comment was, but she decided to stay rested and not take it personally for now. But then he continued to suggest that maybe he needed protection from falling from the window sill. Granola had to agree, but she didn't like his tone. "You're right, I should probably find a bigger pot for him. Since he's become a big a strong plant!" Granola nuzzled the plant. But then she looked at the griffon with an attitude. "And he's not a predator! He's a sweet, loving flower." Granola hugged the plant with her face.

Granola felt compelled to ask if he needed help with the area, since surveying the area seemed to be the first thing he needed to get done. The faster the water system could be installed, the better it would be for the plants. "Do you need me to show you the area? I know this place like the back of my hoof."

​

[Gerrard]

Gerrard could sense a bit of ill will in the room after he joked about not watering her friend. She didn't say anything though, the griffon feeling a bit awkward at the temporary silence he received for his joke. He guessed that she was a bit more literal of mare, albeit to a lesser degree than his robotic unicorn mare friend. He worried that the monster might attack her whenever she leaned in to nuzzle the hissing plant, but for reasons unknown, he seemed to like her to the apparent exclusion of everything else.

When she scoffed at his predator description, Gerrard raised his brow and scratched his head in a confused manner. "Griffons don't call things predators in a negative manner ma'am. Having a griffon call you a predator is a sign of respect I assure. I can use the word hunter instead if you think that is less negative I guess," the griffon explained awkwardly as he tried to figure out how her mind worked. All things considered though, her love of her pet was touching if nothing else.

When she offered to show him around the area, the hybrid nodded in agreement, glad that she could help him save so much time. "That would be great! Can you show me a large source of water that is closest to your home? I have all the material to hook up your home. The closer it is, the quicker we can water precious and all of your other plant buddies," he warmly explained as he tried to get back on the good side of the angry mare. "Lead the way ma'am," he politely remarked before slithering under his saddle bags and picking up his heavy cargo. The straps labored under the weight, but the griffon didn't complain, Gerrard hoping to get rid of as much of his piping as possible to lighten his load back to Canterlot when everything is done.

[Hippo]

Granola ahemmed. "No, I get it, your griffons are like that. But Precious isn't even a hunter. Why, he wouldn't hurt a fly." Behind Granola, Precious spotted a common housefly and when it casually flew within his radius, he snatched it without an extra movement. He immediately swallowed whatever remnants of a plea for survival the small winged insect might have cried before it disappeared. Though no audible sounds could be heard, it was felt in the fabric of existence the intensity the fly had when his life flashed before his eyes.

"Great! I know where the closest water is." Granola lead the griffon outside of her hollowed tree of a residence and trotted carefully down a small ravine. It was within viewing distance of her place, but it lacked depth and accessibility. Trees littered the trench which sprung no wider than a few hooves. "This is usually where I get my water from, just filling up a small watering can." Granola was excited, but she was puzzled, for she didn't know how water could be transported upwards out of the ravine. "So, how do we get the water up to the house?"

​

[Gerrard]

Gerrard raised his brow in disbelief as she said that her pet couldn't hurt a fly. He was flabbergasted, realizing how deluded the mare was, but he maintained his composure regardless. As she lead him out of the house, Gerrard glanced back to see the plant ruthlessly devour his prey. If he didn't do similar things to fish, the griffon would have been intimidated by the deceptive predator. As they left the home, Gerrard scooped up his equipment and strapped it on for the what sounded like an easy job.

The door closed behind the pair as Granola lead him out to her water source. As he looked down into the ravine, his heart sunk as an impossible challenge stared him down. "Oh, this is your water source, interesting, " Gerrard nervously remarked as she proudly heralded her water source. He nervously tugged as his bags and cleared his throat before delivering the bad news.

"Well, we have three options here Granola. Option one, is to make a shaduf, essentially a water crane to scoop water out of the river. Option two, use a magic pump to get that water up to your house. And my preferred option is to find a water source above your home, this stream's source must be a lot higher," the griffon explained knowledgeably as he looked over the area. He hoped she would be more reasonable about the water than about her plant.

[Hippo]

It was truly disappointing. Granola wasn't stupid, however she had some hope that a small water source might be sufficient enough for her wants and needs. But it just didn't appear the case. "Oh. Well, I don't want a magic pump. I specifically ordered the non-magical option. Most ponies don't know that magical enhancement is not for every plant, and many of my plants require good hearty soil from here in the woods, a damp environment, and little to no magic or artificial sunlight. In fact, just the other day I learned that the common dandelion can grow twice as large with the same sunlight when it is separated from magic by twenty hooves. Isn't that fascinating?"

Granola was torn, however. She wanted a successful water system to come to her plant-covered home, but she wasn't wanting to wait for it to take a while to be built. "There is a waterfall out by the road to Canterlot north of here. But it's about a five minute walk from here. Is that too long to make a channel or pipe of some sort?" She hoped that he'd say no, but was fearful of how long it might take should he say yes, and at what extra cost.

​

[Gerrard]

"You don't want a magic pump? This is the hip thing to have these days," he commented with a smirk, trying to joke lightly with his client. He had read theories about the effects of magic on plants but there was never anything too concrete to make any conclusions with. "Ahh, well maybe you are being a bit too broad with your diagnosis of magic being bad for plants. There are theories about all types of ponies being magical to some degree. Unicorn magic is the most obvious and broad, easily applied to a wide variety of things. Unicorns are not in tune with nature and their spells probably don't sit well with plants. Of course, pegasi have a type of magic as well, being able to control the weather, something plants clearly can like. These talons of mine can only sit on clouds, not make them shoot out water and lightning," he explained thoughtfully while flexing his talons, having been educated at a pony university after all.

"Earth ponies have some sort of connection with nature, having a knack for farming. If you consider that magic, then maybe your theory on magic and plant interaction is slightly misguided," Gerrard commented in a surprisingly well versed manner, showing more than his fair share of pony knowledge. When she asked if a five minute walk was too far for her to get water, he smirked lightly knowing that it was entirely possible. "Of course I can set it up my dear. As long as the waterfall is at an elevation above your home. It sounds like a lot of pipe though, and I think I probably have just enough to set you up. You didn't need high capacity piping unless you are doing full blown farming, so I managed to bring enough to make a really long system. Sound good to you," he asked confidently while gesturing with a talon for her to lead the way over to the water source.

[Hippo]

Granola was discouraged by the griffon's educated response to her negative stance on plant magic. Although he had a point. Granola just wasn't used to the open-mindedness, something a fair share of ponies don't even have when concerning this sort of subject. "Well, I suppose. I don't think I've heard it told like that in a long time. I mean, there's earth pony's magical connection with nature, and there's actual magic. Most ponies consider them completely different things." Granola shrugged. She wasn't about to be offended by a griffon's education of the pony races and their differences and similarities, but she wasn't too keen on arguing about what was good for the plants either. Some of the plants in her house she planted when she was a filly barely able to walk. They weren't just something she knew about well, they were practically her family.

"Oh good." Granola exhaled as she learned a 5 minute walk long pipe would not be out of the question. "It's this way." Granola started walking up out of the ravine and continued north through the woods. As she led him, she looked around at the all-too-familiar fauna. For anyone else, this was just a stroll through the woods, where the grass is either overgrown or starved of sunlight, and where's it thickest is covered in leaves. For Granola, it was like walking down a busy town street, and seeing all her friends do their business at the corner markets and shops. She would periodically wave to a tree in the distance or tickle a bush as she walked by it. Sudden winks and gestures appeared to dart at no one. "Oh you." She remarked to a pine tree.

She spun around to Gerrard. "So, Mr. Grayfeather, what's your favorite plant?"

​

[Gerrard]

Gerrard continued marching along towards their destination as he listened to her speak about pony magic in a vaguely discouraged manner. He decided to reassure her a bit on his thoughts, the griffon clearly not figuring all of the little nuances of pony magic on his own. "Well, the Canterlot University really pushed the issue of knowing the differences between ponies, especially because I wasn't a pony. They said griffon anatomy was covered more directly in biology and sociology classes or something," he explained with a chuckle for her as he downplayed his theories as not to insult her further.

The walk towards the waterfall was nice, the pair traversing a landscape that was dotted with a wide variety of fauna. The keen eyed architect could identify all but the most obscure plants simply from his years of experience, but instead watched the strange pony wave at all of her friends. He thought it was sort of cute that she treated them all like her pets, or even close friends, the earth pony seeming to do her best not to miss anyone in particular as they ventured onward towards their destination. He raised his brow when she seemed to joke with a pine tree about things he clearly didn't understand, the hybrid trying to keep an open mind about her sanity.

His concern was briefly interrupted by her sudden question, the mare catching him off guard for a moment while he staggered back to collect his thoughts. His intial reaction was to chose a meat eater like a flytrap but decided against it for obvious reasons. The black griffon placed an equally dark talon on his beak as he thought it over more thoroughly, the raptor finding the answer on his own. "Oh, I know what my favorite plants are. I like cactus the most. They are self sufficient and well protected against the environment. They can survive the desert on their own and manage to store a surprising amount of water. The orange barrel cactus in particular does have some rather brilliant looking flowers atop its spiky exterior as well," he mused aloud, sounding vaguely similar to the perpetually plant enamored mare.

A nefarious grin spread across his sharp maw when he saw the perfect opportunity to pick her brain for some information. "What is your favorite plant, after Precious of course," he asked calmly, wondering what her though process was. The architect figured you could tell a lot about someone from what they liked. A cactus symbolized independence and self sufficiency to him. He could only imagine what strange type of plant she might have liked the most.

[Hippo]

"Cactus, huh?" Granola wasn't really offended, but she could clearly tell his opinion was coming from an angle that wasn't properly introduced to some of Equestria's greatest plants. "Yeah, they're OK, not too cuddly though. They don't like to talk much, either." Granola said without flinching. The griffon seemed adequate to continue the conversation as he directed the question back at her. "Oh, I just couldn't say. I love all plants equally. But recently I found a root in some eastern woodlands just west of Roam. But it's no ordinary root. When I carefully dug it out, the root looked like it was in the shape of a pony! At first I thought it was a fluke, right? But then I dug up another one right next to it, and it also had the shape of a pony! What I discovered is that these roots used to be very useful to the earliest equines of Equestria, but over time, the roots built up an aesthetic defense to keep ponies from eating them, and now they almost always resemble the shape of a pony." Granola jabbed the griffon in the arm. "I mean, who would eat a pony right, heh, right?" Granola then realized she was talking to a character who often prefers the taste of animal protein.

​

[Gerrard]

Gerrard listened to her speak about a root that looked like a pony, her words causing him to raise a brow as if she had succumbed to a madness of some sort. "That does sound a bit too strange to be true, but I will take you at your word. I suppose that aesthetic defenses would work well on softies like you," he joked back playfully before hearing her mention who might eat a pony. A nefarious grin crept across his maw at the mention of eating as he cooked up the best rebuttal her ill advised phrasing. "I know, right? Who would eat a pony? They taste absolutely awful, like fatty rainbows with extra chili powder," he joked, jabbing her back with his own elbow. "Now fish on the other hand, that is a lean mean delicious protein," he added with a hearty laugh as a distant waterfall slowly slipped into view.

"Is this the waterfall you spoke of," Gerrard asked curiously as he could see fast moving water in the distance through the patches in the tree canopies above them. The loud rumbling of water on rock seemed to grow with each step forward, dismissing any doubts about if it was a waterfall, leaving only one question to be answered, was it the correct waterfall?

[Hippo]

As Granola was jabbed back, the pony was wincing at the pain it caused her. However while the small talk occurred, she also felt uncomfortable by the comments of how ponies taste. It was a horrible description for anypony to hear, the thought of her body being used as a meal for another, probably larger creature. This was case for Granola, even though she was a pony so green that if she planted herself, a pony plant would probably cultivate. "Heh, heh." She nervously gasped. It wasn't that Granola could snap back and call out the griffon for his bluntness. But she was afraid if she did so, it would only anger the griffon and turn her more hostile that he always was, which wasn't a lot--but still!

"Yeah, that's it!" The waterfall was nearby and the area was hydrated by its radius of plumed water vapor that surrounded the area. The mists continuously drenching the trees below the falls with a glaze of life-giving sustenance. For Granola, it was a thing of beauty. She wondered for a second why she didn't just leave here in the first place. The area was silent with loud nature. Very distant from typical pony civilization, and intentionally left alone to preserve the area around the falls and the woods a place for Equestria's wild creatures to have an area to call home. And what a home it was. So remote, so dense. Granola walked this land alone with the griffon, where if something were to happen, no pony would be able to hear a cry for help. Granola was miles away from a third party to help her, and as much as her plants loved her back, there was nothing they could do to help her realistically. Granola, however, felt no real danger. She turned to the griffon and remarked, "Isn't this place beautiful?"

​

[Gerrard]

Gerrard listened to her nervous laugh, the griffon well versed in deciphering awkwardness that his presence caused. Multiple years of dealing with ponies in Canterlot had made him well versed in understanding their minor nuances. "He frowned lightly at her strained positive reaction.

"Granola, I was kidding about that. I would never eat a pony, and I'm very sure that treaties between griffon and pony kind outlaw the eating of one another. If you really think about ponies eat their plant friends all of the time. That is sorta grotesque too," he mused aloud, apologizing while giving her a similar pony analogy.

The griffon finished speaking to find himself at the base of the waterfall. The area was indeed beautiful, a common trait of the Equestrian wilderness. The thought never crossed his mind that they were miles from civilization, the griffon completely unaware of her dark thoughts.

His thoughts were broken when she asked for his opinion on the area, the griffon shaking off his haze to look at her. "Oh yeah. It helps to have such a broad diversity of flora and fauna. In griffon territory, there is only so much beauty you can gleam from rocks and cacti," he explained honestly, complementing her neighborhood.

"Yeah, I can definitely work with this waterfall. It is gonna take a lot of pipe, but I brought enough in my bloated saddlebags, " he explained with a smile contorting his flexible cat back awkwardly to show off his form.

[Hippo]

Granola ogled accidentally at the Griffon's body movement. A specimen that can move like a cat sure would be good that a project, a project such as setting up a irrigation system from a waterfall. Pensively Granola stood still, not knowing what she could possibly do to help at this point. As she watched the griffon set up, she couldn't help but ask. "So is there anything I should be doing?" Granola poked her head into the Griffon's toolbox, looking at every single item carefully studying to see if she could find out what it is that each tool does. "Im not much of a fabricator, but I can maybe hold something for you."

​

[Gerrard]

The griffon glanced back too see the curious mare watching his quick movements. He perched on a cliff over her head and glanced down on her, his dark talons leaning over the edge as he thought about her request. "Yeah these pipes are about two feet in length each, can you line up about thirty in a row for me? I'll secure them when I'm done setting up the start of the line. Sixty feet should get us to the top of the waterfall," he explained with a smile, his dark tail wagging with anticipation as he flew back to the top of the waterfall.

[Hippo]

"OK!" Granola hopped off a rock and started rummaging through a bag of products. Each of them had alphabetical symbols on different ends to which they are supposed to be coordinated, howevet Granola wouldn't even try to make sense of them. She then started getting the pipes that were two feet in length and started aligning them in a row from end to end on the ground. She kept doing this until the sixth pipe, she started angling the line of pipes around a tree. It then occured to Granola that the trees around the waterfall might prove to be an obstacle of sorts for the griffon. She yelled out her concern over the crashing falls. "Hey, Mr. Greyfeather! I have a question!"

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[Gerrard]

The griffon quickly scaled the cliffside and began to work on setting up an entrance to her pipe system, securing the intake area for the pipe works. This was all routine and perhaps even boring to the griffon, the hybrid working a wrench and a few select pieces of pipe. He looked over the edge of cliff to examine her work. He smirked when he realized that she was weaving the metal around the trees. He quickly returned his attention to his work, his trusty spanner ready for combat.

When she shouted out in concern of his work in relation to the trees, he peeked his head over the cliff to look down on her. "Yeah what's up Granola? Something wrong," he asked intently as he looked at the mare through the trees.

[Hippo]

Granola shouted up to respond. "None of these trees around the falls are going to be hurt are they?" Should any plants be compromised in any situation, Granola had a tense leg stand up against it. She was hoping that it wouldn't come to it, even though the sacrifice would benefit plants anyways. It was always about maximizing the life in the plants. "Each tree needs about five hoof steps away from an object in order to give it its own personal space." Yes, personal space. It was an experiment Granola had conducted several moons ago, in which she discovered that plants are happier when they have more space around them to breathe and grow. The scale of measuring a plants happiness level was arbitrary at best, but it convinced her anyway.

​

[Gerrard]

When she asked if he was going to hurt the trees, the griffon smiled while his back was to her. He thought her concern was adorable, especially because he had no intention of harming anything. He had a practice of avoiding the wildlife while he put down pipes. "Oh don't worry about me cutting down any trees. I have zig-zaged around many a cactus in the desert. I respect all the light suckers," he explained in a lighthearted manner as he finished setting up the entry point of the system.

The griffon soon found himself at the edge of the cliff, looking over the edge as he planned out the pipe network. When she mentioned that the trees needed personal space, Gerrard had to hold back a disgusted groan. He swallowed his pride and nodded, trying to appease her stringent demands. "Okay, point out the path you want for the pipes. I think I have enough pipe to appe- please you," he explained calmly, catching himself mid word to make his response acceptable.

[Hippo]

Pleased that the griffon contractee was willing to let Granola shape the pipes the way she felt necessary around the trees, the brown mare started changing the direction of the pipe line, stretching far outside the treeline that surrounded the waterfall. Essentially, she made a personal decision that the pipeline should travel all the way around the perimeter to the top of the river fall, and then bend back awkwardly in order to gather the water that would essentially travel through them. The only issue was the pipeline was congested with evident slope changes, several that would result in pipe flooding and would never prove successful for a water line or aqua duct. Granola then started carefully plucking the grass away from the pipes that were laying on the ground, in an attempt to keep the grass from being constricted too much by the weight of the pipes.

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[Gerrard]

Gerrard tried his best to maintain his composure as she made ridiculous demands of his pipes. He masked his frustration by balling up a black talon tightly as he let out a deep sigh. "The pipes can't angle substantially upward because it will ruin the flow. I don't have the materials to do giant circuits with pipes, I can make reasonable adjustments but you need to be flexible. Just think of yourself as a cat and you are squeezing through a tight spot," he explained, contorting his flexible feline frame for her.

After a minute, he looked the situation over and came up with a compromise, his face lighting up as he got an idea. "How about we do a few plant and grass transplants to make room for a reasonable pipeline path? I saw a bunch of great plant real estate plots that were being stolen by grumpy old rocks. Can you do that for me," he asked in a nurturing tone as he scooped up a rock in his free talon and tossed it off the waterfall and into the river below.