[Whitetail Wood] Hunter and Prey[ENDED]

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Kira was flying low over the trees of the Whitetail Wood, looking for something to eat. Her stomach rumbled, and she flapped her wings harder to gain more speed and search fast. Then, below, she saw a flash of blue. Stopping mid-flight, she ducked down into one of the trees, glancing around for whatever it had been. Kira sniffed the air, trying to catch its scent. But she didn't have to.

All of a sudden it walked in to view...such a curious creature. It was deer like, and yet...blue. An odd color for such an animal, but as it drew closer, Kira noticed that it had wings tucked neatly to its side. So it could fly then... That could prove to be a challenge, if it got away. IF.

Kira waited with bated breath as it drew closer, closer. She resisted the urge to lick her lips, lest the creature have exceptional ears and hear the light smacking sound. Her body lowered into a crouch, and her wings suctioned to her body. She was ready.

Her tail swung back in fourth in anticipation, knocking into some of the leaves. Having accidentally made her presence known, it was too late to wait. She leaped from the tree, giving an eagle cry. Body met body, and the pair rolled a couple of times before the blue animal was pinned underneath Kira.

[Skye]

Skye had been wandering through the wood, looking for something interesting to eat and had been generally having a pleasant day. It was nice and warm, slightly breezy, and his step was light and springy as he'd thought of events that had taken place somewhat recently. Good memories, as sweet as syrup and as juicy as a fresh orange tantalized the tastebuds of his mind, so he was also incredibly distracted as he meandered through the wood. Normally, he'd take better care to avoid being seen from above, the last thing he needed was for curious pegasus ponies to come crashing down in the trees to find out what was going on. His blue hide wasn't exactly all that difficult to spot amidst the greens and browns below! Though he might be able to find some refuge hiding near a lake or pond that was sufficiently clear enough to reflect the sky above, against the scrub of the forest itself he was pretty easy to spot. It was a wonder he hadn't been picked off long ago, but a wily and wary creature such as he had learned long ago how to keep his hide intact. For the most part, anyway. And today, distraction was definitely not a good thing for him.

*WHUMP*

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the wind was knocked out of him as he suddenly was tumbled to the ground, dust and leaves flying everywhere. The world spun around him as they rolled on the ground, and for a moment he'd thought he'd been a victim of a random landslide before he realized he was pinned beneath a rather large and imposing black and white griffoness. Who was now currently eyeing him with a less than friendly manner. And quite possibly, other intent. Somehow he doubted, as his heart raced in his chest, that she'd dropped in for a spot of tea. Or even some blackberries.

"Whu...who.. who are you?" he gasped, as he tried to catch his breath, and struggled beneath her. "Let me go!"

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Kira smiled to herself. It had been all too easy. A shame, since she liked a bit of a challenge. But no matter. She snarled a bit as she raised a claw in the air, with the intention of ending the blue creature's life. Its lips parted, and instead of the bleating cry that she would have expected, he spoke. Words. Actual words.

She narrow her eyes and glared down at him. Her claws changed formation and tightened into a fist, smashing into the ground beside his blue head. "RATS!" she yelled, moving off of Skye. She turned and walked just a few feet away, expecting the creature to immediately get up and run off.

[Skye]

He continued to struggle, squirming first this way and that, his eyes widening in fear as the claw raised, poised for the killing stroke...and then she stopped. His antlers started to sparkle as he frantically began to think of some kind of nightmare that would send this creature packing, but the stroke never came. He cringed as she glared down at him, the sparkling fading, and then he yelped as the fist struck down so close his head. As the griffoness left him, he rolled over and blinked in confusion at what had just happened. His wing was sore and hung limply from his side, though it didn't feel broken. Just sprained at the moment, but he was sure it was going to be sore in the morning.

But Skye hadn't forgotten what had just happened. He'd been jumped, attacked in his own home. His home! By a stranger, no less! He'd never seen a griffon in these parts before, though he'd seen them plenty of times elsewhere. Were things getting so desparate in their own lands that they'd dared forage even here, so close beneath Canterlot, where he was sure the Princess wouldn't have approved? Who did she think she was?

"Who do you think you are, just attacking anything that happens to catch your eye! What are you, some kind of hunter? And not even a good one at that! Have you any idea what you could have done? You could have killed me! Or worse!"

[MyLittlePonyTales]

She heard the rustle of the leaves as the creature arose, and sighed. Such a fine looking meal, that had to go to waste. But instead of the echoing sound of fleeting hoof beats she expected, it spoke to her. She growled to herself. Oh, what a stupid creature. Her tail swished back and fourth for a few moments, before she abruptly turned around and made a beeline for the blue creature. Her beak pressed against the top of his snout, her eyes boring into his as she growled again.

But then she let out a smug sigh, stepping back and looking him over again. Then she gave a sly, almost menacing laugh.

"You're really something." she said, pointing at him. "I give you your freedom instead of eating you, and you just wanna stick around and CHAT?" she began to pace back and fourth in front of the blue animal.

"Haven't you ever heard of a Griffin before, buddy? Let me just give you a little run down, huh?" she paused mid-pace, her tail swishing back and fourth as she thought back to the questions he'd just asked.

"Griffins eat meat. Because we do, yes, I AM a hunter. And YES, I do eat whatever I feel like, thanks very much. Andâ€â€Â" she paused and made her way back over to stand directly in front of Skye, "â€â€Âas for me not being a so called "good hunter," guess what I just caught? Oh, right, it was you. But I'm SO confident in my hunting abilities that I let YOU go. I was totally going to eat you too, if you hadn't talked. She spat out the last word. "And I bet youâ€â€Â" she pressed a claw into his chest "â€â€Âtaste delicious."

[Skye]

The deer's eyes narrowed, pawing the ground, now that the shock of being -caught- had worn off. Though as she suddenly turned around and rushed at him, his eyes widened again in surprise, and found himself nose-to-beak with her again. Though momentarily caught off-guard, he glared back at her, his ears folded back against his head. Then blinked as she sighed, and then laughed. What was up with this griffon? Either she was nuts, or there was something not quite right with her. He'd handled other would-be predators, nothing as large as an ursa, mind you, though that was simply a matter of being where the Ursa was not, but few creatures could match a peryton in escape, and most of the time, they just simply weren't there.

As she pointed at him, his ears flattened tighter against his skull. Skye watched as she paced back and forth in front of him, remaining poised and prepared for anything, his tail pressed tight against his rump. "A peryton knows when to choose its battles. I've heard of griffons before. I've seen several. But none of them have had the audacity to attack a peryton before. Not here in the Whitetail Wood." his voice gave words to his thoughts, as she confirmed his suspicions. "And I suppose you don't feel like eating me now? What's so special about me that you didn't want to risk taking a bite out of me? Not without so much as asking if I was willing to be dinner first?" he shook, and glanced sidelong at his wing, though not taking an eye off the griffoness. "And now look at what you've done! That's going to ache something fierce tomorrow morning!" He glanced down at the claw pointing at his chest. "Oh, I'm sure I taste delicious. But I wouldn't suppose griffons taste all that bad, either." he licked his lips. "Never had one before. None of them have come close enough to try it."

Then he glared back at her again. "If I hadn't been on cloud nine from an absolutely wonderful visit with the Princesses, you would have never seen me. So yes, I made a mistake that I'm not prone to making, but I'm afraid you're going to have to take your hunting prowess elsewhere, because it's not welcome in my territory." he lowered his antlers again at the griffon. "Unless you fancy taking another shot at me now that my guard's up."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Kira was unphased by the Peryton's mentioned of making her a meal. It was such a ridiculous notion. So he was a Peryton, was he? Looked more like a winged deer, but whatever. Deer didn't eat meat, and with the scrawny way this guy looked, she suspected he didn't either. She moved back a couple of paces, throwing her head into the air and laughing loudly. 'You've got guts, kid, I'll give you that. But you should watch who you mess with.'

At his mention of the Princesses, she cocked her her head. But then the Peryton was lowering his horns at her. His attempt to appear menacing. Kira grinned again, but just for a moment. What an idiot. Her body crouched to the ground, her menacing tail swishing back and fourth, Kira ready to pounce.

'I don't have a reason to fight you, but you're really starting to piss me off!' Her head lowered slightly as she glared at him. 'If you wanna start a fight, be my guest. But any injury that comes to you will be your own fault.'

[Tempest Rime]

Malediction was out in the forest below Canterlot. A wretched place, nowhere near as exciting as the Everfree, but she was sick of that stuffy city. Her eye socket itched, but she didn't bother to scratch at it, letting the nagging irritation fuel her unpleasant mood. Out of boredom, she melted a few holes into nearby trees. The fact that the ghastly holes would probably kill them made her feel a bit better.

The sound of raised voices caught her attention. She thought she heard the ring of actual anger! Her curiosity piqued, she tromped through the bushes noisily to get a closer look. She was far from stealthy, but she didn't really care if she caught the attention of whoever it was. Subtlety was never her forte, anyway.

She pushed through the bush and finally caught sight of the source of the voices. A griffon and a peryton!? Just running into either of those in these parts was almost unheard of, and from the sound of their last exchange, they were fixing to fight. "Oooh, a fight!" She sneered, a provocative edge to her voice. "Can I watch? I've never seen a peryton get torn to pieces before."

[Skye]

Skye's antlers sparkled as he continued to glare at the griffoness. Normally, she'd have been driven off by this point if she really didn't have any intent as she'd thought. Though of course, maybe his big mouth wasn't helping much. But he'd never been one to just turn tail and flee if he didn't have to. He may be a deer, but he wasn't stupid. And this was his territory, after all. She was cocky, though, as all griffons he'd ever noticed seemed to be. He wondered what it was about griffons that made them like this. He'd never met a nice one, but maybe they just didn't have any reason to leave home if they were nice. Or couldn't. Whatever it was...wait, did she just call him kid?

"I'm nobody's kid, griffon. I'm surprised a hatchling like you hadn't learned not to tangle with perytons by now, but I guess schooling where you come from has been somewhat lacking." his antlers began to sparkle, and this time he began to focus, lowering his head towards her. His form began to haze as she lowered herself, preparing to pounce. "You can just leave. I don't want to fight, but this is my home, and I'm not about to be driven out of my own home by the likes of you." was the light waning, or was it actually getting darker? "I've never permanently hurt anyone, or damaged, but there's always a first time..."

He didn't notice the unicorn as she'd poked her head through the brush, all of his focus on the griffoness in front of him. Though for her, it just appeared that he was standing in a defensive posture and she was preparing to leap. The peryton's antlers were sparkling, lightly aglow, but that seemed to be all from her perspective, otherwise it appeared to be an otherwise normal sunny day.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Kira noticed the spark the Peryton's horns made several timesâ€â€Âwhat did that mean, exactly? He was scrawny, yes...but if he picked fights as often as it seemed, perhaps he had a trick up his metaphorical sleeve...

One of her ears pricked at a slight rustling, a change in the atmosphere. Glancing sideways, her head still angled at the Peryton, she caught sight of another blue creature...a pony. But the new arrival did not seem to be a threat...at least not yet. She'd have to watch herself, in case the two were on the same side.

"As far as schooling goes, at least I know how to pick proper fights. Gees, you'd think a creature wouldâ€â€ÂI don't know, thank someone for not eating them instead of picking a fight with them."

The nerve of some creatures! Instead of being normal and running away from a Griffin, like other creatures would, this guy had the audacity to pick a fight with her! Some animals could just be so ungrateful. He was brave though. Either that, or really really stupid. She didn't know which. Having to kill him would be a shame. She'd never met a creature like that, so deer-like, and yet not. More intelligent than normal deer, for sure, because he spoke. But if a fight was what he wanted, Kira was going to give him a fight to remember.

[Skye]

The light continued to dim around as he pawed at the ground with his hoof again. "Gratitude for not killing me? What else should I thank you for!" his voice sounded scornful. "That's the most ridiculous notion I've ever heard of. You thank someone for saving your life, not for sparing it when they themselves were doing it!" oh yes, he was bucking for a fight now. Ears flat, body postured, twice original size...wait, had he grown? At least to the griffoness, he seemed to be nearly the same size as she by now, at least only for a moment before a blink of her eyes returned him to normal, but that darkness seemed to be descending. "If I were you, I would cut my losses and just go."

She was tenacious, this griffon, and he was going to drive her off and make sure she never came back if he had any say about it, and he was going to make sure he did. Invading his home, taking creatures with impunity. Sure, he didn't hold as much special love for them, knowing that they were also food for others, but not him. And she hadn't even apologized for what she had done! Oh yes, she was going to regret her foray tonight, he'd make sure of that. And here she was, telling him he should be thankful she'd let him go? Oh, did that take such nerve! He remembered the bear just two days earlier, but he'd had to protect the princess then. There was noone around for him to have to watch out for, and his hooves weren't spotless of their share of blood either. Meek as a deer was, a peryton was not. They were a creature of nightmares, and try as he may to prove his species capable of otherwise, he couldn't hide from what he was.

Nor at this point, was she. His hackles rose, a ridge of fur along his spine bristling as he bared his teeth and pawed at the ground once more. He backed up slowly a couple of steps, widening the gap between them. "I didn't pick this fight, but I'm sure going to make sure you remember it if you stick around."

[Tempest Rime]

"Hmmm..." Mal circled around the peryton to get a better view. That strange sparkle to his antlers was intriguing. "Is that magic? I didn't think perytons could do magic. Or maybe it's a different kind of magic." She was suddenly torn. She wouldn't mind seeing a fight, but a new kind of magic could be just what she'd been looking for.

She frowned for a moment before deciding that if the peryton's magic wasn't enough to sway a fight with a griffin, it probably wasn't worth learning anyway. "Well, are you two gonna fight already, or are you both just big talkers, hmmm? Lets see some blood," she jeered.

Her itch was getting really bothersome, and her good eye started to twitch in sympathy. She grinned widely in anticipation and stared at the two creatures, her eye darting back and forth to see who would make the first move.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Kira looked up slightly as the pony spoke, while she circled around to the Peryton's side of the field. Looking back at him, she noticedâ€â€Âhad he always been so tall? But a blink of her eyes and a flick of her tail, and he was small again. What was this Peryton's game? Kira was getting rather bored, both of them jabbing insults at each other. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she still hadn't had anything to eat that day. Perhaps she would end up eating the Peryton. But wounding him would make him suffer for his insolence.

The pony egged them on, pressing for a fight. That wasn't like what a pony would say at all. Of course, Kira hadn't had a whole lot of experience with ponies. What was her deal with bloodshed? Kira glanced up once again to the pony, and saw a slightly eerie smile creep across her face. A shiver ran through herâ€â€Âhad it gotten a little colder?

Standing up straight, Kira began to move in a slow circle, drawing a little closer to the Peryton. Then, as she walked, ever slowly, she thought of something. "Why is it so important to you that I leave?"

[Skye]

Skye glanced back for a moment at the unicorn egging on the fight. What was wrong with her, that was one bloodthirsty unicorn. Though he normally didn't have any quarrel with them, most of the ones that had come through his wood had been downright friendly. This one, however, seemed to be intent to see some mayhem and while he'd rather not be involved at all, he sort of didn't have much of a choice at this point. Now he had to worry about whether or not this strange unicorn who had come out of nowhere was going to jab him with her horn just for the fun of it. She was going to make it harder to focus, but he didn't have to worry about whether or not she'd have to decide whether or not to have a side of potatos with him regardless of what happened, but this griffon on the other hand could get a lucky shot in if he didn't give her his full focus.

As she began to circle around, drawing closer, his eyes narrowed on her again. Soon it was near dusk, and a breeze had started to flicker through the wood, almost as if drawing close to autumn. "Because I'm sure if I'd invaded your home and begun making demands on you, you'd chase me out just as quickly. Or worse." his antlers crackled this time, and from far above came a peal of thunder. But to the unicorn, the birds were singing, the day was bright and sunny, and that deer's antlers just glowed brighter. But for whatever they were glowing for, they didn't seem to be doing much to her perception. "I prefer to keep my blood inside me, and who are you anyway?" he said to the new unicorn, not taking his eyes off the griffoness now. "Both of you. I'd just had a wonderful day and this isn't how I'd hoped to end it."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Kira paused, continuing to watch the pair standing close together. Her muscles tightened at the sudden sound of thunder, but she kept her position. 'So it's a matter of territory, then?'

Kira had never been in a territorial dispute. Sure, if some creature tried to invade her family cave, she would have chased them off. But anything else in the mountains and canyons around her home was free reign. Sure, anything that lived that ran the risk of being eaten. But it was a matter of hunter and prey, the circle of life. Anything apart from the ledge and cave where they resided belong to no creature, it was a free realm. But the Griffin cities had a range of territory around them, she'd heard. It was land that they would defend, perhaps even with their lives, just to have it. It didn't make sense, taking more than one needed, risking lives for something such as mere land. Unnecessary and ridiculous, a waste of energy. But it was a livelihood for some.

"How much of this wood is supposedly yours, then?" The wind was picking up then, as the sky darkened. How had dusk come on so fast? It hadn't been that long, had it? Kira dismissed it. Time meant nothing now except waiting longer to eat.

[Tempest Rime]

"Oh me?" Mal smiled at the peryton. "Don't you fret about me. I just heard you yelling and thought there might be something interesting. I'm cerrrrrtainly not looking to make any enemies." She rolled the r casually. "I was actually hoping I might learn something. I certainly didn't mean to intrude on your little patch of worthless forest."

She glanced back at the griffin, her tone changing to outright mocking. "And what about you? Are your kind really so easy to scare off? I wonder what everypony back home in Canterlot would think of a big scary black griffin getting chased off by a little deer, hmm? Don't worry about me, I'm not looking to interfere, this peryton certainly seems to be confident enough he can deal with you himself, and if he can't, well... That's fine too. Besides, what's the good of a bit of ultraviolence without someone to watch. And it's not like pony cities have a lot of excitement."

She gave a slight giggle, but backed off a little. She wanted them to have a little more room in case her presence was putting them off, though she didn't go too far for fear of losing sight of them through the bushes.

[Skye]

Skye relaxed a little bit, though the environment became neither brighter nor darker, as if overcast by an impending storm as he remained wary. "It's not that it's my territory, it's that I live here and you just came in without a so much as a by-your-leave and jumped on me! What'd you expect, kisses and flowers?" he flattened his ears again. "And yes, you! What kind of unicorn are you that comes at the sign of trouble and instead of helping, urges it on? I'm not in a teaching mood right now, come back later." he growled, a sort of primal sound in the edge of his voice more than anything. Though as the unicorn spoke to the griffon, he backed off a few more inches, keeping just out of Kira's range. He wasn't taking any chances, and it was much easier to dodge with more room.

And strange how moments ago she was all too willing to have him for lunch, then she was talking big, but now she's just pacing back and forth. What was with her? Was there something wrong with her? Asking all these questions instead of action. By now, most predators, even that bear, would have been all over him like bark on a tree, but she just kept talking. He fluttered his sprained wing and tucked it close to his side as he began to edge towards a tree. "Just enough to keep safe. All of the road, and about a half mile around the crag." the crag he spoke of was the big outcropping of rock near the middle of the wood just a few hundred feet from the road itself. "I've been asked by Celestia to watch over it."

[MyLittlePonyTales]

"Well excuuuuussssee me, princess." Kira half sneered. 'Didn't realize I needed permission to come through a forest. If you'd been jabbering as much as when I first saw you none of that would've happened. It's not my fault I've never seen a critter like you. Most horned animals are prey. Unintelligent prey. You do realize you look an awful lot like a regular deer, right? Those guys don't talk. They're the kind that I eat.

She paused as a gust of wind pressed against her side, and she dug her claws into the ground to steady herself. Then she gave a huffed sigh.

"So where's this "crag" at so I can steer clear of it?" Kira wasn't in the mood for an unnecessary fight. Not today. But perhaps later, after she'd had something to it, and some day when it was much warmer outside. Hadn't it been warmer just that afternoon?

She ignored his mention of Celestia. Probably some Peryton relative, perhaps his deceased mother...it didn't matter. This blue Peryton was adamant about his so-called "territory", and Kira had no need of territory. Not yet.

[Skye]

That caught him off-guard again, for certain. And why wasn't she attacking now? He began to relax, though he pawed the ground again. As he did, the sun seemed to come out, brightening the sky again, and warming the air around them. Though he kept his antlers lowered watchfully at the griffon, his posture seemed to calm a bit more. "You didn't need permission to come through, but you don't just jump on anyone walking through here. You never know what you might run into. I'm sure you're fierce, but there's lots of things here you wouldn't want to tangle with. What if I'd been an ursa? Can you handle one of those on your own? I doubt it. Yeah, I look like a regular deer, most of those are brown and grey and, in case you hadn't noticed, don't have wings either."

He lifted his hoof and pointed at the visible jut of rock above the trees, a fairly large outcropping that seemed to be mostly around the tail end of the great ridge that Canterlot rested on. "You should have no trouble seeing it from the air." his antlers faded back to normal and by then, daylight had resumed, and the birds were chirping. None of which happened to be seen by the belligerent unicorn, and he took the chance to turn his head to glance in her direction. "And I have no idea what's with you, I've never met a unicorn eager for a fight until now. Who are you anyway?" his head swung back towards Kira. "And why are you so far away from griffon land?"

[Tempest Rime]

"I'm a bored unicorn, what with all the impotent bravado the two of you are throwing at each other, that's what I am." At the peryton's mention of Celestia, her mocking grin instantly vanished, replaced with an unfriendly scowl. "Asked by the princess, huh..." The last thing she wanted was to attract the notice of that tyrant. She considered leaving now, but the prospect of new magic was tempting enough to take the risk. He could just be bluffing.

Mal's frown deepened as the griffoness spoke again. It seemed as though things were not going to lead to a fight after all. "Is that really all it takes for you not to eat someone? They just have to speak. So, what about small foals, before they learn to talk, would they be fair game? Or maybe somepony who was mute. You know, I have wondered just what ponies might taste like, have you ever eaten one?" Her smile reappeared as she considered it.

She turned her attention back to the peryton. "I'm just a humble scholar of magic," she said insincerely. "I was just hoping to see something exciting, is that reeeally so hard to imagine? I mean, you obviously know what most ponies are like, imagine that a thousand times over and you get Canterlot. Dullest city in existence, if it weren't for the magical resources there I'd be gone in a heartbeat." She spat in disgust.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

The sky suddenly cleared, and Kira kept her face turned to the Peryton even as she moved her eyes skyward to watch the clouds fade away. That was utterly odd. Not a moment ago it had been stormy, and now there were birds chirping and she could feel the warm sun on her back. These woods were definitely stranger than she had thought. Perhaps it had been the Unicorn's doing all along...after all, they were magical beings. How much power they were capable of, though, Kira didn't know. Then again, she had seen the Peryton's horns spark a number of times...perhaps he carried some magic with him as well.

Her muscles relaxed slightly, and she slowly sat down on the ground, still watching the Peryton for a sign of treachery. He'd hadn't yet attacked her...perhaps he was all talk and no buck.

"I don't know what an "Ursa" is, but I'm not stupid. I can take care of myself. I'm smart enough to know not to attack a creature that I can't handle. That would be utterly reckless, something I'm not."

She turned to the Unicorn. "I don't know how many other Griffins you've met, but in case the colors didn't tip you off, I'm different. Your average Griffin probably would've torn this guyâ€â€Â" she pointed a claw at the Peryton, "â€â€Âto shreds in a heartbeat. But I actually take the time to consider the...how should I put this? I don't know, morality of the situation. That stems from more than just my upbringing too. The same thing goes for ponies."

As the Peryton turned to look at the Unicorn, Kira swung her head in the direction he had indicated. Sure enough, there was the cliff. It had been there before, but she hadn't taken the time to notice it. It just hadn't been important. She tried to quickly gauge the distance of how far away she'd have to be to hunt, but with all the weirdness that had just happened, she wasn't sure she wanted to eat anything out of these woods.

She saw the Peryton's head start to turn towards her again, and her head snapped back and her muscles tightened. A low growl began to rise in her throat, but faded as he spoke in a more normal tone.

Kira gave an exasperated sigh before speaking. "If you must know, I am a traveler, exploring the world in which we live, and searching for a more permanent residence. I'm also looking for my brother."

[Skye]

The peryton's ears swivelled back and forth, one towards the unicorn and the other towards the griffon as he tried to keep attention on both. To Mal, he tilted his head, slightly perplexed. He still didn't quite get what exactly she was looking for here. But being bored, he could understand. Some ponies went on adventure, others went on holiday, others still did the same plodding thing over and over and over again. He imagined it could be tough for some pony with wanderlust being stuck working in a factory every day. But that was beside the point. "Well, what did you expect? I wasn't about to toss purple prose to someone who was looking to end me. That's not exactly the best start to a relationship." he sat down, and winced at his wing. "Oh, that's going to smart." his eyes found Kira's again and while remaining watchful, looked much less wary.

"An ursa is one of the largest creatures we have here in Equestria. Imagine something larger than most of these trees, stomping through here, wreaking havoc. They're around and they exist. Even Perytons avoid them." he took on a different tone, as if he were giving a lesson to a student, "The Ursa Major is one of the most feared beasts in Equestria. And if you knew what was good for you, I'd recommend reading more into that book of creatures not to attack. Perytons should be in there somewhere. We may look like deer, maybe even taste like deer, but do you really want to risk tangling with a creature with unpredictable results?" then more conversationally, "You are a different griffon. I thought they were all loud, obnoxious, and rude. Add predatory to that, and you can't really expect me to want to just pass the time of day with one."

Skye lowered his head and began to nudge at some of the feathers of his injured wings. This had the effect of keeping his antlers pointed in direction of the greatest threat, but while he kept an eye on her, he worked to try to sooth the twinge. "Well, if you'd bothered to stop and ask, maybe I could have helped you with that. Looking for lost travellers in the woods is part of my job. If you promise not to eat me, maybe I'll help you out. As for being a scholar of magic, you're in a rather peculiar location for study, there isn't a library for miles around. The closest one I know of is in Ponyville. And I didn't find Canterlot all that dull, I was just up there earlier today."

[Tempest Rime]

"I've never met a griffon, but I did meet a manticore once, and he wasn't too hesitant about trying to make a meal out of me. Morality is moot when you're starving to death. And I don't see why color would matter at all. Ponies come in all sorts of colors, they don't mean squat. You really want something to distinguish yourself by..." Mal tossed her hair, showing off her empty eye socket. "Get yourself some nice battle scars."

At Skye's mention of libraries, she scowled. "Yeah, I've just about given up on the trash they keep in the libraries around here. I'm not bad at magic, but the worthless spells in all the books don't jive with my fire. I need to find some magic with some guts to it." She sighed. "I don't supposed whatever you can do is any different. Fire doesn't really seem like something a winged deer would have an aptitude for. Besides, if you're on Princess Celestia's payroll, you're probably not allowed to teach anything worthwhile anyway." She spat the name of her sovereign with contempt.

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Kira nearly dozed off during the lecture about Ursa's. She'd never seen or heard of one, and for all she knew he could be making it up. Anyway, if it was that big and it actually WAS real, there was no way she could miss it, and be sure to avoid it. From his description, missing it would be like missing a mountain right in front of you. She listened as he finished, ignoring his comment about other Griffins. No matter how many he'd seemingly met, he surprisingly wasn't at all afraid of them. Odd, for a creature so small compared to a Griffin.

She watched him turn his head awayâ€â€Âsuch a bold move, when she was still sitting right there. Turning his back on an opponent, as it were. Figuring this Peryton out was difficult. First, he picked a fight with her instead of running away like other creatures would, and then he acted as if he weren't a threat. But, he'd never actually attacked. Perhaps he was all words and no fightâ€â€Âbut it was difficult to be absolutely certain. Even timid deer or mountain goats could put up a good fight if they were caught at the wrong moment.

"Well I wouldn't have bothered with you at all in the first place if I knew that you could speak. And I'm not lost. I don't have anywhere to be, anywhere to goâ€â€Âso I can't actually get lost."

"As for Manticores, they're entirely different. Can't believe you'd compare any Griffin to one of those. Shows how much you know. So noisy, and a bit ferociousâ€â€Ânot that I couldn't handle one if I had to." she added.

At the blue Unicorn's turn of her head, Kira put her claws up. "Oh, so scary, my claws are shaking." she mocked.

Quickly dropping her claws back down to the ground, she continued. "As for my coloring..." she paused, trying to find the correct words. "Normal Griffins vary in colors from browns to grays. Lots of colors that blend in well in mountainous areas, which is where most Griffins reside. My colors aren't exactly what you'd call the norm."

Picking her claws off the ground again, Kira looked at them. Slightly dirty, she noted, and then proceeded to begin digging the muck from underneath her right talon using the claws from her left. She glanced up every couple of seconds, keeping her eye on the pair, ready if either of them tried anything. They were still far enough away that she'd have time to react.

[Skye]

He blinked. "I'm not on Celestia's payroll. If I were getting paid to live here, I wouldn't be living here. I don't really have any use for money out here? Frogs don't take cash, nor do the berry bushes. And there's plenty enough of that to eat out here. And no, I'd rather there not be any fire out here, have you seen a forest fire? It's not a pretty sight." he dug his hoof in the ground again. "She's only asked me to watch this place. My time is otherwise my own."

To Kira, he said nothing as she returned fire to the unicorn about Manticores. What was the deal with his griffon? He sensed she had a story to tell. A missing brother? He wondered where he was. He hadn't seen any other griffons in this part of the woods. And though he had no particular special love for them, a lost traveller was a lost traveller. And her brother was lost, even if she didn't want to admit it, otherwise she wouldn't be looking for him. Skye studied the griffon from where she sat, though he knew she was still watching him. He was aware enough of predators that made it look like they weren't keeping an eye on you when in fact, you had their undivided attention. So he did the old standby and remained perfectly still as he listened.

And yet, by her attitude, for all her harsh words, she had kept to herself. She'd moved off awful quick for one who was hungry. And she'd hung around. In fact, if she were really that hungry, after learning he wasn't a meal, she could have just left, but didn't. This confused him. Hungry creatures typically either had to be driven off, or ran from, and this was neither and both at the same time. The harder he pushed, the more she pushed back, but yet she didn't attack and so neither did he. The more he relaxed, so did she. It was almost as if she were just reacting as he was. This was definitely not usual, at all. Though she did have bravado.

"Why are you looking for your brother out here?" he ventured when he had a moment to interject.