[Everfree Forest] Light in the Dark[CLOSED]

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Lenore awoke, stretching in the faint bit of morning sun that made its way through the trees. The warmness of it was so nice, Lenore almost went back to sleepâ€â€until her stomach rumbled. She gave a couple experimental wing flaps, stretching out some more before taking flight. She didn't want to pull a wing muscle or something.

Spreading her wings, she leapt from her next, gliding downward until she caught a breeze. Then she flapped her wings, floating on updrafts and pushing herself higher when she had to. She finally reached the top of the trees, and continued to pump her wings until she was past them. Lenore looked out over the strange landscape: the land of the ponies. Such strange creatures, living inside their cave-like dwellings. There were so many of them. What were they like?

Lenore heard a sudden wooshing sound, and turned just in time hit smack in the back. She found herself careening toward the forest floor as she struggled to right herself and regain flight.

Kira was flying low, just above the trees, looking for something to hunt. This forest was rather bare of creatures large enough to fill her appetite. There were a lot of small creatures, squirrels, rabbits, birdsâ€â€they'd do in a bind, but there was lots of time to find food.

As she looked up to get a quick bearing, she caught sight, too late, of a black Raven. It hit her right face, catching her off guard. Her wings stopped flapping as she struggled to regain her eyesight, and she found herself falling, down, down, towards the ground. Spreading her wings was riskyâ€â€they could get caught on a number of branches. But if she didn't slow herself, she could get a serious injury by the time she hit the ground. It was a risk she had to take. She spread her wings slightly, and they acted as a parachute, slowing her speed just a bit. She still hit the ground fairly hard, but she was on all four legs, at least.

Kira looked around for whatever it was she had hit, to give it a piece of her mind.

Lenore opened her eyes. She was alive, somehow. Was thatâ€â€the top of the trees? She tried to get her bearings, feeling slightly dizzy. She realized she was on her back. She quickly moved to turn herself over, and pain jolted through one of her wings. Barely managing to right herself, Lenore looked at the hurt wing. To her dismay and horror, it was bent at a crooked angle. She gave an experimental flap, and then wished she hadn't, as another shot of pain racked through her small body.

She felt a shadow come over her then, and turned to see beak right before her eyes.

Kira heard a rustling nearby, her keen hers picking up the sound. It was easy to find the source. A little black Raven. That was all. Sneaking up behind it was all too easy.

“Hey, why don't you watch where you're going buddy!†she yelled.

Lenore started at the voice, cowering to the ground. She hoped it would be over soon. She was going to die.

“Whatever, you're not worth my time!†Kira said. Kira quickly forgot about the unnecessary Raven. She checked herself to be sure she wasn't injured, lifting each foot and lightly stomping it on the ground. She gave her wings an couple of experimental flaps, to be sure. Then she took off.

As the strange creature began to turn away, Lenore looked up. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before, half bird, half beast. Lenore stared at it, wondering exactly what it was doingâ€â€and then it was gone.

Lenore stood for a moment, listening in case it came back. But there were no sounds out of the ordinary, just the rustling of winds through the leaves in the trees and on the ground. Soon, birds began to chirp again, after hiding away from the loud noise made by the crash. Then Lenore knew for sure that the creature was gone.

Looking again at her wing, Lenore groaned. Flapping it just to make sure, she was hit with another wave of pain.

Oh no. No. With a broken wing, Lenore was as good as dead. If a predator didn't get her first, she would starve.

Which reminded Lenore that she still hadn't found something to eat, and was getting hungrier. But with a broken wing, why did it matter? Still, Lenore decided to walk along and look for something. Maybe it would be food, or maybe it would be something to end her misery.

She walked along, her good wing tucked to her side, and her broken one awkwardly half dragging beside her. Walking along, she went at a much slower pace than if she was flying. Her vision was limited to what she could immediately see, instead of being able to look at large pieces of land at a time.

Sighing, Lenore was about to give up and just sit and wait, when she toppled beak over talons down a small hill. For a pony, it would merely be a step, but for a creature much smaller, the distance seemed greater.

Suddenly, everything was bright. There was light, everywhere. Lenore quickly closed her eyes, even as her wing throbbed from the fall. After letting them adjust while closed, Lenore slowly opened her eyes. There were flowers and grass and brightly colored birds and bright green trees...it was so much to take in. And so very, very bright.

Lenore looked up, covering her face with a wing. There was the sun alright. She'd seen it, of course, but it did not shine so brightly in the Everfree Forest as it did out here. Out here.

Lenore looked wildly around. She was out of the forest! Everything was so amazing, and yet so threatening. She debated what to do. Stay out here, where it was dangerous...or go back to the forest. Well, if things were dangerous out here....she would likely have less of a chance of survival. Already growing hungrier and hungrier, and with such a wing as hers...that's exactly what she wanted.