//------------------------------//
// Giraffe Glade VII 
// Story: Rainbow Dash Around the World 
// by MagicS 
//------------------------------//

With it now being dark out in the village, Rainbow Dash had expected to see less giraffes around than earlier. That turned out to not be remotely the case however. If anything there were even more giraffes out walking around the small village of Dacty. Maybe they just preferred the night time to daytime. It was possible that the coolness in the air was more inviting after how hot it was during the day.  

There were even more couples out too. Male and female giraffes speaking alone together outside of the huts, behind the huts, in places just slightly more private than the rest of the village. She quietly looked to her side at He Whose Neck Is Long. Was it really okay that she took over his whole day and dragged him away from that girl giraffe he was talking to?

He said it was perfectly good but she had the suspicion that giraffes were too reserved and polite to say anything directly negative or refusing to her.

“So where’s this, She’s Whose Neck Is Not Quite So Long live?” Rainbow asked him, fairly certain that’s what he said the storyteller’s name was. The quicker they got to her and Rainbow Dash could then get a tent, the quicker this guy could get back to his own life.

“Only a little further. That one has her own hut. As is fitting of a storyteller,” He Whose Neck Is Long answered.

Rainbow didn’t know what being a storyteller had to do with that but she really didn’t think she wanted to get in a long, drawn out conversation about it either. Her giraffe pal continued to slowly walk through the dark village while she flew close to his head, always at eye level. After not too much longer they came to a “small” hut. It didn’t look like it was wide enough to be more than one room on the inside but it was very tall for some reason, the mud tapering off until it become cone-shaped on the top half. A curtain made of long grass also functioned as its only door. He Whose Neck Is Long lifted up a hoof and parted it for Rainbow Dash to enter.

“Thanks,” Dash said and flew on in with him coming in behind her.

It being night out it wasn’t a surprise the hut was mostly dark aside from a few grass—candles? Torches? Rainbow couldn’t decide what the best term for them was. Either way they only barely lit up the interior and revealed an elderly female giraffe sitting on a wide mat. Her fur was graying all over but her eyes were still sharp and her head snapped over to He Whose Neck Is Long as soon as she saw him enter.  

It was one of the fastest movements she had seen any giraffe make.

“He Whose Neck Is Long. And an outsider pony. Why have you come to the storyteller?” She Whose Neck Is Not Quite So Long asked.

He Whose Neck Is Long blinked and looked towards Rainbow Dash. “This pony is known as Rainbow Dash. She comes from very far away. She would like to tell you about her home and her journeys. And also hear about us giraffes. Our history and our ways.”

“This one sees,” the storyteller stood up and gently exhaled, looking at Rainbow Dash deeply. “Then first allow this one to make you feel at home by regaling you with our giraffe history so you understand us.”

“Okay,” Rainbow shrugged.

“First—in the old days—there were giraffes. Some with necks long, others with necks short...”

Oh no. Rainbow Dash grimaced.