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// Interspecies Communication 
// Story: Dust Bunnies and Dirty Clothes 
// by Steadfast Hoof 
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Prompt: interspecies communication 



The wind howled across the mountain aerie as a burly griffin lounged next to a smaller and much sleeker one. They relaxed in content silence watching fauna dart through underbrush with droll expressions.

“you remember when we actually had to hunt for those things?” the larger breathed cocking his head to a white tail that was cautiously grazing. Somehow it sensed his gaze, lurching its face their way before bolting into the woods. Both griffins instinctively leapt to their feet, their postures posed to pursue the prancing prey. They looked at each other before quickly glancing away. The smaller one laughed breathily shifting his steel blue wing as he settled back down. The larger just flopped back down, the day’s work catching up with them.

“heh, I cannot believe we just did that, and no I don’t remember dude. I grew up in equestria.”

The larger griffin chirped, ruffling his feathers before preening them.

“that’s right. Come ta think of it they’re the ones who gave us our first cattle farms, as a goodwill type a thing I think” he said his voice muffled behind his brown feathers. 

“heh… yea that was right before the minotaur declared war on us. Everyone had to move back home when they started attacking griffin settlements In equestria…” the smaller one spoke sadly, his eyes far away as he stared at nothing.

The larger griffin paused before looking at him his eyes soft.

“yea… mom and dad died in one of the train raids, right? Dartwing?” The smaller griffin looked curiously at his brother when he said his equestrian name. Dartwing. He had almost forgotten about it, it was one of the many things he had to let go to fit in with his new alien home.

“ Why’d you say that? I thought you hated that name,” Dartwing said, bitterly staring at the rocks below.

“sorry, I thought you liked it… I don’t… hate it, it’s just… weird, using words instead of, well names,” he looked at his little brother awkwardly. “I don’t know, I guess I’ve lived here with the clan all my life and you're just, different Michael.”

“You’re right,” He hissed back hotly at his brother, who at least had the grace to look down ashamed. He clacked his beak shut as an awkward silence filled the air. His tail fanned restlessly.

He was more upset at his own outburst then his brother’s lack of tact. He knew things were different here. That they were blunter, that some still preferred meat over the imitation that a cow of all people created that stopped the war. His brother was at least trying, unlike everyone else who ignored him. He clenched a fist before letting it go sighing hard.

“You’re right.” His brother, Nathan, or as his mother always said with a hint of yearning, Apple Wood looked up at him questioningly. Dartwing smiled at him, “I do like dartwing better.”
He got up and stretched. His brother following his moves, thinking they were going to head back. Dart wing stopped him before he took off towards the mountains, instead  he looked down towards the woods.

“Do you think you can show how to hunt?”