Rainbow Dash woke as the sunlight managed to pierce through the leaves and shine directly into her eyes. Attempting to stand, the remaining drowsiness that she felt was immediately replaced with pain as her legs refused to support her weight. Taking a quick look around, Dash realize that she was alone.
“Did… did he just abandon me?” Rainbow asked out loud. “Why would he do that?”
Taking a moment to check her surroundings again, Dash found that the creature’s bag and a small pile of food were both sitting next to her. “Ok… his stuff is here… maybe he’s just… oh.” Dash blushed, realizing what the creature was probably doing.
After a few moments, the creature stepped out from behind several bushes. “Oh… hey... ’morning.” Dash said as casually as she could. “So.. ummm… Hi?”
The creature nodded and spoke a few words.
“Look… umm… do you think you can help me over to the bushes?”
Instead of replying or acting, he gave her a confused look.
“You…” Dash pointed at him, “Me…” pointing at herself, “Bushes.” pointing at the bushed.
The creature watched Dash’s movements closely, then nodded. Gently picking Dash up, he carried her over to the bush in question. Setting her down, he waited for Dash to do something.
“Dude, little privacy.” Dash complained, pointing a hoof at him.
He looked at her hoof for a moment before a look of revelation came to his face. His face flushed slightly before he moved away from her and the bush.
Dash wanted to think that the rest of her morning would have gone better, but it didn’t. It only took a moment for her to realise that the small pile of food was all that they had left. The creature spent the rest of the morning wandering in circles. Dash shifted and groaned in annoyance, she wanted move, fly, run, something other than being jostled around in some bag.
“Oh, come on!” Dash groaned. “Just pick them! They’re berries!”
The creature ignored her outburst as he inspected the plant, only to sigh and leave it behind them. As the creature’s start and stop pace left Dash longing for the gentle stride from the day before.
As evening drew upon them, Dash found herself watching the creature fiddle with the bag as it was trying to figure out a way to carry both her and the food he had foraged. She was grateful that he had found food for them, but the sight of what he had eaten out of that old log was probably going to haunt her dreams. Seriously though, I get that he’s hungry but that was just awful. Dash said to herself. And they must have wriggled all the way down.
“Strider.” Dash called out, drawing the creatures attention. “That’s what I’m gonna call you, Strider.”
The creature just gave Dash yet another sympathetic look.
“Strider.” Dash said again, this time pointing at him. The creature looked back over his shoulder to find nothing there.
“Strider.” Dash said yet again, still pointing a hoof at him. This time he seemed to understand what she was trying to do and began to point at object, waiting for her response.
“Strider.” Dash affirmed when he finally pointed at his own face. “Strider.”
Strider nodded in confirmation, then touched the top of Dash’s head, and spoke a single odd sounding word.
“So, now that we’ve named each other, what happens next?” Dash asked, only earning a confused shrug from Strider.