//------------------------------//
// Day Six 
// Story: Fifteen Days 
// by UnluckyReaver 
//------------------------------//

For the fifth time since they got up Strider paused and studied the sky. From her perch on Strider’s back, Dash easily followed his gaze skyward. “I don’t get it.” Dash said. “What are you looking for?”

Strider muttered a few words before continuing on. 

“What’s up there?” Dash demanded. “You keep acting like something is going to fall out of the sky. Is it bad? Are we in danger? Come on, give me something!”

Strider sighed, muttered a few more words, which did nothing to help ease Dash’s mind. “Yeah, I guess I should have seen that coming.” Dash dejectedly muttered. Realizing that she wasn’t going to get an answer out of Strider, Rainbow turned her attention skywards in hope that she would see whatever it was Strider was looking for.

Some time later, Dash’s attention was earthward once again when Strider stopped. Dash peered into the cave that had caught Strider’s attention, but didn’t see what he was interested in; to her the cave looked empty. Before Dash could question Strider about his actions, he carefully took off the bag and placed it and its occupant onto the cave floor. 

“So, what now?” Dash asked. 

Strider spoke a few words, emphasizing his point by pointing at Dash then straight down. Rainbow nodded in understanding, feeling fairly certain he wanted her to wait here for something. Returning the nodd, Strider left Dash in the cave and disappeared amongst the trees. 

For the next few hours Strider came and went from the cave, leaving Dash behind to watch over the ever growing pile of things he was collecting. Poking through the pile, Rainbow wonder what it was Strider was planing. The odd collection of leaves, sticks, roots, berries, and rocks didn’t hold any answers. 

Strider reentered the cave as a sudden gust of wind blew across the opening. With a sigh and glance out of the cave, Strider set about his work. First setting a small fire near the entrance before turning his attention to the rock he had gathered. Selecting a rock he could easily hold, Strider scraped it across a large flat stone. Once satisfied with his work, he then carefully propped both stones next to the fire so they would touch the flames without falling into the ash. 

A loud rustle came from outside the cave, drawing Dash’s attention away from Strider and to the opening. As the sound grew louder, Rainbow could see large raindrops making their way through the canopy. 

“Rain?” Dash asked. “You knew it was going to rain. How?”

Strider gave a single syllable response that she hoped was an answer and not scolding her; the idea of either seemed preposterous a second later. Strider, for his part, didn’t seem to be paying the exchange and mind; instead he moved on to the next part of his project, collecting as much rainwater as he could. 

Once he felt that he had enough water, Strider gathered up the roots, leaves, and berries. Carefully cleaning each one in turn, it wasn’t long until he had them all washed and sorted. Withdrawing the two stones from the fire, Strider use them to slowly grind the roots and berries into a paste. 

Dash watched as Strider worked, curious as to what he was doing. As he worked, Dash found the steady sound of the stones grinding together oddly relaxing. Then, to Rainbow’s surprise, a new sound joined the rhythmic stones, Strider had begun to sing.

It wasn’t loud, in fact Dash wasn’t certain that she wasn’t hearing things at first, but as time went on she could easily make out his voice. The song didn’t seem complex, it's short and repeating verses, steady rhythm, and simple harmony gave it more of a chant-like quality.

Finishing both his work and the song, Strider moved closer to Dash. Gently taking her foreleg, he carefully unwrapped the bindings. Once free of the wrap, Dash flinched when the cool air touched her exposed skin.

“You shaved my leg?!” Dash exclaimed.

Ignoring her, Strider continued to work; pouring the cold rainwater over her leg so that he could clean the area around the long gash. On instinct, Dash tried to pull her leg away when he touched the sore area, but his firm grasp and a stern look told Rainbow that it would be easier if she stayed still and let him work.

Once Dash let Strider perform his work, she found the process strangely relaxing. She could feel his touch on her leg, first going from top to bottom, then in circles. So lost in the odd feeling of his touch that it took Rainbow a few moments to realize that Strider was smearing the strange paste he has made onto her leg.

Next, Strider took the cleaned leaves and placed them over the paste. Finally he rewrapped her leg, chanting another strange song as he went. Rainbow pondered if his chanting was some kind of strange magic; she had heard about Zecora’s potions and mystical abilities. 

Maybe the two are somehow connected. Dash thought. I’ve never heard Zecora speak in her own language.

As Dash pondered the possible connections between Strider and Zecora, Strider moved on to Dash’s other injuries. Checking the splints on leg and wing was far more uncomfortable. Needing to check that Dash’s bones were still aligned, Strider resorted to squeezing the limb in question. The process seemed to drag painfully on, every poke, every prod, every squeeze was worse than the last. Rainbow let out a sudden scream of pain when Strider forced the bones in her wing to shift. Giving Dash a sympathetic glance, Strider finished retying the splints.

Dash watched as Strider moved away from her and over to the far side of the cave. Sitting near the fire, he absently poked at it with a stick, doing his best not to look at Dash. Testing her wing, Rainbow found that most of the pain had subsided. She knew what Strider had done, and why he had done it, but she wasn’t certain that it made it better. 

She watched as he idly played with the fire, trying to hide the sad expression on his face. Dash wondered what was going through his mind; somepony all alone, for Celestia knows how long, before finding a friend, and then having to that friend as the only way to help them. With the worst part being unable to give an apology or an explanation as to why, and unable to comprehend any words of understanding or forgiveness. Dash knew that everything he had done since they met was to help her, even if he couldn’t tell her why. She wondered what he had lost, and what he would be giving up to help her. 

She wondered if anypony was looking for Strider. Did he leave any friends or family behind? Would they be out searching for him? Or would they not bother and declare the idea a lost cause? Or maybe no one would notice his absence and his disappearance would go unnoticed. The image of her friends and family overjoyed at her return popped into Dash’s head. Would Strider get the same reaction when he returned home? IF he returned home? Where was his home?

Strider was so strange, so unusual, so unlike anything she had ever heard of, Dash wondered if it was even possible for him to return home. Maybe it wasn’t. Maybe he was stuck here in this forsaken forest without the ability to get back to where he was from. Only then to have hurt the only being that had shown him any form of kindness or friendship. 

Dash slowly and carefully hobbled her way across the cave until she was next to Strider. Nudging his arm out of the way, Rainbow leaned against his torso. “It’s OK.” she said softly. “I understand.” 

Strider didn’t say anything, instead his arm so that it gently wrapped itself around Dash.