//------------------------------// // Chapter 5- Fishy Lessons // Story: Equestrian Skies // by RomeoDKat //------------------------------//            The start of the afternoon was going to be anything but pleasant for Blue Typhoon. The day itself had started off good enough, since the only thing out of the norm for her was that she needed to make breakfast for Silverclaw. She then spent the rest of the morning doing chores around the house and taking care of Cloudchaser and Sky Chaser whenever she needed or wanted to. It was a relatively normal day for her, until Silverclaw had called her down to teach her how to prepare fish for Sky’s lunch. Now, she was standing in the kitchen, staring at the two cutting boards that were resting on paper towels and the knives that Silverclaw had placed on the counter. She didn’t even need to ask him about the extra cutting board and knife to figure out that, unlike last night where she reluctantly watched Silverclaw skin a rabbit, she was going to get involved this time.            Silverclaw, meanwhile, was digging around in one of his ice chests until he pulled out two six-inch long bass from it. He flew over the counter and placed a bass on each cutting board. He then turned to Blue Typhoon and said, “Alright, today I’m going to teach ya how ta fillet a fish.”            Blue Typhoon walked closer to the counter in order to get a closer look at the bass, but reeled back as soon as she was hit by the smell of them. “Oh, Celestia, they stink!” She yelled out as she used one of her hooves to cover her nose.            “The sayin,’ somethin’ smells fishy, exists for a reason, sweetheart. What’cha expectin’ them to smell like, cologne?” Silverclaw lightheartedly replied.            “No but I didn’t think they’d stink this badly!” She exclaimed.            “Oh please, this is nothin.’ Wait till ya try to fillet a swordfish, then tell me how bad the bass smells. I guarantee that you’ll say that they smell like roses in comparison.” Silverclaw jokingly said.            “Yeah, how about I don’t and say that I did.” Blue deadpanned.            Silverclaw chuckled before speaking, “All right, I can agree to that.” He then walked behind the cutting board on the right and said, “Shall we get started? The sooner we get this done, the sooner you can give those kids some lunch.”            Blue took a deep breath before replying, “I suppose we should.” She got behind the other cutting board, stomaching the smell of the bass.            “Alright, before we get started,” He said as he grabbed his knife. “An important thing to keep in mind is that you’re always usin’ a cuttin’ board and that you’re usin’ a sharp knife.”            “Isn’t that kind of a no brainer?” Blue sarcastically asked.            “You’d think that, but I’ve lost count of the number of cooks I’ve caught trying to fillet a fish before sharpening their knives and without a cutting board.” He replied.            “Wow, good to know that I know more about cooking than some of the cooks that work at the castle.” Blue joked, causing Silverclaw to chuckle. Blue then picked up the knife as she said, “So let me guess, you want to use a sharp knife so that you can actually cut through the fish and because a sharp knife is much safer to use than a dull knife.” Silverclaw nodded. “And you use the cutting board to protect the counter.”            “Well, you’re half right about the cuttin’ board.” Silverclaw replied. “The other reason is because fish is a lot more slippery than most fruits and vegetables, so the friction between the fish and the board actually helps keep it still as you fillet it.”            “Huh, didn’t think about it like that.” Blue said thoughtfully.            “Bet you’re glad I’m here ta tell ya this stuff now, aint ya.” Silverclaw lightheartedly said before his eyes widened in realization. “Oh, while I’m thinkin’ about it, never cut fruits and vegetables on the same cuttin’ board and knife you used ta cut meat. If ya do, then ya run the very high risk of getting’ yer family very sick. Either cut them before ya cut meat, use a different cuttin’ board and knife, or clean them thoroughly before hand.”            “I’ll be sure to write that down once we’re down here.” A disturbed Blue Typhoon replied.            “Good, now let’s get started.” Silverclaw exclaimed as he grabbed a hold of the bass as Blue Typhoon mentally prepared herself for his demonstration. Mostly just waiting for him to tell her she needs to cut the fish’s head off. “First, ya gotta position the knife so that it’s behind the pectoral fin.” Silverclaw explained as he put the knife where he said to. “Then, cut into the fish until ya reach its spine.” He paused as he began to cut into the fish. Once he cut it about half way, he continued, “Once ya reach its spine, turn the knife so that the blade is pointin’ towards the tail and cut down the body.” He then rotated the knife towards the fish’s tail and began to cut down it’s body. “It’s important ta keep in mind that ya gotta cut away from yerself, so move the cuttin’ board around if ya have to.” After a few seconds, Silverclaw cut his way through the fish and placed the knife down on the cuttin’ board while leaving the meat on the fish. He then turned to Blue Typhoon and said, “Alright, it’s your turn now.”            Blue just stared at her fish for a while before turning to Silverclaw and asking, “So…I don’t have to chop it’s head off?”            “No, of course not. What made ya think that that’s necessary?” Sivlerclaw bluntly asked.            “I just…thought that it was necessary.” Blue sheepishly answered.            “Well it isn’t, so don’t ya think about doin’ it.” Silverclaw replied. “Just do what I showed ya and you’ll get through it just fine.”            “…Okay.” Blue simply said as she walked up to her cutting board and hovered the knife over the fish. It’s not going to jump up at you It’s not going to jump up at you. Blue repeatedly thought as she positioned the knife behind the pectoral fin and began to cut into the bass. She had a little bit of trouble at first due to her inexperience and her uneasy feelings about the task. She was putting a lot of pressure on the fish to keep it from moving around and was taking much longer than Silverclaw did to cut it. She almost cut through the fish’s spine before she managed to catch herself. She did finally begin to relax a little when she began to cut down it’s body, which caused her to fillet it a little bit faster. This isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. She thought to herself as she finished cutting through it’s body. I don’t know what I was worried about. She then, on an impulse, took the meat off the fish and dropped on the cutting board when she was met with the sight of the fish’s organs. Oh…that.            Silverclaw, who had been watching her carefully, asked, “So, first time seein’ a fish’s guts?”            “…Yep.” She simply replied.            “Yeah, I figured. I actually wanted ta prepare ya for that before takin’ the meat off the fish. It’s why I didn’t take the meat off my fish before.” He explained as he took the meat off his fish and placed it next to the fish. “Oh well, it is what it is. How are you feelin’?”            “A little disgusted. Definitely disturbed.” She answered.            “Yeah, I figured as much.” Silverclaw then gave a sly smile before jokingly asking, “Wanna cut its stomach open ta see what’s inside?”            “Want to clean vomit off the kitchen floor.” She deadpanned back.            Silverclaw let out a hearty laugh as he grabbed a hold of the counter to keep himself from falling over. When he started to calm down, he wiped a lone tear out of his eye and said, “Oh, that was good. I can see why my wife likes ya guys so much.”            Blue flinched in surprise as she said, “Wait…what?”            Silverclaw chuckled before saying, “What’s the matter? Didn’t think that yer talkin’ to a married griffon did ya?”            “W-what, no. That’s not what I was thinking.” She frantically responded. She then paused for a moment before saying, “Although, if you had told me that you weren’t married, then I wouldn’t have been surprised.” Silverclaw chuckled in response. “I just didn’t know that we met your wife.”            “Yep, give me a moment.” Silverclaw said as he left the kitchen and up the stairs into the guest room.            “Alright.” Blue said as she turned to look at the fish as she waited for Silverclaw to come back. After a few seconds, she began to think to herself. You know, I could get used the seeing fish guts on a regular basis. So long as their hearts aren’t beating that is. I wonder what’s inside it’s stomach…dammit, now that griffon’s got me thinking about it.            After a few more seconds, Silverclaw came back into the kitchen with a black booklet in his talon. “Here ya are.” He said as he handed the booklet to Blue Typhoon.            Blue retrieved the booklet from Silverclaw and opened it. Inside were two items. One was a card with Silverclaw’s picture, name, and job title. She didn’t even need to ask to figure out that the card was Silverclaw’s I.D. that he used to get into the castle. The other item was a photo that depicted Silverclaw with a talon around a very familiar mare. “Wait…isn’t that the owner of that diner we went to in Canterlot?”            “You mean Lamp Shade?” Yep, that’s her.” Silverclaw confirmed. “I thought she was pulling my leg when she told me about the family with the well-behaved foals and how one of them looked like an ape.”            Blue giggled before responding, “Yeah, I don’t think that I’d believe my husband either if he told me about a family with a foal that looked like an ape.”            “Oh no, I believed that part of her story. I thought she was joking about the well-behaved foals.” Silverclaw sincerely replied.            Blue laughed as she responded, “Oh come on, you’re kidding?”            “Let’s just say that, even before we got married, a day has not gone by when she doesn’t bitch about somepony’s kids.” Sivlerclaw explained.            “Fair enough.” Blue said as she passed the booklet back to Silverclaw. “So was Lamp Shade talking about Sky the reason you decided to help us out.”            “I’ll admit, I was curious about him when she told me about the little guy and I figured that the family that the princess wanted me to teach was the same family my wife praised, but that wasn’t the reason I agreed to teach ya guys.” Silverclaw explained.            “What was the reason?” Blue Typhoon asked.            “A combination of me bein’ the primary expert on preparing meat among the castle staff and Princess Celestia threatenin’ to send Chief Marinade instead if I didn’t go.” Silverclaw answered.            “How is that a bad thing?” A confused Blue Typhoon asked.            “To say that she’s an absolute catastrophe at cooking anything other than pastries would be an understatement.” Silverclaw clarified. “If she had arrived, you would have lost yer kitchen by now…and quite possibly house.”            “…I’m so glad you came.” Blue said, feeling slightly relieved.            “I bet you are.” Silverclaw lightheartedly replied. He then walked up to the cutting boards and asked. “Shall we continue where we left off.”            “I suppose,” Blue said as she got behind the other cutting board. “What else is there for us to do?”            “First, we gotta cut the rest of the meat off the fish. Then, we gotta cut the scales, which will probably be the hardest part of this process.” Silverclaw explained.            “Thanks for the warning.” Blue sarcastically said as she looked up at the clock. It’s almost twelve o’clock already! I’m surprised Cloudchaser hasn’t stormed in to complain about being hungry. I wonder what that filly’s up to.            Cloudchaser was on her bed playing with her teddy bear with a small frown on her face. She had gone downstairs to tell her mom that she was starting to get hungry, but ran back to her room when she saw her about to cut into a fish. She didn’t think she could stomach watching her mom cut into another living being.            She couldn’t believe what that little monster was forcing her mom to do. She hated him for it. She didn’t even want to think about a time where she actually liked Sky. How could she ever like that little meat eater after what she witnessed two weeks before Sky’s arrival.            It was the middle of the afternoon and Blue Typhoon thought that it was a good idea to take Cloudchaser out in the backyard to play around for a little bit. Cloudchaser was running and flying around while kicking a red ball. Blue, meanwhile, was sitting on one of the lawn chairs reading a book as she kept watch over her. As rambunctious as Cloudchaser could be, she thankfully didn’t have to worry about her flying off so long as there was something to keep her occupied. Cloudchaser’s focus was primarily on the ball, until something else caught her attention.            It was a butterfly with blue wings. First, it landed on Cloudchaser’s ball right before she was about to kick it again. She stopped when she saw it and leaned in to get a closer look at it. The butterfly, unsatisfied with the ball, flew up and began to head towards a group of flowers on the other side of the garden. Cloudchaser followed close behind it so that she could continue to watch it. Eventually, the butterfly landed on one of the flowers and began to feed on the nectar, while Cloudchaser watched it with child-like wonder. Little did they both know that there was another pair of eyes watching the butterfly.            A hungry pair of eyes that began to slowly approach the butterfly, but hesitated when it saw Cloudchaser. It didn’t know whether or not to see her as a threat, but what it did know was that it wanted to eat. It needed to eat. And it knew that neither Cloudchaser or the butterfly knew that it was there. So, it moved slowly toward the butterfly. So slowly that neither the butterfly or Cloudchaser could notice it approach its prey. The only thing keeping it from making a sudden movement was its own experience and patience. It stopped moving when it was right next to the flower and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. That opportunity came when the butterfly, still unaware of the predator watching it, started getting closer to it. The predator knew it was now or never, so as soon as the butterfly was in reach, it striked.            Blue Typhoon looked up and haphazardly threw her book down when she suddenly heard Cloudchaser. She flew over to Cloudchasder, who was crying by the flowers. Blue gave her a comforting hug as she asked her, “What’s the matter, sweetie? Did you get hurt?”            “Mommy…look.” Cloudchaser said in between sobs as she pointed a hoof at the flowers.            Blue Typhoon looked over to where Cloudchaser was pointing and immediately saw what she was trying to show her. Standing on her flowers, with a butterfly in its pincers, was a praying mantis, who had already begun to eat its prey. It didn’t take long for Blue Typhoon to figure out what Cloudchaser had just witnessed.            “Y-you have to do something, mommy. Please.” Cloudchaser croaked out, giving Blue Typhoon a pleading look.            “I’m sorry, sweetie, but there’s nothing I can do.” Blue sadly admitted.            “Why not?” Cloudchaser asked.            “Well, you see…” Blue Typhoon said as she tried to formulate her thoughts. “…You know how you have to eat dandelions and other plants, right?”            “Mhmm” Cloudchaser replied with a nod.            “Well, there’s also other animals that eat plants too, and because of that there’s animals that exist to eat other animals.” Blue tried to explain.            “B-but why do they have to.” Cloudchaser sadly asked.            “Well, that’s…something that I can’t really explain to you right now. That’s something that you have to learn when you’re older” Preferably, when you’re in school. “Now, come on. Let’s head inside.” Blue said as she took a hold of Cloudchaser’s hoof and began to lead her to the house.            Cloudchaser took one last look at the praying mantis, only to turn away from it when she saw it clearly bite off the butterfly’s head. She might not have known why the praying mantis needed to eat the butterfly to survive, but she did know one thing. She wasn’t going to forget this moment anytime soon.            Cloudchaser frowned as she thought back to that day. While her young mind kept her from remembering the specific details of that day, she still remembered the mantis and that her mother tried to comfort her. Since then, she’s been thinking about why the mantis ate the defenseless butterfly from time to time and came up with a conclusion. That it was cold, heartless monster.            And now there’s a monster that needs to eat small defenseless animals living in her house. And worse yet, her parents are actually trying to provide those animals to it. They might have been fooled by its innocent act and she might have been fooled by it at first, but she wasn’t going to be fooled by that monster so long as she lived.