After losing the kill to the sabertooths, the girls are still on the search for food. They decide to look in a nearby spot full of acacia trees in case those who can't fly in ponied up form must make a quick getaway from an animal chasing them. After about an hour of searching, still no luck.
"We've been searching for HOURS and we STILL haven't eaten." Complained Rainbow Dash
"Tell you what, let's split up into two groups to cover more ground. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Sunset, and I will go north, while Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight go west. The group that finds food will make a signal fire." Suggested Applejack
They all agreed and went their ways. But they still stuck to the woods just in case, while Applejack's group was on the hunt, they did spot a herd of Impala antelope, but a troop of Olive Baboons spotted them and sounded their alarm calls, causing the impala to flee.
"WHY YOU LITTLE VARMINTS!!!! WAIT TILL I GET ONE OF YA!!" shouted Applejack
"Applejack darling, don't shout so loud, that could attract one of those beasts." Said Rarity
"Sigh, you're right Rarity, I just can't stand those rotten monkeys." Replied Applejack
"Look! vultures!" said Pinkie Pie
They looked up in the sky and sure enough, there were vultures circling around in the sky.
"Perfect! when buzzards circle around like that, there's dead stuff around, let's go!" said Applejack
They went straight for the spot the vultures were circling around, and they found the carcass of a giant black hog with massive tusks. Applejack noticed puncture marks in the neck, meaning the hog was killed in a fight rather than disease. So it was okay to eat the meat. Pinkie Pie gathered the wood and Applejack made the signal fire. Rarity went to get a drink of water from a river very close to them and took her spear with her. However, they weren't alone, as in the thick cover, a sabertooth cat the size of a leopard, color of a leopard, but with rosettes like those of a clouded leopard, and with shorter fangs that only went as far down as the jaw,and with a long tail was stalking her. In fact, it has been stalking the girls for a while, waiting for the chance to attack, and Rarity going off on her own was the moment it has been waiting for. Once Rarity got to the river, she got a large stick and probed the river banks to make sure there weren't any crocodiles around. Once she knew it was safe, she drank, but while she was doing that, the big cat following her was now stalking her, getting as close as possible. Then, it charged out from the tall grass and quickly pinned Rarity to the ground, Rarity instinctively grabbed the cat by the throat to keep it from driving those fangs into her throat. The others came rushing to help their friend after hearing her cry for help, Applejack used her strength to grab the feline by the tail and throw it off of Rarity. The cat got back on it's feet and turned to face his opponents as this wasn't a large group of people.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"
Rarity picked up her spear and threw it, but missed. Applejack threw hers and also missed. The cat got Pinkie Pie and Sunset Shimmer to toss their spears at it, then it charged and lunged at Pinkie, but Pinkie being Pinkie managed to dodge the attack rather easily, it turned it's attention back to Rarity, but this time she used her magic to make a diamond shield to block the attack. The cat lunged at Applejack, but Applejack grabbed the big cat and threw it again. Once it got back on it's feet, it lunged for Sunset, and Sunset not having any powers that would actually work against a predator, was easily pinned down by the attacker, but before Applejack could get the cat off of her, the others arrived, Twilight used her magic to lift the feline off of her friend and dropped it onto the ground. The cat got back up, but Rainbow Dash threw her spear and gave the cat a nasty cut on the shoulder.
"RAAAAAAAAAHAA"
Now it was staring all seven of the girls down, but now it knew it was time to back off, and ran back into the woods, and climbed up a tree, not very pleased.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAA CREEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAUHUNG"
"Oh thank you girls! thank you thank you!" said Rarity
"Now this makes finding a place to sleep more challenging. We can't go in a cave after our first interaction with the cats of this place, most certainly not on the ground, and the trees aren't the best option since that thing can climb trees." Said Twilight
"But where else are we going to sleep Twilight?" asked Sunset Shimmer
"How about that big rock over there?" asked Pinkie Pie
They looked to see a huge rock, tall enough that once on it, you could see above the trees.
"Perfect! no cat will be able to climb up onto that rock." Said Fluttershy
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving, where's the grub?" asked Rainbow Dash
"Just follow us." Answered Applejack
They followed Applejack to the hog carcass, Applejack finished butchering the hog, and cooked it over the fire, then they all ate like lions, as this is the first time they've eaten in a while. Once they had their fill, they heard a not so friendly sound.
"ROOOOOWWW" ROOOOWWWWW" ROOOOOWWWW"
The cats they met on their first night here were on the prowl, as it was not getting dark. This was more than enough to make the girls hurry to the rock, Twilight used her magic to lift Applejack, Sunset, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie to the top while she and the other two flew their way up. When it was now dark, they settled in for a good nights sleep. However, they failed to notice a fallen over massive baobab tree leaning against the side of the rock. Sure enough, the leopard-sized sabertooth that attacked Rarity was back, for the night is his time. The cat climbed up the tree and got onto the rock, once it saw the girls sleeping, it set it's sights on Rainbow Dash, and stalked, it got close, ready to pounce, ready to settle the score, but then it's chance was ruined.
"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH"
The sound of elephants was about, waking the girls up, and ruining the felines chance to kill Rainbow Dash, once the girls woke up, the cat fled, not willing to face them a second time. They went to the edge of the rock, seeing the tree.
"So that's how that ruffian got up here!" said Rarity
"What in the hay is going on?" asked Applejack
Applejack got her answer when she and the others saw a herd of Straight-Tusked Elephants defending their calves from a huge pride of the cats that tried to kill the girls in the cave. They were trying to distract the mother elephants from the calves. But they were unsuccessful, and were forced to give up the hunt. Fluttershy ponied up and flew over to the elephants.
"Ummm, excuse me, but could you move a tree for us?" asked Fluttershy
She lead the elephants to the rock, and together, they moved the tree from the rock. When the elephants left and Fluttershy thanked them, the girls now knew they could sleep in peace. When they woke up the next morning and came off the rock the same way as last night, they went down to the river to get a drink. They weren't alone as the sabertooth that tried to maul Rainbow Dash last night was there, but it snarled at them and left, then three creatures called Ancylotherium, animals with horse-like heads, large in size, and with claws, came down to the river along with the Straigh-tusked elephants from last night. They were also joined by a herd of African Elephants and a herd of Deinotherium. Elephants taller than African Elephants with small ears and tusks placed on the lower jaw. The elephants didn't charge at them, perhaps humans around here didn't hunt elephants, so they weren't threatened by people. However, the herds did leave when a huge bull elephant came. This elephant was as tall as a Deinotherium, had a bumpy head like an Asian Elephant, short straight tusks, and tusks on the lower jaw like a Deinotherium, and huge ears like an African Elephant. Twilight was about to squeal at the sight of a new elephant species, but she noticed something on the elephant. The elephants urine was constantly dripping, and there was a liquid secretion on the sides of the head, that meant that this bull elephant was in musth, the stage bull elephants get in during the mating season when their testosterone level rises up to sixty times the normal level, this makes them very aggressive and dangerous to be around. Twilight saw her friends marvel at the size of the elephant, and she was about to tell them it's better to leave, but then Pinkie Pie did the worst thing possible, which was to shout.
"WOW!! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT GUY!!!"
This got the elephants attention, and without warning, he charged at the girls, they ran like crazy, and who could blame them, they were being chased by twenty tons of angry bull elephant after all. The girls scurried up a huge tree, but the elephant rammed his head against it, making it shake. But then, something unexpected happened. A boy came out of the nearby woods, this boy was unique because he is part tiger. He has the fur, stripes, color, claws, fangs, legs, paws, tail, and the ears of a tiger, and also black hair. He was accompanied by a brown hyena, a hyena with pointy ears, long dark brown fur, and a tawny neck.
"Hey big boy! Over here!" the boy shouted
The elephant turned his attention to the boy and charged at him. This gave the girls the chance to leave the tree, the boy lead the elephant to another bull elephant of the same species in musth, and the two bulls fought, allowing the boy and hyena to escape. The girls on the other hand were now looking for breakfast, which they found in the form of a deceased giraffe, which Applejack determined the cause of death to be old age. Before she could butcher it though, they heard a familiar whooping sound.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOP" "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP"
The girls turned around to see a large clan of the same species of hyena that was scared off by the big cats on the girls first night here, there were thirty of them, and they were hungry. The girls stood their ground, Applejack threw some hyenas with her strength, Twilight lifted and threw more hyenas with her magic, but the hyenas weren't dissuaded, but kept on coming and coming.
"Get back you ruffians!" ordered Rarity
The hyenas didn't listen, Rainbow Dash tried to use her speed to confuse the hyenas, but that failed. Rainbow Dash was about to try again, only to be bitten in the leg by a hyena, which ended up snapping her leg in it's powerful jaws.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" Screamed Rainbow Dash in pain
The hyena had Rainbow Dash pinned, ready to kill her, but then a familair somebody appeared.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
The tiger boy and his hyena had come back, when the hyena clan saw the tiger boy, they fled, knowing that he could kill many of them with one swipe from his paw, similar to a scenario with male lions and spotted hyenas. The tiger boy caught the matriarch in his jaws, choking it until Fluttershy intervened.
"Don't kill her, PLEASE!" begged Fluttershy before giving him puppy eyes
The tiger boy rolled his eyes and released his grip on the hyena's throat, he and his brown hyena walked up to the girls.
"Are you girls okay?" asked the tiger boy
"We're fine thanks to you. Well most of us anyway." Said Rarity
"THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK THANK YOU!!!" shouted Rainbow Dash
"Thank you kind sirs" said Twilight
"Thank you partner." Said Applejack
"THANK YOU!" shouted Pinkie Pie
"Thank you so much for saving us, and not killing that hyena." Said Fluttershy
"Thank you." Said Sunset Shimmer
"No problem, but we need to get her to my cave, I heard her scream from quite a distance, so something else should have heard her. Get some of that giraffe meat and I'll carry her on my back." Said the tiger boy
Applejack put Rainbow Dash on the tiger boys back, then gathered some of the meat and then they headed straight for the cave. Though there was one thing on Sunsets mind.
"What's your name?" asked Sunset Shimmer
"The name's Banda, this here is Tulu." Answered the tiger boy
"Sunset Shimmer"
"Twilight Sparkle"
"Rarity"
"Applejack"
"Pinkie Pie"
"Rainbow Dash"
"I'm Fluttershy."
They kept on heading for Banda's cave, with the girls now hoping to get to know their new friends some more.
MACHAIRIFELIS
Height: 2 ft tall
Length: 9 ft long from nose to the tip of the tail
Weight: Males are from 60-175 pounds while females are 50 to 130 pounds
The Machairifelis is the smallest big cat in the Hunters Deathtrap, and unlike the other two big cats in the region, it's solitary. Machairifelis like to live in the areas with lost of trees in order to make a quick escape from clans of hyenas, Tougarions, and Petriasmilus. To keep their kills from being stolen by other predators, they will drag their kills up into trees just like leopards. They do come into conflict with wild dogs, which in packs can chase off a Machairifelis, as these cats don't have the size and power to kill several dogs in a fight. However, they will kill dogs that are on their own. Like the other big cats, these felines hate humans. They will kill a person that's on their own, or they will kill humans in their sleep. When confronted by a small group of people, they will actually trick them into throwing their spears at them and when all the people have thrown their spears, they lunge at a person and quickly kill a person. Their diet includes antelopes like Impala, wild pigs like Bush pigs, buffalo calves, baboons, striped and brown hyenas, and giraffe calves. Machairifelis are very territorial, and they will fight and even kill each other to keep intruders out of their territories. Females can have anywhere from 3-6 cubs, and she will hide them in a den or a tree when she goes hunting to keep them safe from other predators. Night time is when they really like to hunt, especially if they're targeting baboons as baboons don't exactly have the best night vision. In fact, when wild dogs are sleeping at night, Machairifelis have been known to sneek into wild dog dens and kill the pups night after night after night. This makes the wild dogs leave the area, and the Machairifelis will have an area to itself.