//------------------------------//
// 31~Strong Conviction 
// Story: Youngblood 
// by Centurion Pike-Wall 
//------------------------------//

January 19th, 3096 Imperial Calender (1523 AD)
Fluttershy's Cottage

"Sorry we couldn't come for New Years", Zephr said, taking a sip of tea. "But, Tree and I spent it with her friends."

Fluttershy gave a small smile. Her brother, as well as his marefriend, Tree Hugger, had come by to visit as Zephr had gotten a break in his job. The three of them were currently enjoying tea and a light lunch inside Fluttershy's cottage, simply chatting. 

"Oh, it's fine", Fluttershy said. "We just went to the party in town. You went a few years ago; it was basically the same thing. Anyway, have you guys decided to progress further in your relationship? I mean, you've been properly dating for a few years now."

"Not really", Tree Hugger said. "We're taking our time, making sure that we line up perfectly before we commit."

"Oh", Fluttershy said. "Ok." 

Before the conversation could properly continue, the front door slammed open. Still clad in his beanie and scarf, a green and blonde foal ran in. "Mom! Dad! Auntie Fluttershy!", he yelled, coming to a stop in front of the table. He had clumps of snow sticking to his coat, clutching something to his chest with a forehoof. 

"Thrush, my sweet one", Tree Hugger said, standing up. "What's wrong?"

He gently pulled lifted out his hoof, revealing a squirrel. Said squirrel was grunting in pain, with one of its legs bent horribly out of alignment. "I-I think her leg is broken", Thrush said. 

"Oh my", Fluttershy got up from her own seat, running over to a cabinet along one of the walls. She grabbed a first aid kit, before flapping back over to the two earth ponies. "Set her down. Let me take a look."

Thrush carefully set the squirrel down on the coffee table before backing away. Fluttershy opened up the first aid kit, taking out a small splint and a roll of gauze. She placed the splint on the squirrel's leg, wrapping the gauze around it as tightly as she could while being as gentle as she could. When it was done, all four of them just looked at the squirrel, which was still only laying there and breathing heavily. 

"I-I don't know if that's enough. It-it looks really bad", Zephr said. 

Fluttershy nodded and said, "You're right. If I'm right, the joint is broken and the bone around it is cracked. I can go get some better equipment in order to fix her up, but she won't be able to walk for a while."

"Poor thing", Tree Hugger said, placing a hoof on the squirrel's head and stroking its head. The squirrel stopped shuddering so much, calming down and laying still. "Must have fallen pretty hard."

"She didn't fall", Thrush said simply. All eyes turned on him, resulting in him lowering his head. 

Fluttershy asked, "What do you mean?"


+++++~+++++


Thrush walked through the snow in the forest around the cottage, watching the few remaining animals that had not either left the area or gone into hibernation for the winter. A few small birds perched on the branches above him, causing him to look up at them and smile. 

Even during the winter, when almost everything was dead or hibernating, he loved the forest by his aunts. He had been in plenty of places of nature, living mostly with his mom. He loved his dad, of course, but he spent most of her time with her. His grandma had said it was something about a custodian? Either way, while he had been with his mom in plenty of woods or other natural sections, the ones near his Aunt had always felt more comforting.

He stopped, looking back. He was out of view of the edge of the woods, truly alone. He sat down against a tree, the snow crunching under him. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He liked this part of his mom's "sessions" with some of her friends; just sitting and breathing. 

His eyes opened when he heard a few squeaks. He turned his head to the right, smiling as he saw a squirrel clamber off a tree and land on a rock next to him. "Hey there, buddy", Thrush said. "How's it doing?" The squirrel chittered excitedly, before smiling sheepishly as its stomach growled. "Oh, you're hungry?" The squirrel nodded, lightly patting its belly. Thrush reached into a small pouch he had slung along his shoulder, pulling out a small nut. The squirrel smiled, holding out its paws. Thrush reached out to give it to the squirrel, when: 

*SMACK*

A rock, flying rapidly through the air, smacked into the side of the squirrel. The impact was sent flying off the rock, spiraling off into the snow. Thrush's eyes widened, racing out from behind the tree and over to the squirrel. It grunted in pain, feebly trying to get back up. 

He heard someone say, "Oh shit."

Looking over, he saw a demigryph trudging through the snow towards him. He was a younger one, if the full-grown ones he had seen was any indication. He was wearing a long cloak, a scarf wrapped around his face and thick clothing on his legs. A small sling was wrapped around his front paw, which sort of shifted and shook as he clumsily made his way through the snow. 

"Sorry about that, kid", he said. "Didn't see you there. You ok?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine", Thrush said. 

The demigryph nodded and said, "Alright. Can't say I've seen you around before." He walked around the opposite side of the rock, stumbling a little bit. 

"My parents are visiting my Aunt", he said, returning his attention to the squirrel. 

The demigryph came to a stop, looking down at the squirrel. "Ahh. There it is", he said, taking a step forward and reaching for it."

"Wait", Thrush said, the demigryph responding to his request. "D-did you throw the rock at it?"

"Well, used the sling", the demigryph said, shaking the leg it was wrapped around. "But, yeah."

"W-why?", he asked. "Hurting animals is bad."

The demigryph shrugged. "I'm hungry. Add to that the fact I haven't had any meat in a good five months or so, I figured I'd get something to eat out here." With that, he resumed reaching for the squirrel. 

Thrush darted down and grabbed the squirrel, yanking it away from the Demigryph. It let out a small whine from the jerking motion, which made Thrush grimace. The demigryph looked up from the slightly bloody patch of snow, a look of annoyance on his face. "Hey. Hand it over."

"I don't want you to hurt her", Thrush said. 

The demigryph snorted. "It's just a fu-a fucking squirrel. Just... give it here. It's dead anyway."

Thrush looked down at the squirrel, which winced in pain in his hooves. Thrush looked back up at the demigryph, who was expectantly holding out his paw. Thrush took a deep breath... and bolted in the opposite direction. 

"Oh, you little-Get back here!", the demigryph yelled. Thrush raced ahead, ducking under and around various trees, stumps, rocks, and bushes. The demigryph followed after him, able to keep up with him due to his longer legs even as he made his way through the snow. 

Thrush saw a low-hanging branch in front of him. He stopped, grabbing the branch with one hoof and coming to a stop. The demigryph, who was closing in, ran right in front of the branch. Thrush let go of the branch, sending it flying back and slamming him in the beak. He was sent flying onto his back, groaning as he struggled to get up. As soon as he hit the ground, Thrush continued running, heading back in the direction he knew was his aunt's home.


+++++~+++++


"Oh, my sweet child", Tree Hugger said, hugging Thrush. "Good job."

"Hey, Mrs. Fluttershy!", a voice called out, making Thrush freeze. "You got an ice pack or somethin-" The demigryph that had chased him entered through the open door, clutching his head. He froze when he saw Thrush, his eyes narrowing. "Well, well, well. What the hell are you doing here?"

"DJ? D-did you attack the squirrel?", Fluttershy asked. 

Zephyr said, "That really ain't cool, dude."

"What?", DJ asked. "It's just a squirrel. Do you know how hard it was to even get that thing."

Tree Hugger walked up to DJ, her typical serene smile on her face. "Peace, friend", she said. "Your regard for living creatures is a bit uncool."

"Wait. Aren't you that whackjob who chained herself up in a tree in front of a logging operation?", DJ asked. 

Ignoring him, Tree Hugger continued. "Harming another living thing affects your aura in a negative manner. It's bad vibes, friend."

"What?", he asked. "Even if all life is crafted by Elama, that doesn't mean killing in and of itself isn't terrible. The balance of life and death is how the universe itself is maintained."

"Dude, that doesn't really mean anything", Tree Hugger said. "Like I said, hurting another living creature harms one's aura. And, yours is already not in the best of shape."

DJ sputtered, his feathers fluffing out. He opened his beak, anger contorting his features, before he stopped and took a deep breath. When he looked up, hate burning in his eyes. "Look, I'm hungry, I haven't had meat in months, and I'm tired of taking those piece of shit protein supplements."

"Protein supplements?", Zephyr asked. 

DJ nodded. "Demigryphs and Caragors need higher amounts of protein than ponies, bighorns, etc. You guys don't have enough in your food, so I need to take protein supplements in order to keep up my levels. So, either give me that squirrel, or show me where I can get something made of meat."

"I-I have fish", Fluttershy said. 

All eyes fell on her. DJ asked, "Really?"

"Yeah. S-some of my animal friends also need meat, and f-fish is easier to get ahold of", Fluttershy said. "It's i-in the freezer. Y-you can even use the kitchen if you want."

DJ nodded. "Alright then. Uh, sorry about the squirrel." He walked into the kitchen, all eyes following him as he disappeared into the kitchen. 

Fluttershy said, "Come on. We should get to work on her if she ever wants to walk again."