//------------------------------// // 04 Creature // Story: Unlucky seven // by Pinklestia //------------------------------// ~~*Clumsy but well-meaning Applejack*~~ The sun shined brightly that day. The park teemed with all manner of life. Yet one in particular was not so simply. Every other creature within that park belonged there. Yet one did not. It was an orange colored creature with a blond mane. It lay on its side passed out. It groaned and shifted subtly. Soon, green eyes opened and it blearily tried to make sense of where it was. Thoughts of the night before came back. Memories of a simple midnight jog. Then there was only blackness. Had something happened? Why was it here? What had it done the night before? These and a great many other questions marched onward in its mind before they came to a sudden screeching halt at the sight of her forelegs. It saw bright orange fur and hooves a slightly darker color. It did what it felt was a perfectly reasonable response… It screamed. The scream alerted a nearby man of trouble. He was a simple man, but he was also a good man. The scream drew him for he thought someone was in trouble. While he was a good man his eyes were not the best so when he saw it he thought he saw a large dog. He called after it and quickly ran its way. Had the animal attacked someone? No. He decided that was unlikely, as he could see no one nearby. The creature did not know this. It knew only that something was wrong with it. It knew that it did not belong. It knew that it could not be captured. So it tried to run. However it tripped at first. It’s hooves unsteady and legs unwieldy. It soon tripped and fell down into a small stream from a hill. The man followed unsure of what to think. It saw a dark shape lunge away and followed. He walked across a bridge slowly to try and find the dog. He did not know that the creature was under that very bridge. It sat there and panted. It tried to think, to reason with itself. It then caught sight of itself in the water. Orange fur, green eyes, a messy blond mane, blue bow in its tail, and several apple marks on its flanks. It saw a… pony? Yes! It was a pony! It was one from that crazy pony show. It grimaced and lifted a hind leg then looked down. It raised its head with a blush. A female pony no less. Well, that certainly made things awkward for her… He… well it would be a she now, right? She... sat and tried to recall what had happened the night before. She tried to think of anything that could’ve caused this. One incident came to mind. The day before she had been at school. She was a member of the football team. She had also been male at the time. She and the others had just finished practice. That was when some of her teammates had decided to pick on that kid. He wasn’t a bad kid. She had never really paid much attention to him, or others, to be honest. She wanted to play sports and eventually maybe get a scholarship to continue to play sports in college. She was barely concerned about the future to be perfectly honest. But something about that incident stuck out in her mind. It made her internally cringe and soon she understood why. When her fellows picked on the kid she had been cajoled into it. The idea that ‘peer pressure sucks’ suddenly struck her. Yes it did. She had joined in on picking on the kid and why it stuck so firmly came to her. He was a ‘brony’, one of those guys that liked that stupid pony show. Her teammates had only targeted him for that reason. She had only been forced to pick on him for that reason… And now she was a pony herself. Well, this certainly felt like something straight out of ‘100 Deeds of Eddie McDowd’. She hadn’t been too cruel to him… right? Her memory was a bit fuzzy but she didn’t think she would’ve hurt him. No, she wouldn’t. She might tease him a bit to get his teammates off his back, but that was it. Then again some of her teammates didn’t have that same restraint. She hadn’t tried to stop them either. Perhaps that was reason enough to punish her like this… Though she sincerely hoped not. She remembered after though. Her teammates all went out. She’d decided to go home. She wasn’t much of a drinker to be honest. She also had a few things to get done for her mom. So she had, then that night she had gone out on a simple jog. Then things got fuzzy and she blacked out. The next thing she knew she had woken up in the park. Then she screamed, and then she hid under this bridge… She had only been lucky that big dog was scared when she fell into it. Otherwise that might’ve kept looking around for her. That wouldn’t have been a good thing. In her present form she wasn’t even sure if she could walk properly… or was it called something else for a pony? She grimaced and brought her hooves to her head. She felt such a headache coming on… She shook her head and took in a shaky breath. She had been changed into a… a pony. Why!? Of course her only thoughts were that someone had hexed her. But who? Better than who however, why? Sure she had made fun of that kid, but hadn’t her teammates done so as well? Maybe she had been targeted because she hadn’t tried to stop them? Was someone trying to teach her a lesson about being true to herself? Well message received then! Don’t pick on kids to please your teammates or you might wind up hexed into a pony! She shook her head again. Now was not the time for her to face a crisis of self. She needed to figure out if anyone else had been affected. The only way to do that was to check her school. The only way to do that was if she learned how to walk. Which meant she had her work cut out for her. But she was nothing if not stubborn. She would figure this out or she would… well hopefully not die. To be honest walking wasn’t that important to her. But still, it was something to do. So she started to get up. Then tripped and landed flat on her face. She groaned and rubbed her sore jaw. She tried again. Again she fell. She tried again. This time her head bashed into the low part of the bridge above her. She tried again. Somehow she managed a single step, and then tripped on a pebble of all things! She tried again. The water was her downfall, a smooth rock in it and she fell into the water and got wet. She tried again. She almost expected it this time; she stumbled into her own hooves and fell down. Today really wasn’t her day. But still, she tried again. Finally she managed to just stand without falling. She was on unsteady legs, but at least she was standing. However, she felt horribly exposed and embarrassed to be naked in broad daylight. She wondered how ponies could do this as the wind brushed against an exposed portion of her body. She then yelped and fell forward when something touched her back there. She glanced back and grimaced. She could see that it had just been her tail. She grimaced and brought her hooves to her face. If being naked in broad daylight wasn’t embarrassing enough, that her own tail had scared her was. However she didn’t let that stop her. She got back up and tried to stand once more. It was easier this time. But that wasn’t saying much. She still fell a couple times before she finally managed. Again the wind brushed against her nethers and she shivered as her tail moved to block it. That would take some getting used to. She hoped it wasn’t permanent. She looked around for a moment and then tried to walk. Her first attempt ended with her face in the dirt… again. She felt her eye twitch and glared at her body. What was it with this pony body and falling down? Was it just her or was it the body? She didn’t know but it was really annoying. Either way, she got up and tried again. It was getting easier to stand, but walking felt awkward. Her front hooves moved forward but she forgot about her back legs and so she fell face forward again. She idly blew a breath into her bangs and tapped her hoof on the ground. This wasn’t fun, funny, or even silly, this was just annoying. But she still got back up, and she tried again. Call her stubborn, but she was not letting this body get the better of her! She recalled her back legs and tried to walk. Unfortunately she moved her back legs wrong and they got tangled with her forelimbs. Thus she fell to the side and back into the water of the small stream that ran though the park. She sat up in the stream, all dirt washed from her face and undercarriage. She then huffed and tried hard not to scream in frustration. She settled for simply grinding her teeth. Given the last time she screamed she doubted it’d be a good idea anyways. She then got back up and tried to walk yet again. Finally she managed a few steps. She was unsteady and doubted she could ever walk very fast. But she would at least manage to get somewhere now. So she made her way along the bank. She knew the way to her school and yet a thought suddenly occurred to her. How could she get into the school looking as she did? The thought gave her pause and she brought a hoof to her face. Yeah… she had totally forgotten about that. However at least it’d motivated her to learn how to walk. Which ended as she was only on three unsteady legs and she landed in the dirt once more. The orange pony had a flat and very irritated look on her face. She stared at nothing in particular. She just felt like she needed to glare at something. She then snorted and got back onto her hooves. She continued her slow trot so she could get used to the sensation. Hopefully if she walked enough her body and mind would get used to it. Then maybe she could walk without having to keep track of all of her crazy limbs… like her tail… that she stepped on by accident and which sent her sprawling. She lay there for a moment. She just allowed herself to lay there and not start swearing as loud as she could. How was it that she was so bad at this? Her tail had tripped her! How did that even work!? She found this whole thing to be annoying enough before. But this! This was just… She sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly. Now was not the time to get excited or angry. She had better things to do, like learn to walk, than rage at the world. So she did just that and got back onto her hooves once again. Again she got up. Again she walked. Now she just needed to get somewhere safe. She wasn’t a fool. Just because she was a jock didn’t mean she was stupid. She knew that a walking, most likely talking, pony would be very strange. Especially with her bright coloration, short muzzle, and huge eyes. So she stayed out of the way as she walked. She kept to places where people were most unlikely to go. She soon found the gate out of the park but grimaced. How could she walk on a crowded city street looking like this? She could think of nothing. She was bright orange. She was a small horse with stubby little limbs and bulbous eyes. If a little girl didn’t strangle her with hugs then a dogcatcher might try to chase and catch her. So what could she do? She couldn’t stay in the park indefinitely. She needed food… although she could probably eat grass. She shivered at the thought as she looked down at the grass. She couldn’t just walk out of the park onto a busy city street. That was as close to suicide as possible. Well in her form anyways. So she sat and she thought about what she could do. People came into the park all the time. They came with picnics… maybe she could swipe something. It was a good thought at least. Plus it’d be something to keep her busy. She nodded her head. She would have to be careful however. She had dubbed herself a clutz due to her earlier trials. If that were to be the case she would have to overcome it. She liked a challenge. She returned to the park and watched the patrons. She kept an eye out for anyone nearby. Soon she spotted a picnic with a salad and licked her lips. She wasn’t stupid, as said before. Even she knew that ponies didn’t eat meat. Though that chicken looked oh so tempting. But she didn’t take the bait. She made her way closer to the people. She decided she needed to stay out of sight for the most part. It seemed most assumed she was an orange dog at a passing glance. She would be a large dog, sure, but still just a dog. She wasn’t sure if she was insulted or not. At least it kept them from being freaked out. She snuck close to the picnic while the people were away. The city was a nice one. You rarely saw bad things happen. It was a small city as well. Not like New York or Hollywood. So crime wasn’t as bad as it was in those places. Still, she was stealing a salad of all things. She felt so bad about it… Then her stomach started to growl at her. Right, time to feed the beast then. However maybe she didn’t need all of it. She managed to grab a plate with her mouth. It felt very strange. Then put it on the ground and used some tongues, again with her mouth, to get a bit of salad for herself. She hoped that they either didn’t notice, or didn’t care, that the bit of salad disappeared. With her food ready she pulled it and the plate into a nearby bush to hide. She breathed a sigh of relief when she was finished. She began to scarf down on the salad with gusto. She wasn’t ‘starving’ but she had done quite a bit of work today. Now she just had to figure out what to do about her body issues. She couldn’t just stay in this park for the rest of time. It’d get suspicious if salads just up and vanished too often after all. She could maybe slip out of the park at night, but even that would be pushing it. While her city wasn’t big, it was still a city. But it’d be dark and fewer people would be likely to see her. So yes, that would have to be what she did. The back alleys and such would be hard to maneuver around however. Especially since she’d be on her own. But if she wanted to be able to stay up at night she’d have to get some rest now. That way she could get out of the park and maybe look for help. She nodded her head. Yes, that would have to be what she did. She’d wait till cover of darkness then slip out into the city. What she would do then… well… she’d figure that out later… ~~*Moondancer the Dream Weaver*~~ Honestly, waking up at night is quickly becoming easier. Although I grimace slightly since I’d used my duffle bag as a pillow. Given it’s mostly filled with books this wasn’t the best of ideas. My neck hurts like I can’t possibly describe and I feel stiff. ‘Ugh, I wish I had a pillow or something,’ I admit to myself. Needless to say, my brain decides that that is the perfect time to bug me. Maybe you should’ve thought of that before leaving yesterday. ‘Shut up brain, it’s too early for me to deal with you right now,’ I internally grumbled. With a yawn I sit up and shake my head as I fully wake up. I glance around and then set about trying to remember what I need to do tonight. ‘I need to find a new place to stay,’ I reminded myself. With that in mind and a nod of my head I set about collecting my things. It is a quick task since I hadn’t emptied my duffle bag the night before. However with that done I worried about where I could stake my claim. Despite the forest I have no idea where I could live relatively comfortably. Not only are there very few abandoned homes or barns, but the majority of them are so run down as to be unusable. Not only that but I still want to remain somewhat close to my family. There is that little stone house down the street. ‘Cramped, run down, filled with junk, and I swear the door is busted,’ I replied. The abandoned Apple Orchard down the road has that one building. ‘I don’t know if it’s locked or not, never had any reason to go there before,’ I remind. One of the other abandoned barns. ‘Most barns, including this one, aren’t technically abandoned, just rarely used,’ I reply flatly. I could recall a time or two when my cousin used this barn. It wasn’t for much but I suppose that means it isn’t abandoned. True, well the barn is obviously a no go… so why not cut our losses and head to the next street over? I mean what about Maw’s old place? If we head over there we should have a few added creature comforts at the least. ‘She’s dead, the place has no water or power, and mom has the only key to her house,’ I replied hotly. Aside from that I was not going to break into my dead great grandmothers home. She had only died this passed summer after all. She had a barn, and that old trailer out in front of the barn, and that one building down in the field by it. ‘The trailer is full of snakes so I wouldn’t doubt the barn is as well, and that building has been locked longer than Maw has been dead,’ I replied flatly. My great grandmother had had a great many places on her property; sadly, most of them were closed off to me. Want to rough it in the forest then? ‘I don’t even have a tent unless I want to go digging for that old pup tent in the shed. But that would make too much noise and I might get caught,’ I reply evenly. Well there was that and the fact I hate sleeping in a tent. I hate sleeping outside in general but that was beside the point. Right… hmmm, so how about that old cave where the wild dogs lived? ‘That might actually work,’ I admit and rub my chin with a frown. The old cave in question isn’t too far out of my way. Closer than Maw’s place at any rate, but farther than the little stone house or some of the barns I knew of. Added to that I don’t know exactly where it is. However I could spare some time to go looking for it, and once I do I wouldn’t have to worry about someone finding me. No one went back there! Sounds like we have a plan. ‘Finally,’ I reply. That in mind I set out to find the old cave. I also make sure to have my flashlight out and ready so I won’t run into any of those little blue nightmares. I am fairly certain that my desire to avoid these plants would almost seem crazy. After all, I can’t be sure that they are really Poison Joke, but even if the chance is slim I’m a pony and that alone makes me worry. So I’m going to avoid those little blue plants like the plague and not care what anyone else thinks… That seems a bit insane you know. ‘You want to end up getting transformed by a magical plant with no way of changing back?’ Well… no, of course not. ‘Then shut the buck up, I’m feeling really grumpy right now,’ I inform my annoying brain plainly. When aren’t you grumpy? ‘When you aren’t around,’ I fire back. Somehow this back and forth I constantly have going with myself seems to be getting more and more annoying. I think it’s mostly because I know that I win no matter if it’s my brain or me… actually that’s the majority reason. What point is there in fighting with my brain if I technically win regardless of who loses? Oh, so that means never? ‘Ugh, can we skip the back and forth, I’m feeling irritable,’ I grumble in his direction. Yeah this is kind of pointless and… is that Hearts desire? The question catches me momentarily off guard as I stop and look around. I soon spot the plant in question and mentally frown upon seeing it. ‘Another plant from Equestria that doesn’t exist in real life,’ I note to myself worriedly. Worse still, this one has magical properties. ‘So does Poison Joke,’ I remind with a frown. Unlike Poison Joke this one has as of yet undetermined magical properties. I idly nodded my head in agreement with my brain. The amended sentence made more sense than it simply having magic properties. I know what Poison Joke would do if I touched it, I also know Hearts Desire won’t do anything when touched. However, I have no idea what either does when ingested. ‘Not like I was planning to find out either,’ I remind myself. Doesn’t Hearts Desire have something to do with that ‘Cutie Pox’ or was it the Love Poison? ‘Probably both when you think about it,’ I reply with a shrug. That could be really really bad if it fell in the wrong hooves. ‘You just said hooves,’ I note with a blink. Oh great now we’re using the pony lingo in our head too! ‘That’s been happening for a while now…’ I remind. Yes, but now it’s getting worse. ‘Point,’ I reply. With that I take to studying my surroundings with much more scrutiny. If Poison Joke and Hearts Desire are lying around then I really need to keep an eye out for more unusual flora to show up. Might also want to watch out for unusual fauna as well. ‘Agreed,’ I noted with a frown. That was probably the most prudent course of action to take. Equestria had, for the most part, normal enough Flora with an abundance of unusual Fauna that could appear. If any unusual animals started showing up I was going to be sure to be aware of them. Not only would it save my skin but it’d also confirm my ever-growing suspicions about why I had changed. Aside from my now heightened awareness of my surroundings I continued on towards the forest. I needed to locate that old cave the wild dogs once lived. It would be a perfect place for me to stake my claim. Not only was it relatively out of the way, but thankfully, the wild dogs were long dead. I wasn’t sure what killed them, or if they just died out there, either way I wasn’t looking a gift horse in the… ‘Ugh, no horse puns!’ I remind myself with a frown. With that thought in mind I wander towards the forest and suppress a shiver of fear. The forest is large and ominous, looking every bit like the one from that blasted Slender game… my having only a flashlight to light my way certainly doesn’t help things. ‘Maybe I should wait until morning,’ I think with my ears folded back. Oh c’mon, you’ve never been scared of Slenderman before. ‘Says you! That game freaked me out when I first played it,’ I remind with a shiver. This is coming from the guy who watched every episode of Marble Hornets. ‘Hey, just because I liked those vids doesn’t mean that game wasn’t scary,’ I replied. Yeah it was kind of scary, but only because the music was bucking creepy. ‘True,’ I admit to myself. Of all the things in that game that freaked me out, the music had to be the worst part. I know it was literally designed to freak people out, but it didn’t have to do its job so well! Besides, Slenderman isn’t real. ‘Neither are talking magical unicorns…’ Well… you have a point there. But my point of Slenderman not being real still stands. ‘I honestly hate you right now,’ I think while slowly walking into the forest. Technically that means you hate yourself… ‘I know, and I’m sticking by what I said,’ I reply stiffly. That does little to comfort me as I wonder into the cold dark forest in the middle of the night. ‘I really hate myself right now. I hate wandering through cold dark lonely forests, I hate looking for an old bucking cave in the middle of the night with nothing but a flashlight,’ I think to myself with a slight whimper as the sounds around me start to match with that stupid bucking game! Would you stop that! You’re just working yourself into a frenzy! ‘I know but I can’t help it!’ I reply while nearly shaking. The sounds are getting louder I swear. Worse is that my hooves softly crunch the twigs and leaves on the ground. It sounds exactly like that bucking game and it’s already starting to freak me out! Added to all that is my limited vision and the fact I know there are bears and other dangerous things in the forest. Imagining that there are more terrible things out there is easier as a result! It doesn’t help that with everything seemingly turning into Equestria I could run into a Cockatrice or a Manticore or a dragon or…! Get a hold of yourself! Jeez, and here I thought you were working yourself into a frenzy before. I think I preferred it when you were only worried about Slender popping out at you. Yes there are bears and such but you know they are most likely too afraid of people to come this close. Also stop worrying; I sincerely doubt any Equestrian monsters are around just yet. So take a breath, calm down, and just remember not to… The sudden hooting of an owl made me yelp and leap back. My head darts around with the flashlight before looking up into the trees. Eventually I spot an owl, its brown and cream colored with large yellow eyes looking down at me. It hoots once more and then flies off into the night. I take a moment to calm my breathing and then growl. ‘Buck you too, Olly,’ I grumble darkly. … panic. Ugh, this is so embarrassing. ‘To who? We’re the only pony out here,’ I remind my annoying brain. Me, because I actually had to see all that! ‘Oh quiet you!’ I reply with a internal scowl. It’s a bit hard to scowl with the flashlight in my mouth after all. Aside from that I turned and went to the edge of the forest and followed it for a time. I was clearly too freaked out by videogames to wander through the forest proper anyways. Whose fault is that? ‘Shut up!’ This is starting to get really old. Continuing on my way I stop at an old wagon that has broken wheels. ‘I actually forgot that this was here,’ I admit while circling the old broken down wagon. It had no roof, age having destroyed it, but the base seemed sturdy enough. Though that was probably because it was made of some kind of plastic or something. It wasn’t an ‘ancient’ wagon, but it was fairly old. It has no use to us right now. ‘No, but if we had more ponies we could probably carry a lot of stuff with it,’ I replied. Broken wheels, hooves don’t make for good tools for fixing those. ‘True,’ I admitted. With that I ignored the wagon and continued on my way looking for the old cave. I went down the forest for a ways before I coming to a halt and looking around. ‘I think our old house is down that way,’ I note to myself and then turn back to the forest. ‘So the cave would have to be around this way,’ I decided with a nod. With my destination set I wander into the forest once more. Much like before the forest quickly put me ill at ease. However I was starting to wonder if there was something else causing this. Aside from the obvious, and the videogame, I think maybe the forest is taking on qualities similar to the Everfree. In MLP, I recall that ponies just consider the Everfree to be ‘unnatural’ in the beginning. I recall that they were all terrified of it, even Twilight who had never been there before in her life.She was just naturally freaked out by the place, could this forest be similar? Possibly, it would explain why you’re over reacting to every little thing in there. ‘Shut up brain!’ I growl and continue into the forest. If it is taking on qualities of the Everfree then I’m probably in for a rough time. Not only will this place freak me out worse and worse the farther in I go, but also equestrian beasts will eventually start showing up here. I can handle a few things, but Manticores are not in that bucking number! I am not Kratos darn it! Calm down, those kind of creatures will probably take longer to start showing up. ‘I know, I’m just not liking this situation. I’m basically a unicorn in the everfree forest at night. I bet there are bucking ghost stories about that kind of thing in MLP!’ I reply with an internal shiver. Well clearly the unease has set back in. I wonder if there is a way to test out if it’s just you or really has something to do with the forest? Maybe we could find someone else who played Slender, and someone who didn’t, someone who knows what Everfree is and someone who doesn’t, and then see how each person reacts. That would probably tell us if it’s just you or the forest in general due to a change caused by magic or something. ‘Magic?’ What else could turn us into an adorable talking magical unicorn? ‘Point,’ I reply. I then shake my head and continue through the forest. I look here and there for a time before slowing as I see the cave. Old moss covered, and bones lying around it, it’s definitely the right place. ‘I feel strangely ill at ease here,’ I note with a look to some of the bones. I’m also able to take note that the bones are from dogs, not other animals, so they likely belonged to the wild dogs that once made this their home. Shaking my unease from my head I trot into the cave and look around. The cave is rather empty save for the bones. Small is the best way to describe it, only slightly wider than my old room and only a bit taller too. It is perfect for me however as it is, at least, dry. That in mind I put my duffle bag to the side and place my flashlight down. I point it in the direction of some bones and begin to collect them. Gathering the old bones I then take them out of the cave and start to pile them together. ‘I’ll figure out something to do with them later,’ I inwardly decide. I also take the time to move some rocks out of the cave and put them into piles as well. Not for any reason than so I can use them as decoration when I have more light. ‘Ugh, that means I’ll actually have to be awake come morning,’ I realize with a frown. ‘Or at least some point in the afternoon,’ I amend. With that in mind I nod and continue to move rocks and bones into piles outside of the cave. Once that is done I take a moment to explore the cave and consider what I could do with the place. The best idea I have for the moment is to carve some bookshelves out of the walls at some point. Although I don’t think I can right now, having only hooves and no access to magic… ‘Unless I use those rocks as hammers and chisels,’ I admit to myself. Do you really want to live in a library like Twilight or something? ‘No, but it’d be nice to have a place for all of my books,’ I replied. Just leave them in your duffle bag then; they’re safe there. ‘But what if I want to have a place for them that is not only safe but easily accessible and unlikely to get wet,’ I counter with a frown. So you want to live in a library in the forest then… ‘No! These are my books, only my books,’ I state with a stomp. Quit being so defensive, anyways it’s not like that’s an immediate concern. ‘I know, my first concern should be food,’ I note with a frown. Yeah, our bag of oats can only last so long. Stealing more would be difficult, not to mention we’ll probably need to diversify our diet. We should probably check around for berries and the like. Maybe look up what a horse can actually eat and go checking around for flowers. If nothing else it’ll give us a steady food source so we don’t die from hunger. ‘Speaking of I’m starving,’ I admit and set about getting my bag of oats out. Once I have it I start munching on the oats while considering what else I can do with the cave. Not to mention all the rocks and bones I have outside. ‘The bones would look so creepy if I set them up as some kind of ward,’ I note to myself. But that would just make people want to explore even more. ‘True, what is it with people and wandering head first where there is possible danger?’ I wonder with a frown. Curiosity killed the cat for a reason. ‘But satisfaction brought it back,’ I returned with a smirk. That rejoinder isn’t even official. ‘It is kind of official, just not seen as often. Plus you’re just mad because I said it,’ I reply. I hear grumbling in my head, which I promptly ignore and continue with my impromptu meal. My flashlight shines more than enough light for me to see, however I feel a frown tug at my lips. ‘I really do wish I’d taken the time to grab a few creature comforts for this,’ I admit to myself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I have my tablet and books, but I would kill for a pillow and blanket right now. ‘And a rug,’ I note with a nod of my head. ‘A rug would make this place look a lot less dreary,’ I decide. Then again, when doesn’t a cave look dreary? ‘I suppose when it’s not a cave,’ I admit to myself. I also stop as I see something crawling in the distance. I look towards it for a while before shaking my head and ignoring it. Whatever it is doesn’t matter. Right now all I want to do is finish eating and then get to sleep. I’ll worry about renovating my new home after getting to sleep early and hopefully waking when it’s still daylight. That way I could at least see what I had to work with. I’d also have to take the time to look for more food. My supply of oats was starting to run depressingly low. Well in any case, that was Future Moondancer’s problem…