> In the Grip of Fear
>  by Powderjaggy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Occupational Hazard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Standing on the thatched roof of her cottage, Fluttershy took in the night air. The sun had just slipped below the horizon and the skies were clear. Conditions looked good for her task tonight. On a sturdy leather saddle strapped to her back, she carried a passenger: a female great horned owl.

Several weeks ago, Fluttershy had found the owl stuck in the hollow of a dead tree at the edge of the Everfree Forest. The owl's name was Nocturna, and she had gotten trapped inside the tree when a storm had knocked it over. With the help of Fluttershy's beaver friends, Nocturna had been freed from confinement, upon which Fluttershy had discovered that the bird had also suffered a broken wing during the fall. It was then that the pegasus had decided to bring Nocturna back to her cottage for medical attention.

Handling the owl had taken great care on Fluttershy's part, and it was for this reason that she wore the saddle as she took her charge to the rooftop this evening. It was not that she was worried about Nocturna hurting her intentionally—her usual way with animals had been more than up to the task of forming a connection with the bird of prey. However, even a casual squeeze from Nocturna's talons had the potential to cause injury. Great horned owls were some of the biggest owls that could be found in this part of Equestria, with the females being larger than the males. Had Nocturna been standing on the ground, her head would have been nearly level with Fluttershy's withers. Furthermore, her feet bore talons longer than a bobcat's claws, and were powerful enough to crush a rabbit's spine.

Angel had been understandably displeased about the new patient.

Of course, Fluttershy had made certain to keep Nocturna well away from Angel, in a bedroom she reserved for occasional animal guests. And fortunately for the disgruntled bunny, the raptor would not be staying at the cottage for much longer. With her wing newly healed, she would soon be ready to return to the Everfree. However, Fluttershy wanted to make sure that Nocturna was comfortable flying and feeding herself before releasing her. Tonight was scheduled to be the first of a series of practice flights.

Fluttershy spread her right wing, the leading edge of which was also bound by a leather cover. "Go on now," she murmured gently. "Whenever you're ready."

Nocturna obliged, hopping from the saddle onto the wing covering. Adjusting to the bird's weight, Fluttershy raised her wing towards the sky. From there, Nocturna would be able to make short flights to and from the trees surrounding the cottage, and maybe even fly a few laps around the rooftop if she felt like it.

But first, some pre-flight motions were in order. The owl shuffled her feet a few times, then reared back and beat her wings vigorously for several moments. Fluttershy had to duck down to avoid being struck by the flurry of wingbeats. Seemingly satisfied with the warm-up, Nocturna rocked her head from side to side, then back and forth, gauging the distance to the nearest tree.

Fluttershy had cared for hurt birds before. The first practice flight following recovery was always slightly—no, very nerve-wracking. It could be hard to predict how well her patients would perform after having spent so long without using their wings. At the same time, seeing their powers of flight return was always a thrill. And Fluttershy had rehabilitated few birds as big or as magnificent as this one. She held her breath in anticipation as she waited for Nocturna to kick off into the air. The owl crouched, raised her wings, and—

An immense crushing pressure suddenly took hold of Fluttershy's right wing as Nocturna's talons clamped down upon it. Before Fluttershy could fully register what was happening, the talons had pierced right through the leather cover, penetrating her feathers, her skin, and then her flesh, before finally meeting inside her wing.

The pain had been so sudden, so unexpected, and so intense that Fluttershy could not even muster up a scream. She instead let out a sharp gasp as her eyes watered uncontrollably. Wiping her tears away with her free wing, she turned in Nocturna's direction. As soon as she did, it dawned on her that Nocturna was terrified.

The owl had seized up, which accounted for why her feet were now clenched so tightly. She seemed frozen in place as she stood stock-still, her feathers sleek against her body. Her eyes had narrowed into slits, concealing her big yellow irises, and the feather tufts on top of her head were held erect. It was her natural response to an imminent threat: if she had been in a tree, she would have looked for all the world like a broken bough.

Yet, however both bird and mare might have wished otherwise, Nocturna was not in a tree. Struggling to control her own ragged breaths, Fluttershy glanced at the sky around them to see if she could find what had scared Nocturna so. There was not much that could spook a great horned owl like this; it had to be something big—

There! Despite the darkness, Fluttershy could scarcely miss it. Blotting out part of the night sky was an enormous silhouette, sailing off in the direction of the Everfree Forest on feathered wings that dwarfed even those of Princess Celestia. There was no mistaking what it was: a roc.

That was odd. Rocs did not usually venture this close to Ponyville, and were not normally active after dark. Fluttershy had more immediate concerns on her mind though.

"It's okay," she managed to whisper. She knew that nothing could force Nocturna to relax the grip on her wing. Nothing, except for—well, it wouldn't come to that.

Fluttershy lowered her injured wing until the tips of her flight feathers were scraping against the roof beneath her. She hoped that Nocturna would feel less exposed this way.

"It's okay," she repeated. "If you let go of my wing and hop onto the saddle, I can get us back into the house. We can try this again tomorrow night. I'll make sure that no rocs are out and about then."

She felt the pressure on her wing loosen ever so slightly. However, it was only for an instant before Nocturna tensed up again.

"I know you're frightened," Fluttershy continued. "But that roc won't hurt you. They're headed away from us—"

As she said this, she scanned the sky for the roc's gigantic silhouette, and with a start, realized that it was not heading away from them. It had turned around, and was coming in their direction.

She would not be able to leave the rooftop with a great horned owl latched onto one of her wings. Blinking away some more tears that had welled up in the meantime, she kept her eyes on the approaching roc.

As it drew near,  Fluttershy could make out some of the roc's plumage patterns. It was a young bird, lacking the pale head feathers of an adult roc. It might have only left its parents' territory as recently as one or two weeks ago. That was probably why it was so close to Ponyville: it had not yet found a suitable hunting ground of its own.

"H-hello!" Fluttershy called out. Although tempered by a tremor of pain, her voice still rang with a clarity that was rarely heard when it was other ponies she was speaking to. "You look like you might be trying to find a home."

The roc cocked its head, then made a few whistles in response.

"Oh yes," Fluttershy answered. "I can speak to all kinds of animals. It's nice to meet you."

The roc narrowed his eyes briefly, as though surprised. He whistled again.

"There are some other forests northwest of here, with open plains between them." Fluttershy indicated the general direction using her free wing. "They're not too far away, at least for a roc like you, and should have plenty of space and food. But it looks like you're up late. You're welcome to stay around here tonight and rest up if you need to. Other rocs don't come by often, and they're probably all asleep by now anyway. You won't have to worry about them chasing you off for a while."

The roc's response calls sounded louder this time. He was not far above the rooftop now, circling.

"Oh, I see..." Fluttershy replied. "You haven't eaten all day. I can bring you some food if you wait out here for a bit."

The next series of whistles were reminiscent of the calls that the roc would have used to beg for food from his parents as a nestling. Their underlying meaning, however, was less innocuous.

Fluttershy shook her head. "No. I know you're used to hunting your food, but you don't need to hurt anycreature for this meal."

Another whistle, harsher this time.

"It's not a trick. I take care of animals of all sorts, including carnivores like you and Nocturna here, who, by the way, you're frightening half to death. If you could please kindly give us some space for just a few moments, I will have food ready for you very soon."

The roc did not reply right away. He seemed to be flying in tighter circles than he was before. He was probably flying lower, too—she could just about discern the streaked patterning of the individual feathers on his underside now. Although he had not yet molted into his mature plumage, like most birds he had grown to adult size by the time he was old enough to fend for himself. Just one of his taloned feet was more than large enough to enclose both Fluttershy and Nocturna in its grasp. 

Eventually, he emitted a low hiss.

Fluttershy threw her head back so she could look directly at the roc, and she flared out her left wing. With her other wing wounded, drooping, and carrying a petrified owl, the gesture did not quite have its full effect, but it would have to do.

It was only then she noticed that her right wing had gone almost completely numb. She could still feel owl talons tugging at her flesh as her wing shook slightly from bearing Nocturna's weight, but the pain, while constant, was much duller now. Maybe that was a good thing. She would need to concentrate if she had to use the Stare.

"No," she said again firmly. "Please leave us alone. Yes, she was hurt, but she has gotten better now. The Everfree Forest still needs its great horned owl." 

The roc made no sound, but slowly flew another full circle overhead. Then on his next go-around, he made only a half circle before veering away. Fluttershy watched him disappear into the distance.

For the several minutes that she was watching, she stood almost motionless, maintaining her partially spread-winged pose. Then only her head moved as she looked around for signs that the roc might return. The night was silent except for the chirping of crickets and the sound of her own breathing—and she was breathing more heavily than she had realized. Her right wing was still numb.

She could sense no sign of the roc from where she was facing, but she would need to turn more than just her head to survey the rest of her surroundings. Not wanting to disturb either her injury or the distraught Nocturna more than necessary, Fluttershy stepped gingerly as she started to pivot. She had barely moved her hooves since she had originally coaxed Nocturna onto her wing. Her legs felt stiff. 

Suddenly, Nocturna, who had remained virtually inert throughout the encounter with the roc, whipped her head around in Fluttershy's direction. 

Fluttershy turned to look—and there was the roc, swooping right towards them with his talons outstretched.

Faster than she herself would have thought possible, Fluttershy jumped to one side, out of the path of his strike. With her eyes reflexively squeezed shut, she pulled both of her wings towards herself as she jumped, hoping to provide some cushioning for Nocturna.

However, it was only her own body that Fluttershy felt her wings wrap around. In the same instant, she became dimly aware that the pressure on her right wing had released. She opened her eyes just in time to see Nocturna launching towards the roc. The owl swung her feet forward in midair, planting her rabbit-crushing, leather-piercing talons into the larger raptor's face, straight between his eyes.

Screeching with pain, the roc aborted his assault. With two laborious wing strokes, he pulled away from the rooftop, and Fluttershy had to briefly crouch to avoid being knocked over by the gusts that his huge wings kicked up.

Meanwhile, Nocturna disengaged. Having spent the last few weeks flightless, she dropped back onto the roof with a series of ungainly flaps, landing right in front of Fluttershy. In contrast to the sleek pose she had adopted when she was alarmed, Nocturna now seemed to double in size as she raised both of her spread wings above herself and puffed out every feather on her body. Glowering up at the roc, she snapped her bill, producing loud clacking noises.

Though no longer on the attack, the roc did not go far. Almost immediately, he landed in a clearing next to the cottage, making an audible thump as he did so. Even standing on the ground, he was tall enough to peer over the edge of the rooftop. Fluttershy could see the top of his head, including his hooked beak, his pale yellow eyes, and the flecks of blood where Nocturna had struck him with her talons.

"Stay right there," Fluttershy said sternly, looking him in the eyes. She intensified her gaze—not quite to the point of the Stare, but enough to show that she was not defenseless. "I'll bring food for you tonight, but you must leave us alone."

She did not take her eyes off him as she knelt down next to Nocturna, who was still engaged in her defensive display. "You were very brave," Fluttershy told the owl quietly. "I don't think he'll bother us anymore."

Nocturna snapped her beak a couple more times before lowering her wings and restoring her feathers to their neutral positions. With a short jump, aided by a quick flap of her wings, she returned to her perch on Fluttershy's saddle.

Still keeping the roc in her line of sight, Fluttershy walked backwards towards the edge of the roof, only turning around at the last possible second.

Oh, right. There was the matter of getting back onto her balcony with an injured wing. Her right wing still had some lingering numbness, but she could feel the pain coming back. It would only be a short glide though. As long as she could keep her wings outstretched, she would likely be fine. Wincing as she extended them, she leaped off the edge.

Fluttershy made the jump, but her landing was much rougher than usual. She staggered on the balcony for a few steps before regaining her balance. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whimpered, hoping that Nocturna had not been jostled too much.



The owl herself was very apologetic as she helped preen the blood out of Fluttershy's feathers.

"It's all right," the pegasus said over and over again. "You were scared."

Once they were safely inside the cottage, it had been simple enough for Fluttershy to retrieve a bag of dried fish from her animal food pantry and deliver it to the roc waiting outside. He might have preferred the taste of an owl and a pony instead, but the fish would keep him from going hungry for the night. It probably did not hurt either that Fluttershy had given him some ointment for the talon marks in his face. Although painful, they would not be life-threatening for a bird of his size. In any case, not messing with great horned owls—or ponies—was a useful lesson for a young roc to learn.

It was only after tending to the unexpected visitor that Fluttershy had turned her attention to her own injury. Fortunately, the leather binding around her wing had worked as a makeshift bandage, such that her puncture wounds were no longer bleeding profusely. She would see a doctor the first thing in the morning, but for now, herbal dressings to cover the wounds, fresh bandages to hold them in place, and an ice pack to reduce the bruising would probably be enough. Chances were that she would need to avoid flying for a while, but she could live with that.



With Fluttershy's wing properly bandaged, she took Nocturna back to her guest bedroom. "You've had a very scary experience and deserve to get some rest," Fluttershy said soothingly, leaving an extra helping of dried fish for the bird. "I'll see you tomorrow evening for flight practice. We probably shouldn't use the roof, but don't worry, I'll think of something. I hope you have a very good rest of the night, my friend." 

After switching off the bedroom lights, Fluttershy walked down her hallway towards her own room, ready to turn in for the night.