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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Waldeinsamkeit
“Hey, wait up, G!”
Twisting, swooping, and flapping, Gilda perched herself on the thickest bough of the tallest tree around. It let out a quiet groan as it took her weight. The bark against her paws and her thighs was rough, scratchy, and just wonderfully solid—not at all like those useless, ready-to-fall-apart-at-the-next-stiff-breeze cloud beds.
With a private little purr, Gilda let herself settle in. As her forearms folded underneath her to hug the branch, she saw Dash closing in out of the corner of her eye.
Rainbow Dash bobbed and ducked through the branches, pausing and stumbling in the air with an inexperienced twist each time she encountered another obstacle. Gilda couldn’t blame her; Dash was pretty obviously an open-air flier. And, well, she was a pegasus. Effortlessly gliding from treetop to treetop was more of a griffon's thing.
“Hey, G,” Dash called out as she finally caught up. “Don’cha think we might be a little far? I can’t tell where we even are anymore!”
Dash flopped down unto Gilda’s branch, but she was too far away from where it met the tree trunk. The thinner, younger wood bent and creaked as Dash struggled to find purchase with her forehooves.
“Don’t be such a scaredy-cat,” said Gilda as she grasped one of Rainbow Dash’s forelegs to hoist her to a lower, sturdier branch. “I can still see Flight Camp from here.”
Dash squirmed until all four hooves were firmly secured around her branch. “How? I lost sight of it, like, an hour ago!”
Gilda sighed and turned her head towards the mid-afternoon sky, extending a talon at a pale dot near the horizon. Around it, a multitude of little specks glinted briefly in the sun as they caught its light for a moment or two.
“There. The cloud just left to the sun, with all the pegasi around it.”
Dash squinted and blinked. “I don’t see anything.”
“Then trust the girl with the eagle eyes, yeah?” Gilda eased herself back into a recline.
She closed her eyes and opened her ears. The woods were alive with the buzz-song of insects and squeakily happy bird chirps. From further away, a stream burbled and babbled as it hurriedly rushed through the forest, winding around trees and stumps and rocks.
“Um, Gilda?” Instantly, Dash’s voice drowned everything else out. “You said you wanted to show me something?”
“Yeah, you dweeb,” Gilda said, cracking open an eye. “This is it.”
Dash swung her head around, cautiously taking one hoof off of her branch to shade her eyes. With a confused scowl, she gave up.
“So, what’s 'this?'”
“Pshha, I don’t know what to call it.” Gilda stretched her legs and wings to catch some more of the sun. “You ponies don’t really have a word for it, which is kinda lame if you ask me.”
Brow scrunched, Rainbow Dash gingerly tried to get into a more comfortable position.
“Well, can you, like, explain it or something?”
Gilda sighed. “It’s about being here. Like in the woods, you know. It feels real and not all up in the sky like a cloud or something.”
“Clouds are real.” Dash’s head tilted.
Gilda dragged her hand across her face.
“Yeah, they’re real, but when you’re up on a cloud, there’s like nothing around you. Just empty air. And if you’re alone, there aren’t any sounds either. But here, there’re things around you, you know. It’s how it’s supposed to be.”
A pause lingered as Dash chewed her lip.
“Sorry, G, I still don’t get it.”
"Ja, ja, it’s fine. You just gotta sit still for a while and feel it.”
“Okay.” Glancing around, Dash was silent for a minute. “What’s that word, anyway? The one ponies don’t have.”
A chuckle broke free from Gilda’s beak.
“It’s like four syllables and in Griffish. Just forget about it and just enjoy the moment.”
Dash nodded. Her big, round eyes wandered to the open skies.
“Do you think they'll notice we're gone?"
“Naw, I’ve done this before.” A thought struck Gilda when she noticed the look on Dash’s face. “You are glad we snuck out, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, G, of course.”
“Cool. Cool.” Gilda curled into the crook of the branch and closed her eyes again. “You've ever napped in a tree?”
“Uh, no?” The way Dash said it was almost funny.
“Try it. You’ll love it, I swear.”
Gilda let out a long breath and let herself melt away into the sound of the forest breathing around them.
Twisting, swooping, and flapping, Gilda perched herself on the thickest bough of the tallest tree around. It let out a quiet groan as it took her weight. The bark against her paws and her thighs was rough, scratchy, and just wonderfully solid—not at all like those useless, ready-to-fall-apart-at-the-next-stiff-breeze cloud beds.
With a private little purr, Gilda let herself settle in. As her forearms folded underneath her to hug the branch, she saw Dash closing in out of the corner of her eye.
Rainbow Dash bobbed and ducked through the branches, pausing and stumbling in the air with an inexperienced twist each time she encountered another obstacle. Gilda couldn’t blame her; Dash was pretty obviously an open-air flier. And, well, she was a pegasus. Effortlessly gliding from treetop to treetop was more of a griffon's thing.
“Hey, G,” Dash called out as she finally caught up. “Don’cha think we might be a little far? I can’t tell where we even are anymore!”
Dash flopped down unto Gilda’s branch, but she was too far away from where it met the tree trunk. The thinner, younger wood bent and creaked as Dash struggled to find purchase with her forehooves.
“Don’t be such a scaredy-cat,” said Gilda as she grasped one of Rainbow Dash’s forelegs to hoist her to a lower, sturdier branch. “I can still see Flight Camp from here.”
Dash squirmed until all four hooves were firmly secured around her branch. “How? I lost sight of it, like, an hour ago!”
Gilda sighed and turned her head towards the mid-afternoon sky, extending a talon at a pale dot near the horizon. Around it, a multitude of little specks glinted briefly in the sun as they caught its light for a moment or two.
“There. The cloud just left to the sun, with all the pegasi around it.”
Dash squinted and blinked. “I don’t see anything.”
“Then trust the girl with the eagle eyes, yeah?” Gilda eased herself back into a recline.
She closed her eyes and opened her ears. The woods were alive with the buzz-song of insects and squeakily happy bird chirps. From further away, a stream burbled and babbled as it hurriedly rushed through the forest, winding around trees and stumps and rocks.
“Um, Gilda?” Instantly, Dash’s voice drowned everything else out. “You said you wanted to show me something?”
“Yeah, you dweeb,” Gilda said, cracking open an eye. “This is it.”
Dash swung her head around, cautiously taking one hoof off of her branch to shade her eyes. With a confused scowl, she gave up.
“So, what’s 'this?'”
“Pshha, I don’t know what to call it.” Gilda stretched her legs and wings to catch some more of the sun. “You ponies don’t really have a word for it, which is kinda lame if you ask me.”
Brow scrunched, Rainbow Dash gingerly tried to get into a more comfortable position.
“Well, can you, like, explain it or something?”
Gilda sighed. “It’s about being here. Like in the woods, you know. It feels real and not all up in the sky like a cloud or something.”
“Clouds are real.” Dash’s head tilted.
Gilda dragged her hand across her face.
“Yeah, they’re real, but when you’re up on a cloud, there’s like nothing around you. Just empty air. And if you’re alone, there aren’t any sounds either. But here, there’re things around you, you know. It’s how it’s supposed to be.”
A pause lingered as Dash chewed her lip.
“Sorry, G, I still don’t get it.”
"Ja, ja, it’s fine. You just gotta sit still for a while and feel it.”
“Okay.” Glancing around, Dash was silent for a minute. “What’s that word, anyway? The one ponies don’t have.”
A chuckle broke free from Gilda’s beak.
“It’s like four syllables and in Griffish. Just forget about it and just enjoy the moment.”
Dash nodded. Her big, round eyes wandered to the open skies.
“Do you think they'll notice we're gone?"
“Naw, I’ve done this before.” A thought struck Gilda when she noticed the look on Dash’s face. “You are glad we snuck out, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, G, of course.”
“Cool. Cool.” Gilda curled into the crook of the branch and closed her eyes again. “You've ever napped in a tree?”
“Uh, no?” The way Dash said it was almost funny.
“Try it. You’ll love it, I swear.”
Gilda let out a long breath and let herself melt away into the sound of the forest breathing around them.