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Hoisting the large, wrapped package over her back, the slender yellow pegasus left her cottage and began her trek into the depths of Everfree. It was hardly the first time she had been there, for her job as the town's gamekeeper required it constantly. Unlike many of her fellow ponies, Fluttershy held little fear of the forest. She knew it was wild, untameable by even the most determined weather pony. She especially knew of the ferocious beasts that lay within it, monsters that could easily and happily gobble up a pony like her.

It was for that very reason she was making this trip.

In the forest was a beast so rare many believed it was only a myth. The lack of survivors from encounters with the beast didn't help either. The Ravaging Spear-Toothed Deathworm, or more colloquially known as simply the spear-tooth, was an enormous, blind snake-like creature. It constantly hungered, and according to the few reports there were, enjoyed sadistically playing with its prey. It would let them think they had escaped, waiting for them to stop and catch their breath, only to burst out and snatch them up in its jaws. For that reason, most ponies would be very happy not to find one.

Fluttershy was not most ponies though. She had tracked one down, and after month of searching came across a large female, old and without young. Its belly was bulging, and it lazily chewed on an antler. Poor caribou, Shy had thought. The worm seemed content, however, laying on its side while letting its catch digest. It barely noticed the pegasus, only giving a few short sniffs as she approached. Carefully, Fluttershy opened her satchel and pulled out a paper package, unwrapping it carefully. Inside was a chicken, freshly plucked. She held it up to the worm, letting it sniff the gift. A thick, wet tongue emerged from behind the rows of fangs and slurped the bird up, swallowing it whole. Success.

The following week, Fluttershy had kept coming back, always bringing an offering to the worm. As vicious as they were, they were intelligent, smart enough to recognize a pattern. This worm knew that as long as the pegasus kept coming, she would bring food — rare foods from the pastures only the boldest (or stupidest) worms would raid. The ponies were protective of their flocks, almost as protective as they were of their own kind, and many a hungry worm had met their end at the hands of an angry farmer.

This is what Fluttershy was doing know, and the unpleasant squelching of her cargo was quick to remind her of that grisly task. As she entered the bone-strewn clearing, she set her gift down, unwrapping the thick layers of wax paper to reveal a leg of beef. Meek as she was, Fluttershy had a strong stomach for the gorier details of nature. To her, feeding a dozen mice to a snake was no different than throwing seed out to her chickens. Everything had to eat, right? It was for this reason she would often dispose of the farmer's livestock, a mutual deal for both. They wouldn't have to deal with the carcasses, and she could take some strain off her budget.

There was a loud rustle in the plants on the ridge, and the worm came slithering out. It dove for the leg as soon as it smelled it, and greedily ripped every bit of flesh from it. The process was over in seconds, and as often as she had seen such feedings, the sight always made Fluttershy shiver.

The worm was happy, however, and curled up in the center of its lair, chewing on the bone like an oversized dog. Without fear, Fluttershy went up to it, sitting down and leaning against its side, while propping her legs up on its tail. The worm didn't mind, and seemed to enjoy the body heat of the little mammal. Fluttershy dug in her satchel and pulled out a book, nestling into her friend before opening it.

"It was seven o'clock of a very warm evening in the Seeonee hills when Father Wolf woke up from his day's rest, scratched himself, yawned, and spread out his paws one after the other to get rid of the sleepy feeling in their tips…"

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Posted previously at: 2016-05-13T19:41:49 | Posted previously by: Liggliluff