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Larkspur floated gently through the forest with a fledgling hawk in his paws. The young hawk nibbled at the bandage on his injured wing and Larkspur cooed softly at him.
"Be careful little one. Don't want to end up with a broken wing, now do we?" He giggled as the hawk resigned to nibbling on his paw instead. The hawk had fallen from his nest after trying to fly too early, and after Larkspur found him struggling with a dislocated wing. He lovingly named him Wobbles for the time being and he had him in his care for about a week.
Now it was time to release little Wobbles, and his feisty attitude made Larskpur comfortable with the decision. He gave the lil hawk a kiss on the head.
"Now just hush up, you're almost back home Wobbles."

As his gaze returned to the path ahead, he suddenly spotted a grey lump on the forest floor breathing softly. A mass of blooded and bruised feathers and fur came into focus, and tt took him a few moments to realize it was a pony.

He gasped. "Oh my Celestia!"

The dusty grey pegasus was clearly very weak, and yet when she caught sight of the golden draconequus her head swung up like lightning. She stared up at him with wide, terrified eyes and cried, "G-Go away, monster! I know how to fight!" She tried to stand, but her scratched legs failed her and she slumped back with a frustrated grunt. "I'll…I'll kill you!"

Larskpur gaped, "I don't want to fight!" Still he backed away somewhat to carefully watch her. It was clear she was not going to be fighting anything anytime soon. He tried for a smile, "Besides…it looks like you couldn't kill a fly in this condition…"

She bared her teeth and snapped at him, "I-I said I'll kill you! If you come any closer, I'll kill you! Now go away!" She mildly flapped her heavy wings that had apparently gone without proper preening for months. "This is your last warning!"

Larkspur gently set Wobbles down, and he sat quietly in front of her careful not to move. Wobbles promptly hid behind Larkspur. "You have nothing to fear…My name is Larkspur, and I want to help you. You're injured." He gestured to her bleeding muzzle and scratched up chest and belly.

"Just go away!" Thunder Bird bit and snarled at him more, trying her best to scare him away. Larkspur was reminded of a wild wolf he had rescued from a bear trap not long ago. It was clear she was not going to listen to reason right now. She was scared to death.

He watched her carefully as he reached out to touch her. Immediately she writhed and tried to back away from his touch, and pinned herself back against the tree. With nowhere else to go, she cried out and tears began to spill down her cheeks. "P-Please don't h-hurt me!"

Larkspur decided to withdraw, seeing that touching her now would make it worse. Seeing her state, she was clearly on the run from something…or someone. This pony was very hurt, and she needed to be treated with utmost care. He wondered if he should return Wobbles first, but then this mare might take the opportunity to run and she needed help.

"It's okay…it's okay…" He purred softly. "I'm here to help, miss…I will not hurt you. Look, this little guy hurt his wing too, and I helped him." He smiled as gently as possible at her and Wobbles fluffed out his feathers.

Thunder Bird only heaved, her eyes shut tightly. "I-I don't believe you!" She gritted her teeth. "Y-You're one of those trickster monsters my m-mo…Lightning Dust told me about!"

Larkspur's ears perked, "Lightning Dust…? Who's that?"

Thunder Bird glared at him, "None of your business…now go away! Just…please go away! I want to be alone!"

"But you're hurt…I can help you."

"I don't want your help…ah!" One of her wings drooped more readily to the ground as she tried to stand once again. It was clearly broken.

Larkspur glanced at Wobbles, who had settled between his front paws to watch. He had to think of something, or this mare would get worse every day without proper care. "I don't want to make you go, miss, but this is a medical emergency. If you don't come with me, you're likely to die…"

Her hair stuck to her forehead as she glared fiercely at him, breathing heavily through the pain. Her body ached all over, her wing burned agonizingly, she was hungry and dehydrated, and she had no idea where she was. Maybe it was delerium, but she allowed herself to consider the draconequus' offer.

"Please…come with me…I'll help you, and I've got the most delicious mint tea at my cottage." Larkspur smiled brightly, "I can tell you need a little relaxation."

Thunder Bird weighed her options. She didn't have much choice, and she let her wings droop in defeat. "…fine…I'll go with you…but the minute you try anything, I'll break your neck."

Larkspur smiled. She meant it, and he was glad for it. "Good. Just follow me at your own pace." He scooped Wobbles up onto his shoulders, and started walking. "What's your name by the way?"

Thunder Bird snorted, her underbite jutted out in an exaggerated pout.

"Alright, Miss Snortypants. I can tell that this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

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This is how Thunder Bird ended up in Ponyville. After fleeing from Lightning Dust's tyranny, Thunder Bird was in a panic. She had never been away from Foal Mountain before, and the world was terrifying. It didn't help that Lightning had been keeping her there with a lie that draconequus roamed the land freely, snatching up and eating ponies whenever they could. Still, Thunder Bird could no longer live with her mother, and so she escaped and simply continued flying until she exhausted herself, and dropped from the sky. Her wing broke during the fall, and she found herself barely able to move. She was stuck there two days before Larkspur happened upon her.

Upvotes at import: 37 | Stars at import: 26
Posted previously at: 2018-02-09T13:24:03 | Posted previously by: Mildgyth