The pegasus' heart hammered in her chest. She ran as fast as she could, pumping her legs with all her might. Fat, cold raindrops splattered against her cheeks, mingling with her tears. She had long since gone numb from the cold, but she didn't care. She only knew she had to get as far away from that horrible place as she could. Dark trees loomed all around her, seeming to stare at her with wicked eyes. Their long, thorny arms scratched her as she ran by, leaving painful reminders of why no pony ever came out here.
Blinking away the moisture from her eyes, she turned around to check behind her for pursuers. As her head swiveled, her hoof caught on a root, tripping her. She went sprawling onto the muddy ground. She lay there for a moment, panting with exhaustion. Standing up, she shook the moisture from her coat like a dog, sending droplets everywhere. Shivering, she crouched down and looked around in fear. If she didn't find shelter soon, she wouldn't last much longer.
Through the trees, a little ways away, she made out a faint glow. She couldn't tell it's source, but it didn't matter. She knew that she had to get to it. Struggling to her feet, she painfully limped her way over.
As she got closer, she saw that the light wasn't much. Just a small pile of faintly burning embers in a ring of stones. In a few more minutes the embers would be soaked by the rain. Moving closer, she picked up one of the rocks and cradled it to her chest. It still held faint traces of warmth, and that was enough for her. She lay on it, turning every few seconds to soak up the heat with as much of her body as possible.
As she was turning, she froze. A flash of lightning cut through the trees, illuminating the rest of the area where she stood. Just a foot away from the fire was a makeshift shelter, made by weaving grass and leaves into a net, hanging at an angle, suspended by two poles. Underneath the shelter was a figure, wrapped up in some sort of blanket. The figure under the blanket rolled over every few seconds, in fitful sleep. Next to him lay a massive longbow, with a full quiver of arrows.
"You know, it's often considered quite rude to stare."
The pegasus jumped. The figure spoke in a rough voice, touched with a Trottingham accent. He rolled over, pulling himself to his hooves. The pegasus cowered in fear, trembling.
There was a slight laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Why don't you come out of the rain." Trying to contain her fear, the pegasus walked under the shelter's roof. Once inside, she got a better look at the pony. He was an earth pony, looking to be in about his late thirties. He had a dark, chestnut brown coat, and a wild, unkempt green mane. He looked at her for a second.
"What's your name, then?"
"My name's Scootaloo, sir."
He frowned. "And what's a little filly like you doing out in the Everfree Forest at this time of night, Scootaloo?" There was another flash of lightning. "Especially in this weather. Aren't your parents worried?"
She shook her head. "No, sir."
"I reckon they are. If I had any children, I wouldn't want them out and about in these conditions."
"I don't think my parents would either, sir, if they were still around."
The earth pony paused for a moment. "Oh." Another pause. "Well then. Here, you can stay here for tonight. Take this." He tossed her his blanket. When she picked it up, she realized it was a cloak. It was made from thick wool, and had been stained green. The design blended perfectly into the wooded background. It was extremely warm, Scootaloo thought as she pulled it over herself.
"Thank you, sir," she said, snuggling down into the cloak.
He smiled. "Not a problem at all. And no more of this sir business, either. I'm no knight, and I don't expect to be any time soon. Just call me Oak Leaf." He waited for a moment, before realizing the filly was already asleep. Smiling to himself, he gathered up several of the dryer leaves under the shelter. Pulling them over himself, he lay down. In the morning, he'd figure out just where this filly had come from, and how he was going to get her back there.
...
Scootaloo awoke to a delicious smell. Lifting her head up, she inhaled deeply, searching for the source of the smell. Turning around, she saw that Oak Leaf had already woken up, and was making breakfast. He had pulled a small pot out of a saddlebag hanging from a tree, and was roasting some food in it. Scootaloo could smell berries, mushrooms, and some other scents she couldn't place. Oak Leaf turned to face her.
"Rise and shine," he said. "You must have been tired. It's almost nine o'clock."
Scootaloo ignored him, instead walking over to look inside the pot. Inside was a buffet of foods, freshly harvested from the surrounding wilderness. Oak Leaf looked her over, then turned around and reached into his saddlebag. A second later he reemerged, holding a first aid kit.
"Let me take a look at those scratches," he said. "They don't look like much, but you don't want to risk getting them infected." Scootaloo held out her leg as he bandaged the wounds.
"There, good as new," he said with satisfaction. "Just take it easy for a few days, and you'll be fine." He walked over to the pot and looked in. "And it looks like breakfast is ready. Perfect timing. Eat up, it's gonna be a long day."
As Scootaloo ate, she could feel Oak Leaves eyes on her. She knew that he had questions, but she wasn't sure she wanted to give him answers. She'd only just met him, and even though he seemed nice so far, it could all be a trick. After all, he was in the Everfree forest. That didn't bode well.
"Why are you out here?" She asked, in an attempt to keep him from asking her questions. "Most ponies stay as far away from here as possible."
"I've been tracking a pack of timber wolves for the past two days now," he said grimly. "They've been coming a lot closer to the forest edge than they normally do in recent months. I planned on following them to their lair, then figuring out why. But when the rain hit last night, I didn't want to risk wandering too far away from the trail. So I decided to make shelter."
"But how will you track them now? Won't the rain have destroyed the tracks?"
He smiled. "There's more than one way to track a timber wolf. Look over there." He pointed to a tree trunk nearby. "Tell me what you see."
Scootaloo looked at the tree. At first, she couldn't see anything, but after a few seconds, she saw claw marks. "Something scratched it," she said. Oak Leaf nodded.
"Timber wolves mark their territory by scratching trees like this. We're right at the very edge. Their lair will be somewhere nearby." Scootaloo shivered at the marks. Each one was almost as long as she was.
"Whatever made those scratches is huge," she said in awe. "I don't think I would ever want to run into something like that."
"And with luck, you won't have to." Oak Leaf stood up. "I'm going to have to find a way to get you home. I don't want you getting too close to the wolves, but I can't let them go. It would take too long to walk you back to town, and I can't let you go off by yourself. It's too dangerous."
Scootaloo shifted her weight back and forth. On the one hand, she didn't want to meet any timber wolves if it could be avoided, but she also didn't want to go back to Ponyville.
"I won't get in the way, I promise," she said. "You can go track the wolves, and I'll just come along with you. After you find what you need, you can take me home."
The earth pony sat in deep concentration, weighing his options. Scootaloo waited with bated breath. Finally, he reached a decision.
"Alright, you can come," he said. Scootaloo almost leaped for joy. "But, you have to follow my rules exactly. Stay behind me at all times. Don't make any noise. If I say something, do it without hesitation. If anything looks too dangerous, I'm taking you back to Ponyville. Is that clear?" Scootaloo nodded with wide eyes. "Okay, then. Follow me."
He set off at a slow walk through the undergrowth. Scootaloo walked along after him, moving her legs quickly to keep up with his long strides. The pony seemed to notice almost invisible signs, pointing them out to her. At first, she didn't know how he did it, but soon she noticed patterns. In areas with thick plant life, he looked for areas with scratches and bent stems. On rock, he looked for depressions where loose stones could have been shifted. After what felt like a long time, Scootaloo found that she was able to find signs without his help.
As she pointed out where some reeds had been pushed over, he looked at her with surprise. "You've got quite an eye for tracking," he said. "Most ponies twice your age wouldn't have noticed that." Scootaloo beamed with the praise. As they walked along, he began talking to her more.
"So what do you do for fun?" He asked.
"Me and my friends are the Cutie Mark Crusaders," she said with pride, her chest swelling out. "We do all sorts of fun things to get our cutie marks." He looked at her.
"Seems like you've already got one of those," he said.
"Well, yeah," she said, looking away. "Just recently. We've been trying out new things, but it's really not the same anymore."
"Have you considered a job?"
Scootaloo scoffed. "I'm way too young for that. I'm not even out of school anymore."
"You might enjoy being a ranger."
Scootaloo frowned. "What's a ranger?"
Oak Leaf stared at her in disbelief. "What do they teach you kids in school these days?" He shook his head. "When Ponyville first formed, the Everfree forest was nowhere near this tame, if you can believe it. Some pony was needed to help protect the town. So a pony by the name of Spruce Needle started studying the creatures of the Everfree. He learned about their habits and their mannerisms. Eventually, he'd learned enough about the forest that he was able to keep away most of the creatures. Ever since then, Ponyville has always had a ranger to watch over it, and study the creatures."
Scootaloo thought about that for a moment. "Who's the current ranger?"
Oak Leaf grinned. "Isn't it obvious? I am."
"YOU?"
Oak Leaf laughed. "Yes indeed, and proud of it." His face became serious as he studied one of the signs. Frowning, he crouched down and motioned for Scootaloo to stop. She came up next to him.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"This trail," he muttered. "It's just turned around. We're heading right back towards-"
"Ponyville," gasped Scootaloo.
Without a word, Oak Leaf took off at a light jog. Scootaloo ran alongside him, frantically flapping her wings in an effort to keep up with his stride. "What are we going to do?" She asked between gasps.
"We'll warn the town, and if there's not time to get a defense-" Oak Leaf motioned back to his bow. Scootaloo gulped.
...
"HELP!"
The scream cut clear through the air. Scootaloo almost shouted in shock. She recognized the voice!
"SWEET-MMMF!" Her shout was cut off as Oak Leaf clapped a hoof over her mouth.
"Shh," he said. "Don't alert the timber wolves. We can take them by surprise." Coming up to a clearing, Scootaloo saw both of her fellow crusaders cornered by a trio of timber wolves.
The creatures looked like something from a nightmare. Their eyes glowed with unearthly yellow light, and green spit dripped down from their jaws. They stared at the two fillies like Pinkie Pie eyed cakes.
Oak Leaf pulled his bow out in his left hoof. Using his mouth, he strung it in one fluid motion. "Take this," he said, handing Scootaloo a long dagger. "If one of them comes up on you, use this. Target their eyes and their nose. Those are the only unprotected spots." Scootaloo gripped the knife tightly, her hoof turning white.
The ranger checked that she had it, then turned back to the three wolves. In the blink of an eye, he had loosed two arrows. The first arrow punched a wolf in the side, knocking it to the side. As it skidded, it's head swung into position just as the second arrow punched through it's eye.
The second wolf didn't notice, focusing on it's next meal. It lunged for the two fillies, who screamed and ducked down. The next arrow knocked it off course, and it's snapping jaws just missed Sweetie Bells head. The wolf lay on the ground for a second, whimpering, before it lay down it's head, it's eyes staring off blankly.
The third wolf was the largest. It turned to the source of the attacks, it's eyes narrowing on Oak Leaf. Howling, it charged him. He quickly whipped out another arrow, sending it streaking towards the wolf. The beast leaped out of the path with lightning quick reflexes, barely breaking stride. In just a second, it was flying toward Oak Leaf. Before the ranger could fire another arrow, the wolf was upon him. It's gnashing jaws reached for his face, trying to kill him, but he forced his bow into it's mouth, holding it back.
Scootaloo watched with wide eyes. Oak Leaf was struggling to free himself, but his strength was running out. The beast was too strong.
She didn't think about what she did next. She couldn't let the pony who had saved her last night be killed by this creature. She jumped onto it's back, holding on tightly as it thrashed about. Holding up her knife, she stabbed downwards at it's head, feeling it connect with something. The wolf cried out in pain. Scootaloo pulled the knife up again and stabbed down. This time, it punched straight through the eye, going straight to the brain. The wolf cried out as it fell, flinging her off. She slammed into a tree, and woozily got up.
The wolf lay on the ground a few feet away, the knife still in it's head. Oak Leaf lay on the ground, panting. He rolled over, and stared at her with surprise. Then his face transformed into a grin.
"Not bad," he said, panting. "Not too many ponies your age can boast to have defeated a timber wolf. You should be proud." Standing up, he fetched the knife. Scootaloo winced as he wiped the creatures goo off of it. Looking at it for a second, he walked over and helped her up. As soon as she was up, he handed the knife to her. As she tried to refuse, he pushed it into her hooves. "Keep it," he said. "It's a good souvenir."
"Scootaloo!"
Scootaloo looked over. Her friends were running over towards her. Their faces had smiles plastered over them. As soon as they reached her, they began suffocating her in hugs.
"We've been looking for you all day!" Cried out Apple Bloom. "After you went missing last night, we got really worried. So we called an emergency meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We've been spending all day trying to find you! Where have you been?" Right then, they noticed Oak Leaf. "Who's he?"
"Apple Bloom!"
Apple Bloom whipped around. Her older sister, Applejack, was racing toward them. She looked extremely worried, and the look deepened when she saw the dead wolves.
"Apple Jack, I can explain-"
"I don't care! I told you to stay away from the Everfree Forest!"
"But Scootaloo was-"
"I know you were worried about your friend, but the forest is too dangerous to be walking around in! And you, Scootaloo, what were you thinking? Ms. Good Berry was worried sick all night about you!"
Oak Leaf spoke up. "It was all under control, Applejack. I was already on my way over here." When Applejack saw him, she visibly relaxed.
"Well, it's good to know SOME pony responsible was here to help. Now, you girls say thank you to Mr. Oak Leaf, and then you're all coming home!"
With a depressed sigh, the three girls said thanks to Oak Leaf, and then Applejack began leading them home. As they walked off, Scootaloo looked back over her shoulder at Oak Leaf. He stood by the corpses, retrieving his arrows. He seemed to be stacking the corpses together, and clearing flammable materials away.
He was a strange pony, but he seemed quite nice. She thought more about what he had said. "You might like being a ranger." Even though what she had just done had been terrifying, she actually felt quite exhilarated. It might be something fun! But as they were walking back towards the farmhouse, she remembered why she had run away in the first place. Instantly, her happy thoughts vanished, replaced by dread.
Oak Leaf probably hadn't been serious when he mentioned being a ranger to her. It was just an illusion. She would never be a ranger. No pony would even let her.
Scootaloo walked slowly. After she had returned to the Apple's home earlier, Applejack had refused to let her out of sight. Word had been sent to Ms. Good Berry about where she was. The kind unicorn arrived minutes later, frantic. Scootaloo felt bad about leaving her. Good Berry was one of the only ponies who had ever shown her true kindness.
Now, they walked back to the orphanage where Scootaloo lived. She had lived there as long as she could remember. Her parents had left her in a basket on the door step, without even a note. Some days, she liked to pretend that her parents would come back for her some day, but deep down, she knew that it would never happen.
Before too long, they arrived at the orphanage. It was a large brick building, built only about twenty years ago. A cast iron fence surrounded it, topped with decorative ornaments. In the back was a large play area, with an old slide and a swing set. It wasn't such a horrible building, but for Scootaloo, it held only poor memories.
As she and Good Berry entered, ponies stopped what they were doing and turned to stare. Scootaloo lowered her head as she felt countless eyes land on her.
"Scootaloo, a word in my office, please."
Scootaloo was spared from further humiliation when Good Berry motioned her over. She walked quickly, desperate to get away from the others. She could hear them whisper as she passed.
"I wonder where she was."
"Who cares? It's not like any pony likes her."
"Probably just ran off to cry."
Scootaloo picked up her pace and entered the office. Good Berry shut the door, then turned to face her.
"Scootaloo, is there anything you need to tell me?"
She shook her head. "No, ma'am." She could tell that the head mistress didn't believe her.
"Why did you run away?" No reply. "Did some pony say something?" Still no reply. "Did some pony do something?" Still no reply. Good Berry sighed. "Scootaloo, I want to help you, but you have to help me. What happened? You've been here almost twelve years, and this is the first incident. What changed? Did I do something?" Scootaloo shook her head.
Good Berry stared at her for a little while longer. Scootaloo desperately wanted to tell her everything. How every pony had mocked her for years about her lack of a cutie mark. How they laughed at her wings. How she finally couldn't take it anymore, and decided to run off. But she couldn't. She knew that it would cause more problems in the long run. Finally, Good Berry walked to her desk.
"Okay, then. You can go." Scootaloo started walking out. "And Scootaloo. You know that you can tell me if something is wrong, right?" Scootaloo nodded and walked out.
As soon as she was out the door, she knew she was in trouble. Standing right there were three of the biggest bullies in the whole orphanage. As long as she could remember, Moon Shine and his friends had made it their mission to make her life miserable. They never gave her a moment's rest, always tormenting her.
"So, chicken wings came crawling back, huh?" Asked Moon Shine. "How long were you gone? One night? I knew you weren't tough enough to last too long on your own. Guess you couldn't get too far on those wings, could you?" He and his friends laughed. Scootaloo grit her teeth.
"Leave me alone, Moon Shine," she growled. She walked off towards the playground out back. She knew that she could climb up into one of the trees. That was the only place she could have peace, because she was the only one able to climb. The voices could chase her up the trees, though.
The bullies followed her. "Aw, what are you gonna do, huh?" Moon Shine laughed. "You don't have any friends, and you can't beat us yourself." To prove his point, he gave her a shove towards the door. She stumbled, shoving the door open and falling outside. She fell right into a pile of mud created by the previous night's rain storm. Pushing herself up, she heard laughter. Looking around, she saw that every pony had been waiting for her outside. Now, she was coated with mud.
Moon Shine laughed. "Right where chickens belong, down in the dirt." He walked forward, and forced her face into the mud, holding her down. "Go on, look for seeds!" Every pony was laughing out loud. Scootaloo felt her anger come boiling to the top.
Maybe the fight with the timber wolves had given her courage. Maybe Moon Shine had finally pushed her too far. Whatever the reason, she knew that she didn't want to take this kind of treatment for one more second.
Seizing the hoof not on her head, she pulled it out from under Moon Shine as she forced her head up. The unexpected flip threw the foal into the mud. He fell flat on his face, getting covered. A second later, Scootaloo was upon him, bludgeoning his head with her hooves. He frantically raised his arms to guard his face, but it was no use. Blood streamed out of his nose, and tears flowed freely, but still Scootaloo didn't relent. Every pony watched in shock, too surprised to do anything.
"SCOOTALOO!"
The shout rang across the court yard. Scootaloo snapped out of her rage, realizing what she had done. She turned to see Good Berry in the door frame, a terrified expression on her face. Moon Shine stood up, sniffling.
"She hit me!" He cried out in shock. "She hit me! See!" Good Berry looked at him.
"You'll live," she said. As the foal stared in disbelief, she turned to Scootaloo. "My office. Now." Numbly, Scootaloo nodded. She walked off, leaving the court yard in stunned silence. Good Berry stopped her just outside of her office.
"Scootaloo, I am deeply ashamed of you," she said. Scootaloo opened her mouth to defend herself, but she was cut off. "I know, Moon Shine probably deserved it, but that's no excuse. And now, of all times. There's some pony very important in there who wants to talk to you, and now you look like this."
Scootaloo perked up. "Important? Am I getting adopted?" Good Berry thought for a second.
"I suppose in a manner of speaking, yes," she said. "Come on, he is very eager to meet you." She opened the door, and Scootaloo felt her eyes widen. Sitting in the room was Oak Leaf, the pony who had saved her last night. He looked up at the door opening and smiled.
"Hello again, Scootaloo," he said. "You left before we could talk earlier." He noticed the mud and the cuts on her hooves. "I see you've been busy."
Good Berry walked over to her desk and sat down. She motioned for Scootaloo to sit as well. Once the filly was seated, she started. "Now, Scootaloo, Oak Leaf here would like to recruit you to be his apprentice." Scootaloo stared at him with surprise. He smiled back at her.
"What?" He said. "Like I said, not just any pony could kill a timber wolf."
"Ahem," coughed Good Berry. "Now, Scootaloo, you are aware of what this would mean, correct? You would begin training to be Ponyville's next ranger. You would no longer live here. Instead, you would live with Oak Leaf. Once your training is complete, however, you have no choice but to become a ranger. Once you choose this path, you cannot go back. Is that clear?" Scootaloo nodded.
"So, what do you say?" Asked Oak Leaf. "Do you want to be my apprentice?" Scootaloo thought about it for a moment. If she agreed, then she wouldn't have to live at the orphanage anymore. She would no longer have to see Moon Shine or his friends. Further, she would get to learn how to be a ranger, which seemed like a fun job. But, there were some problems.
"What about school?" She asked. "Would I still see my friends?"
"You would attend school until you graduated, and you would have a little time to see your friends, but not much," said Oak Leaf. "I can only promise about half an hour a day on average. Is that enough crusading for you?"
Scootaloo hesitated, before saying, "Okay, I'll do it." Oak Leaf smiled.
"I was hoping you would say that," he said. Turning to Good Berry, he asked, "So what do I have to do now?"
"Well, there's just a little paper work you have to fill out, then Scootaloo and you can leave. Scootaloo, why don't you go wait outside? I'm sure this will all be quite boring." Scootaloo bolted up straight.
"Outside?" She asked. She couldn't go outside! Moon Shine would kill her! But Oak Leaf suddenly gave a grin.
"Yes, outside," he said, with a hint of teasing in his voice. "It seems like you and your friends were having some fun before you came in. Why don't you finish your game?" Scootaloo glared at him. He simply returned it with his impish grin. "Run along now." Leaning in closer, he whispered, "Part one of your training. Aim for the head."
As Scootaloo walked out, she felt a pit of terror in her chest. She knew that Moon Shine would make her pay like he never had before.
As she exited the door, every pony stopped and turned to face her. Then, without a word, they all turned away and went on with their business. Moon Shine seemed to be actively avoiding eye contact with her, trying to keep his distance.
"What's going on?" She asked out loud. Her former bullies jumped a little, then backed off.
"Just - just stay back!" Cried Moon Shine. "I'm warning you!" Frowning in confusion, Scootaloo climbed up into the tree to wait her new mentor. After a few minutes, Oak Leaf and Good Berry came outsided.
"Scootaloo!" Called Good Berry. "It's time to go!" As the ponies all saw who had come to take Scootaloo away, their mouths dropped open in shock. Then, Moon Shine began to laugh cruelly.
"You're going home with the ranger? Looks like we don't need to worry about you after all! You'll be dead before the week is over!" As Good Berry went over to scold the bullies, Scootaloo walked out the door, trying to block out the noise. She had a sinking feeling, in the pit of her stomach, that they might be right.
Scootaloo walked quickly after Oak Leaf. She had thought he walked quickly in the forest, but out on the open road, he practically flew. They walked through the open plains on the outskirts of Ponyville. Scootaloo hadn't even known that any pony lived out here.
After a while, a small house came into sight. It was a moderately sized log cabin, surrounded by tall trees. A large barn sat in the back, next to a small garden where vegetables were growing. The whole place had a homely feel to it.
"SCKREE!"
Scootaloo looked up at the sound. Circling in the air was a small hawk, flying around their heads. As she looked, the bird flew down and began flying around her head. She flinched away, covering her face, expecting it to attack. Oak Leaf gave a sharp whistle. As soon as he did, the bird flew straight to him and landed on his shoulder. Looking over, it cocked it's head to study Scootaloo. She lifted her hooves to peek at it.
"This is Cooper," explained Oak Leaf. "He's my partner, I guess you could say. He seems to quite like you." To prove this, Cooper flew over and landed on Scootaloo's shoulder. She reached up and scratched under his chin. Giving what sounded like a purr, Cooper looked over at Oak Leaf, as if to say "Why don't you do this?"
"Don't get used to that, you overgrown hen," said Oak Leaf, scolding the bird. "She'll get sick you just like I have pretty soon." With an indignant look, Cooper leaned closer to Scootaloo.
"Where was he when I first met you?" Asked Scootaloo. "I didn't see him anywhere around there."
"We have a bit of an on off relationship," explained Oak Leaf. "Cooper helps me out when he feels like it, and I give him a place to stay. It's not unheard of for a ranger to bond with an animal. Who knows, maybe you'll even get a companion one day."
Scootaloo thought about it. "I don't think so," she said. "I'm not too good with animals." Oak Leaf nodded in understanding.
"Moving on," he said, "time to check out the property." To begin, they went to the barn. The large building doubled as a storage area. Spare bow's, arrows, quivers and a variety of other weapons lined the walls. Barrels of food were stacked up in the corner. In the middle of the room stood a small clump of archery targets, right by a training dummy. Hay was scattered all around, providing a natural carpet.
"This is where most of your training will take place," said Oak Leaf. "It's not anything amazing, but it serves it's purpose." Scootaloo stared around with awe.
"Am I going to learn how to use all of those?" She asked, pointing at the weapons. Oak Leaf regarded her quizzically.
"Of course not," he said. "Those are purely for decoration. Most of them have never seen the outside of this building." As Scootaloo sat down, disappointed, he laughed. "I'm kidding. You'll learn how to use them. Now, if you're done gawking over them, we'll go look at the main house were you'll be living."
As they walked out, Scootaloo pointed at the vegetable garden. "Will we have to maintain that?"
"WE won't have to do anything." Said Oak Leaf. "YOU, on the other hand, will be in charge of keeping it in good condition. We receive shipments of food regularly, but it never hurts to have a small supply."
They walked into the large house. It had a cozy feel to it. A small kitchen sat next to a living area with a few chairs in it. A small stove sat to heat the whole building. Scootaloo was led down a hallway to a small room. Inside was a bed with a small chest at it's foot, and a night table at it's head. "Is this all mine?" Asked Scootaloo.
"Indeed it is," said Oak Leaf. "This is where the apprentice sleeps." Scootaloo drank the sight in. She had never had her own room at the orphanage. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. "Now, for the first order of business." Scootaloo snapped her attention back to Oak Leaf.
"What are we doing first?" She asked eagerly. "Archery? Tracking?" Oak Leaf shook his head with a grin.
"Nope," he said. "Cooking. I don't suppose you know how?" Scootaloo shook her head. "Well, no time to learn like the present. Now, cooking will be one of the chores you'll have to do, along with gathering fire wood, maintaining the garden, and anything else that needs to be done." Scootaloo stared at him with her mouth open wide. "Don't look at me like that," he said. "Every apprentice has to do this. You'll make your own apprentice do this some day. Now, let's show you how to cook some carrot soup."
...
Scootaloo wiped her brow. The stove was hot, but she had to keep stirring the soup. She didn't want her dinner to be burned. As she worked, she heard Oak Leaf come up behind her. Turning around, she saw that he was carrying a small box.
"Here's a little house warming gift," he said. Opening the chest, Scootaloo was disappointed to see a large pile of dusty old books.
"What are these?" She asked, confused.
"There's a tradition that every apprentice keeps a small journal of all their experiences. This is all of them. And this," Oak Leaf said, opening a blank book, "Is yours. Write whatever you want in it, and feel free to read the other ones." He sniffed the air. "But first, you might want to check on your soup. I think it's burning."
After a slightly burned dinner, Scootaloo sat down to examine the journals. They were filled with random notes and observations. Some of them had tips on how to do the numerous chores, some were records of memorable events, and some were just random anecdotes. After a moments thought, Scootaloo picked up the book Oak Leaf had handed her and began writing.
"My name is Scootaloo, and I'm a young pegasus filly..."
