A Scholar's Journey: Equestria

It had only been a good amount of time since he left Vanhoover. A few hours since his encounter at a place called 'Tall Tale.' There wasn't much to the village but they were in the middle of a trade agreement, or rather a disagreement, when the stranger arrived. He ended up helping them settle to disagreement and was offered a reward.

At first he turned down the offers, but more they were insisted upon him. So now he carried a small pouch of bits and a dagger now. The stranger wasn't a fan of weapons, but he figured he could use it in others way. He hadn't decided on what to do with the small pouch of money that was handed to him, but the figure would figure it out soon.

The trail he was on going up the mountain was winding about. The dirt sunk with each step of the figure's hooves, giving a soft yet solid footing. The stranger soon stopped and sat on top of a rock, bringing out his book. The latch to keep the covers closed popped off with ease. He started to page through the entries in the book til he stopped on a blank page.

It didn't really take him long to pull out the ink and quill again. He wished that there was something he could carry in place of the two items. He didn't stay on that train of thought for long as he started to scribble out a small map of his own just for the mountain. The figure pulled out his compass to make sure he was scribbling the incomplete map in the right direction. With that confirmation, he slipped the compass away.

After he put away his items, closed his book, and locked it tight. The figure stood back up and began his trek back up the mountain's trail. He rounded around the peak and saw a valley near the mountain base. The sight was amazing to see as he quickly started to descend the mountain.

The grass was the greenest he had ever seen, the trees were full of life and there were critters all around him. This valley was alive and he was glad to be in the middle of it. Once he made his way down to the center of the small valley, he sat down and started to put himself in a trance. He felt a proper meditation would be in order in a place like this.

He crossed his legs and closed his eyes. Letting his mind flow freely through his thoughts. Reviewing his past and current decisions, conversations, things he held. The list had gone on until he felt it, the connection to magic. He could feel it all around him, a lot more then he ever imagined. He never touched it though, not to his own fullest, he felt it would be dangerous to do so.

When he drifted out of his meditation he saw the wildlife around him. The sun was setting now and the wildlife were skittering around to their homes for the night. The figure decided it was time to do the same and set up a small camp for the night. It took the stranger a bit to get set up, collecting enough rocks to make a fire pit took a good amount of the time. The firewood wasn't enough for a big fire, not that he wanted it too large.

He did find a sizable chunk of wood that he put away. The fire was alive and well for it's small size, and he was carving away at the piece of wood. The figure just hummed as he turned the chunk into a rough outline of something. The more he twiddled away with he dagger at the wood, the more he got an idea. The outline soon became a kingly figure, and he started to feel something as he stared at the statuette.

He let out a small sigh and placed the small likeness into his pack. The moon was rising over the mountains as he ate with his eyes fixed on the fire. Wasn't much for fruits but he wasn't complaining, seeing the fruit he ate as a source of energy for him to use tomorrow.

The morning came and the figure winced a bit at the light in his eyes. He sat up, rubbing his face, and yawning. Then he noticed that he was being stared at. The stranger looked to his visitor to see that it was a young falcon. The bird cooed a bit and flapped its wings once, its head tilted off to one side.

"Well hello there." The figure said with a smile.

He put his hand out for the bird and it jumped back some. It looked between the hand and who it was coming from. The bird cooed again then hopped up onto the figures's forearm. Chirping some as it looked back to the stranger, then hopping on up to his shoulder and perching right there.

"Wanna come along with me on my journey, little buddy?" The figure asked the falcon.

The bird cried a bit in excitement and confirmation. "Hmmm... I think I'll call you Talon."