Shame

Ruiz was having a lot of trouble falling asleep. His heart had been pounding in his chest since he'd returned to his room, and no matter how hard his attempts, he found that he could not calm down. What had she done to set him off so? How could something so harmless as a hug have turned him into the terrified mess that he had now become? Who in their right mind was afraid of a hug?

She had told him to come talk to her whenever he needed. Well, now he needed to talk to her. The problem was, she'd probably been asleep for the last hour. Even if he did wake her up, what would he say? That he was afraid she would hug him again? She'd probably try to make him feel better, and end that conversation with a hug, which would only set him off again.

Perhaps he needed some time to think. A breath of fresh air and a short walk to calm his nerves. He could think to himself, work off some energy, and check the perimeter. Better that he inspected the crops than the back of his eyelids. He put on his poncho, secured his belt and weapons in case of critters, and made his way down the stairs and out the back door.

He certainly picked the right time to do so. Not even a minute after stepping out the back door, he spotted by the road intersection three lights moving across the night sky. A few seconds after, two were snuffed and the third dimmed significantly. On closer inspection, they resembled birds, and the bright, almost full moon did not reflect off their wings. They were Ravens, and they were headed his way.

He ducked into the corn, keeping his eyes on them as they approached. He remained silent as they crossed over the property line. If they just kept flying, and passed over the property without stopping, they would be somepony else's problem. He wouldn't have to care if it wasn't his place of residence they were after.

"This is the place," said one of the gryphons, gliding to the ground. "Keep your voices down. We don't want 'em waking up."

The trio landed next to the back steps. One of them had a large box, about half a metre in length, width and depth in his claws, that had a few wires sticking out of the top.

The one that had spoken earlier, the one with the dimmed lantern, turned to the other two. "Do you two dumbarses think you can set those up without fucking it up?"

"We're not that stu--" started the one not holding anything, only to have the first one grab him by the beak.

"Not stupid?" he growled quietly. "I told you to keep your voice down, fuckwit! That means we whisper. Or do you want that faggot goat to come out here?"

Ruiz might have chuckled at that, were he not trying very hard to figure out how to proceed.

"Now, since ya can't even figure out how ta remain quiet, let me make this perfectly clear. If that dynamite goes off before I give the signal, y'all'd both better flee, because if the sheriff don't kill ya for fuckin' this up, I will castrate the both of ya and make the other one eat 'em raw. Do I make myself clear?"

"What if ya don't give us the signal?" asked the one with the box.

"Then ya don't set off the dynamite. How is this too complicated for you?"

That settled it. Dynamite was exceptionally dangerous. Ruiz would need to take those two out first. As they started to the barn, he was about to trail after them, but the leader wasn't following them. Instead, he pulled out a knife and cut a hole in the screen door. Ruiz hadn't locked it on his way out, because the lock on the backdoor was only on the inside, but the gryphon didn't know that.

Shit. There was no way he could go after all of them. That box could be full of dynamite, and that was more than enough to level both the barn and the coop, which would not only end señora Bea, the pigs and the chickens, but force the family to harvest everything by hoof. That said, a gryphon with a knife in a house full of sleeping ponies was also a recipe for disaster. As dumb as they were purported to be, splitting up was a pretty smart move.

With a silent apology for señora Bea, Ruiz followed the gryphon into the house. If anything, he could hope that the other two could follow instructions, and then prevent this one from signaling them. No signal, no explosion. Besides, having him around meant that working the place by hoof would be a little easier, and he already knew that his feeling of guilt would drive him to work even harder just to pay off the extra damages.

The gryphon had already moved into the kitchen to look around. He was seeking something out, and turning rather quickly. Ruiz drew his slingshot and prepared to fire, but when he rounded the corner, the beast had already moved on, and the only thing he would have hit was his tail.

Ruiz moved up on the door to the dining room, taking cover behind the doorframe. He watched the light from the lantern as it cascaded across the floor. There was no shadow from the gryphon in the dim light, meaning that if Ruiz poked his head out, he'd be spotted right away. He needed a clear shot before he could do anything, and he couldn't line it up if he couldn't guess the distance.

By the time Ruiz could be sure he wouldn't be spotted, the light was disappearing, meaning the intruder had moved to another room. The living room. Such was made clear with the rustling of papers and the squeaking of drawers being opened. Ruiz knew the orientation of the desk, and was very aware that he would be spotted if he went in the same way. However, as the gryphon was going through the drawers, he returned to the utility room and came through the other way, sneaking in behind him.

Just as Ruiz was about to draw his shot, a door slammed shut upstairs. The gryphon turned and saw Ruiz, tackling him to the ground. Ruiz' shot was thrown off, glancing off the gryphon's forehead and breaking the lantern, knocking out the light. He would have prepared the next shot, but the gryphon had grabbed him by the left wrist in one claw, and his good horn was in the other, wrenching his body in a very uncomfortable position.

As Jed came down the stairs, armed with his own slingshot and lantern, Ruiz was unable to fire. "Not another step," barked the gryphon, "or I break his neck."