He was just standing there, menacingly.
She wasn't sure if he was ever going to move, and it was quickly becoming apparent that she may have to be the one to expose her presence. She had been innocently enjoying a stroll on the outskirts of her homelands, when she had spotted an unfamiliar creature.
At first, the sight of him had intrigued her. She had never seen anyone with ears like a bunny, or a tail like a bunny...or feet like a ---!! Hey! Hadn't there been stories last spring of a bunny shifter in these areas? Her father had been the one to warn her not to travel out here alone, as that shifter wasn't known for playing nice. She had never seen a shifter in the flesh before, but the stories of what they were capable of was enough to dim her curiosity for life. Not exactly keen on being a meal, the mare had avoided this little stretch of land for quite some time, and it was only by random happenstance that she found herself in the exact area that her father tried to tell her to avoid.
And so, when she spotted the stallion with the weird ears, her heart gave a start. Was this the shifter from the stories? He hadn't seen her yet, as his head was titled towards the sky, so she quickly darted behind a large boulder, and waited.
That was hours ago. Or so it felt like it.
And all he had done in that time was shift his gaze from the sky to the dirt beneath his paws, and then back up at the sky. He hadn't moved and inch. Daisy wasn't sure if he felt her presence at all, but if he had, he was very skilled at making it seem like he had been clueless. She felt like this put her at a disadvantage, because if she turned around back the way she came, her hoofsteps would be heard and he'd be alerted to her whereabouts. If she made herself known and spoke to him, well - what good would that do? If he was the shifter, surely he'd attack her either way. So she stayed.
And he stayed. And she stayed. Her green eyes peeking out from behind the boulder every so often, to see if his position had shifted.
"Odd." A voice suddenly said - a stallion's voice, surely it was his?
Daisy wasn't dumb, she knew dangerous creatures would outmatch her in every way, but the single word he let out had left her perplexed. His tone didn't sound like that of a predator, and she had grown tired of playing the waiting game in order to survive, so she went against her better judgement, and responded. "What's odd?" She asked, as she stepped out from behind the boulder.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" The stallion screamed, his paws giving way to him almost toppling over. "Where did you come from? Are you going to eat me? Where am I? Who are you? Where are we? I heard a voice call to me but you're all I see and I have no idea what's going on...." The questions spewed out of him like a scared rabbit, and his ears bent back against his neck as he stared at the mare before him.
Eyes narrowed, Daisy wasn't sure she trusted the behavior she was witnessing - he was fumbling over himself like a child, and appeared more scared of her than she of him - could this be a trap? Surely, this had to be a trap; shifters were smart and crafty in their hunting, and she wasn't going to fall for this. She dug her hoof into the sand, and puffed up her chest as if to show that she wasn't afraid. She wouldn't go down this way. But as they stared down at each other, her demeanor softened just a little; he didn't appear to have a pelt - and wasn't that a identifying feature of a shifter? Unless he was some new brand of evil, perhaps this was just a case of mistaken identity....and he really was just an innocent little bunny. Perhaps a little sympathy would do her good.
"Am I going to eat you? You're twice my size," Daisy shook her head at the stallion, whose expression hadn't changed from the shock he felt upon her revealing herself. "Also - what do you mean, 'who am I?' Why are you asking a stranger that?"
"I may be large but I'm not - ! Wait, is that why everyone avoids me? Am I evil?" The stallion looked down at his paws, lifting it up as though to check for any signs of a killing. "I woke up from a dream a few nights ago, and in that dream a voice told me to come to these lands. So I did. And now I'm here. And....no one will help me....."
Okay, so either this shifter was a masterclass at deception, or she was far too quick to judge someone just because they shared a trait with that of a storybook villain. She smiled at the stallion, and began closing the distance between them. "If what you say is true, you've found yourself in the vicinity of a villain from rumors a year ago, who happens to share your ears. Here....let's get you out of this canyon and I can tell you all about it...."
