Vitalus sighed and shakes his head. Glacis is walking behind Vitalus.

the creature:

within two days the creatures have grown, eating constantly and changing shape entirely. they're shaped like barn owls, but instead of the usual snowy whites and soft browns that make up a barn owls feathers, these ones are shades of black and grey, with red eyes and sharp beaks.

the nearest one squawks, shuffling around on my arm where it's perched while i watch the others learn how to fly. this one has it down, having flown all around my library until it finally had to stop and rest. i slip him another slice of meat, earning a happy churr from the bird.

another one lands on the branch next to me, hoping to get food like his brother. i oblige, feeding him more and petting his head.

Asmodeus is getting a weird vibe from the woods. It's creepy, hostile even.

as we walk, our animals seem calm and relaxed, with orion try to play with the other dogs and vega stopping to nibble on some flowers every now and then. we begin to relax too, with me letting vegas reigns rest on the saddle while i pull out a pencil and paper, beginning to sketch a map so we can find our way home.

awhile into our walk, we come to a small pond with green grass and bushes with strange, pink fruits on them. pulling on vegas reigns to make her stop, i hold up my hand, making the others stop too. "we've been riding for a few hours, we should stop and let our animals rest." i say, glancing around. "this place looks ok, there's fish and plants in the water, so it's probably safe to drink if we boil it."

Asmodeus dismounts, tying Amaya to a tree so she can still graze but not escape. He walks under a tree; a fruit falls on his head and about 15 songbirds suddenly take flight. You hear him muttering under his breath, "I hate nature."

Vitalus nods and gets off his horse. He pets Glacis on the head. Glacis growls at Orion to get away from him.

"there's nothing natural about these" i say, picking up the fruit that fell on his head and cracking it open. "they don't have seeds. none of them do. someone bred these plants into existence" i say, cutting off a sliver of the meat of the fruit and tossing it into the pond. the fish immediately swarm it, and it's gone in seconds. "looks like they're good to eat, though" i comment, cutting another sliver off and placing it in my mouth. it's sweet, and has the consistency of a dragon fruit, but it's a light pink on the inside. the skin on the outside it tough and leathery, perfect to drink out of when you're done eating the fruit.

"Not bad," Asmodeus shrugs, picking another of the fruits from a low-hanging branch and carving into it with a knife.

ella got ready for bed and tucked the animals in falling asleep for the night

"i'll start a fire and boil some water, you guys get as many of these fruits as you can. oh, and mizuki? i think here would be the perfect place to let that creature you found go. it's got plenty of food, water and shelter here. wild animals aren't meant to be pets" i add, giving him a sympathetic glance " i know you're attached to it, but you have to think of what's better for it."