Title:           Hunting Hope 10
Author:          EgomaniacalMonkeyMan
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/j2v3j5uC
First Edit:      Tuesday 28th of May 2013 11:16:11 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Tuesday 28th of May 2013 11:16:11 PM CDT

>Hope awoke with a start, and a searing headache.
>She was resting on what seemed to be the sand she had fallen in earlier, but a few key details were different.
>For one, she could tell from the flickering light of a fire that it was night, and a brilliant starlit one at that.
>A crackle from her left signified the existence of a camp fire, as did the flurry of ash and smoke that drifted into view as the wind changed momentarily.
>And, from the faint muttering sounds just beyond, a hushed but intense discussion was apparently taking place.
Hope didn't worry about it, though.
>Something about the small camp felt inexplicably safe, and besides, she was too sore and tired to move from her bed of dirt.
>She craned her neck around to see who had cared for her, digging her left ear uncomfortably into the sand and wincing as shocks of pain flashed through her head and neck from the exertion.
>The fire flashed brilliantly at her, stymieing any attempts to see past it towards her saviors.
Oh, well.
>Hope rested from the small action, cursing her weakness and foolish actions.
>She had known the importance of hiding from the sun and drinking lots of water, at least from a theoretical position.
>Yet the experience of the bone-drying thirst combined with the washing waves of muderous heat had been a different monster altogether.
>Hope wondered vaguely just how precisely Celestia controlled the sun.
>Certainly it seemed the solar light had been nothing but a hindrance and hazard these past few days.
>But it had also lit the best days of her life.
A quandary for another day, perhaps.
 
>While Hope was engrossed in her thoughts and memories, drifting in and out of sleep, an entirely different situation developed on the opposite side of the fire.
>"Do you think she's alright?" whispered Rarity, casting worried glances towards the bundle of blankets across the fire, "She's clearly horribly hurt, and sometimes injuries like that don't heal.
Fluttershy blinked slowly with her enourmous eyes, casting a clinical glance towards the half-human monstrosity before turning back to Rarity.
>"She'll be fine by morning." the yellow pegasus gently replied at last, pausing reflectively, "Lucky we found her in time. And even more lucky that she shares so many similarities with my woodland friends."
>"Luck had nothing to do with it!" exclaimed Dash out loud, only to get shushed instantly by her five friends simultaneously.
>"uh" she started again, whispering, "that is to say, luck has nothing to do with it. you're all welcome for spotting her, by the way"
>"We heard you the first time" scoffed Twilight out loud, shrinking down as she realized her mistake, "oops, sorry."
Hope shifted in her blankets, but didn't make a sound or attempt to move further.
>"anyways," Twilight continued, "how much longer until we can tie her up?"
>"Twahlaght!" Applejack exclaimed before catching herself, continuing with a whisper, "consarn it. anywho, hope nearly died.
>"no way in tartarus ahr we goin ta just tah her up an drag her off before she's recovered. it ain't proper." Applejack finished, stamping her hoof to illustrate her point.
>"but-"
>"i agree with applejack, darling." Rarity whispered, "we can set up some proper defenses to keep her contained, but now isn't the time to start dragging an injured satyr across the country."
>"Fine" responded Twilight with a huff, "I'm going to set up a barrier around the campsite until Hope has recovered."
She huffed exasperatedly as Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy all sighed in relief, and the snores of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash grew louder.
>"But you three owe me one."
 
[spoiler]For you, impatient anon.[/spoiler]
Damn, how many times do I say the word "she" "her", and "the". Hell, I suppose if you count the editorials as well, I also seem to hideously overuse "I" as well.
It bothers me every single time I write, but for the life of me I can't help it. [spoiler] Guess I have to add "It" to the list as well. [/spoiler]
It seems for every useless verb or adjective I use, a slew of these ugly little mite-like words swarm onto the screen.
But I digress. It has been a long day, and my prose has finally reached something that I can be at least somewhat happy with. If anybody wants to start hitting me with the big boy criticism now, I think I'm strong enough to take it gracefully.
So, uh... fire away. [spoiler]Chapters are staying short, though.