Smile alights on the visage of the tiny woodland beauty, and Nayati is inclined to smile back. Oh how she has missed these kind, mysterious creatures. She knows there will be many visitations after this day, though she does not know if the fairies will reveal themselves to her once more should she attempt to see them once more. Sweetly her question was answered, and with a dip of thanks with her crown she quietly steered herself off towards where she had last seen Sakura. Though the fae was nowhere to be found, the tree was easily discovered. Curiously enough, nothing seemed to have been done to it, and the tiny girl seemed as if not to have done anything. Frowning, Nayati stood back and considered the situation. Clearly the vines could not be cut by the fairies...Nayati smiled when an idea bloomed as easily as her flowers within her mind. Snagging one of the funny fruits between her teeth- they were truly going to start a revolution against her if she kept this up- the tiny princess went back to her own area at a faster pace. Excitement and the thrill of an idea had restored some of her energy, and the light that had dimmed through focus was once again flaming brightly. Dropping the odd little fruit upon the ground behind the bucket, she raised her right forehoof and brought it down hard onto the garishly colored fruit.

Doing this a few times she slowly spread the pieces and the liquid with her hoof around the bucket of water and gems. A gaudy line was left, and the sweet stench nearly dizzied her without a drop touching her lips. But no, there was more to this plan. The moment Nayati had spied the tree Sakura had abandoned, she knew that yet another item could be used to keep away sneaky critters. Refusing to rush lest she tire herself before aiding the kind stallion, Nayati returned at a light trot and eyed the tree with glowing blood irises once more. There were thorns upon that large vine that strangled the tree just so, and pain was yet another natural deterrent. Animals hated slivers, and hated even more those that were unnatural and not meant for the ground. Bushes with thorns such as these were often carefully and diligently avoided. Also, the suffering tree angered the earthly fae, and severe disappointment flooded her breast when she realized Sakura had simply walked away. Could she feel true anger towards someone so young? No, but it still made her feel bitter if only on the tree's behalf. Too many people forgot that all aspects of life held just that- life. Even plants.

The prickly vines weren't too hard to reach, considering she was taller than Sakura, but it was getting them off that would be the challenge. Teeth? No. They hated her already, and the thorns would likely prick her and possibly inject that awful fruit into her system. Nayati valued her mind far too much to let any drug, giggle-inducing or otherwise, into her body. That left the only other weapon that she had, which were her hooves. Frowning, she adjusted her angle the best she could. Well, she'd already climbed a tree, why not jump at one too? Centering the small bit of weight she owned onto her hindquarters, Nayati lurched up into a rear as tall as her short stature could manage. Pale hooves flashed at the vine, aiming for the smaller parts. This was not her job, but perhaps taking a chunk would kill off the vine? After a few tries of this, cutting and attacking with her forelegs, it finally snapped. Panting softly, she swallowed hard and turned to the other end she would have to break to remove it. Once again she repeated the process, and by the time a decent size of the vine was off and at her hooves, sweat clung to her flanks from the constant stretch heavenwards.

Rolling the wobbly, oddly formed stump of a vine back to her spot, Nayati was thankful that the pokers were rather easy to just shove down on and snap off. After breaking a few off, she'd scatter them around the circle of the fruit, one pace away from the edge of the pink goop. It created another circle around the fruit, of which would hopefully fend of any curious noses that decided to poke around despite the scent of the fruit. Turning, her gaze caught the eyesore of the tree that she had missed. The blight had lessened drastically, but there was still more that could be scraped off. Kicking the vine away as far as she could, Nayati headed back to it and raised herself up on weakly protesting hind legs to paw and scrape at the awful thing until it fell dead and useless against the ground. It would not feed off her precious trees any longer. Somehow she had become attached to this misunderstood forest. It touched her heart, and she was saddened to know simply because it looked daunting, the towering pines were studiously avoided. Was that why it had fallen into such disrepair?

Finally she was done to the best of her ability. Had she somehow aided Sakura and the fairies by taking a chunk of that vine away? Would it even help? Sighing, she remembered that Destrier was still far from finished. How was he fairing? After all, the gentleman had wished her luck, and she in return to him. In fact, she could tell his soul was surprisingly golden. Though Nayati did not believe souls could be colored, he was pure of heart and though clearly a warrior by his build, she did not feel frightened in his presence. Little frightened her anymore, for she had learned that if you let fear control you, you would never ascend to a level in which you could be truly happy. Could he easily harm her? Of course, but that did not mean Nayati had to think of the what if's constantly.

No, the brute had been kind and even paternal in a way that made her heart ache for the father she'd never had. Though Svetlana, Romani, Abdullah, Insanity, and Resplendence had all come to her and guided her in their own feminine ways...Nayati had never known paternal love. Had hardly met any grown males in her entire life. So yes, she was curious about this dark stallion with the soft, kind words that made her chest ache with want. A want for something she could never, ever have. Was that why she desired to help him in his task? With hardly any thought, the no that came to her was rather truthful. Until Sakura had apparently left, Nayati had also intended to help the young fae with her task as well. Was she foolish to aid them in a competition such as this? Perhaps, but she also feared that the draconic creature would not be happy bonded to her. What could she give it? Her, an orphan with little male experience, who knew only how to care for herself? Who happened to be wiser than most her age? Nayati ached for a companion, because she was lonely even though she had been gruffly accepted back into the Foothills until the end of the cold seasons. Though her mind kept her busy, and her praise every morn to the Earth Lord gave her purpose to awaken every day, she desired someone who could understand her.

But that would not stop her from following the heart her path had long set before her, etched into the fabric of her being.

Nayati would not refuse to aid him simply because it might lower her chances. Her spirit would not permit her to selfishly walk away when she could offer help. So after resting her tiring body for a few precious moments, she set off to find the stallion who had smiled and breathed kind words of hope and luck into her heart. Truly, the group was not hard to find considering the tension and noise growing around them. The delicate femme stepped through the dark foliage like a wraith, shocking in colorless wonder in the backdrop of muted and saturated colors. Words touched her ears, the sibilant hiss of the spiders and the cool if firm tone of Destrier. Smoothly she approached, blossoms spreading in her wake. Thoughtfully she regarded the arachnids, humming softly to show she was intending to speak. With clear elegance she moved forward to Destrier's side and dipped her cranium to the massive, leggy creatures. Gaze flickered to Destrier's face before focusing upon the one who had spoken. Was that the leader? "I was always told as a mere babe to respect those who have seen years that I have yet to face. Should you speak truth, then you are as much a part of the woods as they are a part of you. We may be of species that are not related in any fashion, but I know the value of home." Flattery was not her best suit, and she refused to use it, so instead she spoke with a light and understanding air. Was she even truly helping?

"Calling your living distasteful is simply atrocious manners, and I hope this kind fellow said no such thing to injure your pride in any way. For, who is to regard you in a different light merely for feeding yourself?" It maybe seemed she was siding with them over the feeding of the pool, but she was not yet done speaking. When she twirled her words, they spun like the freed blossoms of her flowers, commanding attention without arrogance. Respect was a silver thread tied in every vocal, not in a hope to impress or win out, but because it was always present. "We do not ask you leave these woods, my arachnid friends. Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to call you friends, for I have never met you, so forgive me. However we do plead you leave this pool. I ask you, what will happen when the fish no longer come? When you have speared and eaten them until they develop enough to never return, or cannot breed to continue feeding you?" Ah, there was the logic. It spun its way seamlessly into her conversation, not demanding they listen to her because she didn't consider herself above the deadly creatures. After all how could she be? In her small form they were her exact height, and she was of no age to be commanding creatures away from a home they had lived in for over a hundred years.

"And then what? When the fish no longer cower and the water turns clear of nutrition for you, where will you find easy game? There are no other pools I am aware of, and even if there are fish that will become prey to you, the cycle shall only repeat." Never once did her gaze waver from the leader, though perhaps she swept her eyes over the group as a whole from time to time to include them. "You will hardly remember what other prey you can catch, and your stomachs will pang with want for the size of the food it used to receive easily on a daily basis. You will suffer through discomfort until you can find another food source, one that may not be as accommodating. For what if you require time to spin webs, create traps, or set up a system that will need to be tried and tested in order to capture these creatures? This takes time that your stomachs will protest against, my friends." Oh my, she was normally never such a talker. It made her feel a dull ache in her ribs, uncomfortable. Though she spoke eloquently, with a wisdom beyond her summers, Nayati did not let words fall from her lips needlessly. Words were precious, to be used only when you had thoroughly mulled them over and tasted their divine flavor on your tongue before speaking them lovingly, with an intimacy she always conversed with. "I do not know of the arachnids in these woods, namely you. Tales were spun by the fairies of my old homeland of massive spiders that created tantalizing webs of spun silver, who could catch prey that ranged from birds to hoof beasts like wild swine and young stags. Massive in size and with incredible power and wit, they were able to take down prey that few others of their species could achieve." This was a bit of a twist on the truth, but you couldn't have noticed for nothing changed on her wistful visage. Yes, the fairies had spun woven tales for her, but rarely of spiders. She had been young and delicate, abused and broken. Spiders that could easily claim her life usually scared her, and so the fae had avoided such stories. A look of slight disappointment- was it fake? And if it was, how were they to know?- crossed that soft angelic face. "Where are these majestic creatures? Where are these people of hunting, wile, and skill? Beauty in their silken creations? All I see is a group of spiders who lounge about a dying pool, refusing to use the abilities their creator blessed them with. Where is the pride of your species?" Nayati was walking a thin line, playing a dangerous game. Insulting them was counter productive, and she wished not to do such a thing. Merely show them that they could be better, that this was not a life they had to submit to.

"I believe you can find prey all throughout this forest. These fish may be easy prey but they are helpless. Are you so low as to submit to this lifestyle? You are creatures of great cunning, with poisons that cause shudders to live in my skin when I imagine them. I am disappointed to see you in such a state. Perhaps my fairies were wrong, for all I see here is laziness and a desire to bully and sit about simply because it is easier. You have not the flame I dreamed about. You have not the pride of the arachnid line I have heard of." Voice turned cold, as if she had been personally wounded by this discovery. Nayati was no actor through personality, but her words could make you feel as if every word spoken was sincere. Almost always it was, and in this case faking the disappointed icy tone was not hard. Crown slowly inclined and she watched them, as if contemplating them. Soft silken threads of pure snow and alabaster blood swayed and pooled over the shoulder and kissed the ground as she regarded them. Hard tone melted into a soft, intimate murmur. Tilting her face back to how it had been, she locked gazes with the leader and slowly met the eyes of every spider. She wanted to see into their very souls. "Friends. Please. You know I speak truth. Though the fairies ache for the fish that fear your shadows, what I have said will happen. There are far too many of you, and far too few of them. Time will not aid you with how quickly they are devoured. But this is not a life you are saddled with forever." Here, she had to truly word it the best she could if she wanted them to listen. To leave.

Sucking in a small breath, she locked her knees to make sure they did not tremble from fatigue. Weakness could not be shown, and she took as much mental strength from the presence of Destrier at her side as she possibly could. Good Gods, if she ended up dead because of this, she would curse this quest forever for making her spill more words in one moment than she had in her lifetime and getting herself killed with the rare happening. "These woods are large, far larger than the tiny world that surrounds this pool. Many of you can live alone, or you can stay together. Create a home through your silks, drive prey to your webs through chase and teamwork. Create traps in the high trees for birds. It is more work, but it will secure your livelihood more than these pitiful fish that are unable to live long enough to reproduce with how quickly you feed upon their flesh. Take pride in your work, and you will never feel insulted by any who dares to tell you your craft, your livelihood is...how did you word it, sir? Ah, yes. Distasteful. This life...looking upon you now I am disappointed. I would not feel such negative emotions if you claimed your prey in an honorable way. Should you wish, I will lend you the services of my own body to helping you find the best spots for prey, for homes. This does not need to become a battle," here she cut her eyes sharply to Destrier, not only to reprimand him for immediately reverting to offense when negotiations could be made, but also to show the spiders that she took no sides.

"This can be settled civilly. However, in order to do that, I plead that you work with us. How can we herbivores understand? I only know these things because I have long been a worshiper of the Earth. I firmly believe in my heart that my Lord would not have set you in his forests without the nutrition to supplement and sustain you. Should you desire new scenery, the Spectral Marsh is another land I believe you would find shelter and accommodations to match. However as I said, you have the strength in my body, the time in my day, and the days in my seasons to aid you. Why would I turn a nose at a bit of labor, when I am asking you to do quite the same? I bid you to turn within, reflect. Find the pride of your people and know, within, that you are better than this." Finally she settled, words quieting and echoing softly like fading reminders of her brave proposition. Would she be attacked? Could she defend herself alongside Destrier's power if they were? Had she said all she possibly could without insulting them? Nayati despised confrontation, but knew how to fight if she had to. Inside she prayed to her Lord, to the fairies, to the entire forest around her. Nayati was connected to the earth, to the world, in a way that few could understand. Tiny iridescent threads only visible to her eyes connected parts of her to every living thing, and through them she too sat like a spider in a web, plucking out tunes of love and praise through the earthen world she so adored. It moved through her bones, kept her connected to every soul- animal, material, plant- in an extremely intimate way. Doubtful that the Earth Emperor would find her special for how she viewed his realm, she did not brag or find this to be a special trait in any way.

She was simply Nayati, and that was the only thing she would ever be.

Forever.

The spiders could take her or leave her, listen or disregard her words. But Nayati would not change for them. Her soul would not blacken or warp because another told her to do so. Nayati had found her center, the calm of the eye of the hurricane, and in that cradle she softly crooned to her own spirit, keeping it alive and pure with hope and understanding. She had found paradise in a vile, imperfect world. Suffering had passed her ways more times than she could count, and yet she never lost faith. Never faltered or gave up. Never cursed the world for having played her such awful cards of charcoal, an evil color of black. Of death. No. Instead, she played them in the best way she could, for although she could not control the cards, she could control the way she played them. Free will existed, and Nayati had finally found her own perfect imperfection, both externally and within herself.