Pharynx sighs as he still sees no sign of danger near the hive. He looks up at the night sky boredly before going back to glaring at his surroundings.

For context, Princess Celestia gave the Changeling Hive and other cultures of ponies a word of warning: ponies have been going missing and are being petrified into stone. The suspect could be hiding in the forests inside and surrounding Equestria, especially the dangerous Everfree Forest.

After a few more tiring and empty minutes, Pharynx hears a twig snap, making him immediately alert. “Halt! Who goes there?!” He demands, other changelings who are guarding becoming also on high alert. But what pops out of the bushes is a… harmless, fluffy, little bunny. The soldiers laugh and begin to tease him.

“Whoa! Captain is scared of bunnies?! HA!”

“I don’t believe it!”

“Shush! We’ll wake the others!”

“Yeah, be quiet, Zib!”

Pharynx groans, putting his hoof over his face before sighing in annoyance. “Ridiculous. How does Thorax deal with this all the time..?” He mutters, rolling his lavender irises. He removes his hoof and turns to the others. “Alright, I’m going to head out. Maybe if I can find danger further away from the hive, the better we can protect it.” He says before trotting off down the path, his wings occasionally twitching. After a while, he’s alone and all he can hear is the chirping of crickets and his hoofsteps. Suddenly, he hears the roar of a mountain lion and becomes defensive immediately. But then he hears an unfamiliar yelp and realizes somepony is in danger. He immediately pursues the situation and finds a mountain lion cornering a pony into a tall wall of rocks. He had to do something, but he cannot be reckless about it. He decides to run in at the split second and moves between the pony and the lion, rearing up and aiming his antlers right at the ferocious feline.