It was the first time the Shaman saw a princess of the Pony Breed. A stunning sight indeed. So strange to him. Size that rivaled that of any elk, wings as great as a griffons, and radiating a certain...presence. One unlike anything he had ever felt before. Closest he could approximate it to was some of the great elders of the Deer Breed, the ones of legendary wisdom and experience. While he was quite interested in getting to learn of the other races he was to travel with in this expedition, he would also be very interested in exchanging words with the leader of the Pony Breed. But alas, he had his job before him and he would do his best to be an asset to his team. The briefing he had been given, much to his personal sha-grin, had been written in pony. He was barely passing familiar with the language. Most of the deer peoples had little use of the written word of their own breed much less that of the other breeds. He, being a shaman, could read his own tongue, but only knew bits and pieces of the others. He could read enough to make out names, some rough ideas of jobs, and where to meet with them...but that was about it. So Asim Bloodriver made his way to an Equstrian library. 

Normally such a large, imposing figure such as a Elk of the warrior breed would seem horrible out of place in a small town like ponyville. None but the largest of the pony clan's members could rivel him in size, but even then they did not match his length or weight. But, her was not the only deer in the crowed, and much to his surprise, there were Saurians who stood even larger than his head, but he had not often seen those larger than himself so closely. Moose and Griffons of course, but they were not so much larger, and they stood like normal creatures. most of these Saurians spent their time on their hind legs, like a bear rearing to attack but all the time. He found the sight someone nerve wracking on a instinctual level. As if two potential predators of his people, gators and bears, had became one. He had heard that certain breeds of their people grew even larger than that. A thought tat gave him shudders, while confident in most combat situations, he was far from a polished warrior anymore. He doubted he could stand much of a chance of one got it in him to go on a rampage.

Between that, the countless other ponys, donkys, deer, griffons and ROOTS knows what else made up this massive crowd of creatures, Asim didn't make too much of a spectacle so far from his forest home. Though he was learning something quite fast. That none of these other races were used to maneuvering around a creature with antlers. 

It took him a good while to make his way around the mass of beings, occasionally passing other deer who he would share a look of sympathetic frustration on a level so new to them that it boarded on actual amusement rather than annoyance. As if walking with younglings who finally got tall enough to be at antler level or were getting used to their own set for the first time. He broke free of the bulk of the crowd, walking right behind a pair of ponys. If had to guess, members of his expedition given he remembered a few ponys being on the list, and they were heading to the same destination. Finally he made it to the library...and he honestly didn't know how to feel.

He could...tell the tree was alive, but..it had also been clearly hallowed. He wasn't sure if that was the best thing for the tree. Such a massive tree as well, so old and with such good roots. It seemed a pitty to have altered it so. And yet...It was a perfect...symbiotic relationship. A creature of living flesh and blood living inside a living tree of root and branch. It was the only kind of 'permanent settlement' he could ever see his breed accepting. And that idea would have been a revolution to their culture. He made a mental note to investigate further about this. He walked in on the just a few steps behind the pair of pony girls. 

 He saw, much to his surprise He saw one of the ponys leashing out to strike the other. His beaten in the hard way fighters instincts told him to lunge forward and try to catch the lashed out blow of the hoof in one of the cruxes of his antler. But he stopped himself. Not a particularly kind thing to do. But he was interested to see if the race so famed for its doctrine of 'friendship' would handle a situation like this. While he was very eager to aid in the expeditions mission, he had his own. Learn of the other breeds. This would be...educational.