Timberwolves: Guardians of the Everfree

by Keystone Gray

Autrar na fi Teikyune, be fi Dierkahl

In this appendix, we present translations for the various Cerfish poems, songs, stories, and quotations used throughout this piece. Though the Dierkahl has embraced the evolved common tongue, the original Cerfish tongue is still used, and is required for communication with the Guardians. As such, fluency is common among the Dierguard, for their scouts are the most commonly selected candidates for raising new Vorku.

It is customary for parents to write two or more short poems for their timberwolf: the Life Poems, and the End Poem. In the Foreword of this book, each parent presents a Life Poem. Life Poems are oft written during the lifespan of the Guardian, usually extolling the virtue of their existence or creation. The End Poem is not to be written until a Guardian's life has come to its end. Should a parent not survive their Vorku, the End Poem is written instead by a relative or, failing this, by the Kahl themselves. Both poems are to be presented at the Vorku's interment in the Mausoleum of Guardians, displayed before their final resting place.

Following the Dark War, our ancestors searched for the deer and pony wisps of their kin, but to no avail. Theories run throughout deer culture as to where these beings went. Perhaps Sombra's army inhabits the wisps that remain, forever serving as prey for the Vorku. Perhaps the souls of our ancestors refused to be taken by these creatures. Or, perhaps it is instead that the souls of the slain might yet live on within our Vorku.

The answer has yet to surface. To exercise their frustrations at this uncertainty, our philosophers and scholars turn to art. Lament for the Hidden is one such piece.

The bond between parent and timberwolf can be striking despite the short time they spend together, a connection often described as a rapid fire. In the Life Poem Ki Enfei, or Soul Fire, the parent of Vorku Flova'ki (342 to 298 B.R.) describes their passion for their companion, beginning with their initial spark and ending with their shared lifelong duty.

In the Dierkahl, it is a commonly held belief that a short life filled with purpose holds greater cultural value over a long life with none. When Mother Life calls us home, we all hope to say we did all we could to serve our kin. The author of the following is unknown, but this may have been the intent, for it is written from the perspective of the Evavrai.

Little Seeds, or Titha Shodei, is a nursery rhyme song written in 1002 B.R. At the time, it was not uncommon to find mixed schools for pony foals and deer fawns at border villages. So inspired by the sharing bonds formed by Vorku, a pony educator and Vorku parent by the name of Quillborn wrote this song for his young students, aiming to instill tolerance that would carry our two nations forward together.

For chapter five, Apex elected to include this song not just because it was one of Grand's favorites, but also because this piece conveyed her sentiment toward Grand's very creation, itself a unifying act between nations.

Urtica, a deer born in the village of Honorhome, was known especially for his talent with historical fiction. In his most pivotal piece Oxalis Grova, written in 625 B.R., Urtica details the struggles of Kahl Oka during the March of the Ursa, a civil war engagement in 1302 B.R. This battle led to the Kahl's sacrificial final stand against pursuing dissidents; Oka purchased valuable time for his remaining forces and wife to regroup with the armies of Dierkahl. These words were paraphrased by an aide who survived the battle, and this quotation was subsequently included in Urtica's novel seven centuries later.

"Iy fi rien tya fi horza? 'Yuut soh fera cha. Cha glista latya qua nyeli quiva cereta iy latra nyeli soh'uut. Quan cha rotat, flova ichnesa sho-la latya quar nyeli soh'uut eska bera. Vida es a sik-la, nei vanna, iy fror krahtt nyu quiva rowanset, fosi simtei nyu ganna."

"And the rain on the horizon? Do not fear it. It glistens upon what we have created and heals all of our sadness. When it ends, flowers will grow upon where our sadness was born. Life is a cycle, my love, and for all you have lost, so too will you gain."

The following is directly attributable to Kahl Alpine, whose words were oft repeated in his Mausoleum memorial sermons. Such statements, including his many aphorisms and common observations, would go on to provide the foundation for all of our traditional sermons and rites honoring the Vorku.

On the memorial plaque in the Mausoleum Atrium, beneath the Lupine Tree:

And The Final Prayer of Conveyance, as spoken for Underwing's Saegrata:

"Nyeli kahl vafell fror varr morot iy autre fror varr vida. Fror Saegrata, sotte in varr dalasa na Ticcet iy Evavrai, nyeli dahtt'yuut. Nyeli commet varr. Varr sprou as bel a titha shodet. Fleyt nyu vanna, varr sho-la inton a Teikyun na fi Evavrai. Nyeli grett fror varr sacra, iy varr vill nevar by morotmemki."

"Our hearts weep for her death and cheer for her life. For Saegrata, here in her home of Thicket and the Everfree, we do both. We honor her. Saegrata began as but a humble seed. Through your love, she grew into a Guardian of the Everfree. We thank her for her sacrifice, and she will never be forgotten."

This piece is a second Life Poem by Princess Luna, written for Nyx'it circa 0 A.R. It is not uncommon for loving parents to provide several throughout their lifetime. Should there be more than one poem at the time of interment, the most suitable piece will be selected for their resting place by their parent, relative, or Kahl.

King Sombra had not yet been defeated at the end of the Dark War. He instead teleported away, escaping judgment and returning to the Crystal Empire to lick his wounds. As the deer remained in the Evavrai to cleanse Dark Army stragglers, the Royal Sisters of Equestria gave chase to the North, through the Blue Territories.

Celestia and Luna arrived at the Crystal Empire to find it in disarray, with many of its native crystal pony denizens enslaved and mining the earth in vain for more of Sombra's umbrum specter crystals. Though Sombra was weakened, battered, and on the cusp of defeat, the coward mustered the strength to retreat once again, using his magic to force the Crystal Empire into planar phase. It disappeared, leaving the Royal Sisters to gape at the hole left in the ground. They ordered the site fully excavated; two remnant crystals were sought out with life detection spells and were subsequently destroyed.

After receiving word of Sombra's survival, Kahl Alpine became an outspoken hypervigilant, forever at the ready. "Sombra will return," he warned, whenever his councilors would suggest easing patrols. So came this saying:

"Memkut: evna en morot, a yardaquae quillet vilbet azhken iy a faue plana vilbet morotet."

"Remember: Even in death, a porcupine's quills remain sharp and an enemy's plans remain deadly."

Upon review of a journal discovered in Sombra's Crystal Palace quarters, we believe that the Dark Foe did intend to return, comfortable to simply wait out the lifespans of his enemies. When the day came, he would exhume the final specter crystals and again march on the Evavrai. A thousand years later, the Crystal Empire would return from this shroud. Sombra, predicting that the Vorku might be turned against him once more, returned briefly to the Evavrai to lay darkmoss traps, sowing the seeds he had hoped would grow into total destruction.

But the Dierkahl and Equestria did not wither with age, and neither did the long memories of its leaders. Our vows were upheld. As we worked to cure the darkmoss blight, a short battle ensued between Sombra and a small contingent of Equestrian forces, led by Kehls Twilight Sparkle, Mi Amore Cadenza, and Shining Armor. They each witnessed Sombra's death as he was fully disintegrated by magical fire.

Though a body was never recovered, this may be how umbrums die. But if by some strange twist of fate Sombra has again slipped through our grasp, we remain resilient and strong in defense against his evil. Our three nations shall endure, always standing ready and in unison to defeat him. For in the immortal, final words of Kahl Alpine:

"To combat the darkness is our eternal duty."