//------------------------------//
// Fluttershy and the Wolf 
// Story: Grimm's Game 
// by Mr. Grimm 
//------------------------------//

	“…Hello?” 

Fluttershy called out once more, but none answered her call. No ponies, no animals. The Pegasus whimpered softly as the cold breeze ran through her feathers. She was alone. Alone in a vast, terrifying forest. The mare shivered as she quietly tread between the countless trees, her head in perpetual motion as she looked from side to side. Her hair stood on end as she heard the low groaning of the branches above, their boughs swaying back and forth hypnotically in the wind. 

“…I-is anypony there?”  

A twig snapped somewhere to her right. 

Fluttershy whirled around, her heart suddenly racing. Her muscles became tense, her wings unfurling in alarm. The mare’s dilated pupils twitched this way and that as they scanned the forest’s nooks and crannies. She grimaced, shrinking down low to the ground. Something was there. She could feel its eyes watching her every move. It saw every step she took, every nervous twitch of her ears, counting the number of times her chest rose and fell as she breathed.  

“Hello?…” 

“Good day, little one.” 

Fluttershy’s heart nearly stopped as a deep voice quietly replied somewhere in front of her. She stared dead ahead into a huge patch of the nastiest, thorniest brambles she had ever seen. Two enormous, yellow eyes suddenly opened to peer at her through a small opening. Fluttershy sunk even lower to the ground. She could see shadows around the eyes, shadows that made up the shape of some gigantic beast resting in the brambles. 

“Where might a pony like yourself be going?” it asked. Fluttershy was frightened of whatever creature lay within the thicket, but a small part of her was glad to finally have someone to talk to. 

“I-I don’t really know, sir,” she mumbled, “I’m lost, and I don’t know where I am or how I got here…” She paused, her shivering form shying back from the creature, “I just want to get back home.” There was a brief silence before the thing in the brambles spoke. 

“Where do you come from?” it asked, its strong, unwavering tone contrasting against the timid Pegasus’s cracking voice. Fluttershy stared into the yellow eyes, trying to make out the animal they belonged to before answering. 

“Ponyville. I mean, I live there now, but I, um…” Her voice died away the brambles began to rustle and shudder. The creature was moving, and as it did the mare remained still. It snaked forward through the thicket, its bulk moving with surprising grace. 

At last Fluttershy saw a gargantuan paw step out of the vegetation. It bore long, black claws, and was covered in cloudy gray fur. That paw alone looked big enough to crush her skull, but it was soon followed by the rest of the beast. Its thick fur was dark and steely, covering its lithe, powerful form. It came loping out of the brambles on four long, sturdy legs towards the Pegasus. Fluttershy looked up into the creature’s face as it became visible. Its eyes stared out above a set of long, powerful jaws, grinning at her with an impossible number of fangs. 

It was a massive wolf, a little larger than a bear. 

For a moment Fluttershy stared at the beast, her mind blank, unable to move. 

“I’ve never heard of Ponyville,” he said, “Is it far from here?” 

“I…Don’t know,” the mare finally sputtered, “I think it…might be.” She gulped as the enormous predator sat down on his haunches. Fluttershy noticed something on his abdomen. It stood out against the lighter fur of his underside; black, coarse, and jagged. In only a moment she knew what it was--A large wound where the flesh had been torn open. With horror the Pegasus realized that it had been crudely stitched back together with a length of thick, leather cord. 

Something cold and wet suddenly brushed against the top of her head. The mare remained frozen as she it twitch, letting out two streams of hot, moist air. 

“Hmm…” muttered the wolf, inhaling deeply, “I don’t recognize your scent at all. You must be very far from…Wait…” He exposed his glistening teeth in a wide grin. “Do I smell rabbit?” Fluttershy slowly nodded as the wolf drew his muzzle away from her scalp. 

“Yes,” she breathed, “I have one for a pet.” The wolf smiled at her. As friendly as it seemed, it did nothing to calm the Pegasus. 

“You’re very quiet for a pony,” he said, “Even I can barely hear you.” Fluttershy watched as his ragged ears twitched, as if in emphasis. 

“I-I’m sorry,” she said, trying her hardest to speak above a whisper, “I can be louder. I mean, if you want me to be.” The mare squeaked as the wolf opened his gaping jaws, revealing a long, flat, pinkish tongue as he let out a chuckle. 

“Oh, you needn’t worry. I was only joking. I can hear you just fine. In fact, I can even hear your heart beating.” Fluttershy suddenly became aware of her heartbeat. It was racing along, terrified as ever, even more so now that she knew the wolf could hear it. 

“Excuse me, um, Mr. Wolf. C-could you tell me where I am?” The canine’s smile grew even wider, wider than Fluttershy thought possible. 

“You’re in Grimm’s Land,” he said. 

“Grimm?” echoed the Pegasus. The name didn’t sound very inviting. 

“The sorcerer who rules this place,” said the wolf. Fluttershy’s ears rose up. A sorcerer dealt with magic. Twilight Sparkle had used magic many times to help her many times.  

“Do you think that…maybe he could help me find my way home? I mean, if he has time; I don’t want to bother him…” 

“I suppose he could,” the wolf replied as he stood up again, “I can take you to him, if you want.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Really?” she murmured, “Oh, Thank you. That would be really helpful, and I--” The smile that had been slowly growing on her face vanished. The mare's pupils shrunk with terror as she saw the wolf’s mouth become a cavern of teeth and tongue as it lunged toward her.