//------------------------------// // Damaged and Hunted // Story: Fear from the Heart // by Dragon Heart //------------------------------// Hammerheart still struggled to get out of the pit he was in. He jumped and tenaciously clawed at the rocks, hoping to get a grip on something, but to no avail. He fell back down to the ground and landed with a bone-crunching slam. He stood back up and shook himself off, trying to nullify the pain inflicted upon himself, but the only pain he could not simply shake off was failure. He brought his wing hand to his throat and tried to pull out the spearhead that was still lodged in him, but he could not feel it, let alone grasp it. It was deep. He had to get it out before the wound scarred over. Rendered flightless and nearly unable to defend himself, Hammerheart was in a real pickle. The mace on his tail was ripped off during his tumble through the forest. He still had his talons, but a Wyvern's claws are not well designed for attack, they were mostly designed for grip. Hammerheart then remembered he could breathe fire, but when he tried, nothing but fowl-tasting, corrosive bile coughed up from his maw. It was clear that his only means of self-defense were biting and clawing. Hammerheart was so furious, he wanted to curse, but he remembered he could not even speak as soon as he tried to. That spear had nailed him right in his voice box. Though he could still roar, he was rendered mute as a rock. Fortunately, the spearhead did not block his windpipe or his esophagus, so he could still breathe and eat, but the pickings that were around him were either hard to catch or distasteful. That beetle he had taken a bite out of was one such example. Hammerheart then remembered that Pegasus that he spotted just minutes ago. He absolutely detested it. Then again, he pretty much abhorred every pony that lived and breathed, especially after what those hunters had done to him. So, what was with that Pegasus? Why did it not try to slay him in his somewhat weakened state. Then again, it looked unarmed, but there is the infamous saying "looks can be deceiving". Even then, why did she not just end him then and there? "Over here, guys!" said a deep voice. "That overgrown lizard's probably this way!" Hammerheart solemnly looked towards the direction the voice came from. It sounded like more ponies, and they sounded like they were searching for him. Hammerheart was about to dive into the pond, but quickly halted himself. He had to be smart. Those ponies are close, and they will probably see the ripples he would make in the water. He still had to hide in the water, though. It was the only place he could hide. He went towards the waterfall and jumped into the pond near the base of the fall. His ripples would meld with the waterfall's, thus erase any evidence of his diving. Underwater did not obscure his vision, and he could see clearly. He looked up at the edge of the pit and saw an Earth Pony dressed in winter gear approach the edge before stopping to scan the area. The hunter looked upon the pit. The place seemed like the perfect location for a Dragon to hide, but he did not bring that to thought. "Ruckus, did you find anything?" said a gruff Pegasus with an eye-patch over his left eye, also dressed in winter gear. With him were two other ponies. Another Earth Pony with a wooden back-left leg, and a Unicorn who was missing half an ear. Behind them were a catapult and two ballistas. "No, Cyclone," said Ruckus, "it's just a desolate pit." "I'll be the judge of that." said Cyclone before he flapped his grotty wings and flew into the pit. He landed near the pond and began to investigate the area, starting with the very dirt. He brought his head to the ground and started sniffing like a dog. He then licked the dirt up, swished it around in his mouth, and then spat into the pond. "Dragon blood." Cyclone gruffly whispered. He looked up at the rocks and noticed they had claw marks all over them. He leered as he further examined the environment. He picked up on a scent. A rather strong and unpleasant scent. He examined a large bush and found a pile of dung sitting on top of the roots. He quickly flew back from the grotesque spot and landed near the pond edge. "Boys, come on down!" Cyclone called. The other ponies were levitated down by the half-eared Unicorn, who then used his magic to create a rocky stairway for him to descend into the pit. He brought the catapult and ballistas down with him. "What did you find, boss?" the other Earth Pony asked. "Everyone, we have ourselves a crime scene!" said Cyclone. "Marks from claws!" He pointed at the rock wall where the marks were. "Trails of Dragon blood!" He pointed to the reddened ground. "Pile of..." he pointed to the soiled bush and grunted, "Dragon poo." The Unicorn put a hoof to his mouth and his cheeks puffed up. Cyclone cleared his throat. "Here's what I think happened:" As he explained, the others pictured his explanation in their heads. "Dragon falls into pit, then is attack by rabid little hedgehogs. Dragon tries to escape, but the rocks offer no grip for him. Hedgehogs back him into a corner. Dragon's so scared, he soils the bush before the hedgehogs close in, leaving the Dragon... dead!" "Uh, sir, I don't think a swarm of hedgehogs can eat a whole Dragon in one day, let alone kill one." said the Unicorn. "Alright, yeah, good point." said Cyclone before clearing his throat again and bringing forth another theory that came to mind. "Theory Two: Dragon falls into pit. Dragon then relieves itself at the bush, angering a nasty hive of carnivorous killer bees. The bees swarm and sting the Dragon. Dragon tries to escape, but no luck. Dragon bleeds to death from the stings and drops to the ground for the bees to feast upon, leaving the Dragon... dead!" "Cyclone, is this why you were rejected from every branch of the Military during your younger years?" Ruckus asked. "Don't you question my means of mystery solvin', boy!" Cyclone growled as he flew right up into Ruckus' face, making the Earth Pony hesitate to object. "The reason those twinkle-hoofed pansies rejected me from every branch of the Military was because I was too professional for their newbie tastes. If they were to see me in full action against an opposing force, such as the very Dragon we are huntin', they would sweep me right off the ground and carry me to the heavens, where I will look down upon the world and say-" Cyclone's redundant speech was cut when he was suddenly yanked into the pond by an unseen force. The others flinched from the sudden event and became fully alert of the danger. Ruckus looked to the other Earth Pony. "Rockhard, ready your slingshot and load that catapult!" Rockhard reached into his side pocket and pulled out an old-fashioned slingshot made from a two-pronged stick and bearskin, he then headed to the catapult and place big chunks of rocks into its launcher. Ruckus then looked to the Unicorn. "Archer, prepare the ballistas, and douse the spearheads with poison instead of sedatives this time!" Archer brought the large ballista machine forward to his sides. He pulled a vial out of his vest pocket and poured its contents onto the spearheads. They stood their ground, waiting for whatever was in the water to surface. Soon, the beast surfaced, and it held Cyclone in its jaws. The Dragon's eyes had turned from yellow and green to black and red. Cyclone shouted in pain from the fangs piercing his hide. Then the Dragon started to violently shake his head from side to side, shaking the Pegasus like a terrier shaking a rat. The other ponies could do nothing but watch in horror as their leader was practically being torn up by the Dragon. Ruckus grunted. "ATTACK!" He shouted. Rockhard swung his slingshot and released the metal ball. Archer also had a small crossbow, which he used against the Dragon. Ruckus threw spears at the beast. The metal ball hit Hammerheart in the neck, the crossbow's bolts deflected off his scales, and the spear simply missed. Hammerheart shifted the Pegasus in his mouth to where he was upside-down. He then proceeded to bite him three times. Upon the third bite, Cyclone's back broke from the sheer strength of the Wyvern's jaws. Hammerheart then threw the broken and dead body to the side and made his way to the shore to confront the other hunters. The other hunters continued to throw spears, metal balls, and shoot bolts at Hammerheart. The Wyvern roared with anger at the ponies for daring to attack him. He went to Rockhard and swiftly chomped on him with his maw. The Earth Pony screamed in agony from the fangs boring into his flesh. Hammerheart then placed his hand onto the pony's head and broke his neck as he pulled down on it. He tossed the corpse into the pond and was left with two pests to be rid of. Ruckus quickly made for the catapult and cut the line. The launcher threw the rocks with enough force to land upon the Wyvern's head, but it did not affect him all that well. Hammerheart lunged onto the catapult and crushed it beneath his talons. Ruckus panicked and tried to flee, but Hammerheart seized him in his jaws, threw him into the air, caught him in his mouth, and threw him at the wall. The pony's blood painted the walls from the tossing, and on impact. Archer was left. He quickly aimed the ballistas at Hammerheart and pulled the levers. The spears fired. One missed and broke against the wall, the other pierced the Wyvern's left hip. Hammerheart roared in pain, but was not done yet. Archer began to rapidly fire his crossbow bolts at a panicking pace, but they kept deflecting off of Hammerheart's tough hide. Hammerheart approached the first ballista, and tore it to splintered pieces with his jaws. He then jumped onto the other ballista, crushing it under his own weight. With the ballistas destroyed, Hammerheart's attention turned to Archer. He limped up to the retreating Unicorn, grabbed him by the neck with his talon, bit down on his horn, and broke it off. Archer became extremely spastic from the forceful loss of his horn. Then Hammerheart lifted his right foot and stomped the pony flat. Hammerheart panted from the fight. What was this new sensation he was feeling? Whatever it was, it felt so bad, yet so good as well. He tried to take the spear out of his leg, but he could not reach it with his other talon. He could probably grab it with his mouth, but he would risk breaking it and making it more difficult to remove. He surveyed the land and looked at the corpses. He had just killed four ponies, and to put icing on the cake, they were his first pony kills. He did not know what else to think about, but he did know this; He was not going hungry today.