Oh Deer, Part 2
"Father, this is an outrage!" Forestpearl snapped angrily, stamping her hoof angrily. "They deliberately defied my orders, and tried to kill those poor innocent ponies!"
"Now Forest, do remember that it was a raid." Chief Staghorn replied calmly, putting a hoof on his adopted daughter's shoulder. "Besides, most of the warriors who committed these atrocities paid for their actions with their very lives."
"But Hjort has taken a mare as his personal property- a very unwilling captive who I believe has a mate already!" The mare insisted pointing a hoof out of their longhouse.
"He has done what?!?" Her father asked his eyes going wide. "My little flicka, are you certain of this?"
"Yes, father, that big tront took her by force!" Forestpearl insisted. "We can't just leave her to be held prisoner by that brute!"
"Very well." The buck motioned outside. "Go out and see if you can speak with him. I shall join you shortly."
"Thank you, father." The young mare replied with a smile. "I'll go and see what I can do."
As the pony with antlers galloped out of the longhouse, the chief collapsed backward onto his throne with a sigh.
"Sleipnir's hooves," The stag rubbed his temples with his hooves. "What am I going to do with her?"
For over four centuries, the Bruten Hjorthorn tribe had along along this pony-made river they called a canal, plundering cargoes and pilfering goods from the equines without their knowing it. Most raids were stealthy adventures- night hit-and runs where they were gone before the crew even knew they had been there. But these young hotheaded bucks... they were determined to resort to violence, in the hopes of taking a pony's mane as a trophy. Such grisly totems disgusted the chief- he hated the taking of an innocent life, and the sight of a young filly's bloody scalp on the belt of one of his warriors had nearly driven Staghorn to attack the unsuspecting buck. What these young warriors needed was stern discipline and leadership- traits that the greying deer was becoming to old to give.
Chief Staghorn had hoped Forestpearl would have been able to reign them in. Hotheaded and impulsive, his daughter had just been a filly when one of their raids had claimed her parents. Not wanting to leave the poor foal to starve to death, the chief had taken and raised her as his own. Not wishing to cause Forestpearl pain, the tribe had told her that her parents had abandoned her to the forest and fled. The village shaman had managed to create a false pair of antlers for the child so she wouldn't feel out of place, but his daughter had always said she felt different from the other fauns.
"She should have been able to control those hotheaded fools out there." The disappointed buck thought with a sigh. Now, Slenipr knows what troubles we're going to have with the ponies..."
...
"Hjort!" Forestpearl called out, bursting through the flap of the arrogant buck's tent. "Where are you, you little worm! I would have words with you!"
"But of course, my dear princess!" The buck put on a false smile, bowing to the chief's daughter. "Please com right on in."
The mare looked around the place, scowling. Furs of dead animals hung everywhere- trophies of hunting sport, she knew, as deer could not eat meat- and various trinkets stolen on various raids. Over on the far side of the tent, the captive pink mare lay under wool blanket, scowling angrily at her unhappy fate. It was obvious that Hjort had not treated her well in the few days since her capture.
"Hjort, you have to release her at once!" The princess snapped, "Holding a pony of the confederacy hostage is certain to draw us into a war... a war we cannot possibly win!"
"I will most certainly not give up the only trophy that I was able to bring out of that mistake of a raid!" The buck snorted angrily. "Besides, she's very useful. I've never had someone who cooked and cleaned for me before!"
"Get out of here." Forestperal trotted up to the antlered creep, and stared at him with her steely, crystal eyes. "Go outside and help the other bucks gather some firewood. I'll speak to your 'guest' in private."
Hjort scowled at her for a moment, before storming outside. Forestpearl trotted over to the weary form of Cheerilee. "Are you all right?"
The mare looked up at her silently, glaring at her few minutes before finally replying;
"I... I'm all right." The pony teacher snorted, shaking her head. "he didn't hurt me... too badly."
"Can you stand?" The princess asked her, looking down with concern.
"He keeps my hooves shackled, doesn't want me to get away, you know." Cheerilee replied, coughing hoarsely. "So, you're a mare. Were you ponynapped, too?" She looked at Forest's head. "Will I grow a set of those if I'm kept by the tribe long enough?"
"No, they raised me." The antlered pony replied in mild annoyance. "After my pony parents decided to leave me to die. Why do you have to assume so badly about my tribe?"
"Because your tribe has given good reason to?" The teacher mare responded, throwing off the blanket to reveal her hoof manacles.
"I'm... sorry about that." The jewel-eyed mare's ears drooped. "I swear I will do everything in my power to get you free of that brute."
"Pardon my lack of enthusiasm," The mare sighed in disgust. "but I'll believe it when I see it."
...
"Oh dear, Wigwam, that buck did a number on you!" Shady told him, looking around worriedly. "You're really lucky to be alive!"
The remaining ponies were aboard the now docked canal boat, gathered around a bed the wounded Wigwam lay upon. Coral was re-bandaging his wounds, while Magic Star and Cuddles looked on in the background.
"Don't worry, fair Shady." Wigwam replied, trying to sit up. "It'll take more than this wound to stop-AGAH!" The stallion yelled in pain, falling back down again.
"Be careful,Wigwam." Baby Cuddles squeaked, looking of over the edge of the bed. "You might hurt self. and me no want that!"
"Gahhhhh! Wigwam get better!" Magic Star warned. "Or Magic Star HAVE WIGWAM FOR DINNER!"
"Oh cut it out, you two! We have more important things to worry about!" Ocean chided them. "Shady, did you and Magic Star get rid of those deer carcasses?"
"Yeah, I didn't know what else to do with them, so I cleaned them and made them into a stew for the Dream Valley ponies on board. "Shady said with the sigh. "Magic Star helped a lot, too... though she took some meat for herself."
"Braaaaainssss!" Magic star agreed, licking her lips.
"Baby Cuddles love deer soup!" The little filly agreed. "Me want more!"
"I'm sorry I asked." Ocean replied ruefully.
"Gee Wigwam, they took Cheerilee!" Shady reminded him, in a worried tone. "And you're in no shape to rescue her. What're we gonna do?"
"I will most certainly save her!" Wigwam protested, trying to get up again. "I'll-agraaaahhh!"
"You'll lay right back down until you're fully healed!" Ocean ordered her. "Shady. it's up to you to go after Cheerilee."
"Whst?!? I can't save Miss Cheerilee! I'm not a good hero..." The mare protested, her ears drooping. "I'm not really good at anything..."
"Shady! Now is the time to stand up and be brave!" Wigwam bellowed forcing himself to sit up. "You must track down where they've taken my beloved wife, then come back to tell us so we can mount a rescue!"
"You really sure you want me to do it?" The shivering pony whimpered. "How can you be sure I just won't mess it up?"
"SHADY! My wife's life is in danger, and she is counting on you!" Wigwam pleaded, lying back down. "Please, in the name of the great horsemaster... please help her..."