Chapter One
A beautiful melody of tweets and chirps met Fluttershy’s ears as she woke with the dawn. She opened her window and smiled at the collection of birds hovering there. “Good morning. Your singing sounds lovely,” she told them with a smile.
The pegasus flew downstairs, humming along with the birds, as she went about her morning routine. She fed her animals, checked on the sick, and woke up the last few sleepyheads on her property. Angel Bunny hopped alongside her, and she gratefully handed him a carrot when their work was through. On her way back to her cottage to prepare her own breakfast, Fluttershy noticed a foul smell, like sweat and rotting flesh.
Fluttershy was no stranger to death. She took care of many animals, both sick and healthy, but all met their end at some point. She usually held a funeral for the poor creature, and carried the body into the Everfree. It was simply another part of the cycle of life, and she had grown wearily accustomed to it.
This particular time was curious, though. She had checked on all of her wards, and they were all doing relatively well. She wondered if maybe someone had wandered off overnight. Following her nose, the pegasus and her bunny were led to a small clearing just off of the Everfree. The source of the smell appeared to be a small timberwolf pup, laying on his side, sticks and debris scattered behind him. Fluttershy approached slowly, laying herself close to the ground so as not to frighten him.
“There, there,” she murmured. “I’ve got you. Just let me look at you for a minute, sweetie. You look hurt.”
He whimpered and writhed, trying to get away from the stranger, but one leg remained where he fell. Hobbling on three legs didn’t get him very far, and he collapsed a few feet away, resigned to his fate. Fluttershy scooped him up gently and laid him down by his fallen leg to examine him. The leg looked bad, small and mangled. She was no expert on timberwolf anatomy, but she realized that, with a creature this small, he wouldn’t be able to reform his lost limb. This would need to be fixed, and fast.
She called out to Angel to bring her some bandages and a small splint. A few minutes later, he appeared, huffing and puffing but carrying a pile of medical supplies. The two set to work, carefully lifting the pup and threading a splint through some of the leg pieces. The pup offered a few snaps at first, but soon laid down his head, exhausted. Fluttershy wrapped the whole leg up in a bandage and helped the pup stand. He shook on his injured limb, but quietly followed both pony and bunny back to the cottage.
A week later, Fluttershy decided it was time to remove the bandages from the pup’s leg. She had decided to call him Woodsworth, after one of her favorite poets, and he had proven to be just as energetic as a flesh-and-blood pup, once he had warmed up to her. Twilight had come over to observe him the same day that Fluttershy brought him home, and she was fascinated by his progress. She had made Fluttershy promise to keep her updated on his condition, and she began taking notes to compile an official scientific report.
Upon removing the bandage, Fluttershy was shocked to find that the wooden splint had been absorbed into the leg, becoming the equivalent of the femur. She made a mental note to tell Twilight about that the next time they saw each other.
“Well, mister,” she told Woodsworth, a playful note to her voice. “It looks like you’re all set. I bet your mama and papa have been worried sick about you. Let’s get you home.”
Woodsworth yipped happily and ran towards the door, scratching at the oak surface. Fluttershy chuckled and opened the door for him. She whistled for him to sit, and he did so, quivering with anticipation.
Fluttershy called out to her number one assistant. “Angel Bunny! I need you to stay here and watch everyone for me. I’m going to go help Woodsworth find his family. Can you be a good boy and keep everycritter in line?”
Angel nodded in the affirmative, and assumed a no-nonsense look. She giggled. “It's twelve thirty now. I should be back in a little while. If I’m not back in two hours, though, go get help. The Everfree is a dangerous place, and I don’t know how well the timberwolves will think of me. They might think that I kidnapped this little guy.”
The bunny nodded, waving a paw at her as if to say, Just go already! You’ll be fine! He scampered up to the door and shut it, leaving pony and pup no choice but to forge ahead into the forest.
It took Fluttershy much less time than she had anticipated to find Woodsworth’s family. She simply let him lead the way, following him under gnarled trees and sharp thorns. After her mane got caught in a bush for the fourth time, she took a second to tie it up with the ribbon she had tied around the pup’s neck. She had intended to use that as a way of keeping tabs on him, but she had grown accustomed to his paw prints, and was confident that she could track him that way. Besides, she would only get slowed down if she had to keep pulling herself out of the wildlife.
Within an hour, the two had reached a small grove. A lone timberwolf, twice the size of the average pony, sat at the entrance, her green eyes glowing menacingly. Woodsworth shrank back uncertainly, allowing Fluttershy to creep ahead and address the sentry.
She cleared her throat uncertainly. “Um, hello,” she croaked. She cleared her throat once more, and assumed a more confident pose, to let the wolf know who was in charge. “I found this pup outside my house a week ago. He was hurt, but I helped him get better. I think he is part of your pack, and I am returning him to his home.”
The wolf yawned lazily. The timberwolf stench that Fluttershy had gotten used to washed over her once more, more pungent when it came from a fully grown creature. Her eyes flicked from the pup to the pegasus, measuring her opponents. Woodsworth growled and approached the sentry, inserting himself in front of Fluttershy. The two timberwolves stayed locked in a battle of dominance for a few seconds, before more timberwolves appeared from the trees. Soon, Fluttershy and her patient were surrounded by a pack of snarling timberwolves of all sizes.
The pegasus spoke up. “I mean you no harm. I only came here to return one of your own to you. I am leaving now, if you’ll let me.” She nudged Woodsworth with a hoof, and he ran off towards the rest of his litter.
She took a step backwards, but the wolves in front of her advanced in kind. The stench was overwhelming. As she steeled herself to fight, she thought, I hope I can keep them off for long enough that Angel gets worried. I don’t want to die here.
Back in Fluttershy’s cottage, Angel woke from a nap in a panic. He hadn't meant to fall asleep; he was supposed to be keeping watch for Fluttershy. She should have been back by now! He had forgotten what time it was when she had left; hadn’t it been around noon? He glanced at the clock on the wall, which read almost two o’clock. He bolted up from the couch and hopped frantically out the door, heading for the closest residence: Sweet Apple Acres.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders limped back to their clubhouse after yet another unsuccessful day of crusading. Apple Bloom collapsed on the floor just inside the door, making Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle step over her to come inside. Sweetie Belle marched over to a small bookshelf and pulled out a thick, tattered book.
“Well, that rules out professional knitting, facial hair grooming, and alpaca taming,” she grumbled, crossing out a few lines on the last page. “Any other ideas?”
Scootaloo rolled onto her back and groaned. “At this rate, we’ll never get our cutie marks! It’s useless. We’ll end up being blank flanks at Granny Smith’s age!”
Apple Bloom propped herself up on her forehooves. “There’s no need to get discouraged. Ah’m sure there’s tons of stuff out there that we still haven’t tried.”
Scootaloo glared up at her from the floor. “Oh yeah? Name one.”
The yellow filly tapped a hoof to her chin. Just as she was about to admit defeat, an idea popped into her head. “Necromancy!” she blurted out. Her two friends stared blankly at her. “What?” she muttered. “We haven’t tried it yet. Not sayin’ we should, but it’s something we haven’t done.”
Scootaloo closed her eyes in exasperation. “It’s also illegal.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head hesitantly. A heavy leather tome glowed green and settled itself in front of the small unicorn, and she flipped through it, hovering a hoof over a few lines, before clapping it shut and returning it to the shelf. “I thought so. That book says it’s only illegal to perform on other ponies and sentient beings. It doesn’t say anything about plants, though.”
Apple Bloom grinned at her. “Y’know, AJ was sayin’ just yesterday that the trees in the vampire fruit bat orchard are as good as dead. Ah don’t think she’d mind us using one’a them.”
Scootaloo nodded enthusiastically, getting to her hooves. “Where’d you get that book anway, Sweetie Belle?”
The little unicorn tapped her hoof to her face. “I think it’s from when we tried to be attorneys. It was about six months ago.”
Apple Bloom nodded as she opened the clubhouse door. “Oh yeah, Ah remember that. Y’know, one of these days we should go visit Cloud Kicker.”
Suddenly, a very agitated bunny ran up the ramp to the clubhouse and started pulling on Apple Bloom’s bow, as if it was a set of reins. Scootaloo plucked Angel off and set him on the floor of the clubhouse, where he started acting out an elaborate pantomime.
The three fillies looked at each other. “Do either of you have any idea what he’s trying to say?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Scootaloo picked the bunny up by his ears. “No, and if he’s not straight with us in the next thirty seconds he’s getting thrown into the forest.”
Apple Bloom gently took the bunny from the frustrated pegasus and set him on the ground. He scampered back down the ramp and waved for the fillies to follow him. Apple Bloom sighed. “May as well see what he wants.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders followed Angel down the path towards the barn. Behind them, in the Everfree Forest, a faint scream echoed through the air.
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Interesting.
*slightly annoyed tone* Well...you end it HERE?! Oh come on! Well excited for more
I'm not sure who Flutters will be shipped with and it's driving me crazy!
4284979
Well, I have to keep you guys reading SOMEHOW...
4284508
4284996 Oh you...you...you person who I'd like to give a mean name because you won't give me what I want but I also don't call you a bad name because I enjoy your writing! Not going to lie...kind of out of breath... oh well...GIMME MOAR!
Also really hoping for
I am intrigued. Please continue.
why would they smell like rotting flesh??
4712087. They smell rotting because the animals / things they eat wouldn't be digested normally , because Timberwolves are made of wood /plant material. The "food" they ingest would be used more as a fertilizer , allowing it to rot in their "stomach"
Suspenseful.