Through the Skin of my Teeth

by Etherdrone

3 - The Wolf that Cried Pony

The wolf Sillabus opened his eyes, slowly blinking in the haze of his own mind as rays of sunlight penetrated his eyelids, signaling that it was already daytime.

He mumbled in irritation as he covered his eyes with his paw, shuffling in the grass as he felt his body complain in pain. He shuffled, and shuffled... But he couldn't fall back to sleep. The wolf sighed deeply in his state and scratched the back of his head in deep frustration.

“Stupid sun...” he grunted to himself as he let go a massive yawn, stretching his limbs as far as he could. “Why did you have to wake me up...?”

Sillabus rolled his tongue all over his teeth as he blinked tiredly at the distance... And as his eyes finally adjusted themselves to the brightness of day, he realized that he wasn't up and running already. It was... late.

As late as late mornings could be.

“Uh?”

He mumbled in confusion as he stood up, looking around him in wonder. Birds chirping, water running... He was in complete loss. It was definitely not as soon as he would have hoped it could be.

The wolf shot a glance at the Apple Orchard but all he saw were the trees. No one was nearby. No one was around. And more importantly, Applejack wasn't there.

“Where's... Where's Applejack?” he wondered to himself aloud as he felt his paws sustain his weight, carrying him over the Sweet Apple Acres. “This is actually rather late, isn't it?”

He stood alone in the middle of the fields, staring at the distance with absolutely no direction. He walked in circles, sniffed the air, coughed and tiredly rubbed his own eyes... Alas, the orange pony was nowhere to be seen. He was feeling extremely confused.

No. Instead of Applejack, he saw a gold, scarlet-maned pony there. Walking around the bushes of the farmstead while... Doing that what seemed like playing with a loop? The small pony with a big, adorable bow wrapped around her mane was focused intently in keeping the loop around her hips, swinging left and right with the accuracy one would have if they had lots of practice with it.

And almost as if he was hypnotized, Sillabus walked towards the filly, raising his paw to his mouth and coughing, making her yelp in surprise and look at him almost as if she was looking at the boogeyman.

“Wah! Hey! Don't scare me like that!”

“...But then all of the meaning would be lost, right? There is no actual fun in that.”

The young filly blinked confusedly as she lowered herself away from him in coy awareness, stepping back while keeping a cautious eye on the wolf, who analyzed the filly from top to bottom.

Her name was Apple Bloom, the younger sister of the pony that saved his life. On the time he's been in the farm so far, he had seen her around the table during lunch, dinner and he's also caught glimpses of her every now and again around the farm - but he never actually traded words with her. Granted, he hasn't even been a whole two days at the farm yet...

But the way she was scurrying away from him seemed a little bit too interesting. He rose an eyebrow in wonder at her behavior as he approached her a little in response to her backing away.

“What's the matter? I want to ask you a question.”

“Applejack says ah shouldn't be talkin' to you,” she shot immediately at him without even waiting too long, taking him aback slightly so. “So ah'm not gonna!”

...Applejack did? Interesting.

The wolf shot a sideways glance at Apple Bloom as he scratched his chin slightly, making her step back even further in response. She looked at him with confused eyes as his face continuously expressed thoughts of interest, delight and ultimately, mischief. He turned around to face the filly directly as he opened a rather large grin, intentionally showing off his fangs as he did.

“So,” he melodically sang as he walked with confidence around the filly, making her lower herself in self-defense. “Applejack said you cannot talk to me? Do you mind telling me why, Apple Bloom?”

The filly lowered her eyes to the ground as she stuttered on her own words. What was up with this wolf? Didn't she tell she shouldn't talk to him?

“Ain't it 'cuz you're a scary wolf?”

“A scary wolf! Oh, you wound me! I'm not scary,” he chuckled as he approached the youngster even more, narrowing his eyes at her as a rather rasp growl could be heard behind his voice. “Though I can be if I want... Do you want that? Do you want me to be scary, young one?”

“...No ah don't.”

He opened a glad, sly smile at the filly as he proceeded to slowly walk around her, almost as if cutting away any routes of escape she would otherwise have. Apple Bloom kept chasing him with her eyes as he chuckled yet again, making her sweat nervously at the situation she just found herself in.

“Well, of course you don't. I am a big bad wolf after all, right? Choosing me not to be scary was good of you, Apple Bloom! You're a good kid.”

His tone of voice was failing miserably at hiding the sheer scoundrel in it. The filly scowled as she kept looking at him, still trying to back away from Sillabus as often as she could.

“But that doesn't mean you should judge others so quickly. There was no reason for you to call me scary, was there? My word, some of us might actually have taken offense to that! But not good old Sillabus! I am better than that, of such I can assure you.”

Apple Bloom still stood there in silence, watching every move from the wolf with intimidation and curiosity mixed in her eyes.

“Well, I am actually a rather well-spoken gentle...wolf as you can see,” he lightly hissed towards the filly who stepped back so much it almost seemed like she jumped away. “So I feel rather protective when I see a young filly so far away from her sister! Isn't it dangerous around here, Apple Bloom?”

“No it ain't. And Applejack ain't far either! She's in Ponyville!”

“Pony...ville?!”

The wolf blinked in surprise as he stopped moving for a few seconds, getting to the conclusion he wasn't hoping to get and bringing his paw to his face, almost slapping it so hard he did it. Apple Bloom yipped in surprise as she jumped away from Sillabus, who now was scratching his head in an exasperatingly annoyed manner.

“Urgh! What in the name of the great Everfree...!”

“W-What?”

“She left for Ponyville! Well, of course she did, right? Now that explains why I couldn't find her anywhere...”

Sillabus grunted in annoyance, dropping from his confident pose completely and sighing heavily, dragging himself away from Apple Bloom. Her confused expression only got even wider as he seemingly lost all interest in her - enough to make her get away from her defensive posture and walking a little towards the wolf in wonder.

“...Wait, ah don't get it.”

“Oh, you... Forget about it. Just...” Sillabus let go yet another sigh as he rested his weight on a nearby tree, laying on the grass and covering his face with his own paw, annoyed. “What the hell were you thinking, Applejack...?”

And then nothing but silence followed for the next few minutes, with the scarlet-maned pony watching the wolf rest by the tree both attentively and curiously.

She stepped closer. Patted the ground. She walked around him at a reasonable distance and then closer... the wolf didn't budge at all. The filly's mind was plagued with energetic curiosity as she approached the wolf even further, and finally caught his attention by rising her voice.

“Yer lookin' for Applejack?”

“Why do you ask? Was I too subtle?”

The filly approached the wolf even further, her initial surprise she received from the wolf was seemingly wholly gone. He opened his eyes to meet her own as her weight crunched the grass around him.

“Well, if that's the case, then why don't y'all go to Ponyville? It's not very far.”

“Yeah! That sounds like a grand idea,” Sillabus lowly grunted as he rose his head from between his paws, still laying on the grass as he complained without budging. “Let the wolf with sharp canines native to the Everfree Forest roam around a town of ponies, freely! Clearly, nothing could go wrong!”

“Well. When you put it that way...”

“Forget it. I'll just stay here and do nothing productive all day. It's not like I have a debt to repay or anything.” Sillabus grumbled in irritation yet again, burying his own face back on his paws. The filly rose both eyebrows in interest.

“A debt? What debt?”

The wolf half-opened his eyes as he launched yet another look at the young one. She wasn't going to leave him alone, was she?

“I thought you shouldn't be talking to the bad, scary wolf? What's about this change?”

“I am a big pony. Ah can make a decision on mah own!”

“Whatever. ...You know what happened two days ago, right? Applejack decided I could stay and help her, in order to repay the act.”

“Oh yeah, ah remember,” Apple Bloom answered as she patted her chin with her hoof, the events of that day coming back to her as she launched a childish look at the wolf. “So... You said you're stayin' to repay her, right?”

“I'm pretty sure that is what I said, yes.”

“Then!” She interrupted him with a strangely energetic voice, making him raise his head from his paws again, looking at the expectant glee on her eyes with curiosity. “Then can you help me, too? Can ya? Can ya?!”

“...No.”

“EH? W-Why not?”

“My duty is to Applejack, and not to her family. I am grateful for the help you all have provided due to circumstance, but I owe nothing to you. There's no reason for me to help.”

His answer made the young filly tilt her head slightly in wonder. He lowered his eyebrows a little.

“Why do ya have to owe us somethin' if we ask ya to help? Doesn't the word 'good-will' exist with them wolf fellas?”

“The Clan doesn't help anyone out of good will. Wolves help themselves, and if circumstance decrees that we help each other, it is always for something in return. That is why repaying debts is so important to us. If the Clan isn't strong, the Everfree suddenly becomes impossible to live in.”

“The Clan? Whatsit?”

Sillabus sighed. He shook his head slightly and buried his face back in his paws.

“...Your sister didn't understand the explanation when I told her. You can forget it.”

“Ah'm not my sister.”

“And that's why I'm not helping you.” He finished in a tone of dismissal that completely failed to meet its point. Apple Bloom pouted as she stepped back in an annoyed manner, still not giving up on talking to the wolf.

“...Sounds more like yer just givin' away an excuse so you won't help.”

“Believe what you will. It changes nothing.”

“What if I tell Applejack on you? That yer' not doin' anythin'?”

“You can complain to Applejack for me if you want. She's the one that left me here without saying anything!”

“Then if you have nothing to do, why not help me with somethin'? At least yer gonna be doing things!”

Sillabus rose his head yet again. This filly was persistent, he'd give her that much.

“And what exactly do you want my help with, Apple Bloom?” his response to her made the filly beam with joy as she nearly pounced on him in excitement.

“You'll help?”

“I don't even know what you want help with!” he grunted in confusion, making the filly walk away from his personal space and sit in front of him with lots of expectation on her eyes, almost as if she reminded herself of something.

“Oh yeah,” she yipped happily as she patted the grass with both front hooves. “What do you know 'bout Cutie Marks?”

The wolf blinked in confusion to her question. Cutie Marks...?

What, did she mean those symbols on their flanks?

“I know little. Aren't those things that what ponies get when they come of age?”

“When we find out what is it we're good at!” she corrected him in annoyance. Sillabus rolled his eyes in response.

“Sure, that. What about it?”

“Ah want help to finding out what is it ah'm good at!”

...The wolf blinked in silence as his eyes took a slide through the filly, landing on the area where the Cutie Mark should be at. Seeing nothing there but her bright, golden coat, he realized the nature of her question and opened a massive, irritating smile.

“Oh, I see how it is, Ms. Blank Flank.”

“H-Hey! That's what ah'm asking help for!”

“I can see that,” he mockingly said as his grin got even wider, making the young filly blush furiously in irritation. “So you don't know what is it you're good at? How does it work?”

“...I don't know too much! Ah'm supposed to find out what is it ah'm good at, so ah can get my Cutie Mark! Ah'll finally be an adult!”

The explanation seldom served to explain anything as the wolf scratched his head in confusion.

“That... Sounds awfully arbitrary,” he muttered in complete loss as he pondered upon the concept for a few seconds. “Can't you just practice a lot in something and then you'll be good at it? Can't you earn your Cutie Mark that way?”

“That would take too long! And ah'm not even sure if it works like that.”

“Of course it doesn't,” he dismissed with disdain. “So you want help to finding out what you are good at?”

“Well, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are both busy today, so we can't go to Crusadin' like we usually do. So I was getting' kinda bored. You're bored too, right? We can help each other out of our problems!”

“What? I don't think it works like--”

“Come on! Yer not doin' anything, anyway! It's better than to just lay down and be miserable, right?”

Sillabus threw a rather hesitant look towards Apple Bloom as he sighed in defeat. That way to pressure others... It seriously sounded a lot like how Granny Smith pressured the Nurse into giving in, or how Applejack was so fierce with him and Rainbow Dash yesterday.

It's a family trait, I guess. No use in denying that now.

“Fine, you won. ...What do you want me to do, Apple Bloom?”

“YES!” she cheered to him giving in as she beamed with childish hope and excitement. “We have to try doin' things! Anythin' ah'm good at!”

“...But you don't even know what you are good at!”

“So we'll find out by tryin'! Come on!” she said as she pushed him away from his spot, making him stand and walk as she kept on pushing him with her. “By the way, what did you say your name was again?”

“I didn't, and it's Sillabus! Hey, don't push me! That hurts!”

And so, the filly managed to push the wolf all over the place, her Cutie Mark hunt started as soon as they managed to find things that she didn't try hard enough yet, or didn't even try to, still. Much for the wolf's chagrin.

Duck feeding, harpoon fishing, wrestling, leaf gliding, tunnel-digging and many more, the filly was relentlessly pushing the wolf around and partaking on crusading with the kind of energy Sillabus didn't have at that point. The fact he wasn't close to being healed yet made it so their progress was slow, but it happened anyway, and he was finding himself in the most random predicament of his life. Helping a young filly to find her Cutie Mark.

...It proved difficult. Very difficult. Not the fact they couldn't find what Apple Bloom was good at, but the fact his wounds wouldn't cut him any slack.

Alas, no slack was had for a very long time. The day passed in a rushed flow of attempts and failures, all with different results and all with no Cutie Mark in sight. What surprised the wolf more than anything, however, was the fact that the filly didn't seem to care. She was having... Fun. Even as she couldn't find what she was good at, she seemed to be enjoying herself greatly.

Perhaps that wasn't a bad thing, after all. She was a kid, right...? Isn't having fun kind of the whole point of it all?

---

Late afternoon, a few hours after the search for the Cutie Mark started.

“Urgh...” the wolf complained loudly, shaking himself off of the pain and the slime off his fur. “This is unreal... How come most of your plans ends up in both of us covered in tree sap?”

“Good question! ...Scootaloo kind of asked the same question once, though.”

“Maybe you should listen to this Scootaloo more often,” he grunted yet again, rubbing his arm on the grass as he removed the substance from it. “Getting covered in sap isn't exactly sanitary, you know!”

“Stop complainin' like an old wolf! Come on, we didn't try this one yet!”

Sillabus rose his face, his eyes falling over the recognizable lake they were nearby. He sniffed the air once as he saw Apple Bloom hand over to him... A fishing rod. With yet another large, excited grin.

“...What?” he asked with incredulity as she tilted her head and asked the same thing. “That's FISHING! We tried doing that with harpoons already, and it didn't work!”

“But this ain't a harpoon, it's a fishin' rod!”

“No, really? I couldn't realize that on my own, never! Urgh! Where did you get those things from, anyway?!”

“Well, you see – Pinkie Pie have told me where she stashes some of her things, you see? So she told me where ah could find fishin' rods!” she stopped for a few brief seconds in full silence before completing her own sentence. “In case of Fishin' Rod emergency.”

"Fishing rod emerg... What...?"

"Oh, y'all should ask Pinkie Pie 'bout that. She's one of Applejack's friends! Maybe you'll met her one day, I dunno."

Sillabus covered his face with both paws as a fishing rod landed in front of him, making him pick it up and watch as Apple Bloom happily sat by the lake and cast the lure into the water, pure glee emerged in her face as she looked expectantly at him.

He sighed in defeat once again, picking the fishing rod up and sitting a couple meters away from the young filly. He pulled the lure, looked at it and swung the rod, casting it into the lake, seemingly uninterested.

And then, time passed.

---

Time passed indeed. And nothing happened.

Nothing happened at all. Apple Bloom was already beaming red with anger as she kicked a nearby rock, bellowing from the bottom of her lungs in frustration.

“URGH! WHY WON'T THEY BITE!?”

“...Maybe it's because you keep yelling at them to,” Sillabus said with a monotone, static voice. “Now I doubt that'll happen at all.”

“HHHRRGGH! This is so frustratin' and annoyin'! Ah don't like this at all!”

The young filly launched an angry and frustrated glare at the lake, shaking her head left and right. Her eyes filled with pure disbelief as she watched the wolf not demonstrate even an inch of the same feeling as her.

“How can you stand this? This is so boring! I know ah'm the one that brought you here, but...”

“That is because you have to learn how to exercise patience, Apple Bloom. This is actually rather interesting, when you think about it.”

“...What?”

“You're way too hasty to fish something, and that's why you graze over what's important. Listen up, here. Fishing... Is the ultimate test of a true hunter.”

He took a deep breath as his eyes focused on the lure at the lake, almost as if he was entranced by it. The filly was now paying attention to Sillabus' every word. With disbelief.

“May it be on a goal in life... Or even while hunting your prey. The most important thing you have to exercise is patience. Attacking your prey head-on, or even your goal without being prepared will only make you bump heads with that what you could have avoided if you waited for the right moment. Patience... And execution. Those are two of the greatest everything for success at what you want to do.”

“What?”

“Keep your eyes on the prize... Wait for it to make a mistake... And when it finally does, you catch it,” Sillabus hissed in confidence as he threw a glance at Apple Bloom, who was looking at him as if he was talking in another language. “This is a flawless method to catch your prey. It works on accomplishing your goals, too... I guarantee it. Fishing is no different. It's a trial of your patience and skill at hunting, for it embodies everything I just said with perfection. Perfection, I say.”

The filly threw a glance at the empty space of nothing by his side, raising an eyebrow in dismissal.

“...You're saying that when you didn't even get yourself a fish.”

“True, but I never said I was good at fishing,” he said with a small smile on his face, making the young filly do the same in response.

“...Ah guess that doesn't make you a great hunter either.”

Apple Bloom sighed and grumbled in a strange mix of annoyance and amusement as the wolf chuckled to the answer of the filly. They felt like there was not much else to talk about. Not much else, but to just stay there, and fish.

And without trading more words, they decided in their silence to stay there. Fishing for a while longer, trying to enjoy the exercising of patience...

…

And of course, they did not fish anything. Apple Bloom ended the day slightly more frustrated than the usual.

---

The day was close to ending already. The sun was setting, the sky was orange by the light of dusk.

Both Apple Bloom and Sillabus returned to the Sweet Apple Acres at that time. It wasn't a day filled with accomplishment, but it was a day nonetheless. The filly skipped across the grass as their eyes fell upon the landscape... And they saw some pony that anyone would recognize from a mile away.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom called with enthusiasm as her sister opened her jade eyes in surprise, patting her sister's head with a hoof. “Welcome back!”

“W-Whoa there! ...Apple Bloom, what were you...!” she stuttered as her eyes fell on the wolf, whose playful grin made her lower her eyebrows in worry. “What was it that ah told you? What were you doin' all day?”

“It's fine, Applejack. Ah was playin' with him! He helped me to try an' get my Cutie Mark, but...” she said with a glint of disappointment hidden beneath her voice, one that she quickly dismissed with a shake of her head. “It's fine, though. Cheerilee's taught me to be patient! Yep.”

“That's fine, but... What did ah tell you 'bout...”

“About the big, scary wolf that might end up being a bad influence for your small sister, that is? She is more thick-headed than you might think, Applejack. I'm not THAT contagious.”

Sillabus interrupted them with a small cough. The gold-maned pony lowered her eyes and met his right in the center as he sat on the grass while making a rather serious face. She rose a hoof in wonder.

“Yeah? If that's the case, then what's wrong?”

“Oh, I wouldn't know. How about a heads-up? How about telling me where you were going before you actually left? No big deal, right?”

She turned her face slightly as his question took her completely by surprise.

“...Where ah was goin'? Since when that's any of yer business?”

“I'll admit it isn't. You can go where you want, but come on! You could have shaken me and said you weren't going to be in the farm today! Would that hurt to do? I mean, it's not like I have a debt to repay you or anything, right? It's not like I'm committed to this until I'm done repaying you, right? What in the name of the great Everfree were you thinking, leaving and not telling me anything!? That would have been nice!”

All three of them felt a small bit of discomfort in the air as traded looks with each other, almost as if they were trying to read their minds.

“What the hay are you talkin' about?” Applejack hissed in stunned confusion, raising an eyebrow at his small shout-out to her. “Committed? Maybe you are, but I ain't! Ah'm not sure what yer tryin' to say here, Sillabus!”

“I'm not saying anything. All I am doing is asking for a little bit of this commitment you clearly claim you do not have! I can understand you fearing having Apple Bloom talk to me, but seriously? This is almost as bad as if I wasn't even here! I don't know what is it you think of all this, but I'm not your pet, Applejack! I'm not your guard dog!”

A small bit of silence soon followed as he scratched his head in discomfort. Apple Bloom blinked, surprised, and patted the ground with her own hoof as he stumbled around for a few seconds, looking worriedly at both of them with confused eyes.

Applejack was the first one to break the silence.

“...Ah see. That's how you felt with all this? Ah'm sorry.”

“No, it's... It's fine. It's not even that big of a deal in the end. I just got a little bit annoyed, that's all.”

“Same difference. You got annoyed, so you complained. Ah can understand that.”

Sillabus sighed and threw an awkward, thorny glance at Applejack, who did the same thing in return. Their tone of voice wasn't helping any, either. Not in the slightest.

“So you want me to be a little bit more committed to this?” she asked out loud once again, catching the attention of the wolf's eyes. “That's fine. Ah can do that.”

“No pressure,” he claimed in return, raising both paws a little as if to asking her to calm down. “All I want is a bit of acknowledgment from your part. Just a little bit of it. Can it happen?”

“Sure.”

“You certain?”

“Didn't ah say so already?” she snapped back at him as he stepped back from his stance.

Clearly, he had made his point already. That was more than enough for him.

“You did. That was all, really. Thanks for understanding, Applejack.”

“Sure, Sillabus,” she returned with the same tone of slight discomfort in her voice, patting her sister's back with her hoof. “Come on, Apple Bloom.”

“...S-Sure! Aaah...”

She awkwardly looked at her sister and the wolf, who were walking in rather opposite directions. She thought it was all fine...? What was going on?

“Applejack? Ain't he comin' home to eat with us?”

“Ain't he?” she asked without a lot of interest, throwing a glance at the wolf who was walking at a rather odd direction. “Hey! Where you goin'?”

“I'll go get something to eat. Maybe a fish...? That sounds good.”

The gold-maned pony lowered her gaze to the grass as she turned around to walk towards the farm, acknowledging where he was going with a nod. She felt a little bit irritated, though she couldn't take all of the reason away from him at all.

“Applejack? What's the matter?”

“...Ah don't get it myself. Ah pumped a bit o' steam for no good reason, ah guess.”

And so did he. And ah guess we both know that, don't we?

She couldn't shake that feeling out from behind her ear as she looked once again at the silhouette of the wolf in the distance...

Maybe ah should apologize tomorrow. Right now... Ah don't think anythin' we say will get past as a valid excuse. What was that all about, anyway...?

Comments

[Aerowind]

It's a shame more people don't read this, as it isn't half bad. The only chapter I really have with this chapter is Applebloom not having any qualms about fishing. After all, it is sticking a sharp hook (or hell, harpoon) into a living creature, which tends to be a bit outside a pony's comfort zone. I love the interaction of Sillabus and Applebloom though.

[Etherdrone]

544781
Thanks! I guess that a lot of people get a little bit turned off by a story that's not complete yet...? I can't say, honestly.
Though you have a point there, and I have a counter-point! We've never seen fishing ponies before, and I'd say it's because they are all terrible at it...! Which is why fishing doesn't work...? I guess?

[Spamotron]

On the contrary Fluttershy is quite good at fishing. Caused quite a stir in the fandom too.

[Fernin]

Ha ha, poor Sillabus, having one of the CMCs inflicted upon him. : D

I'm a bit puzzled as to what Apple Bloom intended to do with any fish she harpooned. I mean, we know they eat eggs, but... I guess she might fertilize some crops with the fish. Or try Cutie Mark Crusaders, Gryphon Food Cookers... heh heh.

[KeiroD]

KeiroD here. Yes, the very same Pre-reader who read your story and sent you back for some more workings.

I'll be following this story with great interest. :D

[Dream Catcher]

Hmmm. This is good, but... It's got an interesting taste to it. That's not a bad thing, mind you, but when I read this, I get a queer taste in my mouth that I can't quite place my finger on. Oh, well. Tracking + Thumbs.