//------------------------------// // 6 - Quiet Time // Story: Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight // by Oddling //------------------------------// The moon was high in the night sky when Jim arrived on the edge of a dense forest. It had taken him quite some time to navigate his way down the steep slopes around Canterlot, but he eventually made it to the bottom. From there he sprinted on all fours due south. He was unsure as to why he had taken that direction, but something just told him to head to the south. He slowly crept into the foliage, quickly taking note of how the forest seemed to swallow up all light within the first ten feet. A grin tugged at the corners of his maw as he made his way deeper within. Well, this is quite the ideal little place to hide out, Jim thought as he slid through the brush silently. The growth here is thick and would entangle anything careless enough to not pay attention. Even with their magic, I doubt anyone coming after me would have an easy time keeping pace with me in here. Jim continued his soundless trek through the dense growth for some time. He would pause every now and then when a distant sound or an unfamiliar scent would catch his attention. At one point, he even stopped just as a large creature came through the forest. He crouched. In the dim light, Jim’s eyes narrowed and he made out a lion-like body with leathery wings and an oddly shaped tail. He did not know what the being was, but he could smell the bloody aroma that emanated from its jaws – indicating it was a predator. The werewolf simply observed the creature until it left the area. It was only slightly larger than he was and he was sure he could have beaten the thing, but he was not in the mood for pointless conflict. The desire to find a quiet place to rest was far more appealing. With the coast clear once more, Jim resumed his search through the forest. It took a few hours, but Jim eventually found an acceptable location for his needs. After wandering around, locating a rather horrid smelling bog, watching an ugly chicken-lizard-thing turn a clueless bird to stone, and avoiding a large patch of creepy blue flowers that sent a shiver down his spine, Jim finally located a grove of larger trees. He picked the largest one and climbed up into the branches. Once he found a decent spot that could hold his weight, Jim nestled into the crook of the branches and rotated his ears a few times to catch any nearby sounds. Nothing more than insects greeted his senses, so he permitted himself a mild reprieve. Slumping against the trunk of the tree, Jim let out a quiet sigh. Things really went to hell tonight, Jim thought, slightly disappointed. I may have blown my last chance at gaining my freedom from this curse. Then again… it may have been a mistake to come here in the first place. Jim lifted a hand and stared at it as he flexed his fingers a few times. This is going to take some getting used to… it feels so natural to be like this, but it’s strange all the same. Why did things have to change? When will I get a break? Jim’s fist clenched tightly, his claws drawing blood as his eyes burned with building frustration. “Why did he have to be my father…” he mumbled under his breath. With a deep sigh, Jim unclenched his fist and brought his hand up to lap at the blood. There was no point in hiding in the tree if he let the scent of an injury draw a would-be predator to him. He licked the injury for a short while, making sure he got every little spec of blood. To his surprise, the wound seemed to close up faster than he expected. Yet another change to my body… fan-fucking-tastic, he grumbled silently. A soft breeze started to blow across the forest’s canopy, parting the leaves of the trees enough for glimpses of the moonlight to shine through. The light drew Jim’s gaze up and his hazel eyes caught sight of the moon high above. His thoughts swiftly reminded him of how he left Princess Luna. Any anger or irritation within him died, only to be replaced with a feeling of sour melancholy. He knew he should have tried to explain things. Luna at the very least would have heard him out. Were it not for Celestia’s forceful approach, he might have taken the chance for a more diplomatic approach to exposing that foul little mage’s attempts. Well… that would be a little unfair putting all the blame with the sun princess’ actions. Jim had to accept the majority of the responsibility for he had been the one to let his temper coerce him into shunning a peaceful solution. Jim sighed again and let his gaze drift down to stare blankly at a knot on a branch. In the end… I guess I’ll never get out from under their influence. I’ll always be just like them… The werewolf readjusted his posture on the branches and slumped in emotional defeat. He had done enough thinking for now and wanted nothing more than to simply let sleep take him away from his troubles for a while. He flicked his ears in a few directions before closing his eyes with a slow deflating sigh. ~~***~~ The glow of morning light filtered through the canopy above, slowly drawing Jim from his slumber. He opened his eyes blearily and yawned. In an instant, he was wide-awake as shock jolted through him. His hand instantly darted up and roughly bumped into his muzzle, a claw nicking his cheek. He winced at the sudden sting of the cut, but ignored it in favor of sating his need to understand the seemingly impossible. He pawed at his face in disbelief and looked up. The sun was up and had been for some time now, yet he was still transformed. “That’s impossible…” he whispered and sat up, nearly falling from the branches. Jim took in his appearance again. He was still a humanoid werewolf. A deep growling sigh slid through his jaws as his irritation soared to new heights. “Just perfect. I might as well forget everything I used to know about myself. This is so… oh forget it,” he said and flipped his body around to drop to the ground. He landed after a few hops from branch to branch. A quick scan of his surroundings showed that the area was still relatively devoid of other creatures besides him. The exception was the telltale sound of birdsong far in the distance. Jim grumbled under his breath and oriented himself toward the stream he had caught a whiff of during the night. He was annoyed, hungry and thirsty, but years of living alone had placed water above the need for food. As Jim made his way to the stream, something in the air started to make him feel tense. A new scent lingered, one that he had not encountered before, and it was not a pleasant one. The body of the ordor was mostly like that of decaying forest, but there was an undertone of rotten flesh mixed in. Combine that with the hair on Jim’s neck raising and you could easily guess that it was not an inviting and warm sensation he was getting. Without warning, a series of strange howls rang out, quickly accompanied by a set of high-pitched screams. Jim’s body reacted on impulse and he bolted through the thick foliage toward the screams. A small part of Jim’s mind reminded him that he was still a werewolf and that he shouldn’t care about the fates of others since he could become the next thing to tear them to pieces. He ignored that part of his mind and rushed through the forest as quickly as something his size could. The screams moved quickly, the growls and howls of whatever was pursueing them keeping pace. Jim was drawing near at breakneck speed when a sudden yelp rang out and one of the voices, a child from the sound of it, called out, “Sweetie Belle!” Jim put on a burst of speed and slammed through a thick mass of vines and small trees. What greeted him on the other side was the sight of three little ponies being surrounded by odd wolves. The werewolf sucked in a deep breath and let out a deafening roar. His feet and hands hit the ground and he spun around to face the wolves. Much to Jim’s surprise, the wolves were not as he had thought they were. Oh no, these things were not made of flesh and bone, they were beings of wood and moss with sap that dripped from their jagged splintered fangs. It suddenly clicked in Jim’s mind. So these are the source of that repulsive smell. The pack of five wooden canines slowly backed away from Jim’s imposing form. He was a good deal larger than they were and he sported a very imposing stance as he eyed them coldly. They disgusted Jim. Their very existence felt like an insult to everything he stood for as a wolf. The empty glow of their eyes showed they were not truly alive. They were amalgamations of some sick, twisted magic. They needed to be destroyed. Jim’s body tensed as he prepared to lunge for the abominations, but the sounds of short breaths and the thundering of tiny hearts reminded him that he had a few little ponies to protect. He lifted his head and turned it just enough so that he could glance at the three behind him. “Hey, what are you three doing out here?” he rumbled. The three little fillies gasped and clung closer together, gulping in fear. The little yellow one with a big pink bow in her red mane swallowed the lump in her throat and squeaked out, “We were just headin’ to a friend’s place,” she said with a slight southern drawl. Jim lifted a brow at that, wondering who would want to live in such a place. Then again, he found it was quite the cozy little forest. He snorted dismissively. “Interesting… can the three of you still run?” he asked. The little fillies looked at one another and Jim noticed the little white one with the flowing pink and soft lavender mane grimace. He went to turn his head to them a little further, but stopped when one of the wooden wolves crept closer. Jim turned to it and let loose a deep growl and he advanced a single step closer to it, his teeth bared menacingly. The thing growled lowly and backed away, but held its gaze upon the three little ponies as much as it could. Jim knew what it was thinking. He tensed his body. “You three stay put, “ he said lowly. “These things want you in a bad way. Don’t move…” In a blur of speed and power, Jim barreled forth and ripped into two of the wolves at once. His claws tore into them with practically no resistance and their forms exploded into twigs and mush. Two of the others rounded on him and went to bite at him, but they were swiftly stricken and turned into piles of mulch. Jim snarled as he heard the last wolf sprint for the fillies. The beast got within ten feet of them before Jim’s body slammed into it and plowed it into the ground with brutal force. The wooden carcass stood no chance as it was forced to become one with the soil of the forest. Its chest caved in and the glow in its eyes faded like a memory forgotten. Jim pulled his fist out of the festering remains of the wolf and he turned his attention back to the three fillies. The little ponies huddled together with wide eyes as they stared at Jim. Then, much to Jim’s surprise, the orange pegasus filly with the unkempt purple mane started to grin. Her body shivered with excitement before she let out a cheer. “Woohoo! That was so cool! You just took on five timber wolves and wiped the floor with them!” Her two friends eyed her with shocked expressions before their gazes darted back to the big imposing wolf thing that looked about ready to eat them as well. Well, at least until it smirked at the antics of their pegasus friend. “Timber wolves, huh? I take it they’re normally a problem for you?” Jim said with a slight tilt of his head. “Yeah!” the little winged pony exclaimed. “We were sure they were going to catch us just then, but you crashed through the bushes and saved us.” Jim chuckled and his gaze sharpened as his grin revealed a few more of his fangs. “How do you know that I saved you? What if I just wanted to gobble you up myself?” he asked with a deep rumble. The little Pegasus’ eyes shot wide and she stuttered for a response. “Uh… y-you’re not really gunna, like e-eat us though… right?” she asked nervously. Jim simply eyed her for a long moment before he started to chuckle. He shook his head and let his fangs slip back behind his lips with a friendlier looking smile. “Nah. I am a little hungry, but pony isn’t on the menu. I actually prefer fish. I was heading to a nearby stream when I heard your screams,” he said in partial truth. Though he did not see the three before him as food, it was not an option that had been entirely ruled out yet. The three ponies all let out sighs of relief at his words, the little white one falling back with a dramatic thump. Jim chuckled a little more at their reaction. He then sat on his haunches and bowed his head. “By the way, my name is Jim. What are your names?” The pegasus leapt into the air, her wings abuzz in excitement. “I’m Scootaloo!” she said. The little yellow one smiled up at Jim. “Ah’m Apple Bloom,” she said and then gestured to the little white unicorn. “She’s Sweetie Belle.” Jim’s smile warmed slightly, though it came off a little awkwardly on his toothy maw. “A pleasure to make your acquaintances, “ he said with a small nod. His eyes then locked onto the panting little unicorn. She let out a soft groan. Jim slowly walked over, an act that made Apple Bloom nervous. When he got to them, Jim noticed there was a dark spot forming on Sweetie’s front leg. He bent down and caught the slight scent of blood. Without giving it any thought, he reached out and gently took hold of her leg. Sweetie Belle yelped and went to pull away, but Jim reacted quickly and grabbed her little body with his other hand to keep her still. “Looks like you tripped over something nasty,” Jim said and he glanced back towards where the wolves had been. He spotted a mangled root sticking up a few feet away. “How badly does it hurt?” he asked. Sweetie Belle grimaced and bit her lower lip. “It hurts, but it’s not too bad. I think I can still walk, at least,” she replied. Jim hummed and inspected the wound. It was a nasty looking scrape, but the worst of the injury was probably going to be from bruising. He gently released her leg, but held the rest of her gently. “I’ll help you get up. If you yelp and start to fall, I’ll be sure to catch you. It won’t do you much good if you make the injury worse by falling on it.” Sweetie Belle nodded and let Jim pick her up. It was quite the experience being lifted so effortlessly by such a large and unusual creature. For a brief moment, Sweetie almost wondered if Jim was just going to throw her up and then munch her down in one bite. Much to her relief, she soon found her hooves gently touching the ground. She gingerly placed her injured leg down. It was sore for a long time, but eventually she started to shift her weight around to conclude she could still walk on it. Jim smiled down at her. “Good, you can still get around. It’ll probably hurt worse after you rest, but there shouldn’t be any fractures or sprains. How far away is your friend’s home?” Scootaloo moved closer to Jim. “She’s still a ways in,” she said and looked to Sweetie Belle. “Think you can make it?” Before Sweetie could answer, Jim shook his head and pointed to the injured leg. “Walking too far on that isn’t a good idea. Plus, you should know that if you run into any more danger you won’t be able to run away. I think it’s best if you leave this forest,” he encouraged. “Awe,” Scootaloo pouted, “and we were gunna help out Zecora and try to get some cool potions.” Apple Bloom smiled at her friend. “It’s alright, Scootaloo. We can try again later. It’s not like we’d get a cutie mark from it since we already got’em.” Jim lifted a curious brow. “Cutie mark?” he asked. Sweetie Belle turned her side to Jim and she looked at her flank. “It’s the mark we get when we find our purpose,” she said. Jim eyed the mark on her rump. It was an interesting shield shape in red, pink and purple. In the center of the shield was a dark purple star with a fuchsia music note in it. He glanced at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and noticed they had similar marks, with Apple Bloom’s having an apple in hers while Scootaloo had wing with a lightning bolt in it. The werewolf let out a low hum as he examined the marks before he shrugged. “How do you get them? Is it a tattoo or something?” he asked. “It kinda happens through magic,” Scootaloo answered. “Interesting,” Jim replied. He then looked at Sweetie Belle. “In any case, let’s get you three out of this forest. I suggest you take it easy until your leg heals before you try to visit your friend again.” The three fillies looked down in defeat, Scotaloo giving a sigh. Jim smirked at her, feeling that she was the type to easily get hyped about things. “If you want, I’ll let you guys ride on my back. I bet that’ll make things easier for Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo’s eyes went wide and she looked up at the big wolf-thing in slight awe. “Can we really ride on you? How fast can you run?” she asked. Jim chuckled with a slight grin. “I’m pretty fast, but you won’t see anything like that with an injured passenger on me. I wouldn’t want to get you guys all banged up.” Some of the excitement left Scootaloo’s expression, but she was still pleased with the idea of riding on Jim. Then her face scrunched up and she tilted her head with a flick of her ears. “I just realized we have no idea what you are. I’ve never seen anything like you before… you’re not a diamond dog, are you?” Jim’s grin flipped into a slight frown. “Not that I’m aware of. I’m not a dog in any sense of the word. I’m what’s commonly known as a werewolf – or lycanthrope if you want to throw out a more technical term.” “Wait, is that like a werepony? Ah thought that was just a myth, like vamponies and Frankenpony,” Apple Bloom said curiously. Jim chuckled and shook his head. “Maybe? I’m not sure. I’m from Earth, so I don’t know much about this world.” Sweetie Belle gasped. “You’re from the portal?” she asked. “Yes,” Jim replied casually. He then looked over the three of them and grinned. “Hop on, we can chat more along the way,” he said and crouched low for the three to climb on. Scootaloo wasted no time and eagerly jumped up. She crawled up to stand just between Jim’s shoulders. Apple Bloom helped Sweetie Belle get up on his back before she scurried up. When the three fillies had found their spots and hunkered down, Jim slowly rose on all fours. He looked over his shoulder at them and nodded. “Alright, I’ll start off slow. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll get you three home in one piece.” Scootaloo giggled and enthusiastically pointed off in the distance. “Ponyville’s that way!” she said. Jim smirked at the name. “Alright. Hold on guys,” he said and started off toward the home of the three fillies. As he walked, making small talk with Scootaloo to sate her curiosity, Jim let his thoughts touch on a few small things; mainly why he was able to smell blood and stay in control. A lot has changed… but are these changes a good thing?