//------------------------------// // 19 - Beginner's Guide to Werewolves // Story: Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight // by Oddling //------------------------------// Scootaloo slid to a stop and ducked down behind some bushes. She was breathing heavily, but tried her best to keep quiet. Her ears swiveled constantly, listening for any sounds nearby. Her breaths slowly grew steadier and her surroundings steadily became clearer to her. Out in the distance she could hear the fluttering wings of a few birds and… maybe two bunnies scurrying through the brush. A sudden rustling drew her attention and she heard the sound of hooves quickly running across a nearby dirt road. She cautiously risked peeking above the top of her bush. Just down the way, scurrying as quickly as her little hooves could take her, Sweetie Belle moved from her hiding spot. Scootaloo went to wave her friend over to her hiding spot when a mass of dark fur, claws, and menacing fangs burst from behind a tree and landed on her. Scootaloo’s eyes shot open in panic and she ducked back down, the scream of her friend shattering the quiet. Suddenly, there was silence again. Confused, Scootaloo perked her ears up again, straining to hear the sounds of the beast that was hunting her. Nothing greeted her ears. She looked around quickly. There were no places close enough for her to run to and hide. If she moved, she knew he would find her, but if she stayed… it was only a matter of time. With a gulp of nervousness, Scootaloo slowly peeked out around the side of her hiding place. Her eyes widened when she saw that the one hunting them had vanished from where he last stood. She took a tentative step forward to look further around, but the beast was nowhere to be seen. Fear slowly started to seep into her body, her wings trembling in anticipation… A rush of hot air suddenly blew across her back and her body froze. The young filly’s head slowly turned until she was face to face with her hunter… the werewolf. Before she could even blink, Jim’s hands lunged forth and seized her, pulling her up above his head as a fang filled grin gleamed up at her. Then, without any mercy, her belly was assaulted by the beast’s long, slimy tongue. A squeal of laughter escaped Scootaloo as Jim licked her relentlessly. She tried to beg him to stop, but it was difficult to properly articulate her words when her own laughter drowned her out. In the end, Jim got the hint and ceased his assault on her ticklish belly. Though, when Scootaloo’s laughter died out, the sound of Sweetie Belle’s laughter took its place. Jim grinned down at the little white unicorn filly while Scootaloo glared playfully down at her. “Yeah yeah, let’s see how you like it when he does that to you!” Scootaloo declared and Jim’s grin grew wider. Sweetie’s laughter instantly stopped and she took a step back. “Y-you wouldn’t!” she squeaked. An evil chuckle rumbled through Jim’s throat. “I don’t know… it’s a very tempting idea…” he mused aloud as he eyed Sweetie Belle. Sweetie laughed nervously and she took another step away from Jim. She knew there was no way to escape him, he was way too fast, but she wasn’t about to give up her poor soft belly to such a horrible fate without a fight. She would even scream her lungs out if she had to… Jim had sensitive hearing so it just had to work… right? Before Jim could move to grab a hold of his next tickle victim, a joyful cry of triumph sounded as a yellow blur leapt from behind him. Apple Bloom landed on Jim’s back and held on tight as she giggled gleefully. “Ah’ve turned the tables on ya, Mr. Jim! Ah caught you instead!” Jim looked over his shoulder at the little filly on his back and smiled before he swooned to the side, his hand moving up to his forehead dramatically. “Oh no! I’ve been had! This looks like the end for me… hng!” he said playfully and he gently placed Scootaloo down. Then he fell onto his stomach, causing Apple Bloom to roll off and land in front of his muzzle. Apple Bloom shook her head and then looked down at Jim’s face. His eyes were closed and his tongue was sticking out of the side of his mouth. It was a strange look, but it was not enough to stop the filly’s mind from forming a fun new idea. A smug grin slowly spread over Apple Bloom’s muzzle and she stood up. “Well, it looks like ah managed to win the game and defeat our fearsome pursuer. Ah think ah’ve earned a bit of a reward for my efforts…” and with that, she lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around Jim’s face, hugging the big lug. In the next moment, Jim found his face engulfed by the hugs of three fillies. He could not stop the happy chuckle from escaping him as he lifted his head a little. “Looks like I’ve been bested in my own game. Well done.” The three little ones giggled happily again, nuzzling against Jim’s face. Then Scootaloo pulled her head away. “So how did you find me? I was positive that you wouldn’t be able to spot me behind those bushes,” she asked curiously. “Yeah, I didn’t even see you before you jumped out at me. I used to think I was pretty good at hide and seek…” Sweetie chimed in, too. Jim’s smile diminished as he entered ‘teacher mode’. After all, the game of hide and seek had been more of a test for Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle. He gently reached his hands forward and removed his adorable little face huggers before he sat up. “All three of you used different tactics in the game, something that normally would have given each of you a possible edge in succeeding. However, what you failed to take notice of was what I was doing. Did any of you see me before I pounced?” he asked. All three fillies shook their heads. “Ah tried to find you, but ah had no idea where you were. You just popped out of nowhere,” Apple Bloom said. “Yeah, I had no idea you were even that close. I was so surprised when you jumped out. That’s why I thought I could make it across the road.” Jim nodded. “And that is where my tactic comes into play. I was looking for all three of you, but what you didn’t know was that I knew where you were long before you reached your hiding spots. I even knew that Apple Bloom had been hiding in the tree branches.” “Wait! You knew ah was there?” “I did.” “But… how?” Jim grinned. “One of the things that most others ignore is the wind. For a lot of creatures, wind isn’t something they take much notice of. In your world, you don’t have to worry about natural predators, and you haven’t had to for quite some time. I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t know how I found you three so quickly. You see, I found you by tracking your scent.” “So…” Apple Bloom said slowly. “You followed us usin’ your nose? Do we stink or somethin’?” she asked as she looked at herself. Jim chuckled. “Yes and no. Everyone has their own smell, and unless you have a nose like mine, you can’t really appreciate the different kinds of scents in the air. I can smell things from a long distance away. What that means is that I could smell you three because of the wind – it blew your smell right to me. It’s what humans from Earth call being up wind. Because I could smell you, I was down wind of you.” Sweetie Belle looked at herself for a moment. “So what do I smell like?” she asked curiously. “Yeah, this is kinda cool, what do we smell like?” Scootaloo asked as well. Jim brought a hand up to stroke his chin as he thought. “Well… Scootaloo smells like peaches and cream. Apple Bloom smells like springtime in an apple orchard, like when the flowers are just blooming for the first week. And Sweetie smells like vanilla… with a little hint of cherry. Oddly enough, you three also have a faint scent of tree sap on you as well.” The three fillies looked to one another before they moved closer to sniff at each other. Eventually the three separated and Apple Bloom looked up at Jim. “That’s strange… ah don’t smell nothin’.” Sweetie shook her head. “Me neither.” Scootaloo looked at her friends with a lifted brow. “Really? I could smell it. But Sweetie smelled more like whipped cream to me…” Apple Bloom and Sweetie looked at Scootaloo curiously. “Wow… ah guess you must have a nose like Mr. Jim’s then.” “Indeed,” Jim agreed calmly, taking notice of the faint shift of unease in the little pegasus. “But I believe we’re getting off track. Aside from my being able to track you through scent, I also heard you as you moved around and breathed. I admit, I almost didn’t manage to get as close with Scootaloo listening so intently.” “How did you know I was listening?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes wide in surprise. Jim chuckled. “Your bushes were a good spot to hide in, but they didn’t hide you completely. If you look closely enough, you can see the few little places that I could still see you through.” All three fillies looked over to the bushes and soon noticed the openings that Jim had mentioned. They were small, but still large enough to spot an orange coat of fur through them. One of the spots happened to be where Scootaloo’s head had been. The little pegasus filly sighed disappointedly. Jim’s hand gently landed on her back and she looked up to see him smiling down at her. “Don’t worry, kid. It was a good spot. The only part of this that was unfair was that I was the seeker. My senses are a little too good for this kind of game, but this wasn’t just for fun and games. Did you learn anything from the experience?” Scootaloo thought for a few seconds. During the game she had been filled with excitement about being able to play a game of hide and seek with Jim and her friends. Now that the game was over and she had time to look back on it, a few things did stand out to her. “I think so… for one, I think we were too close together with our hiding spots. It just made it easier for you to find us.” Jim nodded and looked at her expectantly for more. “And… we need to pay more attention to the wind from now on. We shouldn’t let it give our positions away.” Again, Jim nodded. “Anything else?” “Well… I would say we should try to be more quiet, but I don’t think I could have been any quieter.” Jim chuckled gently and lifted a finger. “Not true, believe it or not. I heard you the most out of your friends because of your heavy breathing. I take it you don’t run as much as they do?” he asked. Apple Bloom’s ears perked up. “Actually, ah think she spends more time on her scooter. Ah get more running time from helpin’ out on our farm, ah’m not sure how often Sweetie runs, though.” “Oh, I don’t run too often, but I do walk a lot between Rarity’s house and our parents place,” Sweetie provided helpfully. “I see,” Jim replied as he looked back to Scootaloo. “So to improve on that, which would be your stamina, all you have to do is run more often. The more you run, the less strain it puts on your body and you won’t breath so heavily after a good sprint.” Scootaloo looked down to the ground for a moment before her gaze wandered back up to Jim. She held a look of slight sadness as she took in a breath. “But… I really like my scooter. Do I have to stop using it?” she asked. Jim smiled down at her and shook his head lightly. “Of course not. You can still use it as much as you like. All you’d have to do to build your stamina is set some time aside to exercise your legs a few days a week. And trust me, your still young so it won’t take long to build up that stamina.” Scootaloo smiled up at Jim and nodded. “Thanks Jim!” “No problem, Scootaloo,” he said and stood back up, his back popping a few times as he stretched. “Now, I think it’s time for a snack. All that running around must have sucked away some of your energy. You guys hungry yet?” he asked. All three fillies smiled happily up at Jim, nodding enthusiastically. “Alright then. Since I’m still new here, where’s a good place to rustle up some grub?” Instantly the three lost their smiles. “Ew… you don’t eat grubs, do you?” Sweetie asked. Jim eyed them coolly for a long moment before a wicked smile spread across his face. “What, you don’t like eating grubs? Their pretty tasty, you know. It’s like eating a marshmallow filled with jelly, only there’s a small crunchy part because of the head.” Sweetie placed a hoof to her mouth as her face turned green. Apple Bloom looked a little curious about the idea, wondering if Jim was telling the truth or just trying to pull her leg. Scootaloo though, she was giving the idea some serious thought. Then an idea hit her and her ears and wings twitched. “What do werewolves eat?” Jim’s evil grin quickly shifted to a look of contemplation. “Hmm… well, we can eat a lot of things. Our diet usually consists of high protein foods, though. We burn a lot of energy when we hunt and transform. I think the only things we can’t eat are flowers, chocolate, and rocks. At least, those are three things I know I can’t stomach.” “Wait! You tried to eat rocks!?” Sweetie asked incredulously. Jim laughed at her outburst and nodded. “It wasn’t my idea. My older brother slipped a few into one of my sandwiches when I was a kid. He said I looked like I was low on my mineral intake.” Though Scootaloo found it a little funny at first, her smile soon disappeared when she noticed the faint signs of sadness in Jim’s eyes as he said that joke. He was hiding something behind it… something hurtful. But when he looked down at her questioning face, Jim’s eyes lost that pain and his smile became more genuine. It was strange… she wanted to hug him, but she couldn’t move a muscle being confronted by such a happy expression. She felt warm inside, seeing him look at her like that. “In any case, let’s figure out where we should go to eat. Any suggestions?” Jim inquired. ~~***~~ The bell above the door to Sugarcube Corner chimed as Jim strode in casually. His three passengers were happily eyeing the menu above the counter as he slowly approached on all fours. The pastel blue mare with the two-toned pink swirl of a mane smiled kindly toward them as the four neared the counter. “Well, hello there, dears. Have you come by to say hi to Pinkie Pie or do you want something to nibble on?” she asked, her eyes moving between all four of her newest arrivals. Jim paused for a brief moment. It was actually shocking to be treated so normally by a pony. Then again, he had been treated just fine by the three fillies on his back, so he managed to quickly shrug off the surprise. He looked at the three on his back with a small grin. “Well, what do you guys want?” Jim asked them. “What? When did you decide to pay for us? And what bits do you have?” Apple Bloom asked, her reaction mirrored by Scootaloo and Sweetie. Jim simply chuckled and he turned to the mare. “Sorry, but they did make a valid point, although I was told to ask this before I committed to a purchase. I’m currently staying at the Castle of Friendship, under Princess Twilight’s guidance. At present, I’m in the process of finding a job but Twilight said that the crown would offer to cover any of my basic needs. I know this isn’t necessarily for me, personally, but I’m willing to go for a few days without eating. Would it be alright if I had the payment sent to you later, to cover for these three today?” The mare seemed unsure for a moment before her attention was drawn to the passengers on the beast’s back. They seemed to be uneasy with the idea… or maybe it was guilt they were feeling. A small smile spread over her face and she cleared her throat to get their attention. “Sweetie, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, what do you think about this? You seem to be unsure of something.” Scootaloo looked away and rubbed at the back of her head as Jim turned his head around to look at them again. He held a look of curiosity and waited to hear their answer. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked to one another briefly before the little farmer of the three sighed lightly. “Well, ya see, the thing is that we just… kinda feel bad about it. That money’s supposed to be for Mr. Jim… it just don’t seem right for it to be spent on us – especially if it means he has to go hungry.” Jim chuckled softly, kind of wishing that his neck had been longer so that he could nuzzle the sweet little filly. It was cute that she felt that way about the situation, but what he did not want to mention was that he had no intention of starving himself. There were plenty of options in the forest. Still, that didn’t put a halt to his current problem with convincing them that he really wanted them to enjoy a treat. The three had earned a little something after their first lesson this morning. Well, in his opinion they did. What could he say, they were just too cute and he kind of wanted to see how they looked with milkshake stuck to their faces. “Apple Bloom, Sweetie, Scootaloo… there’s no need to worry about me. You three earned this. If anything, I’d feel bad if you three didn’t get something to replenish the energy you spent during our game this morning.” “Oh? What game did you play?” asked the blue mare. Scootaloo’s wings buzzed excitedly as she leapt to her hooves on Jim’s back. “Oh you should have seen it, Mrs. Cake! We played the coolest game of hide and seek with Jim. I thought for sure that I had found the best place to hide, but Jim found all three of us so easily – it was incredible!” Mrs. Cake giggled jovially behind her hoof, happy to see Scootaloo so animated in her excitement. “I see. Sounds like you four had quite a time. In that case, I’ll whip something up for all of you. Just make yourselves comfortable and it’ll be out in a bit.” “Wait,” Jim said, lifting his hand. “I don’t need anything, really.” “Oh, I’ll have none of that. Nopony gets to show such generosity in this shop without getting something for it. I trust Twilight, she’s one of Pinkie Pie’s best friends, and if she’s taken you into her castle as a guest then I trust that you’ll hold up your end of the bargain,” Mrs. Cake insisted warmly. “Now, what would you all like?” As previously discussed on the ride over, the three fillies all ordered a shake of their favored flavor. Sweetie wanted vanilla, Apple Bloom requested strawberry, and Scootaloo asked for chocolate. Jim, on the other hand, was not familiar with what all the shop sold and looked over the menu swiftly. He eventually settled on what seemed to be a mango smoothie, a popular item with the members of Luna’s night guard according to Mrs. Cake. Having given their order, Jim and his little companions went over and claimed a booth for themselves… though Jim had to sit on the floor beside it since he was too large to fit. Sweetie quickly began to gossip with her two friends about a few things, mainly what their little club, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, would be doing next to help out the youth of their community. They also got onto the topic of school and homework, but much of it was not for Jim to really involve himself with. He didn’t ignore them completely while they talked, but he was not really paying the discussions much attention. Instead, Jim was observing the surroundings within the establishment. The architecture of the facility was something else, that he was certain. Never before had he seen anything quite like Sugarcube Corner. After a few minutes, Mrs. Cake approached their booth with the order, as well as a clipboard with a paper and pen attached to it. She passed out the shakes before turning to Jim. “Sorry, but since you are paying through the equivalent of a tab, would you mind filling this form out? It’s a written agreement between you and our establishment to make sure everything is handled properly.” Jim took the clipboard in his hand and methodically read through the page’s contents. It was a simple form, detailing an agreement between the parties involved as well as to provide information for what would, on Earth, be considered billing information. He nodded his head slightly. “I don’t see a problem with filling this out for you… but I may need some help in a few places. I’m from Earth and have only been in Equestria for a short time. Would you be able to lend me a hand with a few areas?” he asked. Mrs. Cake went to nod but was interrupted when the bell chimed, signaling the arrival of a new customer. Still, it did not stop her from smiling. “Well, I’d love to help, but I should get back to the counter. I’ll send Pinkie Pie to help you shortly. You’re not in a hurry to get anywhere are you?” she inquired. Jim shook his head with a smile. “No, not at all, please take your time,” Jim answered calmly. Of course… he was not looking forward to seeing Pinkie. Though he did not dislike her, per se, Jim was not one who knew how to handle such energetic individuals. Kids were fine. Once you tuckered them out then you could trick them into taking a nap and get a few hours of freedom… or hand them back over to their family and say you had something to do. Pinkie Pie though… she was not a child. She may have child-like quirks and an odd mentality at times, but there was no doubt that she was an adult that could do as she pleased. Thus far, Jim had been lucky to have been free from her for the past couple days, but that was only because there were important matters to be dealt with. Jim was now in her territory. Evading her questions would be difficult but tolerable, but giving her the time of day to discuss his emotional state to determine when she could throw him that… ridiculous welcome party… was not something he wanted to talk about, much less entertain. Jim sighed quietly as Mrs. Cake went back to take care of her customer. He took the small glass in his hand and brought it up before he paused. A new, much more disturbing problem had just been brought to his attention. How would he drink his smoothie? He was too familiar with how a wolf’s mouth was not adequate in the act of sucking on a straw. The idea of tipping the contents back into his mouth came to mind… but that would most likely end up with half of the drink oozing out of the sides of his maw to drip all over the place. Well… I guess I’ll try to use the straw. Worst case scenario is I make a really odd sound, he mused with a slight smirk. Working his tongue a few times in some strange attempt to “practice” sipping from a straw, Jim opened his mouth and bit gently onto the object. He worked his tongue a few times, hoping that the result would be a normal one. That was not to be the case. Though he did manage to get a few little drops to flow out of the top of the straw and onto his tongue, it was quickly revealed that he just could not use the item for its intended purpose. Removing the straw from his mouth, Jim grumbled to himself as he set the beverage down. Scootaloo, having watched the scene unfold, stopped sucking on her shake to inquire if the drink tasted good or not. Jim smirked slightly at the question and shook his head. “Not quite. From the few drops I got on my tongue I can definitely say that the drink is good. No, the problem is I can’t use the straw. My mouth isn’t made for that kind of thing.” Sweetie Bell broke herself away from her shake to join in the little discussion. “Wait, if you can’t use the straw then how are you going to drink it?” she asked, genuine concern showing in her eyes. Jim smiled and looked to the glass once more. An idea of how he would drink it started to form, but it wasn’t something that he was thrilled about. A small frown formed on his muzzle, or it tried to. He glanced around the booth and noticed he had become the center of the three filly’s attention. Crap… this is probably going to make me look really weird. Maybe I should… no, I doubt a spoon would work… … fuck it. With a small sigh, Jim lifted the glass again and he removed the straw, licking it clean before placing it on the table. He brought the drink in front of his face and dipped his muzzle down… and proceeded to lap at the cool and refreshing substance within. Jim, ungracefully, consumed his beverage in less than a minute, placing the empty glass down on the table before glancing up at the wide-eyed expressions on the faces of the CMC… as well as the other patrons who had been in the shop. Were it possible to see through the fur, every pony present would have seen the red tinting his cheeks as he sat there quietly. It was bad enough that he had resorted to eating like a dog, but he had done it in front of the entire restaurant. Silence filled the air for a time, until Sweetie Belle shattered it. “Huh… well that solves that problem. What did you think of it? Was it really that good?” Jim cocked an eyebrow. “It was very good. Mango happens to be one of my favorite flavors. Raspberries come in as my second favorite fruit flavor… Why?” Sweetie giggled. “Because you slurped that smoothie up like Winona when you give her apple sauce. It’s her favorite thing, ever!” she chirped happily before taking another sip of her drink. Curious, Jim asked the obvious question. “Who’s Winona?” Apple Bloom swallowed her mouthful of shake before answering. “Oh, that’s our family pet. She’s such a good dog, she does all kinds of things to help out on the farm.” Jim took in a long, deep breath before letting it out through his nose and covering his face with his hand. He slowly shook his head as he drug his hand down his muzzle. Once his fingers left the end of his nose, he balled them up and rested his elbow on the table to support his head as he eyed the little yellow earth pony. “You know… I think that’s the first time I’ve been insulted and couldn’t feel mad. You’re lucky that I find you three to be adorable… also, you might want to go wash the shake off your faces. You’re looking sweet enough to eat…” he said with a teasing grin.