//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Carnivore Council // by CreativeOverflow //------------------------------// Another fine day shone down on Bale Song Pastures. The rising sun glistened in the morning dew. The birds were starting to sing and a steady stream of smoke rose from the chimney. The small one room building was modest but neatly kept. An outdoor bath and toilet provided the only additional amenities while small clouds of insects danced over the low open well in the grounds center, guarded by its faithful bucket and rope. Inside the cottage a pair of bunk beds occupied the far wall, the lower double bed already neat and made up. The top single bunk by contrast was still covered in tossed blankets with a tuft of crimson and blonde mane escaping the small bundle of bedclothes. A soft crackle from the open fireplace warmed the interior and a small kettle of water boiled quietly over the low coals as toast slowly browned on a grill. A large brown stallion lifted the kettle from its hook with a protective cloth and tipped its steaming contents into two simple cups. The bundle on the top bunk shifted, rose up, then collapsed back again. An errant pink hoof flopping loosely over the side of the bed. The stallion buttered the two slices of toast generously and followed it with a thick application of orange marmalade. From the bed behind, a rustle and a small pink nose emerged sniffing the air twice. The brown pony carefully carried the cups to a small window side table for two. The pink and blonde form slowly oozed from under the covers over the edge of the bed until gravity finally took its cue and with an audible whomp, the figure dropped onto the lower bunk. The brown stallion smiled without looking as he carried the toast on a plate to the table. A small sleepy pink, blonde and crimson foal pulled herself up to the table, took her seat, then stirred a dandelion stem through her tea before chewing it down. The brown stallion sat down opposite. “Good morning sleepyhead.” He teased. The filly yawned, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. She smiled and looked up at her father. “Morning Daddy.” Provender smiled lovingly at his daughter. “Eat up now, you have a big day ahead.” Removing her muzzle from her teacup, the filly gave a big smile and nodded enthusiastically. “Mhmm” The filly bounded ahead out of the front door calling out behind her. “C’mooon Daaad, we’re gonna be late!” Provender exited shortly after, closing the door behind him chuckling, “Alright Remedy, I’m coming.” He shook his head at the remarkable acceleration of energy his daughter had gained since her earlier sleepy start. Remedy raced ahead chasing butterflies with intermittent pauses to sniff flowers. All the while her father kept a steady pace behind keeping a watchful eye as she skipped and explored. The duo finally crested over the hill leading to the fields where several other ponies had already begun preparing to plough. Remedy stopped and scanned around, looking up and down the road. “Is she here yet? Is she late!” she inquired with some concern. A voice from a grove of trees behind her spooked the filly causing her to spin around. “Punctuality is a virtue of the bored. And how could I ever be bored with you?” “NATARA!” Remedy shouted. She leaped forward and wrapped herself around the doe’s front legs, “I’ve missed you.” “Oh and I’ve missed you too.” The older doe crooned, returning the filly’s hug with a tight embrace of her own, “I’ve had to take extra honey in my tea to make up for the lost sweetness.” “It’s good to see you Natara.” Provender stepped up to the pair and shared a familial embrace. “You too Provender, though I hope you’re not overworking yourself?” Natara chided. “Ha, no choice I’m afraid,” the stallion scratched the back of his head like he’d just been caught plundering the cookie jar. “Sweet Apple Acres and the other orchards have been hit by an infestation of Vampire Fruit Bats. Devastated their entire crops. Fruits are going to be short for the next little while, so I need to get some extra ryegrass and lucerne crops down. They’ll grow over summer and hopefully tide us over the winter. It’ll be tight, but we’ll make it. We haven’t carved our home out of the forest without learning to take hardship in stride.” The old doe smiled. “Well, it’s good to see you’re keeping your spirits up then.” “It’s hard not to with the cure of all frowns hanging around,” Provender tussled Remedy’s mane. A small giggle escaped from Remedy, Natara’s leg still well captured. “But how are the kids? You went away to see them didn’t you?” Natara lifted her head with pride. “They’re all doing wonderfully. Young families of their own. It makes me proud to see them all growing up strong and happy.” “C’mon Natara,” Remedy interjected, her impatience growing with the idle banter of her elders, “I want to show you my Garden!” Seeing that he was now directly interfering, Provender laughed at his daughter's precociousness. “Well I best not keep you both then. Now you behave for Natara young filly, and listen to what she says. You can learn a lot from her.” “I will!” Remedy beamed brightly. Natara gave a parting nod to Provender as she was dragged away by the eager foal, the stallion waved as they departed. Turning to face the fields once more he muttered under his breath. “Well, these fields won’t plough themselves, better get to it.” Remedy ran back and forth ahead of Natara, urging the older doe to keep up. Natara was in no hurry, and this little lesson in patience would be good for the filly. “Here it is. See!” Remedy proudly stood beside a small flower bed constructed under a young tree. A loose border of stones marking out the territory. “Well what do we have here?” the doe mock inquired. “I see we have some dandelions, lavender and feverfew.” “The dandelions are my favourite, I have one every morning with my tea.” Remedy explained, she pointed off into the distance near the edge of a thick wood where a colourful bush of flowers stood welcoming. “I want to plant some of those flowers, they look so pretty, but Dad won’t let me go near them. He said I need to stay away from the forest.” Remedy looked to the doe for overriding permission, bringing to bare large limpid pool eyes and the tenderest of pouts. Natara saw the play immediately, she hadn’t raised four fawns of her own without learning when she was being ‘handled’. With a cheeky smirk she retorted, “Your Daddy is very wise. There are dangerous creatures that live in the forest that will gobble you up as soon as look at you.” With a playful tackle, Natara growled and pretended to attack the adorable filly. Remedy squealed and scampered off giggling as the doe gave chase. After putting a little distance between them, Remedy came to a stop, head tilted in thought. With the game forgot she turned inquisitively to Natara, “Why do they stay in the forest?” Natara raised an eyebrow at the surprising question. “I mean, if they want to eat us, why don’t they ever come out of the forest?” Remedy clarified. “Not much is known about the why, all we know is that they never leave the forest.” Coming to rest next to Remedy, Natara lay down next to the foal so she could speak at eye level. “You know, I grew up in whitetail woods. It was very similar to this forest, though perhaps not quite so dark. We always had to keep our eyes and ears peeled, and our noses twitching." Natara scrunched her nose for effect. "My father was a great Stag and on more than one occasion he chased off a small pack of wolves with his sharp antlers. He was always so brave...” Natara trailed off before catching herself from her recollections. “You have to be strong of heart and quick of hoof to survive in the forest.” Remedy stared up at the doe in awe, “Wow, you were so brave!” Natara laughed at the thought, “Ha ha, my Father was brave, I was scared out of my wits. Always hiding in the tall grass hoping they wouldn’t find me. That’s why you should heed your father’s warning and stay away from the forest.” Natara lifted Remedy’s downcast face, “I’m sure we can find your flowers somewhere safer.” Refusing to be consoled on the loss of her prized flowers, Remedy turned away and grumbled, “Why can’t Princess Celestia just chase them all off like the other monsters?” A cryptic smirk played across Natara’s face, “Perhaps, because they’re not monsters.” “Huh? But you just said they’d gobble me up? How are they NOT monsters!?” Standing up, Natara gave a quick scout of her surroundings, “Well… here, look.” Natara trotted over to small shrubbery and pulled the thick foliage back revealing a small clump of little black flowers with coloured bands around their bells. Remedy cautiously approached, they were closer to the forest now, certainly closer than she would dare approach alone and the undergrowth of the forest was starting to protrude. Natara pointed to the little black flowers. “Well, what do you think of these?” Remedy eyed the ugly flowers skeptically. Gingerly leaning forward she gave them a quick sniff and immediately recoiled, her face twisted in a silent gag. She scoffed at Natara, “What, other than they look hideous and they smell bad?” Natara laughed at the critique, “Quite true, and they also taste very bitter as well.” Remedy eyed Natara suspiciously, unsure of what lesson was to be taken from these ugly little flowers or how they related to the monsters in the nearby forest. “Then why would anyone want them?” Natara feigned revelation at the filly’s observation, “Oh, I suppose not. Well perhaps we should pull them all out and cast them into the fire like weeds then?” Remedy glanced with shock at Natara, taken aback by the apparent harsh alternative. “Well… they’re not hurting anyone here.” She quickly rescinded. Natara smiled. A single crow cawed from a nearby branch, settling itself. “That’s very kind of you. In return for your kindness, these little flowers carry a big secret.” Natara leaned close to Remedy as if spies were listening. Remedy craned her neck, twisting her ear to Natara in suspense. “They’re actually a powerful medicinal herb.” Pulling back from the whisper, Natara crossed one forehoof over the other as Remedy sat on her haunches eagerly waiting for the doe to continue, “Sometimes, things in life can be ugly, bitter and unpleasant. And if you only look on the outside, that’s all you’ll ever see. But if you get to know them, they may actually serve a very important purpose and so be very helpful. Even IF you don’t want them in your flower garden.” Natara laughed, and Remedy giggled along with her. A second crow cawed from the treetops, and watched the two below with beady eyes. Natara eyed the birds. A third came to roost next to the others while the first cleaned it’s beak on the branch. Natara whispered into Remedy's ear, “I want you to stay still and lie quiet under this bush for a second. I just want to check something.” Remedy was confused and began to interject, but Natara sharply cut off her complaints. “Shh, no arguing, quickly now. The flowers will cover your scent. Think of it as a little game of hide and seek.” Without waiting for the filly to comply, Natara pushed her under the brush. Remedy was beginning to get scared, Natara wasn’t normally like this, she was fun and caring, but the doe’s expression had grown stern and serious. With a timid voice she whimpered “I don’t understand.” “Hush now.” the sharp retort from Natara was the only response, her focus elsewhere. Another crow settled in an adjacent tree. The birds were agitated, fluttering and squawking on their branches as they bickered among themselves. Natara strode away from the filly, her head upright as her ears twisted and scanned the surrounds. A breeze rustled through the leaves and Natara took short sharp sniffs of the air. With a final sniff her head snapped towards a small clump of low bushes. “Grrrrrrrrrr”, the low menacing growl reverberated from within the foliage, two piercing yellow eyes glinted from the shadow. A large black wolf stepped forward, his head low and teeth bared. Natara backpedaled with a gasp. “You’re out of your forest!” From behind her another toothy growl and set of blue eyes emerged from another thicket. Quickly another pair of wolves emerged from the surrounding vegetation. One of them only a few feet from the cowering Remedy. Instinctively Natara began to back away, drawing the wolves away from the filly. Remedy had clamped her hooves over her mouth to stop from screaming and fearful tears streaked down her terrified face. The wolves formed a perimeter around the old doe, growling and snapping, daring her to run. Her back already almost within the shadow of the encroaching forest. Natara glanced at Remedy still cowering under the bush and a sad smile crossed her face. “I love you, and I’m sorry.” Remedy’s eyes grew wide and her body trembled. Natara focused on the wolves, her muscles quivered as adrenaline flooded her body. She snorted and pawed the ground in anger. “Come on you bastards, I may not be as quick as I used to be, but I can still give you a fight!” the doe reared on her hind legs and stomped the ground. The wolves snarled and barked at her defiance, one of them approaching too close. Natara wheeled on her front hooves and struck out with her hind legs. The wolf stumbled backwards to avoid being hit. It was the chance Natara needed. With a powerful leap she dove into the forest at a breakneck speed. The wolves howled, the crows cawed, and in a flurry of fur and feathers, gave chase. An eerie silence descended on the clearing, only the gentle wind rustling the leaves made any sound. A heartbreaking sob escaped from Remedy’s mouth and she gasped for air. Tears streamed down her face and with broken breaths she crawled from under the bush and started running back towards the fields. Thick vines and thorny branches whipped past the doe. Her speed and grace belying the generous years she had acquired. Natara danced across the rough broken path, long leaping strides cleared logs and streams. Rocky outcroppings rapidly ascended beneath her sure hoof falls. Behind her the wolves pursued with hungry determination. The chorus of howls and snarls driving her forward. Any slip was death. Thoughts of her children and her grandchildren passed through her mind. Her body while still fit was beginning to remind her of the many winters she’d seen. Strength was starting to ebb, and with every bound her muscles and bones ached. “Had they always been this persistent?” she thought to herself. The snap of jaws just behind her refocused her attention back into the moment and provided an additional burst of adrenaline, but it was short lived. Foam was gathering at the corners of her mouth as she panted for air, behind her a maelstrom of fur and teeth. Overhead the crows casually kept up flying just above the canopy, eager for the outcome. “Wretched little birds.” Natara thought to herself. The doe splashed through a stream, mud and water splattering against her side. One of the wolves stumbled in the water slowing the pack down, but Natara was already running on empty, and any lead that was gained was surely going to be short lived. Natara was not familiar with this forest, and was quite lost. She raced around the edge of a rocky ridge. Her lungs were on fire and her muscles burned. Still behind the growls and howls followed ever present, ever ready to devour her. But up ahead, light. The path raced down the side of the hill, a rocky ridge wall hemmed her on the left, and a steep fall on the right, but up ahead, the path flattened out through a bare earth crossroads, and beyond, light. Hope filled Natara. There was a chance to beat the inevitable. With fresh life and second wind she increased her pace and began to pull away from the encroaching pack. Her head stretched forward willing her body on. She was close, if she could just make open ground again and regain her stride she could easily out endure the pack. She saw the shadow too late. On the ridge above her the large black wolf that she had first seen with its gleaming yellow eyes silently raced alongside. His dark coat camouflaging him against the gloomy backdrop of the forest. Momentum, ignoring intent, delivered her right into the clearing just as the wolf leapt from the ridge. The largest of the pack his weight was easily a match for the doe’s and his aim was true and practiced. The enormous jaws clamped around her throat, and they slid to a halt in the middle of the crossroads. Natara made some feeble attempts to paw at the wolf but she was already too weak from running, and her windpipe was clamped shut by the wolf. A small trickle of blood pooled around the wolf’s jaws. The rest of the pack had caught up, but all were silent except for the panting for breath. Even the great black wolf quietly waited, it was oddly serene. Images of her family, her father, her mother, her children and grandchildren all flooded through her mind. She had lived a long and full life, and now she was tired. Darkness closed in around her. A final image of Remedy passed through her ebbing mind. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me.” Her eyes dulled and lids drooped as her spirit was finally given up. Provender pulled the plough through another run of the paddock. About half done so far, he should have the rest of this paddock done by lunchtime. Carried over the wind he heard Remedy’s cries. “Remedy?” he cried out, immediately unhitching himself from the plough. Remedy crashed through the undergrowth, sticks and leaves tangled through her mane, and tears matting the fur on her face. Provender raced over to hold her, she was inconsolable, and Natara was not with her. It was soon obvious that she would not be returning. Provender held his daughter tight as she wailed into his chest, hiding his own sorrow for his daughter's sake.