//------------------------------// // 43.3 Playing in the Mist Fields // Story: Prey and a Lamb // by Lambs Prey //------------------------------// Mist hung heavy in air, the silent shapes of dark pines speared the fog, the trees grey, vague and undefined until they were right on top of you. It was very quiet. Water vapour coalesced on pine needles and hung from the ends in tiny droplets. It might've been a breath taking sight, if the droplets hadn't been sickly green in colour. Fallen Leaf said the mist came every morning and night. But he'd also said it had been getting thicker of late. The stag had guided them out from the holt before the sun had risen, the thorn gate pulled free of the arched exit and replaced behind them by Happy. The ISND had only had time for a rushed bite of travel rations, while a bleary Lilly Bloom magicked up water to refill their canteens and four of them struggled into their armour. Once outside the holt's walls, Fallen Leaf, flint spear out, had wordlessly gestured them to follow. --- Now they were back out in the forest, with its presence looming over them at every step. Lilly and Scenic seemed to have finally taken all the warnings seriously, and were appropriately silent and cautious as they brought up the rear of the group. The ground changed as Fallen Leaf began to lead them uphill, even if the trees of the forest remained constant. As they went further, differences in elevation became more common, along with those large boulders poking from the earth. The ISND eyed each one they came across warily, remembering the disguised false-skin from yesterday. Crimson and Gloom were the first line of defence behind Fallen Leaf, and both followed the stag closely. Gloom with his spear held under a wing, and Crimson with his wing blades never more than a flick away from extending. On what was probably a hill but was hard to tell when surrounded by trees, Fallen Leaf called a short halt. "Take five moments travellers. I need to check here first before we travel on." He whispered. Here on the hill's peak, the pine trunks were more thinly spaced, and grey morning sun light finally made its way all the way down to the ground. Prey stood in one of the shadows and stretched. He took this opportunity to re-tighten his backpack's straps, one eye always scanning their surroundings. '-finally. Enough sun to actually shake a stick at-', Scenic thought, seeing the sun patch speckled hill crest, not realising how much the lack of sun light had been bothering him until right then. Fallen Leaf was scenting the air and carefully checking the leaf litter for tracks. Prey checked Crimson. The pegasus was muttering something to Gloom, indicating back the way they'd come. Prey moved closer to hear what they were talking about, and got a very nasty surprise. --- As Prey stepped closer, his point of view naturally shifted, and he saw out through a sudden gap in the trees. They were indeed on a hill, and through this wedge of revealed perspective where a pine had fallen, he could see down onto the tree canopy below. There, at the bottom of the hill, as if perfectly placed just so that Prey would catch sight of it, with the morning mist slowly fading, Prey saw the grove of trees. A grove of trees within a forest of trees. --- Not a hundred yards from the base of the hill, there was a break in the trees, a deep ring of shadow formed in the dark pines. It was like the whole forest had drawn a step back from the grove. As if it didn't dare disturb the thick copse of twisted trees squatting there. It shouldn't have been there, but there it was. Just the sight made Prey's wool crawl and his breath come faster. He knew what that twisted grove was. 'A Wolf Wood.' He thought, stomach curdling. The knot of trees seemed darker, menacing in a way that couldn't ever be put into words. And not a single pine grew amid the tangled grove. Gnarled branches knotted together, like the roots weren't only growing beneath the earth but above it too. Prey recognised rare and exotic trees he'd only ever seen once or twice in the Deeper Green, and which had absolutely no business being here. Meld Wood, Blood Oak, Dalarta Tea, Limericks Verse, just from a glance he knew those, and Snake's remnant stirred at the sight, having recently surfaced once and now back for more. Viciously Prey stamped down and strangled the remnant until it was gone. It would be be back though. Prey would never erase the old voodoo witch forever. Fallen Leaf was looking closely at some scratches in the moss, '--' "Do you know what it is down there you're taking us past?" Fallen Leaf lifted his head to find Prey standing in front of him. The lamb's voice was low and intense as he pointed down the hill through the gap in the trees. "That copse of trees. Why have you brought us anywhere near it?" He demanded. The stag glanced where the lamp was pointing and recognised it, "" "Don't you know what that is?" Prey insisted. "" Fallen leaf inquired, tilting his antlers. Prey could only stare at him, blue eyes searching the stag's face and thoughts. 'He's a deer, how can he not know?' The Resistance deer had known. Prey remembered how they'd fled at the sight, not even pausing to explain why. But the stag in front of him was speaking the truth. He knew there was something bad down there, but he and his holt did not know what. "That's a Wolfing Wood..." Prey said slowly, "Do you know what that is?" "" Fallen Leaf shook his head. "Prey, what's the matter?" Gloom asked. He and Crimson had both come closer, somehow sensing Prey's disquiet. They had their weapons at the ready, "Is there a monster nearby?" "Yes, no. Yes. There, down there," Prey jabbed his hoof repeatedly in the copse's direction; "That there is a Wolf Wood." "Wolfing Wood? Like what you told me about?" Crimson asked, twisting about to look. "Yes, a Wolf Wood, exactly like I told you about. And there's one just down there!" Crimson considered, "I...You did not tell me much last time. About whether a Wolf Wood was really real or not. Is there a monster down there in those trees? I do not believe in ghosts." "What's a Wolf Wood?" Gloom asked, "And how dangerous is it?" "It's an unnatural bunch of trees. You mustn't go near it or the entity inside will come out to hunt you." Gloom blinked, "Entity? What kind of-?" "The kind that kills anyone who goes near it. Seeing how I'm still alive, I don't know, okay?" Prey snapped, "We just mustn't go near it." "" Fallen Leaf asked dubiously, but with a touch of wariness. "What did he say?" Gloom asked, looking to Prey. "He asked if it's an evil spirit. It's not a ghost or something stupid like that. Whatever it is, it's dangerous, even if it's not real." "Ooookay," Gloom said, "So you say it's not a ghost or the like, but it's also not actually real?" "I, maybe, it's not like I've ever seen it." Prey held up his hoof to forestall them all. "And yes I know how dubious that sounds. But trust me when I say we need to stay away from the Wolfing Wood." Prey looked up at Crimson, "We mustn't go there. You remember what I told you, don't you? Tell them, tell them we mustn't go near there." Gloom was starting to become slightly unnerved by the intensity with which Prey was insisting, looking like he was... '-really afraid-', Gloom realised. "You, I mean, of course I remember, but-" "-It's fine Prey, we'll believe you. It's okay." Gloom broke in, waving Prey to calm down. '-he's not making much sense but I promised I'd trust his instincts this time-' "If you say we shouldn't go there, we won't go there. It's not like that was our destination anyway, right?" Gloom asked, looking to Fallen leaf for confirmation. " Ah, forgive me. No, our path does not lead there." "See Prey? It's fine, we're not going to go there and disturb...Disturb whatever a Wolf Wood is." Gloom assured Prey. Prey took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Gloom was right, he shouldn't be overreacting. There Wolf Wood was just over there, yes, but as long as they didn't disturb it, then they'd be fine. They were still in the forest and in plenty of other danger, fixating on one particular danger was foolish. But the thought of the unknown danger the Wolf Wood represented scared Prey nearly as much as did those other terrible, nameless, hungry things from his darkest memories. Nobody really knew Prey, but if they had, that more than anything else should've proved how much the Wolf Wood scared him. Prey let out the breath, mumbling, "Alright, alright. Good. So long as we're clear." Gloom wanted to ask, but knew, '-now is definitely not the time-'. Prey fell back to the rear of their group again as they left, trying to get the old fears out of his head and refocus on their task. His worry and unease lasted all the way to the rocky cliff pool Fallen leaf led them to, where upon the cause for his concern swiftly transitioned onto what they found. --- They had started heading down, only gradually, but the ground was definitely sloping, and with their decent, the mist came back even stronger, and the number of boulders and rocky outcrops increased. Fallen Leaf stopped at the top of a dale, and pointed ahead of of them down into the trees and mist. He spoke in a whisper, "This is the place. The dark presence came from down there. It has returned here, recently. I can feel the foulness in my antlers." "I can't feel anything." Lilly muttered, eyes squinted as she stared ineffectually into the mist. "Well we're all here. What did you want to show us?" Gloom asked, shifting his short spear to his other wing. Fallen Leaf didn't answer for a moment, "We do not know. No one has seen its comings or goings. Yet we can always tell of its passing. Can you not feel it?" He asked. Lilly, Scenic, and Gloom shook their heads. Crimson hesitated, and Prey nodded, "Yes." "Is it the feeling of....watchfulness? I mean, as if something had happened here?" Crimson slowly suggested, looking to Fallen Leaf. The stag dipped his antlers, "It can be, and it can also manifest as something more, or less." '-oh that's very helpful in our quest-', Lilly thought. She actually used that description for their job, a 'quest'. "Luna curse this mist," Gloom said, squinting, "Even if Crimson and I scout above the trees first, we won't be able to tell if it's safe on the ground. The only way is for us to go down there ourselves." Fallen Leaf turned his head, looking mildly confused, "You mean yourselves of course. I am not going down there as I'm sure you realise." "But you are our guide." Gloom protested. "My apologies if I lead you to believe that I would be venturing down there with yourselves. It was not my intent to deceive." Fallen Leaf said, shaking his head. "Coward." Lilly hissed under her breath, but only Prey heard her. Scenic and Crimson both shifted on their hooves, looking to their Sargent for his decision. Prey had no choice but to do the same. Gloom grimaced, but he could hardly force Fallen Leaf to do something the stag was unwilling to do. He briefly considered the possibility that Fallen Leaf meant to abandon them here, but that was ridiculous. Besides, he'd spoken with Prey before they left and confirmed that he could memorise the route they took and lead them back to the holt without Fallen Leaf if necessary. "It's fine," Gloom assured Fallen leaf, even if the Sargent didn't really mean it, "We'll proceed ourselves." '-we've come this far, we can't back out now-' "Forgive me, but are you sure you wish to do this? If you want, I can lead you back to our holt and you may shelter with us until we take our leave on the morrow." Fallen Leaf offered, not able to help glancing down into the dale as he said this. '--' "No thank you, we're sure." Gloom answered. "Very well. If your path is set, I shall wait for you here, travellers." Fallen Leaf bowed and stepping back. The ISND stood at the top of the dale, looking down and listening hard. They heard only silence, and saw nothing but mist and vague tree outlines. "Sir, can you uh, do anything about all the fog with your weather magic?" Scenic asked nervously. '-fog is basically a cloud, right?-' "It's mist, not fog, and no." Gloom shook his head absentmindedly, focused on what lay ahead of them. "There's too much of it, and besides, it's far too thin to do anything with. Nor is this tamed weather." After five minutes of them all straining their senses but getting nothing, Gloom rolled his shoulders and stepped forwards: "If there is anything down there, it's hiding. There's nothing else for it. Come on." "I'm personally hoping it's not here at all sir." Scenic mumbled. The two warriors took point, with Lilly behind them, and Prey and Scenic bringing up the rear. Arguably the best position in their little formation. Tensely, the ISND descended into the dale, feeling the ground harden into stone under their hooves, heads swivelling. Prey stopped, and meaning everyone else froze too. Prey tilted his head, "I hear flowing water." He whispered. They all listened hard, holding their breath. Crimson and then Gloom slowly nodded, signalling, 'We hear it too.' Lilly and Scenic could only shake their heads though, unable to catch the faint sound. Gloom considered for a moment, then signalled forwards. '-we continue on-' There was no cliff, and then five steps later there was a cliff, abruptly looming out of the mist. Not below them, but above them. It rose, a sheer wall, with vaguely pine tree shaped spines at the top. But until they crept closer to both the source of the water and the base of the cliff, it was all the same grey. The air grew heavier, the irregular trickling of water louder. Prey wished this forest had calling birds, then he might've been able to tell something. The shadow of the cliff was cold. The top of the rise behind them where Fallen Leaf waited seemed a long way away. Mist slowly drifted across their path, damp and clinging. The already poor visibility dropped down to less than ten paces. The pine needles under hoof were wet and cold. Prey did not like this. His hoof gripped one of the small knives sheathed under the strap of his pack. Much use a tiny blade would be, but that's not what it was for. The cliff grew taller above them, looking much higher than it really was, the mist skewing perception. Crimson's hoof shot up and his head snapped to the side. He sniffed, scenting the air deeply, and his mental walls coiled in on themselves. Those who had been there couldn't help but remember the cellar trap door. Blood. It was here in the mist with them. '-little rats scrabbling in the dark-' The back of Prey's wool crawled. Gloom and Crimson silently conferred with mere looks alone. Gloom motioned. Crimson hesitated, then shook his head. Gloom motioned again, insisting. This time Crimson nodded. "Be ready." Gloom whispered to them, and then both ponies reared up on their back hooves and began to beat the air with their wings. The sudden flapping of feathers and leathery wings was terrifyingly loud in the silence. Tendrils of mist billowed as the gusts of wind slowly began to blow away the mist in a cone ahead of them, with the the two winged ponies at its point. Everyone instinctively drew together in a circle, facing outwards, braced for a monster to be revealed as the mist receded. Lilly had her horn lit. Prey had drawn the knife and Scenic was trying not to panic. '-where? Where's it gonna' come from? Where?!-' A billow of mist twenty paces ahead lifted away and revealed water. A large flowing pool lay at the bottom of the cliff. Dark silt and wet looking pebbles made up the shore. Thin streams of cold water flowed down the cliff and fed the pool. More roiling mist was briefly driven back as Gloom and Crimson continued to flap, and more was revealed. The pool emptied into a fast stream at the base of the cliff, cutting deep into the ground and creating the beginnings of a shallow ravine. The pools water was cloudy. It gently rippled. But no monster was to be seen. Prey breathed out. A foul scent reached his nose, the scent of rotting meat. He saw a carcasses half submerged in the water, the white of a rib bone in soaked fur. Then a second carcass was revealed, a third, a fourth. Five, six. Lilly gagged and covered her face, eyes watering. Prey didn't, his eyes darted between the animal corpses. Two brindle boars, a grey dire wolf, a young black bear, a snook, and a barbtail. Not people. Just animals. This was what Crimson had scented. Prey's clefthoof grip on his knife slackened slightly, but then quickly retightened when he saw that the dead boar on the shore was fresh. He also saw no scavengers. Why were there no scavengers? Fresh meat always brought out the scavengers. Gloom and Crimson stopped flapping their wings and fell back onto all four hooves. Ever so slowly, tendrils of mist began to flow back over the pool, reclaiming it's territory, but it would take a minute or two, and for now, the scene stayed revealed. Cautiously, with Lilly and Scenic gagging and choking, they approached the water. The two normal ponies could not bring themselves to go closer than ten hooves, and the other three of them stopped at five, well back from the murky waters in case something lunged. "Watch our flanks." Gloom ordered to Scenic and Lilly, since they couldn't bring themselves to approach the dead animals any further. If there was something dangerous hiding in the dale, it was too late for stealth. It now knew they were here. "What killed these sir?" Crimson asked, looking over the carcasses, "And what threw them into the water?" "All except that one. It isn't in the water." Gloom pointed with his spear at the large dead boar on the shore. "And it's fresh." Prey said, eyeing the water beyond the dead body, "No claw or bite marks, but there's blood in the sand." "Remember what the deer said? About this monster not eating its kills?" Gloom murmured. "Killing for pleasure." Crimson said flatly. Prey heard Scenic gulping and telling himself; '-not to be sick, not again-'. Prey sneered. Soft, weak, sheltered ponies. But really Prey was just trying to keep himself distracted from being afraid. This whole scene unnerved him as much as everyone else. "There's no wounds. So how were these killed?" Prey repeated. Not that either Gloom or Crimson could answer him. Crimson had his wing blades out Prey noticed. But he hadn't noticed the moment when the pegasus had unsheathed them. Slowly, keeping the boar's body between him and the water, Prey shuffled closer for a better look. The stink rolled across his face. He'd smelt worse, the cellar for one, but this was still foul. The boar's thick bristles were matted. It looked like it might've been condensed mist, but it was actually sweat. Old lather was still visible under the bristles. The boar had not died quickly or suddenly, but the shore wasn't overly kicked up as if it'd had a chance to fight for its life. Rather, the trough dug behind the boar showed it had dragged itself here over the shore. Towards the water. As if it could somehow escape. Prey looked at the other carcasses in the water. The ripest stench was coming from the oldest looking corpse, the bloated snook. It looked to be about two weeks old, but the submersion in the pool may be affecting his estimate. "This is, was, a watering hole. These beasts came here wanting a drink. Desperately. They weren't killed in the water or thrown in afterwards. They dragged themselves into the pool." With fresh eyes, Gloom and Crimson looked over what Prey was speaking of, seeing what he meant. "How did this monster slay these beasts then? Poison?" Gloom asked. "The term is venom. But in this case..." Prey finally approached far enough around to have a look at the dead boar's head, "Poison might be more accurate actually." Old strings of blood, now nothing more than black tar, leaked from the boar's mouth and nostrils and all down its chin. It's lips were blistered and cracked, and the whole face looked purple. "It looks like it asphyxiated, but whatever kind of poison it was, it drove it almost suicidal with the desire for water first." Prey said, stepping back. "Horrible." Crimson summed up. "But it's not a villager. Thank Luna for that." Gloom said grimly with feeling. "There's no other tracks from whatever did this."Crimson said. He was examining the ground as the mist continued to slowly creep back in. "Who knows how far this boar dragged itself here from where it was attacked." "The ground's too rocky here. No good for tracks." Prey said. "I can feel what the deer were talking about. This feels like...something bad." Gloom narrowed his eyes back the way they'd come. "Was this some sort of dark magic?" Gloom suggested. "I don't know sir. What does dark magic residue feel like?" Crimson responded. "Good point. None of us would know even if it were." Gloom said, his ears flicking towards a new direction every few seconds, never letting his guard down despite carrying out a conversation. As the mist returned, the bad feeling was intensifying. Lilly and Scenic were slowly backing up closer as visibility decreased. "Sir, permission to speak freely sir?" Lilly asked, still staring warily at the trees. "Yes?" "Sir, I don't believe in ghosts sir, but if this were one of those books, this is exactly when the boogey mare would jump out and grab one of us." '-thanks for that-', Scenic thought next to her, swallowing drily. He fumbled for his canteen and took a quick drink. He wiped his mouth and shakily spoke; "Well... I don't think this is a good place to refill our water bottles, hey?" No one even attempted a smile in response. At Lilly's words, they'd all turned to look back up the dale to where Fallen Leaf said he would be waiting. Nothing could be seen except the white grey of the mist, but all their eyes were drawn there. Scenic was just slowest on the uptake. "Move." Gloom ordered, not panicked, not yet. "Back up to Fallen Leaf. We'll all wait up there for the mist to lift. Then, we search for tracks. Diamond formation. Prey in the middle. Follow my lead." --- Fallen Leaf was gone. Gloom rotated on the spot, casting about in the mist as they all faced outwards, but spotted nothing. "Fallen Leaf. Sound out if you can hear us." Gloom hissed as loudly as he dared. The unmoving trees mocked them with silence, tendrils of mist hanging all about them. Prey was cursing up a foul storm in Zebrican in his head, ears straining. The silence rang. 'See? This is what happens when you split up.' They hadn't descended into the dale for more than five minutes. Fallen Leaf hadn't had any plans to abandon them, Prey would have known if he did. So whatever had made the stag vanish was not by his own volition. Was he already dead? "This is the right spot. It's got to be sir. It's the only hill." Crimson insisted, pointing at where they stood as his wings bristled. "Sir, what should we do?" Scenic gulped. The heavy feeling of being watched was growing heavier. '-is it only in my head?-' Gloom made a snap decision. "Clear the mist." He ordered, not waiting for Crimson before rearing up and beginning to beat the air with his own wings. Crimson and Gloom flapped, hard, trying to clear the mist as fast as they could. Like a grey tide, the mist flowed backwards, but just like the tide, it would return. Gloom and Crimson rotated, damp pine needles being kicked up as they cleared a circle about them. Trees, bushes, and shadows came back into focus. But no hide nor hair of Fallen Leaf was revealed. Prey dared to drop his gaze from the trees to swiftly scan the ground. Instinctively, he searched for the dark splatters of blood he knew so well, even as he told himself that was stupid. Crimson would have scented any blood if there was any. 'Which means Fallen Leaf either ran or was taken without a trace. Like the villagers.' Prey saw that Lilly had her teeth gritted and eyes narrowed, tiny blue sparks jumping about the end of her horn. For the first time in his life, Prey was glad there was a unicorn standing beside him. Gloom and Crimson's flapping efforts came to an end as the mist refused to retreat any further, and they dropped back onto their hooves. "Fallen Leaf!" Gloom hissed again, making Prey cringe. Making noise would only draw attention, no, they were far past that stage. Anything in the trees already knew they were here. Prey knew that, just as he knew the others would never abandon Fallen Leaf to his fate no matter how sensible it was. "We have to find him." Gloom ordered. Prey ground his teeth, why couldn't he have been wrong just this once? "Quick, before the mist flows back. Look for tracks, clues, anything." "Sir, I know a flare spell sir. I could fire it up, maybe he'd see it and come to us for safety-" "It'll do no good Lilly. Fallen Leaf either was forced to leave or was attacked. And in all this mist he wouldn't see it... But do it anyway." Gloom ordered, eyes glued to the ground. "Here." Crimson was pointing at the ground, "He went this way." They all hurried over and saw a scuff in the pine needles, and there, another one further on, as if someone moving in haste had kicked them up. "Sir, should I still send up a flare sir?" Lilly hesitated. '-this isn't how it's supposed to go in stories-' "No, belay that order. We're going after him." Gloom rasped. "Wait," Prey hurriedly interjected, "What's this here?" Gloom and Crimson's wing muscles bunched as they strained against the delay, but they knew they had to stop and listen lest they risk all their lives. "What? Quickly Prey, quick." Prey pointed at a small dark mark that was off to the side of the of Fallen Leaf's track. It'd almost been missed. A little pock hole, like the end of a branch or walking stick had been stabbed into the leaf litter. Prey pointed to the other side of Fallen Leaf's trail. The stags flight was heading off perpendicular to the dale, heading in the same direction Prey had seen the ravine running. There, in the dirt, was another of the little spike holes. And then another. And another and another. Running unevenly along each side of Fallen Leaf's trail and disappearing into the mist. Prey knew of no beast or monster with a tread like that, not even the giant spiders. He judged the distance between the strange foot prints on either side of Fallen Leaf's trail and got an idea size of whatever it was leg span. It was not small. "Uh, sir? There's also..." Scenic was pointing further off to the side. In the dirt and pine needles, running around thorn bushes and heading after the stag's trail, were many more little holes. They all went in one direction, heading off into the shadows to cut Fallen Leaf off. "What are these?" Prey heard Lilly mumble. "Doesn't matter. We've got to get to him before this monster pack." Gloom ordered, and broke into a run, their path clear for all to see. '-I will not be too late again!-' For a moment Prey could scarcely believe that this was their plan, again. But then, this wasn't a plan. It wasn't anything. It was just a desperate attempt to try and save Fallen Leaf by throwing themselves into danger. 'Wait!' Prey wanted to shout, 'This is a bad idea!' But Crimson was running after Gloom, Scenic and Lilly kicking up their hooves to follow. He was going to be left behind. Again. Prey didn't know which was more dangerous, following the trail or remaining here. He didn't have time to think or evaluate. 'Zoma'Grika.' He raced after Crimson. Hooves pounded over pine needles, biting deep into the decomposing layers. The trail turned sharply around a tree and made for the stream, the ravine the water had cut through the forest appearing suddenly. Mist rushed past all around. Now they were running along side the deepening ravine, Prey struggling to keep up, backpack bouncing wildly on his back. Prey kept up, just. The others couldn't gallop full speed in the forest, but Prey could, dogging and weaving around obstacles with his smaller size. Prey saw how the ravine was narrow enough to leap across as they ran along side it. And then it wasn't, suddenly yawning wide as whatever stone the old stream had eroded through transitioned to something softer. The splash of water on sharp rocks below changed into an echo, reaching Prey's ears over his racing heart. Fallen tree trunks lay jammed across the divide, halfway down the deep 'V'. Prey could feel his breath already starting to come shorter, Lilly sounded like she was panting. The backpack which he'd purposefully packed so light was growing heavier. Low hanging branches grabbed at them, trying to stop them, little twig fingers clutching. At their head, Gloom abruptly skidded to a stop, wings half opening to halt himself. Prey splayed his hooves and dug in his heels, leaving four furrows in the pine needle floor. "Sir, what-?" Scenic gasped unnecessarily. Prey saw what. The trail of spike holes split up and veered away from the ravine, fanning out into the forest in a dozen different directions. Gloom stared, '-did they catch Fallen Leaf? No, but then why do they split up?-' "Which way sir?" Crimson asked, looking for orders. "Quick, look for Fallen's tracks. Find which trail is the right one." Gloom rasped, his tone more hoarse than ever. Contrary to his order, Gloom did not join in as they began casting about the forest floor, the mist and trees dampening all noise, including any possible calls for help. Trying to catch his breath, Prey saw that Gloom had his own eyes squeezed tight shut. '-which is the right path? C'mon, work, work! For once just work when you're supposed to you damned flank-' "Sir I smell-" Crimson cut himself off and just pointed, "That way." "Luna blast it." Gloom hissed, levelling his spear in the direction Crimson had indicated, "There's a fight coming." Was all he said in warning before charging off again. Blood. Prey knew that must be what Crimson had smelt. 'So is it already too late to save Fallen Leaf?' They raced to climb the hill, but Prey's mind was going even faster, thinking ahead. The villagers had been taken, not killed. If this monster was the same one as had gotten the villagers, then there was a chance the stag was alive. 'Or is this a trap?' Before he could shout out his warning, Prey heard noise ahead over the pounding of his heart. Commotion, strange creaking, gurgling. Gloom and Crimson heard it too, and with a snap Crimson's wing blades locked into place. They broke through the mist as the ground levelled out and came upon the scene. Prey's mind captured it all in a heartbeat. Prey saw the stag they'd been chasing, desperately ducking into shadows and around trees. He slashed with his antlers and tried to ward the lurching shapes in the mist back. He was being surrounded. His flint spear was lodged ineffectually in one of the gurgling monsters as it thrashed out of the mist. Whatever they were, they weren't flesh and blood. Upright, wicker casket like bodies rode on mismatched numbers of bulky root like legs which stabbed into the ground and scrabbled for purchase. The things bulbous upper bodies swayed about wildly as thorny arms lashed and flailed at Fallen Leaf. Creaking, rustling, strange gargled noises, spikes and thorns. The monsters looked like particularly vicious briar patches come life. Prey's mind counted their enemies and arrived at a total before he was even aware, 'Nine.' Scenic let out a high pitched whinny. Gloom and Crimson didn't waste their breath. Countless hours of clan training kicked in as they immediately began prioritising. They'd come upon the enemies rear, and one of their own was in danger. Their course of action was clear. Prey knew they were about to charge in to break the encirclement and rescue Fallen Leaf with the element of surprise. Prey wanted to turn tail and run, but Gloom had already committed all of them. He knew what he had to do next: Prepare for after Crimson and Gloom broke through the encirclement, and then tried to break back out. Prey spun, still running, hooves nearly slipping, and almost getting run over by Lilly Bloom as she charged fearlessly after Gloom. He only half saw Gloom and Crimson's charge strike the closest wooden monsters. Gloom's short spear impaled one of the things from behind, and for the briefest of seconds Prey's mind skittered to pointlessly wondering how the creatures hadn't sensed them coming since it didn't seem to rely on any visible eyes but some other method of detection. Didn't matter. Gloom used the momentum of his charge to swing the monster off its root like legs and half tossed, half tipped it into another monster as he wrenched his spear free. He spun low, lashing out with the spear haft, and knocked the legs out from three more of the top heavy creatures. He wasn't going to try to figure out how you were supposed to kill these things, just wanting to disable them long enough to rescue Fallen Leaf. At the same moment, Crimson's wing blades blurred and sliced through the whipping bramble arms, which in turn phased the creatures not at all. Crimson took one precise step sideways, so quickly he seemed to skate across the pines needles, avoiding one of the lurching creatures and getting into range to strike out against another. Slash-slash-slash. Chips flew off from wicker body and deep gouges appeared. The thing didn't care and just tried to grasp the pegasus and drag him close. "Fallen Leaf! Out, this way, while the path is clear!" Gloom shouted. Fallen Leaf saw his chance and took it, one of the wooden monsters narrowly missing grasping his fluffy tail as he dashed between Gloom and Crimson. The stag shouted something at them, but if it was Equestrian or Fourlon, he wasn't clear enough to understand. More garbled groaning and creaking filled the air as the wicker creatures finally all succeeded in turning themselves about to face the two new threats. Now it was Gloom and Crimson who were in danger of being trapped, and in a few seconds, they would be just that as the monsters lurched in. The trees prevented taking flight, but if they could just get a second, they could still break free. The monsters Gloom had knocked over were still on the ground, but their lashing arms reached out to grab at the two winged ponies from where they lay, penning the two in. Gloom however had seen their weakness. "Knock them down, go for the legs!" He needn't have bothered shouting it, Crimson had already figured it out a second before his Sargent did. Prey meanwhile fumbled at the small cloth bag tied to his backpack, hearing the sound of branches and twigs striking against armour as Gloom and Crimson forwent defence and just struck, slashed, bucked, kicked, and knocked the things over. Scenic ran forwards, although what he thought he could do to help was anyone's guess. Act as an alternate target maybe? Fallen Leaf wheeled as he skidded to a stop by Prey, and shouted again in panic. It was in Fourlon, and this time Prey caught enough of it to understand. Prey heard him, and head snapped up, blue eyes wide, "Watch out!" Gloom and Crimson knocked another two of the creatures over and took the moments breathing room to do the smart thing and run clear, the gargling sounding horribly like people drowning. "Watch out!" Prey shouted again, voice going high pitched. Mercy, providence, or luck. Either way, this time Gloom and Crimson finally heard him. They looked back at the over tipped monsters, but that's not what Prey was squeaking about. Fallen Leaf hadn't been running away from these wicker things. They weren't nearly fast enough to outrun the stag, and were so overly clumsy too. So how had they managed to corner the deer? They hadn't. Fallen Leaf had not been running away from them. He'd been running away from something else which had driven him into these wicker monstrosities. The monster rose out of the mist. Tall, like a giant spider. Rigid, spindly legs ending in spikes carried it out from between the trees. The four long legs attached to a vaguely equine body, suspended above. Some kind of tattered grey cloth covered this body, swishing and flapping as it scuttled horribly towards them. It had no head. It wasn't alive. Prey stared. It hadn't got a head! Just carved pumpkin spilling sickly orange illumination from inside. Its gait was horrible and juddering. Had someone built a scarecrow? Was that what he was looking at? Was he not actually seeing a terrifying wicker monster bound with wires rushing towards him, but some farmer's escaped bird deterrent? "A...scarecrow?" Lilly Bloom mumbled blankly, standing there slack jawed. She wasn't the only one who was staring. Even Gloom and Crimson stopped for half a second at what they saw. The terrible scarecrow thing was at least twice even Fallen Leaf's height. It didn't slow as it came on, instead speeding up. It bunched closer to the ground, and Prey saw the wicker and metal wrapped around the top half of its spidery legs coil tighter as it picked up speed. Scenic and Lilly were frozen, unable to believe what was bearing down on them, the other lesser wicker monster all but forgotten. "Back into the forest. Fallen Leaf, lead us out of here!" Gloom yelled. "It's a golem of some kind-", Prey tried to shout. There was a shrieking rattling sound, like a piece of metal wound too tight, and the scarecrow thing's legs somehow hurled its body forwards in a pounce. The breath caught in Prey's throat, and he heard Lilly or possibly Scenic give a high pitched scream. It's target was Gloom and Crimson. Instinct made them both launch backwards with a flap of their wings for extra distance, and the scarecrow landed short, sharp legs scuttling and stabbing the earth for balance. Crimson lunged forwards and attempted to sever the monster's leg while it was off balance. Prey heard the sound of metal striking metal and Crimson's wing blades rebounded. "It's not alive!" Prey yelled, already backing up into the forest, "You can't kill it!" " Run! Follow me." Fallen Leaf cantered wildly in place, obviously desperate to flee but unwilling to leave Prey and the others behind. The scarecrow lashed out with unreal speed and Lilly shrieked, finally coming unfrozen and levelling her horn at the monster. The scarecrow missed Gloom by inches, or perhaps the thestral dodged, "What are you waiting for? Run!" Lilly Bloom's crackling stunning spell struck the scarecrow in its pumpkin head, and did absolutely nothing as the electricity crackled and vanished. "It's not alive! It's not alive! What about that don't you get?" Prey yelled ineffectually at her, not even caring he was yelling at a unicorn. "Back, run!" Gloom shouted again, uselessly jabbing at the scarecrow with his short spear. The only thing apparently stopping the scarecrow from simply trampling either Gloom or Crimson was that there were two targets splitting its attention. Prey was completely ready to follow Gloom's most sensible and necessary order to date and run. He was continuously backing away even as the scarecrow and the smaller wicker monsters advanced. He clutched his small knife, eyes darting about trying to find something to give them an edge, but there was only one way out of this that he could see. To run. Fallen Leaf thought the same. With a sound of frustration mixed with fear, the stag dashed back to Scenic and tried to push the faltering Earth pony after Prey and down the hill. "Run traveller, run!" Whether it was Fallen Leaf or Gloom's shouted order, Scenic finally did as instructed and turned and ran. Prey heard the white noise of panic in the stallion's thoughts as Scenic dashed past. Fallen Leaf next ran to Lilly next, but she shook him off. "No, I need to fight!" Over with the scarecrow, Crimson ducked left, and the scythe like swing whipped past in a blur, tearing a hoof deep trench in the dirt without slowing. Gloom dashed in, impaled the scarecrow's pumpkin head and twisted away before a return strike could land. His spear punctured straight through the slightly rotten pumpkin flesh, but nothing happened. The scarecrow wasn't hurt, it skittered forwards unslowed. The only effect was an extra hole for the sickly orange light to now leak from. Behind the attacking scarecrow, the rest of the wicker plant monsters had almost caught up, having righted themselves. In a few moments, they would reach the fight between the two ponies and the scarecrow, and then their numbers would overwhelm Gloom and Crimson. "Sir-!" "I know. Fall back!" Gloom and Crimson both did just that, leaping backwards with a flap of their wings, turning around mid air, and landing in a run. The trees restricted them too much to take to the sky as they ran towards Prey. Behind them, trashing through the mist, the hoard of gurgling, slavering monsters chased. Lilly fired another off stunning spell which did worse than nothing, before she finally realised the monsters were racing towards her. "Ponyfeathers!" Finally getting the message, she too turned and ran. Prey had only waited long enough to see that Crimson was fleeing, and then he began running down the hill after Scenic Paint and Fallen Leaf, dodging tree roots that tried to grasp and twist his hoof. Prey wove in between trees, the decent adding speed to his flight. A straining Gloom and Crimson were catching up, and behind them Prey heard the monsters coming, but they were gaining distance. They could outpace the wicker monsters, but they weren't the problem, that scarecrow thing was. They couldn't just keep running blindly ahead like this, they needed to cut left. "Cut left!" Prey yelled between breaths. "What?" "Cut left. The ravine, it's dead ahead." Prey shouted back. "No keep going! It's our only chance to fight this thing." "What?!" Prey yelped. But they'd already reached the bottom of the hill, and a moment later the shapes of the trees in the mist disappeared and the ravine yawned open. Prey skidded frantically to a halt. At this place, the ravine was at least six yards across at its narrowest point, a distance of over twenty hooves. Gloom and Crimson could fly across, no problem, but what about the rest of them? There was no way he could jump that, however there were many fallen tree trunks stuck in the ravine, wedged at various heights and angles as the ravine narrowed. He'd have to risk trying to climb across one of the moss slick trunks. Maybe he could make it, maybe he couldn't. Prey's sharp ears picked up the sounds of the following wicker monsters halfway down the hill already, and the scarecrow was faster than them so it must be very close. Prey looked to the left. The land ran away into the mist beside the ravine. Perhaps he could still make it out before the scarecrow arrived? Slip away and leave Scenic, Lilly, and Fallen Leaf who were stuck here on this side. They'd be better able to defend themselves than him, a runt. For a split second, Prey felt the weight of his pack on his back with everything he needed to survive inside and knew he could run for it. He could do it and survive alone. "Across the gap!" Gloom ordered. "Yes, across the ravine!" Fallen Leaf shouted in agreement, and sprang off the edge. For a second it looked like the deer was committing suicide, but then he landed lightly on one of the fallen pine trunks bridging the ravine halfway down. For another second it looked like he would slip, or the old trunk would break with rot, but both held. Fallen Leaf's hooves found hoof holds where there were none and he began all but skipping across, moving as if he were on solid ground and not crossing an old rotting tree trunk above a deadly drop to shadowy water and sharp rocks. Gloom stared, then snapped back to the present. "Across! We'll fly you. Take Prey first." He ordered Crimson. Prey leapt back, "No! Take Scenic first, he's heavier." He protested. They didn't have time to argue and Gloom saw what Prey meant. It would take both him and Crimson to fly the heavier, armoured Earth pony across, and they had time for perhaps one uninterrupted trip together before the scarecrow arrived. "Get Scenic across. Here, help me." Gloom ordered, but Crimson hadn't needed any encouraging, already moving around to Scenic's side. "Hang on, I'm not-" Scenic began to protest. Gloom and Crimson each picked the stallion up from under his forelegs and lifted up, wings beating up a storm in strain. Scenic was lifted bodily into the air, armour, pack, and all. "Whoah!" He cried out as he was carried across, and made the mistake of looking down. "Stop struggling." Crimson grunted. Prey's head whipped round as he heard the thrashing of low hanging branches being shoved aside and the scarecrow burst out of the mist, tattered coverings flapping and spike legs digging in as it came straight at them. It was just Prey and Lilly Bloom left, Fallen Leaf was already scrambling up the rocky ravine wall on the other side to safety. "Burn it, use fire magic!" Prey shouted at Lilly. "I don't know any!" Lilly's wide eyes were locked onto her approaching death. Her horn was aglow with magic but nothing was happening. Useless. She was useless. Prey turned to jump onto one of the fallen pine trees and take his chances, when Lilly Bloom finally got her act together and realised that unless she did something, she was going to die. Lilly's horn lit up even brighter, and a blast of magic shot at the scarecrow. It wasn't pure magical energy, it was actually a shaped spell, the same kinetic blast one she'd used on the disguised Mama'do. Except bigger. There was a loud *crash-Bang* and the scarecrow stumbled, momentarily slowed. But Lilly Bloom wasn't done. *crash-Bang* *crash-Bang* *crash-Bang* Lilly kept blasting the scarecrow, the force of the impacts rocking it briefly back with each strike. It was working... at delaying the monster. But that was all it was doing. The scarecrow was tough, it wasn't taking any damage, all Lilly's spells were doing was delaying it. Neither could she move while casting, all of her attention was needed just to keep shooting, she wasn't skilled enough to cast on the move. And while she might have them in a deadlock, the rest of the wicker monsters would soon be here, the gurgling approaching through the trees was getting louder by the second. Crimson swooped in from the scarecrows blind spot, appearing from nowhere and bringing a wing blade down on the scarecrow's back, hard. From his angle on the ground Prey couldn't see what damage the strike did, but it finally got a reaction from the construct. The scarecrow jerked, bowing in the middle, and then whipped around, striking with a metal leg blur. Crimson was already gone, and Gloom came darting in as the scarecrow turned, stabbing its main body three times in quick succession before dropping to the ground as he lost momentum, running back and leaping off the ravine and back into the air as the scarecrow thrashed, turning the air around it into a deadly windmill around it. However it made not a sound aside from the twanging of metal and wood. There was no roar or screech. Lilly was still blasting away, but despite all this and Gloom and Crimson's attacks, they were doing nothing more than delaying the inevitable. "Leave!" Gloom shouted at Lilly as he circled, "Get across the ravine while we keep it distracted." "Sir, I can fight this-" "No! That's an order!" And that was when the trashing bramble tendrils of the other nine wicker monsters spilled out of the mist and onto the scene, along with the overbalanced bodies those tendrils were attached to. Prey saw Lilly Bloom hesitate, perhaps a second too long as the wicker things rushed forwards. He himself was standing on the ravine edge, with the sturdiest looking tree trunk immediately available directly below him, ready to jump and trying not to think about if he missed. Scenic and Fallen Leaf's shouts bounced across the ravine; "Lilly run! This way." "Flee traveller Lilly, flee!" Lilly turned tail and ran towards where Prey was getting ready to jump, the whites of her eyes shockingly wide as she raced towards Prey. '-he must've found the best place to jump from, so I'll follow his jump!-' Prey hated Lilly with a hatred that was as pure as it was black in that moment, as all the wicker monsters charged after her and came towards him. There wouldn't be enough time for them both to get down onto the log. If he jumped first, Lilly would jump next and knock him off before he could get his balance and climb up. And if he waited to jump second, the monsters would get to him first. He couldn't jump, not until he'd delayed the monster hoard. Gloom and Crimson were stalling the scarecrow. They were too busy to come help. Prey yanked the small cloth bag from the strap on his pack. For a moment, Prey thought about throwing it at Lilly instead, and letting her body delay the monsters. But the others would see. Prey shifted his aim, turning his body sideways, the drawstrings in his mouth as lined up his throw. "Go already!" Lilly yelled, almost on top of him. Prey tasted the stink of rotting mould, mixing with the sharp bite of acid rising up the back of his throat. 'Not yet, not yet.' "Go!" 'Now.' Prey whipped his head up and tossed the bag. As it arched over Lilly's head, a wave of dark orange powder spilled out across the lead wicker monsters. Lilly reached him and barely slowed as she took the jump, legs swinging wildly as she let out a defiant shout, or it might've just been terror. Prey didn't look to see if she managed to land and latch ahold. Either she'd make it or she wouldn't, and he didn't care if it was the latter. He was staring at the wicker monsters, legs shaking, stomach in his throat. For a second Prey feared the powder had done nothing and he despaired. The monsters had no eyes or mouths, what use would the blinding dust be against such beasts made of thorns and branches? But then the veil of drifting orange powder seemed to slip between the dark cracks in the chaotically woven wicker. The gurgling sounds caught, and for a breath the monsters paused. Then their tendrils kicked up into a frenzy, the sounds they made changing in pitch to something horrible. The leading wicker monsters blundered in all directions, lashing the ground, each other, everything in reach. It had worked! The did possess eyes and lungs. However one of the monsters still came on. It was blind, so it was nothing but sheer bad luck on Prey's part that it lurched straight for him, making a wild, high pitched gurgle. There was no way to retreat further, the ravine edge was already scraping Prey's rear hooves. He glanced frantically behind him. Lilly Bloom had managed to land on the log, but she had not yet climbed far enough along to make room for Prey's own jump. '-_ hrk_ _ iiae_ grah- _agh-' Prey flinched and looked back. An arm of thorn and branches missed his muzzle by inches as it blindly whipped past. Prey shrank back as the wicker thing bore down on him, it was going to run both of them off the cliff in its frenzied state. Prey dived, aiming to roll between the things stabbing root legs. He was small and quick, and the wicker monster was blind and clumsy. He should've been able to make it. Prey did. His backpack didn't. Prey was yanked up short, the straps digging painfully into his shoulders, and a scream was dragged from his throat. The underside of the wicker monster swayed above him and its root feet stabbed down all around him as it tottered on the edge. A horrible smell of rot and mould made him gag. Prey reached up as he was dragged backwards and whipped out a small knife. Invisible runes flared to life and the blade severed the tough backpack's straps like wet paper. Prey dropped to the dirt and rolled free of the tangle. The wicker monster, freed from the only drag holding it back, went over the ravine edge, tendrils still madly trashing, and gurgling. Prey took a moment to breathe, staring up at the mist, cold, rock hard earth pressing into his back. Someone was shouting at him. Prey ignored whoever they were and got to his hooves. He looked over the edge to see if Lilly had finally moved and if he could jump. He blinked. A few inches from the top of the ravine, the wicker monster clung to the wall. Its stubby root feet had somehow wormed their way into a crevice in the rock, suspending its dangling upper body. Somehow, some instinct in the thing was still functioning enough to make it desperately cling on. Prey stared at it, stared at the knife in his hoof, and thought about what he'd heard in his head a few moments ago. Prey knelt, and slashed down on the gnarled root legs desperately gripping the stone. The angle was bad, and Prey didn't have the strength to cut through a branch two inch think with a slash like that, let alone hard wood like this. But the runes on the small knifes edge burned themselves up and cleanly sliced through the monsters legs in one go. It fell, still gurgling, tumbling end over end. Without pausing to check who or what might be coming up behind him or if the monster had survived the fall, Prey shoved the knife handle into his mouth and lined himself up for the log. The fallen tree impacted his chest, and Prey wrapped all four hooves around the trunk as his teeth clenched on the knife handle. The damp moss padding the log had helped, but it still felt like getting bucked in the chest. Prey breathed shallowly, and began crawling up the log. He craned his head up and saw the far ravine wall and safety ahead of him. The far end of the pine tree was the end with the splayed root structure, and it was only wedged about three hooves down from the ravine's lip. He could climb that, easily. All he had to do was get to the other end. Fallen Leaf and Scenic were standing there at the top, shouting encouragement to Prey. "Come on, you can do it Prey!" "You must hurry." He saw Lilly already up there and shooting spells back across the ravine. 'Finally doing something useful.' Prey didn't look back at the fight he could hear happening behind him. He heard gurgling, the whistle of the scarecrows legs slashing through the air, and the *crash-Bang* of Lilly's spells. Prey reached the end of the pine trunk, moss and rotten bark staining his chest's wool from pulling himself along the log, and began climbing up the makeshift ladder of roots. "Here, grab ahold of us." Scenic called as he and Fallen Leaf stretched down, their legs extended. Prey ignored them and scrambled up the rocky bank by himself. Scenic tried to help him anyway, but Prey jerked back. He spat out the knife, "Don't touch me." He hissed, scrambling over the edge. His backpack was gone, but he'd made it! Prey finally turned back to see what was happening back with Gloom and Crimson. The scarecrow was still slashing its spindly legs as it twisted about, trying to swat the two pesky flyers out of the air as they dived in to harry it again and again. The strikes came perilously close, and each time Gloom or Crimson circled around and dived to land a strike they risked death. Lilly was still blasting away at the scarecrow every time she managed to recharge the spell and get a clear shot, but she was sweating and panting with the effort of casting the constant barrage of magic. All of their strikes, Gloom's, Lilly's, Crimson's, it didn't matter which, all were doing next to nothing. A beast like a hydra or a chimera would've either become enraged by this point, or given up and gone looking for an easier meal. But this scarecrow thing wasn't hunting for food. It wasn't alive. It did not roar or rage. It kept swinging and striking at Gloom and Crimson with exactly the same jerky speed and power it had from the very start. The scarecrow couldn't make mistakes, it wasn't alive to either make or to learn from them. However Gloom and Crimson could, and the longer they tried to delay the scarecrow, the more likely it became they would slip up. Prey's stomach lurched as he saw a blow that looked like it was going to skewer Crimson only just miss by what must've been a whisker as the pegasus jackknifed. Now that Prey was out of danger, his concern and need for Crimson to survive came back. He owed Crimson. He wasn't allowed to die, damn it! "Fly away, we're safe. Fly, fly!" Prey squeaked, joining in on adding his voice to the others as they shouted across the ravine telling Gloom and Crimson to run. Prey looked around, then reared back and threw the knife. Equines were not made for throwing things. The knife went high in a slow arc, but then instead of bouncing off or missing completely, the knife almost changed course. It was a split second, and in the adrenaline and fear fuelling everyone nobody noticed, but the knife somehow hit the scarecrow right in its pumpkin head and sunk straight through. Gloom and Crimson had stabbed and slashed the rotting orange head before to no effect, but something different happened this time. The scarecrow jerked, and the orange light leaking from the pumpkin flickered, and didn't stop flickering. However neither did the scarecrow stop, still swinging and flailing its deadly limbs about at the two flying Night Guards. "Fly away! Now, take the chance!" Finally the message seemed to get through, and Gloom and Crimson moved to disengage. If they'd been ground based fighters, it would've been dangerous and probably fatal to turn tail on such a thing like this scarecrow monster. But with wings, it was an entirely different battlefield. With a flick of their wings they rose up and away from the scarecrow, and just like that, they were clear. They floated away, disengaging. Both circled above the scarecrow, effectively out of range. The scarecrow lowered its limbs. It turned its body to track Gloom and Crimson as they drifted across and safely touched down. It stood there, they on this side, and it on the other, the ravine dividing them. Flickering orange light still blinked on and off, and its tattered clothes hung like a shroud from its body. The thing wasn't alive, but if it had been, it would've been glaring at them. Somehow, that wouldn't have been half so bad as the unliving construct of metal and instinct regarding them across the gap. Eight yards across. It wasn't much, but it was enough to be safe. There'd been a moment of fear where Prey had wondered if the scarecrow would be able to leap across, but no, if the golem were capable, it would've done so already. That was obviously beyond its capabilities. The ISND all stared back at it. Around the scarecrows legs, its smaller wicker minions continued to gurgle and thrash about in blind agony. "Sir...What was that?" Crimson asked, breathing hard. He and Gloom had been performing their aerial maneuvers while still weighed down by their saddles bags. "I...have no idea. Black magic, it must be." Gloom panted. "That is the evil, that is the cause of the forests sickness. " Fallen Leaf said, voice numb. They all stared for another long minute, ears back. The scarecrow didn't move, just sat there, terrible and waiting. "It's not going to move as long as its targets are still in sight. Us, I mean." Prey spoke up, rubbing at his shoulder where the backpack's strap had dug in. "What? How can you know that?" Gloom asked, still panting. "It's not alive. Or were you too busy to notice all your attacks doing nothing?" Prey jabbed his hoof across the ravine at the scarecrow, "It's a construct, a golem. Someone built it. It only does what it's been instructed to do and nothing more." "A golem?" Scenic asked shakily, swallowing loudly every few seconds. "You mean somepony built that on purpose?" Gloom asked, aghast. "Does that thing look in any way natural or alive to you?" Prey responded. "But it can't be a golem." Lilly exclaimed. The unicorn mare had mostly recovered her breath, but the fight or flight jitters were still bouncing all over her frame. "Then what would you call it?" "It can't be a golem," Lilly insisted, sounding panicked, "I learnt about golems in school. That scarecrow monster is way too advanced! It would take a master enchanter or magi to make the spell matrixs for a golem like that." Prey's knowledge on golems was sorely lacking, so Lilly Bloom was probably right in her assessment, and more than that, Prey felt she was right. Her logic made sense. Free form magic, to animate something and give it independence to the degree that scarecrow had displayed, (however rustic), was a monumental undertaking. But the scarecrow was a golem, just a darker kind to what Lilly thought possible. And that was something Prey did have more knowledge on. Evil shamanic voodoo, witchery, black magic, and dark rituals. Enough for him to guess what the scarecrow was. A golem lacked a soul. That was why it could only think or act in situations that had been covered by the spell matrix. Building a spell and including every single little circumstance your golem might run into was basically impossible. That was why golems were only used for repetitive actions. For example, mopping the floor in a mage tower, all day every day. But what if you had a ready built base of experience and actions to animate the scarecrow and act as a foundation? And what if it wasn't a spell matrix you used? What if it was, say, a living body? A soul, a brain, a person. Prey stared unblinking at the scarecrow. It was terrifying, and it had been purposefully built by someone, but built from what? Prey thought he knew. What he was looking at was the horribly ingenious idea of a twisted mind. And the wicker thorn monsters. Prey recalled a children's tale Gossamer had heard as a lamb. 'Kindersnatch.' Prey blinked and looked up. Gloom had been talking to him, asking him something. "What?" "Are you alright?" Gloom repeated worriedly, eyes scanning Prey for injuries, "What happened to your pack?" "Oh, that. I lost it." Prey looked himself over. Aside from the dirt, the only thing he had left on him was his ribbon, still securely fastened behind his ear. And the two golden bands on his forelegs. His pack, the three runed knifes he'd prepared earlier, the rations, the map, blanket, mushrooms and medical supplies, all of it was gone. It wasn't important though. He was still alive. "Where did it go?" "With one of the kindersnatchs, I got tangled with its legs when I tried to jump across. I cut it off." Prey explained disinterestedly. The monsters just across the ravine were a little more attention grabbing that what'd happened to his backpack. As long as he was still alive, he could make do without. "Kindersnatch?" Gloom repeated. "Those wicker monsters." Prey pointed. Gloom stared at him, "You've met these things before?" "What? No, I didn't think they were real. They're just from a story, called kindersnatches." Prey hesitated, "About them, I think you should know..." "Not now. We'll speak later." Gloom said, "We can't stay here. Fallen Leaf, lead us somewhere safe where we can recover." Fallen Leaf didn't seem to be listening, he was still mumbling a prayer to the All Mother. "Fallen Leaf." Gloom barked, and the stag looked up. "You're our guide here, and we need your help right now. Can you get us to somewhere safe?" Gloom asked. "Safe?" Fallen Leaf stared at the scarecrow, "I fear there may no longer be anywhere safe within the forest." "Do your best. We're counting on you." Gloom encouraged him. "I, I will do my best, traveller Gloom." Fallen Leaf said, however he didn't look too sure in himself about the achieveability of what Gloom was asking. "That's all you can do." Gloom said, already turning away to Crimson, "Crimson, I need you to-" "Sir, you can't be serious sir." Lilly protested out of the blue, interrupting Gloom. Prey stared at her, along with everyone else. What was she talking about now? And then Prey heard her thoughts, and could scarcely believe the mare. 'Is she for real?' "Ha?" Gloom asked, looking in all directions, spear at the ready, "What do you mean? Is something-" "Sir, can't you see that thing right there sir?" Lilly exclaimed, "That thing's evil. And all those messed up thorn minions things too. We're the Guard, it's our duty to destroy that monstrosity. We fight evil. It's what heroes do." Prey saw Scenic Paint openly gaping at Lilly. He didn't blame the stallion. Lily Blossom had just announced to them all that she was crazy. Gloom himself was stunned for a full five seconds before he could reply; "There is no way we're going to fight that. We barely escaped from it, we're not going back." "But we can beat it sir, definitely! Didn't you see how us three could hold it off? If it wasn't for those kindersnatch things, we would've beaten it, no problem." Lilly said. She was breathing quickly and there was a fire in her eyes. Gloom finally caught on to what he really should've noticed before. '-she's a fanatic-', He thought. It's what they all thought. Even something slipped out from behind Crimson's mental walls, '-she really thinks this is a story where good ponies always triumph?-' Gloom could only shake his head at her, stunned, "No. Just no. Private Lilly Bloom, we are falling back and not fighting that thing. We almost died and I'm not letting anypony get hurt." "Sir, I must protest. Look at it, it's right there. We can beat it, I can beat it. I can do this, trust me. Any Royal Guard could easily-" "We almost died!" Gloom snarled, fangs fully bared. "What about 'almost dying' don't you get? It's not even been five minutes and you're already back at this nonsense!" The rest of them flinched at the noise, the horrible gurgling and flickering orange light still much too close. Lilly most certainly did not 'get it'. "But we didn't sir and we're not going to, because it's just an evil monster and we can beat it. That's how it goes sir." "This isn't a game or some foalish story, this is real." Gloom grabbed Lilly's head and forced her to turn and look. "See that? That scarecrow is made with black magic and it wants to kill us. We could barely scratch it. Look at it. Do you think any of us can fight that thing?" Prey saw a terrible construct full of death perched across from them, with flickering orange light spilling from its head and metal legs able to tear through stone. Lilly looked, but she obviously did not see the same thing Prey did. "It's not a question of if we can beat it sir, it's just a question of how." She announced. How wasn't she terrified? Did she actually believe her own delusional fantasies? Prey started backing away, the unicorn was obviously still crazy on her battle high and adrenaline. Gloom growled in frustration, "I-you stubborn-Of all the foolish!-" "Sir, we should be going." Crimson reminded them all, voice tight. They were still in the forest, just behind them the trees began again, and sitting here was dangerous. What if the warlock who'd created those monsters knew another way across the ravine? Fallen Leaf copied Prey in sidling away from the certified crazy Lilly Bloom. He cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, "I have somewhere to lead us. We must go. " "We need to go. We need to rest, plan and reassess." Prey quickly said to Gloom. "But sir, if we leave, the scarecrow will leave too! Prey said it himself, it's only here because we are. If we leave now, we'll lose track of it. We should fight it here and now." "No, we're going. Now." "Sir, I-" "Now. That's an order." Lilly gritted her teeth, "Sir, I disagree most strongly with this course of action." "Read my lips Private. That's. An. Order." Lilly didn't move. "Are you going to disobey me?" Gloom asked the fuming Lilly. "The forest." Prey felt he had to remind them all. Gloom motioned for him to be quiet, not breaking eye contact with Lilly Bloom, "Are you disobeying me, Lilly?" Lilly stared across the mist filled ravine once more, '-it's right there, right there! It's our, my, chance-' Gloom took a step forwards, "Private Lilly Bloom, is there a problem?" He pressed. "...Sir. No. Sir." Lilly slowly grated out, wasting even more of their precious time. Gloom let his breath out, "Good. Then come on, Fallen Leaf has somewhere for us to recover. Be on your guard, who knows if there's more kindersnatches on this side." Fallen Leaf let out a sigh of relief as Gloom turned away, relieved that they'd finally seen reason. Crimson flexed his wings and stepped up to guard Fallen Leaf's flank, looking sidelong at Lilly. Scenic just looked lost and scared, asking himself; '-why did I think signing up to the ISND was a good idea?-' Prey looked back across the ravine, they all did, unable to help it. They just had to see what had almost killed them one last time. The mist added a blurry edge to the scarecrow and the kindersnatches. But the tortured gurgling was clear. The wicker monsters weren't rolling around, their roots balanced them upright despite how unfeasible it looked, but the blinding powder Prey had thrown in their eyes and noses somewhere under that wicker was still crippling them. The others hadn't noticed. The way the kindersnatches lurched around all the time had thrown them off. However they would question soon, Prey knew. Questions and answers that Gloom would not want to hear. Was Gloom going to get angry at him for being the bearer of bad news again? Then, as Prey was finally turning away from the ravine with its small army of monsters, his eye was caught. Far beneath the trees across on the other side, hidden in the mist and shadow, Prey thought he saw the wispy shape of someone. Prey's eyes snapped back. He squinted, trying to make his sub-par eyes see through the shadow. Was he imagining it? If he looked away, it would disappear, Prey was sure. A thick wisp of silent mist rolled across the ravine, obscuring the thing that might've been a figure. Prey kept his eyes locked on the spot. To his unpleasant surprise, the shape was still there when the mist passed. For five more long seconds Prey stared. And then it shifted. Perhaps the shape was only the drifting of mist, but either way, it vanished back into the shadows. ---I--- [[[Picture - Scarecrow concept]]] https://imgur.com/9dm9O4m