//------------------------------//
// The Story of Bramble: Abandoned 
// Story: A Timberwolf For Forrester 
// by Schattendrache 
//------------------------------//


-The Story of Bramble-



Of all reproductive strategies in timberwolf species, the strategy employed by L. arborescens is the most variable (Apples, 892). While most timberwolves have pregnancies of one offspring per successful mating, with the exception of L. grigorpodi and L. oxyderkis (Reads & Pool, 965), L. arborescens pregnancies approximately result in one offspring ten percent (O=0.097) of the time, two offspring seventy-two percent (O=0.718) of the time, three offspring fifteen percent (O=0.149) of the time, and more than three offspring four percent (O=0.036) of the time from field observations conducted (Table. 4).  - Breeze M., Eye D., Oak L., & Whitehoof F., (984) Reproductive habits and behavior of Lupus arborescens. Journal of Ecology, 11(1), 84-105.


Why did Lupa see fit to look unfavorably upon her? Why could she not have been shown mercy and only given her a litter of two? These questions were running through Thicket’s head as she looked down at her pups nursing on her. The sun had fallen behind the horizon some time ago and the pups were having their last meal of the day before returning to sleep.

Her litter had been born half a cycle of the moon ago, and with it came the revelation that she was cursed with three pups. She had prayed to Lupa, asking her to spare her from the truth of what had happened. She had even convinced her alpha to let her care for her third pup, to see if she hadn't been cursed. But as she looked down at her nursing pups, a single sap-like tear fell from her right eye as she was now forced to accept the truth.

Her third pup was a runt.

She had carried three pups in her for the last three cycles of the moon and faced the curse that all mothers of three needed to face. She knew what it meant for a pup to be born a runt and had almost become violent towards any of the pack that suggested she come to terms with what had happened. She tried to convince herself that it could have been worse, that she could have been carrying four pups and faced the fate of all her pups being born runts, but nothing helped to ease the pain of knowing the fate of one of her children.

As she contemplated how the gods could be so cruel, her mate, Canopy, come out from between the underbrush that surrounded her and the pups, returning from a hunt.  He simply sat down away from her and watched as the pups fed. Eventually, the pups slowly stopped nursing and moved away from her to return to sleep. When the pups had settled into a little pile at the center of the small clearing of the brush, her mate sat up and walked towards her.

“Have you changed your mind, Thicket?” His voice, usually a wonderfully deep rumble, was now only a shadow of its former self, mirroring the posture he had adopted. His ears were held back slightly and his head held lower than usual. Occasionally she could see him glance over at the small pile of pups. “You know I support any choice you make, but I don't know if continuing like this is the best option.”

“I know, it’s just… she’s our pup, Canopy. How can the pack expect us to abandon her?”

Canopy laid down in front of her and wrapped his head and neck around hers. “You know they care for us. Why else would they have allowed you to care for her as long as you have? But you’ve noticed it. She was smaller than her brothers when she was born, and now it's become even more obvious. She can still barely walk while her brothers are already starting to run.” Canopy’s voice was detached, but the way he faltered on several words betrayed his true feelings.

Thicket knew what a runt meant for a pack. If she were to keep it, she would endanger everyone. They would always need to be on guard to make sure she survived to adulthood. But it was still her child, and no amount of understanding made the idea sound right to her.

The two of them stayed locked in their embrace for some time, trying to come to terms with what they knew they should do, but struggling to accept it. The soft rustling of the surrounding leaves in the moonlit breeze and the occasional cry of a bat served as the only sign that the world had not ceased its progression for the two of them.

“I’ve changed my mind.” Thicket’s voice was no more than a whisper. “We need to do what's best for the pack.”

Slowly, Thicket moved away from the embrace and stood up. She approached the small pile her offspring had made of themselves and looked down. Her sons, Thorn and Brush, were both huddled up and laying their heads across their sister, Glade. Her mate, along with the rest of the pack, had told her not to name her, that it would only make it harder. She had thought them all to be wrong, that they were giving up on her too easily. Only now did she see their wisdom.

Gently so as not to wake them, Thicket picked up Brush in her jaws and looked towards Canopy. Canopy, understanding what she was doing, picked up Thorn in much the same way that she had done with Brush and stood next to her. Looking at her daughter for what felt like an eternity, Thicket finally turned in the direction she knew the alpha of the pack was resting and walked with her mate at her side.

Thicket and Canopy walked past the other members of their pack and deeper into the forest, towards the resting area of the alpha. Seeing this, everywolf either roused their sleeping offspring if they could walk, or gingerly picked them up if they were still too young. Each of them figured that the two of them had finally made their decision.

When the two arrived at the alpha’s resting area Canopy put down Glade and gave a soft bark to wake up the alpha. The alpha, Moss Foot, cracked open one of his eyes and was met by the sight of Canopy and Thicket, flanked by the remainder of the pack. He stood up, rousing his own mate in the process.

“Have you two changed your minds?”

Canopy gently placed Thorn down before lifting his head to address the alpha. “Yes. We have decided to follow the pack’s tradition.”

Moss Foot solemnly nodded. He turned to his own mate and signaled for her to rouse their own pup. When the pup seemed to be awake again, Moss Foot began to walk deeper into the forest, away from their mating grounds and towards their main territory. Canopy picked Thorn back up and every wolf in the pack began to follow their alpha to their true home.

Every step forward stabbed at Thicket’s heart. It felt like she was carrying her mate on her back and that every part of her had become stiff. Every motion felt heavy and forced, but at the same time like a dream, like everything wasn’t quite real. As if any moment she might wake up from this horrible nightmare and be surrounded by her mate and three wonderful pups.

But deep inside, she knew this was real. She was indeed leaving behind one of her pups to fend for itself. She understood that in all likelihood, her only daughter wouldn’t even last the night. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she walked with the rest of the pack deeper into the forest. She knew that she needed to keep walking, because as soon as she stopped, as soon as she allowed herself to slow down, she wouldn’t be able to continue. If she allowed herself to question her decision, she wouldn’t be able to go through with it.

So, with a will of balsa and a sap-soaked pup in her jaws, Thicket walked with her mate and their pack away from her first and only daughter, abandoning her to the will of the forest.





A small timberwolf pup was awoken from her rest by the piercing cold night breeze of the forest. The last thing she could remember was her mother feeding her and her siblings before she fell asleep next to the two of them. Wondering why she had become so cold, she began looking around, only to be met by the sight of the empty peace of the forest she had fallen asleep in. This time though, there was no one around.

This was the first time the little pup had been alone as far as she could remember, and it scared her. Where were her mother and father? Where were her siblings? Why was she alone?

The little timberwolf managed to unsteadily lift itself onto its paws and start to walk around. She began sniffing at the ground, trying to figure out where her family had gone, but their smell was too strong. She clumsily began walking around the only area she knew, continuing to sniff at the ground, and continuing to learn nothing. 

As she came up to one of the bushes that marked the border of the world she knew, she picked something up on the leaves. Mom and dad never let them push through the leaves to play, saying her and her brothers were too small. But as she sniffed at the leaves, she could pick up the unmistakable scents of her brothers. They were weak, but they were there.

She figured that her brothers might have disobeyed mom and dad and gone through the bushes to explore. While she didn’t want to disobey her parents, she was more afraid of being alone. The little timberwolf pushed her way through the bushes, forcing her way past the thick tangle of branches and leaves and eventually found herself on the other side of the undergrowth. But as she laid her eyes on the world beyond the one she had been living in, she realized just how small she was.

In every direction she looked, she could see trees and bushes almost without end. While the little area she had lived in was surrounded by the bushes, there seemed to be no bushes that enclosed this area, it just went on forever. If her family was out here she would never be able to find them, and how could she? She began to curl up in fear, the weight of this revelation feeling like it would crush her. And in her fear, her mind developed even darker thoughts.

What if there are other things out here? What if mom and dad didn’t just want to keep us from getting lost? What if they were protecting us from what lives out here?

These thoughts began to form in her mind, turning her fear into abject terror. She was no longer concerned with finding her family any more, she was desperate to find safety. And what would be better than the very clearing she had just left.

The little timberwolf desperately scrambled to push her way back through the bushes, frantically clawing and kicking at the ground and branches to return to safety as soon as possible. When she finally broke through the wall of wood and leaves, she made her way to the center of the clearing and curled up in fear. She didn't know what to do. Her entire family was gone and she was too afraid to look for them.

Panicking and afraid, the little timberwolf began to howl. She howled and yipped as loud as she could, doing anything to make herself heard by her family.





Chip was preparing for bed. Even though he had just started spring break, his mom and dad had told him he couldn't stay up all night playing video games. This had frustrated him to no end. He had been sitting in front of the TV and was just getting started with the new Daring Do video game when they told him to shut it down and go to bed. He had tried everything to convince them to let him stay up and play his games, but none of it had worked. He eventually stomped upstairs to his room when he realized he wasn’t going to be able to convince them. He figured that if he wasn't going to be able to play all night, he could at least get to bed early and try to be up before his parents could take over the TV.

He was putting on his pajamas when a noise caught his attention and made him pause to listen. After about five seconds he heard it again, a high-pitched howl coming from outside his window. He finished putting on his pajamas and ran over to the window to open it. He knew everyone in town, but he couldn’t think of a single one that owned a dog. Had someone in town adopted a new dog? If he could figure out where the howls were coming from, he might be able to convince the ponies to let him pet it.

When he opened the window, he was greeted by the icy night air as it came rushing past him and into his room. Despite his pajamas, the cool breeze was able to sap a great deal of warmth from him as he failed to repress a shiver from running down his spine and through his tail. He stuck his head out of the window and began looking around, trying to see if he could locate the dog making the howls.

Eventually, he heard the howl of the dog again, and when he turned his head in the direction of the sound, he noticed it was coming from the Gloomy Woods. The joy he had felt when he thought somepony had gotten a new dog immediately disappeared when he realized that it had just ben a timberwolf. He was almost twelve, and had lived in that same house near the edge of the forest for all his life, so hearing their howls was nothing new to him. Chip decided to sit down in front of the window and listen to the howls. While he was still afraid of timberwolves, the fact that he was on the second floor and had never heard of timberwolves leaving the woods made him feel safe when he heard their cries.

When Chip heard the next howl, he noticed that something was off about it. Usually, when timberwolves howled, they tended to be deeper and others would join or bark, adding to the noise. But this one was high pitched and squeaky, and most importantly, alone.

Chip was off his flank and bolting for his door as soon as he realized how different the howl was to a typical timberwolf. When he reached his door, he flung it open and dashed towards his parents' room.  Upon reaching their door, he pushed it open with the same speed he had used on his own door, shocking both of his parents who were both reading a book before they turned in. Before either of them could ask him what he was doing bursting down their door Chip had run over to his mother and was trying to grab hold of her with his hoof and drag her off the bed.

“Mom, we need to hurry! There's a puppy lost in the woods! We can't leave him there!” Chip was pulling with all of his strength and was actually making some progress with getting his mom off the bed.

“Hold on there, honey. It's probably just a timberwolf, there's no-”

“No, it isn't a timberwolf, listen.”

Chip ran over to the window his parents had that faced the woods and pushed it open. When it was finally open all the way, Chip turned to face his parents and wait for the inevitable howl. It didn't take long, not even three seconds after Chip had turned to his parents did another howl sound through the night.

“See, I told you.” Chip ran over to his parents' bed again, this time towards his father, and proceeded to try to drag him off the bed this time.

“Now hold on there, sport. You know we can’t be running into the woods at night, it's dangerous. You know how many timberwolves are close to the town this time of the year. The last thing we need to do is put ourselves in danger when we don't need to.” Chip’s father leaned forward and rustled Chip’s mane. 

Chip puffed up his cheeks in frustration before letting go of his father and bolting out of his parents' room. As he left the room and began heading to the stairs he yelled out, “If you won’t help it, I will!”

As Chip ran down the stairs, he could hear his parents frantically trying to untangle themselves from under their covers as they shouted at him “Stop!” and “Don't you dare leave this house, young stallion!”. These shouts only served to make Chip run faster, pushing himself as hard as he could to put some distance between him and his parents before they would be able to start chasing him. When he finally reached the bottom floor, he made a hard turn to the right and towards the back door. 

As he approached the sliding glass door that led to the backyard he cursed being born an earth pony and not a unicorn. If he was, he would have been able to open the door before he had reached it and continue his sprint to the woods without having to slow down. Unfortunately, he slammed into the door, barely slowing down and quickly slapping the lock to release it as he grabbed onto the door handle and pulled as hard as he could. The door quickly flew open, but Chip could hear his parents careening down the stairs after him. He made a mad dash out the door, pushing himself as hard as he could to give himself as much of a chance at getting to the lost dog before his parents could catch him.

Chip didn't know what it was; perhaps he was just lucky, but before his parents could manage to make it out of the house he had already cleared most of the distance between his house and the woods. So when his parents finally made it out the back door and continued their chase after him, they were met with the sight of him disappearing into the forest. 

Despite making it into the forest before his parents could catch up to him, Chip still galloped as fast as he could between the trees and underbrush towards where he heard the dogs cries coming from. Chip was also slowly realizing why his parents might not have wanted to go into the woods at night. He knew the woods stifled light, but until now he had never actually gone into them and seen first-hoof just how dark they were. He had already almost run into several bushes and trees at full speed when they seemed to suddenly appear less than a meter away from him. 

As Chip narrowly avoided the fifth tree that had popped into existence in front of him, he realized the lost dog’s cries had gotten louder, and much more frequent. He was certain that with all the noise he was making, the lost dog had heard him coming and was trying to call out to him. Chip pushed himself even harder towards the sound of the cries, forcing himself to reach the sounds of the crying pup.

As he came crashing through the underbrush he was met with the sight of a small clearing, at the center of which was a small timberwolf. Chip simply stared at the small timberwolf, perplexed that this could be the dog that he had heard from his room. But as he looked at what he could only describe as a puppy, he couldn't help but notice how scared it looked. Looking into its eyes, it looked no different from a regular dog, lost in the forest. He couldn't bring himself to see the vicious animal that he had been taught lived in the forest.

Crouching down, Chip extended his left foreleg towards the small timberwolf in hopes of earning its trust.


The little timberwolf looked at the creature in front of her and was beyond scared. After seeing the strange creature she had stopped making any noise, hoping that it would either go away or her parents would return to save her. Looking at the thing that had found her, she began to examine its strange shape. It didn't have any claws on its legs, and its body looked nothing like her parents or siblings. She didn't know how to respond to this thing in front of her. She simply looked into this strange thing’s… she was guessing that they were eyes, but their strange bigness and general appearance was making her immensely uncomfortable.

Eventually, the strange creature lowered itself and extended one of its strange limbs towards her. The little timberwolf had no idea what she should do. She didn't know if this thing in front of her wanted to kill her or was trying to take her home to her family. Ever so slowly, the little timberwolf crept forward, her belly rubbing along the ground as she did her best to prepare to run if this creature tried to harm her. When she had finally made it over to the strange creature, she carefully began craning her head towards the strange leg, flinching back a few times to test whether it meant her harm, before she finally left her head near the creature and began smelling it.

The scent of this strange creature was far stranger than its appearance to her. The smell she was getting off of the creature was nothing like what she had ever experienced before. While there were some familiar smells mixed in, she could tell that those smells had not been around for long, as they were strong but quickly lost. The other scents beneath the familiar ones though were what she was interested in. They smelled so strange, she was curious where this creature had come from to gain such strange scents. Before she could begin approaching this new creature, she began to hear the sounds of other creatures running towards her. She desperately hoped that this time it would be her parents that would arrive. She began to call out like she had done last time in an attempt to help her parents find her.

When the creatures that were running towards her finally arrived, the little timberwolf was both disheartened and terrified to see that it wasn't her parents, but more of these strange creatures, only these were larger.


Chip's parents came running through the underbrush, coming out from between the thick branches and leaves that form the border of the clearing. When they saw chip standing in front of the timberwolf, they were horrified at the site. However, neither of them felt like they could move; the strangeness of the situation paralyzed them.

The timberwolf, seeing their arrival, began to slowly creep backward, afraid of what might happen. When the timberwolf had backed up by a fair bit, Chip's parents approached him, slowly. The timberwolf did its best to curl into as small of a position as it could manage, scared by the sheer size difference that was between it and Chip's parents. Chip's parents quickly approached him, grabbing him up in a hug.

“Chip, don't you dare run away from us again, especially not into the forest. You have no idea how dangerous it can be in here.” Chip’s father was fuming, his eyes narrowed in a glare of frustration.

“But Dad, can't you see it's afraid? We need to bring it home.”

Chip's parents looked over to the shivering mass of sticks and leaves that made up the small timberwolf. Both of them were struggling to see how their son could see anything other than a vicious creature in that. And besides, even if they did want to keep it, they had no idea how to care for a timberwolf.

“Honey, this isn't a normal dog, this is a timberwolf. They're wild animals. The other members of its pack are probably not too far away. They'll be back soon to help it.”

“But Mom, it's been crying for so long. If they were close by they would have been here already. Please, we can't just leave it here, who knows what will happen to it? Something could come along and kill it before the rest of its pack can save it. We have to protect it!”

Chip's eyes grew wide, pleading with his parents to see reason. He desperately did not want to see this poor defense animal get hurt when he knew that he could save it. His parents, as soon as they looked at him, felt their conviction waiver. Looking between their son and the timberwolf, they couldn't help but start to see the small shivering pile as less of the predator that they knew it to possibly be, and more as a scared dog.

“Alright, we’ll wait here for a little while, at least until one of its pack shows up. But when one of them does, you need to promise me that you will follow exactly what we say, got it?” Chip's father had put on a stern face that made it clear that he would not be hearing any complaints.

“But what if its pack never comes?” Chip looked down at his forehooves, kicking his right hoof along the ground nervously. “Could we... you know… take it back home?” Chip looked at his parents with a mix of uncertainty and pleading.

“Honey, we have-”

“I know I don't know how to take care of a timberwolf, but didn't you guys say you knew someone that did? Maybe they can help. I swear, if we have to take it home I’ll do everything for it, I’ll look up everything I need to to take care of it. Please, I’ve always wanted a dog, this way we can save a poor timberwolf and I can have a puppy.” Chip had resumed the puppy dog eyes he had given his parents not too long ago, hoping that it would help his case.

Chip's parents looked at each other and seemed to be silently debating whether to accept their son’s proposal. Both of them had been there when a pack of timberwolves had come out of this same forest searching for their lost pup after a pony in the town had taken it in after finding it injured in the woods. Chip’s mother raised her eyebrows, hoping to get her husband to deny the request, but Chip’s father simply closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows back at her. He made it obvious that he didn't know the proper course to take here, and that he was just as lost as she was when it came to how to deal with this situation.

Chip’s mother sighed. “Fine, if none of the pack returns to find the pup in the next hour I don't see why we can't take it in. But if the pack comes into town looking for it, then we have to give her back.”

Chip beamed at hearing this. He happily, and carefully, turned back around towards the small timberwolf and extended his hoof out again. The timberwolf looked at him startled, but made no attempt to run away. Eventually, the timberwolf began to stand up and move back towards Chip, likely not seeing him nor his parents as a threat for the moment.

For the next hour, Chip and his family stayed in the clearing with the timberwolf and waited for one of its pack to return and claim it. The timberwolf examined Chip the closest, staying around him most of the time, but occasionally it would move over to Chip's parents try to examine them. It eventually grew comfortable with Chip to start playing with him. It wasn’t too different than what she and her brothers would do, mostly chasing one another and occasionally nipping at Chip.

Finally, Chip's parents came to the realization that the timberwolf’s pack might not be coming back to collect it anytime soon and carefully moved over to Chip. The timberwolf had collapsed, most likely out of exhaustion from playing so much, and Chip had moved over and was now stroking its sleeping form.

Chip's mother tapped Chip on the shoulder to get his attention. “It's time to go. If you want, I’ll help you place our new family member on your father's back and he can carry it back home.”

Crip looked enthusiastic at being told that his family was going to let the timberwolf stay with them. He quickly, and gently, began lifting the timberwolf up with the assistance of his mother and deposited it on his father's back. The three of them, with their new guest, begin traveling back towards their home. Along the way, Chip couldn't take his eyes off the still form of the timberwolf, imagining all the possibilities that existed at having a timberwolf as a pet. His parents hadn’t had a pet in the house since he was around, so the idea of this being his first pet filled his heart with immense joy.

When they finally arrived at the house, Chip burst in through the open sliding glass door and towards the linen cabinet he knew was in the hallway, grabbing several spare blankets in his teeth before running back towards the door. He met his parents as they came through the door, practically jumping on his father as she could hardly wait to welcome the timberwolf pup into the family. The pup, despite all the excitement, was still very much asleep.

“Now hold on there, Chip, you don't want to wake it up. It's probably had quite the rough last few hours, It's probably exhausted.” Chip's father gently reminded his son as he slowly made his way past him and moved towards the laundry room. “But I must commend you on thinking to get it some blankets to sleep on.”

Chip grinned from ear to ear at hearing this, but his grin quickly faded when he realized where his father was walking, spitting out the blankets he was holding. “What are you doing, dad? Can’t it sleep with me tonight? I promised I would take good care of it.”

“That isn’t the issue, Chip. This is still a wild animal, we don’t know if it's going to harm you or what could happen with us if things go bad. We need to look out for our safety first. And that’s not even mentioning that it hasn’t been house trained yet. Would you like to wake up tomorrow and have to clean up a mess in your room?” Chip began to hang his head at hearing this. “But, if its pack doesn't come looking for it and we’re able to properly train it, THEN we’ll let it sleep in your room with you.”

Chip instantly perked up at hearing this. It took all of his willpower to not start jumping up and down shouting with joy. He picked up the blankets he had dropped and rushed into the laundry room past his dad and began setting up a nice bed for the timberwolf to sleep on. When he had finished the bed and looked up at his father proudly, his father gently deposited the sleeping timberwolf onto the center of the bed.

“Now, it's time for you to head up to bed, young stallion. We can talk about your punishment tomorrow morning.” His mother gently began pushing him towards the stairs and out of the laundry room.

“What! Why am I being punished?” Chip looked to his parents.

“Are you forgetting the part where you ran out of the house without our permission and into the woods alone?” his mother told him with a firm and accusing tone.

Chip hung his head in shame, knowing that there wasn’t going to be a way that he could weasel his way out of his punishment, especially after what he had done. He slowly made his way up the stairs, and with his parents watching, made his way into his room under the cover of his blankets. When his parents were satisfied that he had gotten their message and wouldn’t be trying anything else tonight, they turned off his light and headed back to their bed.

Chip's father sighed. “I don't know what we’re going to do with him. His heart’s in the right place. If only he could get his head to cooperate he would be golden.”

“I know honey, but that's just something he’s going to have to learn himself. You were the same way when we were foals if I’m remembering correctly. Just give him some time, he’ll eventually come around.”


The little timberwolf started to wake up. After playing with the strange creature, she had become very tired and fallen asleep. Now that she was waking up, she was beginning to realize that she was somewhere new. Looking down she noticed that she was no longer on the nice ground of the forest, but on some strange and soft surface that reminded her of the creature she had been playing with. Around her were large, strange objects that looked nothing like anything she had seen before. And finally, instead of the bushes that formed the border of the clearing she had grown up in, large flat objects surrounded her, trapping her here.

Panic began to set in for the little timberwolf. Had the creatures taken her away from her family and planning to kill her? Had the clearing changed while she was asleep? These questions swirled around in her head as she began to curl tighter into herself. As she was about to cry out again, attempting to get her parents to come find her, a section along one of the strange flat surfaces began to move. When it stopped moving, the timberwolf was greeted by the sight of the strange creature she had been playing with.

The creature was carrying something in its mouth that looked similar to the thing that she was lying on. She began to uncurl herself from the position she had worked herself into, attempting to get a better look at what this strange thing was doing. When it had made its way fully into the strange area, it turned around and did something to the section that had moved, slowly moving it back into the position it had been in not too long ago.

The creature then began to slowly make its way over to her. She still didn’t fully know what was happening, so as it approached her she began to curl deeper into herself. The creature must have noticed this because as soon as she had compressed herself as tight as she could the creature stopped. The creature’s muzzle shifted in a strange way before it began to make strange noises. It dropped the thing it had been carrying in front of her before it lay down on top of it with its back to her.

The little timberwolf was confused at what she was seeing but was still hesitant to approach. She had no idea what was going on, and all of these new things that were happening were not helping her calm down. She simply watched the creature, preparing herself for what it might do.

Only, nothing happened.

For what felt like the longest time in her life, the creature in front of her did nothing. She was simply watching it as it was laying there. Ever so slowly, the little timberwolf began to stand up and quietly approach the still form of the creature as steadily as she could. When she finally arrived at where the creature had laid down, she sniffed it.

Nothing about its scent had changed, so she knew this was the same creature she had been playing with, but she was unsure what it was doing here now. She began to nuzzle it a bit to try to get its attention, but the creature wasn’t responding to her. She began to walk to the front of the creature and discovered that it had gone to sleep while she was watching it.

Still scared and confused about what was going on, the little timberwolf decided that she didn’t want to be alone right now, and the creature hadn’t tried to hurt her, so maybe she could sleep with it tonight. At least until her parents came back to find her and take her back to the life she knew. Spinning around, the little timberwolf eventually laid down against the strange creature’s underside and began to make herself comfortable.

The little timberwolf couldn’t help but be a little happy at how warm this creature was. While her parents and siblings helped her not get cold at night, they had never been able to make her as warm as this odd creature. It was nice, laying here this way, and she hoped that she could find more of these creatures when her parents found her. Maybe she could tell them about how nice they were, especially their warmth.

And with those final thoughts, the little timberwolf fell back to sleep against the stomach of a well-intentioned pony for the first night of what would become its new life.