//------------------------------// // 631 - The Red Man Cometh // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// “Kara,” whispered Thermal Draft. “I know you said there are rules preventing you from offering any direct assistance, but I could really use some help now!” The winter wolf holding her by the scruff of the neck – Sten, according to what Solvei had called him – growled softly, the sound reverberating through her bones thanks to his grip on her. It was enough to make her wince, having hoped that the rush of the wind whipping by them, along with the heavy flapping of his leathery wings, would keep her voice from reaching his ears. Apparently, it hadn’t. Nor was Kara’s reply any more reassuring. I’m sorry, sweetheart, but there’s still nothing I can do. These creatures don’t worship me, so I don’t have any leverage over them, and since I’m not a senior member of the pantheon I can’t manifest on Everglow as I please. While the answer wasn’t unexpected, Drafty couldn’t help but bite her lip, resisting the urge to try and wriggle out of the winged winter wolf’s jaws. A glance down showed that they were at least two hundred feet in the air, and while Drafty wasn’t afraid of heights – what sort of pegasus would be? – her mangled left wing meant that even if she were to free herself from Sten’s jaws, the best she’d be able to hope for would be a controlled fall. Even then, she had no doubt that Solvei’s family would be on her in an instant. Even if she was able to confuse them with her shapeshifting powers, she wouldn’t be able to escape. In the few minutes since she’d been abducted, Drafty had observed the flight dynamics of her captors, and while their large bodies meant that they weren’t as maneuverable as a pegasus, their broad wings caught a great deal of air with each flap, making Solvei’s kin superior in terms of pure speed. Slumping, Drafty took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. These creatures – she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to think of them as winter wolves, with how different they were from Solvei – weren’t going to kill her. At least, not right away. Solvei’s mother had said as much when she’d told Sten not to eat her; apparently the “Red Man” who’d made them into how they were now wanted to meet with ponies for some reason. And I really don’t want to know what that reason is, fretted Drafty to herself, shivering as much from the horrible things her imagination was conjuring up as from the cold. Given that he’d apparently turned the winter wolves into monsters – making them sick, as Solvei had put it – maybe he wanted to do the same to ponies? It was a terrifying thought, reminding her of how close she’d come to transforming into a ghoul before Lex had rescued her. The memory of her savior – and, more recently, her lover, even if he didn’t know it – sent a wave of hope through the captured pegasus. That’s right. Lex saved me then, and he’ll save me again now. It’s what he does. Whether it was protecting everyone from a raging dragon in Tall Tale, saving ponies from sea monsters and the undead in Vanhoover, or rescuing his kidnapped maid in Las Pegasus, Lex Legis always came through. That was enough to buoy her spirits. But as the silent flight continued, giving her nothing to focus on except the cold, the pain in her wing, the other two winter wolves flying alongside Sten, and the snow-covered forests, valleys, and mountains that filled her vision, she found her calm slowly eroding, anxiety about what would happen when they reached their destination gradually filling her mind again. Lex would come and rescue her, but until he did, she was on her own… That shouldn’t have been so upsetting. In the last few months, Thermal Draft had been through more than her fair share of hardships. The complete collapse of Vanhoover. Fighting a pitched battle against an army of sea monsters. Dying and coming back to life. Almost being killed a second time by that witch called Starlight Glimmer. Thanks to the ponies in her life – including and especially Lex and Cloudy – she’d gotten through them all. Being kidnapped by mutant wolves so she could be taken to their leader should have been a walk in the park compared to what she’d experienced, especially since she knew that help was on the way. And yet the fear was still there. “Talk to me,” murmured Drafty, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to control the apprehension growing in her gut. “Please, Kara. I just need to hear a friendly voice.” I understand, sweetheart. What do you want me to talk about? Had there not been jaws gripping the back of her neck, Drafty would have shaken her head. “I don’t care. Something. Anything. Just give me something else to think about.” Opening her eyes, she looked around helplessly, an idea for a topic belatedly coming to her a moment later. “How come the weather happens all by itself here?” For several long seconds, no answer came, and Drafty was about to start pleading with the goddess to respond when Kara finally answered. It didn’t always. A rush of curiosity ran through Drafty then, crowding out the worst of her anxiety. It wasn’t just the ambiguous nature of Kara’s response that got her attention, however. It was the undertone of bitterness that had filled her mental voice. “I don’t understand.” Kara sighed. In Equestria, the weather only happens when pegasi like you create it. Here on Everglow, any scholar or historian worthy of the name could tell you that it used to be like that. But for a long time now, that’s been less and less true. Breezes will roll in with no apparent cause. Clouds will sometimes form on their own, and even precipitate without being touched. And such events are getting stronger and more frequent with each passing year. Pegasi can still affect the atmosphere as much as they ever could, but now they react to weather they don’t want as much as they create weather that they do. Drafty’s brow furrowed as she absorbed that bit of news. “But why is that happening? How come is the weather becoming more and more uncontrolled?” A question many ponies are asking, replied the goddess evasively, her tone still subdued. But I can tell you this much: unseasonable blizzards like the one where you are aren’t normal. Everglow’s weather will frequently act on its own, but it won’t suddenly dump feet of snow on someplace at the beginning of autumn, even if you’re in a cooler climate. “It won’t?” murmured Drafty, trying to process what she’d just been told. “But then why…?” She couldn’t finish as a particularly cold breeze made her shiver, as though the snowstorm itself had overheard her conversation and was punishing her for questioning it. Pegasus magic isn’t the only magic that can control the weather, answered Kara, her voice regaining its usual flippant quality. Even back before Iliana brought the tribes together and founded the Empire, ponies – and anyone else – with powerful nature magic could command the skies to do as they bid. Only for a local area, and only for so long, but weather-control spells aren’t unknown here. Or maybe it’s some sort of creature with powers related to cold. This world is situated close to the Elemental Planes, and it’s not unknown for rifts to form between them and Everglow, with denizens from those realms coming through. “Just like what happened in Equestria,” murmured Drafty, her eyes widening in realization. “Then, could that have something to do with the ‘Red Man’ who Solvei said warped her family?” I don’t know, sweetheart. But if whoever that is has the ability to cover such a large area in a blizzard this intense, they’re likely someone – or something – of great power. Magic this strong isn’t wielded easily. That was a thought as chilling as the temperature, and Drafty found herself again worrying about what was waiting for her when the wolves finally reached wherever they were headed. It felt like a long time later when Sten began to descend, staying in close formation with his mother and brother. Although there was no way for Drafty to judge the passage of time due to the sun being hidden by the dark gray clouds overhead, the ambient light was fading fast, and the back of her neck had become stiff from bearing carried in Sten’s jaws for so long. We were flying for at least an hour, Drafty decided as the wolf touched down, releasing her to stumble to her hooves, her legs numb from the cold. Maybe two. The wolves’ home wasn’t much to look at. Nestled in a pass between two of the mountains, there was little to distinguish it from any other part of the terrain. Snow drifts piled between the rocks, fallen logs, and those trees that were still standing. It was only on a second look that Drafty realized that several of the rocks and logs had been placed in ways that would make traversing the terrain particularly difficult, except for in a few locations, as though funneling any would-be intruders toward a particular area. Said area was the only notable feature in the pass, being a large entrance that had been dug into the rock face at the far end. Broad wooden beams braced the sides and the roof of the opening, suggesting that it hadn’t been the wolves who’d originally settled here. “A mine?” Drafty murmured, recognizing the basic architecture; an old girlfriend of hers had come from one of the mining towns north of Vanhoover, nestled at the base of the Unicorn Mountains, and she’d visited her at home a few times. But there was none of the external support apparatus that a mine would have had; no cart tracks, no storage sheds, no lighting equipment. It was just an entrance into darkness with some wooden supports. “What’s a mine doing here?” It might not have been the sort of mine you’re thinking of, sweetheart, murmured Kara. The goddess had made good on her promise to keep talking to Drafty during the journey here, and she continued providing dialogue now. There are plenty of tool-using races here who prefer to dwell underground. Kobolds, goblins, and similar vermin. They don’t- But Kara wasn’t given a chance to finish as Sten brought a claw down right next to Drafty, making her yelp in fright. “Be quiet, pony!” growled the mutated wolf. The swipe made Solvei’s mother growl. “I told you, she needs to be intact for the Red Man!” Sten returned her snarl with one of his own. “That’s easy for you to say! She kept babbling the entire way here, calling out to some spirit or something! It was annoying!” Turning back to Drafty, he licked his lips menacingly. “Not to mention that the taste of her skin in my mouth made me very hungry…” Gulping, Drafty backed away, but Solvei’s mother intervened before she could take a few steps. “I’ll take her to see the Red Man. The two of you go and see if Kaja caught anything to eat.” “Or if Bolverk left anything for us, if she did,” snorted Ebbe, tucking his wings at his sides as he glanced at the mine entrance. Solvei’s mother narrowed her eyes at him. “Watch your mouth. He’s going to be in a bad mood since we didn’t bring your sister back. Even with these powers, our pack is still only six in number, and we’re going to need everyone when we attack the pony village. The longer we have to wait, the hungrier we’ll all get.” “I still don’t know why the hunting is so bad,” muttered Sten irritably. “With how fast the snow came in, there should be a lot of game!” “It’s not because the snow came in fast, it’s because it came in early,” replied a new voice, and Drafty looked over to see another winter wolf exiting the mine. Like the others, she was splotched with angry-looked patches of furless red skin, contrasting sharply with her white fur, and leathery wings tucked at her sides. “Normally most of the game would have spent the season fattening themselves up and storing food for the winter. But because winter came so soon, they didn’t have a chance. So they’ve ranged further to try and collect food, making them harder to find.” “Kaja.” Solvei’s mother trotted over to the newcomer, and to Drafty’s surprise the two exchanged a quick nuzzle, not unlike how ponies would have done. “Did you find anything to eat, daughter?” asked the elder wolf as she stepped back. “A bear,” answered Kaja. “A black one. But Bolverk claimed it for himself.” Her ears folded down then. “He says that if we eat well now, we won’t be motivated to attack the ponies later on.” The news made Ebbe bare his teeth. “That’s crazy! We can’t fight on empty bellies!” “He’s just being greedy,” agreed Sten. “I bet he won’t even have finished it all by the time we’re ready to raid the pony lands.” “Stop it, all of you!” Solvei’s mother reared up in anger, bringing her claws down heavily as she glowered at her sons. “Bolverk is your father now, and our alpha! He brought the Red Man who made us all stronger, so none of you have a right to complain! Once we bring Solvei back, we’ll have more pony meat than we’ll be able to eat, and it will be because of him! Until then, you will honor his wishes!” “Where is Solvei?” asked Kaja, glancing around, her eyes settling on Drafty. “And where did you find that pony? We’re not supposed to attack them until the entire pack is ready, so they can’t prepare their weapons or seidr.” Solvei’s mother sighed. “Ask your brothers. I need to take this one to the Red Man now. Then I’ll go hunting and see if I can find something else for us to eat in the meantime.” Sten’s gave a low whine at that, the sound almost puppyish. “Mother, you should rest. We spent more than two days tracking Solvei. Ebbe and I can go hunting.” “He’s right,” added Ebbe. “I thought I saw some rabbit tracks on the way back. I bet I could find them again.” Solvei’s mother gave a low laugh, padding over to nip each of them on the ear affectionately. “Fine. Go see if you can scare up some rabbits. Just don’t stay out for too long. If that seidrmadr your sister found comes looking for his mate, I don’t want you two trying to fight him alone.” “I’ll go with them,” offered Kaja. “I want to hear what happened with Solvei.” Solvei’s mother looked between her children, hesitating for a moment before giving a single nod. “Very well. Good hunting, and may the spirits of our ancestors watch over you.” “And you, Mother,” replied Sten. His siblings each repeated the phrase in turn before they all leaped into the air, wings flapping as they took off. Solvei’s mother watched them go until they were out of sight. Only then did she turn toward Drafty. “Come with me,” she ordered gruffly. “If you try to run, I’ll catch you and hobble you. Do you understand?” “Y-yes,” gulped Drafty, knowing that without being able to fly, she had no chance of escaping. The wolf eyed her for a moment, then turned and began walking. To Drafty’s mild surprise, she moved away from the mine entrance, instead heading toward the wooded part of the pass. “We’re not going into the mine?” “My kin and I live in the den,” answered the wolf without looking back. “The Red Man keeps to himself.” “Oh…” The two of them walked in silence for a moment, with Drafty clamoring over the obstacles that the wolf had a far easier time with, and it was then that Kara spoke up again. Talk to her, sweetheart. “What?” Her sudden exclamation made the wolf look back at her, frowning in suspicion, and all Drafty could do was give her a rictus grin, swallowing. It was only when Solvei’s mother turned and started walking again that she repeated herself, quieter. “What?” Talk to her, urged Kara. You saw how she related to her children just now. She’s not incapable of caring about others. See if you can make her care about you. Winning over your captors is a path to freedom. Drafty wasn’t so sure about that; these wolves were planning on attacking what sounded like an entire village of ponies so that they could eat everyone there. But on the other hoof, it’s not like I’ve got a lot to lose, she admitted silently. Clearing her throat, she uttered the first thing that came to mind. “So, um…should we let the Red Man know we’re coming? I mean, just showing up when you’re not expecting company can be pretty rude, right?” “The Red Man will know when we’re near,” answered the wolf, not so much as breaking her stride. “He always knows.” “Okay…that’s not creepy at all,” muttered Drafty before trying again. “Listen, I heard what you and your children were saying, since I was standing right there and all, and if you guys have a problem with food, Lex – he’s that seid-whatever that enchanted Solvei back there – he can help you guys out.” The disbelieving snort she received in reply drove her to continue. “I’m serious! Solvei was starving when we met her, but Lex had created a large amount of food, and we shared it with her! It might not have been exactly what you all are used to, but she ate a lot of it! If you just let me go, I can talk to him, and-” “Enough,” huffed Solvei’s mother, glancing over to give Drafty a low growl. “We’ll eat our fill when we feast upon your kin. The Red Man has given us powers so that we can hunt you as game, not to shame our ancestors by having you feed us as pets. So we honor him now by bringing you to him first, as he wishes.” With that, she turned and kept walking, leaving Drafty stumbling to keep up. “Personally,” added the red and white wolf, “I hope that the Red Man decides he has no need for you. If not, then I doubt he’d mind if I let my children devour you.” “…so much for winning her over,” muttered Drafty under her breath. They continued in silence for several minutes, until at last Solvei’s mother came to a stop. “The Red Man approaches.” The pronouncement made Drafty glance around. As far as she could see, they were in a small clearing in the woods, unremarkable except for the break in the trees. “What do I-, hey!” she called, seeing the wolf turn to leave. “Hey!” But Solvei’s mother didn’t even acknowledge her, and in a few moments Drafty was alone in the snowy woods, with the light already fading. Her fear returning in full force, she slowly started turning in a circle, trying to look in every direction at once. She still had no idea what the “Red Man” was supposed to be, but at least he wouldn’t get the drop on- “My, you really are a little pony indeed!” The voice came from directly behind her, despite the fact that she’d been looking in that direction only a half-second ago, causing Drafty to yelp in alarm. Leaping away from the voice and spinning in place, she turned and beheld… A creature like nothing she’d ever seen before. The Red Man was a bipedal thing, standing several inches over six feet tall. The “red” part of his name was obvious; naked from the waist up, his skin was a uniform crimson in color, clinging tightly to a chiseled musculature. His forelegs didn’t have proper hooves, instead having odd digits at the end, and his hind legs – visible below the loose breeches he wore over his lower body – were much the same. If anything, they were like the “hands” and “feet” she’d heard that diamond dogs had. If he had a tail, she couldn’t see it. His face had no muzzle, but still had a masculine cast to it. Black lips were turned upward in an amused smirk, and like the wolves, his eyes were bright red. His ears, she noted, were on the sides of his head rather than on top the way a pony’s were, and yet were still pointed. But those were the least unusual of the Red Man’s features. Far more notable were the horns protruding from his head. There were a half-dozen of them, all pure black in color, twisting around each other and pointing upward, as though forming a wicked-looking crown. Nor were those the only spikes growing from his body. Sprouting from his back were a number of horns, far thicker than the ones on his head. The exact number was hard to tell, because they curved around his sides and over his shoulders, as though he were surrounded by a tangle of thick black branches. What was most notable about those horns, however, wasn’t their color. Nor was it their thickness. Nor was it how they curled around the Red Man’s body. It was how there were scrolls draped over all of them. The long papers fell over each of his body-horns, dangling down to the ground in large numbers, making him appear to be surrounded by a waterfall of paper. Each had writing on them, but in the poor light it was impossible to make out what they said. Lowering her gaze further, Drafty confirmed there were no tracks in the snow except her own and those of the wolf who’d brought her. With no wings that she could see, the Red Man had apparently appeared completely out of thin- A contract devil! hissed Kara suddenly. The creature’s sudden appearance, alien looks, and the tension in the goddess’s voice was enough to leave Drafty completely off-balance. “Wh-what…what’s…?” Sweetheart, listen to me, urged the goddess. Whatever you do, don’t- “Ah ah ah,” chastised the Red Man, making a slashing gesture with one hand. “No coaching from the peanut gallery.” Instantly, Kara’s voice vanished from Drafty’s mind. “Now then, my adorable little pony,” grinned the Red Man. “Let’s you and I have ourselves a conversation, shall we?”