//------------------------------// // 666 - Mark of the Beast // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// Valor could still remember the day she’d found her totem. That she’d been chosen to be the one to take her baby brother, Sudden Surge, out on his first hunt had been almost as thrilling as when she’d gone on her own. It was a sign that her parents had recognized that she was ready for more responsibility, and trusted that she could make a contribution to the pride, something she’d been insecure about ever since she’d come to appreciate that she was an earth pony adopted by sun cats. As such, she’d been almost as nervous as Sudden was when they set off alone across the savannah. In Sudden’s case, his anxiety was understandable. Succeeding on your first hunt was a rite of passage for sun cats; it was the major difference between children and adults, and in Sudden’s case, a chance to prove that his name referred to his skill in chasing down prey, rather than how quickly he came running when their mother announced that dinner was ready. As such, it was understandable that his only concern had been bringing back the most impressive catch he could. But Valor should have known better. She’d been on plenty of hunts by then, and had been told many times that the most important lesson to keep in mind when looking for prey was not to let yourself become prey for something else in the process. But with how nervous she’d been about what would happen if Sudden came back without having caught anything, she’d foolishly neglected that lesson. That was why, when Sudden had set upon a diatryma – a large, flightless bird with a beak like an axe – that he’d spotted, Valor hadn’t thought to wonder why the creature was running away from the half-grown sun cat so quickly, despite being known for its territorial and belligerent nature. But when a huge shadow had settled over her little brother and his prey a moment later, she’d realized her error. Though, in her defense, the wyvern that had touched down then had ventured far outside of its usual hunting grounds. She’d found out later that another pride had ventured into the nearby hills where the wyverns nested. Driven by greed, they’d slaughtered the vicious creatures in order to sell their bodies for parts; alchemists and apothecaries valued the creatures’ poison, wizards and artificers had myriad uses for their bones and organs, and wyvern scales – almost indistinguishable from those of dragons – were used to fashion decorative armor among fashion-conscious adventurers and nobles. But while they’d managed to kill off nearly all of the wyverns, one had escaped, fleeing toward the savannah. All Valor had known at the time, however, was that a saurian monster twice her size had just touched down, crushing the diatryma in its hind claws and roaring hungrily at Sudden. A roar which had become one of pain an instant later as Valor launched herself at the beast. A lot of the fight was a blur to her, even now. All she’d been able to think about was that she couldn’t let Sudden get hurt. Not because it would mean she’d failed at the important task she’d been given, but simply because he was her beloved baby brother. The parts she could recall were mostly disjointed fragments. Talons tearing across her ribs, before she sank her fangs into their base, tearing them asunder. The tip of a barbed tail gouging her stomach, only for her claws to shred it asunder in a spray of blood and ichor. Ripping scales apart to get at the soft flesh underneath as the beast thrashed and writhed. And then, finally, picking Sudden up and slinging him across her back as she stumbled home, collapsing just as their camp had come into sight. She’d woken up three days later, her mother and aunt hovering over her worriedly. Apparently the severity of her wounds, combined with how much poison the wyvern’s tail had pumped into her, had left her on the verge of death. And that was after the pride’s healers had exhausted themselves trying to save her. But none of that had mattered to Valor; at that moment, all she’d cared about was the fact that Sudden was curled up next to her, alive and unharmed. At least, until her mother had informed her that she’d killed the wyvern who’d attacked them…and that, according to Sudden, she’d transformed into a bear in order to do so. At first she’d thought her mother was joking, until her aunt – the pride’s shaman – had started quizzing her, asking her about the details of what had happened. Knowing better than to defy the force of nature that was her mother’s sister, Valor had dutifully answered everything to the extent that she was able. After recounting the tale several times, and answering a bewildering array of seemingly unrelated questions from everything about what she’d eaten recently to what sort of dreams she’d been having, her aunt had announced her conclusion. Valor had gained a totem, the mark of favor of one of the sacred beasts who served the Sun King, the great god who was the patron of not only the sun cats, but all of the feline races of Everglow. In her case, her aunt had explained, it was the totem of Makwa, the wise and powerful Mother Bear who acted as guardian and protector of those who couldn’t protect themselves. The news had stunned Valor, nor had she been the only one. While most prides had a shaman, adept, medium, or other intermediary between them and the gods, to receive a totem – and from a servant of the chief deity in their pantheon, no less – was a rare honor. All the more so when held by a smaller pride such as theirs. Her father had been ecstatic when he’d been informed. That his daughter, only a few years past her own first hunt, had slain a wyvern all on her own was a triumph worth bragging over. That she’d received such an exalted blessing only made it that much greater. Now that he knew Valor was going to survive, he’d immediately begun spreading the word, inviting every pride he knew of to come and celebrate the accomplishment. Famous for his generous disposition, it had never occurred to Valor’s father that some of those other sun cats would be offended that a totem would be granted to a pony instead of one of their own… “And even if we fail, we’re gonna fail FORWARD!” The last word erupted from her throat in a guttural roar as Valor ran forward, feeling the change wash over her as she called upon the totem Makwa had granted her. Her muzzle elongated, her teeth becoming larger and sharper as she bellowed again. Her body grew heavier as her muscles thickened, heavy claws growing where her hooves had been. Her clothes vanished, melding into her new form seamlessly; even her shield, with its snarling bear’s head emblem – a gift that her father had given to her during the feast he’d thrown in her honor – vanished into the coarse fur of her forearm. And then several hundred pounds of ursine fury crashed into the assembled humanoids. The creatures’ gibbering immediately erupted into panicked screams, trying to put some distance between themselves and the raging predator that the little pony charging them had suddenly become. But Valor had no intention of letting them back off, rearing up on her hind legs as she swiped her paws at the face of the nearest creature, intent on caving in the thing’s skull. Except that wasn’t what happened. Although her claws sank deep into the thing’s face, its flesh was unusually tough, causing her vicious swipe to gouge the skin on its face in a painful – but ultimately non-fatal – wound rather than turning its head into pulp. That was enough to catch her by surprise; like the rest of her teammates, Valor had experience fighting creatures whose bodies were supernaturally toughened, and knew that the answer to that was to attack with magically-enhanced weapons. In her case, her weapons were her claws and fangs, and she knew Woodheart had enchanted those a few moments ago, when they’d ventured away from the inn. She’d heard the druid chant that particular spells a score of times before, and had recognized it now. It should have been enough to let her punch through whatever magic was annealing its body. That it hadn’t worked out that way was surprising. But as unexpected as that was, what caught Valor off-guard was the freezing temperature of the shaggy creature’s body. Despite the spell that Mystaria had put on her a moment ago, Valor found herself gasping as the cold immediately reached painful levels, the blood pouring over her claws feeling like it should have frozen immediately due to how frigid it was. It was the unexpected nature of the pain, rather than the searing cold itself, that made Valor yank her claws away from the creature. But although the ends of her forelegs were already going numb, Valor could see that she’d still done a number on her enemy. The brute was doubled over, howling in agony as it clutched the bloody mess that she’d made of its face. It was an opportunity that Valor had no intention of missing, rearing up now that the creature’s throat was in biting range. But as she clamped down on its neck, Valor again felt resistance where there shouldn’t have been any. With no bones protecting its throat, she should have been able to tear it open. Instead, the muscle was strangely tough, making her feel as though she were biting a tree as she squeezed her jaws as tightly as she could, trying to inflict a mortal wound. Worse, the coldness of the creature’s body was just as intense as it had been a moment ago, making Valor feel as though she’d just shoved her face beneath the ice of a frozen lake. But the freezing sensation ceased abruptly as the injured creature’s wild backhand knocked her away. The strike was clumsy and uncoordinated, more of a dismissive swipe than anything else, but it was enough to make her lose her grasp on its throat, stumbling backward. Even that was enough room for the creature she’d injured to recover, letting out an enraged bellow that seemed to shake the ground itself. Despite the mauling she’d given it, the white-furred monster seemed upset rather than intimidated, its bulging eyes now filled with rage as it advanced on her. Along with a half-dozen of its companions. In an instant, Valor found herself in the center of a whirlwind of claws. Supernaturally cold claws, which ripped and tore at her from every direction. The one whose face she’d torn open was clearly intent on repaying her in kind, slashing at her muzzle. Two others went for her flanks, while more circled around behind her, cutting her off from her friends as they sought to bring her down. Had she still been the half-grown girl she was when she’d gone out on her first hunt, Valor wouldn’t have been able to defend herself against the onslaught. But she wasn’t a hapless child anymore; she had her friends’ magic backing up the training she’d undertaken in how to use her totem, and she put them all to good use now. Still on her hind legs, Valor pivoted with a grace that no ordinary bear could have achieved, courtesy of Spinner’s spell. It was enough to let her avoid the wild slash from the torn-faced creature, its claws missing her by a fraction of an inch as she spun around, extending her paws to slap away the attacks coming from either side of her. Even that light touch was freezing cold, as though these creatures were composed of ice rather than flesh and blood, but this time the contact was too brief to be painful. Of course, that left nothing to protect her from the ones that had moved around to attack her from behind. Save only for the other spells that her friends had used on her. They weren’t impenetrable shields, Valor knew; rather, they were more like layers of armor, making it harder for enemies to find purchase when they tried to hit her. It was that magic which made the first set of claws slide across her back without sinking in, feeling like little more than a cold tickle. But Valor barely had a chance to smirk to herself as another claw latched onto her side, and this time even her friends’ spells weren’t enough to protect her. Snarling as she felt a searing pain flare just above her hip, it was immediately followed by another rush of cold. So was the painful swipe that tore across her shoulders a moment later. And the one that followed it a moment later, running parallel to her spine. Always a firm believer that the best defense was a good offense, Valor moved to repay her attackers in kind. Throwing herself at the enemy she’d already injured, she discarded any worries about its innate toughness or its supernatural cold. Instead, flung herself bodily at her foe, intent on doing as much damage as she possibly could. This time her enemy wasn’t taken by surprise, its massive arms catching her before she could knock it to the ground. But the triumph that spread across its torn face lasted only for a moment as it felt her paws wrap around its body and begin to squeeze. Twin groans erupted, as Valor felt the chill of the creature’s body penetrate her bones, even as the hirsute biped’s began to strain of her grasp. Panicking, the monster shrieked as it tried to extricate itself from the literal bearhug, only to find that – although it towered over her – it couldn’t free itself. A moment later its cry became one of agony, the sound covering up the soft cracking as its bones began to splinter. But its voice was drowned out by Valor’s as she unleashed a scream of her own, the burning in her muscles temporarily masking the spreading cold permeating her body as she heaved and lifted, bringing the monster up off the ground. With nothing to brace itself against, the creature could do nothing to save itself as Valor put everything she had into one last squeeze, shattering its spine and crushing the life from the thing in a single instant. Feeling her enemy go limp, Valor dropped the corpse, falling onto all fours as she shivered and panted. One…it had taken almost everything she had to bring down one of those things, at the cost of several deep gashes and a persistent chill that was leaving her feeling dangerously numb. Worse, the six others surrounding her didn’t seem to be intimidated by their companion’s death. If anything, they looked pissed. But what frightened Valor at that moment wasn’t how badly the odds were stacked against her. It was the sudden scream she heard from her friends.