//------------------------------// // A mahogany stalker // Story: The Foal and the Timber Wolf // by airbournesquid //------------------------------// From the safety of the forest, they watched. They watched him from afar as he slinked past the orange pony, they watched as the foal had thrown a lead (the very symbol of imprisonment and disgrace) over his head, and they watched as he offered, offered himself to the filly before giving chase to small, white rabbit . It was all so weak, so pathetic, so degrading. A quadruplet of timber wolves lay intertwined with the shrubs and greenery of Everfree, invisible to the former hunter and his equine oppressor. Through each of their minds ran the same, unanswerable question: How could he? To be captured and withheld was dishonourable enough, but to accept it? The squad rose to their paws and darted away into the dark confines of the forest, leaving a lone wolf to watch over their former pack member. The boss needed to hear about this. "Phu-leaaase! Pleasepleasepleaseplease!" begged Applebloom, sitting on her haunches and holding her hooves together as if in prayer. The second the wolf had hit the ground, Applebloom had jumped to Fluttershy's side (scaring her into giving a startled 'eep') and began pleading her to not tell anypony about her and the wolf, especially not Applejack. Fluttershy instinctively hid behind her mane. Begging? Nopony ever begged her before. Still, it didn't change the fact Applebloom had done something ridiculously dangerous, and Applejack had to know all the same. 'I mean, she could have been seriously hurt, or even...' Fluttershy dismissed the thought briskly, the thought of poor little Applebloom actually getting killed made her blood run cold and her bone marrow freeze over. She cast a quick sideways glance at the timber wolf, sleeping soundly on her cottage floor. 'Just think about what those teeth could do to a filly!' No, she couldn't let this stand, Applejack would have to know... Then again, Applebloom did look rather upset. "Please Fluttershy, ah'm beggin' ya, beggin' ya! Don't tell nopony!" "Applebloom, what were you even doing with him, if- if you don't mind me asking, that is?" "He's mah new pet." answered Applebloom, putting a hoof to her chest and smiling pridefully. "Oh, well, I... Don't think that's a very good idea." Whimpered Fluttershy, her voice getting fainter and fainter by the syllable. "Awww c'mon," moaned Applebloom "ah promise ah'll be careful, pleeease?" "I'm sorry, but it's not... safe. I- I don't... Really... Think that you should-" "Please?" "Its just-" "Pleaaaaaaase?" "I don't-" "Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa *inhale* aaaaaase?" Fluttershy began to twiddle her hooves together awkwardly. It really wasn't safe to have a foal running about with a timber wolf on a leash, in fact, it was surprising Applebloom hadn't been hurt already. But then again, she did say it was her pet, and she couldn't take away another pony's pet, could she? No, she could never bring herself to do something so heartless. But then again, she didn't want to be responsible for a little filly getting herself eaten either. Surely it would be for the greater good if she just told Applejack and be done with it, besides, Applebloom already had a pet rock, didn't she? "I'm sorry, but Applejack would really want to know, and, well, I don't think you should be keeping him as a pet after... After what he did to your brother." Fluttershy shuddered as she said the last part. It was frightening to think that a stallion so big could be hospitalised by an animal so, well, crippled. It was even more frightening to know that said animal was in the same room as her. Another shiver ran down her spine as she thought of all the ways such a creature could hurt her. If it could put Big Mac in the hospital, she doubted it would have much trouble putting her in the morgue. She didn't even want to think about what it could do to Applebloom. She puffed out her chest and put on the best 'serious face' she could. "No." she said bluntly "That wolf is a dangerous animal, and I don't want you getting anywhere near it". Wow, she said that? She took a moment to revel in her pride. Her being assertive was a rare occasion to say the least, but every time she was she it counted it as a small victory over her meekness. "But... Ah already gave im' a name." croaked Applebloom, her eyes now brimming with tears "Ahn... Ah've never really had a pet before..." Oh no, she didn't want to make anypony cry, she just wanted what was best for Applebloom, was all. 'But is this really what's best for her? Taking away her new pet?' It had to be done, the wolf wasn't a pet, it was a predator, surely she couldn't let a foal keep an animal as naturally bloodthirsty as a timber wolf! But then again, Applebloom had been alone with him all the way over to her cottage, if it wanted to... do anything to her, it would have done it already, wouldn't it have? Besides, she had already given it a name. Fluttershy sighed in defeat, she just plain didn't have it in her to break a filly's heart. "Okay... I- I won't tell..." Applebloom beamed with joy *gasp* "Really? Really really? Fluttershy gave a small nod of confirmation. The young filly squealed with excitement, hopping up and down on the spot with giddiness. "On one condition." "Huh?" Applebloom paused her hopping in midair (something Fluttershy thought was exclusive to Pinkie Pie) and stayed there for a couple of seconds before falling flank-first to the floor with a soft 'thump'. "Y-you have to tell me all about him." said Fluttershy with a warm smile. She kept her eyes fixated upon the cottage door, her body buried within the long grass. Her pack brothers had demanded that she stay behind and observe the traitorous cur. 'Observe', what nonsense! She was a hunter, a killer, petty 'observations' were below her. She had been trained to kill, and by the gods, she was going to kill. This scum had tarnished the name of his very species, let alone his pack. Payment was due, and she was the one who was going to cash in the cheque. She inched closer, wary of any sudden movements. As she closed in on the cottage she began to slow down. Whoever lived here kept a lot of animals, a real lot. Chickens lay roosting in a coop, and several flamboyant birds rested on perches set up around the cottage. Spooking them would be a bad idea. Murder became a lot harder once your target knew you were there. The faint voices of ponies could be heard from inside the building. "-An mah friends played with 'im an all!" "He... sounds really nice, Applebloom." "Yeah, he does, don't he? But, ah've got a lil' problem." "Hmm?" "Well, when ah gone ta take 'im out, ah noticed his food was all over the floor. He hadn't even touched it!" "Oh... Well, Applebloom, um... You see, timber wolves don't eat dog food. Their diets consist of, well, other things." "Like what?" "... Umm other animals." "Come again?" "Other animals." "Didn't quite catch that." "Other. Animals." "..." "..." "Oh... So, he has ta eat meat?" "Uhuh." The huntress dropped her jaw in disbelief. Were these ponies really so blind and ignorant that they actually forgot that timber wolves were strictly predatory? A creature as moronic as these equines didn't deserve the life the gods had bestowed upon them. Something so weak was never meant to survive. They tainted nature's land with their brick dens and cobblestone paths. They insulted the gods by ignoring them, instead putting their faith into their false deities, the pretentious 'princesses' who hid away in their stone city in the mountains. They enslaved the gods' subjects with leashes and cages, robbing them of their freedom and their dignity. Their entire species was a filthy stain on the face of the world, a stain that she took upon herself to cleanse. Starting with these two. Applebloom trotted through the cottage door, hauling an unconscious Splinter behind her. She'd tied her DIY leash around his hind legs in a basic knot. If there was one thing she was good at, it was tying knots. It was surpisingly helpful in her day to day, cutie mark hunting life. Luckily, he was surprisingly light, which meant that dragging him was a cinch. Fluttershy followed her closely, her worried eyes fixed on the timber wolf. Had using 'the stare' been a bit too much? After all, the poor thing was probably starving! All it wanted was a little food. Well, hunger wasn't going to be a problem anymore, seeing as she was wearing a pair of saddlebags stuffed full of carnivorous animal feed (which was imported from the griffon lands due to Equestria's strict animal rights laws). She silently told herself off for forgetting to give the feed to Applejack in the first place. There were literally dozens of animals in and around her house, meaning that there was commonly tons of work to do, ergo plenty to remember. She couldn't be blamed for forgetting one or two things, could she? The wolf grunted softly as Applebloom dragged him face-first through the dirt. Fluttershy could only hope that being hauled by a filly didn't hurt too much. She spared a quick glance at her beloved animals which she kept in her front garden. They seemed... Alert, as if something was amiss. It was almost like they were frightened. The birds scanned the surrounding fields, some staring intently into the dark expanses of Everfree forest, sort of like they were expecting something to slink out from behind the towering pine trees. The chickens hid away in their coop, and the numerous ferrets and mice who were usually scampering across the ground had stopped in their tracks, heads snapping back and forth on the lookout for any kind of movement. Suddenly, Fluttershy found herself feeling a little bit uneasy herself. Everything was just a little too peaceful. She shook it off and continued to follow Applebloom. Of course her precious animals were scared, a timber wolf was being dragged through her garden, after all. 'Yes, that's what has them spooked, they're just a little unsure about Applebloom's pet, is all' she told herself, although not really believing it. She never saw the pair of bright yellow eyes staring at her in contempt from the nearby grass. The yellow pony moved away, following her smaller friend and her new 'pet'. Now was the time to move. She slinked out of the long grass, taking care to stay out of the other animals' line of sight. The two ponies picked up speed, moving at a steady trot towards the nearby pony settlement. It was surprising how fast the smaller one could go whilst towing a fully grown (minus one leg) timber wolf behind her. Why the gods had blessed such pathetic creatures with so much strength was beyond her, but then again, the gods worked in mysterious ways. No matter, the filly's strength wouldn't save her. She ducked back into the long grass. She'd cut them off further down the path, and then she'd find out if that filly was as tasty as she was strong. She moved with speed, her footsteps virtually silent. Her targets were getting closer to the pony town by the second, they'd be untouchable once they entered its perimeters. If she was going to kill them, she would have to do it fast. She came to an abrupt halt before diving into a nearby bush. This would do. She was now ahead of the two ponies, and the bush that she had chosen to hide in was only a couple of feet away from the pathway. A plan formed in her head immediately. Seeing as the pegasus could fly and therefore escape, she would be her priority target. With any luck she would be able to get her jaws around the pegasus' neck before she had time to react. As for the foal, well, her stubby little legs wouldn't be able to outrun hers, and the traitor was, from the looks of it, asleep, making him an easy target. To sum it up, she'd have them all dead within the minute. "I know what you're thinking, Serrah, and I'm telling you now, don't do it." Her heart skipped a beat as a familiar voice broke the silence. "By the gods" she gasped "you nearly gave me a heart attack! Explain yourself!" She turned to face the timber wolf that thought it was a good a good idea to sneak up on her, of all wolves. One of her pack brothers stood behind her with a huge, condescending grin stretched across his face. 'Fricking smart ass'. "Boss says we leave them alone... For now." "What?" Leave them alone? LEAVE THEM ALONE? They soiled the name of their pack, and they were just going to leave them alone? "That's preposterous! They disgrace us with their very existence, and we're seriously going to let them live?" To Serrah's mild surprise, her pack brother began to chuckle. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Serrah. The boss knows what he's doing, he always knows what he's doing." The steady trotting of hooves could be heard off in the distance. "Get down!" snapped Serrah, quickly lowering herself to her haunches. Her pack brother scrambled to the ground beside her, peeking out between the leaves of the bush. Sure enough, the pair of ponies soon trotted into view, the traitor still being towed along by the filly. They were so close, so open to attack, yet she was unable to take action. She growled to herself in fierce frustration as the ponies pranced freely through her ambush point. There goes her kill. "I had them... I damned well had them." "No need to fret, Serrah, I'm sure you'll get your chance sooner or later." Said the pesky wolf dismissively. Hell yes she'd get her chance. She raised herself to her paws once the ponies were out of sight. She'd get her chance real soon. Nobody disgraced her pack, nobody.