The sun rose proudly over the horizon as I, a gray arctic fox, walked down a narrow path. I’d been up since I’d found what I thought was the perfect place to set up camp - a place I could call home, in a way. It would have to do. I had only one goal in mind: to gather as many resources as possible before hunger made its demands. The pain of an empty stomach is excruciating; I knew that well, and the last thing I needed was to make it worse than it already was. With my current luck, that might very well happen.
My eyes scanned the area before me, the rocky terrain littered with boulders just waiting to be mined. My paw reached into the pack on my back and pulled out a crude pickaxe I had fashioned from a few sticks and flint. It wasn’t much, but it would do. I took a deep breath and rammed the pick into the first rock I spotted. The resulting clang echoed through the air, the vibrations numbing my paws.
“Come on, come on,” I muttered to myself as I dug deeper and deeper into the rock. Finally I felt something shift, and I pulled the axe out, causing the boulder to crumble into smaller pieces. “Perfect,” I quickly gathered up all the rocks and carefully placed them in my backpack, then started on the next one, breaking it down piece by piece until there was only a pile of small stones left, which I threw into the bag along with the pickaxe.
Satisfied with my progress, I walked back to the path and picked up my pace, feeling the cold bite of hunger gnawing at my insides. I just have to keep going,’ I thought to myself. I just have to make it there. I pushed my legs forward faster, racing down the hill and into the forest. My paws slipped and slid over the ground, but I managed to stay upright and steady on my feet, racing through the trees. The world was reduced to the sound of my heavy footsteps hitting the ground.
As the trees thinned out, I began to slow down, letting my feet carry me into the open grassy plain. Tall grass mixed with saplings and shrubs dotted the landscape. A single small pond shimmered in the distance, cutting the path in half.
As I approached the edge of the pond, I threw my pack aside and knelt on all fours. My claws sank into the soft earth as I watched the water. My teeth ached, waiting to sink into the sweet-smelling flesh of the fish that swam around the pond, unaware of my presence. I sighed and licked my lips, preparing for the rush of adrenaline that always accompanied my attack. My muscles tensed and my head bowed slightly in concentration, anticipation building. My eyes followed a few large greenish fish swimming across the surface. My tail swayed slightly, ready to strike at the right moment.
I jumped and grabbed the largest fish I could, its mouth open in surprise as I bit down hard on its neck. It thrashed in my jaws as I pulled myself out of the water. Blood gushed from the gash I had made in its neck. I tossed it aside and pounced on the second, which was now struggling in my grasp. My jaws tightened around the thick, scaly skin of its neck, tearing it apart until it was as still as a stone.
I retreated from the pond, dropping both fish back into the mud. I wiped my mouth with the back of my paw, licking away any blood that might have dripped. Then, taking a deep breath, I went over to my pack and grabbed a bunch of the rocks I had dug up. I arranged the rocks on the ground in a closed circle. Placing branches and dry grass inside, I took a flint and struck it against a rock. The flame caught easily and quickly and spread to the rest of the firewood. Satisfied that the circle would contain the flames for the time being, I turned back to retrieve my kills.
Kneeling beside the bodies of the two fish, I picked one up and placed it on a flat rock. My nose twitched as I brought the fresh meat to me, my whiskers twitching with excitement. Slowly I placed it on the edge of the fire, keeping one eye on the fish to keep it from burning. My ears twitched as a howl pierced the air. I froze, my whole body stiffening, waiting to see if it would come again. After several long moments of silence, I relaxed and looked around, searching for the source of the sound. It seemed far away. Good.
I sat down, grabbed some grass and sticks, and laid the sticks on top of each other. Then I used the grass as a makeshift rope to tie them together. When I was done, I put the flint on top of the stick and used more grass to hold it in place. I looked at it. It seemed strong enough, a very primitive spear, but it would have to do.
With my newly made tool, I stabbed the fish and lifted it from the rock. I held it above my head, shaking it back and forth, examining it as its aroma filled the air. Satisfied with the results, I took a deep breath and bit into it, chewing the flesh with relish. The flavors filled my mouth and washed away the hunger pangs. I hummed with satisfaction as the juices ran down my throat and coated my tongue. The meat was rich, almost savory, and I swallowed as many bites as I could until the bones began to show.
As I pulled it from the spear, another howl echoed through the forest. I pricked up my ears. This time it seemed closer and more intense, making the hairs on my arms stand up. My ears swung from side to side, trying to locate the source. Something must have set the dogs off, but what? I wondered as the howling faded into a distant bark. The forest seemed to hold its breath, and I felt a shiver run down my spine, as if some hidden danger lurked just beyond the trees.
Murmuring to myself, I thought, I’d better take a look at that, so it doesn’t bite me in the tail later. Standing up, I tightened my grip on the spear with my claws as I headed into the forest.
The leaves on the ground crunched under my paws as I followed the distant barks. The trees loomed overhead, casting shadows that added to my unease. I trudged forward, stretching out my spear as the barks grew louder, along with something I hadn’t heard in ages.
“Get away from me, you... You ruffians!” A voice, a real voice, reached my ears. Without thinking, I ran towards it, making my way into a clearing. I stopped suddenly when I saw the source of the barking. Two large dogs were clawing and barking at a huge rock that seemed to be blocking the entrance to a cave. Their milky white eyes filled with rage as the voice called out again.
“Oh, if there is a creature willing to help me out of this dangerous situation! That would be greatly appreciated,” my heart skipped a beat, someone was actually alive out here and I was going to make sure it was real by doing something really stupid. I bent down to pick up a rock from the ground and threw it at one of the dogs. The rock hit its target with a loud thud, causing one of the beasts to turn toward me.
“Yeah, I’m the one who threw it,” I blurted out, a mixture of nervousness and bravado in my voice. My heart pounded as I extended my spear and said, “How about you do something about it?” The hound, now focused on me, growled in response, slowly approaching with rage in its eyes. Its body tensed, ready to pounce at the first opportunity. I took a deep breath and braced myself for the attack.
It lunged forward, its jaws snapping inches from my face. I dodged its attack, narrowly missing its razor-sharp teeth.
I swung my spear with all my might, connecting with the hound’s side. It yelped in pain and stumbled backward, landing on its back. Seizing the opportunity, I lunged forward and drove my spear deep into its chest, pushing it in as far as my strength would allow. A primal scream escaped its throat and I glanced at its friend, the other hound turning toward me. Before I could blink, it lunged at me, sending me flying backwards to the ground as the hound flew off of me, landing right next to me and snarling menacingly, its fangs bared.
I struggled to get up, but before I had the chance, the beast jumped and bit down on my left arm. I screamed in pain and stumbled back to the ground as it used its weight against me. Its teeth sank deeper into me, blood dripping down my fur as the pain overcame every nerve in my body.
I began to claw at its eyes, desperately trying to loosen its grip on my arm. But it held on, digging its fangs deeper and deeper. The sight of my own blood made my stomach churn, fear gripping my gut like cold iron bands. I could feel it draining from me, flowing out through the gaps in its teeth. No matter how hard I tried, the hound wouldn’t let go and I couldn’t free myself.
“Let him go now, you brute!” a rock suddenly struck the beast in the forehead, knocking it out of my arms. I saw another rock hit it in the head, hard enough to knock it unconscious. I stood unsteadily and looked at the other dog, its body limp. The spear lodged in his chest. I turned to see the owner of the voice.
I was stunned by what I saw in the cave entrance, a unicorn with a coat that once might have been a brilliant white, now adorned with the earthy tones of the wilderness, her mane and tail a dark royal purple, almost entirely matted as twigs and leaves hung from it in clumps. Cloth was wrapped around her front and hind legs, acting as bandages where I could see bits of blood underneath. Her horn was pale white like her fur, with a slight blue tint. The same shimmer could be seen around the massive rock that had once served as her shield. Her eyes were the same color, crystal clear blue, now staring at me warily.
“Hey, thanks for that,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “You really saved my dick back there. So thank you...”
She looked away, her eyes fixed intently on the ground, shifting nervously. “Well, darling, I should thank you for risking your life for me.” She looked back at me, eyes locked as her tone became more serious. “Really, thank you. I really thought I was going to die out here because of these brutes. It’s been a rough couple of days.”
I nodded, giving a small smile in return. “No problem,” I winced as the wounds in my arm flared with pain. “That one dog got me pretty badly, but I’m glad I could help. Uh, what’s your name?”
“My apologies, darling. My name is Rarity,” she introduced herself politely. Noticing my discomfort, her expression changed to one of concern. “Let me take a look at that wound, dear,” she suggested, stepping closer.
I reached out nervously, the same glow from her horn now forming around the wound. I could feel something gently probing it as I stared at it in confusion. That confusion turned to relief as the pain began to subside. “How are you doing this?” I asked, confused about what was happening to my injured arm.
Rarity met my eyes with a smile. “Is this your first experience with unicorn magic, darling? Don’t worry, it’s just a little spell to ease the pain of a wound.” Her words brought a touch of reassurance. “I will use a spell to clean it before I bandage it. Now, dear, please tell me your name.”
I hesitated for a moment, still processing what I had seen. “I am Arctic heart,” I replied, finally finding my voice. “But you can call me Arctic if you like.” She smiled at me gratefully, her magic washing the blood from my arm as a bag floated out of the cave. I watched as she grabbed it and pulled out some cloth and a bottle filled with some kind of yellowish liquid. “What’s in the bottle?”
“It’s honey,” she replied. “Honey has a way of sealing wounds and preventing infection. I learned that from my camping trips with my friends.” As Rarity spoke, she applied the honey to the cloth before wrapping it tightly around my arm. “It will help the wound heal and kill any germs my spell missed.”
Once she was finished, I looked down at my now-bandaged arm and noticed the comforting embrace of the honey-soaked fabric. “Wow, it almost feels like the wound was never there,” I marveled. As I flexed my arm, a low growl echoed beside me. I glanced over to see Rarity nervously placing a hoof on her belly.
“I’ve set up a campsite,” I suggested with a smile. “I could cook you a fish, if it’s something you can eat. It’s the least I can do after all the help you’ve given me.”
Her eyes lit up as she put everything back in her bag. “Yes, I do enjoy the occasional fish, darling. Lead the way.”