//------------------------------// // 8. The shadow and the healer // Story: Sisters of the Storm // by Volgrand //------------------------------// The night a wolf called out to the storm was etched in the collective memory of Mountain Peak. No one could explain the mysterious disappearance of Mulberry's father. They searched the mountain for days without finding any trace of him. Star imagined... no... she knew it was the she-wolf who had fought Mulberry's father, but it was something she couldn't tell anypony. She sensed he had been behind Berry Punch's strange behavior, but it was just a teenager's assumption, and too many explanations would have to be given if she told anypony. More than a month after the incident, Star confirmed what she suspected. Berry Punch, in broad daylight, showed up at the young girl and her mother's house. In front of all the neighbors, she apologized for her behavior. "I don't know what came over me," she repeated in her apology. "I don't know why I got angry when I found out you had helped my son," Berry Punch said, addressing Star Whistle. "I really don't know. I'm so sorry." When Berry finished her long apology, Glittering Star looked at the repentant mare, not really wanting to forgive her, but her daughter spoke up: "There's nothing to forgive," said Star Whistle, "it was a mistake, and you said things you didn''t really mean." Glittering Light let out a soft sigh before saying, "I appreciate your apology." From that day on, while the two mothers didn't interact more than necessary, they were able to pass each other in town without any noticeable tension in the air. Star and Mulberry continued to be good friends, as always. Soon after, a funeral was held for Mulberry's father. The entire town attended, and instead of sadness, confusion permeated the ceremony. Everypony wondered what had happened to him. Had he been struck by lightning and reduced to dust? The summer in which Star became fourteen years old, she and her mother traveled to River Hills to trade goods. Although they didn't lie, they left out part of the truth. While her mother sold her crafts, Star sold herbs and offered healing services to travelers. After a week in the town, they gathered enough money to buy supplies and set off to a small clearing behind a rocky outcropping in the mountains. It was far enough from the main road to avoid casual travelers but close enough to the town for Star to reunite with her wolf friend. It took them another week of hard work to build the cabine, which was fitted with a stone fireplace. "Mom, I love it!" exclaimed Star. "Your birthday present, my dear," replied Glittering with a smile. The construction was simple: a single room with two shuttered windows and a door. A waterproofed roof, blankets to have two warm sleeping places... more than enough for Star and the she-wolf. Mother and daughter set out on the journey back. Shortly after, when night was about to fall, they saw the town. Somepony galloped out of it to meet them with the urgency reflected on their face. It was Silver Boulder. "Silver!" exclaimed Star. "What's going on?" "The healer, Plantain. He's very sick." "Since when?" "Two days ago." Star didn't ask any more questions and ran towards her master's house. Many neighbors peeked out to see her arrive. Many others waited near the elderly healer's house. The young apprentice went inside without responding to those who tried to tell her something. The fireplace was lit inside the house. Plantain was in his bed, close to the flames; the old stallion was breathing with difficulty and had a fever. A female pony was taking care of him, using cold water cloths to try to lower his temperature. "Star!" the mare shouted. "You finally arrive!" "What happened?" she asked. She explained that Plantain Hooves had stopped leaving the house a few days ago. When a neighbor came in, they saw that he was very sick and could hardly breathe. "He gets weaker every day, Star." Star asked to be left alone as she prepared her equipment. Platain had taught her well: she used several herbs to make vapors to help him breathe, while other produces lowered his fever. Despite her efforts, she soon realized that her master was suffering from an illness nopony could heal, from a fate that everypone had to face, sooner or later. Plantain was dying of old age. It was a difficult realisation for the young healer to come to terms with, to accept that she couldn't save her patient. The herbs had their helped to alleviate the symptoms: the old stallion stopped making noise while breathing and his fever dropped. For a moment, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Star approached him, tears in her eyes and a soft smile on her lips. "Rest, Plantain." Upon hearing his apprentice's voice, the old pony stirred and opened his eyes. He looked directly at her, trying to tell her something, but he couldn't articulate the words. "Calm down, master. You've taught me well. Thank you." Plantain continued to try to say something. Star approached, and on his lips, she thought she read the word "town." "Town?" The healer nodded, anguish reflected on his wrinkled face. Star then understood what was disturbing her master in his last moments. "The town will have a healer, master. I will take care of all its inhabitants," said Star. After a few seconds, the old stallion smiled at his student and closed his eyes, falling into a peaceful slumber. Wiping away her tears, Star went to the door, where she found Silver Boulder. "Tell everypony that if they want to say goodbye to Plantain Hooves, now is the time." Not many of the neighbors came to say goodbye to the healer because they didn't want to disturb him. Those who did expressed their gratitude for his work over the years. Finally, Star was left alone with her master, watching over him throughout the night. As the sun rose and a somber Star Whistle stepped outside, the people of Mountain Peak realized what had happened. Several ponies left their homes, the pain and loss reflected on their faces: their beloved healer, Plaintain Hooves, had passed away. But soon, they realize that the town would have a healer: as Star rose her head and faced her friends and neightbors with teary eyes, many saw that a Cutie Mark -a plantain leaf over a waning moon- had appeared on Star's flank. Despite the loss, the sun brought a new ray of hope to Mountain Peak, knowing that Star Whistle would continue the legacy of her mentor. Mulberry woke up in his room with a scream. It had been a couple of days since Plantain's funeral, and it still hadn't dawned. He had had some kind of nightmare that he couldn't remember. The first time it happened was a few nights after his father's disappearance, but since then it kept happening every night without exception. He silently approached his mother's room; Berry Punch was still asleep. After lighting a candle, he went to the well to wash his face and try to shake off the feeling of emptiness in his chest. He always had it after the nightmares and it lasted for several hours, as if a deep sadness engulfed him. He stayed like that, looking at his reflection in the water, feeling restless. He had no reason to b, but ever since the nightmares began, he couldn't feel at peace. He was consumed by an inexplicable fear, as if an invisible presence lurked nearby. He frantically scanned his surroundings, knowing beforehand that nopony was there except for him. Suddenly, a faint crack echoed from a corner of the room. He jolted towards it, trying to illuminate his surroundings with the dim light of the candle. As he drew closer, he was met with only shadows and darkness. Whatever made the noise had vanished into thin air, but the feeling of being watched persisted, growing stronger with every passing moment. He strained his ears, hoping for a shred of reassurance, but all he heard was the sound of his mother's deep slumber. Mulberry let out a sigh. He knew he wouldn't be able to drift off that night. He stepped outside, feeling a sense of relief as soon as his hooves touched the cold and wet grass, and with every step he took, he felt a sense of tranquility wash over him. He paused and gazed at his home, realizing that too many emotions had been bottled up within its walls for over a year. Ever since his father started acting... strangely. Maybe that was the root of Mulberry's own troubles. Perhaps the weight of all those memories was taking its toll on his conscience. Maybe... "Maybe it's time for me to find my own place," he muttered to himself. With that, the young stallion went for a stroll, waiting for sundawn. Inside the house, Berry Punch began to toss and turn in her sleep, her voice repeating the name of her missing husband. Silently a shadow, an unnatural darkness began to spread through the room, seeping in through the very floorboards themselves. A shadowy figure materialized, hovering over her sleeping form. But as quickly as it had appeared, the shadow dissipated, vanishing back into the depths of the floorboards. Berry Punch fell back into a peaceful slumber. A few weeks later, Mulberry moved into his own house. This caused some was some discussion in the village, as it was very unusual for a young pony to leave their parents' house without getting married, especially at just fourteen years old. Despite objections from the locals, Mulberry's mother and the neighbors collaborated to make an abandoned cabin habitable again. Meanwhile, Star took on the responsibilities of being Mountain Peak's new healer, but she refused to use her deceased teacher's house as a clinic. She couldn't explain why, but the idea made her uncomfortable, so instead, she and her mother arranged a space in their house for her to work. In that place she gathered everything she needed for her job and all the volumes of Plantain Hooves to continue studying on her own. Silver Boulder began learning the trade of carpentry from his father and helped Star build her clinic in their house as well as some furniture. They spent more time together day by day and the neighbors began to gossip about the two of them, although the teenagers always insisted that they were just friends. But the idea of a new couple among the young adolescents brightened the mood of the village, fueling happy rumors that were much needed after the recent events. Nopony could really explain why, and most simply weren't aware of it, but the night of the storm, the village became again a peaceful and happy settlement it had always been. Nopony, except for Star, could really begin to imagine that the seer of the winter wolves had saved Mountain Peak from a terrible and yet unknown curse. Mountain Peak celebrated the summer solstice festival, as they did every year. During that night, the neighbors gathered to dine, drink, and enjoy themselves, and it was also a time to remember those who were no longer with them that year and to recall the imprint they left on the village. As they used to say: "Memories remain with those who never let your story die." Late into the night, the festival was in full swing. There were several ponies playing instruments, and many others dancing and laughing. Glittering Light, who was among the musicians, put down his instrument to have a drink, but when he looked around, he couldn't see Star Whistle. She didn't really think that the young healer was any form of danger, but curiosity got the better of her. She left the party and went towards the waterfall, where she guessed she might find her daughter. On the grass, leaning against each other, were Star Whistle and Silver Boulder. They were speaking in low voices, and Glittering couldn't hear them, but she didn't need to. SHe could tell by the way they looked at each other, their smiles, and their body language that the rumors were true, after all. Smiling, Glittering returned to the party. Her daughter was smart enough not to do anything foolish... yet. Everything would come in due time. Weeks later, when winter neared the mountain, it was no longer a secret that Star and Silver Boulder were a couple. Mulberry, upon hearing the news, invited them to his house to celebrate. Somehow, Star sensed that her life long friend preferred to remain single for now. When they left Mulberry's house, it was already dark and snowing. Instead of going home, the couple went to their favorite spot near the waterfall. Like all teenage lovers, they didn't want to be apart, so they spent a good amount of time talking about various topics until the silence of the night was broken by a guttural howl coming from the lower part of the mountain. Star lifted her head. recpgnizing her wolf friend's voice. "Winter wolves," said Silver Boulder. "We need to go, it's dangerous." "What? Oh... yeah, sure," replied Star, who still was incapable of pretending, but Silver said nothing, accompanied her home before going to his own. A few minutes later, Star went out again, hiding and trotting down the mountain. She reached the clearing where she always met her friend without seeing anypony following her. She was about to howl when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Instinctively, she crouched, and a grayish shadow passed over the pony. Star, rapidly, turned and faced the attacked: the seer, Star's best friend, returned her gaze with a smile shining her her heterochromatic eyes. "You've changed, my friend. You're no longer a child." "But I'm still a slippery prey," Star replied in her friend's language. Both friends embraced as wolves. Starguided the wolf to the new cabin she and her mother had built. The wolf looked at the construction, then at the pony alternately. "There won't be too much fire this time, pony?" "Not this time, I promise. Come in." It took the wolf a while to be convinced that the fire wouldn't get out of control again, but in the end, even she acknowledged that her friend's shelter was an acceptable gathering place. Soon, Star asked a question she had been wondering for almost a year. "What did you do in the village last winter? You called the storm, why?" "Because darkness had invaded your territory. The storm ended the darkness. I heard it die myself." "What was it?" "Darkness and hunger. Death and lies," the wolf replied. Star thanked her friend for helping her people and explained how the village had changed since that night. She explained that she was now the one who healed other ponies of her herd, which was why she had her cutie mark. She also told her friend that she had found a partner. "Is he a good male?" the wolf asked. "Yes," Star said in wolf. "He's kind and affectionate. And we have many things in common." "That doesn't make him a good male," replied the wolf seriously. Now the pony had to think like a wolf. What did Silver Boulder have that could please her friend? "He's a strong and loyal pony. I know he would risk himself to protect his own." "Has he ever had to do that?" "Uh... I don't think so," Star said. "If he ever risks himself to save a cub or a female from your herd, he'll prove to be a worthy male. Not before." Star looked at her friend. Sometimes her way of seeing things exasperated her, but she couldn't help but recognize that she had a point, despite how different their customs, traditions and people were. "And you, have you found a partner yet?" Star asked. "There are several good males in the pack. Next year, I'll choose one and assume my responsibility as an adult wolf and leader of my pack." "We're growing up, my friend." The conversation drifted to other topics until almost dawn. Star returned, hiding and avoiding making any noise that could wake up her neighbors. She didn't realize that Silver Boulder was watching her from a window.