Dmitri' groaned in pain. He was cold, wet, hungry and tired. But hey, at least there was a fire nearby. Dmitri' sat up and gasped for breath before releasing a mighty roar. The purple sea serpent Alarmingly moved backwards in the river, winching and shielding his face. Dmitri' jumped to his feet and looked around himself, claws bared.
“Vill KEEL YOU!” Dmitri' shouted to no one in particular. Then he shuddered and fell over again, mumbling about tearing something apart, and something to do with salt and an unpleasant way of cleaning a toilet.
“You alright there fellow?” The sea serpent moved cautiously towards the shore. The hairy creature that had bumped into him was anything but normal. Steven Magnet had seen quite a few different creatures, living in the river of the Everfree forest. He'd seen manticores and timber wolves, hydra's and diamond dogs. But Steven Magnet had never seen something so huge and hairy.
“Vill be in a moment,” Dmitri' spoke, breathing heavily and coughing up a little excess fluid from his lungs. “....how long have I been out?”
“About two days, big fellow.” the sea serpent said, still cautious.
“Dmitri',”
“Huh?” The sea serpant said.
“My name, it is Dmitri',” Dmitri' said, shakily getting to his feet. “It is pleasure,”
“Oh, so well mannered!” The sea serpent said, losing all fear in an instant. “Well, the pleasure is all mine, and my name is Steven Magnet, sea serpent and hairstylist extraordinaire!”
“Hairstylist, really?” Dmitri' said in an amused tone. “Is unique, to say the least. Did not think undervater creatures have much to do vith hair.”
“Oh, I know, I'm dreadfully unappreciated,” Steven Magnet said, dramatically putting the back of his claws on his forehead. “Too soft to live among my own kind, too startling to live among the gentle ponies. Oh woe is the life of an artist, to have such fabulous hair and no one around to admire it!”
Dmitri' stopped what he was doing and looked at Steven Magnet, a look of concern, and possibly pity. “Dah, I understand completely.”
“You do?” Steven said hopefully.
“Dah, I have had.....eh similar problems vith mine upbringing.” Dmitri' said, then he flashed the biggest smile he could muster then raised his thumb in approval. “Just keep on doing vhat you love, and eventually the vorld vill see you for truth!”
A single tear slid down bright purple scales. “Could it be, that somehow I found a kindred spirit? A soul mate of sorts?”
“Vould not go that far,” Dmitri' said as he wobbled over to a tree and sat down. His body healed fast, but not that fast. If he wanted to heal faster, he needed to eat. Meat and magic, that was the trolls creed. Dmitri' enjoyed a piece of fruit from time to time, or a few vegetables, but to much would make him sick. He needed to hunt, but not just yet. He needed his legs to lift his weight first.
“Just,....a friend who knows vhat it is like to be different.” Dmitri began rubbing down his arms, and noticed that his fur looked a little bit different. He raised an eyebrow and began looking all over his body. Surely enough, his fur had had the knots cleared out of it, and smelled nice. It had a healthy sheen to it. Dmitri lightly touched his head, and noticed that his dreadlocks had been cleaned and redone, and there were red ribbons put into his hair. Dmitri's eyebrow still raised he looked to Steven Magnet.
“Oh, I uh, I hope you don't mind,” Steven said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his clawed hand. “I, Uh, well, I hardly ever get a chance to practice, and you were out for a while, and you were just a mess, so I, Uh,...”
“Are you having a mirror?” Dmitri' said pleasantly. Steven Almost flipped with excitement, with a crash he submerged himself under the river. After a few moments, he surfaced with a hand held mirror, for him anyway. For Dmitri' it easily was the length of his body. He admired his reflection and stood up from his tree.
“Not bad...” He muttered. He generally looked the same, except his hair was completely free of knots, and upon his head, his hair was slicked back. His dreadlocks were tied in red ribbons, and his hair had been brushed, and,...shampooed? Well whatever it was, it smelled better than anything he'd ever had in there. All in all, Dmitri' was quite pleased with his appearance.
He noticed, however, that he still had the orange ones hat, clutched in his hand. Dmitri' thought of the creatures that had attacked him without provocation, and his blood began to boil. He almost tore the hat in two right there, but decided against it. Perhaps he could use it's material for something at some point. He pocketed the hat and returned to admiring his reflection.
“Good Job Schteven!” Dmitri' said happily. Steven was absolutely fawning.
“Oh go on,” The sea serpent said, waving his hand.
“No, really, Have not looked this good in years!” Dmitri' said with a chuckle. “Und I smell amazing! Vhat is that?”
“Oh, just a little home recipe for a conditioning shampoo that I whipped up one day.” The Purple sea serpent was absolutely gushing at this point. “So you really like it, huh?”
“I love it, friend.” Dmitri said with a happy, toothy smile.
They sat there in comfortable silence for a few minutes, while Dmitri' sat back down and began to focus on healing. His body still had reserves of fat and magic to draw upon, he wasn't in critical danger yet, but he probably should eat soon.
“So, Dmitri', why were you doing the backstroke anyway?” The purple sea serpent said with a chuckle. Dmitri' looked a little crestfallen at that, and his face turned red.
“Don't vant to talk 'bout it,” Dmitri' grumbled, not looking Steven in the eye. Truth was, he was embarrassed about it. Even though they had outnumbered him, he still should have been able to defeat them. Next time he was attacked here, in this world, he would not lose. He would feast.
“Ok, mister sourpuss,” Steven Magnet said with a chuckle. His chuckle stopped when Dmitri' stood up. “Oh, don't be so negative, I was just joking!”
“Is not reason,” Dmitri' said reassuringly. “I need to eat, und soon, und the only vay to eat is to go und get some food.”
“Oh, if it's food you want, I just so happen to have a full tray of the most delicious seaweed quiche you've ever tasted,” Steven said rummaging around the river and pulling out a plate full of green squares.
“No thanking you,” Dmitri' said with a little winch. “I have special diet,”
“Oh, okay then,” The serpent's face fell almost instantly.
“I vill come visit you sometime, friend,” Dmitri said with a wave, then he turned around and began to walk into the woods.
“Oh yeah, I'd like that.” Steven Magnet caressed his fabulous mustache, and put on a strained smile. “I'll.....I'll just stay here then.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Everfree was unusually quiet that night. The animals had long since found solace in their dens. But one animal had just started his prowl. From the shadows he moved, sniffing the ground, looking, searching. Eventually however, the prowling beast found something, a trail of some creatures. They smelled different from what the beast was used to, but the tracks were familiar enough. Wolves. These were wolves. Moonlight reflected off the creatures teeth. He would feast tonight.
The wolves were tracking something of their own. The pack howled in unison, and ran through the forest at full speed., chasing the small animal at full speed. The creature was a young female beaver. Large eyes looked back at the wolves, scared and frantic.
The female beaver was nearly away when it tangled itself in some upturned roots The wolves circled around their prey, and began to growl in unison. The pack took turns lunging at her, and biting the air in front of her, barely missing. It was as if the wolves feed off of fear just as much as they would feed off of her succulent meat.
The leader of the pack, however, decided that it was over, and it was time to eat. The wolves moved to go in for the kill, but it stopped. The sound of the wolves growl was not the loudest in the forest tonight. From the trees, yellow eyes glowed, and white teeth reflected moonlight. The beast was here.
Down to the forest floor, with the grace of a cat, and the strength of a gorilla, the beast struck, slashing into one of the wolves with ferocity. The wolf went down, and the others charged the beast. The beast roared, and the charging wolves stopped and back peddled in fear. The beast then swiped.
It was a flurry of claws and teeth, of muscle and bone. The wolves fell and clattered down onto the floor. The beast and the pack leader were the only creatures left standing. The pack leader charged and bite down on the beast's shoulder. The beast let out an unearthly growl and slammed the Wolf into a tree. The beast opened it's jaw as wide as possible and bite down on the alpha males head, severing it from it's body.
Dmitri' spit the wooden head of the timber wolf out and began to scrape his tongue, picking out splinters, and sputtering up ivy. “Vood? MADE OF VOOD?!!!! OH COME ON!”
Dmitri' looked at the creatures made of wood and leaves. He couldn't eat wood! He needed meat! Succulent, delicious meat.....Dmitri's eyes turned towards the fallen female beaver.
“Vell,” Dmitri' said, his teeth shimmering once again in the moonlight. “Vaste not vant not.”
Dmitri' moved foreward, cracking his claws. The beaver was injured, and it's fear could almost be tasted in the air. Dmitri' didn't like taking another predators kill, it just didn't feel right. But hey, he'd killed five wolves, well, woody wolves anyway. It only seemed fair that he got to eat because of it. But as he moved closer to the creature she let out a slow whimper, and he stopped and tilted his head.
“Vhat?....” Dmitri' said after a second. The small critter let out another low moan. Dmitri's face just turned sour.
“Oh, geez....vell,.” Dmitri' wasn't happy about letting a meal go, but he had a rule. No talking meat. “Sorry bout' that.”
“So vhat is your name?” Dmitri' moved closer to her and helped her from her entanglement.
The creature made another low sound.
“Oh, vell, is a nice name, Delilah, Not a name that I think a beaver vould have.”
Delilah let out an annoyed grunt.
“Oh, no offense meant, did not know ponies could talk till recently either,” Dmitri said with a smirk and a nod.
The beaver nodded, then looked behind Dmitri'. Dmitri' turned around and groaned. The wolves were putting themselves back together. “Hokay, let's do this thing.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dmitri' was picking thorn like teeth out of his left shoulder, while Delilah the beaver sat on his right, chirping along. The wolves had continued coming back together again and again, and eventually Dmitri' had just decided to set the damn things on fire....but he didn't have a fire. Instead he just crushed them together into smaller and smaller pieces until they were close to sawdust. They didn’t' seem to be getting up from that.
“Dah,” Dmitri' nodded to her. “Is kind of odd I admit, But is good name, Dmitri'! Vas grandpappi's name.”
Delilah gave Dmitri' an incredulous look. “Vell, Hokay, I understand. No more judging names. So, ve close to your home yet?”
Delilah nodded fervently, then made a few more noises. Dmitri' chuckled.
“Is Hokay, I understand. I am big und scary. You go und tell your familiy you ok, ok?” Dmitri smirked. Delilah made more noises, and Dmitri' rolled his eyes.
“Hokay, Hokay, I'll vait here und meet them.” Dmitri' said with a chuckle. The female beaver left to go into a hollowed out log, and after a bit, more and more animals came from the woodwork. Beavers, Chipmunks, rabbits, birds, all of them came out of their happy homes. Dmitri' smiled and listened to their chatter, and it was odd there seemed to be a wide variety of animals here, and he was....understanding...all of them...his eyes widened in horrible comprehension. Dmitri' took a step back from the animals of the forest, and bounded into the woods, leaving Delilah the beaver to look on perplexed.