//------------------------------// // Chaos in the Woods pt 1 // Story: A Lamenter goes to Equestria // by McCrowley //------------------------------// Garvel had fought on forest worlds before, but this was just ridiculous! Trees were so close together that he had to walk around their mighty bodies, others were so small that he could just run right through them without even looking back. He hadn’t seen a single animal yet though, just these accursed trees and bushes. His helmet picked up some poisonous flowers up ahead, blue ones with spots. Of course his armor kept him safe, but he opted to play safe and simply walk around towards the sounds of the scuffle. Up ahead was a clearing, but the trees were thick here, allowing no entrance. He would have to find another way in. He ran to the right, dead set on finding that Ork. If even a single Ork was on this planet, then may the Emperor protect them all. Also judging by the loudness of that yell, it must have been a much larger enemy, possibly a Nob or a Mad Dok. He could hear the fight, snapping jaws and meaty fists rang throughout the clearing. And the sound of whimpering. Female whimpering, trying to leave the clearing just ahead. It must be that ShutterFly or whatever the Xeno’s name was. He continued trying to find an exit, for it seemed she was doing the same. The trees were still too thick to catch anything but small glimpses, but that was enough. It was obviously a very large Nob, perhaps even a Mega Nob. How it got on this planet he did not know. All that mattered was part of the creed. Death to the Xeno. A slight slithering sound could be heard, but he paid no head. No mere snake could possibly puncture this armor. He was nearing her location, she having apparently finding a small enough hole in the trees to escape. Garvel was close enough to hear her breathing, as erratic as it was. She sounded on the verge of tears, vomiting, and screaming all at the same time. And judging by the smell you couldn’t blame her. Capture at the hands of the Orkz is highly degrading, and for a Xeno her size to have been captured for two weeks spoke wonders about her character. She must have been the bravest of them all, feeling no fear in the eye of defeat and terror incarnate. So it was much to his surprise when she simply fainted the moment she saw him. He blinked away his surprise just long enough to cover her with a few larger leaves before attempting to enter the clearing. He really should have paid attention to that slithering. This forest scared the young ripper. He just wanted answers. He just wanted recognition of the fact he was alive besides constantly devouring bio-matter. He smelled many a thing in the breeze. He smelt blood, most likely from the sounds of a small conflict up ahead. The wolves he had been following, their blood was in the air. As well as some… Testosterone filled blood as well. If there is one thing positive about a ripper, it is their sense of smell. And he smelt something else besides the blood. He smelt a burnt ichor. Burnt Tyranid ichor. Barley masked by the smell of sweet ceramite and the flesh it hid. Imperials. Space marines. They slaughtered his kind by the millions, just as they did to them. They were perhaps the tastiest of all the fleshy creatures in the Galaxy. Gone was his fasting attitude. He hungered, for the flesh of this Imperial who would dare stand against the Hive. He peered through the bushes towards the Imperial; he seemed to be looking for a way into the clearing. The marine stopped for a moment, seemingly in shock. A… Horse? It had just… Fainted at the sight of the Marine. The ripper thought what would it had done had it seen him. Fainted? Screamed? Tried to exterminate him? The marine had long found his way into the clearing by the time these length thoughts drilled through Ripper’s head. He could pursue, but conflict was never the place for a lone creature such as him. And being so close to so many smells meant he was able to discern them. He gagged slightly at the cloth he had eaten about a week before. It didn’t just smell like Ork behind. He could still taste the multitudes of Fluids that he could smell all too clearly now. The lone ripper chewed his way through some of the trees that blocked his path and boy howdy was he rewarded with a sight. These bloody wood wolves were keeping him from finding the space marine! THEY WERE KEEPING HIM FROM HIS LOOT! That enraged him to levels unseen in anything besides an angry marine. It is a basic rule of the universe; Do NOT get between a Nob and his Loot. “GET OUTTA MAH WAY YOU GITS! I got a Space mahreen to stomp!” The Timberwolves once again ignored his large roars and rushed forward. There were dozens of the things. What the blood hell did they want? There was plenty to eat- Oh wait no he ate most of the things in a four mile radius. There was plenty of terri- Oh wait no he claimed most of the woods by now. Well damn. This really puzzled the smart tactical part of HeadSmasha’s brain. Which was deep, deep inside his skull. The rest, which was completely active at the time, was focused on the fight. Even without his shoota arm, Headsmasha was able to hold his own. Long ago he had started using a club he had fashioned out of one of the earlier timber wolves carved with his teeth as a weapon. Timber wolf wood is highly durable, almost unbreakable by anything that wasn’t incredibly powerful. So He lost a few teef carving the thing but as everyone knows, "Teef grow Back!". He swung his club in a downward arc with a roar, smashing a charging timber wolf right before it bit his side. The spine cracked loudly, giving all the others a small pause. He grinned his bright yellow and tooth smile and charged in with loud yell. What is it an Ork yells into battle? “WAAAAAGGGHHHHH!” His thick legs propelled him across the small clearing, the Wolves barely having time to react. Only three out of the remaining six were able to dodge his wide swing, the other three being propelled nearly to the edge of the clearing. The remaining three scampered out of his reach, beginning to circle him slowly. Headsmasha looked around him, eyeing the three Timber Wolves. The circled him slowly, two males and one large female. Not that Headsmasha cared, but that’s what they were. Their beady eyes glowed slightly as they growled long and low. His grin widened slightly as he raised his club, pointing it towards the larger of the three. “Oi You wolf ting!” his voice rattled loud and strong, “You and yer lot are FINISHED. I’M deh new WARBOSS around ‘ere! And yer-“ His words were cut off by a brush of yellow and a loud CLANG, as he was hurled about three feet from where he stood. “WUT THE ZOG WUZ DAT?” Headsmasha yelled as he shook his head in confusion. The wolves too looked to where the large Ork once stood, utterly confused by a new entry into the fight. “For those we cherish, we die in glory!” He just bucking charged in like a princess damned idiot! How he survived the fall was way beyond her. Rainbow dash was pissed off more than a manticore with a big thorn in its paw. She lazily chased after him, gently floating out of sight behind the trees so the idiots up in the chariots didn’t see her. Even after they all SAW what he was capable of NONE of them want to just straight up EXECUTE him! And now they trust him enough with finding her motherbucking best friend? What were they, Stupid?! Worse enough Pinkie had the Gall to listen to the damned bastard… Her friends were slowly dripping from her. Only Applejack and her seemed only mildly influenced. Pinkie seems to join his madness, Twilight can’t seem to do ANYTHING right anymore. Rarity… Well let’s say Fluttershy isn’t the only they haven’t seen in some time. There was a clearing she remembered from up above the sounds of something beating on wood as well as the howl of wolves. Was he beating on the local Timberwolves now?! She poked her head out into the clearing through some bushes and there… Well there was something new. The biggest thing she had ever seen, even taller than captain flank kisser or whatever. It was big, mean, and very, very green. It was smashing Timberwolves with bucking no mercy. They’d all rush him from every angle but he would just shake em off and beat them to death! Sometimes they wouldn’t even get that… He left quite a few laying there, laying in agony. It stirred… Something in her. But not as much as what happened next. She saw him through the bushes to the back left of the big green thing. He stopped for a moment to ready his wood weapon. Why the buck did they let him have that again? Sheer idiocy? She blinked away her surprise from his speed in the dash, just in time to witness the green thing hurled a good three feet. Fast and Strong? Now that’s just not fair anymore. Her confusion only increased tenfold when she heard what she to be the battle call. “For those we cherish… We die in glory?” Came her conflicted voice broke her own silence. “Such a funny phrase… Isn’t it dashie?” Came an energetic voice from behind her. “Pinkie? Wha-? How did you get down here? Last I checked the chari-“, She was cut off by a pink hoof. One over her mouth, the other around her neck. “Shhh shhh… Think about the phrase, Dash. For those we cherish. We die. In glory.” The pauses in between the smiling pink mare increased, her smile curing into a relaxing content face. “Well he obviously doesn’t sound like such a meany weeny now does he? He well OBVIOUSLY cares about things doesn’t he? Just think about it a bit more?...” The rainbow mare sighed once more, as she had done almost on instinct whenever she talked to pinkie anymore. She tried in every single way to get them all to come listen to her ‘preach’ or something. She apparently learned a lot from the bucker… After that little bath system mind erase thing he had to have done. “Pinkie! Seriously! This isn’t the bucking time! Look! There’s ANOTHER thing here! We could possibly have another Ponyville massacre! Why don’t you shut up for just one!-“ She was cut off again as pinkie stuck out her head to look and placed her hoof over Rainbow’s mouth again. When she popped back in, her smile was wider and much more cheery. “Oh that’s just an Ork Silly! Garvel has the love of the Emperor in this fight! No way can he lose!” Her smile beginning to turn much more relaxed once more as she turned back to look at Rainbow. “You see dash… That’s all you really need. The love of the Emperor.” The rainbow mare stared at her pink friend, whom had donned a red looking cape cloak thing before the trip and was now uttering a small prayer into her own hooves. “Pinkie…” The mare choked back her true feelings as she spoke, “What the buck is wrong with you?..” There he was. Some lone Ork Nob looking for a scrap. But he knew what that could entail, a single Ork can spell doom for a planet if left unchecked. For soon his spores will reach suitable ground, and out comes the WAAAGH! Garvel stood proud as he looked up to the Ork standing before him as it dusted off the dust from the small fall it had. It didn’t even flinch when it saw the proud Astartes standing firm in a battle stance, wooden blade drawn. A smile broke upon its scarred and toothy lips. “Wuts dis? The Space marine came to find ME? HEH! Aint that a rioght bit a laugh that is!” The large Ork said with a chuckle coming. He hefted his club up, pointing it at Garvel. “Alright you lil git! Dis is MY worl’ now! And YOUS IN MY WAY!” The last words echoed with the meaty thud of large feet pushing the Ork’s large frame forward, Timberwolves completely forgotten in lieu of a “fun fite”. Garvel anticipated the dash, but was surprised as the makeshift club swung down, connecting with his chest with a loud crack. The Ork wasn’t done there as a large foot connected next, sweeping the lone marine off his feet and onto the ground. “This Ork is FAST. Too fast…” thought Garvel as he quickly gained his footing once more. “I need to end this quick.” The Ork laughed once more as he slowed to a stop near something near the edge of the clearing. As he picked it up, Garvel almost wished the Ork hadn’t. Being lifted in the air was a small yellow Xeno. Having been crumpled earlier by his presence, it was in the prime position for a small snack for the Ork. What came next was a shock. “You come for this lil useless git? She’s been one hell ava burden! Even GROTS do more work dan ‘er!” He tossed the small Xeno over his shoulder, seemingly used to the expression and weight. “FLUTTERSHY!” Came another distressed cry from behind Garvel, the rainbow one caught up to him it seemed. The last thing he saw was a rainbow trail before all hell broke loose.