//------------------------------// // A Wolfs Memories // Story: Blood Moon // by Electric thunder //------------------------------// JOEL… “At dawn, the wrath of the suns fire will overcome you…this is why we are nocturnal, hide from the flames, hunt from the shadows, the moon is your ally and power…” Joel slowly fluttered his eyes open and found himself floating in a familiar heavenly limbo, the bright soft rays of light shooting from the clouds around him. This time it was different though, the spectral wolf Hircine was upon him immediately looking down at him. “Good to see you my pup, I told you we would speak soon” His deep voice thundered around the young man, whom was silent. “Is something the matter, pup?” Hircine craned his neck down to the human looking into him with eyes that gleamed like night stars. “Hircine…what…what’s happing!” Joel shouted “Why is this happing, and…and what the hell is wrong with me!” His voice wavered in anger and tears. The spirit drew his head back and kept his eyes fixed on the human and did not reply. “Why won’t you answer me?” He yelled again “…please…I, I can’t…” Joel whimpered. “There are many things I can and cannot tell you, but this one time, it would be better to show you what exactly you’re here for…” Hircine faded into the clouds, and soon a great gust of powerful wind took them as well leaving Joel in the void, alone. There came another harsh wind and with it ashes, smoke, and burning embers that collected together building a world around the young man. Slowly a black scared field started to form, and around it a clouded landscape that blocked out the rest of the world. Shortly after, the ashes came together from more gales and started to make black scorched buildings and with one last gust an entire town, burned and in ruined surrounded Joel. Most of the buildings were only a few charcoal boards while others were piles of ash and debris, some were lucky and still had supports holding together shambles of the towns buildings. A thin haze of smoke and dust lumbered in the air with a harsh stench. The ground was nothing put a coat of grey and black. Joel was stating in the ashes surrounded by the husks unsure of what this had to do with anything, which confused and angered him further. “This is what I’m here for, I suffered all this for a burned village?!” Joel tossed his arms out wide and shouted to the emptiness. 'No…it’s what made the ruins, the shadow from the valley of death will come, and destroy this place again, and it will be the greatest threat you will face, and there will be many…very many” “That does not make any sense, why did it have to cost the lives of my parents and…and my sister!” Joel pleaded out. “These…ponies look at evil like it is a real force that affects the world by battling the forces of good in an eternal struggle for dominance like wolfs fighting for dominance, but in reality there is no such thing as a battle of good and evil, only different groups with different beliefs” “I don’t care what the ponies believe, I want to know why!” “Fine” Hircine bellowed and following was a gale of wind blowing the ashes into Joel's eyes which he covered instinctively. Joel saw the back of his eyelids and remained covered until the wind and completely stopped. The young man tenderly uncovered his face to be looking at the translucent paws of the spirit wolf. “I can answer only a few questions that you have about your, as you call it, curse only” Joel wanted to accuse the spirit and ask why, but rather than wasting his time, the human held is tongue until he had a real question. “Can I control it?” Joel asked “It is a he, and he is you and the answer is yes, but he is a wildling, full of rage and blood lust so you must learn to accept him and he must learn to accept you” “Then why can I not remember mostly what happened when I was…him?” “Joel, an easy way to explain is when you first ‘transformed’ your soul split in two, the original you and the wolf you, and they only way to gain access to his thoughts and control him you will have to build a bridge and link them together” “But then would he have control over me?” “Parts of your mind, yes he would, it will be like having a very…very aggressive voice in the back of your head to say the least” “Then why would I ever want to do something like that?” “Because Joel…if you don’t manage to build the bridge you will lose whatever humanity you have to him, and there will be no control over what he does, I can only assure you blood will follow” “Then what is to stop him from killing everything when…when he is…he is me?” Joel managed to slap together his question. “That would be you, when he transforms, you will be taking his place and as he would be able to influence your hand, you may hold back his” Hircine looked down at the mortal who seemed to become more lost than understanding what the sprit was trying to explain. “In a simpler tone, when you take on his body you will become a simple emotion to him, just as he is to you now but when you establish the connection, he and you, will become a much greater thought in the others mind, dependent on who has the physical form. “I still don’t understand” Joel lashed out “What is there not to understand young pup? From now on, you no longer have all your thoughts to yourself nor the wolf” “I...” Joel tried to start but was silenced by Hircine. “Spend time thinking over it then and find a way the best explains it to yourself, because our time as expired once more young pup…” “Wait what, no…NO!” Joel reached out to the wolf but whatever solid ground beneath him faded, and he fell into the abyss. “…I have seen the road ahead of you. It is grim and unpleasant… but if the answer is what you seek, just know your worst enemies are not all going to be the ones in front of you…” “PLEASE NO!” Joel lunged forward from the darkness and back into reality, back into the damned cell. Joel sat with cold sweat condensing on his brow. the sound of silence burned his heart with a harsh feeling of anger powered fear. He could no longer hold back his anguish, and screamed in pain so harshly his voice cracked before he even ran out of breath. “I…I just…never did anything” The human broke down into a fit of tears “Why won’t you listen to me!” Joel beat on his chest as he yelled out into the hall. “Because you are not saying anything to us” wiped the tears with his rag like sleeve. He was not expecting there to be a voice. Joel could see the shadow of what he thought to be Luna, but the voice not of her origin, but was similar in some ways. From the edge of his cell wall, another tall and nimble pony walked in front of his line of sight. This one was the same build as Luna, but this time her coat was a purifying white with a similar flipping mane of pasteurized colors. “I am Princess Celestia, sister of Princess Luna of whom you met already” The princess spoke with a regal and powerful voice to fit her stature. “I am aware that you have no memory of the night of your arrival, only the other part of you does, so how would it be plausible to communicate with it” Celestia said unaltered by the red eyed human. “I don’t control him or what he does…” Joel stepped up to the gate. “Then what has to be done to influence…it, to come out” The princess did not move, nor flinch, nor show any signs of discomfort, just a blank expression as she locked eyes with Joel. “What...why would you ever want that?!" Joel shouted out "No!" "do you have any idea how painful it was, those few moments I felt the whole thing, inside and out” Joel grasped the cold metal bars of the cell door, standing at the same height as the pony. “Everything hurt so much…” Joel spat through clenched teeth, almost able to feel all that agony again. “Fine, my sister did not tell me all of what you could remember; I wish to hear it as well maybe we won't have to resort to it" “I…I don’t want to, I can't…it hard to talk about it” Joel pushed himself away from Celestia and turned his shoulder to her. “I don’t think I was asking…” The princess lowered her gaze. “I wasn’t either, this was NEVER my choice, I have suffered enough!” Joel hollered “Just let me out, please” He turned to the pony with a shallow look. “The world is not giving, Life only takes things away from you, and part of living in this world or any...is to cope with it, take you a week, a month or 1’000 years, that is the price we pay to be born” The royal figure shared no pity for the human. “GAHHHHHHHhhh!” Joel roared as you flung his compacted fist into the wall with a dull crack. The pain flared throughout his arm, as small trickles of blood crawled down the stone. “stop” Joel dropped to his knees and his hand to his chest. All four knuckles were bleeding, the skin torn and bone exposed. His attempt to flex his hand in the slightest caused a great deal of pain. “Why?” It was a question Joel could not answer, even to himself. “Give in” Joel let his shoulders lose, and his arms free. Celestia was surprised at the outburst, and watched silently as the human seemed to let his body go as he slumped to the ground. It became clear very quickly what was going to transpire. “I will take your place” Joel knew were the voice was coming from, and did as it told him, he gave in. The last thing Joel felt was not pain or anger, but a great sadness that washed over him… ---<=>--- Some Nights Ago… “Scootalo!” the two young fillies wailed as the third was help above the wolf’s maw flaying for her life. Joel looked into the eyes of his catch as he hosted it off the ground and felt the bloodlust earning to the small animal. Joel used his free hand to pin its upper appendages to its body, and used the other to open its neck, but fortunately the latter did not happen. The flutter horse had acted and darted into the air to rear its hind-legs into the back of the hunter’s skull. With a yelp, the wolf released its death grip on the youngling. The wolf felt the sharp pain wash away, but something started to feel different. The blood rage that was boiling over his body subsided slightly. To the small entourage of ponies it seemed that Fluttershy had stunned the creature The wolf regained its stability and spun around to face its attacker, but was only to be greeted with a pair of large sky blue eyes staring him down. Fluttershy was giving it her all trying to subdue the beast with the same way she subdued the Cockatrice, but she was to be equally matched with look of ravaged hunger. It wasn't natural; this monster attacking them was not anything she had ever heard of. Its eyes, there was something in its eyes. Fluttershy realized this was not a fight, but a losing defense. She knew in the back of her mind this was an uphill battle, a very steep hill. The timid yellow Pegasus, caretaker of the forest animals could no longer prolong their testament of will, she had to stop, it was the eyes, she had to end the fight, she could couldn't look any longer . Her very bones were threatening to break under the creature’s pressure. Fluttershy turned her head away, holding her eyes shut as tightly as she could with a saddening whimper. The mare quivered with tearful eyes, she didn’t have the will to give one last look to the three fillies before her mauling, she wondered how much it would hurt, the feeling of fangs and claws seeping into her. There was a deep gritty grow, that was followed by an ear splitting roar and a brief rush of wind. There were snaps and snarls. She felt dust being kicked up over and around her body. The pegasus held her body tighter as the sounds were happing all around her, it seemed to continue for hours before another gale of dust washed over her back, the sound of branches breaking and the rustling of leaves followed by silence. Fluttershy did not open her eyes to observe what had occurred or to make sure the younglings were still ok, she just kept herself in a heap, crying…