//------------------------------// // Just a taste // Story: Unbinding the Beast // by Enzo //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Just a Taste      Stunned with fear but bursting with adrenaline the colt felt his body get unusually warm even in the cold void of the forbidden woods. His eyes darted trying to keep track of the position of the wolves.       "Two towards my left... Three to my front... "      He tried to keep a mental note but as soon as he could direct his attention to this right one for the wolves launched itself towards his neck. He narrowly dodged the bite but his exposed back did not fair so well. The wound was painful but by no means fatal. Big Mac shook off the expression of pain and directed his emotion to anger.       "You lied to me!" The damaged colt began to shout..       "You've lied to me my whole life, and just as I find some truth I'm left here to die like some weak animal!" A stream of heat began to create a fog above his head.       "No... I will find you... And when I do, you will tell me why I was repressed all these years!"       His body was now smoldering and a trail of fog and steam flowed from him like a cape in the wind. He grasped the ax with such force he nearly cracked his teeth. The timberwolves circled Big Mac like sharks about to start a feeding frenzy, teeth baring and saliva dripping another wolf steps forward... Slow at first but after two paces the beast shot like lightning towards the crimson feast it so desperately wanted.       Big Mac widened his stance and with one swing of his ax there was silence. The force he used to swing the ax caused him temporary blindness, the same as if a pony stood up to quick from laying down. As his sight adjusted back into focus he could feel the cool touch of rain evaporating off of his head and back. A few drops trickled on his lips and it was oddly thicker than normal... It also had a slight metallic taste to it. Once his vision became clear Big Mac realized that rain he so gladly welcomed was not rain at all, it was blood.      There was a brief pause from the timberwolves, they stared almost in shock but it was short lived when two more wolves jumped at the blood soaked colt. He swung at the first wolf and missed the second wolf latched onto his back and started to claw viciously like a dog burying a bone. Each swipe ripped and tore through a new layer in the colts back exposing his muscular system, about four cycles of the wolf Big Mac finally was able to buck it off but he was now bleeding out at a steady rate.       "Damn!.... " Big Mac slammed his hooves on the earth.       "I'll kill you, I'll kill you all!!!" he began to slam his hooves violently.       His breaths became deep and staggered, covered in a cocktail of his own blood he could feel his body slowly shutting down.  As the wolves continued to circle him they started to melt into each other like a sea of red and gray.       " No... noo... not like this "      His front legs gave out and he began to feel a sharp pain in his chest.       "Hggggnnn!!! " he tried to stop the pain by pressing his hoof to his chest but it only increased exponentially. The ax became too much for him to hold and it crashed to the floor into a pool of blood. His eyes were weighted with tears and memories just flooding from his face but as he closed his eyes to rest the ax started to glow and the blood on the floor seemed to be absorbed by the unexplainable light. In his last whisper you could hear Big Mac murmur " I'm sorry..... " .  The remaining timberwolves drooled with anticipation to sink their teeth into the tenderized hunk of meat that lie before them.       "NOOOOOO !!, stay away from my big brother you bullies!" yelled a butter cream colored filly yelled from behind a tree. Her bright orange eyes and red mane darted towards her motionless blood coated brother.       "Get up! " the filly screamed " Get up !! I can't lose you!" tears flowing from her eyes she nudged herself under Big Mac's front hoof. " You can't go... Your my big brother! You said you would be there ... No matter what...... You said you would always be there for me." Appleblooms voice started to shutter with every word.      "I made you this necklace, please ... Come back. "      The wolves now had an appetizer to start their now two course meal and the howls and scent of blood attracted more members from the pack.       "I love you big brother" the scared filly whispered as if it were her last words.      The ax had a pulsating glow that grew with every cycle and just as the hungry wolves pounced a blinding flash illuminated the woods and Big Mac's eyes snapped open but there was no pupil just white endlessness. He turned his head to Applebloom and said one word.       "RUN!"       The filly did just that and ran hard and fast. One of the wolfs started to follow her path with its head when the colt belted out words as if two ponies were talking in series.       "YOU" he pointed to the wolf tracking his sisters movements.       "YOUR MINE!"       Big Mac moved with lighting speed and stopped inches from the wolfs face and without skipping a beat he punched the animal in a downward motion. This alone cracked the sternum and dropped the wolf to its knees, the colt then turned around took one step and bucked instantly cracking the wolfs skull.       The other timberwolves began to back off but before all of them disappeared Big Mac was able to grab his ax and throw it at one of the retreating wolves grounding it before the beast could escape. Big Mac walked to the dieing wolf and stared with his blank white eyes.       "YOUR SOUL WILL BURN FOR ETERNITY" as the last words were spoken the colt dropped his hoof on the head of the wolf  splattering the remains all over the floor.        He grabbed the bloodstained ax out from the back of the mutilated wolf and proceeded to the entrance of the woods. His eyes started to return to normal as he broke the threshold of the forbidden woods.       "Big Mac! Thank goodness your ok," the out of breath filly panted.       "I got help as soon as I could"      Once Big Mac's eyes were totally back to normal all of the pain returned as well and he dropped like a puppet who had its strings cut. The pain was too much to handle all at once and he began to slip out of conscienceness.      "It's ok there big fella you've had quite the day." Applejack tried to put her brother at ease.       "We need to move quickly," Granny Smith said nervously. "This is just a taste of what can happen if we don't get him stable again"       "Just a taste....."