//------------------------------// // Feed // Story: Hollow Shades // by Dilos1 //------------------------------// Bon-Bon paced back and forth in the tiny kitchen area of her little cabin, her hooves echoing slightly in the cramped confines of her temporary headquarters. Once every few seconds she would glance expectantly at the dark glass bottle sitting on the counter next to the sink. Ever since she had sent another message to the Princess, this one regarding her brief but nerve wracking encounter with the creature, Bon-Bon had been waiting anxiously for a response to tell her what course of action should be taken to deal with it. She could have probably been a little more polite in her wording, but she felt the urgency of the situation called for it. So far though no response of any kind had come, and Bon-Bon was starting to become slightly worried if she would ever get one. I knew I shouldn't have called her a cake flank, she thought as she completed another circuit, glancing at the still inactive bottle of enchanted dragon fire for the hundredth time. Relax Bonny, just be patient. The Princess probably just got sidetracked with something just as important. All the same however, the cream colored mare was concerned, and it was beginning to show in her expression. Her ears were folded down against the back of her head, her eyebrows made little creases, and a frown seemed to be permanently etched onto her face. To distract herself from the wait Bon-Bon proceeded to review what she knew about the creature, or at least what she had seen it do. It was obviously an apex predator of some sort, and looked more fitting for the depths of Hades than any environment in Equestria. It was highly unlikely to be a native species either as far as she knew, and she knew a lot. But what really puzzled the mare however was the fact that she never even heard of anything fitting this creatures description. She even had a little booklet in her saddlebags that she had used as a reference guide to help identify it, but when she looked through it she found nothing. It was almost like it had simply showed up out of the blue for no apparent reason. Maybe it had been imported from another country and escaped? Another thing that bothered Bon-Bon regarding it was its apparent nature as a predator. When she had first stumbled upon it while it fed on the bug bear, Bon-Bon could not help but notice at how ruthlessly the ursa-vespidae had been ripped to pieces. And the way the monster fed, inhaling the disintegrating remains like a vacuum, gave Bon-Bon the impression that it was enjoying the practice. If it ever encountered a pony. . . she shuddered at the thought of what could happen. But still, Bon-Bon was a practical mare, and even if she felt that the creature posed a clear and present threat, she knew that as long as it stayed in the depths of the forest, far away from any communities, then it was unlikely that any drastic action would need to be taken against it. Bon-Bon however felt that it was a problem that needed to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible, so that the creature never got a chance to cause harm. Maybe it could just be relocated to a more remote environment, like somewhere deep in the Everfree. Very deep. Of course nothing effective could be done about it as long as the Princess put off responding. Growing more impatient by the second, Bon-Bon finally exploded in a fit of nervous anger. Bringing her hooves up the mare slammed them on the counter, and shouted at the bottle, "Get off your big fat plot and answer already!" No sooner than had she said this did the bottle immediately begin to glow a bright green, and the cork on top popped off, hitting Bon-Bon square in the eye. "Gah!" she exclaimed as she brought up a hoof to rub her now sore pupil. Soon afterward a jet of green flame shot out of the bottles top, sparkling slightly. When the flame eventually dissipated it revealed a rolled up scroll that hovered in the air for a brief moment before it fell down to the counter. "Finally," Bon-Bon muttered, temporarily forgetting her pain as she trotted over to it, taking notice of the royal seal. Breaking the seal with a hoof she rolled it open and began to read its contents. Addressed to: Bon-Bon, formerly Agent Sweetie Drops of the A.M.D. Sender: Princess Celestia of Equestria Dear Bon-Bon, I must first begin by apologizing for the lateness of this message. But now that I have a free moment I can address this issue that you have presented us with. This creature and its nature that you describe are indeed worrying, especially since it was discovered to reside so near to Hollow Shades. The possible outcome of an encounter with such a beast, especially one that could so easily dispatch the bug bear, is unsettling to say the least. Hence, it is my and my co-ruler's opinion that something must be done to address this issue as you suggest. We have deemed it prudent to have a specialized division of royal guards on standby should it become evident that it is hostile. If the creature does anything that threatens the ponies of Hollow Shades, then you are instructed to contact me at the soonest opportunity, and the guards will be there in less than a day. Until then, however, maintain observation of the creature and determine whether or not it indeed poses a threat. Do not provoke it. Only confront if absolutely necessary. Signed: Princess Celestia of Equestria Bon-Bon sighed heavily before rolling the scroll back up and trotting over to the bedroom area. She reached underneath the little cot she slept on and pulled out a wooden trunk. Undoing the lock she flipped it open open to reveal a myriad of different supplies and equipment meant for the sole purpose of warding off large predators. While Bon-Bon may have certain reservations about Celestia's order, she would do just as the Princess requested. It did not however keep her from muttering the words "cake flank" under her breath as she organized her supplies. It took Angela some time before she figured out exactly how she was supposed to move around while she was airborne. Positioning her body so that it was parallel to the ground helped quite a bit, but she did not learn immediately. She initially had started by simply pulling herself along by either grabbing onto nearby trees or by repeatedly skewering the ground with the two meter long claws of her extra arms. Both methods helped, but Angela knew that there would not always be trees around to assist her, and pulling herself along was surprisingly tiresome. Angela knew that what she needed to do was learn how to move under her own power. Thankfully she discovered later on that it was not much harder than simply angling her tails in the correct way and just willing herself forward. It was hard for her to explain, but it was almost like a part of her brain was on autopilot, allowing her to move freely, independent of any outside assistance. She of course crashed into the side of a tree a number of times during the entire process, but now that she had figured it out, she was able to focus her mind on other matters. Food, food, food. Where to find food, she sang in her head as her slender form wove between the trees like an exotic airborne serpent. Angela had never been that much of a meat eater when she was still human, although she did partake of the occasional steak. . . whenever she was able to abscond with one, and each time it had been a luxury for her. But now that she was a wraith, Angela suspected that meat would be the only thing she could eat. She had decided to test this theory when she came across a patch of wild strawberries, but the moment she had snapped them up she instantly knew they would not do. It was not that they tasted any different than she remembered, but something within her was telling her that no matter how many she consumed it would never sate her growing hunger. Wraiths were, after all, exclusively predators if the game was to be believed. This of course left Angela with the task of setting out and finding live prey, but so far the only animals she had seen were birds sitting high up in their nests. She had considered going after them, if only to eat any eggs she found, but she had found out early on that there was a limit to how high she could go just by levitating, as evidenced by the bruise on her chest. when floating did not work Angela thought about simply scaling the trees, but decided against it; it was too much effort for too little reward. And so Angela was doomed to wander around the woods hoping to stumble on something. And she was only getting hungrier. It was barely noticeable, but Angela felt that her mind was beginning to slip, and if she did not get something to eat soon she would go crazy from hunger. But alas, it would seem that critters tend to avoid you when you are a large predator on the prowl, and she wasn't even that good at sneaking around to avoid detection yet. Angela solemnly wished she had payed more attention to those hunting tips when an uncle would see fit to take her out for a little while. She could really go for anything right now as well. Something satisfying, like a deer or even a pon- Angela immediately cut that thought off before it could finish, shaking her head vigorously. Stop it Angela! she mentally shouted at herself. Get a hold of yourself. You know what that would lead to here. Angela knew that the minute she would start to consider eating ponies, then there would be absolutely no going back. She reminded herself that she was in Equestria now, and such an action would lead to the equines hunting her down and killing her. After all, it was what happened to regular animals that killed humans. Reinforcing her will over her instincts, Angela continued onward in search of non-sapient food. She would even consider taking up scavenging at this point. Just then a noise echoed though the trees, and Angela's enhanced senses picked up on it immediately. She tilted her head to listen, and was greeted by a grating squeal that didn't sound to be too far away. It sounded very much like an animal in distress. She felt her hunger rise at the notion of finally getting to eat something, but she kept herself in check. Her instincts told her to proceed slowly, so as not to scare off a potential meal. Angela slowly crept forward in the general direction the squealing was coming from, hovering close to the ground so as to limit her profile as much as possible, occasionally using her clawed hands to creep along the forest floor. After a few minutes of this Angela came across a sight that was both pleasing and suspicious. There, in the middle of a small clearing, a wild boar was tethered to a stake in the ground. It struggled to get free, squealing and grunting in its efforts to escape. The rope it was bound by was pulled tight, and the stake moved occasionally, but nether showed any sign of giving in anytime soon. She also smelled blood in the air, probably from the rope chafing around its ankle. At that moment Angela would have loved nothing more than to put the boar out of its misery and eat to her hearts content, but something about the scene kept her from doing just that. There was no chance that the boar was simply caught in a trap. It had been purposefully put there by someone or somepony, though the reason for it was not readily apparent. Angela was at war with herself. Part of her was telling her simply move on and look for other sources of food. The other part was screaming for her to throw caution to the wind and just go down there and feast. So far that part was winning. Resolving to be quick about it, Angela slipped out from under the cover of the trees in the fading sunlight. The moment the boar saw her approach its dark eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets and it tried to bolt away from her, sensing that it was about to become a meal. The intensity of its squealing heightened to the point that Angela was getting a headache. Almost without even thinking about it, one of her mantis like arms jabbed forward, piercing the boars hide easily, coating the tip red. The squealing faltered but did not stop until she jabbed again, and the boar was silenced. Angela was almost taken aback by how easy it was to commit the act, but did not have a chance to dwell on it as the scent of blood became stronger and her instincts took over. Angela opened her jaws wide as she leered at the boar, and a crimson aura began to glow from its carcass as it appeared to disintegrate before it was inhaled down her gullet, and she bobbed her head violently as she fed. Angela didn't know what to make of the feeling. It was like she was flaying the boar with only her will, and would have otherwise been disturbed by the method. But she was just so hungry, and all she wanted then was to keep feeding and devouring until she had her fill, no matter her feelings about it. Too soon her meal was over, and all that was left of the boar was a skeleton. It wasn't enough. She needed more. Her hunger demanded it. It screamed at her to find more food and kill it and consume it and- A deep growl brought her back to something only vaguely resembling a sane mind, and her head whipped around to locate the source of the noise. Her eyeless gaze settled on a large wolf, though it was unlike any wolf she had ever seen before. It had the same basic body shape, but its violet fur glimmered and shone like the night sky, and a star shaped symbol adorned its forehead. It was also substantially larger than the average lupine. Angela was briefly reminded of the ursa-minor and ursa-major, and wondered in the back of her mind if this thing was related somehow. The wolf growled again, pulling Angela back to the present. She realized then that it was challenging her, that she had inadvertently stumbled into its territory. Two more wolves sidled up beside their companion. Make that their territory. All three began to growl at Angela. Feeling threatened, she did the only thing she could think of at the moment and responded with a growl of her own, splaying her jaws wide as she brandished her large claws. And it was so loud and vicious in comparison that the wolves immediately faltered, startled by the display. It was mainly just an attempt to scare them off, and it seemed to work, if only for a moment. Their ears folded back against their heads, before they overcame their trepidation and began to approach the noticeably larger predator more slowly. Two of them split off began to flank her on either side while the first one approached from the middle, and Angela felt her instincts begin to take over when she realized she was cornered, and she snarled again. The wolves paused but did not stop, and when she was properly surrounded the one to her left began to creep towards her. Distracted by its approach, Angela did not see as one of the other shiny wolves pounced, landing on her back and biting into her shoulder. Angela screeched in pain before grabbing the runt by the back of its head, leaving deep gashes in the process, and slamming into the ground with a tremendous amount of force. Before she finish it off with her scythe claws another wolf leaped at her, throwing her off balance. Angela snarled again as her instincts took complete control of her actions. She was in danger, and she was enraged that these runts, these prey animals, dared to attack her so. They were prey, everything was meant to be prey to her, and she would be the one to teach that to them. When their companion recovered enough, the wolves began to advance a second time. Unlike before they all pounced at once, and unlike before Angela did not let them make contact. She swiftly dodged to the side, barely registering the trail of white streaks she was leaving in her wake, and she lashed out with her scythes, creating a massive wound in the one of the wolves flanks. Whimpering, it fell to the ground and the other two switched tactics to interpose themselves between her and it to protect their companion. With barely any effort Angela swatted them aside, and proceeded to impale the wolf into the ground. The last two looked on with what seemed to be shock in their luminous eyes as the life left their companion, and Angela shrieked her triumph into the fading light of day. This was how it was supposed to be. This was how she was supposed to act now. She was no longer a weak little human, subject to the whims of those who would take advantage her. No longer would she be oppressed and mistreated, no longer would she be forced to scrounge around for scraps in an alley just to survive. She was better now. She was stronger now. She was a monster. She was a wraith. Glancing down at the last two wolves that dared to think themselves apex predators, Angela hissed as she leered at them threateningly. With their ears folded back against their heads, the wolves seemed to forget their shock in favor of avenging their fallen brother. They leaped at her again, and there was no technique or coordination to it this time. All they wanted was to kill her for what she had done. They were out for blood. The struggle that followed was violent but short lived, and two more dead wolves now laid on the ground. Angela, undeniably victorious, shrieked as the sun finally vanished beneath the horizon, and she proceeded to eat her fill. "Okay, now I know I heard something that time!" Nightshade exclaimed as she glanced all around in an attempt to pinpoint where the sounds of screeching and shrieking were coming from. The pegasus mares feathery wings were half unfolded in the event she needed to take off, an instinctual response to perceived danger. To tell the truth, everypony in the group had heard it. And it was setting them on edge, not knowing where the din was coming from as it echoed through the trees. They had been following the trail of damaged tree trunks for a number of hours now, not quite sure what they would come across when they found what made them. The popular belief then was that the culprit for the trail and the death of the bug bear was a dragon of some sort, possibly a wyvern. It was not beyond the realm of possibility. They were definitely big enough for the job, and they had been seen on occasion to fly around mount Canterhorn in search of food, though it was an extremely rare occurrence, as they typically stayed farther to the north. It was only when food was scarce in their native environment did they ever come so near pony populated areas. But the thing they were hearing now was most definitely not a wyvern. In fact it was unlike anything Roughshod had ever heard in his life. Many times it alternated between a piercing keen that would make a minotaur nervous and a warbling hiss that was completely alien to everypony in the group. It thankfully seemed to be far away yet, but that did little to set their minds at ease. "Hey, Roughshod? Maybe we should pick this up again tomorrow," Star Mix suggested while eyeing the dark trees around them nervously. Roughshod was about to reply, when all of sudden a single shriek rang out, louder than the others by quite a bit, before falling silent. Everything was deathly quiet, and everypony seemed to be too afraid to say anything for fear of drawing unwanted attention to themselves. Not even the birds in the trees seemed willing to make so much as a peep. "Roughshod, I really think we should go now," Star whispered urgently, and Roughshod was happy to comply with the "request". Nodding in agreement, Roughshod turned around and started to retrace their hoofsteps back to Hollow Shades, and everypony else followed suit. It was then that the stallion noticed something on the ground that he had not seen before. He might have been too preoccupied glancing at the marks on the trees to see them, but now that his attention was more focused on the path ahead, it became obvious. He stopped, surprising everypony, and leaned down to inspect it. "Hey Star, come look at this," he said. Star obeyed and the other ponies in the group also came over to see what had caught his attention. As the unicorn mare inspected the ground, aided by a little ball of light on the end of her horn to see more clearly, her face gained a confused look when she saw what Roughshod told her to look at. "I don't know what you want me to see Roughshod," she said. "All I see is our hoofprints." "Look closer." Star Mix rolled her eyes but did as he said anyway. Then her confused expression turned into one of surprise when realized what Roughshod wanted her to see. "These aren't ours," she said. "These don't even belong to a pony." "Wait, what?" Harp exclaimed, an incredulous look on his muzzle. "But who would be crazy enough to be out here with Celestia knows what out here?" "Us?" Nightshade suggested with a raised eyebrow, to which Harp responded by giving her a deadpan expression. "That's not what I meant," he muttered. Mister Mortar sighed heavily at the two younger ponies bickering, while Roughshod and Star simply ignored them in favor of discussing the implications of the find. "So, who or what do think made this?" Star asked with a slight amount of concern. Roughshod pondered the question for a brief moment as he looked in the direction the tracks were heading, noticing that they were going in the same direction they had been until recently. "I don't know," he answered. "But whoever they are, it would seem we weren't the only ones tracking this thing."