//------------------------------// // Shot to the Wing [REWRITE] // Story: Beyond the Forest // by Landon531 //------------------------------// Beyond the Forest A week of taking it easy leaves me more than ready to get back in the normal swing of things. Cat isn't sure I'm completely healed yet, but the meat from that creature has almost run out. I decide to do some target practice before I head out, in case I've gotten rusty during my week off. After cutting some bark off a few trees, I take a few shots. It feels good to have a weapon in my hands again. I find a fresh trail a way out from our clearing and begin to follow it. It leads along so many twists and turns that I don't know the way back anymore. This part of the forest has a much thicker canopy, and is still dark despite it being about noon. The air is thick and musty here, and I can’t help but sneeze every few minutes. I decide to get out of this area as soon as possible. This proves easier said than done. After an hour of aimless walking, I try climbing a tree (which, admittedly, I should have thought of earlier), but the trees here have too few branches close enough to the ground. After another hour of climbing, I finally reach the canopy at the top of the tree, and my eyes take a minute to adjust to the sudden sunlight. I sigh in frustration when I see the hut a ways to the south. in the opposite direction I've been walking. for several hours. I sigh and descend from the treetop to start back towards camp, my game bag sadly empty. After a few minutes, I get that unsettling feeling of being watched. I nock an arrow and stay on guard as I continue through the thick brush. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a shape move between two trees. Not desiring a repeat of last time, I switch out the stone-tipped arrow for one with a razor-sharp manticore claw on the end. I made them last week, cutting my fingers pretty badly in the process. As I continue, I sense more movement behind me, slowly but surely getting closer. The game of invisible cat and archer mouse goes on for another hour. I'm almost out of the dark part of the forest, and my stalker is almost upon me. Not wanting to go back empty-handed, I crouch behind a bush and aim for the last place I heard movement. The seconds feel like hours as I wait for the smallest bit of motion. When I see the leaves rustle, I let the arrow fly. There is a sickening squelch, followed by a scream. It wasn't an animal scream, it sounded almost... human. I run over to where the arrow stuck and discover the farthest possible thing from a human. Lying before me, an arrow lodged in its side... Is a yellow, winged pony. Nobody sleeps the first night. I try to convince Cat to take a nap, but she's too shaken, not that I blame her. The next morning Cat fiddles with the radio while I set to work finding the basics: food, water, and shelter. There was a bag of chips and package of jaffas in my luggage, but it didn't last long. After walking for a few minutes, we find a river. It looks clean enough, but we boil it first, just in case. As for shelter, the half-buried wreckage of the plane is as good as any. It's mostly intact, with only a few holes here and there and a distinct lack of wings. It's big enough on the inside for us to sleep and store things and there is already a door and windows. I find the wings and strip them of their aluminium shell, cutting my hands in the process. I use part of it to cover the holes in the top and side and save the rest for later. We tear the seat cushions out and use their stuffing for a sleeping mat, and I break a piece of propeller off to use as a deadbolt for the door. While she's cleaning out the debris, Cat finds a survival kit. Most of the contents are too damaged use, but a large, sharp knife and a survival handbook are almost completely unharmed. The box itself is useful, too. It's made of tough steel and has a padlock inside. There are three keys attached to it, so Cat and I each take one and leave the other in the box. My luggage has some clothes, a few books, and my tea set. Cat's has clothes, a doll, and surprisingly more books than I do. Unfortunately, Troy had packed very light. There are only a few sets of clothes (which are much too small for me and far too large for Cat), a plastic-coated map, his reading glasses (broken), and his wallet. We go to bed hungry that night, but at least we have a bed. I stand above the strange, yellow and pink creature as it lies on the forest floor whimpering, almost hyperventilating. Just looking at it I can tell it is not meant to be killed, or even injured for that matter. I start speaking softly to it in hopes of calming it down. "Ohgodohgodohgod... Hey, there. I'm sorry I shot you, I thought you were some kind of monster. I promise not to hurt you anymore." The pegasus looks up at me. Its eyes are big, bright, and intelligent. Something sounding like words of some strange language come from its mouth. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you. I'm going to remove the arrow, okay?" I point to the arrow and make a pulling motion, and it nods in understanding. I grab the arrow close to the wound and pull hard. schliiiiick The poor pony bites down hard on her lower lip to hold in another scream and starts crying as blood drips from the hole left behind. I gently stroke its pink mane while gently whispering apologies. It seems to be in shock, due to its lack of resistance. I can tell if I leave it here, it will surely die. I scoop the pastel pony up into my arms, being careful to avoid the wound, and start back home. When we reach the hut, Cat is sitting by the fire and reading one of her many books. Deep in the story, she doesn't look up until I clear my throat. She's glad to see me, but positively ecstatic to see the yellow-and-pink body in my arms. "What's THAT?" she runs over and inspects the injured creature. "What happened? Did you get hurt? Where were you?" "Hey, quiet down. It's injured and scared, and we don't-" "She." Cat corrected. "She's a she, not an it. Right?" The winged pony nods quietly and says more gibberish. "We can't understand you, but you can understand us?" She nods again and moves to get down. When I set her on the ground, she stands for a second and her legs buckle beneath her. Cat rushes over to help and notices the wound. "Ooh, that looks like it hurts!" she turns to me. "Did you do this?" "Well, I was walking through the forest, and I was really on edge, so I shot at the first thing that moved. Unfortunately, that happened to be our friend here." I lean down to face the pony. "I'm very sorry I shot you, and I'm going to try my hardest to make up for it, okay?" She nods and snuggles up next to Cat. Having read the survival manual several times, I had memorized prettymuch every medicinal herb and plant and their uses. I take some leaves from a bush next to the shack, I crush the flower of a plant a few meters into the forest, and I strip some bark from a tree next to the river. All of this goes into my teapot of water along with one of my last teabags. I let it boil for a few minutes and take it off the fire. I pour it into a cup and hold it out to the pony. "Drink this." The pegasus sniffs at it questioningly. "It's just tea. It'll numb the pain a bit and help prevent infection." She takes a sip and cringes in disgust. "Yeah, it's pretty nasty, but it's good for you." She drinks some more, and soon the entire cup is drained. I open the door to the hut, and she limps inside. After making dinner, Cat and I decide to go to bed. When we open the door, we see a yellow and pink ball asleep at the foot of our bed mat. I spread a blanket over her and go to sleep. Bless your face, if you sneezed while reading this bless you. Peace off!