Carnivore

by Recteik Shade

Valerie

21 Years Ago

The city of San Pransisco glowed in the early morning light. The city’s iconic colonial style houses looked as though they had just been painted as they sat on the sides of the steep valley hills. In spite of the fact that the sun was still low on the horizon, the streets were already bustling with ponies.

However further from the heart of the city, the hills gave way to grasslands and the tightly packed houses spread out to become a more rural landscape. In a small cluster of houses that bordered the eastern side of the Whitetail Woods, there was a small two bedroom house, where a young forest green Pegasus was excitedly rushing out of his room. "Bye Mom, I'll be back later!"

His charge outside was brought to a painful end as his mother pinned his tail to the floor with her hoof. "And just where are you off to in such a hurry, Cumulus?"

Even though her voice was smooth as glass, the young colt flinched. 'Uh oh,’ he thought, ‘She's mad.'

"It's the first day of summer break, Mom,” he said, “I was gonna go play with my friends."

"About that,” she said, giving him a piercing look that told him she didn't buy it, “I talked to Stout's parents and they said that you haven't been over all week. So, you wanna try again?"

'Crap!'

"No, really Mom, I mean it!" he said, earning a narrowed gaze. Technically, he hadn’t been completely dishonest. He did plan to spend the day with a friend, just not the young farmer. He didn’t want to lie, however he knew how she would react if he told her the complete truth.
Suppressing the urge to shudder, he heaved a defeated sigh and braced himself. "I'm gonna go play with my friend Valerie, bu---"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence as his mother squealed like the rich, snobby, fillies in his class when they swooned over some noble or celebrity they thought was dreamy. “Ooooooooh!” she cooed, nuzzling him affectionately, “My little baby is meeting a filly!? When did you start growing up so fast!?"

Cumulus pushing her away and made a gagging sound. He knew his mother would react this way: cooing and fussing over his finally taking an interest in fillies. Nothing like that was going on, but he knew she wouldn’t see it that way, which was why he had been putting this off for as long as he had.

" Ugh, gross Mom! Knock it off!" he said, finally untangling himself as he glared up at her, "She just moved to town and everypony was treating her like she had the plague of something-" he started to blush a little as he told another half-truth "So I promised to show her around Whitetail Woods."

His mother started to coo again, which he replied with a crude retching motion. "Well, if you're going to be out all day, at least let me make you two a lunch." There was something about the way she emphasized the word ‘two’ that made him want to barf.

As she gathered the ingredients for a bag lunch, she hummed happily to herself much to Cumulus’ delight. Unfortunately, the colts bliss couldn't last. "So, you two will be in the woods all day? That's a big place, very secluded. A great place to be alone."

He groaned and face hooved. "Mom! Stop! Please!"

"I remember when you're father and I would go there,” she continued, ignoring his pleas, “It was so romantic. All these wildflowers in bloom and Thundercracker was so handsome. That little meadow was where we first kissed."

She had to stop when she heard a knocking at the door. She turned to see her son beating his head against the door. "Make... It... Stop... Please!" he said, smashing his head into the wood to emphasize each word.

"Cumulus! Stop doing that! You're going to give yourself brain damage," she said, stuffing a paper bag into his saddlebags and placing it on him. "Have fun, but be careful."

"I will, Mom," he said, walking out the door. Once he was outside, he went into a gallop and leaped into the air. With a few quick wing strokes, he was airborne and a grin spread across his face. It lasted all of five seconds when he looked down and found he was maybe five feet off the ground and advancing at a snails pace.
"Aww, come on!!!" he cried, folding his wings and dropping to the ground. "Lousy wings," he muttered, glaring at the feathery appendages before he galloped off.

---

"Wait, ya couldn't fly as a colt, Doc!?" Denda asked, a little shocked at the information.

Cumulus facehoofed as The Horus rocked again as another wave crashed over the decks. Somehow, Ad'e's bizarre ‘Sixth Sense’ had worked and they passed through the worst of what The Barrier had to offer. It had been absolutely terrifying, which was why he made that stupid promise to begin with.

"Of course I could fly!” he snapped, indignant at the insinuation, “I just couldn’t get more than a few feet off the ground." He hadn’t meant for his tone to be that harsh, but most Pegasi tended to get defensive about their flight skills. After a moment to calm himself, he mused aloud. "Now then, where was I? ... Oh yes, the woods. Anyway..."

---

He reached the edge of the woods and began searching for Valerie. "Are you out there!?" he called "Valerie!" When he neither saw nor heard her, he started to search the skies. "I should be able to see her," he complained to himself, squinting at the horizon towards the city, "I mean it’s not like she's hard to spot."

At that moment, he heard a faint growling sound behind him in the bushes. He spun around and stared into the thicket. He then heard and saw the bushes start to rustle, as though something were slinking through them. He felt panic rising in his chest as his instinct started leaning towards Flight rather than Fight. He unconsciously flared his wings and crouched so that he could get as high as he could as fast as his limited skills would allow. As the growling got louder, he noticed it had a distinct feline pitch to it.
"Valerie,” he called, hesitating slightly, “if that's you in there, mission accomplished. I'm completely terrified!"

There was a thunderous roar and the bushes exploded outward as a snowy white blur rushed at him. Cumulus screamed and launched into the air, but it was too late. He felt the clawed digits wrap around him and drag him back into the earth with weight. He landed with a thump and stared wide eyed up into a pair of fiery orange eyes. He also saw a menacing hooked beak opened and snapped shut making a clicking sound along with a head of pure white feathers that were puffed up to make her look larger and more menacing than she was.
Slowly, he felt the terror drain out of him, being replaced with irritation and no small amount of embarrassment instead. "Dang it, Valerie! Do you have to do that every time!?"

She laughed as she let him up. "Nope,” she said, her voice high and carryingcarring a rippling trill, like someone strumming all the strings on a harp, “only as long as you keep screaming like a little girl."

Cumulus felt his face heat up and his heart rate double as he gazed over her form. She carried the appearance of both a snowy owl and a snow leopard. Her back half was lean while her coat was the purest white dappled softly with black spots that ran into her feathers. The tips of the feathers on her head and her primaries were a vibrant silver colour. All in all, she was an exceptionally beautiful Gryphon, not that he would ever admit it.

"Well, you're getting faster," she said strolling away, "but it still seems like getting altitude is your biggest problem."

---

"Wut! She was a Gryphon!?" Ad'e shouted back over a crack of lightning, "Dats kinda kinky Doc!"

Cumulus promptly facehooved again and suppressed a growl. "Do you wanna hear this story or not!?"

"Ah mos certainly do!"

"Here here!" Cumulus rounded on Jaffar and saw that he was giving him a searching look. He groaned aloud before continuing.

---

"Jeez Cumulus, your dad really screwed up your wings," Valerie said for what must’ve been the eighth time today.

He looked down at her from the few feet he had managed to climb. "I'm still trying to figure out how this is my dads fault."

Valerie rolled her eyes. "Okay, fault might be a bit harsh. He was trying to help, but he did more harm than good. Like I said earlier, this happens with Gryphons all the time. Fathers eager to turn theirs sons into strong warriors, or in your case just a strong flier in general, end up overworking the wing muscles and bulking them up so much that they don't work right. That's exactly what happened to you: All that wing training you did with him for the Wonderbolts caused the muscles to become way too bulky to actually let you fly right."

"Well then, how come Dad's so fast then?"

Valerie sighed. "Cuz he could already fly. The muscles were already strong and flexible enough." Seeing she wasn’t getting anywhere with this, she racked her brain for an analogy that could work. "Think of it like this: If someone works on a farm their whole life doing manual labor they’re strong, but don't have the same amount of muscle as say a bodybuilder. But, if you had that bodybuilder do the same kind of work the farm worker did, it would be really tough for him because his muscles wouldn't be used to that kinda of work. The bodybuilder is strong, but the farmer is flexible. Does that make sense?"

Cumulus smiled. "Yeah, it kinda does actually. There's mass, but not much power." He glanced at his wings. "So, I have to make them slim again?"

"Exactly!" she said, beaming up at him, “The best way is to just fly, even if its just hovering like that. The important parts will stay strong while the rest will start to slim down."

"Hey, Valerie," he said, feeling his face flush again, "thanks for the help. I've been going nuts with this."

"Don't sweat it," she answered, plopping down in the grass, "Not like I have anywhere better to be."

Cumulus noticed there was a bitter note in her voice as she said the last part. He tucked his wings in and dropped to the ground, landing next to her. "Is something wrong? If you want to go, you know you can right?"

She smiled at him. "No Cumulus, I'm fine. I just miss my friends in Iron Peak is all. We were gonna go to Prance this summer, but then my dad got us shipped out here instead." She curled her beak up in a look of disgust. "He's an idiot! But, at least some good came out of this. I met you, after all. It's always better to have a friend."

Cumulus dug at the ground with his hoof as he felt his cheeks begin to heat up again. "Can I ask what happened?"

She sighed. "My Granddad is dying," she said flatly, "He has been for a while now, but one day my dad and Uncle Vannis started arguing about the inheritance. And then my dad attacked him with a knife." The young Pegasus gasped. "Uncle Vannis was fine, but Granddad was furious and sent him here to serve his penance-" Her tone changed to a growl "-And by extension me and my mom, too."

Cumulus didn't quite know how to feel after what she had told him. Hesitantly, he put a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you’re stuck here, Valerie."

“At least I have a friend who cares," she said, smiling up at him.

Just then his stomach growled. "Guess it's time for lunch, huh?" he said, inciting a laugh from both of them.

Valerie got up and flared her wings. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. I don't much care for flower sandwiches." With a swift down beat of her wings, she was up and gone.

The rest of the summer progressed much like that, spending the days with Valerie flying. Eventually his wings balanced out and he could fly freely. As a result, the two began to have races. The first few times the Gryphon would win, but he was quickly edging closer to to her all the time until he finally managed to win a race. His mother had continuously gushed over him growing up and wanting to meet Valerie, while he saw less and less of his father as he spent every day training to impress the Wonderbolts. That was how the summer days passed: Fly with her until lunch, when she would leave for a while, then she came back and they would usually play tag or hide and seek or just generally have fun.

One day it was exceptionally hot; too hot to fly, too hot run around, too hot for either of them to be outside. However, they out and about under the trees walking through the shade. Valerie was telling him about how Iron Peak above the Arctic Circle. "Doesn't that mean it's winter there for like ten months out of the year?" Cumulus asked, having trouble understanding how anyone could live in such a frigid place.

"Eight months actually," she corrected blandly.

"How do you not freeze to death?"

She shrugged in response. "Gryphons are just good at handling the cold. The same way Horses and Anubis can be comfortable living in Saddle Arabia."

"I went there once, to Saddle Arabia that is." Valerie gave him a skeptical look. "No, really! I was just a baby, so all I remember is that it was way too hot out. Like today-” he gestured with his hoof “-only the whole country and all the time!" Hearing Valerie chuckle at him, he felt his face flush and his heart speed up. He glanced up through the trees, noticing it was nearly lunch time and commented as such. Knowing that meant she was going to leave, he decided to add, "You know I brought more than enough for us both, right?"

“Thanks,” she commented, flaring her wings, “but my mom likes me to be home for lunch. It’s one of those things, ya know?” Cumulus nodded, knowing it was always the same thing. “Be back in a bit,” she said with a flap, rising hastily into the air.

As he waved after her, he began to wonder about what she said. Thinking back on it, there was something about the way she gave her explanation that made him doubt its validity. After a minute or so, he launched himself into the air after her.

Cumulus followed her until she began flying lower and faster into the woods rather than into the city. He smirked realizing he was right, however it quickly became a look of confused concentration. “If you aren’t heading home, where are you really going?” he asked no one in particular, matching her descent and going into the trees.

He flew at a steady pace, close enough to follow her and far enough away to be able to hide quickly if she turned around. They flew for several minutes before she finally stopped, perching herself on a thick branch and stared intently in front of her. Wondering what she was looking at, he landed on the ground, crawling slowly forward to to see what had captured her attention.

In a small clearing, he saw a small lake surrounded by grass. The light of the sun made the water shimmer and shine in a rippling motion, sending beams of light everywhere. Cumulus stared in awe at the unrivaled scenery. Seeing this, he couldn’t blame Valerie for coming out here, but more questions popped into his mind; most predominant among them being what Valerie was doing out here.

Bringing him out of his reverie, an owl-like shriek pierced the silent air followed immediately by a snowy white missile diving towards the surface of the water. At the last second, the missile revealed itself to be Valerie and pulled up, only raking her talons across the water. With a series of wingbeats, she rose in the air slightly with a large fish wriggling in her talon.

Although it only lasted a few seconds, the entire scene had been etched into his memory. He saw it all play back in his mind: the speed she demonstrated in her dive, the grace with which she pulled out, and the regal-like manner she glided across the surface of the water. He felt a fresh blush spreading across his face and he knew it had nothing whatsoever to do with the heat.

When Valerie landed on the other side of the lake, he crawled along the bushes to get a better look at her. Reaching her, Cumulus saw her tear and rip into the fish with far less grace and dignity than she displayed previously. Bits of scales, flesh, and blood stained her bead and feathers as she gorged herself with a sense of urgency. 'She could definitely improve on her table manners,' he thought amusedly.

After shuffling his weight a bit, he managed to shift onto a twig filling the air with a loud SNAP. Valerie’s body shifted, her eyes turning toward where he laid. From the sharpened look in her eyes, it seemed as though she were gazing past the bushes and right at him. Just as her eyes locked onto him, a low growl emanated from her throat.

He felt a twinge of fear for all of two seconds. Afterward, he mentally berated himself for feeling that way, reminding himself that Valerie was his friend. Besides that, it was a perfect chance for some payback.

After a few tense minutes of silence, she returned to her meal. After a minute or so, she finished her lunch and walked to lake to cleanse herself of her mess. Sensing the perfect opportunity, Cumulus launched himself from the bushes roaring loudly. A loud shriek emerged from her as he barreled into her, rolling about the forest floor in a tussle of fur and feathers. Landing on top of her, Cumulus smirked down at her. “Now, who screams like a girl?” he asked with smug satisfaction.

"I am a girl, you idiot!” she shrieked, her wounded pride bleeding into her voice, “Now, get off me!" Deciding to comply, he fluttered into the air and landed a few feet from her. "What are you doing here?” she asked, glaring at him, “Why did you follow me!?"

“I didn’t believe you when you said you were heading into town,” he answered, turning to face the lake with a serious expression, “Gotta say I am disappointed.” When Cumulus saw her open her mouth looking for something to say, he flashed a winning smile to her. “I mean, here we are, both about to drop dead of heat stroke, and you knew about this great little lake!"

Sensing another great idea, he flapped into the air a few times to gain altitude. Feeling satisfied, he folded his wings into his side and curled himself into ball, splashing into the water. Breaking the surface, he turned to face Valerie, whose head was drenched in water. She stared unmovingly for a moment before a smirk of her own appeared on her face. “Not bad, but let me show you how it’s done.” She leapt into the water, somehow angling herself to make her splash three time bigger than he did.

They spent the entire day splashing and milling about in the lake. Eventually, they settled on a cloud above the lake, watching the stars twinkle as the Mare in the Moon glaring down at them from above. They leaned against each other, for warmth and for company. “We are gonna be in so much trouble for being out this late."

"Worth it," Cumulus answered with a grin.

"Hey, Cumulus... Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For not hating me."

He stared at her disbelievingly. "Why would I hate you?"

She gave a half hearted shrug. "Most ponies do. When they find out what I eat, they start calling me a monster and treating me like dirt." Her feathers ruffled a bit. "That's why I never told you about this place. I was worried that you would be like them."

"You are my friend, Valerie,” he stated simply, “I know better than to think like that." He flashed a smile over at her. "And don't worry, I'll make them see that you’re not a monster."

He planned on continuing, but was interrupted by a faint shimmer behind him. They both stared back, Valerie confused and Cumulus shocked. Printed on Cumulus’ flank was a piece of bark in the vague shape of a shield with distinct talon marks gouged into it.

"Cumulus,” Valerie asked, her voice betraying her surprise, “is that?"

"My cutie mark!" he answered for her, getting excited. In his euphoric state, he glomped onto the Gryphon next to him. "It's really mine!" he stated with something between a laugh and a yell. He was brought out of it when he felt a beak lightly peck him on the cheek. Feeling his face burn, he turned and saw Valerie, who had a small blush of her own.

"Valer-" he was silenced silenced by her beak pressing against his lips as every thought process he had flew into the air and came to a grinding halt.

---

"Daww, dats really sweet, Doc!" Denda chimed. Had it not been for the sincerity in his voice, Cumulus would have assumed he was mocking him. "So, wat happened den?"

He sighed. "The dream ended and reality set in, inter-species relationships are legal in Equestria but for most they are only acceptable on paper. The only ones who supported us at all were my mother and Stout. The rest of my ‘friends’ avoided me as though I had the pony pox and my father was absolutely disgusted.” His ears folded back against his head. “Valerie had it worse. Her parents didn't even try to understand us. We-” his voice dropped “-didn't see much of each other after that.

“Shortly after that, my father was rejected by the Wonderbolts for what must have been the umpeenth time. He tried to ‘reconnect’ with me by trying to buy my love with some idiotic video game system,” he said with a humorless laugh, “It didn't work. Shortly after, my little sister was born and my father ignored me completely. He wound up dumping his failed dreams onto her. She actually made it into the academy, but Lightning Dust couldn't work with a team; another gift she got from my father.

“As for Valerie, she and her family went back to Iron Peak. We wrote each other until the day I received a threatening letter from her father. I continued writing her, but I never heard anything back-” he shrugged “-I assumed that her father had been keeping them from her. After a while, I stopped writing and thinking about her altogether.” He turned to glare at the two Jackals. “That was until two certain canines, who shall remain nameless, started pestering me about her.”

After a moment of relative silence, Cumulus felt strangely serene. It was as though a weight had been lifted that he never knew had been there until it was gone. ‘Must’ve bothered me more than I cared to admit,’ he thought.

“Sorry, Doc,” Denda stated, rubbing the back of his neck, “Ah was a ass to drag up sumting like dat.”

“It’s alright, Dende,” he said, “I think it was better that I got that off my chest.” He stretched his muscles, noticing that his audience had increased to the number of about twenty Diamond Dogs. Somehow, even that fact didn’t bother him as much as it normally would have.

Looking out of the windows, he noticed that the storm was fading into nonexistence. Ahead of the ship, clear blue skies stretched before them. “How much longer until we reach our destination?”

“Two days, more or less,” Jaffar answered, sidling up next to him, “We should see it sometime around noon.”