Three from the Forest

by Zodiacspear

Chapter Five

“We never know what we’re truly capable of until life pushes us to our limits.” - Unknown

Chapter Five

The months passed, and the great trees of the forest were beginning to turn their leaves once again. The oak forest slowly released its summer vitality to prepare for its winter slumber. With the crispness of autumn, the foals enjoyed each day and knew that winter would not be far along. What made this particular day even better, was the fact it was a Saturday, and that meant another two days of freedom from the oppressive chains of homework.

Wanderer sat at the table at his home, enjoying a bowl of oatmeal, while his mother finished cleaning up from the morning’s meal. Wanderer’s mane was still tussled from getting out of bed a few moments earlier, but he ate his breakfast with vigor; the sooner he was done, the sooner he could have fun.

“What are you and your friends doing today, Wanderer?” his mother asked as she put the last of the dishes away.

His wide smile had a bit of oatmeal at one corner as he proudly proclaimed. “We’re going to finally get our cutie marks!”

His mother smiled knowingly. “You are, huh?”

“You bet.” He wiped the oatmeal from his face. “We have a few ideas on how we’re gonna get them too.”

She sighed. “Just don’t do anything foalish this time.”

He smiled impishly. “But we are foals, Mom.”

His mother chuckled despite the irritated swish of her tail. “I don’t need another visit from the lumberyard workers saying you three are asking to use the wood-cutting machines again.”

He rolled his eyes. “We were just trying to be lumberjacks. An axe for a cutie mark would be cool.”

“You don’t want to be a lumberjack, Wanderer.”

There was a tightness in her tone, and he frowned a bit. “What’d you say, Mom?”

“Nothing, honey. It’s not important.” She finished cleaning the kitchen. “Well, whatever you foals do, just don’t hurt yourselves or cause property damage.”

Wanderer rubbed at the back of his head. “Hey, the tree in Mr. Leaf’s yard was not our fault. We were trying to put in a new birds nest, since their old one fell apart.”

“And you managed to knock over the tree, smashing Mr. Leaf’s cart.”

Wanderer sighed. “How were we supposed to know it was rotten on the inside?”

She smiled. “You couldn’t have. At least you all did the favor of getting rid of that tree for him.”

“And got him a new cart.”

She winced, remembering the bits she and the siblings’ father had to shell out. Luckily, Mr. Leaf was an understanding sort, but he had insisted that his cart be replaced.

“Well, whatever you three end up doing, just keep away from the forest. The fog has been thick lately, and the weather pegasi have said it has been harder to clear. I don’t want you or your friends out in the woods with that fog.”

Wanderer’s ears flattened. “Aww, Mom…”

“Don’t you ‘aww’ me, mister. I meant it. Stay out of those woods.” She placed her bag on her back and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’m off to work. I’ll see you at dinnertime.”

“Bye, Mom!” he called as she left.

After the door clicked, a wicked grin crossed his face. She just had to go and forbid him from doing something—of course he had to go and do it now! Saying “don’t go” only meant there was excitement to be had. He and his friends might even find their cutie marks!

He quickly devoured the rest of his oatmeal and dashed upstairs to his room. He grabbed a few things for hiking: water bottles, snacks, a comic book, and his own journal. He stopped long enough to skim through the journal, glossing over the ideas for cutie marks. He stuffed it away in his bag, promising today would be the day he could proudly write that he found his cutie mark.

As he gathered his stuff, his cat hopped on the bed and sat on his saddle bag, giving him a disapproving glare.

He looked at the cat with a raised eyebrow. “What?”

Chewie meowed at him, still giving him a disapproving stare.

“Of course I’m not going to the forest.”

The cat didn’t move.

“Alright, so I am,” he muttered. “But there’s nothing to worry about. We’re going to get our cutie marks today, Chewie.” He grabbed a few more items from his desk.

The cat meowed again.

Wanderer scoffed. “It’s not that dangerous, and even if it was, I can handle it.”

Chewie continued glaring at him.

Wanderer waved a hoof at him. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Mom worries too much.”

The cat didn’t appear convinced.

“Why am I arguing with a cat anyway?” Wanderer grabbed his bag and pulled it out from under the feline, sending it tumbling end over end. “Just you wait, Chewie, I’ll come home with the coolest cutie mark ever!” He quickly placed his saddlebags on his back and galloped out of the room.

The cat watched him depart, then began grooming himself. He was sure that when both of his pony family members came home that day, it was going to be anything but quiet.

-0-

As she regarded her brother, she wondered what sort of boring ideas he had cooked up for them. Tormod was always coming up with ideas that were, frankly speaking, incredibly dull. He once suggested they try pet walking. Who would want a cutie mark for something like that? Certainly not her. She wanted exciting adventures, but maybe not the death-defying ideas that Wanderer often proposed. She privately admitted, with some chagrin, that none of their ideas had worked yet.

She was pulled from her musings when her brother called her name.

“Tourmaline, did you come up with any ideas?”

She looked at him from her perch. “Not really. If anything, I figured I’d just wing it.” She smirked faintly, stretching her wings out.

It took her brother a moment before he groaned and gave her a suffering look. “Did you really have to do that?”

She chuckled. “You and Dad aren't the only ones who get to pun you know.”

“Yeah, but Dad is at least funny.”

She glared at him. “What about you? What ideas have you cooked up to get our cutie marks?”

He smiled excitedly, and levitated his list to her. “A number of different things, all of them simple and safe, and things we haven’t tried yet. I’m sure one of these things will get us our cutie marks.”

As her brother continued to prattle on, she looked over his list. She couldn’t help but slump in despair at what she read. Pet grooming, painting, dancing? How in the wide world of Equestria could her brother think these boring ideas would get them their cutie marks? Her jaw dropped at one item on the list: writers. She couldn’t imagine anything else more boring. Besides, who wanted a book for a cutie mark?

“Tormod, this has to be the worst list of ideas for cutie marks, I’ve ever seen. Writing? Seriously?”

He stopped his rambling. “What’s wrong with writing?” He took his list back. “Think about it, we could get our cutie marks in writing and maybe get as famous as the author of the Daring Do books. Imagine it, the next big writers of the century. Who knows, they might even make a play about us on Bridleway. It could even—”

Nearly asleep, Tourmaline tuned him out. She looked around from her perch, hoping to see their friend.

“Are you even listening to me?” her brother demanded.

She looked back at him. “What?”

He moaned in frustration. “I swear your head is always in the clouds.”

She smiled. “Was that a pun, Tormod?”

He blinked and then facehoofed. “Where is Wanderer already?”

On cue, the colt came cantering around the school house. He was breathing heavily, but his wide smile told Tourmaline that he had another crazy idea in mind. She smiled eagerly, what ever reckless idea he had, it had to be better than Tormod’s snoozefest.

“Sorry I’m late. Had to finish breakfast,” Wanderer said after he caught his breath.

Tormod rolled up his list. “Don’t worry, we haven’t waited too long.”

“I’ve been punishing him while we waited,” Tourmaline said with a sweet smile.

Tormod groaned, and Wanderer looked between them a moment before he caught on and laughed.

Tormod looked at him. “Please, don’t encourage her. I’ve suffered enough.”

Wanderer only laughed harder.

Tourmaline chuckled and leaped from the branch, gliding down to join them. “So what do you have in mind to get our cutie marks?” she asked Wanderer.

His eyes brightened. “I’ve got the perfect thing! We’re going to head to the woods and see if we can find something nopony has ever seen before. We could be explorers!”

While Tourmaline smiled wide at the idea, Tormod looked worried. “Our dad said we should stay out of the woods. Something about the fog. What is that about?”

“It’s an old mare’s tale that the fog brings monsters with it. I mean, yeah the timberwolves are occasionally a problem, but they don’t go where we’ll be going.” He grinned wider. “Besides, with the three of us, what could go wrong?”

“Don’t answer that,” Wanderer interrupted before Tormod could reply.

“Or we could try my list here.” Tormod gave the list to Wanderer. “It would be a lot safer and not get us in trouble.”

Tourmaline looked at him with a wicked smile. “Where is the fun in that?”

Wanderer laughed after looking over the list. “I’m with her.”

Tormod looked between them and took his list back. He crumpled it up and sighed in defeat. “Alright, let’s go then.”

“Race you!” Tourmaline shouted and took off down the path, Wanderer close on her heels.

Tormod trotted after them. “I’m going to regret this.”

-0-

The three of them stood at the fringe of the great forest, the massive oak trees standing over them like sentinels of a great castle. A thin fog drifted about the upper branches of the trees, partly obscuring the branches above.

Tormod looked around worriedly. “I don’t think I’ve been to this part of the woods.”

Wanderer motioned ahead. “I used to come this direction all the time before I met you guys. I’ve never seen anything other than squirrels and other woodland creatures in this part.”

Tourmaline shivered a bit after looking towards the tops of the trees.“So why are we going in here?”

“I heard some of the pegasi talk about a clearing they saw from above the trees once. I’ve never heard of anyone actually seeing what is in the clearing, so we could be the firsts.” Wanderer smiled in excitement.

“And you know the way?” Tormod looked at him skeptically.

Wanderer flicked his tail in irritation. “‘Course I do.”

Tormod gave him a knowing look.

“Trust me,” Wanderer said confidently and walked into the tree line.

The two shared troubled looks but followed him into the trees.

-0-

As the three disappeared into the forest, they were unaware of the other three sets of eyes watching them.

Stone Hoof looked towards his grinning friend. “What are you thinking, Rogue?”

“Should we follow those trouble makers?” Scarlet Scroll asked.

Rogue shook his head quickly. “No way. I’m not risking my neck for those blank-flank losers.”

Stone Hoof looked uncertainly towards Scarlet and back. “So what’re we going to do? We know it was them who ratted on you.”

Rogue scowled. “I know it was them, and they are not going to get away with it. The way my dad got on my case, I’m never going to forgive them.”

“So what are we going to do? I know you have something in mind.” Scarlet smiled wickedly.

Rogue gave her a malicious smile. “Oh, I can think of a few who’d be very unhappy to hear where they’ve gone.”

Scarlet Scroll’s grin only widened, but Stone Hoof looked confused. “What?”

“Come on, Stone. You’ll see.” The three of them ran for the town, vicious grins on their faces.

-0-

The Forest of the Oak was a pristine deciduous forest. The towering oaks grew wild, their twisting limbs blocking out the sky with a thick canopy. The thin fog clung to the upper branches, further obscuring the canopy and giving the woods a mystic appearance. All around the three foals, they could hear the sounds of wildlife and the groan of the trees.

Old acorns and twigs were crushed underhoof as Wanderer led his friends through the forest. They had seen a few wild animals, mostly squirrels and rabbits, but no mystical, dangerous creatures as they had hoped.

As he looked around the woods, he felt almost at ease. There was something about these woods that Wanderer liked. He couldn’t put it into words, but he felt… at home here. The town might have cool places to visit and spend bits at, but the woods was where the excitement was. He was sure that Daring Do would agree with him. She never wrote stories about adventures that happened in towns.

He looked back to his friends as they walked. Tourmaline was smiling, obviously enjoying the hike as much as he was. Her brother, however, kept a guarded expression. Tormod liked hiking as much as they did but preferred to have planned routes and a firm destination in mind.

“Do you know how much further we have to go, Wanderer?” he asked for the third time.

Wanderer shrugged nonchalantly. “Not much further.”

“Not much further as in ‘not far,’ or not much further as in ‘I have no idea?’”

“Trust me. Have I ever led you wrong before?”

He felt their glares boring into the back of his skull.

“Okay, once,” he grudgingly admitted.

“So is the clearing the whole reason we’re going? I thought we were trying to get our cutie marks?” Tourmaline asked, looking off into the trees.

“We are looking for our cutie marks in forestry, remember?” He stopped suddenly and sputtered, wiping at his face. “Darn spider webs.”

“At least it wasn’t a star spider’s web.” Tormod remarked.

Wanderer glowered at him. “Don’t even joke about that,” he said with an involuntary shudder. “Anyway, we might find a new type of plant or animal, or even some other discovery. Something like that has to be worth a cutie mark.”

Tourmaline smiled. “What do you think a cutie mark for this would look like?”

“A tree maybe?”

She smiled but furrowed her brow as well. “I don’t know if you meant that seriously or were trying to make a joke?”

He chuckled. “I’ll let you decide.”

Tormod rolled his eyes. “Alright, so which way?” he asked, cutting off any forth coming back and forth between the two.

Wanderer looked around for a moment and finally pointed. “That way.”

They walked onward for an hour more, but the longer they walked, the more often Wanderer looked around. He frowned softly as he gazed about the trees.

“What is it?” Tourmaline asked him. “Do you hear something?”

He frowned a bit. “No… just looking.”

“For what?” She looked around as well, trying to see what he had.

“Our way.” Came a sarcastic remark from behind.

Wanderer snorted. “We’re not lost. So don’t say it.”

“Right.”

Wanderer looked around a bit before his gaze settled on Tourmaline. “But knowing where we are wouldn’t hurt. How about it, Tourmaline?”

She looked at him confusedly. “What now?”

“Can you fly above the trees to see where we’re at?”

She glanced to the forest canopy above and gulped nervously. “I haven’t flow that high before. Dad’s taken me on flying lessons, but never that high.”

Wanderer smiled encouragingly. “Don’t worry, Tourmaline, I know you can do it. We’ve seen you fly before. I’m sure you can make it up there no sweat.”

She looked back to the canopy, uncertainty still on her face.

“I’ll tell you what my mom tells me,” Wanderer said. “You can’t let fear stop you, things are only scary because you haven’t conquered them.”

She looked at him with a wry smile. “That’s cheesy.”

He smirked. “Yeah, but it works. In short, once you finally do something, you can do it again.”

“It makes sense,” Tormod said. “That, and we need to know where we are.”

“You’ve got this, Tourmaline.” Wanderer pumped his hoof once in determination.

She smiled a bit wider. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

The other two grinned. “We’ll wait right here for you,” her brother said.

She took a calming breath and lept into the air, beating her wings furiously as they worked to take her higher. As she climbed into the air, a soft breeze helped her get the lift she needed to reach the canopy above.

The two colts watched her closely as she made it into the branches above and beyond. Wanderer frowned softly, a nagging thought at the back of his mind.

Tormod glanced at him. “What’s wrong? She’ll be alright.”

He shook his head. “It’s not that. I got this feeling I forgot something.” He shrugged. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

-0-

As Tourmaline climbed through the thick, leafy branches, she could see the sky peek through the canopy above. For her, getting this high on her own was an achievement in and of itself. She had never flown this high before, let alone through thick forest canopy. A growing smile crossed her face. She was exhilarated, pushing herself higher than she ever had been.

As her head popped above the trees, the young filly’s eyes widened in wonder. The forest stretched out as far as the eye could see. The first thing to draw her attention was the massive Mother Oak. The great tree sat in the middle of the forest, dwarfing all the other trees around it. She saw that it was obscured by fog and mist, just like the legends surrounding it. She knew that nopony had ever been to the massive plant. Those who had tried never found the way. Even pegasi had claimed that the nearer they got, the more unpredictable and dangerous the surrounding winds became. The Mother Oak was a great mystery to all.

With a flap of her wings, Tourmaline hovered above the trees. From her vantage point, she could see for miles. She could see other avian creatures as they flew above the trees. Greensborough was not too far, and the town stood out like a sore hoof among the trees. Off in the distance, she also saw a small clearing in the trees that one could have easily missed if they hadn’t been looking for it.

As she looked around, she saw a heavy cloud bank that obscured whole parts of the forest. The cloud bank was what the adults were afraid of, as it was said to bring monsters she had only heard of in scary stories. Not that she was afraid—she was a big girl now and not afraid of scary old stories.

As the wind steadily whipped her mane around, she closed her eyes to soak in the feeling of freedom that came with flying. She always dreamt of the day she would fly high in the sky with the wind in her mane, the cooler air to breathe, and the clouds that she knew she could manipulate. She often wondered if the clouds were as comfortable as her father had always told her.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of a loud screech. She turned in time to see a huge hawk dive at her.

“Whoa!” She flapped her wings frantically to avoid the hawk’s attack. “What was that about?!”

The bird banked sharply and turned to attack again.

“Why are you—” She turned sharply as a second hawk swooped down and landed a glancing blow to her side. Its talons, thankfully, not finding purchase.

Fearfully, she dove back through the trees, the hawks in close pursuit. She weaved in and around the tree branches in hopes of losing her pursuers. The hawks kept up their chase however, seemingly determined to take down the intruder.

When she stole a glance backwards, she instinctively kicked out as one of the hawks got too close. The blow sent the bird spiraling downward, but it quickly corrected itself and went after her again. She was so focused on the hawks that she didn’t see the approaching tree branch until it was too late. With a scream, she crashed through it and tumbled down through foliage.

Her fearful screams had the two colts scrambling to find her.

“Tourmaline! Where are you?” Tormod screamed up at the trees, his eyes darting around the branches above.

Wanderer ran around in a near panic, searching the treetops for his friend. “Tourmaline! Get below the trees! Hurry!”

They both looked up in time to see her freefalling through the trees, a pair of large hawks not far behind her.

“Tourmaline!” A burst of adrenaline from seeing his friend in danger gave Wanderer new speed. As she fell, he sprinted and leaped to catch her. His heroic dive saved her from a nasty crash, but the two went tumbling through the forest loam.

The hawks were not done in their attack, and they dove down after her, their focus now on the two foals.

“Get away from my sister!” A small red ray flashed out from Tormod’s horn, hitting the lead bird in its side. His magic was not strong enough to seriously hurt the bird, but it was enough to send it tumbling through the air.

The second bird turned its attention to him, but Tourmaline had crawled out from under Wanderer and kicked a stone at the bird. The hawk screeched as the rock grazed it. It flapped its wings, and saw that their quarry was starting to fight back. With a screech, it and its mate flew back to the canopy above.

The three struggled to calm themselves, breathing in ragged gasps.

“What were those things?” Tourmaline asked as she stretched her wings to make sure they were not hurt.

“They looked like hawks to me, really big ones,” Tormod said, as he looked her over in concern.

“Thanks, Mr. Obvious,” she muttered sarcastically.

“I wasn’t trying to be funny,” he said, appearing hurt. “Are you alright, Tourmaline?”

She took a calming breath. “Yeah, a few scratches, but I’m not hurt that bad.” She looked at Wanderer as he finished getting the remaining twigs and leaves out of his mane. “Thanks for catching me. Didn’t know you could move that fast.”

He smiled weakly, rubbing at the back of his head. “Yeah… I didn’t want you to get hurt so…”

“So what were they, Wanderer?” Tormod asked.

“Oh, those are great hawks. They build their nests up high in the trees. I’ve heard some of the other pegasi talk about them.”

Tormod stole a quick, nervous glance at the canopy. “Are they always so dangerous?”

He shook his head. “Not really, except when they’re protecting their nests.” He looked upwards where they had last seen the great birds. “Guess those two had a nest nearby.”

“Wait a minute!”

They both looked at Tourmaline, taken aback by the outburst.

“You knew about them?” She glared dangerously at Wanderer.

“Um… yeah,” he answered carefully.

“And you didn’t bother to warn me?”

His ears flattened to the sides of his head. “I...ah, forgot.”

“You what?” Her voice squeaked in outrage, and even Tormod seemed flabbergasted at him.

He shrunk down fearfully. “...Sorry.”

She whapped the back of his head, causing him to faceplant.

“I deserved that,” he uttered, his face still in the leaves.

“You’re right you did.” She huffed and helped him back to his hooves.

Tormod rolled his eyes. “So did you see anything up there? Besides the hawks.”

“I saw Greensborough not far away, but I also saw the clearing Wanderer mentioned.” She pointed towards the northwest. “That way.”

Wanderer’s smile was instantaneous. “Alright, let’s check it out!”

“Anything more you forgot to share with us?” Tourmaline glared at him.

“Nothing that comes to mind.”

The siblings shared a sigh.

As the three started on their way, Tormod shook his head. “At least we’re not lost anymore.”

“Hey, we were never lost to begin with,” Wanderer said defensively.

“Really?” Tormod looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Wanderer turned his nose at him. “Lost would mean we couldn’t find our way, but we were going in the right direction, somewhat.”

“You’re splitting hairs.”

Wanderer shrugged. “Maybe, but now we know where to go, so let’s go!” He raced ahead of them.

Tourmaline smiled a bit and flew after him. Tormod shook his head helplessly, but grinned as he gave chase.

-0-

The three only had to backtrack once before they found themselves in the clearing. It turned out to be a fair-sized, pristine lake. A small island of granite stood near the center, and reeds grew in abundance. Fish swam along the shores or leapt from the waters.

All three foals wore wide smiles as they took in the sights of their discovery. Were it not a cool autumn day, it would have been a perfect place to go swimming.

“Wow…” Tourmaline said, her eyes taking in the natural beauty of the place.

“I know.” Wanderer grinned and pranced in place. “This is so cool!”

Tormod stood at the lake’s edge, peering into the water. “It’s so clear. The fishing has to be excellent here.” He looked around curiously. “I don’t see any piers or boats either.”

“Maybe we’re the firsts to find it,” Tourmaline suggested.

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“No way!” Wanderer ran towards a thick cluster of reeds.

“What is it?” Tormod asked.

Wanderer looked at them, his expression similar to when he visited the sweets shop. “You guys know what these are?” He pointed towards a number of plants that grew out of the water.

“What are those?” Tourmaline asked, looking over the plants curiously.

“These are cattails. They only grow near the water and they’re delicious.” He chewed off a leaf. “My mom is crazy for these things,” he said through a mouthful of food.

“Are they good?” she asked again, giving the plants a skeptical look.

“Try ’em.” He pulled a pair of leaves from the reeds and offered them.

The siblings shared a glance but took their respective leaves gingerly. Tormod look the time to examine his, while Tourmaline gave hers a tentative nibble.

She snapped back in surprise, and her eyes widened in joy. “Whoa! These are good! They’re kind of sweet.” She happily munched on the leaf.

Tormod looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

She swallowed her food and looked at him. “Are you going to eat that?”

He gave her an annoyed look, but gave his leaf a testing bite. His reaction was much the same as hers. “They have a bit of a texture, but they are better than any daffodil and dandelion sandwiches I’ve had.”

Wanderer’s smug grin was almost insulting. “That’s the difference in living in the country, compared to city living. You’d be amazed by what you can eat out here.” He smiled playfully. “City slickers.”

The two gave serious thought to throwing him in the lake.

-0-

They spent the next few hours collecting cattail leaves, exploring around the lake, and generally enjoying their day. They saw many types of wildlife also visit the lake, usually long enough for the animals to drink and quietly leave. The foals knew to keep their distance from the wild animals in the forest. Unlike the animals found throughout most of Equestria, the animals here were wild and skittish. They knew if the animals felt threatened, they might attack. Despite this, they still found many things to do and have fun with. Each new find—however small—brought about smiles and laughter.

Tourmaline flew low over the surface of the lake, peering into the clear water at a large cluster of small-shelled creatures. She looked closely at a rather large mussel—the shell had split open with its interior facing the mud of the lake. She dove quickly into the water, and came up sputtering with a face and hoof full of mud.

Tormod looked from his study of small plant at the sound of the splash, and looked at his sister incredulously as she surfaced from the lake. “I’m assuming there was a good reason for that?”

She tossed the lump of earth to the shore and washed the mud from her face. “Of course there is,” she answered, her teeth chattering from the chilly water. She hopped from the lake, and shook the water and mud from her coat.

“What did you find?” Tormod asked as Wanderer trotted up to join them.

“Looks like mud,” Wanderer remarked.

She glared at him and shifted through the mud clump. She soon found the large shell and washed it. The dull greenish-brown exterior was covered in grime, but the interior was a gleaming pearly-white.

“It’s a nice shell. It would make for a good keepsake,” Tormod offered. “Though I’m not sure it was worth freezing over.”

She snorted and kept sorting through the mud until she found a grime-covered pebble. She took it to the lake to clean. The sunlight reflected off of the pebble, or rather, the pearl she had found. To say she was surprised at what she found would be an understatement.

“Look at this!” Her eyes widened and showed them her find.

Both colts gasped at the rounded pearl. “Wow, Tourmaline, that’s a find. A freshwater pearl is really hard to come by.”

Her brother smiled. “That one might even be worth a few bits.”

Wanderer’s gaze swept over the lake. “Maybe we could find a few more?”

The three walked along the shore, eyeing the water for more of the large mussels. Wanderer had gotten ahead of the other two when he heard a noise from a large cluster of reeds nearby. It wasn’t the sound of anything he had heard before, so curiosity took control and he went to have a look. He pushed through the reeds until he came across a group of boulders. He looked around with a frown, as he could no longer hear the sound, but dismissed the silence to climb up and look around. As he climbed, he kicked loose a few stones and a glint caught his attention. Taking a closer look, he found a small crystal deposit.

He picked one of the tiny crystals and smiled wide. “Hey guys! Come check this out!”

“What is it?” Tourmaline asked as she landed next to him. Her brother showed up a minute later, parting the reeds with magic.

Wanderer proudly showed off his prize. “What do you think?”

The two peered at the crystal closely, it was a small almost clear crystal with only a few scuffs on its surface.

“A quartz crystal, I think.” Tormod looked towards the deposit. “I’ve seen a few craft vendors sell them before, but they were worked on, so I’m not sure if yours is worth anything.”

“It is a nice find though, but still not my pearl.” Tourmaline smiled impishly at him.

Wanderer coughed—something was stinking, and he was sure it was her gloating.

“Guess a gem-finding cutie mark is out,” he said after checking if one such mark had appeared.

“Apparently,” Tormod remarked, then scrunched up his face in disgust. “What is that smell?”

Wanderer gagged, and looked towards the lake. The odor was getting worse. “The lake maybe?”

“Sure, blame the lake,” Tourmaline teased, though she also coughed.

“It was not me you guys. I swear everything is—“ He stopped as their irises shrunk and they began backing away from him. “What’s the matter with you two? I said it wasn’t me.”

“B-B-Behind you.” Tourmaline stuttered, her eyes wide.

Wanderer whirled and found himself face to face with a foul-smelling large timberwolf. Its wooden muzzle dripped a pungent, sticky saliva, and its glowing green eyes glared hungrily at the colt.

“Oh…” Wanderer said pitifully as he took a few instinctive steps back.

The timberwolf stepped forward menacingly, a growl escaping from its throat.

“N-Nice wolfie…” Out of desperation, he chucked his quartz crystal at the wolf. It struck the wolf in its right eye, and it howled in pain.

“Run!” Wanderer and his friends took off like the demons of Tartarus were after them.

The wolf glared back hatefully with its one good eye at the fleeing foals. It raised its muzzle and let loose a long howl. The answering howls echoed through the woods. With a leap, the wolf pursued his meal, his pack not far behind him.

-0-

The trees whisked by in a blur as they ran from the ravenous timberwolves. They could hear more howls join the others as the pack gave chase, which only spurred them on. Their hooves dug deeply into the soil as they ran, their breathing ragged as they fled for their very lives.

“What do we do? What do we do?” Tourmaline yelled.

“We gotta get back to town. They won’t follow us there!” Wanderer replied between breaths.

“Which way?”

The three slowed in their run to look around. During their frantic run, they hadn’t paid any mind to which direction they were running in.

Wanderer looked around helplessly. “I don’t know.” He started as the timberwolf howls were getting closer, and he looked back to her. “Can you get above the trees again and see which way we have to go?”

She shook her head firmly. “I won’t leave you guys.”

“But we—“

“We need to go west. We went towards the sun this morning, so we need to go in the direction of the setting sun.” Tormod interrupted.

“Which way is that?” Tourmaline looked through the trees above.

A loud howl erupted near them, and they could make out forms moving in the trees. “That way!”

“Go, go, go!” Wanderer yelled and the three took off. The wolves sniffed at the ground for a moment before pursuing again.

They fled for what felt like hours. Their breathing came in ragged gasps as their young bodies pushed themselves to their limits. They ran until they felt the winds shift, and the trees around them became obscured in a heavy fog. The fog was so thick that they could barely make out the trees ahead of them. The forest canopy was lost in a thick, gray canvas above.

Wanderer looked over his shoulder at the other two. “We gotta keep going. If we stop we—“ An exposed root caught his hoof, and he tripped with a surprised yelp.

He had just pushed himself up, spitting leaves, when Tourmaline screamed a warning. He looked over his shoulder to see a timberwolf lunging at him, its jaws drooling eagerly.

Primal instinct kicked in, and he bucked out with all of his might, catching the timberwolf square in the jaw. Its head snapped to the side with a pained yelp.

Wanderer’s eyes were wide with a mix of fear and excitement. “Yeah! That’s what you get!” he taunted.

The timber wolf looked back at him, its wooden jaw hanging by a hinge. With a pop, the jaw set back in its place, and the wolf slowly stalked towards him.

His bluster completely gone, he backed away from it fearfully. A quick glance over his shoulder, and he could see that he and his friends had been ringed in by the pack of wolves. There was no escape. Tourmaline might get away if she took wing, but for Tormod and him, it was the end. He realized then that he would never see his mother or cat again, and he wanted to cry but was too afraid. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about his mother killing him for this—the wolves were going to do it for her.

With a snarl, the alpha wolf leapt for him.

With a scream, Wanderer held up his forelegs in a futile attempt to ward off the killing blow.

He blinked in surprise as there was a yelp, and the attack did not come. He peeked from between his forelegs to find that the alpha wolf had simply vanished. The remaining pack appeared just as confused as the foals were, the wolves looked around confusedly for their leader.

From the fog came the sounds of splintering wood, followed by a loud groaning sound. The timberwolves started backing away, whimpering. A large treelike limb smashed down on one wolf, splintering it into kindling. Another swipe blasted two more wolves apart as they stood in shock at the sight of their squashed pack mate. The rest of the pack scattered with fearful yelps and cries as the unseen assailant continued to attack them.

Between what was happening to the wolves, and the feeling of the ground shaking from whatever was in the fog, the foals didn’t dare move except to huddle together.

Finally, the howls of the fleeing survivors faded into the distance. The silence that followed was as heavy as the fog around them. None of the three dared move in fear of attracting whatever had attacked the timberwolves.

When nothing happened, Wanderer was just about to suggest leaving when a large tree trunk slammed into the ground next to them, followed by a second on their other side. The three jumped in fear and looked upward. The tree “trunk” was actually one of four legs that were attached to a larger body. The creature had two arm-like appendages that were as thick as its legs. These appendages ended in root-like tips that squirmed and wiggled like an earthworm.

It lowered itself towards them, and they saw that a face of impossible proportions covered most of the torso. The creature had two sets of eyes, and its nose was long and gnarled, sticking out a few feet from its body. Its mouth was covered by a thick, mossy beard, and leafless branches haphazardly stuck out from the top of its “head.”

The sheer size of the creature paralyzed the foals with fear. It gazed down at them curiously, unsure what it was looking at. It lifted one arm and reached out for them. They cringed, but instead of crushing them, the root-like appendages caressed them. They looked up slowly as the tree creature continued to pet them. It almost seemed as if it was trying to calm them.

Realizing the creature meant no harm, Tourmaline spoke in a whisper. “Th-Thank you.”

It looked at her as she spoke, its sap-colored eyes refusing to give up its intent.

“For saving us…”

Feeling more confident, Wanderer stood. “You really saved us… What’s your name?”

Again, it did not speak, and only the sound of bending wood answered them as the creature stood tall. It still looked down at them with curiosity.

“What are you?” Tormod asked breathlessly.

The creature looked at them for a moment turning slightly and looking off into the distance. After a moment, it lifted one leg, then another as it calmly turned away from them and moved off into the fog.

“Hey, wait! Who are you?” Wanderer called after it.

“Thank you!” Tourmaline yelled as the massive creature vanished into the thick fog. The three could only look after it in wonder.

Until they heard the cries.

Voices called out for them from the fog. “Wanderer! Tourmaline! Tormod!”

“Mom!” Wanderer shouted in relief.

“Dad!” the siblings yelled.

The three foals ran for the voices, their weariness and fear overtaken by elation that their parents had found them.

As they followed the shouts, they could make out the forms of the Equestrian Guard ahead. The pegasi soldiers cleared the fog ahead of the earth pony and unicorn guards, all of whom were shouting for them.

“There they are!” a pegasus guard shouted.

Two forms pushed past the guards, and the three foals had never been happier to see their parents. The siblings tackled their dad to the ground as Wanderer’s mom crushed him in a massive hug. He could feel her relieved tears moistening his mane, and her body shook as she held him tight.

“My baby, I’m so happy.” She hugged him tighter.

“Mom, Mom, I’m okay,” he said as she finally released him. His own tears fell from his face, tears of joy at seeing her, and of shame for making her cry.

“You’re not hurt,” she said in relief after checking him over. “What about your friends?” She looked towards his friends and their father who was also in the midst of a tearful reunion. The guards watched as the families reunited.

“What happened to you three?” their father asked as he got back to his hooves.

“And what were you thinking?” Wanderer’s mom demanded, changing from heartfelt relief to justified anger in mere seconds.

The three foals started babbling at once, and their excited chatter had both adults flatten their ears at the sound.

“One at a time,” their father said, rubbing at his sore ears.

“We found a lake—” Tourmaline started.

“But we were chased by timberwolves,” Tormod interjected.

“Timberwolves?” the adults demanded. The guards tensed up at the mention of the beasts.

“But some giant, tree spider… thingy, saved us. It smashed those timberwolves to bits!” Wanderer chopped downward with a hoof to emphasize the point. One of the guards looked over his shoulder at him with a frown.

The adults looked at him confusedly. “A what?”

“A tree spider thing is the best I’d call it,” Tormod said. “It was tall, and had four legs, two arms, and a face on its body. It had two sets of eyes and moss for a beard. I’ve never even heard of something like that before.”

“What are you—“ Wanderer’s mom started to ask.

A guard interrupted her. “Where did you see this thing?” His gaze swept over the foals expectantly.

“Uh… back that way.” Wanderer motioned in the wrong direction.

The guard simply frowned at him, clearly not amused.

“Do you think it was—“ another guard asked before his captain cut him off.

“This is not the time for old mare’s tales, soldier. We found them, so let’s get back to town, where it is safe.”

The procession followed a path back to Greensborough. The pegasi kept the fog at bay, while the others stood around the foals and their parents protectively.

Tourmaline walked beside her dad for a moment before she nudged at him. “How did you know where to look for us, Dad?”

“Your friend, Rogue, told us where you went. When we couldn’t find you, we got the guards to help look for you.”

The foals cringed. “Rogue did?” Tormod asked, a sick feeling developing in his stomach.

His dad nodded. “He did, and it was a good thing he did. Who knows what might of happened if he didn’t.”

The three shared a look. They knew that Rogue had likely told their parents about them to get them in trouble. They knew he was going to flaunt this unmercifully now.

“Ma’am,” the captain said to Wanderer’s mother. “It would be best if you inform your son that he should not come into the woods on his own, or just with his friends. These woods are not a playground.”

“Oh, I intend to have a long chat with him once we get home.” Her tone and glare had him sinking to the ground.

“And don’t think you two are getting out of it either.” The sibling’s father looked at them disapprovingly. “What you did was beyond foolish.”

All three of them drooped in resignation—it was going to be a long time before they were ungrounded.

Author's Note:

Yeesh, these three can get themselves in a lot of trouble.

A huge shout out to Lab, my editor, for his time and work for this story.

Comments

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Oh, you three... *Shakes head* I can't believe I'm about to say this, but good on Rogue! And what was that thing, a cross between a dinosaur and an Ent?!

[Zodiacspear]

5364200 I think Wanderer put it best as a tree spider thingy.

[BronyDad]

That was exciting and intriguing. I really think that review for the Good Fic Bin was unfair. You did a good job with this.