Something Is In The Woods

The door to the Long Dead Dog slammed open, much to the annoyance of the patrons who cursed at the newcomer for letting in the rain. As the earth pony shook the water from her cloak, she looked around the smoke-filled common room with a disdainful snort at the coarse condition of the inn and its disreputable clientele, “Be there a Moonstalker here?”

“Aye, I’m Moonstalker, what do you want?” I sighed tiredly as I looked up from my plate, 'Why do these interruptions always have to come during dinner?'

The mare frowned at me, “I was told ta look fer a one-eyed earth pony stallion with a silver mane, not a maid ....”

“That was my uncle, he’s been dead now these four months.”

“I had a job fer Hunter Moonstalker, but if'n he be dead ... sorry ta disturb yer dinner lass,” she apologized as she started to turn away.

“I’m Hunter Moonstalker now.”

The look the mare shot at me was skeptical at best, “Well I guess it canna hurt ta talk ta ye.”

I’d gotten used to the doubts, but it still annoyed me when ponies didn't believe that I was a Hunter ... so I was the runt of the litter, there’s more to being a good Hunter than size! “Take a seat then Goodmare ....”

“Applebutter, I be the Mayor here in Hollowshades,” she said pointedly as she sat down, “Truth be told, ye’r not what I was expecting Lady Moonstalker.”

“Hunters come in all types Mayor, and it’s just Moonstalker, I make no claims to nobility, now then, what can I do for your honor?”

“Fer tha past few months me town has been haunted by a night stalker, we’ve lost over a dozen good townsponies ta tha monster so far, and it needs ta end!”

“So why haven't you sent for the Solar Paladins,” I asked, raising an eyebrow, “Or the Night Guard?”

“Do ye take me fer a fool?” Applebutter snapped, “We sent a runner ta get help, but we haven't yet heard from him or tha guards, yer here and they aint, it be as simple as that.”

“Do you have any idea what kind of Stalker it is,” I asked in an attempt to mollify the Mayor, “A ghoul perhaps, or maybe a night gaunt?”

“No, tis nothing like that,” Applebutter leaned forward and dropped her voice to a whisper, “A vampony be plaguing us.”

That little declaration caught my attention, “Are you sure?”

“All tha bodies were drained of blood,” the Mayor frowned, apparently my doubts had offended her, “What else could it be?”

'You might be surprised what's out there Mayor ….' “You’ve caught my interest, I’ll take the job.”

Applebutter nodded, “Yer funeral be it fer playing at a guardpony’s work, but if'n ye live we’ll have tha normal fee ready before tha week be out.”

“No silver.”

“What?” the mare blinked in confusion at my request.

“No silver,” I repeated firmly, “I’ll take my pay in copper or portable goods, if you don’t mind.”

“No ... not at all,” Applebutter's ears twitched with curiosity, “Be there a particular reason ye won’t take silver?”

“Call it ... a personal superstition.”

________________________________________

After getting a look at the latest victim, I found I had to agree with Mayor Applebutter, the killer was probably a vampony, I had hoped I’d get lucky, all my teachers had emphasized how dangerous vamponies were and I had no desire to face one so early in my career. Still, I had accepted the job, even if Applebutter didn’t think I could succeed. The price of a few ales for the local foresters gave me a place to start my search, a wooded valley, some ten leagues north of the town. According to the locals, the vale was haunted by an “ancient evil” that had driven out their ancestors. While such tales were often so much smoke and wind, three of the local hunters had disappeared in the valley while searching for the vampony, so it was as good a place to start as any.

The next day, the whole town turned out to see me off, from the way they gawked, I must have been the first Hunter they’d ever seen, but I could hear them muttering about how little I was carrying, even the Mayor seemed to think I was under armed for the task, “Is that sword all ye’r taking Hunter? We could give ye a bow or spear if ye’d like.”

“Thank you, no, Brand here is all I need,” I said, as I patted my sword’s hilt, my words apparently satisfied Applebutter, but not the old mare that came up and pressed a small silver solar-medallion into my hand while muttering something about “Celestia’s blessings” before I could move on. Forcing a friendly grin across my muzzle and keeping my ears upright, I shoved the medallion into my pouch and hooked my hand through my belt to hide the burns, 'If these ponies learned they had sheltered a werewolf in their town, even a sorry, thin-blooded excuse like me ….' Old memories of agonized screams and the sickly-sweet smell of burning flesh reared their ugly heads, but I quickly pushed them aside with a shudder.

I soon reached the woods about the town and checked to be sure that no pony had followed me, once I was sure of my privacy, I let the change flow over me, and suppressed a shiver at the sickly feeling of leather, linen, and steel merging with my flesh and bone. After a quick stretch, I was off, padding to the valley the foresters told me about, I’d have to avoid the local farmponies and shepponies during my journey, most ponies automatically assume any wolf they see is up to no good, and a spear between my shoulders would hurt, even if it wouldn’t be particularly dangerous.

________________________________________

I reached the valley as dusk fell and decided to wait until the morning before going on, but my rest was disturbed by the sound of clinking metal from out in the dark, I could feel something watching me, but my nose and eyes both said that there was nothing out there. After a short time, the unseen presence faded away and I could hear movement in the underbrush, but my eyes still saw nothing. I passed the rest of the night staring uneasily out into the darkness.

After catching a rabbit for breakfast, I continued into the vale, with most of the day passing without any sign of the vampony or my eerie visitor of the previous night. The afternoon shadows were growing long when I found a tomb, a simple cave in a hill, the door was once chained shut and carved over with Celestia’s sun. Now the staples had been pulled free of the stone and deep scratches marred the glyph, while half buried in the loom of the forest floor were a trio of skeletons, a unicorn and two earth ponies, one still clutching a rusted pry-bar in its boney fingers.

I slunk into the tomb, tensed to leap upon the sleeping vampony, only to find it empty, a bare slab of stone was all that rested within, the vampony was gone! How? I had always been taught that vamponies must return to the place of their burial during the day, yet the tomb was as empty as, well, a tomb! Could other things I had been told be wrong as well?

For three days, I searched the valley, and each night the same ghostly presence I had encountered my first night in the vale continued to haunt me. I found no traces of the vampony, only the rotted ruins of a long-dead town and the shattered remnants of old weapons, if the vampony moved regularly, I might never find the Celestia-damned thing!

Shortly after nightfall on the fourth day, I spied the gleam of a fire in the distance, only a fool or another Hunter would brave this haunted vale, still some company would be a pleasant change. I slunk towards the fire on quite paws, stopping outside of the firelight so I could observe the camp’s lone occupant; in his early middle-years, the pegasus stallion bore a sword and mail shirt of an ancient design, much like those scattered about the valley. As I looked on, he glanced up and I felt again the same presence that had been following me throughout the valley, then the faint reek of corruption, and old blood hit my noise, he was the vampony!

“Welcome Hunter,” the vampony said calmly, “Step ou’ inta tha light, s’ ah can gi a look at ya.”

There was no point in running, he’d already seen me, slowly I stepped into the firelight, wishing, not for the first time, that I had my brethren's ability to assume the powerful wolf-pony shape.

“Please, Hunter, take some oth’r shape,” the undead pegasus requested, “Ah feel ridiculous talk’n ta a wulf.”

“Who are you?” I asked once I had shifted back to my pony form.

“Ah be Blizzard,” he bowed slightly, “And ya?”

“Moonstalker.”

“A pleasure ta meet ya, Moonstalker, and now th’t tha formalities ‘r o’er, we can gi down ta business,” with that, he vanished from my sight as if he had never been, leaving only his parting words behind, “Find me if ya can li’l wulflin’, find me if ya can.”

I stood gawking like a fool at the empty clearing, “Aww, Tartarus!” 'Why didn’t anypony tell me they could do that?'

________________________________________

I didn't sleep that night, nor for the next three, for fear that Blizzard would come upon me as I lay helpless. However, after three days of searching by day and lying awake all night, I had to force my eyes to stay open as I sat by my fire, cursing the same lack of stamina my brothers and sisters had always teased me for, 'Well Uncle Hoss, it looks like your favorite niece has failed. It's been, what, seven days? And I’m still no closer to finding that cursed vampony then when I started.'

And so I sat, lost in my self-pity, through most of the night, only to finally wake from my reverie when I head a twig snap behind me. Shifting forward, I could feel a presence at my back, letting me gauge how far away my visitor was, when I felt the presence approach, I spun about to face the intruder across Brand’s naked blade.

Two earth pony stallions and a mare, all dressed in mottled greens and browns stood at the edge of the clearing, they carried spears and long knives and their throats had been ripped out, coating their tunics with dried blood, 'Well, now I know what happened to those missing hunters.' As the three walking corpses spread out and begin to close in, I gave a howl and leaped at the one to my left, startled he jerked his spear up, but not in time to keep Brand from shearing through his neck. The other two looked at the swiftly rotting form of their fallen companion then back at me.

“Ye’ll pay f’r that wench,” the mare snarled as they closed in.

'Keep them mad, angry people make mistakes.' “What’s the matter?” I sneered, “Is Blizzard afraid to face me? Is that why he sent you lot of pathetic wretches to get slaughtered?”

“Shut yer mouth!” rasped the stallion.

“Why don't you make me?”

With a curse, the stallion lunged forward, striking with his spear and driving me back, 'Luna's starlit mane, he’s strong!' slowly, I gained the upper hand, forcing him back towards the fire, 'Where did the mare go?' I wonder, only to receive my answer in the form of a flung spear that caught me in the side and threw me into a tree.

“S’ much f’r the great Hunter!” the stallion laughed as he charged at me, only to catch my boot in his gut as I kicked out with desperate strength and pitched him stumbling back into the fire by the force of the blow, he screamed and thrashed as the flames enveloped him and he went up like an oil-soaked rag!

“Luna’s teats!” 'No pony told me about that either!’ the mare nervously licked her lips as I rose to my feet and pulled the spear from my side, the wound was already beginning to heal, “You know, you could always surrender.”

She glared at me as she drew her long knife, “I’d sooner rot in Tartarus.”

“I thought you might feel that way”, with a sudden burst of speed, I was across the camp and past her, she turned just in time to catch Brand across the side of her throat. I grinned as the headless corpse slowly toppled over, already starting to decompose, 'I always said that being the fastest one in the family could be useful,' my self-congratulations were cut short, however, by a voice out of the dark.

“Na bad li’l Hunter. But ‘ow well will ya do again’ ‘n experienced vampony, hmm? We shall see, oh yes, we shall see.”

'It’s going to be a long night.'

After yet another sleepless night, I started to backtrack the three vamponies who attacked me, this proved as difficult as I had feared, death hadn’t dimmed any of their hunter’s skills, if anything, it seemed to have improved them, I followed the trail until late afternoon, when all the traces just vanished, 'Buck! Somepony’s wiped out the signs, even the scents are gone!'

“I’m still going to find you! Do you hear me Blizzard, damn your hide!” at least the shouting made me feel better, but what was I to do now, tracking the vampire wasn't working, if anything it seemed to be amusing the monster! It was time to change my tactics and make Blizzard come to me on ground of my own choosing.

It didn't take long for me to find a suitable spot, a fair-sized glade with tall cliffs warding two sides, and a small creek to provide water, after a few hours of hunting to supplement my dwindling supplies, I settled down on the creek bank and began to wait.

________________________________________

It wasn't until another two days had passed that the unnatural presence that heralded the vampony's unseen arrival returned, “It’s about time that you showed up,” I mocked, hoping to get him talking, to waste time with boasts and threats, instead something smashed into my arm and hurled me half way across the glade! As I sat up, dazedly clutching the four deep gashes in my arm, the vampony just appeared out of the air in the middle of my camp.

“Time ta finish tha game, li’l one,” with that, he flapped his wings to propel himself into the air and over my campfire as he lunged at me, clawed fingers outstretched. Despite my awkward position, sprawled on the forest floor, I managed to roll out of the way, but the vampony charged again, catching me by the shoulders as I attempted to rise and bearing me to the ground, taking advantage of our backwards fall, I gave Blizzard a hefty boot to the stomach, throwing him. He quickly bounced back to his feet and started for me, but by now I'd managed to stand and draw Brand, the vampony paused to regard the blade gleaming in the firelight, “So, tis a duel ya want li’l werelin’? Well, ah guess ah can oblige ya.”

Drawing his own sword, he waved me on with a bored, and slightly insulting, gesture, within the first pass I could tell that I was a better fencer, but Blizzard was a match for my speed, and his superior strength and longer blade made it an even match. Several times what should have been a solid blow failed to bite as the vampony slipped to the side and my blade scraped off his armor. Spying an opening, I slashed at the monster’s head, but he avoided the blow, my back swing, however, managed to lay open his arm to the bone.

Blizzard screamed fit to scare the damned and lashed out, tearing Brand away from my grasp, “Tha' ‘urt witch!” he snarled as he sprang upon me, catching me by the front of my tunic, the vampony lifted me into the air and hurled me at a nearby tree with such force that it shattered under the impact.

As I lay among the tree’s splintered ruins, I could feel my smashed ribs and dislocated joints beginning to knit back together, but would I heal enough to fight before the vampony reached me? 'Oh goody, he’s really mad, you’re in for it now Moonie.'

As Blizzard stalked towards me, his face contorted with rage and a crimson light blazing from his eyes, I desperately fumbled in my pouch for the solar-medallion the old mare had given me. Ignoring the pain of the silver searing into my flesh, I thrust the medallion at the vampony, but he only paused for a moment, his face briefly twisting in confusion, before he continued to advance, his vicious laugh ringing in my ears. Kneeling down, he grabbed me by the throat, “Ah’ve ne’er ‘ad a shapeshifter before. Ah wonder ‘ow ya’ll taste?” he growled as his fangs sank into my neck.

As I thrashed about in agony, my flailing hand chanced upon a piece of the splintered tree, snatching it up, I drove it into the night stalker’s chest with all of my strength. Blizzard fell back with a wail, and lay motionless on the ground, by some unbelievable stroke of alicorns-blessed luck I’d pierced his heart!

Slowly, I climbed to my feet, cradling my abused ribs and clasping a hand to my mangled throat to staunch the streaming blood, “It’s over, he’s dead,” I exulted.

- Now why d’ya ga ‘n do th’t f’r filly? –

That was the vampony’s voice, but how? I looked down at Blizzard, only to find his eyes fully aware and sparkling with anger! 'Isn’t anything I’ve learned about vamponies true?' “Why won’t you die?!”

- But ah’m already dead li’l wulflin’. –

'He’s got a Celestia-damned stake through his black heart, and the bastard's making jokes!'

- Now why d’n ya tek th’s bloody stake ou’ o’ me heart? Ah, g’d, thas a g’d filly. –

Immediately I started forward to remove the stake, ‘What am I doing?!' against my will, my body leaned forward and my hand reached for the stake, when pain slammed through me, causing me to cry out as I collapsed next to the vampony, but at least my body was once again responding to my desires.

Whimpering in pain as I felt something rip inside, I snatched up Blizzard's fallen sword, I could feel the vampony’s hate and anger, striking me like blows, staggering me, as I lifted the blade and stepped forward. Ignoring the pain tearing through my chest, I brought the sword down, cutting the night stalker's head from his body, within mere moments, the corpse had rotted away to nothing more than a fanged skull sitting in a pile of dust.

Gasping with mixed relief and pain, I collapsed, 'He’s dead, he’s really dead this time!' I lay there a minute, simply enjoying the fact that I was still alive, until the agony in my back became too great to ignore, clutching at my back, I found a broken branch, driven into me when I had struck the tree, and pulled it free. I looked at the jagged bit of wood and began to laugh, 'I staked him, and he staked me! Wait, that’s not funny.'

My laughter died in a pained gasp as I slowly walked over to Brand and carefully knelt down to retrieve it and Blizzard's skull from where they lay, 'Maybe I should ask for a mail shirt as part of my fee? Hopefully then I won't get beat up so much,' I mused, 'Though if the change doesn't affect it, I'll look a right sight trying to haul it along in my wolf-shape,' turning southwards, I began the long walk back to Hollowshades.