Survival of the Wolves

by JNKing

Chapter 11: A Rough Reunion

Star strode back into camp with a satisfied sigh. Her encounter with the fillies had been close, but from the looks of things, it had all resolved out perfectly; the fillies were back with their parents, and curiosity would be risen about the forest. Soon, the ponies would eventually have to venture in, and steps could start being taken to get them to help Star reunite with her mother.

Yes, sir, everything seemed to be going just fine.

Then a scream ripped through the air. Star winced as the sound drilled into her ears.

Shiva burst out of her den. “Who is that?” she demanded, looking around. “Is everyone accounted for?”

Celine searched before gasping. “Kodo’s not here,” she said. “Neither are Logan or Red or…” her face paled. “None of the wolves who wanted war are here.”

Star’s ears flattened. Why did I have to jinx it? She thought.

#

At the same time, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity gently set the cutie mark crusaders down at their clubhouse.

“Look, kid,” Rainbow Dash told Scootaloo. “As much as we appreciate the help, the Ever-Free Forest is way too dangerous for you guys. You could’ve been really badly hurt.”

“Darn tootin,” Applejack agreed. “Just leave this to the grown-ups, okay Apple Bloom. We got this…”

Suddenly, Twilight’s scream ripped through the air. The mares whirled on the sound, Rainbow Dash’s ears perking in alarm.

“That’s Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “They’re in trouble!”

Without thinking, Rainbow Dash took flight, racing back for the Ever-Free.

“Rainbow Dash, wait!” Rarity wailed, running after her.

Applejack almost followed, but paused long enough to point at the fillies. “Stay here,” she ordered, before racing after her friends.

Together, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity drove into the forest.

#

At the same time, Celine and Star raced towards the sound of screaming as well, Star barely able to hold herself together.

Oh-no-oh-no-oh-no…Star wailed in her mind. This wasn’t what I wanted at all.

Unfortunately, what she wanted contrasted badly with reality. And it wasn’t long before she found the source of the screaming;

Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were all tied down, Kodo and his entourage grinning ominously over them as Logan – the youngest and Kodo’s son – fitted a gag over Twilight’s mouth. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were already similarly gagged.

“Kodo, stop!” Celine cried, skidding to a halt before him. “What are you doing?”

“Dealing with trespassers,” Kodo replied darkly. He indicated the three ponies. “These three intruded on our territory. Mother always warned us that they would. And they sure didn’t find malnourished pups.” He glowered down at Fluttershy. “DID THEY?”

Fluttershy sobbed through her gag, tears spilling down her cheeks. Celine stepped forward.

“Kodo, back off,” she insisted.

Before Kodo or his minions could argue back…

“You’d do well to listen to her, partner!”

The wolves spun with a snarl, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack standing ready to fight. Their eyes briefly flicked to the wings and horns on Kodo and Celine, but if they found the odd alicorns odd, they didn’t have time to comment on it.

“Let our friends go now!” Rainbow Dash barked. “Or you’ll be in for a world of hurt."

“Fighting’s not really my thing,” Rarity admitted. “Especially against alicorns. But I’ll RIP YOU DOGS TO SHREDS IF YOU HARM ONE HAIR ON MY FRIENDS HEADS!”

The wolves growled – Kodo with anger, Celine with hesitation. As they slowly circled the three mares, Star stepped back, the shadows concealing her. Shaking her head, she spun and raced back for camp.

At the same time, Celine kept exchanging a worried look with Kodo. “Kodo, this isn’t how Mother wanted us to do things.”

“We can argue about it later,” Kodo insisted. “For now, you want these guys to hurt anymore of our pack?”

“Anymore… you hurt our friends!” Applejack protested. “Ya got em trussed up like chickens!”

“They trespassed on our territory,” Kodo snapped back. “You all tried to kill us.”

“Then maybe you should have taken the hint and stayed off our turf!” Rainbow Dash snapped.

Kodo reared back, his eyes glistening as he prepared to attack. But just before another battle could break out…

“ENOUGH!”

Mare and wolf alike froze as the commanding voice washed over them. The shadows lit up with light, as Alpha Shiva strode out, regarding the wolves with disappointment and the mares with suspicion.

Behind her, Star shivered in the few shadows left, her eyes darting between the two sides with fear.

For a moment, no one spoke. Rainbow Dash and Applejack still stood ready to fight, but their limbs quivered with nervousness, and their eyes were wide with awe.

After a tense moment, Shiva turned to the tied up mares. “Release them,” she ordered.

Not questioning her order, Kodo bent down, his claws relieving Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy of their bindings. Twilight didn’t dare rise from the ground, gaping up at Shiva; her wings. Her horn.

“You…” she whispered. “You’re an… alicorn?” She looked between them. “The three of you…”

Shiva hummed, a grin playing across her face. “A wolf alicorn, yes,” she admitted. “Lupa Class. Alpha Shiva of the Wolves of Equestria.” She bent lower, regarding Twilight with her dark brown eyes. “And you… are the Element of Magic.” Her tail wagged. “We saw your conversion from the shadows of the Ever-Free.”

Twilight swallowed, while Applejack managed to find her voice.

“F-Forgive us, yer grace, but did ya also see Princess Star Wing? We heard she was out here, and…”

For a moment, Shiva was silent. Her eyes darted to the shadows Star hid in. Star tilted her head, silently asking if she should come out. But after regarding how battle-ready Rainbow Dash seemed, along with how Fluttershy was shivering, Shiva’s eyes hardened, and she gave Star a barely perceptible shake of her head.

“What do we get if we tell you what we know of Princess Star Wing?” Shiva asked the ponies. “Ponies tearing down our home?" Her voice grew cold. "Killing our people? Destroying our way of life?”

Twilight flinched with every word and the bitter venom behind them. “The… ‘attack’ on your kind was a major sore point of Equestria history,” she offered weakly. “The loss of the wolves was a tragedy and…”

“Words are wind,” Shiva dismissed. “It’s actions that truly define who we are.”

She nodded at Kodo. Reluctantly, Kodo and his wolves stepped back, and with a flare of Shiva’s magic, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were floated over to their friends.

“So, let my actions show my stance,” Shiva said. “You are free to leave this forest. Should you wish, you may return. But only with something we can barter and trade with.”

Applejack’s ears perked. “Ya mean like… apples or something?”

“Apples, supplies, information,” Shiva agreed with a nod. “Come willing to trade, and we will be happy to welcome you. However,” her gaze darkened as she moved closer to Twilight. “You are not to inform your Princess of our presence yet. I will know if you try, and you will not like what I will have to do to protect my pack.”

Twilight swallowed, and she nodded. “I-I promise,” she said. “Celestia won’t know about you.” She paused. “S-So, d-do you know where Princess…”

Shiva’s glare silenced the mare. “Earn our trust,” Shiva said, “And I will tell you of the Princess.”

Twilight winced, but lowered her head in acceptance. “Come on, girls,” she said. “We’ve bothered these wolves enough.”

Reluctantly, Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned to follow Twilight and the others, glaring down Kodo and his group as they left. As soon as the ponies were out of earshot, Shiva turned back to Kodo’s group.

“Artemis,” she called, gaining the attention of a pterolycus. “Keep an eye on them. I will be sending our best scouts and spies to aid you. Keep watch on them from the clouds; if the Element of Magic tries to inform Princess Celestia in any way…”

Artemis nodded. “I understand,” she said, before taking flight.

Shiva turned back to Star. “You will not be among them,” she warned the alicorn. “They asked for you personally; showing that you’re with us could ruin this experiment in many ways.”

“But…” Star protested. “A-Are we fighting them or making peace with them?”

Shiva smiled. “A wise warrior once said, ‘offer one paw but arm the other.’” She looked back at Twilight. “I’d like to believe that these ponies are different from the nobles who hurt us, but I will not forget the pain we were put through.” She nodded at Kodo, who bowed his head in thanks. “And we will be prepared if this investment turns out to be a mistake. Until then…”

Kodo winced as she fixed him with a very disappointed glare.

“M-Mother…” he tried to protest. “T-They were trespassing…”

“The den,” she growled softly. “Now.”

Groaning, Kodo lowered his head and followed after her, Celine struggling to hide her grin.

#

Back in Ponyville, Twilight and the others barely managed to pull themselves away from a crowd of concerned citizens.

“It’s nothing, really,” Twilight insisted. “Just some timber wolves I wasn’t prepared for. Everything’s fine.”

Despite her words, Applejack’s grimace and Rainbow Dash’s constant looks back made it very difficult to get everyone to stop asking questions. But eventually, the Mane Six managed to lock themselves up in Twilight’s library, where Twilight cast a silencing spell to ensure no one overheard them processing Shiva’s words. Even then, they felt like there were eyes on them, and not the friendly kind.

“So, what’s the plan, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If you ask me, that wolf has Princess Star Wing, and just isn’t telling us.”

“To be fair,” Fluttershy noted. “We did trespass on their territory.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to argue, but Pinkie got between them.

“It doesn’t matter who’s right here,” Pinkie insisted. “I think Shiva’s giving us a chance. If we can just keep quiet enough to earn her friendship… maybe she’ll be okay with revealing herself. If she does have Princess Star Wing… maybe she’s just trying to protect her.”

Twilight looked down thoughtfully. “The history books did say that Princess Star Wing and Princess Luna weren’t very popular…” she admitted.

“Ah still don’t like this,” Applejack admitted. “Keeping this secret? That feels too much like lying. If these wolves are gonna be our neighbors, ponies should know about it.”

“But what if that causes more problems?” Rarity argued. “What if they get violent?”

“Let them,” Rainbow Dash growled. “We beat them before, we can do it again.”

But Twilight shook her head. “No, we can’t, Rainbow. The Massacre of the Wolves was easily the greatest regret in Equestrian History. Having to fight them again…” she shook her head. “You might be able to, but I’m not sure everyone else will.”

Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack for support, but the farm mare hung her head.

“She’s right, Dash,” she admitted. “Granny Smith raised us on the tales of the wolves; how we should never judge others by their covers.” She grimaced. “Ah still don’t like this secret thing, but I don’t like the idea of fighting em either.”

Twilight nodded. “Then maybe it’s better to keep this on the down low. Princess Celestia wanted me to learn about friendship… maybe this is a way to put those lessons to good use.”

The others nodded, and Twilight dissipated the spell, as Spike walked over.

“So… you girls are okay?” he asked. “I’m pretty sure Princess Celestia is going to want to know how you’re doing.”

Twilight grimaced, pondering it for a moment. She glanced at her friends; Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy nodded, and while Applejack and Rainbow didn’t look happy, they nodded as well.

Breathing, Twilight turned back to Spike. “Take a letter, Spike,” she said. “’Dear Princess Celestia... our investigation is still underway. We are trying to avoid unnecessary risks, which means that this search will take longer than expected. Rest assured, we will not rest until Princess Luna is reunited with her daughter. We look forward to the day we can help your family reunite with each other. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.’”

#

Outside, Artemis hummed at Twilight’s letter. It didn’t directly mention Alpha Shiva; it didn’t even mention the wolves.

Back towards the forest, Kodo poked his head up, tilting it in intrigue. Artemis signaled to him that the ponies had not told Celestia about them.

Grimacing, Kodo ducked back down and returned to Shiva.

“Well?” Shiva asked.

Kodo sighed. “They didn’t tell Celestia about us,” he said.

Shiva and Celine shared a smile. “The first step,” Shiva mused.

Star stepped forward hopefully. “First step?” she asked. “To what?”

Shiva pet Star’s head. “To reunite you with your mother, of course,” she replied. “Without having to hurt any pony along the way.”

Comments

[Okamiluver]

Gah, these chapters are too short! I like the idea of offer kindness in one paw but be ready with a cudgel in the other... idea. This situation sorta reminds me of the Native American situation in American History... not sure if that's what you're drawing inspiration from, regardless I look foward to your next chapter!!

*prays for a quick update*

[The_Chill_Author]

Grievous in the background giving Kodo a thumbs up. Anyway, good chapter can't wait for more.