Survival of the Wolves

by JNKing

Chapter 12: New Friends

It only took a few days for the wolves to receive a visitor.

“Alpha,” Artemis declared. “The Element of Honesty approaches. She has supplies and might be looking to trade.”

Shiva rose from her den with a grin. “The first steps are being taken,” she whispered, before casting a nervous look at Star. “Star Wing, she can’t know you’re here. Find something to hunt until our business is concluded.”

Star nodded. “Yes, Alpha,” she replied, before taking wing. As Star vanished into the foliage, Shiva adjusted her wooden armor and smoothed out her fur.

Celine walked up next to her. “Nervous?” she asked.

“Impossible,” Kodo replied. “Mother doesn’t get nervous.”

“You might be surprised, my son,” Shiva replied.

Kodo’s eyes softened and he nuzzled against her. “If this does go wrong, you have us,” he assured her. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Shiva nodded. “I just don’t want anything to go wrong,” she admitted. “We’ve been out of contact with the ponies for so long…” Her head lowered. “And what they did to us…”

Celine gently touched her side. “It’s as you said,” she noted. “Fear is the enemy. The ponies were just its hapless victims.”

Assured by her daughter’s words, Shiva took another breath. “You’re right,” she said. “Let’s see what they’re like when fear isn’t controlling them.”

With her confidence returned, Shiva strode to the borders of her territory. Applejack was waiting, shuffling in place as she and the wolf guardians waited.

“Howdy, Alpha,” Applejack greeted. She turned to her saddlebags. “Now, I ain’t too sure on what wolves like, so I reckoned… ‘why not show em all that we got?’” Carefully, she laid out several Apple Family products; from freshly picked apples to apple pies to apple tarts to…

Shiva’s eyes widened as Applejack set out a jar of rainbow-colored jam.

“That’s Zap Apple Jam,” Shiva whispered, struggling not to sound awed. “How’d you find this?”

“There’s a grove we Apples protect,” Applejack replied proudly. “Timber Wolves make it a bit of a risk to keep it that way, but the risk is worth the reward, eh?”

Shiva chuckled. “Indeed.” She nodded to Celine. “Celine, care to show Applejack what we have to offer in exchange?”

And as Celine started to lay out different tools and weapons that the wolves used, Shiva found herself returning Applejack’s grin. This could turn out to be better than she had hoped.

#

At the same time, Star flew aimlessly through the forest. Her gaze shifted wistfully to Canterlot Castle, so close and yet so far away that it felt like the castle was teasing Star.

Somewhere in there, her mother was being kept. As a prisoner? As a guest? As just another pony? Star had no idea, and it ate her up not knowing.

It reminded her of how confused she had felt when Star Hunter had died. It made no sense to her; one day, he had left her, promising he’d be back. But then he never came back.

Star had wanted to search for him. She wanted to figure out where her dad was. But all Luna could respond with was a tearful, ‘Your father can’t be with us anymore.’

That helplessness. That confusion. That sensation of hating not knowing. Star found herself flapping harder and harder, almost as if she could escape her own feelings if she flew fast enough.

Unfortunately, all it did was cause her to almost crash into a tree. As she rolled and swiveled to avoid the trunks, she made a wrong turn and dove right into a cavern. Struggling to bank in the air, she collided with something soft and fuzzy.

A series of hisses shot Star’s heart up into her throat, and she summoned a wind spell, blasting herself backward and out of the cave. Rolling back to her hooves, she flared her wings and lit her horn, growling like a wolf as whatever was inside charged out and hissed at her again.

However, both sides paused. The creatures inside were ponies. Kind of like Star. In fact… They were very much like her. Slit-pupiled eyes. Leathery wings.

“Wait…” Star muttered. “Are you guys… thestrals?”

One of the thestrals peered at her. “But… you’re a thestral too,” he noted.

“No,” another whispered, pointing at her horn. “You see the horn?”

Several gasps rang through the bat-ponies. “It can’t be…” their leader mumbled, stepping closer. “P-Princess Star Wing?”

Star took a step back. “How do you know my name?” she asked. “Unless…” the answer clicked, and she gasped. “Are you a relative of Star Hunter?”

The leader’s eyes lit up. “You remember!” He turned to the others. “She remembers!”

“Well don’t leave her hanging,” what appeared to be the leader’s second in command whispered. “Tell her!”

“Seriously,” Star Wing agreed. “I feel like I should be geeking out right now, but I’m not sure why.”

“Right-right,” the leader cleared his throat, looking back at her with green eyes so similar to her own. “I’m Star Chaser; descendant of Star Fighter, brother to Star Hunter.”

Star Wing covered her mouth in glee; she was staring at one of her… cousins? It didn’t matter. He was family! And yet, the first thing out of her mouth was, “Our family really likes the ‘Star’ name, don’t they?”

Chaser chuckled. “I guess so,” he admitted. “Then again, it’s got a lot of fame, considering who managed to earn the love of an alicorn princess.”

Wing nodded. “Good point,” she admitted. “But, wow, where have you guys been all this time?”

Chaser’s grin faded. He turned back into the cavern. “That’s… a long story,” he admitted.

Wing tilted her head at his odd reaction, but walked up next to him. “I mean… I like stories,” she replied. “Want to share it?”

Chaser’s grin returned, but it didn’t have the same light as before. Motioning for her to follow, he ventured into the cave.

“After you fled,” Chaser said as they walked. “The thestrals got accused of helping the Wolves and Princess Luna in some sort of coup. After the Wolves got wiped out and Luna was banished, the Thestrals had to find some way to make sure that they wouldn’t get targeted next. So, their leader, Bat Breaker, agreed to switch from eating meat to these ‘blood rations’ the nobles offered that would quell our cravings.”

“Except they didn’t,” his second in command hissed. “The blood rations were nothing but colored water; enough to quell our hunger, but nothing else.”

Wing tilted her head.

“Imagine it this way,” Chaser told her. “No matter how much you eat, you’re still starving and your body is suffering from malnutrition.” He looked away. “Flash Magnus was good to us; he had always considered his friendship with Hunter to extend to us. But before we could tell him about the fake blood, he and the rest of the Pillars disappeared fighting this ‘Pony of Shadows’ creature.” He shook his head. “With him gone, we didn’t trust Celestia to have our best interests in mind.”

“Our ancestors decided it was better to live in exile than be effectively enslaved by those who would drive us to a slow extinction,” his second in command concluded. “We’ve been out here ever since.”

Chaser smiled as a glint of gold caught Wing’s eye at the darkest part of the cavern. “That being said, we never forgot how Flash Magnus helped us.”

Wing swallowed as she beheld a statue of her uncle and father, standing together as if about to fight off some unknown enemy. Beneath them were the words ‘Star Hunter and Flash Magnus; the Ponies that proved Day and Night Ponies could live and thrive together.’

Despite the kind words, Star Wing couldn’t help but feel an emptiness in her chest. “Flash Magnus is… gone?” she whispered.

“Disappeared,” Chaser clarified. “No one ever found the body.” He nodded. “But without him…”

“Yeah,” Wing nodded. “The nobles were free to ruin whatever they wanted.” Her brow furrowed as she thought of them. Their smug faces; their pompous attitudes. The way they had laughed about getting Celestia to imprison Star Wing just for crying. It made her blood boil; almost made her question whether or not the nobles were truly the civilians she was supposed to protect as a hero.

Out in the Ever-Free, Star Wing had gotten to know how it really felt to be appreciated; to be supported; to be loved! Wasn’t that what heroes fought for; to protect those they loved and to stand up for what was right? How had anything the nobles done ever been right? Why did they deserve to get protected by the likes of Wing’s father and Uncle Flash? Why did Hunter and Flash have to lose their lives so that those smarmy rich brats could continue to live the good life while good people like thestrals or wolves struggled just to carve out a basic living for themselves.

Wing’s hooves ground into the dirt. She looked back at Chaser. “You know,” she noted. “Princess Luna recently returned from banishment.”

Chaser nodded. “We had heard.” He glanced at the others. “There was talk of us rejoining her; seeing that she was okay.”

“But that would mean going back to the ponies,” his second in command hissed. “The only reason we should go back to them is if we’re going to feast on their blood.”

Despite the anger she felt, Star Wing felt a shiver in her soul at the thought of ‘really’ hurting those ponies. “But all that would do is prove them right,” she noted. “That we deserved to be hated.”

Chaser sighed, but nodded. “She’s got a point, Whisper,” he noted to his second in command. “We stoop to their level…”

Whisper just fluttered her wings. “I’m just… tired of them thinking that they’re somehow better than us,” she snapped. “Because they’re not! They’re evil! Anyone that can justify starving others - killing them - shunning them for the crime of looking different - they don’t deserve anything that they have! Don’t you guys feel that way too?”

Wing pressed her hoof against her heart. “Every day,” she replied. “But no matter what I wanted, I knew that there had to be another way.” Her eyes brightened. “There is another way.”

Chaser and Whisper both looked at her, almost pleadingly.

“Alpha Shiva and the wolves of Equestria still live,” Wing explained. “They’ve repaired most of the damage the ponies inflicted on them, and Shiva’s even trying to form an alliance with the lower-class earth ponies.”

Whisper hissed at the idea, but Wing raised a hoof.

“These ponies aren’t like the nobles,” she explained. “They work hard, take initiative, and don’t hide behind others. Heck, the six we’re dealing with delved into the Ever-Free and ended up saving my mom.”

Chaser and Whisper’s eyes lit up, and Wing offered her hooves.

“If you can promise to help us,” Wing said. “We might be able to turn Equestria against the nobles and Celestia. We’ll get my Mom back, and…” she shivered at the thrill that went through her gut. “And we’ll make the nobles the villains. Then no pony will bat an eye when we give them the justice they deserve.”

Whisper’s grin was ominous, and Chaser noticed. He clasped Wing’s shoulder.

“Just as long as you promise to be careful,” he said, looking back at the statue of Flash and Hunter. “A few bits of bad blood can easily blind us to the good that can still be in something.”

Wing nodded, looking back to Flash. “I won’t forget,” she said, unsure if she was talking to Chaser - or somehow hoping that Flash would hear her, wherever he was. “I promise.”

#

Back at the wolf camp, Shiva saw Applejack off with a wave.

“Hope the new yoke works for you,” Shiva called after her.

“Hope y'all enjoy the jam,” Applejack replied back. “I’ll come back with more soon.”

“We look forward to it,” Celine said. As the farm mare vanished out of sight, the golden Lupa smiled up at her mother. “That actually went well, all things considered.”

“Indeed, it did,” Shiva noted. “Maybe this plan won’t turn out so bad after all.” She turned back to the camp, and let out a howl: “Star Wing, our business is done. Return home.”

Yet, as Shiva returned to the den that served as her home and throne, she heard an odd shuffling from where Star had run off to. Shiva peered at the foliage; why did it sound like Star was coming back with something?

Her ears perked. An awful lot of some things.

“Kodo,” she whispered.

“Already on it,” Kodo said, as his pack mates took up defensive positions, aiming bows and arrows or lighting up spells ready to fire.

As the wolves got ready for a battle, Star Wing popped out, glancing around. She put her hooves up.

“Okay, I surrender,” she joked.

Kodo sighed, lowering his bow. “What the heck are you doing, Wing?” he asked. “Who’s with you?”

Star Wing’s grin widened, as Star Chaser came out next to her. The wolves stopped in their tracks, jaws dropping and eyes widening as the thestrals gathered around Star Wing.

Shiva herself had backed up, her eyes the size of dinner plates. “S-Star Wing…” she stammered. “W-What…?”

“Oh, nothing too important,” Star Wing teased. “Just my long-lost family.”

Star Chaser stepped up to Shiva and offered his hoof. The smile Shiva gave Star would have lit up the dark side of the moon.

Comments

[ARandomLonelyDude]

“Right-right,” the leader cleared his throat, looking back at her with green eyes so similar to her own. “I’m Star Chaser; descendant of Star Fighter, brother to Star Hunter.”

I think you accidentally switched up the names.

[XzareAce]

just caught up.. great story so far cant wait to see where you take it

[The_Chill_Author]

Perfect, finally things are starting to brighten for Star.