What a wonderful world

by a touch of sparkles

Chapter 4: The hunt

Sombra was now in his early five hundred’s. After years of watching and learning he was finally able to join in with the hunt. He learnt the territory his tribe covers is a risky one, where the frozen wyverns breed in the day. They were the largest beasts of the North, the only creatures to exist to harness raw unfiltered dark magic, if you didn't count Umbralis. It was fortunate however that they were all muscle and no brain. But even so they could take your life before you know it.

For once no one was left in the cave as they all headed out. By now the eggs had hatched and each wyvern was being followed around by one or two hatchlings. They kept records on each female. Only letting them produce three clutches of eggs before she had to be taken down. For every expedition they took down at least one male, typically the oldest, or severely sick if there was one.

“That one has hatchlings, it’s got two rings though” Sombra whispered to his dam as they silently wandered the breeding grounds.

“That means it’s on its last clutch, let’s get a ring on it for next year” Nevada whispered back. She nodded to Folwin and Folre as they snuck over slowly to the beast’s tail. Out of all of them they were the most competent in magic. They positioned themselves either side and their magic began to form a solid black ring around its tail. Then they retreated just as quietly.

With that last one marked they finished their routine. As they headed back to the cave Sombra felt as if one was following them, as he turned his head he saw the ugly feathered, furred and scaled face of the monster following them.

“Dam”

“Yeah-ooh hello we got company” the rest of the tribe turned to the dastardly creature behind them. Within a blink of an eye they were in action.

The group split up. Sombra, Rabia, the twins and the elders were in charge of setting the ropes. They bounded between its legs binding them tightly. Meanwhile Amarilla and Folre were in shadow, spinning more ropes around its maw to stop it firing raw dark magic at them. Then there was Vacio and Folwin climbing over its back, digging in with their claws. Annoying it. Making it spin on its tied feet as it tried to get to them. It swivelled and tripped over its own feet and wings landing heavily on its back. When it did they jumped onto its chest. Its weakest point was the rib cage like structure that had delicate muscle and skin under it, left exposed. Using their teeth and horns they dug down to its lungs, which they then ripped open the fragile organ, then left it to suffocate. like that, it was over.

While Sombra didn’t pull of the kill, the thrill that coursed through his veins like a drug. It was his first kill that he was allowed to take part in. It felt right, this was his job as an umbrum. To control the creatures of the North to protect the south and these ponies he was yet to meet. His sire approached him still covered in the silver blood of the beast.

“You look happy” he commented on his still adrenaline filled son.

“Can we do it again?”

“Not till next year when the next lot breed like rabbits” His sire told him. Sombra looked over to the others who were busy carving up the muscles on their legs. The wyverns while ugly in looks certainly didn’t have an ugly flavour. The tribes that hunted them were well praised for bringing such good meat back to the eye.

Sombra didn’t have to help hauling the meat and bags home. Afterall he was only just becoming a teen and still was quite small. But when they did get home he did help with carving down into smaller pieces and selling them off to tribes in exchange for metals, gems or berries from the tribes that returned from the crystal mountains.

But when they returned to the eye a panic had stirred. Many tribes had gone down past the crystal mountains to breed, but they hadn’t returned. They should’ve by now. A few tribes were sent to find them. They didn’t return either.

Comments

[ARandomLonelyDude]

slavery by cringe people but magic horses