New Endings, Old Starts

by David Silver

184 - Wagging Tails

"Of course." The large Saddle Arabian even offered a ride to the giggling Silverstream. "I have heard of such things. We plan our routes around them, so we are not harmed."

Smolder poked the horse, flying alongside him as he walked. "And you're okay with going there now?"

"You will protect me." He turned an ear at Yona. "Or I will outrun you. Either way, I will live another day."

Gallus chuckled, dangling off the horse's saddlebag. "Harsh, but fair. At least the guy's honest, points for that."

The merciless Saddle Arabian sun beat down as endless golden dunes stretched to the shimmering horizon all around. Hot winds blasted grit against their faces as the mammoth equine guide plodded onward, weighed down by his unusual passengers yet showing no visible strain.

Yona dozed atop the swaying bags, head lolling with the rocking gait, finding the repetitive motion oddly soothing. Ocellus and Smolder huddled gratefully in what little shade their lumbering transport provided.

Sandbar gazed ahead fixedly, already ruing the extra laundry awaiting his grimy poncho back home. But he daydreamed of cool sparkling waterfalls to distract arid thoughts. No ambient noise existed but the whistling wind and creak of leather tack.

As the featureless ochre vista lurched by under pounding hooves, it felt they were suspended in time's web with neither past nor future, only the eternal slogging present. Gallus helped sustain morale by sharing fantastical stories from Griffonstone's history.

Just as doubts arose whether their stalwart guide was himself lost, the first welcome signs appeared - weathered bones and an abandoned but conspicuous nesting ground along a sheltered cliffside overhang. They had reached the hunting periphery of their elusive quarry at long last! Adrenaline tempered weary relief as the true challenge loomed nearer...

It did not keep them waiting. With a howling bay, several sets of stomping steps approached. Their ride turned without hesitation and fled the other way, leaving his rides to tumble to the ground in an ungainly pile as he abandoned everything of weight along the way. "Best of luck!"

Yona scowled at the receding form, but turned away from the Saddle Arabian. "Sound big, sound many. Be ready."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Gallus flexed his hands into balls. "But... we do have a plan, right?"

The team exchanged uneasy glances at the prospect of confronting more savage beasts like Lily and Cracked. Sensing their nerves, Ocellus adopted an adorable wolf cub guise, hoping to appear non-threatening.

"Aw, nopony would bite something so cute!" Silverstream cooed, hovering around the fluffy cub.

Smolder facepalmed. "Yeah, let's not bet our lives on that. We need an actual strategy here." She glanced meaningfully at Gallus. "Didn't you mention some griffon tactics for approaching wild creatures?"

Gallus ruffled his neck feathers importnantly. "I did pick up a few pointers back home. We send the smallest in as bait to distract while the heavy hitters get into position."

At Smolder's shocked look, he laughed. "Kidding! We make ourselves look bigger to seem scarier. Then back away slowly while yelling alot if they charge."

Sandbar cringed. "Yeah making ourselves look threatening is kinda the opposite of what we want here..."

"Enough talking - we go!" Yona suddenly bellowed. Grabbing Ocellus-cub, she began trundling directly toward the heavy thuds and hungry canine noises. Jaws dropped, her friends scrambled after her with renewed alarms towards this mission's sanity!

Just over the next rise, the first canine-equine emerged, ears erect and forward. They saw Yona and snarled, but they saw Ocellus behind her and came up short. "What?" he asked in a deep voice. All the wolfponies had deep voices, but that was the first male one they had met, and his was lower still. "Little one, are you playing with your food?"

Ocellus adopted the cutest appearance she could. "They're friends, not food. Please don't eat them."

"Child..." Other adult wolfponies came, another male, two females. They all stopped near the first, watching with him and not speaking. "Come here. Where did you come from?"

Still wary, he beckoned the young changeling to safety while eying the odd delegation. "Explain yourselves, little morsels. Why do you dare our domain?"

Before another juvenile snack quip occurred, Smolder intervened. "We're pals with some loners of your kind - Lily and Cracked? They've got a nice den back home but no company."

She gestured casually over her motley crew. "So naturally we volunteered to sift through sand for a few weeks tracking your pack down to extend an invite back. Wasn't our best idea, admittedly."

The wolf ponies exchanged uneasy glances as Smolder rambled on about modern amenities. Their body language remained tense, but curiosity at least temporarily overrode hunger pangs.

Ocellus spoke up sweetly from the alpha's sheltering foreleg. "We just want to help them be less alone. Won't you come meet our friends?" She unleashed the full power of pleading baby wolfpony eyes.

One of the female wolfponies huffed softly. "You speak of nice places, but what proof have you? The world is cruel."

"And vast," added another female.

"We've been chased," added a male, looking shy. "Chased from all the good hunt lands. We were once kings, now we are..."

The leader barked and they fell silent. "Your 'friends' are lucky to have such allies that would wander this desert, looking for us." He snuffed at Ocellus. "Your looks are perfect. Your sound, perfect. Your smell... off. What are you?"

Ocellus squeaked softly, shying back, but he caught her easily under a large paw. "Um, well... Sorry?" With a rush of flame, she became her natural, much smaller, insectoid self. "Hi?"

"Hm... What are you? What trickery..."

Gallus patted Ocellus gently. "She's Ocellus, a friend. Your friend maybe." He kept a hand on Ocellus' back in silent support. "So, you know, we're not food. In fact, we hunt with them."

"Sure do." Smolder hiked a thumb at her chest. "They call us the 'little hunters'." She rolled her eyes at that. "We're not little, you creatures are huge. Seriously..." She trailed off under golden-eyed stares. "Aaaanyway, bottom line - we can all get along and we've got room for more back home."

The alpha studied Ocellus but allowed no visible reaction. "Assuming we believed these outrageous claims, what possibly awaits us in lands already dominated by ponies and tamed beasts?"

His fierce gaze bored into them. "We bow to none. Our fangs remain sharp and our freedom paramount over luxury, whatever this 'home' of yours may offer." He paced closer, voice dropping ominously. "Perhaps your precious friends sent exotic snacks unable to evade us on four...lucky...legs..."

The students bunched together as burning eyes and savage smiles surrounded them. Perhaps finding desperate kindred had only accelerated their own demise. Lost for options, Sandbar met Ocellus' terrified gaze. If these were truly their final moments, they would face the end proudly side-by-side...

Yona lowered her horns. "We not weak!" she thundered out, as if trying to reach the easy levels of the wolfponies. "Safe with friends. Eat good with friends. So much food they have food parties. Uck, not food Yona likes, but wolfponies like. Little Hunters like."

The leader chuckled softly. "One of your prey is the loudest. I am... amused." He licked over his lips. "And hungry... You keep speaking promises of food, unfair." He dug at the sound with a low whimper. "This desert is... short on food. Some approaches, but claims we should not eat them. Unkind... Very unkind." He sat, tail brushing the sand. "Names."

"Willow."

"River."

"Donner."

The leader nodded along with the names of each of his companions. "I am Orion. This is my pack." He growled softly. "Would you have me bow my head to another? I am the alpha here."

Smolder met Orion's piercing gaze. "Look buddy, we get it - top wolf doesn't wanna kneel, gotta roam free, all that stuff. But don'tcha think it's time to try something new?"

She swept a claw over endless barren sands and carved cliffs.

"Cuz no offense, but this territory blows. Lily and Cracked found a fresh start...maybe you could too." She extended a daring hand. "Whaddaya say, big guy?"

Orion eyed Smolder pensively, pride warring with cold reality. Their range had indeed become increasingly desolate...perhaps these odd envoys presented a path back from the abyss...

Still the choice loomed frighteningly absolute - abandon a home or accept enigmatic vassalage. As chief guardian, where did duty truly lie?

River cautiously broke the standstill. "Alpha, surely some fact-finding cannot hurt? We might return better prepared after..."

Willow and Donner rumbled agreement. Orion remained stonefaced, but their words resonated undeniably. They at least deserved to assess options before fate's die landed...

Gallus flew up towards Orion's face. "Hey, come here." He waved the alpha wolf in closer. "Got a secret, shh." He flew in so close his voice was barely a whisper for Orion to hear and none others. "Now, get this. We already told you, but you weren't listening over your grumbling stomach. We got two ladies, waiting for you. They sent us here because they want the company of a guy wolf. You know, like you? You're an alpha, right? You said so."

"I am," rumbled Orion, making no secret of his words. "You offer food of every kind... Tempters. You are either offering a promised land, or we will make you into lunch. Either way, the day improves."

The others rose smoothly to their paws and hooves, detecting movement would be needed.

Sandbar waved a hoof quickly. "Um, sir. Sorry to bother you, but could we get a ride on the way back? You don't want to have to wait for us to plod all the way there."

Orion wrinkled his nose. "Actually... That's a great idea. If you're on our backs, we will know exactly where you are. There will be no escape."

He surveyed his grim pack, outline of ribs peeking through dusty pelts marking their shared deprivation. "Come - we journey towards whatever bait or trap these small ones spin. I would glimpse the truth behind honeyed words."

Relief swept the team at securing safe(r) passage, if still under perpetual threat of becoming dinner. But the towering alpha seemed swayed by tempting possibilities beyond barren wilds...for the time.

---

Comforting burst into a wild cheer, punching at the sky and down at the ground with whoops and dances.

Cracked inclined her head at her alpha. "Are you alright? Should I do something?"

"She seems happy." Lily pulled herself closer. "What is the good news, Alpha?"

"They're on the way." Comforting giggled with building joy. "They're coming home. I think they have good news. I didn't check, but they're safe and on the way home. I'm so happy right now." And the happiness only grew as both wolfponies licked her in great wet slobbers.

Comforting squealed and batted at them, but she wasn't fighting all that hard. "Looks like you two are happy too."

Cracked nodded firmly. "Why would we not be, Alpha? To have the Little Hunters again would be wonderful. The hunts... I did not think it would be true, but the Little Hunters are quite skilled and useful. They were a true aid to me. I didn't realize until they were not there." She leaned in. "They are far better than either of us at cooking, we both knew that already. I am spoiled, Alpha. I want cooked meals again."

Cracked's tail slapped happily at the long-awaited news. "At long last our small but mighty allies return! Oh, I cannot wait to hear their epic tales!"

Lily chuckled softly at her sister's unrestrained enthusiasm over their odd comrades. She had briefly met the boisterous team already herself. Would triumph or failure grace their unlikely faces upon stepping through the door?

Sensing old doubts plaguing Lily's still-healing confidence, Comforting swept both giant muzzles into an impulsive hug. "No matter what news they carry, we'll greet our dear friends with arms wide open and tongues pre-dampened!" All three of them lolled their tongues, ready to use them.

Author's Note:

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Comments

[Theresa hall]

Can't wait to see starswirl freak over the possibility of babies considering he isn't handling the girls well. The fact they have a husband will not make him happy.

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

11785123
Not to mention how he will probably react to the fact that the additional wolf ponies could still be considered at least feral.

[Theresa hall]

11785241
That's true. He barely tolerating the 2 they have now. A husband and possible future children freak out city Time. He really needs to stop trying to be a hero and wait for those who are trustworthy to say he is needed for being a hero in the modern age. His other friends found skills that don't depend upon being a hero but for some reason he won't stop playing hero. rockhoof took a little longer to find something he was good at but he was at least trying. Starswirl doesn't seem to be doing that much.

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

11785245
I disagree, Starswirl seems very trying.

[Theresa hall]

11785479
Considering they had to trick him just to get him off their case I don't see him truly giving them a chance. If he truly wanted to give them a chance the party would have been enough to reconsider his position on them being dangerous. He could have left advising them to be careful with the promise to come back to check on things in the future. He doesn't really want to see the magic of friendship.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

It's actually quite interesting that Ocellus can mimic shape and sound but not smell.

Hopefully negotiations with Orion will go well.

[David Silver]

11785649
I am certain that she is trying her best. But, she is still pretty young.

[Twinkie Sprinkle]

11785653
Plenty of time for her to learn to shapeshift a bit better as she grows up.

[Amethyst Dragonfly]

11785485
My attempt at a joke failed. I didn't say that he seems to be trying, I said that he seems very trying.

[rowantwig]

"Enough talking - we go!" Yona suddenly bellowed. Grabbing Ocellus-cub, she began trundling directly toward the heavy thuds and hungry canine noises. Jaws dropped, her friends scrambled after her with renewed alarms towards this mission's sanity!

Did Yona really just pull a Leeroy Jenkins?

[David Silver]

11788066
She lacked chicken, so she went to fix that.