Chapter 8: Lunar Assembly - Part 2
The Lunar Assembly - Twilight's Pack
Twilight, her pack, and the other gathered predators all looked to Archimedes and saw a beautiful male wolf walk up next to him on Howler's Rock. His fur was a seamless blend of white and silver. He had the most beautiful blue eyes any of the other predators there. He had the air of an honorable king about him. He held his head high and his tail was curled up behind him. A true alpha in appearance. The words that slipped between his lips were like a deep river of honey.
"Thank you all for gathering on this lovely clear night, everyone!" he greeted the crowd. "Let the Lunar Assembly begin!"
"Who is that?" Rarity asked Lora.
"That is Argent, alpha of the Silverhide Pack and one of the most powerful wolves in the Kingdom," Lora said. "He's as wise and kind as he is powerful."
"Let us begin with the Raven Reports," Archimedes said.
A large flock of ravens appeared in the tree atop the rock and began to speak to everyone, not just Argent and Archimedes. Each raven was reporting various bits of information to the crowd.
"The annual Salmon Run is looking particularly plentiful this year."
"Prey migrations are stable and the populations are healthier than last year."
"Lady Margaret of the Cougar Clan has given birth to her fifth litter of cubs."
"Humans have been spotted attempting to traverse their side of Fenrir's Spine."
The bit about the humans got the entire crowd murmuring to each other. Most spoke with nervous tones while a few spoke with aggression. Humans in this world are definitely not well-liked. Argent and Archimedes looked to each other with concern. Archimedes banged the rock once more.
"Everyone, please control yourselves!" Archimedes called to the crowd. "This matter will be discussed."
A large black male wolf took a step forward. He was big, with black fur with splashes of white on the tips of his neck fur. A small scar crossed his milky right eye. He was also visibly angry.
"What is there to discuss?!" he called out. "We have to make absolutely certain that the humans won't be a threat to us!"
"While I appreciate your desire to protect our citizens, Alpha Bane, we cannot spill blood without proper cause," Argent said.
"Milord Argent, I implore you to hear me. Our ancestors were nearly wiped out by the humans! We cannot simply wait here for the humans to come here and kill us all!" Bane argued.
There were several murmurs of agreement in the crowd. Archimedes banged his rock once.
"Have you forgotten that the Bear Clans have been made the wardens of the mountains or that Fenrir's Spine is extremely difficult to navigate?" Archimedes asked. "The humans will hardly be able to even get halfway up those peaks, let alone deal with the bears."
"With all due respect Knowledge Keeper, just because we were able to traverse the mountains doesn't mean the humans can't," Bane respectfully argued.
The voices in the crowd grew even more nervous. Twilight could hear fear in their voices.
"Bane's right."
"There is a slight chance the humans could stumble upon the hidden path."
"If they come here, will they kill us?"
Argent gave a long howl to reign in the anxious crowd. The long melodious tune seemed to set the crowd at ease. Even Pinkie lowered her head with droopy eyelids.
"Your concerns are indeed valid, Alpha Bane," Archimedes said. "In that case, what do you propose we do?"
"I humbly suggest that we establish some of our able-bodied to the edges of the mountains. Simply as a precaution," Bane replied. "That way, we can be better prepared for a human invasion."
Argent seemed to be carefully considering what Bane was saying. After taking a deep breath, he spoke to Bane.
"I am afraid I cannot do that," Argent said calmly. "If we send wolves away from their packs to patrol the mountains, then there will be no wolves to bring back food for their packs and pups. We cannot jeopardize the safety of others for something that may never occur. We must put faith in the Bear Clans."
"You can put your faith in us, Lord Argent," a large male grizzly bear said. "We're warriors. Just let the humans try something!"
"In that case, the matter of the humans will be relegated to the Bear Clans!" Archimedes cried with a strike of his rock.
Twilight looked over to Bane, who had a stone-solid and fixed look of anger on his face. She had a feeling that Bane would do something regarding the humans, anyway. Twilight hoped he wouldn't do anything rash.
A single raven suddenly joined Archimedes' side and seemed to whisper something to him. Next, the raven pointed in the direction of Twilight's pack with his beak, causing the wise old owl to turn his golden eyes towards the pack. Archimedes cleared his throat to speak to everyone.
"It has recently been brought to my attention that a new pack has joined our kingdom!" Archimedes announced. "Would our new citizens please come forward?"
Twilight and her pack, excluding Lora and Bandit, stepped forward and stood before Argent and Archimedes. The pack bowed respectfully to Argent.
"Please rise, newcomers," Argent said.
The pack raised their heads and Archimedes seemed to be carefully regarding them. He gave a warm hoot.
"Let me officially welcome you to the Wildland Kingdom!" Archimedes hooted. "May you please give us your names?"
Each member of the pack gave their names to Archimedes. He tilted his head towards the rear of the pack.
"What of the female Copperhide you were seen with?" Archimedes asked.
"I wasn't sure if you'd accept wolves joining other packs," Pinkie replied.
"Of course, she can join your pack. I could hear you speaking with Alpha Vilkas and I don't think her joining your pack will be an issue," Argent said. "Where is your territory?"
"We live just south of here between Snowfoot and Shadowhide Territories," Twilight replied. "Our den is under an old tree stump."
"I see. From now on, your territory will be registered in the Wildland Kingdom's Territory Registry," Argent said. "You may return amongst the crowd."
As the Greenpaw Pack was heading back to the crowd, Archimedes gave a loud hoot, stopping them in their tracks. He turned towards the alpha and spoke with deep tones.
"Lord Argent, aren't you forgetting something?" he asked. Argents widened and he gave an amused chuckle.
"Of course! How could I forget?" he asked himself before turning towards the Greenpaw Pack. "There's an important bit of business we must get sorted out."
"What is it, Lord Argent?" Fluttershy asked.
"It concerns your pack's alpha, I'm afraid," Archimedes replied before turning to address Twilight. "You see, a pack's alpha rule is a dual-wolf job. A male and a female."
"What my friend Archimedes is trying to say is that... since you're an all-female pack, your alpha must have a mate," Argent said.
That bit of information hit Twilight like a lightning bolt. She's supposed to have a mate?! She had never thought about romance that much before. Twilight wasn't sure if she was ready for that.
"With all due respect, why do I need to have a mate?" Twilight asked softly.
"A pack that is mono-gendered won't last. Besides, the laws of the Wildland Kingdom dictates that alphas can only effectively lead with the aid of partners," Argent said. " According to the Woodland Law: 'two halves make a whole, and a whole makes for a prosperous pack'."
As Twilight thought about it, it made more and more sense. The leaders of a wolf pack were a mating pair of wolves, so there was no lone leader of a pack. Still, the thought of being paired with a strange he-wolf made Twilight's heart race in an anxious way. However, it didn't look like Twilight had much of a choice in the matter.
"Now don't worry, dear. We're not going to force you to pair with any random male. You are free to choose which male to take as a mate," Argent said, sensing her discomfort. "Although, you will need to have potential suitors live with your pack until you choose."
Twilight had to think about this. Now that Argent cleared things up, it wasn't like she would have to do anything too intimate with a random male. He would just have to stay with them for a while. She could live with that.
"In that case, I'll accept," Twilight said.
"Since Alpha Twilight has agreed to our kingdom's law, I'd like to add my piece to this," Alpha Bane said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "I'd like to present my eldest son as a potential mate!"
There were other voices in the crowd saying their piece as well. Each of the voices were from the alphas of other packs, minus the Copperhides, basically saying what Bane was saying. The alphas wanted to present their sons to Twilight as well. As embarrassed as Twilight was, some small part of her was flattered to be given this kind of romantic attention. Argent gave a long howl.
"Now that's enough! You know the law! Only one suitor at a time!" Argent said. "Since Alpha Bane spoke first, his son will be the one to court Alpha Twilight."
There were a few silent groans, but there was no further argument. Twilight turned to Alpha Bane and bowed her head respectfully.
"I... look forward to meeting your son, Alpha Bane," Twilight said.
"Wonderful! I'll send him to your territory tomorrow!" Bane said with a single tail wag.
"This concludes our Lunar Assembly!" Archimedes said with a strike of his rock. "We shall meet again next full moon!"
The crowd began to disperse to head back to their own territories. Pinkie and Rarity said goodbye to Phantom and Spectra before they began the journey home. The other members of the Greenpaw Pack snickered to themselves as they headed back down south to their territory. Bandit joined them, running alongside Lora.
"Shut up!" Twilight pouted.
"Come on, Twi! You get to be paired with a handsome he-wolf!" Rainbow said.
"Besides, you may grow to like Bane's son," Rarity said.
"That depends," Bandit said. "He's a Shadowhide wolf, after all."
"What's wrong with that?" Fluttershy said.
"The Shadowhide Pack is a warrior pack that prides itself on might and battle prowess," Bandit replied. "Though, the eldest son may be decent mate for Twilight."
"Why's that?" Twilight asked in an eager tone.
"I haven't met him to confirm this, but I heard that Bane's eldest son relies more on cunning to win fights," Bandit said. "He uses brains and not brawn to win battles. Though using brains doesn't earn you many points with your pack."
"What's that supposed to mean? His own pack doesn't like him because he's smart?" Applejack asked.
"No. It just means that the Shadowhides view him as weak for using cunning. Even his own father is trying to get rid of him," Bandit replied.
"That explains why Bane was so eager to present him to me as a suitor," Twilight said. "That's horrible!"
"It only gets worse. If you reject him, then it's probable that his own father will prevent him from returning home," Bandit said. "He may even order his wolves to kill him."
"Are you saying that if I don't choose him to be my mate, he'll be cast out and-or killed?" Twilight asked worriedly.
"It's sad, but that's the truth," Bandit said.
"Even if I reject him, I'll invite him to join our pack! He wouldn't even have to think about returning to Shadowhide Territory," Twilight said.
"I've never heard of that happening, but I suppose it's possible," Lora said. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."
"Yeah, heh-heh. Wait and see," Twilight said. "I just hope he's nice, at least. What's the name of Bane's son?"
"Oh yeah! His name is Sombra," Bandit replied.
Stats
Page generated in 0.023 seconds
Total duration
990 users online
1,606,797 hits today, 2,073,628 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Oh boy Sombra here
Oh, what a turning point.
11672395
I don’t know what that means, but thanks, I guess.
11672372
Yep.
What did Spike think of the other ravens? Did they try to recruit him? Does every clan have a raven? And if not, then why didn't any of the other clans notice/mention that Greenpaw clan had their own personal raven?
11672430
By this point, Spike was too smashed off the fermented berries to really interact with the other ravens. It's not that every pack has ravens, it's just that ravens are the ones who gather information about things going on within the kingdom to report. Besides, it's normal for raven to follow wolves around so that they can scavenge their kills.
11672684
I also notice that none of the other clans, aside from Lora's former clan, said anything about the Greenpaws accepting a coyote into their pack. Most wolf packs only have males who are related; very rarely will any males allow in other non-related males, and it would almost always be abandoned or orphaned pups. How would Bane's son accept another adult male already in his pack, since he would be the alpha male, I wonder? And a coyote on top of that?
11673124
Well, Sombra isn't going to be like most wolves. He'd be fine with Bandit as the coyote acknowledges him as alpha. And this would depend on whether or not Twilight chooses him as a mate.
THnaks for the update I was starting to get worried as it has been. It's starting to get intresting I wonder who Twilight is going to pick whoever it is better be good with pups as well keep up the great work I hope we will not have to wait too long for the next instalment.
11673526
You'll see.
Interesting.... will give a read.
11681441
Please do.
11681445
Of course... something to do while on the bus ride to and from work.
11681447
You do that, too?! Well splash glitter on my face and call me Edward Cullen! I do the same thing!
11681719
11681739
I hate the "Twilight Saga" with the combined heat of a thousand exploding neutron stars!
11681861
TWILIGHT!!!!!!!
11681868
Exactly!
Hey, really cool story. I was just revising the chapters of my own story when I was interested to see what stories were actually being suggested under my own, and there yours sparked my interest thanks to its premise. I must say I had a lot of fun reading the whole thing and hope you keep writing. I genuinely hope you continue to write. That being said, I do have some constructive feedback to offer.
One aspect that stood out to me was how effortlessly our six young heroines adapt to their new environment. Given the stark contrast between their original world and the one you've introduced, their seamless transition appears a bit implausible. Take, for instance, Twilight and her companions' unhesitating acceptance of hunting and meat consumption, despite their previously vegan lifestyles. Such a dramatic shift warrants at least some internal conflict or discussion among the characters.
Similarly, Twilight's unquestioning acceptance of her arranged marriage seems incongruent with her character. It almost feels as if she has resigned herself to her fate too easily, as if she's already accepted a permanent life as a wolf in an alien world. You could enhance the credibility of their behavior by altering the circumstances—perhaps by suggesting that a mishap with the magical mirror caused them to lose significant portions of their memories. I'm afraid that for a lot of things, the explanation just looks like this: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWizardDidIt
Additionally, I noticed a tendency to gloss over character depth. A deeper exploration of their internal thoughts, feelings, desires, and fears could enrich the story considerably. Emotional nuance would make the characters more relatable and their journeys more impactful.
On a related note, you've included numerous elements like the magical mirror other packs or the humans. It's important to ensure these details serve a purpose in the narrative, aligning with the principle of Chekhov's Gun. If an element is introduced, its relevance should become evident as the story progresses.
I hope you find my critique helpful. As I mentioned, I truly enjoyed your story and see great potential in it. I've also left a 'Like' on your work to show my support. Keep writing, and I look forward to your future chapters! I hope I could make you happy with the long comment, I know how much I love such comments.
11687095
Your critique is appreciated. While I'll try to give the characters more nuance, I'd like to say a few things.
One, the reason why the girls are so accepting of their new wolfish instincts is because of the fact they're now wolves. They've become wolves in their minds as well as their bodies. That's why they've accepted their predatory behavior so quickly. Granted, I realize I should've had them talk about that a bit more.
Also, the thing about Twilight "accepting her fate too easily" as you put it, the reason why I put that in is because in a world ruled by animals, there's no guarantee that they'll find a way back to their world. They don't even know if such magic exists in this world. Think of it as making the best of a bad situation. There's another reason for Twilight to accept this: it means there's another wolf she can glean information from about this world. She's being tactical.
Besides, I plan on doing something interesting with this arranged marriage between Twilight and Sombra. I think you'll find it interesting.
11687246
In regards to the lack of inner conflict specifically, I think even as wolves, there would be some, but perhaps more importantly, it's an opportunity for the story to have a feeling of impact, as well as to show how different the characters are in how they deal with it. One thing I've noticed reading this is that the protagonist characters all seem "flattened" down to just being wolves of this world they're in, there's basically no difference between Twilight and Fluttershy that can be noticed, when as ponies they were quite different, and they also don't really bring much into the setting they're in as a result. If this keeps up, it would rather ruin a lot of the current promised potential the story has going for it, which would be a bit of a disappointment.
I recommend some revising of existing chapters to try and pull the characters in slightly different directions, in addition to trying to set up scenarios in future chapters where they at least disagree with each other, even if they don't run into issues with their new surroundings.