Beyond

by Jay David

Fresh Water

As was now the standard when travelling with the wolves, things were quiet with the group. Skoll was at the head as they made their way through the trees, with Spike not far behind him. The two occasionally eyed one another, and while they said nothing, the implication was clear. Both of them were the heaviest hitters of their respective sides, so if things went bad, they needed to be within reach of one another. It was a sensible move, though admittedly one that didn't do wonders for the tension levels. Further back, at the rear, Flurry was walking alongside Hati, and though the younger wolf would glance to his elder brother with some concern, eventually he broke the silence by speaking to the princess. "It won't be long now. The river is just up ahead."

Flurry nodded to him, giving a small smile as an unspoken thanks for being willing to speak to her. But, as the moments passed, a new thought came to her. One she knew was going to mean bringing up what was undoubtedly a difficult topic, but one which her curiosity forced her to speak about. "Hati...was...was your mother alright?" Instantly, she saw her canine companion turn away, proving her fear that this wasn't something he wanted to discuss. "I'm sorry, it's just...she didn't seem all that...well."

When she got her answer, it wasn't from Hati, but from Skoll, whose hearing was clearly better than they suspected, as he spoke loud enough to be heard from the front without even turning to look to her. "She is fine."

It definitely wasn't an easy discussion point, so Flurry got the message loud and clear, not bringing it up again. Hati, for his part, still seemed to want to speak with her, and so looked back to her after about a minute. "What is your home like?"

Flurry's smile returned. "Equestria? Oh, it's a wonderful place. Home to many incredible people. Not just ponies and dragons, like us, but Yaks, Changelings, all sorts." Her smile widened. "I could tell you so much about it."

Hati smiled back to her. "I would very much like to hear about it." A quick look to his brother, and his disapproving expression, soon dampened his enthusiasm. "Though perhaps...later."

Flurry nodded, understanding. Then, her mood perked up again, and she once more regarded Hati. "Oh! I never asked. What's your homeland called." After seeing Hati look to her with some confusion, she continued. "Ours is Equestria, so what name does this place have?"

Hati again looked confused, as if the question had never once been asked of him. "We call it...home."

Pound, who had been walking next to his sister and listening in on the conversation, looked back to the wolf. "You never named your land?"

"We never needed to," Hati explained. "It was simply...the land."

"I get it," Pumpkin chimed in. "Names are pretty hard. I know I wouldn't want to come up with one for a whole country."

Flurry considered what Hati had said, then shook her head. "So, how many people live here? Is it just you wolves, or are there others?"

Hati looked ahead. "There are others. But we usually do not meet if there is no need to. You might encounter them during your travels, though I cannot guarantee how you will be received."

Pumpkin chuckled. "Heh, don't worry about us, Hati. We Equestrians are pretty tough."

Skoll, having also been listening in on the conversation, smirked to that remark. "I will believe that when I see it." Pumpkin shot him an annoyed look, which the larger wolf ignored, and the latter soon stopped, prompting the rest of them to do the same. "Stay sharp...we are here."

Their guide spoke true, for soon all ears perked up at the sound of flowing water just up ahead. The trees became less dense, eventually giving way to open space, and as the group emerged from under the forest's shade, they looked on at the river they'd been seeking. Unsurprisingly, it was lined on either side by stone, which had been cut deep by the waters over the years, leaving at least a six foot gap between the edge of the land and the river itself. All gathered at the edge, looking down to that which they'd been seeking, and upon having finally seen it, Spike nodded. "Good. Now that we know where to find it, we'll need to just go back to the ship, get a pot, gather up some water and bring it back for boiling."

As before, Hati looked to them with confusion. "You...do not wish to simply drink it?"

Flurry shook her head. "We need to treat the water first, Hati. There's no telling what'll happen if we just drink it as-is."

Skoll chuckled, looking to his younger sibling. "Perhaps their stomachs are simply more...delicate than ours, brother."

Spike frowned to him, and Skoll enjoyed this short moment of victory over the visitors to his land. But his moment was cut short as his ears began to twitch. His head darted forward, across to the other side of the river, and he began to assume a more aggressive stance, not unlike how he'd been when they first encountered him. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at, and before long they too began to hear something. Oddly, it sounded remarkably like, of all things, the squealing of pigs, but moments later they realised that they were dealing with something far more than that. Enormous shapes began to be seen in the dark of the forest of the others side, and eventually, those figures began to emerge into the light for all to see. These were not pigs, but boars, and large ones too. In fact, each one of them seemed to dwarf even the likes of Skoll, who was growing increasingly tense at the sight of them. All in all, there were about ten of the creatures now lined up on the other side, and one of them, heavily scarred, stepped forward, sniffing the air before speaking aloud. "Skoll."

"Moccus," Skoll replied. For a long time, there was silence, save for the wind in the trees and the sound of the water. The only real movement by anyone was simply looking between the two respective leaders glaring at one another across the water. After a while though, it was Skoll who broke that silence. "So...your people have migrated back."

The words had been spoken without any happiness over that development, and the leading board, Moccus, picked up on that, snorting loudly before answering. "So it seems."

Flurry, who needed no help recognising the dislike between the two, leaned over to Hati and whispered. "Not exactly friends, I take it?"

Hati too kept his voice quiet. "No. Friendships between any of the peoples of this land are rare."

But, despite the attempts of the two to keep as quiet as they could, their brief conversation had been noticed by the boars, who now looked to them and the other Equestrians with interest. "What...are those?" Moccus asked.

Skoll only glanced in the direction of the group he'd been escorting before focusing his attention on his opposite. "Outsiders."

Moccus narrowed his eyes. "Ally or enemy?"

"Neither," Skoll answered firmly. "We are showing them the way to the river so they can drink. That is all."

Moccus looked to him, then turned his gaze over to the Equestrians. All of them were concerned by this sudden attention, save for Pumpkin, who instead decided to just smile and wave at the creatures. After a while, Moccus let out another snort. "You expect me to believe that you wolves aren't up to something?"

"You expect us to believe any differently about you?" Skoll spat back. "Coming here, right to the edge of our territory?"

"Boars go where they wish. Everybody knows that," Moccus answered back.

Hati, showing increasing concern over the rising hostility, walked ahead of Flurry to meet with his brother, while Flurry watched him. "Skoll. We do not need to get into a fight here. We can all walk away from this."

Moccus looked to him, then smirked. "So you're Fenra's new one, eh?" He then looked to the rest of his fellow boars. "A wolf who wants to avoid a fight. Seems the rumours were true. The might she-wolf has spawned a coward!"

There was laughter abound among the boars, and Skoll's teeth were soon bared in response. Spike, hearing the angry growls of their guide, looked back to his friends. "The moment things go bad, we need to leave."

He received nods of agreement from both Pound and Pumpkin, but Flurry did not seem to have been swayed by the suggestion, as she kept her attention squarely on the wolves and boars, with Skoll taking a step forward. "You will not speak of my family again, you filthy pig!"

Moccus, satisfied that he was getting under the wolf's skin, pressed the matter. "Tell me. Does your tribe consider the trade worth it? because I know I'd have been sorely disappointed with it."

The words were definitely provocative, and it looked as though Skoll was right on the cusp of bringing the confrontation to the point of actual violence. But then, to the horror of Spike and the confusion of everybody else, Flurry leapt forward, placing herself right in front of Skoll and standing defiantly against Moccus. "Boars! Hear me!"

Moccus, taken aback by this development, stumbled for a moment. "Wha...?"

"There is no need for conflict here!" Flurry continued. "You might not like one another, but remember that you are both leaders to your people! Ask yourselves if a few insults are really worth putting your own at risk of harm from the other!"

Everyone was stunned by what she'd done, especially Spike, who was likely going through a rapid mental list of all the ways her mother was going to utterly wreck him for having let her do this. Pound, for his part, facehoofed over her involving herself, while Pumpkin smirked in clear approval of how gutsy she was being. As for the two tribes arrayed against each other, there seemed to just be a general confusion over this, as though this was the first time anybody had ever attempted such an intervention. As time went on though, and Skoll and Moccus turned their attention to each other, they paused and considered what had been said to them. They clearly still didn't like one another, that much was obvious, but the tension seemed to have been cleared, at least for now. With one final snort, the boar leader turned away. "Come, it is a waste of our time to be here. We move out!"

And move they did, as all the boars began following Moccus away, each one delivering a defiant snort of their own to the wolves as they began to head away. As for those on the other side of the river, they waited until the sights and sounds of the boars were truly gone, after which Fluttery let out a long sigh. Spike, however, was none too pleased. "Flurry!"

Instantly, the princess turned to her uncle, chuckling nervously and scratching the back of her head. "So...um...yeah, kinda got ahead of myself there."

"Ya think?!" Spike responded.

By contrast, Hati looked to her and smiled as he approached. "Thank you. I don't think I've ever seen anybody actually try to stop a fight like that before."

Flurry opened her mouth to speak, only to be prevented when Skoll chimed in. "For good reason. It is nobody's concern what happens when the tribes fight," he said sternly.

The young alicorn frowned at him. "Does nobody here see the value in just keeping the peace?"

Skoll regarded her, looking her over and considering her words. Then, he scoffed, turning away. "Truly, you Equestrians are are strange lot." He took a few steps further away, then continued. "I return to our den with my brother. You have your water and the way to get to it. My obligation is fulfilled."

And that was the last thing he said to them before heading back into the forest. Hati, for his part, looked to Flurry one last time before running off to join his brother, leaving the Equestrians by themselves. Spike, having calmed down from the stressful situation his niece had put him in, sighed, then looked to the water. "Well...let's get to it then."

Comments

[Yoshifan30]

Hati smiled back to her. "I would very much like to hear about it." A quick look to his brother, and his disapproving expression, soon dampened his enthusiasm. "Though perhaps... later ."

Okay his older brother is really annoying I get he doesn't trust anybody who's not from here but it's still annoying

[Yoshifan30]

Skoll chuckled, looking to his younger sibling. "Perhaps their stomachs are simply more... delicate than ours, brother."

Well you can't blame us when we need to protect our body from any germs or contamination

[Yoshifan30]

Skoll regarded her, looking her over and considering her words. Then, he scoffed, turning away. "Truly, you Equestrians are are strange lot." He took a few steps further away, then continued. "I return to our den with my brother. You have your water and the way to get to it. My obligation is fulfilled."

Apparently They wanted violence

[Yoshifan30]

Well this was a pretty intense situation so it looks like the two brother wolves show flurry heart and the others of the drinking area and yeah they needed to test it out to make sure if it's drinkable but until they could do something apparently there was another creatures showed up and it was the boars and apparently both creatures have bad histories with each other and it looks like they were already to kill each other until flurry heart intervene the situation and it worked I think but things got really more difficult I wonder how they're going to get this situation I guess we'll find out next time