Forest Fire

Spitfire yanked her leg, trying to pull free. Instead the grip tightened, yanking her off balance. As she fell to her side, something began to emerge from beneath the ground.

A diamond dog. It climbed onto the surface, standing taller than the pony it held by one leg. Had she been up on all fours, she would only have come up to his chest. The dog looked down at the pony with narrow yellow eyes. Two more climbed out of the hole behind it. One looked to be closer to the size of a pony and the other was a head taller than the first.

"We caught a pony," the first one said. "What we want do with it?"

"It look tasty," the third said. "We eat?"

"Release me this instant!" Spitfire ordered. "I am an officer of the Equestrian military and you are currently holding me prisoner with threats of murder. So, I will give you one chance. Release me and we can all go about our nights peacefully." Her words boomed with authority, speaking loud and clear after years of practice due to needing to be heard great distances in high winds and during flight. The heat of anger and annoyance could be heard in her tone. It was a voice that had caused many recruits to cringe with fear, and a few to even flee in terror.

The Diamond Dogs looked down at her, then burst out into laughter.

"There more of us," the second said, "and we bigger than pony. What make think you scare us?"

The pegasus let out a snort and shifted her weight. With her free leg, she kicked up as hard as she could, aiming between the legs of the Diamond Dog that held her. There was a loud thump as the front of Spitfire's hoof connected with the canine's crotch, the blow thoroughly slamming against his testicles. The dog let out a high pitched yelp of pain, letting go to grab at his genitals as he fell to his knees.

Momentarily freed, Spitfire quickly rolled over to get back on her hooves. Before she could get up, something jumped on her back. She was pinned by the weight a moment before one paw grabbed her mouth. The other moved across her stomach, the arm wrapping around her body. She was then lifted off her the ground, held against the largest of the animals. The smallest started to move in front of Spitfire, walking toward her and growling.

"Stupid pony going to pay for that." He bared his teeth at her as he moved closer.

The pinned pegasus held perfectly still, watching the approaching Diamond Dog. Once certain he was close enough, she kicked out hard with both her hind legs. Her hooves hit him in the stomach, causing him to grunt as the air was knocked out of him and start to double over in pain. Spitfire then swung her legs up, bringing them into the underside of the canine's jaw. The impact caused the Diamond Dog's head to snap back before falling.

Everything felt distorted to the mare as she was sudden lifted higher and slammed down. There was an explosion of white in front of her eyes and a loud cracking-popping noise as her wings and back hit the ground. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, leaving he paralyzed as she tried to breathe in.

The largest Diamond Dog let out a snarl. His grip tightened on her, the nails digging into the flight suit and started to tear the durable fabric. With a grunt, he began to lift her up off the ground again.

As she was lifted over the Diamond Dog's head as high as he could, Spitfire threw her weight to one side as hard as she could. The sudden shift caught the canine unexpected and put him off-balance. The pegasus turned as she fell, trying to land on her side and protect her back. There was a tearing sound as the fabric of her suit tore further. Spitfire managed to land on her flank, feeling a pain in her hip but letting the toned muscle absorb most of the energy form the impact. She tried to keep the movement going, making it hurt less and getting back onto her legs.

The large Diamond Dog was unharmed and got up quickly, standing before she was. It was watching her with part of its gaze, the other part focused on its friends. The one that had been holding her earlier had recovered enough from the kick to start standing back up.

Spitfire moved to try and keep an eye on both of them as well. She may not have known about Diamond Dog thinking or the idea of pack mentality, but she understood the idea of teamwork. It was difficult to tell what they were planning to do, but she could tell they were moving together.

Running was not an option. Her injured wing, hurting more from the impact, meant that she was still unable to fly. In the case of actual physical running, she was most likely faster, but the dogs would chase her out of instinct. Plus she had no way of knowing what kind of stamina they had.

Spitfire tensed. She lowered her head close to the ground and narrowed her eyes at them. The large equine ears pulled back as she bared her teeth.

"Your friend," she said, "is unconscious. Take him, and leave. Otherwise, you are going to join him."

Neither of the Diamond Dogs acknowledged what she said. Instead they continued to move, separating and trying to get on each side of her. Spitfire continued to move and tried to keep them both in sight, but it was getting more difficult. She was going to have to try a different tact.

Letting out a battle cry, the pegasus ran at full speed toward the largest of the Diamond Dogs. The two creatures froze at the sight, eyes wide. They were so caught off guard by the charging pony, neither of them could figure out how to respond.

Running as fast as she could, Spitfire slammed her head into the stomach of the Diamond Dog. As she felt the impact, she reared up onto her hind legs and shoved forward with all her weight. The impact and momentum managed to knock him onto his back and Spitfire jumped onto his chest. One hoof reached up, pressing against his chin.

"Trying anything and I break your jaw," she stated, giving a small push to emphasize her point. She then turned to the other one. "Or you!" she shouted. The other Diamond Dog looked from her, to his friend, and back. Raising his claws, he slowly backed away.

"Now take your friend," she said, "and go back down your hole. When you do, I'll let your friend go. Then we can all walk away, forget this happened, and move on."

The Diamond Dog glared at Spitfire, but moved away. He went to pick up the still unconscious friend, throwing him over one shoulder. He continued to stare at the pegasus as he walked back to the hole, stopping at the edge. He gave a snort, then jumped down with his friend.

"Now you." Spitfire turned her attention to the one she was on top of. "I am going to get off you and you are going to leave as well. If you try anything," she leaned close, pressing her face against his, "I will buck you in the apples so hard, your grand-pups will double over in pain. Got it?"

The pinned canine gave small gulp and nodded. Spitfire kept her eyes on him as she moved back, stepping off the Diamond Dog. As she did, she made sure to let one hoof rest on his crotch, pressing down just slightly to remind him of her warning. Once the pegasus was off the Diamond Dog, the canine rolled over and crawled on all fours to the hole in the ground. He did not even dare to look back as he scurried to it and then slipped inside.

Spitfire continued to watch the spot the dogs had gone as she continued to move away from it. Once certain that they were not going to suddenly jump out, she turned and sprinted away from the area. Had to be sure that she was not going to be seen by them first. After all, running would be a sign of weakness, and they say that predators will chase anything that runs, even if they did not originally plan to.

After five minutes of running, she had to stop. The surge of adrenaline from the fight wore off, leaving the pegasus to feel worn out and exhausted. It also left her shaking and starting to hurt. She also realized that she could not see out of her left eye again. A quick touch to her forehead revealed that the gash from earlier had torn back open some time during the flight, and was bleeding again.

There was also pain in her right side along her ribs. Checking, she discovered the fresh tears in her flight suit. They must have been torn by one of the Diamond Dogs when she was trying to escape. Each tear mirrored a shallow furrow in her skin, more blood oozing from the thin wounds.

While irritated at the scratches, Spitfire was also grateful at how minor they were. If they had been something with actual claws, it would have been a lot deeper.

As much as she dislike the idea,she needed to rest. Sleep would help her heal, so the worst would be past when she woke up. It would also help with the exhaustion. Well, bleeding and stinging pain wise. The dull aches would be at their worst when she got up. Another upside would be that her mind would be rested as well, helping her think clearly.

Moving slowly, Spitfire searched for a spot that seemed safe. Finding a tree with brush around the trunk, she checked for thorns. Seeing none, she checked to see if she could squeeze in and be hidden by the foliage. Satisfied, she slipped into the middle and curled up. Within seconds, she was asleep.