Carmino

As Pea and her friends moved on away from Breeze, the tall grass became shorter and small ponds were everywhere. The air became thick and even foggy, the terrain became muddy and marsh like. The first tree they saw wasn't a pretty one. It was gnarled and leaning dangerously on its side. Oza saw a faint tree line in the distance and reported that they all looked like this one.

"Was this the right way?" asked Dew nervously.

"Yes, this way is the right one," Oza said while rubbing his hands together," This dragon is sure!"

They neared the tree and  a figure with the same rickety appearance as the tree swung out, startling all of them. Its head was equine for sure, but had many missing teeth, green skin and amber eyes. It had little hair on it's head and wrinkles all over its green skin. It stood on its stick-thin legs and didn't blink as it stared at the ponies and dragon. There was a tremendous amount of tension between them, Joe and Oza were preparing to fight it...whatever it was.

"What are yeeeew doing heeere?" it asked in a horse, high pitched voice.

"We...w-we just p-passing through..." offered Pea.

The green creature cackled with delight,"Thats it? I thought yeeew came out here like eeeveryone else-" it cut off shortly.

"What does everyone else come out here for?" Joe asked defensively.

"Oh something about an old caaastle with treeeasure...or something else like that..." She answered.

"What does this green thingy call itself?" Oza asked.

"I'm a pony, jeeest like your friend right ther," it gestured," Caaan't you tell?"

Pea and her friends looked at the 'pony' with an untrusting look, it's almost toothless grin didn't help along with waving its lacking hair.

"Yes, yes of corse!" Pea said quickly," Now....um...are you trying to stop us or do we need to pay a toll or something to get in the forest back there?"

The green 'pony' stood for a moment puzzled," Yeeew know...I'm probably the nicest critter yew'd meet in dat der forest...I'll help you through..."

"Oh that'd be great! thanks," Dew said happily,"Um...whats your name?"

The green pony extended a hoof,"Pay the...er...toll and I'll let yeeew in," Pea dug around for some money," Oh and the names Ol' Mossy"

Pea pulled out a half dozen Bits and held them out with a welcoming smile. The green pony shook her head," Nope! Money does nuttin for me out here."

"What is it you want then?" Asked Dew sourly.

"Chocolate!" the green pony sighed dreamily," Oh its been years since I've had that!"

The crew made a small huddle away from Mossy. They were contemplating weather to have a guide in the forest or not, since they didn't have any chocolate. Dew offered they climb the trees and go through the canopy instead of the forest floor. Joe planned on going on ahead and beat up anything that moved. Oza looked to Pea without saying a word. Pea Gravel had a plan forming in her head, he could tell.

"Hey Oza?" she asked with a sly grin.

"Yes, Pea?"

"You have any magic that could...change someone's, or in this case, somepony's mind?"

"What dose Pea mean?"

She motioned Oza closer and whispered something in his ear, a light slowly began to light up in his head. Once Pea was done telling him of her plan, he winked to the crew and carried one of their packs over to Mossy. He pulled out a dried piece of fruit and his eyes shifted colors as he stared at Mossy. In a short moment the pony looked hypnotized.

"Here creepy pony, chocolate for you."

Mossy took the fruit and bit into it. The crew waited in anticipation to see if Pea's plan worked. The old hag chewed with a confused expression.

"Yeew sure this is chocolate? Its been so long I don't remember the flaaavor..."

"Oh its chocolate, Oza promise!" the dragon said with fingers crossed behind his back.

The hag shrugged and motioned Oza and the rest to follow. They were lead into the dense forest and much to their surprise the forest was cold and muggy instead of warm. Pea wrapped a poncho around herself. Dew already was wearing hers and Joe simply toughed it out. The forest floor was dark and little air moved as the four travelers and their guide moved down the over grown path in the shrubbery. The sunlight had only a small grasp on the forest floor, leaving most of it in cold and wet shadows. Small bat-like creatures flew about snatching even smaller insects from tall mossy trees to taller mossy trees. Dew squealed when they flew close by, Pea simply smacked them away. As time passed, they couldn't tell if it was getting darker or not, until they heard a strange howl in the distance. Mossy put on a false air of bravely.

"Oh don't worry 'bout that...its jeest the wind," the green pony said reassuringly.

"But Mossy," Joe said through his teeth," there ain't no wind in these woods."

Mossy stopped, causing the rest to stop as well. Dew walked up to the guide with eyes of question. She was about to ask until she too saw what caused Mossy's knees to buckle. A pair of nasty blue eyes on a horse's head, higher than Oza's eye line. Its skin was magenta trailing to purple down its legs. The monster's mouth was full of serrated teeth and drooled profusely.  Oza shoved the mares behind him and Joe stamped beside the dragon. Mossy fled back the way they came screaming. Oza's nostrils flared but the hideous horse-like monster wasn't looking in their direction, it was looking above them. The mares looked to see a massive spider web, with some poor creature wriggling inside. The ghoul snarled and stamped it's hooves at Oza and Joe.

"Pea, the monster doesn't want to fight us," Oza whispered, " Lets track back awhile before it dose."

The rest nodded in unison and they sped back down the path as the ghoul clawed its way up to the web and grabbed the trapped creature which they could now see was some kind of deer. It didn't have long before the ghoul bit down on it, causing it's blood to spatter in the dim light. The crew was only a few yards away before their path was blocked...by the biggest spider they had ever seen. It looked like it could eat Joe in one bite. It was an odd spider besides it's enormous size, it had what looked like blue paint on top of its amber brown abdomen that spelled out; BUBZY.

The spider shoved the crew aside as it bolted for the ghoul and they could only watch as the two forest predators clashed in a vicious fight. The ghoul had been bitten several times before it clamped one of the spider's legs in mouth and tore the spindly limb from its socket. The spider let out a screech and it was turned over on its back, then magenta sudo-horse seemed to smile as it gouged into the spider's exoskeleton with its clawed hooves and gnashing teeth. It made short work of the arachnid's armor and soon the forest was quiet save the ghoul's heavy breathing. It kicked at the spider to make sure it was dead and went back to the stolen kill.

The crew wasn't sure if they should take it on or not. The ghoul finished its meal quickly and left the path where the giant spider lay for the darker part of the woods. The mares sighed with relief only to hear more terrible sounds. They heard a shriek similar to the spider's and the crashing of a chase through dense foliage. The ghoul raced across the path being chased by a creature equally nasty.

It was a dark brown humanoid figure with hands down to its ankles and a spider's head. Its leathery skin had a similar pattern to a wolf spider but had scars and bite marks along its arms and back. The ghoul was fast but the other creature's log fingered hands were faster. It grabbed the ghoul by its purple ankles and swung it against a tree with a wet thud. The figure dropped the smashed ghoul by its stocky legs and cocked its head to the side as the ghoul limply wiggled to get away. The magenta menace met its end when the figure's spider head dug its sharp fangs into the ghoul's neck, draining most of its bodily fluid.

The crew watched with disbelief and disgust. This forest was dangerous, more then they could've imagined. The big creature with a spider's head walked slowly over to the giant wounded spider. It made sad whines while it poked at the spider. It easily lifted it up in his long arms and even from a distance...it looked like it was crying with its large opal-like eyes. Oza began walking over to it, Pea raced up to stop him.

"Oza, what are you doing? " she whispered severely," You saw what that thing can do, why are you going over there to fight it?"

"Oza not fight, Oza help," he said quietly.

"What?," Dew and joe said in unison.

"Spider-Head misses little spider," Oza said nonchalantly," Oza wants to heal little spider."

The mares and mule tried to protest, but being loud would alert the depressed creature. They could only sit in the brush and wait. Oza tread softly with his palms in view of the creature who noticed him only when he was four yards away. Oza stopped when the creature hissed venomously. It turned the mortally wounded spider away from Oza and stomped one of its stocky legs on the mossy ground.

"Go away, go away!" its voice sounded like it was gargling vinegar, "Leave my little spiderly alone!"

"Spider has no need to fear," Oza said calmly," This dragon is here to help."

"No no, Bubzy hurt much, much to bad. Bubzy is soonly dead...theres no helping!"

"Let Oza see Bubzy," the dragon said with a welcoming smile," Oza is good healer."

The creature reluctantly placed his precious spider in front of Oza. He crouched next to Bubzy examining the open wound. The humanoid spider held its hands together nervously as Oza looked at the wound. The dragon motioned the spider's master closer. He pointed to the edges of the gash in the spider's exoskeleton.

"Oza need you to hold these together."

It complied instantly, a worried look on its multiple eyes. Oza took a deep breath before he jabbed a claw into his arm, a small trickle of cobalt blood dripped onto the open wound and made a slight sizzle. The spider twitched violently and Oza told the creature to hold his pet still. Oza let a few more drops of his mysterious blood on the spider before he blew a small green flame from his mouth. It twisted and curled into the air forming a small heart shape. The odd appertain wafted down to the spider and disappeared once it touched the wound. The gash glowed and fused shut and the spider wriggled and chirped with delight. Its master sighed with relief and hugged Bubzy.

"See, Spider Head," Oza said holding a hand over his arm," This dragon is good healer!"

"I see, I see! I thank youse very much!," the creature clapped with joy," Oh friendlies!" he called to the ponies," Don't be afraid, me was only angry at ghouly thing, not you. Come, follow me, I'll take youse home for night."

Bubzy scampered up into his web in the canopy. Oza and Bubzy's master watched the spider crawl up the trees. The creature introduced himself as Mumal. He was one of the few Ettercaps in the forest, a race of humanoid spiders that have a very close bond with their arachnid cousins. Oza motioned his friends to follow as Mumal lead them off the path into the forest. Some of the ponies protested but soon realized they had a guide with more power in the forest then Mossy. They followed the Ettercap through the dense foliage, with several pairs of hungry eyes watching them in the dark. They soon came to a clearing with a massive tree that looked like it had been uprooted almost a hundred years ago, yet still somehow kept growing. Its roots curled around themselves into a cave like structure with cobwebs covering the nearby branches. A chimney made of mud bricks stuck out one side.

"Oh dear, oh no," Mumal sighed, resting his chin on a hand," Me's not been home in long time...me wonder how my little bitty spider babies do?"

The ponies followed Oza and Mumal into the tree cave and were surprised to find a rather nice looking hovel. It was warm and dry. The 'roof' was far above even Oza's head and had cobwebs all over it. There was a wide fireplace and a peat moss covered floor that smelled pleasing to the senses, openings along the tree's length that lead to pitch black rooms and a few articles of crudely mede furniture and save for the masses of small spiders in the upper corners just above head level the home was welcoming. Mumal sat Oza and company next to a large bookcase and hobbled about from each corner of the hovel. He gathered chairs, a table, firewood, a bunch of jars, several books and a crate and piled them all in the center of the room.

"Here friendlies!," Mumal said triumphantly," make my home yourses, me go to checkey check on little spiders babies." The Ettercap dusted off his hands and hobbled off to the lower stretches of his home.

Pea , Dew and Joe looked at each other then to the pile of stuff in the room. Oza crouched by the fire place and was trying to ignite the wet fire wood. Joe got up and grabbed the jars and opened the crate to find more preserved food. Joe had a sever expression as he looked  from the mares to Oza.

"Look ladies, if we take some of the food and make a break for it, we can still make it back to the path and back out of the forest!"

"Woah wait!" Pea retorted, raising  hoof," We can't just skip out on hospitality! He's just a big friendly guy, what did he do to us?"

Joe pounded the ground," He's a spider monster, a carnivore! These jars of pony feed aren't his he had to get them from somewhere...you know what spider do, they make a trap and when your not looking they suck the life out of you. We can still run off before he tries to eat you two."

Dew shook her head with a dark expression," You damn idiot, you know what you just said?"

"The truth, Dew. What...you can't handle that not everybody in the whole damn world is nice?"

Dew smiled grimly," You said the exact same thing I said about you before Pea took you in...you're basically a monster too, mule. Remember that."

Joe was shocked and sat heavily on the moss floor. Pea sighed as she wen't over to the provision jars. She went through them with puzzlement all of them were decades or older, she wasn't sure if they were still fit for eating or not. She tossed one to Joe," Hey scout guy, try this."

"You wan me to eat it?," Pea nodded," If you say so Ms.Gravel..."

He opened the glass jar with difficulty but soon ate the soupy contents within. The two mares held their breath as they waited. Joe's face went blank for a moment.

"...Cherry?"

The mares laughed with relief. Oza lounged next to the fire happily and as the mare began exploring the different jars, Mumal returned. He hobbled happily next to the fire place, dwarfing Oza. Joe looked at the Ettercap with a shamed look but kept to himself.

"So friendlies," Mumal said," What brings youes allah to The Voltera Woods?"

"Voltera Woods," asked Pea with a mouthful of peaches," whats that?"

"Ahhh you all don't know? Voltera was the name of the Princess that lived in these woods many, many years ago," Mumal scratched his head," She was Princess before this tree us in was even a little seed baby, methinks..."

"She sounds amazing," Dew said wide eyed, " Can you tell us any thing about her?"

"Me not knowing many things," Mumal chuckled," I try reading, but is very compl...comlic...tough for Mumal."

Pea giggled," Well, were on our way to an old castle we heard was in these woods. Do you think it would be Voltera's?"

"Mumal dosen't knowes any other royaly types that live out here...yes me remember! Your looking for big stone room with bunches and bunches of books yes?"

"We are Mr.Mumal," Joe said timidly.

Mumal seemed worried for a moment. He looked around with his glossy opal eyes at each traveler with confusion. The crew was beginning to become worried as well.

"Hmmm...me only beena der a few times...that place bad. Bunches of ghouls liveses in that big stone house...to many for Mumal to shoo away..."

"Oh great!" cried Pea," we went all this way and we cant go in because of some stupid monsters!"

"Pea needs to calm down," Oza yawned," Oza can take care of monsters. He knows what they do now."

"Oh no, dragon friend," the Ettercap said sheepishly," one ghoul is very bad, bunches is hopeless! Youse would need great powerful magician to kill allah dem!"

Pea grinned slyly," A great magician huh?"

TO BE CONTINUED...