Author's Note

Hello everyone welcome to the second rewritten chapter. Now I kept the old one if folks still want to read it. I might release my old story again for others to read if they want but here you go the rewritten chapter.

Chapter One: The journey.

Most stories always have a start with it being grand and amazing I am sure. For me, though, it was just normal teaching by the elders. I sat there minding my own business like always listening to the old wolves spout their nonsense and I had my mind elsewhere. My mind is and always has been focused on an adventure away from this hell hole.

“Tiria are you listening child?”

In my head, all I could think of is finding my mother finding fame and glory in the name of a warrior. As all stories start they start with a great deal of pain. Did I mention the elders love breaking heads with their staves?

“Tiria..”

WACK!!!

I rub my head groaning deeply. The stave hits me in the head again even harder this time. My paw gets hit and I groan looking up at the elder. My gentle blue eyes are angry with hate. Oh, goddess, I wish I had laser vision.

“You could just say Tiria are you listening instead of smacking my head. I mean come on who fucking does that?!”

The elder rolls his eyes

“Hush pup you’re lucky it wasn’t worse. If I had my way you would be tied down and have cold water dumped all over your fur. Now get to your graduation, don’t keep your teacher waiting.”

The elder turns around to walk off using the stave to lean on. Mostly they use it to punish those who misbehave. I do deserve it. I am my mother's daughter after all I am a rebel like she is. I quickly stand on my paws running through the cavern to get to the training halls.

After a while, I made it to the line of many who stood waiting for their task in the pack. I stood beside them all. I am larger and bigger than most of them. I was told by my father I was a runt of the pack and he is surprised by how well and quickly I grew. We watch my father who is also the trainer size us up like he always did before he insults.

“So you maggots think this is the last day of the rest of your lives? Most of you shouldn’t even be here. Most of you didn’t even fulfill any tasks I brought you. Then…some of you have dreams of adventure.”

He stares at me with a great deal of contempt. He told me my mother left me to die with him taking care of me and having to take up a new mate to feed me the milk my mother should have been doing.

“My daughter being one of them oh daughter your dream is finally coming true you’re now a joke even more.”

I growl gently trying to stay calm. I didn’t care how he acted towards me when I came for my training. He always blamed me for what happened to my mother. He never dared to tell me what happened. I get the looks from the others with me in line. Most of them are respectful to me even if I don’t have many friends.

“Now I will be giving out the swords and you can’t go back on what I give you. Because it’s your task and it will be your life task. Tell me everyone what task do you wish to fulfill for the rest of your life? To most of us, you don’t get a choice.”

He glances at me. I don't get a choice. I never got a choice. He walks on his bloodstained claws giving the swords to the others. I am of course last as always. I don't know what I am given. It's wrapped in a strange paper.

“Stay Tiria you and I need to speak before you see your sword.”

He nods to the others to leave and I watch them leave most of them not evening returning a glance at me. When they leave the stands in front of me I see the hate and the disappointment. Just the look in his eyes said it all.

“Father please for once in your life treat me with the respect I deserve. You know full well I am not my mom you have no right to treat me like I am a threat to you and your standing.”

He releases a gentle sigh from his lungs.

“Tiria you’re still my daughter, the best thing that ever happened in my life. Including meeting your mother I loved her. I love you and you and I both know you’re following in her pawsteps. Someday you will learn that being your mother is not something you want. Open your gift, remember this is your path now, don't get upset.”

I remove the wrapping from the sword. I see the symbol on the hilt of the sword disappointment fills my heart and my soul. A crescent moon only the fodder get this. They want to get rid of those they feel are a problem in the pack. To get rid of them make them a crescent moon, a warrior of the moon.

“Father this..must be some mistake. I did all the tests perfectly and I did everything right. Why must I be given this?”

He shakes his head frowning.

“There you go again becoming a rebel like your mother.”

All I could do was just stare at my father like he had some bald spot on the top of his head. I will never understand why I am always thought to be the rebel and the worthless trash. I don’t understand it, I never will.

“Father, what is wrong with questioning the paw I have been given? I mean come on I worked so hard to become something more than just fodder. Is it because the elders see me and think I am my mother? Why don’t you defend me, you just let them walk all over me.”

He never gave me an answer.

“It’s time for you to sleep and go to your chambers and we won’t be speaking of this again.”

I want to press the issue with him. I know full well that if I do I will be beaten by the elders again. I will be chained down and whipped for daring to speak like I am now. To the elders, we must always follow the paw given to us. The paw our god the Howling Dance gave us.

“Are you done Tiria? Are you done asking questions about the will of the elders and thinking you’re above them? If you are then go to your chambers or do I have to force you there?”

I back away from my father looking to the tunnels leading through our home. I close my eyes, opening to look at the sword. I turn around to head back into those tunnels and I stop looking over my shoulder at my father.

“Are you proud of me at all?”

He just shrugs his shoulders.

“Prove to me you’re not moon trash now.”

There it is the word moon trash. I feel I don’t deserve to be treated like this. I go through the tunnels watching the others with happy families and pups of their own. All I could do was long to have a family. Be something not just the daughter of a traitor. I walk through the tunnels of the cavern ignoring the world around me.

After a while, I get to my chambers. I am told this used to be the room my father and mother shared when I was just a pup. Looking to the side there is a large weapon display of old weapons I have gathered. A crossbow and bolts. A mace with spikes on it. A large hammer and sword and shield. My bed is made of a large slab of stone. Other beds for those that they cared about were made of something softer but I was considered the daughter of a traitor.

I set the sword under the slab to be ready just in case some of the bullies in this pack I have to deal with in their words. Do the will of the elders to keep me in my place. I groan deeply, why must life be so unfair?!

I felt anger building in my heart. It’s the ponies' fault they’re the reason we are in this world. I open my eyes and suddenly see a red mist flowing through the tunnels. I turn to see what I guess is a magic portal. Inside this portal a blue creature with red eyes and strange black horns glowing red. With a smile on the lips the creature, I could smell the decay of death around this creature.

I shook my head taking deep breaths to relax. No. no no… I am just seeing things I just need to sleep, yes that is it. I knew then no it wasn’t sleep I needed to get out of here. It was driving me crazy to the point I am going insane.

I lay on the stone bed, my body screaming in pain from the hard stone. I didn’t mind. I have gotten used to the pain. It's something you learn when you have to deal with the elders and their grand pearls of wisdom. Closing my eyes I fall into a dreamless sleep.

_____________
Chambers of the elder

I had worse mornings I had worst days I have been drunk I have had sex with some. The sex turned out to be the worst sex I ever had. Then there is a day such as this I woke up in chains. I am on the wall of the elder's chamber like I am a piece of good-cut beef. I saw one of the bodyguards of the elders, the most well-known of them. A larger male is known for his abusive nature. Oh, the wish for powers to melt his brain with my eyes.

“Now now pup I was asked to bring you here. Before you act so high and mighty. I could break one of the rules the elders have in place. Never torture another one of our own. Heh, those rules never stay in place for trash such as you.”

I grunt trying to fight and break the chains. Like I can break these chains they’re made by the best blacksmith in the pack. I could do everything to try to break free of them. The only way I could break free from them is by chewing my legs off. I am not going to waste my time chewing through the flesh. I grunt trying again to break free. I hang there defeated. It took a while for the elder to walk in. He has a pretty confused look on his face. I am sure he is wondering why I am hanging from these chains.

“I told you to bring her to me. Not to chain her to the wall and act like she is some worthless trash.”

The bodyguard laughs.

“Oh, I am so sorry sir I just thought you could break into her. Maybe give her a little pup and then force her to be in line.”

The elder strokes his head groaning

“I will deal with you later.”

The bodyguard snorts laughing tossing the key to the floor. The key lands on the stone floor with a hard thunk. He leaves the chambers and the elder closes the stone door. He didn’t want anyone else to hear this.

“I am sorry Tiria, he felt he was doing the right thing since you’re moon trash. I think most forget the moon trash is the best of us.”

He uses the keys to unlock me. I fall to the ground landing on my paws I groan stroking my legs wow that hurt. I glance at the elder as he sits on his soft bed made of the various creatures we find in the mountains.

“Why am I here?”

The elder tosses an old letter to me. The letter lands on the floor. I pick it up and read it. ‘I met a pony today who told me they can help me find our creator. The Howling dance I wish I could tell you why I left but I know you won’t listen to me. I am sick and tired of your lies and I have been told the truth. I will return when I find the Howling Dance.’

“Who wrote this?”

The elder chuckles

“Your mother, she met a pony who came through here. He told her he knew the location of the Howling dance. That was oh about twenty years ago you’re now twenty or close to that age dear Tiria.”

I stare at the letter my mother went to go find the Howling dance? The creator of us or whatever it was. I just know it was a crystal witch who spoke to us. It allowed us to howl at it. It allowed us to sing to it and dance to it.

“Why are you telling me this?’

The elder sighs stroking the back of his head. I know the look in his eyes. It’s the look of bad news. News I am going to be very unhappy to learn. I take a deep breath holding it in waiting for the bad news.

“You’re being sent into exile. I can no longer allow you to stay here being the daughter of a betrayer. If you find the Moon itself you’re welcome to return and then when you return. You will sing the song of hope with us.”

My ears pin to the back of my head. I exhale feeling sadness and anger filling my heart. I wish I could cry but I haven’t been able to cry for a long time. If I could I would break down begging you to let me stay. I have never been told to go into exile before.

“Is there any way I could convince you otherwise?’

He shook his head.

“There is no way you can convince me, Tiria. You may stay for two days and go say goodbye to those. Wait, you have no friends, no one respects you here. Head to your room and lock yourself in it for two days. I will come for you at the end of the second day. Make sure you’re ready for the world outside.”

The elder opens the door letting me go. Tears form in my eyes why am I being punished like this. I try to look strong. I can't show he has gotten to me. I can’t allow them to see they have gotten to me and they have won.

“Thank you elder for the truth. I hope to come back someday.”

The elder chuckles as I head out into the tunnels. I walk through the tunnels quickly. I know when others learn I am being outcasted I will get attacked. I look around making sure I am ready just in case some of the haters of moon trash are out and about.

I made it to my chambers with no problems looking around opening the stone door to head inside. I look around to make sure no one is inside waiting for me. I quickly go inside and grab armor and other weapons strapping them to my armor and making sure I have my bags.

I hold the sword tightly in my paws laying on my back in my room, closing my eyes to fall asleep hoping I will wake up if someone tries to attack me.

______________

Day three: Time to leave

I woke up hearing a bunch of commotion. I held the blade tightly hearing a bunch of voices outside my door. The door opens up and one of the other elders comes in. She has many of her guards with her.

“It’s time to leave now and no you will not be staying any longer. We need to get rid of betrayers like you quickly.”

I see my father in the group. I sigh deeply walking out of the room. I am being led through the pack seeing so many eyes stare at me. I am not a monster to my pack, a creature who is a monster and an outcast to them. It didn’t take too long to get to the path leading to the outside. I take a deep breath turning to look at them.

“Am I able to say goodbye to anyone?”

The female elder laughs.

“Who would care if you left or not.”

My father comes out of the group staring at the elder.

“I would come with me, my daughter.”

My father leads me into the tunnel leading me to the outside. He turns to look back down to make sure I am not followed. He turns to look at me. His eyes turn from hatred to sadness and he hugs me tightly. I was confused why he was hugging me. I never understood my father. He can change how he acts on a dime.

“Listen Tiria I need you to find out what happened to your mother. I need to know the truth about what happened. So please do what you can to find the Howling dance and your mother. Just I will add one thing. Find friends and try to find friends who will protect you in this world.”

I am confused about finding friends? I remember the old stories about the ponies having this magic of friendship. This magic of friendship gave them the power to take on anything. Then the magic of friendship allowed this world to die.

“I will try... I might not return if I find a home.”

My father laughs softly.

“If you do, please don’t return then.”

I let out a weak breathless sigh. I have been meaning to ask him this question. It’s a hard question to ask. I don’t want to know the truth if it’s true or not. I love my father. I know he loves me, at least I think he does.

“Father please tell me do you love me? Am I just a mistake the elders keep telling me?”

My father shakes his head.

“I do love you and you’re not a mistake. The deed your mother and I did might have been a mistake. But we got to have you a wonderful daughter. Your mother did many things the elders hated. She didn’t listen, she put them in their place and tried so hard to make the pack home for you.”

I grunt, shaking my head so much for making this pack home for me. I am starting to wonder if the elders will have someone follow me. This moon, this howling dance is a god to us and it’s something I never understood.

“Father, why do I need to make friends? What is my path? What do I need to find in this path? “

My father just stares at me with his dark blue eyes. He laughs softly enough so they don’t hear him below.

“I don’t know your path. You might not even have a path for all I know you may just follow a set of rules most give you. Maybe it’s fate, maybe it’s how the grand ones shall sing to you. When you finally hear the words. The pebbles allow them to speak to you and then they will give you the right to sing.”

I just stare at him again. What is with these odd sayings? First I remember an elder telling us the fire is burning for us. Now, something about pebbles. Am I part of these pebbles? What about this song? I have never sung a day in my life.

I head up the tunnel looking back and seeing my father who walks back down. I look up to the tunnels, my journey my way, my path. Is this all that is it for me now the song in my heart? Will I ever have one?

___________________

Same day: Shattered Hoof

I get out of the tunnel into the dead wasteland. I look back at the guard who protects the caverns. He just waves at me. I think he knows what I am doing and why I am leaving. I take a deep breath looking back. I didn’t know it yet but this was going to be a journey that would sing in my heart for the rest of my life.

I head into the valley looking into the sky and seeing something shining behind those dark clouds. I am sure it’s the giver of life to the sun. One which grows food for the hungry souls. I walk along the mountain to see a strange contraption that looks like it crashed and landed here years ago.

There are many boxes littered about this machine. I look at the bones of these bodies that have been here since the end of the world. Looking through the boxes I find I see a couple of books about various things. I didn’t take the time to read them. I put them in the bag I had with me looking through the rest of the objects.

I open up another one of the boxes. There are many glass objects in there, many of them are broken but only one is still full of a strange fluid. I pull it from its home looking at the object. I see a strange yellow mare on it and the name. ‘Sparkle Cola’ I take off the cap from sniffing it. It smells safe. I take a sip. I shrug, drinking the rest of the fluid and placing the bottle in my bag. I have been told anything can be a weapon.

I don’t know how long it’s been since I walked there. I have no way to tell the time. I feel it’s been thirty minutes since I left. I look back seeing the crash is still in sight and all I can think of is going deeper into the hoof. I notice something in the corner of my vision, a strange black bird. I have heard of these creatures called crows. This one though has strange glowing red eyes as it stares at me.

I ignore it while heading west. I slow down when I get closer to a set of rocks. I hear voices. I am unsure what the hell I just got myself into. I hide myself the best I can behind the rocks looking at the creature's ponies. They have strange weapons with them. Could it be those guns? I have heard from one of the hunters who came back. These ponies use weapons that shoot fire and brimstone out of them.

“So why are we out here?”

The yellow mare who asked the question sits on a rock setting her hammer down beside her. I am sure they have been out here for a while waiting for whoever they’re waiting for. The stallion she is with just shrugs his shoulders.

“It’s hard to tell with griffins.”

I look again. There were five ponies, at least I counted five with various weapons and objects with them. One looks to be missing.

“It looks like Blueberry is missing again. What did she find a raider to kill without us?”

The yellow mare laughs

“She could have gone for a piss for all we know.”

The ponies chatter among themselves and I back up feeling something poke in my back. I turn just a bit to see the blue mare they’re talking about poking one of the weapons in my back. I groan greatly. I should know better to keep an eye on my backside. I should have known there would have been one walking up behind me.

“Move.”

I come out from behind the rocks with the blue mare behind me.

“Hey look, I found a toy.”

A toy?, why would I be? The stallion has a dark evil smile on his face.

“Maybe we can rape it and force it to run for target practice.”

RAPE?! Those words go crazy through my head and all I can think of is to be dumb. A smirk forms across my face.

“Awww come on you can’t get sex with these mares? So you go for something you just captured. Are you that pathetic stallion coming on these mares that are open for you. Just mount one of them and get done with it.”

The three mares laugh; they seem to love the fact I just called him out. They have been so giddy and now I can turn the tables on them as well. Oh, goddess am I trying to get myself killed here?

“Now I am going to go now you seem to have much to talk about among yourselves.”

I hear the mare's weapon cock behind me.

“Are we that dumb to you?”

I chuckle oh great I am in for it. I notice I see a rock and if I could do this right I could use the rock to smack into this mare. I lift my paw just a bit standing. The others look away as they talk with me. No is my chance oh goddess please don’t let this be the end here.

“Come on, let's just shoot..”

The blue mare could finish. I finally did what I could. I grabbed hold of the rock and quickly moved and turned to her. I think I surprised her. I smash the rock hard enough in her face. I think the hit surprises her so much she drops her weapon. In a few quick moments, the strange metal tube hits the ground; it goes off whatever it fires one goes into the rock.

The pony finally takes notice after the gun goes off. The poor blue mare is out cold from being hit with the rock. The yellow mare grabs the hammer in her mouth. I grab one of the weapons I have with me. It’s my mace before she could hit me with the hammer. I parry our weapons-making metal music together.

I see the other earth pony mare coming towards me with her weapon. I am fighting the other. I need to make a quick movement so I don’t get hit. I quickly make it before the other mare swings her weapon. I take my other smashing my paw into the mare's face. She drops her hammer from getting hit by the paw. The other mare swings the ax and I quickly try to duck. I feel it nick my head drawing some blood.

She hit the yellow mare in the face with the ax and the poor mare fell dead from the hit. I groan. I try to get up. I look at my leg seeing one of the objects from the boom stick go into my leg. The other mare picks up the hammer and before I could react she smashes it down on my bad leg. I scream in pain.

I reach in my bag grab the bottle and smash it hard into the face of the mare. Glass shatters all over her face and on the ground. I noticed the bottle became sharper than a knife. I try to get up again on the bad leg. I can’t so I am like a wounded dog only on three legs and I stab it into her neck.

Wait, I remember seeing five? What happened to the fifth one? I notice a red stallion holding the blue mare close to him. Why is he not fighting? I look up at the stallion who comes over to me the anger he has. I try to get back up. I feel my body failing. I think I got hit more than I noticed. I didn’t have anything to eat either before leaving. So I think my body is shutting down from that as well.

“You fucked with us..”

He aimed his gun right at my head before he did anything black griffin land right beside him. The griffin grabs the gun with his claws to stop him.

“What are you doing?! She killed most of us and here you’re stopping me.”

The griffin laughs

“If she could do that then you already failed. We watched you from above and you failed badly. Oh don’t look now but I think the wolf is angry.”

The stallion was confused. I finally got enough energy to grab my mace again and all he sees is the spiked ball smashing into his face. I groan, falling to the ground and looking up at the griffin. The poor stallion is not dead?! I just…hit him hard enough to make his brains leak.

I try to stand seeing more griffins landing and I groan feeling something hit me in the side of my neck. I pull it out looking at the needle. I don't wait, why is my vision going hazy? I groan falling onto my face. I stare up at the griffins as one of them goes to help the red stallion I hear a loud bang behind. I then watch the other take a weapon and kill the stallion.

“W…wh..”

I feel myself about to fall asleep. I try to keep moving all I do is move my legs like a dumb ass trying to get up. With no luck, my body just gives out and I fall asleep to deal with whatever comes next. Welcome to the start of my journey.

Footnote: Level up

Perk got: Vuflven sense: You have grown with what is known as Vulf’ven sense your sense of smell is doubled there is one issue with your body though and how you run. This sense has a problem, however. The smell of meat will make you very hungry to the point you must eat.\

Bad perk: Broken back left leg: The hammer the mare used on you shattered your leg. It will take a month or longer to heal. If it doesn’t heal right you will be left with a bad leg.