Feel

"Doesn't that feel good?" Fluttershy asked.

Ciuin had to agree, it felt great to let the warm waters seep into his coat and work on his tense muscles. But there was something nagging at the back of his head.

"Well? Is the spa just for 'lassies' now?" Fluttershy giggled.

Slowly Ciuin felt his left cheek twist up into a half smile.

"I can see that you know."

Ciuin straightened out his mouth. "I was jus' stretchin' the muscles." he covered.

"Come on. Just smile a little, for me? Please?"

The mare was irrepressible.

Ciuin slowly let both corners lift up in a contented smile. He hadn't felt like this in forever. But still, he swore something was wrong somewhere.

"Um, can I tell you something Ciuin?" Fluttershy squeeked.

"You jus' did, but go ahea'." the stallion actually joked.

"It's just....you've been around for a month now...and I kind of... have this crush on you."

While Fluttershy explained this Ciuin's sense of unease grew. Something was terribly wrong.

Not even hearing Fluttershy's announcement, Ciuin bolted from the spa, only grabbing one thing...His Tactical Axe.

The small female kit cowered against the base of the tree. The mother badger was laying dead off to the side. One of her brothers laid dead not far off, and her other brother was bravely facing off against the timbrewolf.

The wolf snapped at the nuisance that wouldn't die. She snapped at the thing, but it dashed in between her legs and bit at her ankles.

Twirling around she swept a wooden paw at the beast, but still didn't manage to hit it.

Ah, but the path to the small one was clear. Turning her attention, the she wolf suddenly felt something bite at her back legs again. Instead of turning, the she wolf kicked straight back and clipped the badger kit.

Turning, she bit down on the poor creature and shook it until it stopped moving, then threw it against a tree with a dull thud. It moved no more.

Moving towards the final kit the she wolf smiled as her retribution was at paw.

*thunk*

Ciuin was barreling throught the under brush and made the clearing in time to see a she timbre-wolf close in on the final badger kit. The lively little girl that had so much life as she played with her mother and brothers....who now laid dead on the forest floor.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Ciuin screamed, throwing his axe wildy. It hit blunt side on the wolf, but got it's attention. Charging forward he tackled the wolf and drove a hoof into its muzzle.

"NO!"

And another.

"NO!"

The she-wolf recovered and bit into the crazed stallions hind right leg, for all the good it achieved.

Screaming in pain, not physical but mental and emotional, Ciuin laid into the she-wolf.

"NO!"

"NO!"

"NO!" *creak*

"NO!" *Creak*

"NO!" *Crack*

"NO!" *CRACK*

With that final blow, the entire wodden skin of the wolfs face shattered into a sappy mush.

(This is possible objectional material in red. It could possible raise the rating for the whole story, but I don't exactly want that. You can skip it if you want it has gore and obviously implied rape. You have been warned.)

Ciuin turned and saw the badger mum.

His father layed, blood pooled out from a knife in his chest.

The first downed badger twin.

Mum, a cruel red smile carved across her throat.

The second twin.

His sister lifelessly stared forward, beaten, bruised, and bloody. Blood and foreign liquids pooled around her flank.

And the little badger lass, cowering, lost, and alone.

He cried for them to come back, for them not to leave him, but they didn't answer his cries. He was alone.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ciuin screamed in outrage as he struck a tree. "No no no no no."

The stallion was now sobbing as something curled into his chest. It was the badger lass. The two stayed there for Celestia knows how long, suffering the same terrible wounds.

"Now, now Fluttershy. Ah'm sure he's out here somewhere. Ya said he liked ta watch a family of badgers right? Well let's go that way, mayhaps he just needed to think." Applejack offered to the mare, who's cheeks were crusted in tears.

Fluttershy just nodded weakly.

'Maybe he did just need to think. Maybe I just moved to fast for him. Wait, I know that smell!'

Fluttershy wrinkled her nose at the smell that brought a coppery taste to her mouth. Rushing ahead of Applejack into the clearing the poor mare found herself retching horribly. The mother badger and two brothers were dead. So was a she-timbrewolf.

Ciuin layed in the middle of the carnage sobbing uncontrollably, apologizing to the young badger that he held as it sobbed just as hard.

"I tried, I tried to help, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Fluttershy immediatly rushed to his side, seeing his badly mangled right hind leg and sap covered fore hooves.

Giving quick orders to Applejack, Fluttershy set about getting Ciuin ready for travel.

Ciuin awoke to the rythmic beeping of a vitals monitor. What he was doing in the hospital was beyond him, but he had a small bundle of fur laying across his chest. It was the badger lass.

"Gradh." Ciuin smiled, "'Cause you are love, jus' like my sister was."

Ciuin suddenly heard a small squeek off to his right. Looking over he saw Fluttershy, who was now blushing due to her accidental eavesdropping.

"How are you doing Shy? I'm sure I make quite the sight, eh?" Ciuin chuckled, catching himself by surprise.

Fluttershy moved forward suddenly and threw her hooves around Ciuin's neck, crying softly.

Ciuin felt another pang in his chest. He recognized it this time though. Regret. He had scared this perfect lass and he wished he had done anything but.

"How do you do it lass? How do you deal with your da'? How can you be happy?" Ciuin sobbed, every hurt of his life bubbling to the surface under the embrace of the custard coated mare.

"It's ok. Just let it all out. You don't have to be alone anymore. I'll be here as long as you need me. I won't ever leave." Fluttershy assured the stallion.

"I wan' to but I don' know wha' to do. I've spent my whole life feedin' off of vengeance and hate, but it jus' hurts so much. I jus' wan' it to stop hurtin'."

Fluttershy pulled back from Ciuin's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "I do it because I know I have friends that love me. Ciuin, I love you. I love you more than anything in the world and I want you to know that there is nothing in the world that will ever change that."

The mare then leaned down and kissed Ciuin full on the lips.

Ciuin hugged the mare tight against his chest as she curled against him.

"I love you, Ciuin." she said as she closed her eyes.

"I love you too."

With that said, Ciuin fell into a slumber, but was not haunted by the faces of those he failed.

It was just Fluttershy's beautiful smiling face.

A.N.~This is not going to my editor simply because I decided that rather than a whole chapter, this would just be a sub chapter. This will be the bridge that allows me to go from point a Ciuin to point b Ciuin and explains why and how he changed.

And it is D'aaaawwwww tastic.

I cried.

Chapter 2/3 will be a full chapter that is all 'bou' the lovely couple.

GRadhis Love in Scots-Gaelic. It was also what I decided Ciuin's sister's name would be.