//-------------------------------------------------------// A Life of Timber -by CheezitLover69- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: Ambush //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: Ambush The sound of crackling leaves sounded in the Everfree, along with low, threatening growls. It was the Timberwolves, and the territory they claimed was full of trespassers. Instead of the ponies they had attacked a few days past, it was now white ponies with golden armor who were armed with swords and spears. The soldiers marched through the Everfree, all the while following their leader; a tall, regal looking pony who had both wings and a horn. It was the wolves first time encountering this type of pony race, but that wouldn't keep them from stopping the trespassers. They watched from the bushes, growling menacingly while they circled their enemies in the darkness. Their Alpha, a wolf that was almost the same height of the tall pony, jumped out in front of them, head low and growling. The tall pony was surprised, before glaring at the wolf and pointing its horn at him. The Alpha recognized the tall pony to be a mare, and quickly jumped aside when she fired a magic bolt at him. He snarled, watching as the rest of his pack jumped out and surprised the rest of the soldiers. The Alpha watched as the tall pony's face contorted from shock to realization, then to anger as she turned to the Alpha. The Alpha growled as he approached her, ready to lunge and tear out her throat. She fired another magic bolt at him, but he quickly evaded it, using the momentum to leap at the mare. He missed, but his claws cut her across the chest, and he quickly spun around and leaped once more. This time she was ready and fired a magic bolt at him, one that he couldn't avoid. It hit him in the chest and he was knocked back, and almost a second later was slammed into a tree. He got back on his paws and looked took his moment of recovery to look at how the ambush was going. It was not good. Wolves were being slaughtered left and right, and if this continued, then this pack of his would surely perish. He howled, calling back his pack. As much as it hurt his pride, he would rather keep his pack safe than have them die in battle. The other Timberwolves quickly ran away from the ponies and into the darker areas of the forest, keeping out of site. A couple of ponies were chasing after them, but were sent backwards when a massive paw slammed into them. Looking up, they saw the Alpha, glaring and growling with slobber dribbling from his mouth, his eyes burning with fury. He turned his gaze to the tall mare, then back to the guards as they began scrambling back to their brethren. Then, in one swift motion, he leaped over the group of ponies and ran away from them, not bothering to turn back. Back To Celestia... Celestia watched as the massive Timberwolf sprinted away, the sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs hitting her ears. As her guards went to follow after it, she quickly spoke up, "Stop!" The guards stopped what they were doing and turned to her questioningly, "My Princess... why can't we follow this beast?" "Because not only will you lose your life, you'll just anger it more than it already is. Did you not see how it pushed you and Sergeant Silver with a flick of it's paw?" The guard turned towards the direction the Alpha was heading, biting his lip, "Yes, but if we let such a creature live it will harm citizens. Permission to pursue?" "Permission denied." Celestia stated coldly. "We are not going to chase a beast such as this, at least not with this much soldiers. Now, come along, we must return to Canterlot to get said soldiers." She turned and began heading back to Ponyville. The guard sighed, following her reluctantly. If this... monster is to live, it will surely hurt innocent ponies. He'll need to make a cunning plan to put such a beast down. Back to Alpha... He had been sprinting for what seemed to be hours, his wooden muscles feeling sore and strained. He had to keep moving in order to keep away from the ponies, to which he may lose his life to such warriors. He came into a clearing, the moonlight causing the water droplets on the blades of grass to glisten, giving it a calm feel. Perfect for the Alpha, who needed the break after his little battle and run. Ahead of the clearing he saw a little house that seemed to be part of a tree. A little ramp lead from the ground up to the open door, and he could smell apples coming from said house. He walked up the ramp, crouching down so that he could see the inside. His eyes fell upon a basket of apples that were set in a corner of the room, and he cautiously approached it. After a quick sniff, he devoured the apples, along with the cores of said apples. Now that his hunger was satisfied, he let out a long, tired yawn; a sign that he needed to get some rest. He spun around a few times, before curling up into a large, wooden ball, the sound of the floorboards creaking under the massive weight of the Timberwolf. It was time for his slumber, and with one last yawn, he sat his head down and closed his large, glowing eyes. A Few Miles Away... A large, overgrown Timberwolf prowled through the Everfree Forest, in search of it's former Alpha. It didn't take long for it to convince the King to let it be the new Alpha. This wolf, Styx, used to be the Omega, or Beta, of the pack. And now it's the Alpha. But to keep such a title, it needed to hunt and kill it's former Alpha so that there was no chance of anything taking it's title. It sniffed the air, and it's ears perked up as it caught a scent. Following the scent, the Timberwolf took it's time, as it was in no rush to kill the ex-Alpha.