War is nothing more than anger and hate, a great battle between two or more kingdoms or countries, wanting to claim land or defend their own. I can say that my world had these wars, but after the black blood had spread those wars has stopped and the whole world had set aside their differences and grudge on each other. An interesting way of having world peace, all of that was just caused by a curse. If this world had that same situation then possibly this world would no longer have wars, but they would have monsters killing their kin and being forced to kill theirs after being cursed with the blood. Many would die, but the death rate would be less than what it was in wars.

“Werewovles could easily be mistaken for these Frost Wolves, they both may share the similar appearance and size differences, but they are more like lycans than werewolves. They are not men cursed with the mark of the hunt, being forced to kill everything in sight for some god that wants those that they mark to hunt for him. If I am correct from what I remember you studying on the Lycan and Werewolves, Lycans are naturally born and do not have a human form to turn into, but Werewolves are humans that are cursed and being forced to change every night whenever the moon appears. However, we can only call these Lycans.” Wyndbain said, he was thinking a bit too much on these Frost Wolves that the Equestrian army is facing, but I couldn’t help but also join in the deep thinking too. Normally in our world Lycans only hunt and return with their kills to their pack. Having to learn a lot of monster and cursed ones from my hunts and books I’ve read, Gehrman made me read and study the monsters that I have hunted.

“If I remember correctly from what Lenora has told us about the Canine race across this land, in the north there would be about six clans that could handle the freezing wind. However, she said that they rarely go to war with each other meaning that this could be an accident of some pony or a patrol of guards getting mixed up in the clan wars. I can say that this all may be a mix up by getting involved in a battle.” I silently groan to myself and tilt my hat down, covering my eyes enough for me to see the floor and block out the sun from the window.

The trip to the Crystal Empire would take three days, without stopping at any stations it would shorten to a day and a half, but we had to stop by checkpoints stationed by the train rails. Celestia wanted us to take an airship to the north, but that would take too long. A train was faster than an airship, an airship is faster than walking on foot or climbing a mountain. I don’t know what’s going on through the white mare’s head, she may not have been thinking straight.

Hunting something that is more challenging would give me the same old thrill that I had before we arrived in Equestria, but didn’t. Going into war could never bring that feeling, I didn’t want to join in a war that does not involve me in it. However, I am forced to help the princess, she may be holding Cynder hostage just so she could have me fight for her. Magic, I despise it. I could not do against to go against magic other than make myself immune to it for a few minutes with arcane runes and potions.

If the letter made it to Shade then she would know some way of helping Cynder. It may seem pointless to put my faith on a mother batpony who barely knows much of magic and has no way of using it, however, she might figure it out what’s happening to Cynder. I never thought that I would have a dragoness as my pupil, be a godfather to two daughters, and have my faith in someone else than my partners is rare.

The sound of hooves clopping against the wooden floor caught my attention to the door. A light knock came from the over side along with a women’s, or mare’s, voice.

“Mister Hunter, we’re reaching the first checkpoint. Would you want any refreshments, like a glass of water and a bowl?”

“Yes, a glass of water and a bowl half full. Thank you miss.” I couldn’t tell if the mare had nodded her head, but I couldn’t care. My throat was starting to feel dry like sand, and I could say that Wyndbain was having that same in his throat.

When the mare closed the door and left, I was back on thinking. Thinking about Cynder and what could Shade do to figure out what is wrong with her, just having a sudden fever still makes me wonder that Princess Celestia has cast a spell on her. It’s weird to think about someone else that is not human, I hadn’t thought about Shade and her daughters because I knew that nothing bad would happen, they had nothing to worry about other than their father’s safety. I should not worry about Cynder as she would be in safe hooves with Shade, yet why do I worry about her and think of her so much?

Before I had left my home, I had actually looked back at the house. I was, and still am, worried about Cynder, she didn’t deserve to have this fever Celestia had talked about. The dragoness was just another innocent, a curious and dumb one, wanting to just become a hunter like me and learn how to fire my weapons if this “fever” had never shown up then Cynder’s training would have continued. She would be the first in my history to become a hunter, not being human.

‘A dragoness huntress, Gehrman would question why I would teach someone to become a hunter that’s not even human. He would be unsure of what my actions would be and keep me in his line of sight, watching me and Cynder. I am thankful he is not here.’ With a relieved sigh, I close my eyes and wait for the mare to return with our water.

The point of being a hunter is to track down and destroy any living creature that has been cursed with the black blood. People see as a bringer of hope or a bringer of death upon them, I can not be certain which one the people feel about us, I’ve only seen them be happy or afraid of us. Being feared by them was not much of a problem I had worried about, I did not care what they think of us. The Hunters were created for a reason and that reason being was to hunt down any cursed entity that happens to touch the black blood, whether they be an elder or a child, old hound or a pup. All that has the blood will die, Hunters have a chance to have the blood be purged from their body by a ritual that involves being dunked in blessed water and have one of the veins having black blood running through would be carefully cut. This ritual of cleansing the blood is a dangerous thing to do, but it saved many hunters, however, a few had died from this.

Every hunters’ training starts out with them being alone in an unnatural environment surrounded by low-class cursed monsters. This basic training is to tell the hunters/huntresses that being a Hunter was not all fun and games as your own life would be put on the line. A full week was how long you would have to survive alone in the wilderness, you have to prove you could hunt, create traps, plan, and know what you would be hunting. Those who dare to flee or going to a town will fail the training.

My training wasn’t simple and easy to do since I had to take care of Wyndbain when I was young, he was only a pup that could easily be prey for everything due to his size, being a small pup that could fit in my hands whenever I’m holding him. Surviving and taking care of a pup was difficult, I had to use traps and focus on taking care of him, sometimes I would go hunting at the night whenever he was asleep so I could feed myself and have food for him in the morning. A rough cycle to go through being forced to be an adult and a father, Wyndbain knew that I wasn’t his real father, pretty obvious to know that because of I’m completely different than him, but that never stopped him from being my close friend.

“When we hunt...” I began to say to myself, letting Wyndbain know that I’m talking.

“Those that are our prey must fear us...”

“Because we’re not weak and normal, we’re...”

“Monsters that defends the weak and free those from the curse,” He said and stood up as the train suddenly came to a full stop on our second checkpoint.

Celestia had given us a set of rules. These rules go against what we had done in the past months of protecting the innocents, so we couldn’t save a victim from murder and help keep the peace. However, the Princess cannot stop us from saving a life, she does not control us and we control our own action. If we wanted to hunt down a criminal then we would not hesitate, for the lives of others to be safe we must kill those that are guilty.

I got up from my seat and stood up, stretching my legs out. Being seated for nearly a few hours made my legs stiff as if the bones in my legs were replaced with thick branches. After I stretched my legs, I pulled the door to the side. Wyndbain was the first to exit out of the cabin, for a wolf who sometimes enjoys relaxing I could tell he hated being trapped in there on a moving train.

Closing the door behind us, I walked down the narrow hallway with Wyndbain following behind me. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see many colorful creatures all of the different species from different towns, cities, or countries. All of them were living their peaceful lives as they walk around or talk with each other. None of them seem to notice me inside this train, the window was clear and easy to see through, though I don’t think they really know what I look like as I have kept myself in the dark and hunt during the witching hours when everyone is asleep.

Soon we reached one of the doors on this car to the outside, but before we had the chance to open it, one of the guards stopped me and told me that I was not allowed to go outside. Normally if it was a town’s guard from my world I would ask them why. However, this was not my world and I do not follow the rules that the Princess set up for me to follow. Hell, rules are meant to be broken, even the ones that would make everyone see you as something evil.

I opened the door causing the guard to charge up his spell, but before he even had the chance Wyndbain pounced at him, biting the horn with his sharp teeth. The guard scream in pain. I may not know how unicorn’s horns work in anatomy, though I do know if you hit them where they would be screaming in pain.

My gaze on the guard shifted to the doorway, on the other side were the citizens of this town staring at me. The silence was the response I was expecting from the crowd outside. With a single step, I exited out of the car onto the train station platform. Almost every pony on the platform stumbled back, some of the other species that feared me did the same. Those that didn’t back away just nod their heads, knowing that I am the bad hero they heard of, the killer of the Elk Kingdom former King, savior of the Diamond Dog’s Princess, and one of the two cursed beings on in this world cursed with the black blood. A title to have if I ever wanted to kill the innocents. I didn’t want to have these titles...like how I never asked to be cursed. For those who had never backed away and acknowledged my presence knew that I only protect the innocents.

As I took another step on the platform someone among the crowd of animals jumped in front of me, landing face first on the wooden pallet. To be honest, this was the first time that someone did that, never have I seen someone just jump in front of me and mess up the landing to hit face first on a wooden platform. The sight would be funny for those sees someone hurting themselves in a weird and child humor way.

Ignoring the animal that failed their landing, I walked down the train platforms to one of the shopping carts parked nearby. I learned a while ago as a child there some merchants would set up a small shop near the train to have travelers and strangers buy their wears. The ones that were afraid of me stepped away and avoided my gaze, but as for the others that were not afraid continued with the daily routine they had, let me walk among them in the moving crowd, like normal citizens.

“I can’t believe I’m seeing the Hunter in real life,” I heard one of the many around us whispered.

“Yeah, I actually expected him to be, you know taller?”

“Same here, and is that a feral wolf? I thought they live far in the west?”

I could see out of the corner of my eye how uncomfortable Wyndbain is in his movement, the whispering and the staring from our “fans”. Though I am too feeling uncomfortable from this attention, even if it’s around a dozen creatures that see us as heroes in their own way. A man wearing black clothes and armed with weapons, not from this world and a wolf with his fur so dark that the shadows can hide him and the white on him making it look like someone painted what his bones looked like. We were obviously the odd ones out in the crowd from our appearance and how some give us some space to walk through.

“Their gaze and whispers of us make me weary, and I do not enjoy the looks of lust in some that stare at us. Traveling in the night was better than this.” I heard Wyndbain said as he stayed close to me. He was right about some that were around us, some actually have the looks of lust on their facial expressions, but I did not let that bother me. If they tried anything then they would know the consequences of attacking me.

“I know my friend, but always know that they would have to deal with us when they try anything stupid. We may not be able to resist magic, but that does not stop me from pulling the trigger or using arcane spells.” I reassure him before we made it off the train platform. A sudden smell of freshly cooked meat brought my attention to a small stand next to the platform. The one who owns the stand looked like an elk but with wings and two talons from a griffon. I know every breed of every creature in this world is possible, well from what I know of.

Finding an elk here was a rare sight to see as well being born as an Elfon, I know that they prefer to stay in the woods or forest of any kind, even if that forest has dangerous and deadly animals living in it. However, I can’t always believe that every elk, even the hybrid, loves to live in forests like these. My memories with the old King Elk weren’t pleasant, killing him was against the Hunter’s code, but it was his order and mission I had no choice. His son hates me and wishes nothing more than seeing mine and Wyndbain’s corpses hanging from a rope on a tree.

I stopped in front of the meat stand and looked at what was being cooked. Some of the meats I could recognize from their looks, even when cooked, I could tell which creatures each piece of raw flesh was cut from. The smell from each cooked meat of various spices made my stomach slightly grumbled from the lack of food, telling me that I was hungry. The elfon heard my stomach and chuckled to himself as he pulled out two sticks with meat on them from a small bowl filled with glowing embers.

Pulling out a few gold Equestrian coins from my pocket, the elfon shook his head and held the two sticks to me. Confused I pocketed the coins and took the two sticks. Whoever this elfon was known me, but I do not remember if I know him. I held Wyndbain’s meal in my left hand and kept it down for the wolf to eat a bit of the cooked meat on it.

“It’s for free, you don’t have to pay for it as you already done my father a favor.” His soft-sounding voice made me realized who this elfon was. I looked back at him and noticed a similar look to King Sethian, a silver coat and wings, ebony horns, white fur going down from his chin to his chest and possibly the rest of the way to his tail meaning his entire underside is white and the tip of his wings were white too, black talons and hooves, and golden eyes that seemed to shine whenever I glance at them. A mere reflection of the Elk King stood side by side of the eflon. Surprised I open my mouth to speak, but the second son of the king stopped me with a raised claw.

“Please, not here Cazador. You cannot say my royal name,” he said in a whisper, lowering his talon, “How is the mighty Hunter and his Wolven Guard doing?”

“We are doing well,” I responded not mentioning the name of Wytherhold King’s son. He smiled and nodded his head at the Equestrian Army train.

“Assisting the ponies?”

I shook my head and told him the purpose, my answer seemed to trouble him and made him think a bit to himself. The second prince of the King I killed here in this town set up a carnivore food stand next to the train station, a little brother that is not normal like his brother and shunned. Never thought I would see the young prince again, including here at this place. He was the smartest out of the two, his older brother is not that smart and didn’t have a strong bond with their father as the young prince does.

“This is troubling, Celestia must have put a spell on your dragoness apprentice and is forcing you to fight a war that does not involve you. This war with the north concerns me though, the Frost Wolves only attack when a stranger invades their lands and does not have the chieftain ’s permission, meaning the attack on her subjects or on the soldiers passing through. Father told me that many other canines have expanded throughout the world having different shapes, personalities, rules, and many others that you could name. The Frost Wolves are probably the innocent ones in this war, but there are outcasts meaning we can’t be sure that...” The young prince began to start mumble to himself quietly, made it difficult for me to hear him anymore from that point.

My history with the prince was something that not many would have expected, I was hired to kill their father in front of thousands of elks and creatures that were watching. The old elk was a fool to do that, however, it was his wish to die by a creature who was tainted in comforting darkness. How he found my curse to be comfortable and killed by me is questioning, but I cannot ask him that question now as he was buried in the catacombs with those before he ruled the kingdom. Though I know that his second son was supposed to do something than lead the kingdom, the will he wrote gave me full guardianship over the elfon. Why I never had him with me after leaving the kingdom was because I couldn’t meet him in the kingdom without getting caught, though I shouldn’t have him with me. News of the prince traveling with “Equestrian’s Hero” hunting down every criminal, the princesses would question the older brother about this.

From memory We’ve spent two months in the Elk’s Kingdom waiting for their celebration of the founding of Wytherhold, Prince Elthis was a shy, anti-social, passive type of creature, small, and in training of being the next king after his brother dies. How we met was when I was bathing, he managed to sneak in the bathing room without me even noticing his scent and without Wyndbain growling at him or warning me. He managed to see me without my clothes on and the mask, seeing what my face actually looks like. Normally I would knock someone out who saw me without my mask, but I didn’t do it to Elthis. Instead, I let him bathe with me in the pool, for two whole months I didn’t care about the young prince knowing what I looked like. However, he was a bit persistent on wanting to be like me, a hunter that uses guns and rarely uses any arcane spells. The king told me that his son may have fit on being the prince in the bloodline, but the elfon’s wish to become a hunter made the king decide to let his son do it. Though I didn’t get around the time on training him, after I left the kingdom he probably went searching for me.

“I’m surprised the Elthis is not excited to see us again, normally whenever we were around him he would want you to tell him stories of the hunts you have been on from this world or ours.” Wyndbain chuckled and looked up at me. The memories of telling the elfon of the hunts I have been in and what the creatures I have seen, one of them must have sparked his interest in becoming a hunter. Imagining him in black leather armor or white pelt feather covered one is something I wonder if he would have a chance to become a hunter same as Cynder.

…

Cynder.

Author's Note

Another chapter is done, sadly I am having a bit of trouble on writing these. I'm having a hard time trying to find time to write and not listen to anything that could distract me of my thoughts whenever I am writing this. Sorry that the chapter is actually 4 weeks after the previous one.