Warm blood ran down my arms, the pistol I hold slathered in the same red ooze. The same ooze dripping from the man in front of me. How could this happen. Why did this happen!? I don't want to be here, not again.

The pistol drops to the floor as I try to vomit, the liquid in my stomach getting caught in my throat. I Land on my hands and knees, coughing as blood starts seeping from my mouth as I see a thread of what was stuck in my windpipe. long black oil slick tentacles writhing against my lips and along the roof of my mouth. I reached up to touch them, but the closer I got, the more they retreated into my throat, pushing its self down towards my stomach where it resides.

I reach into my mouth, trying to grab anything of this 'thing' that's inside me. But it was too late. I felt it reestablish its home in my stomach, it writhing even more, it knowing I was trying to pull it out of its host. Fear washes over me again, my hands running over my stomach hoping there was a way for it to be forced out, all I could do was scream. "NO! Please, no. You're the one who did this! You're the one that made me this way." Looking up their was a mirror in front of me now, instead of the lifeless dead body.

I put a hand against the mirror, it showing myself in my younger years, when I was a kid. Everything was different though, I looked angered beyond reason, blood running down my cheeks, the burning hatred in my eyes even scare me now. I tried to look away, something was stopping me though. The same long black tentacles were wrapped around my head and neck from the back. I was being choked, I reached up to get rid of them, my hands where tied to the faucet of the sink.

A lone figure stood behind me in the mirror, just out of the light. "Why are you trying to leave me? You ARE the one who created me in the first place, father." He steps forward towards the light, his slick frame was made up of the same black oil slicked tentacles. "And now we get to be together forever..."

Everything around me started to melt, the floors dripping with the scenery of that fateful night. The mirror in front of me, turning to a puddle. I watched in horror, the being behind me started opening up, its insides squiggling around wanting me. "No, plea-" A piece of the monster covered my mouth. "Hush father, we are together now. There is no need to fear." It started wrapping its self around me, the tiny cold appendages digging into my flesh, drawing fresh blood. I tried to scream, but as soon as I opened my mouth, the part of him in my throat connected to the outside.

All I could do was fall over convulsing on the floor as I watched more of him cover my face, then finally my eyes.

Straight Arrow

The smell of maple wood burning filled my nostrils, the feeling of heat on my back from the fire comforting me. I moved my olive green hoof slightly to my right, watching the human in front of me in his non-moving state.

How I found this creature has to have been one of the strangest occurrences. I was waiting on an old rabbit trail I use to put snare traps on, seeing if any other critters use it. I was just about to leave right before I saw this human running towards me from the south while I was still in the tree.

It seemed he seen me after a little, then just suddenly collapsed to the ground. Seeing I couldn't leave him here in the middle of nowhere, I had to move some of my supplies to this temporary base, just so I could look after him for the time being.

He's been asleep for almost two days now... Should I go into town for help?

I look over to the west, seeing the sun sink into the tree line. I sigh, Guess it's a little late for that.

I Get up to go and fetch some food for myself, I wander towards my drying rack off in the distance that has a rabbit hanging off of it from a piece of cordage, the kill I bagged just this morning. The taste of meat is still a little hard to stomach once and a while, but I've come to understand that I need to eat it for protein to stay strong and healthy. I remember the first day when I had to eat meat. I vomited for almost an hour straight, or what felt like an hour. I chuckle from the not so funny memory.

I was about to pull down the rabbit when a small shuffle of leaves come from behind me, then a light moan. Is it finally up? I look back to the fire, seeing one of its arms moving up to its head. I calmly walk over to my bow, making sure it was strung and an arrow knocked on the string. I needed to be ready for what ever might happen between me and this human.

Another light grown comes from his non-moving body, then a grunt. Finally, he leans up from his resting position, a hand on his head and another low growl vibrating through his throat. "Jesus, what happened to me?" The creature asked.

I pull back the string lightly just as the creatures eyes land on me, a look of horror plastered on his face. "Uh, that's not for me, is it?" He asks, sitting up more.

I slowly inhale as I try and push words through my voice box, but being mute for almost a year is making it difficult. I open my mouth, and effortlessly to my surprise, what I wanted to say came out. "Only if you are dumb enough to make me shoot you."

The human seemed to calm down a bit after what I said. He licked his lips, or at least tried to from how dry his mouth is. He looked back to me, his young eyes seeing what I could only imagine is a stranger in the middle of the woods pointing a arrow at him in a not so friendly way. His voice did not carry far from what he said next. "Water, I need water."

I slowly release tension on the string, lowering the bow as to not have it pointing to the strange being that I had to move camp for. "I'll go and fetch some for you," I walk through camp towards the river, passing by the drying rack. I stop and face him again, "You humans are carnivores, right?" I look back to see him shaking his head lightly. I take the rabbit from the rack, throwing it to him.

He catches it effortlessly. "Skin and gut that for me while I go and get some water from the river." Watching him admire the kill I got was something I didn't expect, I thought he would be screaming or at least drop the rabbit on the ground. "And if you try anything, I will shoot an arrow right through your heart." I turn around with my bow on my back, making my way to the river.

Returning back to camp with a small bucket filled to the brim, along with some crayfish I found, I could see the camp has changed a little while I was gone.

The fire seemed to die down quite a bit, but new logs were already on it. There was also a new edition, a pile of twigs and thicker branches were right next to the fire.

Looking around camp, my human compadre was no where to be seen. Great, is he hiding in a tree or something? To answer me, he came from the other side of camp, carrying more wood, sweating up a storm.

walking over to him, he looks at the bucket of water I was carrying. Before I could put it on the fire, I was stopped by his question. "What water from?" his crackly dry voice barely saying anything.

Bucket handle still in my mouth I try answering him. "A rifver. I goda boil it befor drinkin it." I put it on the coals from the fire.

The human without warning pulled the bucket off the fire, cupping his hands into the bucket and bringing them to his mouth, drinking as much water as he could at once. "Hey! You cant drink it!"

He looked up to me, water running down his neck and face. "Its fine. I have a better chance catching something from well water." He takes some more scoops of water with his hands, drinking the cool liquid.

"How do you know? You're probably just some city-creature that talks to big." I take a step towards him, knowing I should get the bucket away from him.

"You don't fuckin know me trotter. For all you know I'm a Boy Scout that knows too much." The human settled down into a sitting position in front of the fire. He promptly put the bucket onto the fire where I put it originally.

"Are you?" I ask.

The human chuckles. "No, but I lived in the woods until I was 10."

Something I didn't realize until now, is the rabbit was already on the fire, cooking. I ignore it for the meantime as another question comes to mind. "Your parents dropped you off in the woods and left you or something?"

"No," The human crosses his legs, trying to get more comfortable. "My parents moved out into the wilderness when me and my sister were young. My Dad taught me everything about the outdoors, and my mom taught me how to take care of myself."

His parents taught him on purpose? Huh, I never would have guessed it. "Why are you out here then? Did your parents move out here?" I ask.

He chuckles, a light smile crossing his face. "I wish. No, I had, a sort of rage attack while talking to my little sister. I walked out, trying to calm down. I got chased out of town when someone tried talking to me, and well, I ended up here." He looked down, seeming to find something interesting in the dirt before him.

I look to him in wonder, "Rage attack?"

He had a hard time coming up with something, The words seemingly evading him. "Have you ever had something in you that feels natural, but is almost, evil in nature? Like.... A killing instinct that's conscious?"

"A conscious killing instinct? Like you're being fed feelings that want you to kill?"

"Sort of like that... But it's more than that though. Like, it's a ghost that watches your back, but it's apart of you."

"I'm sorry, I do not know what you mean."

"Its fine. Gotta get over it eventually."

I lay a hoof over the top of my other, resting my head while looking into the fire, then to the human. He seemed to be looking to his surroundings, looking for something. "something wrong?"

"Which way is back to the town? I can't remember the way I entered." He looked over to the west, most likely watching the sun.

"You are staying here tonight. Too far to walk, wolves are watching the trails tonight." I say, looking back into the fire.

The human stood up, looking to the north. "teh, wolves. I ain't scared of no damn wolves. Which way?" He said looking to me.

I turn my head towards the west, giving my head a flick, signaling the way towards town. The creature started walking right before I heard leaves rustling having him stop in his tracks.

It wasn't long before he returned to camp. He sighed, walking back over to the fire, sitting down. "thought you were not scared?" I ask him.

"I'm not, but those wolves aren't normal. They're not scared of humans, I would have gone either way, but I'm too weak right now." He says, poking at the dirt with a stick he picked up.

"I think you are just scared and don't say it." He gave me a look, a look that no creature has ever given me. Sending shivers down my back, I gulp. "Sorry, just joking."

The human sighed. "Its fine, I just wanna get home is all." He looked to me, "So, What's up with you? Why are you out here?"

I sigh, "Well, when I was young, my parents disappeared. They just up and vanished without anyone knowing what happened to them. about a year after that, I was walking through town and heard a scream. I went and seen what was happening. A filly my age was being chased by a Manticore, nobody was stepping in to help her. The ponies around me watching said they should just wait for the Elements of Harmony to show up and save her. She was about to be killed, so I shot it. I killed the manticore in one shot, and everyone was disgusted with me, they called me a monster. I was eventually pushed to the forest, seeing nobody wanted me around."

Now you are probably going to think the same as the others...

"What a bunch of bullshit." The human had a hand on his head. "I always thought Equestrias ways of dealing with evil creatures was stupid and dangerous. You my friend, did a good thing."

My heart stopped for a moment from what he said. "W-what?"

"Other people might call you a monster, but I would have to say otherwise." the human said, giving me a light smile.

"How so?" I asked.

He stretched out his back then leaned forward again watching the fire. "I read about Equestria from some new history books nobody was using in my high school. I learned about the Elements along with Celestia and all the hardships they faced and so on. to be honest, it all could've been handled better. But what caught my off guard was how Ponyville, the past home of princess Twilight was under attack from this very forest almost all the time. I brought all that up because of how in danger that town is in to begin with, I mean for fuck sake, Manticore numbers are so high in this forest that the town has an alarm if one or two end up stray in the middle of town."

"But what does Equestrias history have to do with me killing a creature for another being?" I ask, my voice rising a little in anger.

"You bringing down that Manticore did save a creature from death, but you also protected other beings that might have come across the very same manticore. If you would have let the beast get that filly, what would stop it from coming back into town and getting another?"

"But what about the people who said that I did wrong?" I asked, staring into his eyes.

Without warning, he gained a smile, and chuckled to himself. "Fuck'em, who needs the opinion of the population when you know you're doing good to begin with. If they find it wrong, teach them why you needed to do it in the first place. And if they even then say its wrong, then fuck'em. The only exception to this is when if its someone close to you that questioned why you did it, you might want to see if it was wrong or not."

I was shocked, but also relieved that I found reasoning to even begin forgiving myself for the Manticore incident. This creature, no, this human I have took care of the past two days had no idea who I was or what my motives were when he woke up. And yet he acted like nothing bad was ever happening, he didn't question anything, even after telling him about why I'm out in this forest to begin with. These hooves have done a lot of things over the years I have been in this forest, is it maybe time for me to stop, and live normally?

I look up towards him, seeing him put more logs on the fire, then sitting down while warming his hands. "What's your name?" I ask.

"Sorry? I didn't catch that."

"What is your name, if you don't mind me asking."

Right before he was going to continue his sulking, he stopped.

My ears started to pick up yells and screams to the west, then a voice was clear enough to understand.

"JACKSON!!! WHERE ARE YOU!?" After hearing that, he got up and tried shouting, but couldn't from his throat hurting. He quickly picked up a piece of grass, folding it together and blew as hard as he could. The pitch was so high it hurt my ears. The human would do one long pitched whistle, wait, do three short bursts, three long bursts, then three short ones again and ended the pattern by waiting 5 seconds then doing the long note again.

"Stop it!" I swatted the grass from his hands.

"WHY!? They're right there!" he said.

"I cannot be seen by the towns people. They hate me, if you want to go back, leave my camp." I said.

He sat there thinking about it. "I'll come back looking for you, I know you're not a bad creature. You wouldn't have watched over me if you were." He turned to me with a smile, "I promise I'll come back."

Before I could say anything, he picked up another piece of grass, and started walking towards the shouts.

Author's Note

Interesting fact #1: All creatures are actually capable of consuming meat as a source protein but choose not either because it tastes bad or they feel sad for the animal the meat came from. Interestingly enough, a lot of creatures have taken on a diet of eating earth's meat, seeing that it's flavors aren't as potent as Equis' meat.