Sharp of Mind and Claw

As my eyes readjusted to the darkness of my cell, I realized my teeth were still bared and my claws had dug themselves into the ground. The fury in me hadn’t subsided, and it left me with a very difficult decision. I sat in the dark, panting, as I came to a conclusion. I stood up and did a quick flip over to the door. Slamming my fist against the door, I cried, “Help guards! White Claw is dying!” I heard grumbles of recognition from outside the door and a keep sliding into the lock. I held my breath as the first guard stepped inside. My black coat hid me in the darkness, and he looked around the room for me.

“Where pup go?” He thought out loud as he walked toward the door. Just before he reached it, a white paw darted from the dark next to the door. My paw seized him by the jaw, and I lifted him with one arm into the air. I stepped out of the shadows and grinned up at him, my teeth shining white in the dark.

“Goodbye,” I hissed just before bringing his neck down on his own spearhead. It plunged through his esophagus and into his spinal cord, killing him instantly. The pool of blood spread quickly, and as it touched my claws, I looked down at him. “Pup,” I said, spitting on his corpse. I rustling of armor from behind me told the other guard had heard me.

“Pup, what you do!” He growled, and I could hear him lower his spear at me. Faster than he could blink, I spun on a paw, using my left to grab the spear just below the head and kicking the shaft with my other. The whole staff broke in half, leaving him with a jagged stick and me with a deadly spearhead. His moment of stunned silence was just once second too long, and I whipped the spearhead around just fast enough to slit his throat. He grasped at it as blood ran between his fingers, and I threw his spear into the dirt. I looked down at him and shook my head.

“Pity,” I said nonchalantly and exited through the still-open door. Outside, there were many other cells for dogs and ponies I cared nothing for. I walked right by them as I came to a branch of three tunnels. Let’s see, what had they always taught us. . . Left goes up, right goes down. What does that mean for the middle? It dawned on me that there could only be one other explanation for a third tunnel. Greyscar’s quarters. I gritted my teeth. My mind told me not to be Discord’s pawn, that if I didn’t kill Greyscar, his plan would be foiled. Every other part of me cried out for me to seek vengeance against Greyscar.

The other parts won.

I followed the tunnel forward as it slanted upward, almost like I was going up a hill. The torches at the end illuminated the door that lead to Greyscar’s quarters, and it appeared to be dark inside. He was either sleeping inside or out of his room. I hoped for the latter. As I pushed the door, it held fast. Locked. Son of a bitch. I extended a single claw and jammed it into the keyhole, and the door gave the shudder as the tumblers and mechanisms inside the hole were torn to hell. I didn’t even have to turn the handle for the door to open, and it slowly swung out toward me. A few steps later, I was immersed in nearly complete darkness.

My eyes adjusted to the dark, and I spotted a chair. The same chair at the same table that Greyscar had sat at just before defiling my mother. I grabbed the chair and pulled it toward me. There I sat, watching the door, waiting for Greyscar to return.

A growl at the door alerted me hours later that Greyscar had finally come back to find his room had been savagely unlocked. He yanked the door toward himself, gripping his spear tightly and pointing it toward the darkness where I sat. I smiled grimly at him focused on his face.

“How nice of you to visit, father,” I said, stressing the last word with such venom that Greyscar’s face fell just before he resumed snarling.

“Pup has returned to Greyscar! Pup want Alpha? Pup will have to take Alpha!” He growled, jumping forward into the darkness. With a deft spin, I rolled off the chair and grabbed it by a leg. I swung it with all my might right into the side of my father’s face, and he went tumbling left as the wooden furniture shattered on impact. He pulled himself off the ground, spitting a glob of blood onto the floor and smiling.

“Pup will have to fight better than that!” He grumbled, and my voice whispered in his ear.

“Oh, I intend to.” With a swift but powerful punch, I hit him in the back of his ribcage, sending him sprawling forward. I felt a couple of his delicate ribs crack on impact, and it made me smile viciously. He scrambled back to his feet, wielding the spear angrily. Unafraid, I stepped forward and into the light. I saw fear touch his eyes as he realized how large I’d gotten. I opened my arms toward him. “Go ahead, make your move, Greyscar,” I taunted and he growled at me again. Such a simple form of communication.

He lunged for me, attempting to bury the spear in my neck. He wasn’t fast enough, though, and I was under his attack before he had a chance to register. I swung my claws upward, cutting the spear like I did the guard’s hours before. I then swung my other claw across the front of his ankle, tripping him. He let out a pained yelp and fell onto the ground. He pulled himself toward the open doorway as I rose up and walked toward him, his fearful eyes darting between the door and myself. I grabbed him by his good ankle and pulled him close enough so that he could feel my breath on his face.

Frantically, he begged, “Pup no kill Greyscar! Greyscar surrender! Greyscar surrender!” He shielded his face with his arms and squeezed his eyes shut tight. I’m Alpha now. There’s no need to kill him anymore. It’s already done, I’ve completed Discord’s plan. . . I looked down at the poor sniveling mass I was unfortunate enough to call my father. I pitied him, actually. He had been beaten in combat by his own son, one he had cast aside years ago. It was ironic that the one he had decided unfit to take his place would be his downfall. I stood upright again, releasing his ankle. He lowered his arms and opened his eyes pensively as he realized I was no longer close enough to tear in throat out.

“Oh, thank Pup! Pup has spared Greyscar! Greyscar love Pup! Pup make great-“

Every Diamond Dog for miles heard my roar of pure fury as I tore Greyscar’s head form is shoulders, spine in hand.

I walked back the prison room, holding Greyscar’s head between the ears. The dark tunnel slowly gave way to light and I saw the entire pack standing there, waiting to see the results of the battle. They blinked in astonishment as I stepped out of shadow, holding Greyscar’s dismembered head and spine before me. Red blood stained my white paws, and the sight of it reminded me that I was not a Diamond Dog. I was a cold-blooded killer now. I tossed Greyscar’s head into the crowd of them and they parted as it sailed toward them.

A few of them kneeled in front of me, and I growled at them. Quickly, they all stood up. I cleared my throat, and it boomed through the tunnels. “I am not your Alpha! Your Alpha is dead, and your pack is dead! I refuse the title and position, and relinquish all power and claim to this pack! You are free to do as you please!” I bellowed, and instantly the hackles of every Diamond Dog in the room rose, as well as a chorus of angered growls. Perhaps I had made a bad decision. . .

Not ten minutes later, I was racing through the forest, a furious pack of Diamond Dogs chasing at my heels, their howls echoing for miles. Apparently, they actually like Greyscar and wanted revenge on his killer, regardless of whether or not I had freed them from his control. I ran forward on all fours, and the smell of the forest around me excited me to no end. It was just like my dreams, aside from the pissed off pack of beasts chasing me down to tear my throat out.

I leapt over creeks, logs, rocks, under broken trees and thorn bushes, but still my fur and skin were being torn. I was finally far enough ahead of the Diamond Dogs to look back, and I could barely see ferns and weeds behind me shuffling as they rushed toward me. With my damned luck, I tripped over something in my foolishness and went tumbling through the forest. I hopped up and prepared to start running as I heard a voice behind me.

“Watch where you’re going next time, buddy!” I spun around and found a white mare with a light brown mane and a Cutie Mark shaped like a seed. Faster than Discord had ever taught me, my mind connected the dots once more.

She’s not hurt. But if the Dogs catch her, she’ll be forced into slavery or eaten alive! Is she worth the risk? I took another glance at her. Her mane sparkled in the afternoon light, and her coat glistened with tiny droplets of sweat. She’s worth the risk. Code of Honor, White Claw. I rolled my eyes as I remembered my personal Code of Honor and dashed back toward her. She let out a fearful yelp as I slid into view, but it was silenced when I placed a paw over her mouth.

Taking my paw away, I pulled a line from the classics Discord had taught me. I extended a paw to her, and took on a very serious tone of voice. “Come with me if you want to live!” I quoted, and she looked at me questioningly. She glanced back as she heard bushes rustling, and looked back to me, even more worried than before. Hesitantly, she placed her hoof in my paw and I threw her onto my back as I lowered to all fours and began an even more frantic sprint than before. I tore through the forest in a frenzy, not only to save myself now, but the mare who was trusting enough to take my paw and allow me to save her life.

I searched for a way to throw them off, and I found it with a low, hanging branch. “Hold on tight,” I told the mare, and she threw her arms around my neck. I grabbed the branch and swung our collective weight as forcefully as possible. I let go just in time and sailed up into the higher branches of the tree. Grabbing onto the thickest one I could find, I called back to her, “Climb off! I’m too heavy for this one!” She scrambled off my back and onto the thick limb just before I let go. I fell for about ten feet before I landed on a branch strong enough to hold me. Once I was sure my balance was regained, I turned to look over my shoulder and gave her a friendly wave. Surprisingly, she waved back.

I went back to watching the woods, and the Diamond Dog pack soon caught up with us. I made myself as small as possible, which isn’t easy when you’re my size. I froze as a tall dog walked just under me and sniffed. He had to sniff a few times before he looked up and saw the edges of my form hanging off the side of the branch.

“I foun-“ That was a far as he got. Positioning one foot on top of the branch, one under with my claws sunk into the wood, I hung the full length of my body, which was still concealed my various leaves and plants, down and outstretched my arms. I prayed the innocent mare above couldn’t see as I lashed my claws out and severed his throat, cutting off any chance to call for help. Using my claws which were sunk into the tree as leverage, I pulled myself back up to the branch where I went back to hiding tensely.

It must have been a couple of hours before the majority of the pack called it quits and returned to the tunnels. Extending my claws, I clawed my way to the tree branch where the unfortunate mare had fallen asleep. I poked her lightly, and she woke with a start. “Wha- Woah!” She cried as she jerked up and out of her sleep, making her fall from the branch. I swung by one paw and caught her tail with the other. As I looked down to make sure she was alright, I was greeted by a not-so-pretty sight, and I went back to looking up. Note to self: Don’t look down.

“Well, that was a close one,” she called up to me, and if I swear I blushed as I almost looked down again.

Clearing my throat, I called down to her, “Indeed, miss.”

“Say, mind doing me a favor?” She asked, and I raised an eyebrow.

“What would that be?” I inquired.

“GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!” She ordered, and I loosed a cough.

“Well, you see, Miss. . .” I trailing off, waiting for her to give me her name.

“My friends call me Ivy,” she replied gruffly.

“Miss Ivy. Lovely name. Well, the problem appears to be that, while I dangle here by one paw, I must hold you with the other, and I dare not look down,” I explained, and she twitched in my grasp.

“Well why the buck not? I’m gettin’ a headache here, bud,” she said. I could tell form the way her weight swung back and forth that she was trying to look up at me. Clearly, she had been able to follow where my line of sight would go, as she uttered a knowledgeable, “Oooh. That’s why.”

“Indeed,” I responded. “It seems we have reached an impasse, Miss Ivy.” My mind searched for possibilities, and I only found one. “I believe I have a solution, miss, but you’ll have to trust me,” I told me. After a moment she called back with an answer.

“Well, I trusted you enough not to kill me by now. And you’re polite enough not to look at my privates, something I’m very grateful for. . . Sure, why not,” she said, and with all strength I could muster in my left arm, I launched her up into the air and over the branch I clung to. I released my grip on the thick branch, drawing my claws back in, and dropping through the branches like a rock. Sticks snapped, branches hit me, but I broke them all with my fall, landing on my back on the ground below. The breath was knocked from my lungs, and as I struggled to get it back, a white bullet from above landed square on my chest, further knocking my breath out.

“Well, that certainly wasn’t the easiest plan of action, was it?” She asked as I rolled back in forth in pain. It registered to her that while I had broken her fall, I had both taken the full force of the ground as well as her own body weight. “Ooo, that’s gotta hurt. Sorry about that, sweetheart,” she said, sitting on my chest. I gave her a weak thumbs up before setting my hand back down on the dirt. Slowly, I got my breath back, and I watched her out of the corner of my eyes as she rose and fell with the rhythm of my breathing. I watched her for a few moments, and she finally noticed me staring.

“Something I can help you with?” She said rather snidely. She would have gotten along with Discord great.

The thought of my former mentor and current nemesis sent a stabbing pain through my heart, and I quickly brushed it aside, focusing on the pony straddling my chest. “Actually, there is. You see, I believe your legs may be a spread a teensy bit wider than you think, and it makes me fairly uncomfortable to think about,” I grumbled. I had never met a pony I didn’t hate before, and watching her white face go scarlet as she realized what I was speaking of was possibly the happiest I had been in years. She rolled uncomfortably off my chest and sat in the dirt, pulling her hind legs in tight. I smiled kindly at her, and her ears flattened to her head.

She swallowed hard and looked up at me. “I don’t think I can make it home tonight. It’s quite late, the sun’s about to set, and I don’t even know where we are,” she explained, finally relaxing a bit. I rose to my feet and bowed before her, gesturing out into the forest.

“I understand perfectly if you wish to be rid of me, Miss Ivy. If you wish, I can lead you back to your home,” I said as gentlemanly as possible. She seemed to consider it for a bit.

She shook her head, tossing her mane back and forth through the air, the twilight catching the loose strands. “You don’t seem so bad, sweetheart. We’ll just chill here for today and head out tomor-“ Her voice caught in her throat and I followed her gaze. My white paw was stained with the blood of the dog I’d killed to protect us both, and I quickly hid it behind my back. Nervously, she asked me, “Did you kill one of those dogs?” Regretfully, I nodded.

“I had to, Miss Ivy. He spotted me, and if they had found out about me, they surely would have caught your scent. I only wished to protect us both,” I explained, keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that she’d accept it. After a tense moment, she released her breath, as did I.

“You’re a strange one, you are. But if we’re sharin’ camp tonight, you owe me some answers,” she said sternly and I nodded politely to her.

“I would be glad to oblige, Miss Ivy,” I replied, sliding myself up against the tree. I looked skyward to watch the purple of dusk give way to the beauty of night.

“Alright, first things first, stop callin’ me ‘miss.’” I nodded in reply as she trotted over to the same tree and sat herself down, looking upward as well. “Okay, first question. Who are you?” I frowned as I recalled I had been rude enough to forget to introduce myself.

“They call me White Claw, Mi- I mean, Ivy, on account of these babies,” I said, extending my claws. The ones covered in drying blood were somewhat brownish, but the other set were gleaming white, practically a polished silver color. She nodded approvingly, and looked back to the sky.

“Makes sense. Why were you running from those other Diamond Dogs, though? I mean, no offense, but you are one of them,” she asked, and I sighed, looking back down at my paws.

“Unfortunately, yes, I am a Diamond Dog, though not a normal one.”

“Well I can see that. I’m not stupid. You’re kinder, smarter, softer, better looking, stronger, all of that. You’d make a good Alpha,” she told me, and I raised an eyebrow at her.

“What was that fourth one again?” I pried, and she thought back. The look of realization on her face was priceless, and her face turned scarlet once more. I set a large paw on her shoulder and she looked at me. “I’m only joking, Ivy. I appreciate the sentiment,” I explained, and she calmed herself. Sliding my paw off her, I continued. “Well, you see, I was a slave to them. For years. I was born in their prison.”

She gasped, looking at me pityingly. “That’s awful!”

“Just wait, it gets better. . . When I was twelve, I attempted to flee and was caught. As punishment, I was forced to watch as my dear mother was brutally raped by those beasts, and then the Alpha murdered her in anger.” Her gasp was even louder this time, and she set a hoof on my paw. “That night, I made a deal with a monster. He gave me unimaginable knowledge, something I yearned for, and he became my mentor. You may know this monster as the dragonequus called Discord,” I told her, and she pulled her hoof back.

“You work for Discord?!” She sounded panicked now, and pulled back as I attempted to rest a paw on her.

“Please, allow me to finish. For a decade, he taught me. On my twenty second birthday, yesterday, he appeared to me one last time, saying his goodbyes and granting me a vision. It was of the day I was conceived, and I realized my mother had been prisoner for some time when the Alpha of the pack, one called Greyscar, violated her, I was brought into creation,” I grumbled at the memory, and I could see the tension in Ivy’s body give way to compassion again. It was too late to stop now. “I am the atrocious spawn of my own mother’s murderer, and a bastard to boot. With his last moments with me, Discord informed me that he was behind my birth the whole time, and I came to the realization that I was only a pawn in his game. No matter how many times he says he will miss me, I refuse to believe that monster has feelings for anyone but himself.

“After he did that, I had to make the decision between becoming his pawn and living in slavery for eternity. I chose the former. I found Greyscar and battled him, if it can be called that. He was no match for me, and I nearly spared him. The only thing that changed my mind was. . . He said he loved me. After all these years of torture, after raping my mother and killing her in cold blood, he had the nerve to say he loved me. . .” My voice faded as I recalled it, and my roar of white fury echoed through my ears.

“What did you do, White Claw?” Ivy asked hesitantly, and my voice grew low as I told her.

“I tore his head from his body, spine and all. I had no control over myself, and the rage inside me was overwhelming. I told the other dogs that they would have to find their own Alpha because I was leaving, and they didn’t like that one bit. Apparently, they liked my father’s leadership, and they hunted me down, which is when I met you. You were there for the rest of it, so I shan’t explain that part,” I finished, and I looked over to her. She wasn’t sitting a few feet away as she was before, but instead right at my side, resting her head on my stomach.

“I’m sorry you went through all that, White Claw. It must have been terrible, and I’m sorry for judging you as a minion of Discord,” she said, and her throat vibrated against my fur in a curious way. “Why did you save me, though? I mean, I’m only a pony, and most Diamond Dogs only care for their own kind.” She had a point, and I was forced to reveal the truth.

“I did it because Discord’s lessons taught me many things, and honor is one of them. I developed my own personal code of honor, one that I follow every day,” I divulged, and she nodded.

“What are the rules in this code?”

“Well, first and foremost, manners. Secondly, always save a worthy damsel in distress. Especially a beautiful one. Third, no kill that is unwarranted. Whether it be my reasoning or another’s, I must have reason to kill, I won’t kill just for the sake of killing. I broke that rule with Greyscar, and I paid for it. I nearly cost an innocent mare her life because of it. There are a few other rules, but those are by far the most important,” I told her, and she nodded again.

“Very noble of you. Namely the second rule,” she said, rolling her head to look at me with both eyes. Her eyes were a dazzling crystal blue that entranced me, and I struggled to look away. I must have blushed, because Ivy laughed. “Aww, cute. Even the big bad wolf’s got a heart. Well, thank you for saving me, even if you did put me in danger more than once today.” I nodded to the forest, but it was directed at her. I was just unwilling to risk looking back into her eyes. Suddenly, she was standing on my stomach her forehooves on my chest. I looked at her quizzically.

“Excuse me, but what are you doing?” I was genuinely confused by her actions.

“Shut up and lie down. I’m tired and you’re an excellent pillow,” she explained, and I nodded, sliding my back off the tree and resting it in the dirt. As awkward for me as this was, I was content to let my new friend sleep on my chest as dozed off as well. I craned my neck up to look at her, and the rising moon caught her mane and coat in just a way that gave my heart a little kick. I leaned my head back as my heart rate picked up, and I heard in a soft voice from below my neck, “You know, I can hear that.”

Embarrassed, I looked down again to be greeted by the sight of Ivy’s muzzle inches from my own, her glittering eyes staring sultrily at my own. My mind froze for a moment, and she smiled devilishly as she licked the end of my muzzle. My heart was racing like a jackhammer as she curled her head back up and into her normal position. She was practically giggling at my uncomfortable manner, and it made I had to let out small pants to keep myself from overheating.

Somewhere between my breathing, her laughs, my own heartbeat, and the rustling of leaves around us, I noticed an unnatural calm around us. Suddenly, in the dense foliage, a single twig snapped not five feet away.