Antipodes: The Winterlands

Antipodes

The Winterlands

White Leaf gasped for air. He lungs burned. He was quite sure that whatever monster that attacked him him had crushed one of his lungs. Or maybe both. And now that its prey was injured, the horrid beast was probably standing over him, licking its lips in anticipation. The unicorn felt something press on his side. Apparently the creature was too impatient to wait for White Leaf to die by tracheobronchitis. White Leaf squeezed his eyes shut tighter. Reluctantly, the unicorn accepted his fate. As least being devoured by a savage beast was a far faster end than freezing.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” a sharp, feminine voice said. The weight removed itself from White Leaf’s chest. His broken ribs suddenly stopped hurting, as if they’d never been broken at all. He took a deep breath, ignoring the cold’s sting. He opened his eyes to a tan pegasus. Her mane was a blend of pink and red. Her ruby eyes shone in the moonlight. The pegasus’ Mark was a red leaf, unlike that White Leaf had ever seen. She looked starved. Her ribs poked through her coat. “Didn’t see ya there. Ya kinda blend in.”

White Leaf shakily stood up. “Who are you?”

She blushed. “Sorry. I’m Ruby. Rubyred of the Firewings. But just Ruby’s good. An’ you? An’, if ya don’t mind me asking, what are ya doin’ all the way out here?”

“I’m...” White Leaf paused. For a moment, he considered lying to her. But he had no reason to. If she was a savage cannibal, she was a friendly one. “White Leaf. I’m an Exile from the Community.”

Ruby blinked. “Ya mean the college?”

“No.” White Leaf rolled his eyes. “It’s... Nevermind. What are you doing out here?”

“I’m on patrol,” She said proudly.

White Leaf stared at her blankly.

“Patrol? Guard duty?”

“From what? The snow? If so, you’re not doing a very good job.”

Ruby laughed. “You’re funny, White. You can’t tell me you haven’t heard about the griffons.”

The unicorn told her he hadn't heard about the griffons.

Ruby’s eyes went wide. “Come with me.”

White Leaf followed the pegasus for nearly two hours. Suddenly, the dead forest broke. A few hundred yards away from the pair stood a small camp. Pony-sized stakes poked out of the ground around the camp, forming a wall of sorts. Ruby trotted up to the camp, humming cheerfully to herself. White leaf followed quietly. The ponies in the camp were far different than those back home. Ruby seemed to be the healthiest among them. The others appeared to be just as starved. Their coats were covered with mud. A few were missing chunks of fur. They reminded White Leaf of the ponies in Antiquity’s stories. The camp’s residents were mostly pegasi, though a few earth ponies littered the crowds. Well, crowd. There couldn’t have been more than fifty ponies in the camp.

“Welcome to Camp Firewing,” the pegasus muttered.

White Leaf followed Ruby to a small, wooden structure. The door was flanked by two pegasi, a male and female. Both wore some kind of old armor. Small spikes adorned the helmet and wings. On the chest, a pair of purple pegasus wings had been painted.

The door flung open, revealing a dark red pegasus. His angry, golden eyes glanced around before settling on Ruby.

“Ruby?” He boomed. “Where have you been young lady?”

“I was-”

“Out in the forest again? Dammit girl.”

The smaller pegasus shrunk.

“You know the griffons have been acting up lately. And you think it’s a good idea to wander the woods like some - who is this?” The red pegasus glanced up from the tan one, toward White Leaf. The unicorn took the opportunity to introduce himself.

“My name is White Leaf. I-”

“You,” the pegasus stepped toward him, thrusting a hoof into White Leaf’s chest, “are simply another burden on this little camp. And unless you intend to tell me that the griffons have magically disappeared or that an army is coming from the west, you are not welcome here.” The pegasus turned toward Ruby. “And you, young lady, are going to stand by these guards until I say otherwise. Understood?”

Before the little pegasus could respond, White Leaf took the opportunity to speak. “What are griffons?”

“Excuse me?” The large pegasus and two guards questioned.

“I’ve never heard of those before. What are griffons?”

“Are you trying to be funny?” The red pegasus asked, bringing his face close to White Leaf’s.

“No. I’m not.”

“A griffon is the nastiest creature you’ll find this far East. They’re half eagle, half lion, full monster. They’ve got razor sharp beaks that can cut through your flesh like a knife through butter. ‘Course, their talons might rip you to shreds first. They’re stronger than any pony I’ve seen. Smart too. We’ve been able to fend them off so far, but we’re all half-starved. Pretty soon, they’ll swoop down and take us all.”

White Leaf swallowed. He’d heard plenty of stories about the terrors of the outside. But griffons seemed far more deadly than any rabid dog. “If they’re so dangerous, why don’t you all leave?”

“I don’t have time to stand here and answer questions all day. Unless you’re going to be useful, I suggest you get out of here.”

White Leaf turned, preparing to leave. But an idea suddenly struck him. “I have food. It’s not much, it won’t even be a meal for your entire camp. But if you tell me what I want to know, then it’s all yours.”

“Are you serious?”

White Leaf nodded.

The red pony grinned. His aggressive glare faded. “Come on in.”

The cottage - if the structure even deserved that name - was smaller than White Leaf’s room back at the Community. But somehow, the red pegasus had managed to squeeze in three cots, and a small cooking area in the middle of the room. Along one of the walls, three sets of armor rested. Each was decorated with the same purple wing pattern. The pegasus sat on one side of the fire. White Leaf sat down on the other. The pegasus motioned for White Leaf to begin speaking.

“Oh, right. I, um, never caught your name.”

“Lord Heatstroke of the Firewings. Son of Windsplitter.” His chest puffed out with pride.

“Oh, so you’re-”

“Yes, I am Ruby’s father,” Heatstroke cut him off. “I assume you’re not going to pester me about my daughter.”

“No, Lord Heatstroke-”

“Just Heatstroke will be fine.”

“Right, Heatstroke. That was simply curiosity. And if you’ll allow me another,” White Leaf began, his tone becoming slowly more formal. He might have been an Exile, but he was still in the presence of nobility. “Do you honestly allow female member to join the guard?”

Heatstroke gave the unicorn a glare. “Are you suggest that they aren’t qualified?”

“Well...”

“I’ll have you know that my mother was a soldier, and one of the best. If she was still here - Goddesses, let her rest - we wouldn’t be trapped out this far East. We would have already joined the battle up North.”

“Battle?”

“Have you been living under a rock all your life, or are you just stupid?”

White Leaf bit back his anger. “The former.”

“I figur- Wait. Are you kidding?”

“No, Heatstroke. For all intents and purposes, I have been trapped under a rock my entire life. Now explain to me what battle you’re talking about, why you’re ‘trapped this far East,’” White Leaf did his best to imitate Heatstroke’s voice, “and why you can’t simply return.”

Heatstroke glared at White Leaf for a moment. “Very well. We can’t leave this area because the griffons surround us. Believe me, we’ve tried. But the last time we did, they caught us off guard and killed half of our troop. Now we don’t have the force to leave. Our charge is starved, and my guards are halfway there. We’ve sent messengers down South, asking for reinforcements and food, but I doubt they’ve made it. We’re all likely to starve out here. Not that I’ve let anyone know. I keep telling my guards that help will arrive any day. But I know it’s a lie. Unless you’re secretly a powerful mage.”

“I’m afraid I’m not. Tell me about the battle.”

“We’ve been harassed by Roam for several months now. I don’t know if their prince went mad and decided to try to conquer this Goddessforsaken land, or if his soldiers were simply acting on their own accord. Either way, he made life very difficult for those of us in Bridlehelm. We’re fortunate to have unicorns that can grow food. They stumbled upon some old spell that can produce sunlight. With that gift, we’ve been able to farm despite the cold. We’ve always been on friendly terms with Roam. We’ve traded our excess with them. But I guess that didn’t matter.

“One day, about a month back, a small company appeared outside our gates. Though we were suspicious, we were still on friendly terms, so we welcomed them in. That was our biggest mistake. As soon as they were inside, they turned on us. Roam’s soldiers attacked. If not for my mother, we would have lost Bridlehelm that day. She gave her life to protect us from the Roaman soldiers.” Heatstroke paused for a moment. “All in all, the damage was not as bad as it could have been. Only a few lives were lost. But those who died were valued members Bridlehelm. The countess ordered a counter attack immediately. I don’t believe Roam was prepared for that. We’ve pushed past the majority of the city’s defenses. We’re supposed to make the final push next week. But I don’t think we’ll be there for that.”

The pair fell silent. White Leaf rubbed his forehead. Within the span of three days, his comfortable little world was shattered. He’d been a guard. Not a high ranking member, but the position itself made him prideful. But then he stumbled upon the Council’s murders. He knew better, but he he reacted how he had been trained. The Council was untouchable, however. And now he was lost in a frozen world, somehow caught in a war. Or, at the very least, about to be some creature’s dinner.

“Have you tried sending out a small armed party to Bridlehelm? They’d move slower than any messenger, but they’d be safer out there.”

Heatstroke’s eyes brightened. A big, goofy smile spread across his face. “By the Goddesses. You’re brilliant! You must some kind of genius. I wonder why I, a soldier my entire life, and a captain for most of that, never thought of that. Clearly, your superior mental capacity has helped. That is the only explanation. I am so lucky Ruby stumbled across such an intelligent pony as you.” The pegasus’ excited expression fell. “Of course I’ve tried that.”

White Leaf’s ears flattened. “You don’t have to be so rude about it. I was only trying to help.”

Heatstroke opened his mouth to reply, but the pegasus was cut off by Ruby bursting into the shack.

“Father! The griffons are attacking.” Ruby paused, biting her lip. “And the white one is back.”

Heatstroke nodded. He walked to the wall holding his armor. Within seconds, he slipped into his suit. Ruby tightened his girth and the straps around his helmet before donning her own set.

“You’re a unicorn. Ever used a sword before?” Heatstroke asked.

White Leaf nodded. “Once or twice.”

“Good enough.”

The pegasus kicked open the door, charging out into night.