Shadows of the Night

The night started off quite well as I thought back to two nights ago, Crash and Burn had been extraordinarily nice to me. We’d had quite a good time about me joining up and making the group a trio. I’d also apologized profusely until Crash just grunted, “Accepted, now pray don’t mention it again.” Burn then gave a toast and we chugged out prospective beverages. The morning after, well, late afternoon due to the hangovers, (another reason why I don’t drink alcohol) they decided to find a proper source of cash flow. They’d both been rather excited when I’d given a few token demonstrations of my shadow powers that night and were quite excited to see them in the field.

They ended up picking a rather high end job, sponsored by the Equestrian government no less. The job was to capture some cockatrice infants, something to do with food preservation in which the young cockatrice infants were the easiest to train and thus maintain further into the future. The problem with that was it was hard to find any due to two reasons. One, ponies tend to end up stoned when they go looking for them. Two, see number one. There wasn’t too much known on Cockatrices, for a good reason, but general living patterns have been deduced from how ponies keep out of areas they tend to be around.

So there we were in the Everfree Forest, the closest hotspot to find the bird/snake hybrid. I was in my natural form, as Crash and Burn having been fine with it, I was pretty happy not to have to hide so much anymore. Not only that, but I was getting some great hands on experience, shadow striding from tree bough to tree bough. The Forest was especially dangerous at night, and we didn’t need me causing a ruckus that might potentially scare away our intended quarry. The Brothers flew just above me in a darkened cloud to help mask their scent, quite happy to find that I didn’t exude one myself as they kept an eye on me. It was up to me to spot our nocturnal prey, as I had the best night vision in the group, and we made our way further into the forest.

It didn’t actually take long before I heard some telltale clucking. Having brought down my hood upon my shoulders, its sound muffling powers had ceased and brought my hearing back to its superb state. I silently reached into the left breast-pocket of my cloak, palming a small mirror into it, and angled it up to catch a reflection of moon and give a shine to my position in the trees for Crash and Burn, the signal that I’d found the mark. Giving the mirror a few more shakes I finally spotted a lone scrap of cloud, floating against the wind, and shot off into the dark leaving my two pegasi companions in the dust.

After about six jumps I saw it standing there, pecking at the ground like a normal bird, was the cockatrice. It looked exactly like the picture, about the same height as any other chicken, and looked the same from the neck up. But from below it lost all its feathers and they became covered instead by leathery green skin. The wings were still only capable of giving it little more than a jumping boost as it scuttled from spot to spot, but it was the elongated tail that it used to slither around in-between hoping that finally made the creature look like it had any relation to a snake.

Shooting another reflected moon beam into the sky I waited until I again caught sight of Crash and Burn’s cloud. As they passed overhead the shadow of their hiding spot in the sky tracked  over the cockatrice who quickly turned around and leveled its glowing red eyes in preparation for what it thought was about to attack it. When nothing jumped out at it, it became even more wary of its surroundings and began to slink off into the nearby shadows of a low bush. This, however, did nothing to impede my own vision. The half-bird then stood there, giving looks to it’s surrounding for close to a minute, then did something to make the bush shake and rattle for a moment and then stood stock still for five whole minutes. Then, suddenly, it shot off into the night.

‘Dam can those things can scuttle.’

I was almost hard pressed to keep up with it due to all the twists and turns it kept on making, which were only increased when I accidentally brushed against a tree branch causing some leaves to shake, almost directly above it, but it still continued to keep going to whatever path it had in store.

Running at top speed, whilst still keeping as low a profile as it could, the cockatrice finally started to slow down as it came to the entrance of a small cave. In fact, now that it was no longer being block by forest growth I could now see that it had been carrying a small branch in its beak the whole time. Giving a small cluck the cockatrice was then greeted by a return call from within the cave and then made its way in.

Moving to the top branch of the tree I was currently in I scanned the sky for the cloud I knew Crash and Burn would be in, unfortunately due to the Everfree Forrest’s lack of controlled weather the mass of clouds that roamed it made spotting it a tad difficult, and even after shooting a few moonbeams back into the air I was rewarded with naught but absence. I waited for five minutes, nothing happened. I gave the hand mirror a few more shakes, and again, after another five boring minutes, they still weren’t there.

I was decidedly on my own. It occurred to me that the best course of action would be to go in anyway and show them that I could do more than just work as a pointer. With what I’d been told about cockatrices apparently as long as you could out intimidate them you’d be fine, something I’d seen Fluttershy do back in season one, but the best tidbit I’d received was that their powers only worked if naked eye contact was given. While there were sunglasses for such occurrences, they were mostly nocturnal, and bumbling around at night with shades on wasn’t a good idea. That being the reason Crash and Burn had decided to forgo the glasses, I’d forgone them simply because I could always just place a bit of darkness on my eyes, which would break the contact and still allow me to see with my slick pair of dark-piercing eyeballs.

Not one to go in completely without caution I wrapped the shadows around me, something that seemed a touch redundant with the almost complete lack of light the small cave but for a few holes allowing some moonlight purchase. Really it was more a big earth mound  than a cave, really. Still, better to be safe than sorry I thought, giving a small sigh.

Now covered in my dark, and silently made my way in. It was a little cramped, but stooping over into a bit of a crouch made the going much easier. But judging from the size, and claw marks on the walls, of the whole thing the current residents had clearly not been the first. Maybe a bear?

That particular question was answered as I rounded a small bend and was greeted by the silent snarl of the most lifelike, stone-carved, mountain lion I had ever seen. Though I suppose it truly was lifelike as it once held it. Still, once less menace near the populace, considering I was only a few scant miles into the forest. Looking over the dust covered relic I was greeted with a beautiful sight of two adult cockatrice(s?). The one I’d followed placing a twig upon a nearly completely constructed nest. The other was sitting in it with three of its young nestled against its breast. Jackpot, I thought with a half-grin.

As I collected the shadows in the darkness, where the shafts of moonlight weren’t showing through the holes in the roof, I contemplated simply cutting off the heads of the two full grown beasts in front of me. However, giving thought to their serpent heritage, I thought better of it. I didn’t want to risk the head doing something funny. So instead I created two simple hands, only slightly larger than mine by about half, out of the dark, they were a bit blocky but they would suffice. As I moved into position behind them, making sure to keep the hands within my range of being able to keep them solid. Only a mere ten feet away from them and they still weren’t able to pick up onto my presence, I was almost giddy, in all my life this was technically my second time out hunting. The shadow hands then shot forward with a thought and squeezed their small bird-like heads before either of the adults could give off their first startled squawk. It was a little sickening just how close it all sounded to me cracking my own knuckles, but with fewer pops. Letting my concentration lax the hands melded back into nothingness as the bodies made a muffled plop upon the earthen floor. Two dangers to pony kind eliminated. Winning!

Looking to the, now, abandoned nest the three infants had rolled over in their sleep without their parent to lean on.

‘Heh, they almost look cute from a reasonable distance.’

Scooping each of them up into a small cup of darkness, and then placing them in a box of conjured darkness, making sure to leave some air holes, I then started to make my way out of the cave.

I was just rounding the bend in the cave, when I stopped short. A round of crackling was quickly followed by a very dry but angry roar as the once-statue of the mountain lion shook itself free of the dissipating stone prison.

Once free it began to turn, bits of broken gravel sliding off its shoulders as they moved back and forth with feline liquidity. It’s eyes locking upon the nearest thing in sight, me, hunger clear in its eyes. Out of instinct, fear began to well up from within me as parts of my body began to tingle in sympathy in preparation for the oncoming slicing and mauling. That, however, didn’t stop me from hastily making a black box from the shadows above the lion and just as hastily bringing it down upon it, making it give a startled yowl as it quickly gave look around itself as the box of darkness did little more than give it a small jolt.

Standing still the mountain lion then gave an almost human like look of puzzlement. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was reminded that this was technically a cartoon world, when I concentrated I could sorta make out an outline around most of darn near everything, but that was much further behind my own befuddlement.

Flashbacks began to filter through my mind, unbidden, of the real intelligence of some of the creatures in this world like bunnies, and even cows. The look I was now getting from the great cat before me was something akin to seeing a clock that foretold your demise, and you only had seconds left.

‘That box was supposed to leave that cat as a smear upon the ground.’ A small thought in me whispered as the box began to return to nothingness as any further line of thought was quickly cut off as the feline coiled its legs and sprang forward at me in one fluid motion.

I don’t like fear, not this kind at any rate, and nor did I like how my own screaming mind was making it harder to think and react as I hurriedly kept on shadow striding away only a few away from the attacking monster, only to have it try and pounce on me again each time I popped up.

‘Is there some weight limit on what I could make?’

‘Is there some amount of time that had to be put into a construct before it attained the desired weight?’

Each jagged thought cut sporadically through my fear drenched mind. I really needed Caligo back, or at least have Somnium talking to me rather than silently worrying over her other half. All thoughts of my powers had all but fled, excepting what little I could hold onto for the scant jumps from shadow to shadow within the cave. My fear was making me sloppy, the great cat had almost scored upon my legs a few times. I may be able to heal things back, but from the few things I had read, replacing a limb back with flesh was beyond my regenerative capabilities.

My latest shadow jump had left me pinned at a wall of the cave, and just as the great cat was about to leap, and I was about to jump behind it, something just clicked inside my mind, and I went back, further, instead, landing me outside in the forest proper as I swiftly fell upon my rear as I let relief overtake me. I didn’t sit for long as the furious cries of the mountain lion echoed through the hole speckled throughout the small cave as I quickly gave rise and high tailed it back into the safety of the trees, this time having enough of my wits about me to remember to wrap the darkness around me and remain silent. The lion quickly shot out of it’s small cave and ran out, giving a frustrated yowl, but continued straight on it’s course out into the forest, it still seemed determined to find itself some food.

I was just about to shout for Crash and Burn as I searched the skies for them, again, but I decided to remain quiet and let the dregs of fear drain away from me as I fumbled the small mirror out of my pocket and moved it out of the darkened branches out into the moonlit night. Luckily, it didn’t take long for the brothers to respond as a lone cloud descended from overhead back down to the ground. Once at ground level they dissipated the cloud with a dismissive kick and took hoof on the forest floor.

It was Crash who spoke first, “Did you find anything?”

I remained silent. Rather, I simply brought the black box to bear. Somehow I’d managed to keep hold of it throughout the entire ordeal floating in the air beside me. A stupid grin was plastered upon my face, despite the last dregs of fear draining from my body, free for all to see. In fact I think I was getting better at listening, or rather blocking things out as the forest night life no longer put a strain on my ears. That, or the rush of blood still coursing through my ears.

“Excellent! Not bad for a first timer. What say you Brother Crash?” Burn said with a dramatic turn of his head.

“Indeed it is Brother Burn!” He replied with an equally dramatic turn.

Once the government offices opened for the day, I bid Crash and Burn adieu as they went to deliver the two captured animals. When they tried to ask why I didn’t want to come and see the castle, assuring me that it was quite a sight to behold, I just waved them off and said that I just didn’t feel very comfortable there and they went off. Once they were safely out of sight I pulled my hand out of one of the left waist pocket. Opening up my hand I brought the third little cockatrice up to my face, it gave a small yawn and gave me the cutest little look you’d ever seen a creature with red eyes give. I was just about to try and name the cute little bugger when a small node in the back of my head started to give a small twinge as thoughts, not of my own, began to take shape, followed by feelings of elation from another.

‘Greetings master.’ Again with the "master", but I wasn't going to give him much grief for it this time.

‘Well hello Caligo, enjoy your little nap?’

‘Indeed I have, and I am once again able to work at full capacity for the glory of The Dark.’ That last bit put me off some but I wasn’t able to say much as Somnium broke in.

‘I’m so happy you’re doing better. You should have seen everything this new Sovereign’s been up to. He’s been taking hunting jobs working in subordinate positions to blowhards.’

That had been the first thing I’d heard her say since she practically beg for me to leave the castle. It was much more infantile sounding, more childish, than I expected from a couple thousand year old creature. She then proceeded to give her account of all that I’d done over the past couple of days that Caligo had been recovering from whatever it was he’d done to overcome Somnium.

Regardless Caligo was soon brought up to speed, and while he was definitely glad to see that all was going well, and was displeased that I had yet to go and set up a castle for myself, he seemed a bit off. Not that I was able to keep much of my own thoughts for very long with two voices now ringing about in my head, in fact it was only when the cockatrice gave a little peep that Caligo and Somnium suddenly quieted as I, myself, turned to look down at the little scaled-puffball that still sat in my hand.

‘Why do you hold vermin in your hand? Let’s name her Spinel!’

‘How do you know it’s a female?’ I thought back as I gave the little chick a turn around. However, I did like how the name rang in my head, and with no one else to give a confirmation I took her word on it. “Well, works for me. How about you, ya like the name Spinel?” A small ‘cheep’ and a fluttering of tiny little wings gave me all the confirmation I needed.

And so it was, sitting back in the bar in the inn I’d spent my first night with my new Pegasi companions, nursing a cold root beer float, it so became that the small snake/bird hybrid became known as Spinel, of whom, upon her naming, then leapt from my hand and crawled/slithered up my sleeve and chest to finally take rest on my shoulder, rubbed up against my neck, and promptly fell asleep.