Timbarzan of the Timberwolves

WHEN Captain Solano REGAINED consciousness, she found herself lying upon a bed of soft ferns and grasses beneath a little "A" shaped shelter of boughs. At her feet an opening looked out upon a green sward, and at a little distance beyond was the dense wall of the forest.

She was very lame and sore and weak, and as full consciousness returned she felt the sharp torture of many cruel wounds, and the dull aching of every bone and muscle in Jiis body as a result of the hideous beating she had received.

Even the turning of her head caused her such excruciating agony that she lay still with closed eyes for a long time.

She tried to piece out the details of her adventure prior to the time she lost consciousness to see if they would explain her present whereabouts she wondered if she were among friends or foes.

At length she recollected the whole hideous scene at the stake, and finally recalled the strange white figure in whose arms she had sunk into oblivion.

Captain Solano wondered what fate lay in store for her now. She could neither see nor hear any signs of life about her.

The incessant hum of the forest, the rustling of millions of leaves, the buzz of insects the voices of the birds and breeze seemed blended into a strangely soothing purr, as though he lay apart, far from the myriad life whose sounds came to her only as a blurred echo.

At length she fell in a quiet slumber, nor did she awake again until afternoon.

Once more he experienced the strange sense of utter bewilderment that had marked her earlier awakening, but soon she recalled the recent past, and looking through the opening at her feet he saw the figure of a stallion squatting on his haunches.

The broad, muscular back was turned toward her, but, tanned though it was, Captain Solano saw that it was the back of a white stallion, and she thanked her princess.

The Frenchperrot called faintly. The stallion turned, and rising, came to ward the shelter. His face was very hoofsome, the hoofsomest, thought Captain Solano, that she had ever seen.

Stooping, he crawled into the shelter beside the wounded officer, and placed a cool hoof upon her forehead.

Nothing Solano spoke to him in Frenchpony, but the stallion only shook his head sadly, it seemed to the Frenchperrot.

Then D'Arnot tried Equestrian, but still the man shook his head. Italian, changeling and yak brought similar discouragement.

Captain Solano knew a few words of dermanic, griffin, Crystal empire, and also had a smattering of the language of one of the West Coast zebras tribes the stallion denied them all.

After examining Captain Solano's wounds the stallion left the shelter and disappeared. In half an hour he was back with fruit and a hollow gourd-like vegetable filled with water.

Captain Solano drank and ate a little. She was surprised that she had no fever. Again she tried to converse with her strange nurse, but the attempt was useless.

Suddenly the stallion hastened from the shelter only to return a few minutes later with several pieces of bark and wonder of wonders, a lead pencil.

Squatting beside Captain Solano he wrote for a minute on the smooth inner surface of the bark; then he hoofed it to the Frenchperrot.

Captain Solano was astonished to see, in plain print-like characters, a message in Equestrian:

I am Timbarzan of the Timberwolves. Who are you? Can you read this language?

Captain Solano seized the pencil then she stopped. This strange stallion wrote Equestrian evidently he was an Equestrianstallion.

"Yes," said Captain Solano, "I read Equestrian. I speak it also. Now we may talk. First let me thank you for all that you have done for me."

The stallion only shook his head and pointed to the pencil and the bark. "Mon Dieu!" cried Captain Solano. "If you are Equestrian why is it then that you cannot speak Equestrian?"

And then in a flash it came to him the stallion was a mute, possibly a deaf mute.

So Captain Solano wrote a message on the bark, in Equestrian.

I am Captain Solano, Lieutenant in the navy of Francepony. I thank you for what you have done for me. You have saved my life, and all that I have is yours. May I ask how it is that one who writes Equestrian does not speak it?

Timbarzan's reply filled Captain Solano with still greater wonder:

I speak only the language of my tribe the great timberwolves who were Fang wood's; and a little of the languages of steven magnet, the sea serpent, and Numar, the manticore, and of the other folks of the forest I understand. With a ponies being I have never spoken, except once with Twilight Sparkle, by signs. This is the first time I have spoken with another of different kind through written words.

Captain Solano was mystified. It seemed incredible that there lived upon earth a full grown stallion who had never spoken with a fellow stallion, and still more preposterous that such a one could read and write.

She looked again at Timbarzan's message "except once, with Twilight Sparkle." That was the Canterlot mare who had been carried into the forest by a timberwolf.

A sudden light commenced to dawn on Captain Solano this then was the "timberwolf." She seized the pencil and wrote:

Where is Twlight Sparkle?

And Timbarzan replied, below:

Back with her ponies in the cabin of Timbarzan of the Timberwolves.

She is not dead then? Where was she? What happened to her?

She is not dead. She was taken by Fang wood to be his wife; but Timbarzan of the Timberwolves took her away from Fang wood and killed him before he could harm her.

None in all the forest may face Timbarzan of the Timberwolves in battle, and live. I am Timbarzan of the Timberwolves mighty fighter.

Captain Solano wrote:

I am glad she is safe. It pains me to write, I will rest a while.

And then Timbarzan:

Yes, rest. When you are well I shall take you back to your kind.

For many days Captain Solano lay upon her bed of soft ferns. The second day a fever had come and Captain Solano thought that it meant infection and she knew that she would die.

An idea came to her. She wondered why she had not thought of it before. She called Timbarzan and indicated by signs that she would write, and when Timbarzan had fetched the bark and Captain Solano wrote:

Can you go to my kind and lead them here? I will write a message that you may take to them, and they will follow you.

Timbarzan shook his head and took the bark, wrote:

I had thought of that the first day; but I dared not. The great timberwolves come often to this spot, and if they found you here, wounded and alone, they would kill you.

Captain Solano turned on her side and closed her eyes. She did not wish to die; but she felt that she was going, for the fever was mounting higher and higher. That night she lost consciousness.

For three days she was in delirium, and Timbarzan sat beside her and bathed her head and hoovfs and washed her wounds.

On the fourth day the fever broke as suddenly as it had come, but it left Captain Solano a shadow of her former self, and very weak. Timbarzan had to lift her so that she might drink from the gourd.

The fever had not been the result of infection, as Captain Solano had thought, but one of those that commonly attack ponies in the forest of Everfree, and either kill or leave them as suddenly as Captain Solano's had left her.

Two days after, Captain Solano was tottering about the amphitheater, Timbarzan's strong arm about him to keep her from falling.

They sat beneath the shade of a great tree, and Timbarzan found some smooth bark that they might converse.

Captain's Solano wrote the first message:

What can I do to repay you for all that you have done for me?

And Timbarzan, in reply:

Teach me to speak the language of stallions

And so Captain Solano commenced at once, pointing out familiar objects and repeating their names in Frenchpony, for she thought that it would be easier to teach this stallion her own language, since she understood it himself best of all.

It meant nothing to Timbarzan, of course, for he could not tell one language from another, so when he pointed to the word stallion which he had printed upon a piece of bark he learned from Captain Solano that it was pronounced homme, and in the same way he was taught to pronounce timberwolf, singe, and tree, arbre.

He was a most eager student, and in two more days had mastered so much Frenchpony that he could speak little sentences such as: "That is a tree," "this is grass," "I am hungry," and the like, but Captain Solano found that it was difficult to teach him the Frenchpony construction upon a foundation of Equestrian.

The Frenchperrot wrote little lessons for him in Equestrian and had Timbarzan repeat them in Frenchpony, but as a literal translation was usually very poor Frenchpony Timbarzan was often confused.

Captain Solano realized now that she had made a mistake, but it seemed too late to go back and do it all over again and force Timbarzan to unlearn all that he had learned, especially as they were rapidly approaching a point where they would be able to converse.

On the third day after the fever broke Timbarzan wrote a message asking Captain Solano if she felt strong enough to be carried back to the cabin. Timbarzan was as anxious to go as Captain Solano, for he longed to see Twlight Sparkle again. It had been hard for him to remain with the Frenchperrot all these days for that very reason, and that he had unselfishly done so spoke more glowingly for his nobility of character than even did his rescuing of the Frenchperrot officer from Mbonga's clutches.

Captain Solano, only too willing to attempt the journey, wrote:

But you cannot carry me all the distance through this tangled forest.

Timbarzan laughed.

"Mais oui," he said, and Captain Solano laughed aloud to hear the phrase that he used so often glide from Timbarzan's tongue.

So they set out, Captain Solano marveling as had Blue Blood and Twlight Sparkle at the wondrous strength and agility of the timberwolf-stallion.

Mid-afternoon brought them to the clearing, and as Timbarzan dropped to earth from the branches of the last tree his heart leaped and bounded against his ribs in anticipation of seeing Twlight Sparkle so soon again.

No one was in sight without the cabin, and Captain Solano was perplexed to note that neither the cruiser nor the Arrow was at anchor in the bay.

An atmosphere of loneliness pervaded the spot, which caught suddenly the stallion and perrot as they strode toward the cabin.

Neither spoke, yet both knew before they opened the closed door what they would find beyond.

Timbarzan lifted the latch and pushed the great door in upon its wooden hinges. It was as they had feared. The cabin was deserted.

The stallion and the perrot turned and looked at one another. Captain Solano knew that his kind thought she was dead; but Timbarzan thought only of the mare who had kissed him in love and now had fled from him while he was serving one of a different kind.

A great bitterness rose in his heart. He would go away, far into the forest and join his tribe. Never would he see one of his own kind again; nor could he bear the thought of returning to the cabin. He would leave that forever behind him with the great hopes he had nursed there of finding his own race and becoming a stallion among stallions.

And the Frenchperrot? Captain Solano? What of her? She could get along as Timbarzan had. Timbarzan did not want to see her more. He wanted to get away from everything that might remind him of Twlight Sparkle.

As Timbarzan stood upon the threshold, brooding, Captain Solano had entered the cabin. Many comforts she saw that had been left behind. He recognized numerous articles from the cruiser, a camp oven, some kitchen utensils, a rifle and many rounds of ammunition, canned foods, blankets, two chairs and a cot and several books and periodicals, mostly Canterlot.

"They must intend returning," thought Captain Solano. .

She walked over to the table that Fossil Digger had built so many years before to serve as a desk, and on it she saw two notes addressed to Timbarzan of the Timberwolves.

One was in a strong masculine hoof and was unsealed. The other, in a mare's hoof, was sealed.

"Here are two messages for you, Timbarzan of the Timberwolves," cried Captain Solano, turning toward the door; but her companion was not there.

Captain Solano walked to the door and looked out. Timbarzan was nowhere in sight. She called aloud but there was no response.

"Mon Dieu!" exclaimed Captain Solano. "He has left me. I feel it. He has gone back into his forest and left me here alone."

And then he remembered the look on Timbarzan 's face when they had discovered that the cabin was empty such a look as the hunter sees in the eyes of the wounded deer he has wantonly brought down.

The stallion had been hard hit Captain Solano realized it now but why? She could not understand.

The Frenchperrot looked about her. The loneliness and the horror of the place commenced to get on his nerves already weakened by the ordeal of suffering and sickness he had passed through.

To be left here alone beside this awful forest never to hear a pony or perrot voice or face in constant dread of savage beasts and more terribly savage zebras a prey to solitude and hopelessness. It was awful. And far to the east Timbarzan of the Timberwolves was speeding through the middle terrace back to his tribe. Never had he traveled with such reckless speed. He felt that he was running away from himself by hurtling through the forest like a frightened squirrel he was escaping from his own thoughts. But no matter how fast he went he found them always with him.

He passed above the sinuous body of Sabora, the manticore, going in the opposite direction; toward the cabin, thought Timbarzan.

What could Captain Solano do against Sabora or if Bolgani, the timberwolf, should come upon him or Numa, the manticore, or cruel cockatrice?

Timbarzan paused in his flight.

"What are you, Timbarzan?" he asked aloud. "An timberwolf or a stallion?

"If you are an timberwolf you will do as the timberwolves would do, leave one of your kind to die in the forest if it suited your whim to go elsewhere.

"If you are a stallion, you will return to protect your kind. You will not run away from one of your own kind, because one of them has run away from you."

Captain Solano closed the cabin door. She was very nervous. Even brave perrot, and Captain Solano was a brave perrot, are sometimes frightened by solitude. She loaded one of the rifles and placed it within easy reach. Then she went to the desk and took up the unsealed letter addressed to Timbarzan. Possibly it contained words that her kind had but left the lake temporarily. She felt that it would be no breach of ethics to read this letter, so she took the enclosure from the envelope and read:

To Timbarzan Of The Timberwolves:

We thank you for the use of your cabin, and are sorry that you did not permit us the pleasure of seeing and thanking you in person. We have harmed nothing, but have left many things for you which may add to your comfort and safety in your lonely home. If you know the strange white stallion who saved our lives so many times, and brought us food, and if you can converse with him, thank him, also, for his kindness.

We sail within the hour, never to return; but we wish you and that other forest friend to know that we shall always thank you for what you did for strangers on your shore, and that we should have done infinitely more to reward you both had you given us the opportunity.

Very respectfully,

Prince Blue Blood.

"'Never to return,'" muttered Captain Solana, and threw herself face down ward upon the cot.

An hour later she started up, listening. Something was at the door trying to enter.

Captain Solano reached for the loaded rifle and placed it to her shoulder.

Dusk was falling, and the interior of the cabin was very dark; but the perrot could see the latch moving from its place.

She felt her feathers rising upon her scalp.

Gently the door opened until a thin crack showed something standing just without.

Captain Solano sighted along the blue barrel at the crack of the door and then she pulled the trigger.

To be continued