Chapter 1
“Lupines?"
“Lupines."
Forest Shadow remained silent for a long moment. A cold pit began gnawing at his stomach as he searched his companion's face. He felt like a drowning pony praying for rescue - hoping to catch the ghost of a smile, faint crinkling at the corners of her eyes, or a slight fidgeting of her hindhooves. He did not distrust her to have identified a pack of Lupines while on patrol. Far from it. As a fellow Night Pony he trusted her far more than a scant week of traveling together might suggest. However, having her suddenly burst out laughing at him and admit to a poor joke at his expense was preferable to the alternative.
Wingover - a wiry ash-violet Pegasus - stood barely more than a ponylength away from him on the packed dirt of the road. Though he could not see her flanks from where he was, he knew her cutie mark to be a pair of wings that seemed to be rising and twisting about each other. Her short pea-green tail and withers-length mane were more tousled than usual and Forest could hear a slight breathlessness in her voice. She had clearly been flying in a hurry not long ago, though since her coat had yet to show any signs of lather it could not have been for any great distance. Her dark blue-gray eyes, which looked closer to black in the pale moonlight, were fixed steadily on his golden-orange ones and gave every sign that she was being serious.
The wan light filtering through the trees that loomed from both sides of the road dappled the area, barely illuminating both of them. Faint, high-level clouds could be vaguely seen through the branches overhead, slowly scudding across the sky and dimming the silvery light further. A light breeze whispered out of the surrounding forest to the tune of wood creaking, softly teasing manes and tails to dance along with it. It flowed around Forest’s horn but found little play in his close-cropped stormcloud blue mane. It found even less give in his tail which, though long enough to show the airy blue-gray streak that his short mane currently lacked, was weighted down by two copper bands – one near the ground near the tip and the other just down from his dock. He noted the wind’s strength and direction unconsciously as it rippled along his hunter green coat and on down the road behind him.
He looked up and beyond Wingover, trying to pierce the darkness between him and the group of nine other ponies gradually making their way down the road. Though still too far away to make out many details, he knew each was also a Night Pony - among the few whose profession or inclination had made a nocturnal life preferable. Like him each was personally blessed by Princess Luna for giving up daytime lives; her enchantment marked their choice by shifting colors to the darker hues she favored.
The Moon Princess' blessing also granted each Night Pony draconic slit-pupil eyes, a feature many of the unsworn found somewhat upsetting. It was a change that mirrored the Princess’ own glorious eyes, and one that allowed them to see at night as though it were day. Forest knew of no pony to have possessed such eyes before Luna’s ascension to Princess, though the legends surrounding Amra, the Lord of ancient Eqypt, painted his eyes with a variety of styles. As unsettling as a pony with dragon's eyes might be, no Night Pony, Forest firmly among them, would trade the ability to see in the dead of night for greater acceptance. Despite his augmented sight, the thin light beneath the forest canopy still left the dark-colored ponies as little more than shapes and shadows, though occasionally somepony's eyes flashed faintly when the light hit just right.
Faint snippets of conversation wandered down the road ahead of the group, but it was not the ponies’ soft voices that worried him. The three wooden carts among the group creaked and groaned as they bumped along, creating a noise that, to him, now seemed as loud as peals of thunder. Talking could be hushed, but the noisy carts would give the group away for hundreds of ponylengths around.
“Where? How many are they?” He finally asked, looking back to Wingover.
“Two did cross a small clearing, perhaps ten lengths between them.” Wingover looked away and shifted uneasily. “As I flew along their line I did find a third crossing a streambed."
“How far before thou didst find the third?” he asked, the pit in his stomach beginning to churn. He could tell from Wingover’s posture that he would not like her answer.
“Seventy lengths. Perhaps eighty,” she said quietly.
A quick estimation in his head confirmed Forest's fears. “Princess Luna preserveth us.” He swore under his breath, stamping a hoof and raising a small puff of dust. Hours of travel had long ago coated his legs in a fine brown layer, but somehow it had not offended him until now. He lifted a hoof to rub at the dirt before stopping himself with a grimace. He could not let his anxiety sap his focus!
“They may be as many as seven! Perhaps more should the third not be the end of their line!” He fought to keep his voice no louder than a hoarse whisper.
As a member of Luna's Dusk Guard, Wingover was a warrior by profession, but she had proven a surprisingly quick study about the woods and its denizens. Forest had determined that she would have made a fine Ranger; she had picked up an impressive working knowledge by simple proximity to him. So Forest was hardly surprised when she looked back at him, worry creasing her face, clearly having already done the math in her own head. She nodded in agreement.
“They roam not a thousand lengths out beyond thee,” she pointed a gray-violet hoof toward the trees behind and to the left of Forest, “and they move on the last bend we did pass. With the wind as it is this night…” She trailed off, looking over her withers at the group of ponies coming down the road.
“We stand upwind. Should they come near this road, then they shall know we are here.” Forest finished for her. He shook his head in frustration. If the group moved faster then there would be more noise, but if everypony kept a quieter pace then there was a better chance that the Lupines would simply stumble across their scent. Sooner or later, somepony would want to know what was going on. And either way, he expected that somepony would panic once the truth came out.
“I must lure them away.”
Wingover’s navy eyes went wide. “No! Absolutely not!” she hissed. Her wings jerked as she fought down the urge to flare them. “I shall not let thee go out there alone! That would be pure folly! That is… it is plain and bloody stupid!”
“What else might we do?” he countered, “Should they find us, somepony shall surely perish. Thou and I are the only trained fighters, and against a full pack of Lupines we shall find ourselves unable to protect everypony! We must somehow avoid them!”
“This I know! Yet to pit thee against a full pack is foalish! Thy thought is to go in to the forest. Alone! A pack of Lupines chasing thee to Luna-knoweth-where 'til one of ye drops from exhaustion! Thou art skilled in thine apportation, yet thou canst not outlast Lupines! They are natural animals no longer; not after the reign of the Chaosfather. Thou knowest they shall not tire before thee!” She took a menacing step toward him as if to physically stop him, her ears folded firmly to the back of her head.
“Should I find myself in danger I shall simply apport up a tree.” He replied, trying to keep his voice even. He knew he was making the most sense. “Lupines can not climb. Even thou knowest this.”
She refused to relent and continued to stare him down. “And what then? Thou art up a tree, nopony to help thee, and surrounded by Lupines. And if they should simply tire of waiting and return for us?!”
“Then I fly.” He snapped. He immediately realized his mistake. While flying was an option, it was not a very good one. Flying would exhaust his magical reserves in short order, and it could still leave him quite far from the group. Alone, exhausted, and magically spent would be a death sentence when surrounded by a pack of Lupines.
He opened his mouth lamely, trying to come up with something, anything, that would spare the eleven ponies from being set upon by the pack of hungry carnivores. What would he do if the Lupines didn’t pursue him? Even if they did, Wingover was right that he couldn’t just keep running and teleporting forever. What if, as Wingover feared, he was eventually caught? What if he was caught too close to the group? He shut his mouth without saying anything, shivering from nose to tail as he tried to banish the unpleasant scenes playing out in his head.
“Forest? Wingover?” A gentle voice interrupted Forest’s thoughts.
His head jerked up in surprise as he realized another pony stood nearby. Illumenor, the second of his regular traveling companions, was just a couple lengths behind Wingover. Wingover jumped when Illumenor spoke, just as surprised as Forest by the other pony's presence, though after a moment she stepped lightly to the side and allowed the khaki-colored newcomer a spot within their conversation. Forest felt embarrassment lightly burning across his muzzle and cheeks. He had not heard the other pony approaching them.
The Earth Pony wore a simple and worn travel cloak. Emblazoned on the cloth over his chest, marking him as a Priest in the Church of the Moon, was a light gray crescent moon on an oval blue-violet field. On his saddlebags were mirrors of his cutie mark - a book lying open and casting a faint light. His hood was thrown back to reveal strikingly yellow eyes and a simply-cut blue-gray mane that was a touch lighter than Forest’s own. The similar colors between his and Forest’s manes and tails was not often lost on other ponies and frequently led them to be mistaken for brothers. The two of them had grown up in Muddy Bend, a hamlet near the northern border of Equestria, and been friends for as long as either could remember, so Forest was more than willing to accept the Earth Pony as an impromptu sibling. Forest even stubbornly refused to call Illumenor by anything but Calming Verse, the Earth Pony's adult given name, much to Illumenor's chagrin. Forest insisted the two of them were close enough that he could forgo the classical-style formal name granted to his friend as a clergypony in the Church. For his part, Illumenor would have been all too happy to be taken in by Forest’s mother – he was a vehement supporter of her cooking – but he had no desire to be so closely related to Forest’s two sisters.
Any similarities between the two of them began and ended with their appearance. Where Forest had been well known as a colt for escaping his parents to play or simply wander, Illumenor was studius and generally quiet. That did not mean he avoided the other foals' games, rather he was more often the one who forged a semblance of order from their nonsensical rules. He had even been the mastermind behind several of the young ponies' greatest adventures.
His patience and ability to organize allowed Illumenor to spent much of his adolescence as a scribe. He had spent so much time among the scrolls and tomes of the local Abby that Forest was half-convinced that Illumenor’s coat had been colored by paper residue, rather than from any familial influence. It was Illumenor’s skill with oration, however, that had made him popular among the clergy, and had afforded him a chance at an apprenticeship in Bucepolis, the capital of Equestria. Illumenor had quickly come to dislike the city's confined metropolitan atmosphere, and had pined for the wilder portions of Equestria that he had grown up in. He became an obvious choice to spread Princess Luna’s Word among the common ponies in remote towns. Being a wandering Ranger, it had then been easy for Forest to join with his friend in his travels. Forest searched for the Chaosfather's lingering influences and ponies in need of assistance, and Illumenor brought the ability to mediate disputes and the assurance that the Princess cared for everypony.
The Earth Pony passed a worried look between Forest and Wingover before settling his eyes on Forest’s. “Something is amiss.” He stated evenly. Naturally, Illumenor could easily tell when Forest was upset.
Forest nodded, noting with relief that Illumenor had increased his pace to reach the two advance ponies ahead of the others. “Lupines. A large pack.”
Illumenor blanched, his coat turning nearly a full shade lighter as he jerked upright. Yet it took only a moment for the Earth Pony to master himself. Forest took heart as his friend's calm demeanor quickly returned. With any luck Illumenor would soon have a plan as well.
“And have ye a plan?” Illumenor's voice still carried a hint of worry.
“This foal here would taketh a stroll among the trees, but I should like to live a while longer.” Wingover’s quick jibe, her voice still thick with tension, surprised Forest. He turned to glare at her, but she pointedly ignored him by looking at Illumenor.
“Likely as not, a fight will end with the death of innocent ponies, and a single pony seeking to lure them away would seem unwise.” said Forest, huffing at Wingover.
“So we have no plan.”
Forest shook his head. “The only escape seems to lie in remaining unfound. I pray for Princess Luna to watch over us this night.”
Illumenor looked down, staring past the dirt roadway beneath their hooves, his eyes flicking back and forth slightly as he thought. “There is naught thou hast learned as a Ranger that could help us?”
“Such as what? What they eat? How they hunt? Where they sleep?”
“I know not,” Illumenor replied quietly, his brow furrowing, “mayhap some small manner of their behavior that would give to us the advantage. Even something thou considereth trivial may find a use.”
“Perchance are they frightened by a stallion in a gown?” Wingover's sudden question held thinly veiled sarcasm and both stallions turned to stare at her - Illumenor with agape and Forest glaring. She stepped back from them, flaring her wings defensively.
“Now Wingover, that is…” began Illumenor.
“Thou protesteth against my luring them away because ‘twas foalish…” Forest sneered.
“Hast thou tried it, Mister Ranger?”
“Nay. And I shall not.” he snapped, “I very much doubt thee to be the type of mare to own a gown!” Forest was surprised by the bite in his own voice.
“Perhaps I do not,” Wingover bristled, her eyes narrowed at him, “but I am sure to find one among the others. Then instead of fainting dead away, perhaps thine improved appearance may simply force them to flee in terror!”
Forest opened his mouth, but Illumenor interceded, placing a hoof lightly on Wingover's shoulder and shaking his head in Forest’s direction. “There is no call for any of that. Each of us here is a friend. Princess Luna watcheth over all of us, I assure ye both.” The Earth Pony smiled warmly, ever a pillar calm. “That I am here is proof enough.”
Wingover took a steadying breath and nodded, seemingly bolstered that a Priest of the Church of the Moon was with them, and through him a link to the Princess. An uneasy quickly silence settled over the three of them as the Forest avoided looking directly at his Pegasus friend - she likewise keeping her eyes from him. He now saw that Wingover had been getting far too agitated and that him pushing back had only been making the situation worse. Thankfulness for Illumenor's intervention fought a short battle with his shame but left no clear winner.
Forest scuffed a hoof against the ground. The group was still too far from Selene’s Rest, the nearest town, for them to make a run for the safety of the walls. It was very unlikely that a guard patrol would be nearby, and that left them relying on luck which did not offer him any comfort. Without a plan it felt as though he was condemning somepony to a grisly end.
He glanced furtively at Wingover. Her eyes were down; her pea-green mane spilling to either side of her head. She was jittery, even for a Pegasus, so her position among the Dusk Guard had initially been a surprise. Despite her slight frame she combined an impressive amount of strength with her natural speed, making for a deceptively formidable opponent. This was something that Forest, having sparred with her a few times, could attest to. And yet her nerves never seemed to relate to her own wellbeing - it was concern for others' safety that motivated her, and Forest suspected that she was feeling helpless to protect all of the other ponies. It was entirely his fault for provoking her and providing himself as an outlet for her growing discontent. It made him doubly-glad for Illumenor's intervention as he realized how close he had come to being on the receiving end of Wingover's hooves.
“Wingover.” Forest spoke quietly, taking a tentative step forward and keeping his eyes on her hooves as she shuffled them slightly. He hoped his contrition carried through to his voice. “I beg thy pardon. Illumenor has the right of it; let us set this behind us. We need thine eyes above us watching over the Lupines."
She nodded but remained silent.
"'Tis the truth." Illumenor said softly. "Thy presence aloft can only be a boon. 'Twould be folly for us to remain ignorant of the beasts' whereabouts."
Wingover glanced at the Earth Pony, her head still hanging, and Forest thought he saw the barest hint of a smile as she did so. She seemed about to say something before she caught herself, looked at Forest out of the corner of her eyes, and frowned. Before he could dwell on this, Wingover straightened and pivoted smartly on a hind hoof. She then trotted up the road toward the other group of ponies.
"Very well. Thou art forgiven." She called out without looking behind her.
Forest turned toward his Earth Pony friend, a jumble of confused thoughts preventing him from asking about what had just happened. One look at Illumenor showed the same confusion as the other pony stared back. For a moment both of their mouths hung askew. His friend's dumbstruck face finally broke through the morass in his head and he gave an amused snort. Illumenor mirrored him perfectly in the same instant, causing the two of them fall in to a fit of laughter.
The brief mirth relaxed Forest, and Illumenor seemed to as well, though it was far from enough to fully banish cold tension within him. "Come, let us rejoin the rest. They must hear of the danger and peparations must be made." Illumenor said, a faint smile still on his muzzle.
"I defer to the great and reasonable Calming Verse."
Illumenor rolled his eyes as they started up the road together, though he soon quieted, his eyes shifted back and forth slightly without ever truly focusing on their surroundings. Forest knew that his friend was working to puzzle out a solution. Content to let Illumenor think Forest turned his eyes upwards. He tried to catch a clear glimpse of the moon where it hung on the pristine blue-black backdrop of the heavens. The intervening boughs worked to hide it well, and the faintly luminous orb seemed to dance in and out of the shadows in some celestial game of hide and seek. That their patron's symbol, though shrouded, was above them and watching was comforting, and Forest silently broke into a prayer to the Princess.
With his prayers filling his thoughts Forest occupied his hooves by modifying his gait; syncopating his hooffalls away from the steady clopping of a normal walk. Soon there was no real rhythm to his steps as various taps, scuffs, or hops interrupting his normal pace. He knew it looked more like he was dancing as he began incorporating small sidesteps, skips, partial turns, and the like. The truth was that he could not dance. Or at least he had never learned anything formal. He often traveled across uneven ground as he wandered and this was simply practice for him. Rushing through a raw, untamed forest, especially with the occasional short teleport, required that he be quick on his hooves. He had taken to practicing his hoofwork in free moments and the activity had long ago become second nature to him. In moments like this when his stability was not in question and his mind was elsewhere...
"What bringeth these Lupines so close to Selene's Rest?"
Forest snapped out of his entreaty to his Princess with a jerk, looking sidelong at the other pony and returning to a normal walk. "I... know not."
Illumenor's eyes fixed forward, yet remained unfocused as he contemplated this. "Should they not fear our soldiers? The spears, swords, arrows...? Most beasts are mindful to remain far from our cities. What would possess them to venture so close?"
"They are twisted by the Chaosfather and do not fear us as they should."
Forest remembered watching another Ranger take down a lone Lupine a couple of years back. The wolf-like creature had been injured somehow, jagged and splintery fissures running through one of its forelegs from its shoulder nearly all the way to its paw. It had still tried to stalk the Ranger even as the pony had hunted it. The mace-wielding unicorn eventually proved to be too much for it and it had still not cared for its own wellbeing, attempting to attack until all of its legs were rendered useless. Only after becoming a helpless wreck did it seem to realize its danger, but by then it had been too late.
"I know of but three things to strike fear in a Lupine: fire, other Lupines, and more dangerous beasts." Forest shook his head slowly. "I doubt we might conjure enough fire to give pause to an entire pack."
"How great of a fire would we need?"
He swept a hoof out to the side in a motion that encompassed every tree to his right. "They grow bolder with greater numbers. We would need to fill the forest with flame and build a wall about ourselves that they believe impassable."
His friend frowned at that. "'Twould be a foalish thing to do." stated Illumenor as the two of them approached the group of ponies. "We would, as likely as not, simply be caught in a trap of our own making. So leaving with haste would be our only course."
The other ponies had come to a halt when Wingover had returned to them, though she had apparently told them nothing because every worried face was turned toward Forest and Illumenor. Forest immediately made for the middle cart where his armor had been stored, Illumenor in tow. The assorted ponies arranged themselves in an arc along one side of the road, providing room for the front and back cartsponies to position themselves around the center cart. Wingover's armor had been placed in the same cart, so as Forest came around the dark teal and beige Unicorn stallion pulling that cart he found the Pegasus warrior strapping her criniere over the back of her neck. Like the rest of her armor it was a deep violet, edged in black, with each segment lightly concave as it arched over her body to give the metal a ribbed appearance. The ends of each rib were wickedly pointed which, when combined with the spikes that adorned the spine of each piece, gave her a sinister and wholly deadly look. He paused, unsure of how to confront her, or whether he should at all.
"Excuse me. Ranger Shadow?" the Unicorn beside him spoke up, "What did happen?"
He briefly met the stallion's questioning look, but drew a blank on his name. A quick glance along the other's flank that revealed a cutie mark of a pair of delicate metal shears accompanied by a series of small gray squares, yet Forest still could not put a name to him.
"We are in grave danger here and must maketh haste for Selene's Rest. There are Lupines near..." a chorus of dismayed cries cut him off.
"Lupines?! What are...?!"
"Luna preserve...!"
"What? No! That cannot...!"
"We must flee...!"
"Please Luna, spare...!"
"Oh! The horror...!"
"Hsssssst!" Illumenor broke through the din with a loud hiss through his teeth. The panicked cries quieted immediately though a few ponies were taking short, rapid breaths, and more were looking about with wide eyes. Even Wingover took a moment from attaching her croupiere over her flanks to look questioningly at the normally quiet clergypony. Forest earned a disapproving glare from his friend before the other pony turned back to the crowd and began to explain.
"Forest hath the right of it. We shall not be safe should we remain here. We must keep calm and make for Selene's Rest with all haste. However, we must remain quiet! They cannot catch wind of us." he nodded once to Forest and Wingover, "My companions and I have the trust of the Princess to guide and protect ye, and we shall. Fear not, we shall be well away before the Lupines pass near!"
There were a string of nods in response as the ponies' confidence was bolstered by Illumenor's words. Forest felt the same himself; the khaki pony's confident tone reassured him that everypony would be fine. He took the last few steps to reach the rear of the cart, pausing again as he reached the corner, yet Wingover remained silent. He was thankful when she stepped sideways and gave him room to pull his own armor out from among the teal unicorn's personal effects, - it was his cart after all - assorted tools for making camp, extra cart parts, and preserved foodstuffs. Though he likewise refused to speak to her. He would not do so after her brush off earlier; if she was unwilling to apologize for her part, then he refused to be entirely civil in return.
"But what dost thou to protect us? Are we simply to flee and trust in the Princess' protection?" the teal stallion spoke again.
"Fleeing," Illumenor stressed the word, an unhappy grimace crossed his muzzle, "suggests little control over our fate. We do not flee blindly," he tilted his head toward Forest and Wingover, "Dusk Guard Wingover shall observe from on high and alert us should the beasts wander too near..."
"Wingover did say the Lupines shall approach the road back whence we came," Forest interrupted as he tipped his hoofguards out of the cart one after the other, "thus continuing on shall be our salvation. I shall remain to the rear. Should they come too near I shall lure them from ye."
Both Illumenor and Wingover would be unhappy about that last addition, but he did not care. The party's best chance lay with the Lupines never getting near enough to sense possible prey, and if he could give them that chance, then he would. Sure enough, as he used his teeth to drag his articulated neck armor out from under the canvas tarp over the cart, he caught a warning growl from the armored mare next to him.
"I told thee 'twas a foalish idea..."
He put his front hooves on the back of the cart, levering himself high enough to look down over his armor. It was in three connected pieces that would sit over his chest much like a peytral, with the remaining two pieces running up his neck to just under his chin. "I shall not... Ugh. ...leave the troupe without cause." He slipped his head through the base piece of his armor, struggling to push through to the other end without catching his horn. "Even thou must... Ng. ...admit that a fight with them can... Ghhah! ...only end poorly for us. If and only if the Lupines come upon us shall I try to lure them away." He finally made it fully through his armor, turning his head and pulling it back with him as he slid off the cart and on to four hooves again. He wriggled a bit to settle the armor more comfortably over his shoulders and whithers.
"I trust thee to warn us before they come near." he said, turning toward Wingover.
She was giving him an odd look, her eyebrows raised questioningly at him. A slight shuffling sound from one of the other ponies made him look around. He found similar expressions on the faces of several of the others, both of the unicorns included. It was not hard to figure out that they wondered why he had not simply used magic to lift his armor and slip it on. He sighed, frowning.
"Even enchanted to lessen the burden it is too heavy for me to lift." He snagged a hatchet from the cart, lifting it up in a faint dark green glow so that the group could see how it wobbled despite his concentration. "And away with thy pity, my strength lies elsewhere." He grumped, passing the hatchet over to the teal unicorn at the front of the cart; the translucent blue-green glow of the other's magic grasping it and holding it steady.
"Those of ye who can should arm with any weapon ye find. Weapons that slash or pierce are best; only the most powerful of blunt weapons may injure a Lupine." He stepped a hoof into a guard, pressing down on the lever inside the base until the latch secured itself against the rear of his pastern. Each hoof was shortly shod in two-piece articulated armor that covered halfway up his cannons.
"Calming Verse shall lead us onward." he looked to his friend, "A Lupine's ears are as sharp as its nose, 'twould be best to keep a steady pace that makes little sound." He nodded back to Illumenor before moving to the other side of Wingover, allowing the other ponies access to the back of the cart. She watched him pass behind her with a blank look. He pointedly ignored it, busying himself with the latches on the side of his neck plates. Those he could manage well enough with magic, as well as the thin flaps that hid and protected them, but he had to hold the armor together with a hoof to do so. Wingover watched for a moment, still unreadable, before turning to withdraw a sheathed short sword from the cart. She moved next to him, finishing up the last ties on her own armor and strapping the sword between her wings. A form-fitted helm - a bat wing crest that arced over the top from the middle of her forehead to the base at its rear - completed her preparations. She faced him again. The viciously pointed cheekguards jutting beyond her muzzle like metal tusks reminded Forest just how intimidating Dusk Guards were in full plate barding.
"I shall not protect thee shouldst thou act a foal and follow thy desire to fight the Lupines alone."
"And I would not wish it. We gave our word to watch over them," he motioned toward the ponies that were being directed by Illumenor to gather together, probably for a prayer to Princess Luna, "and shouldst thou follow me, then our charges shall be vulnerable."
She looked back at him for a moment, her face still infuriatingly unreadable under her helm, before nodding slowly. She looked for a moment over the ponies gathered about Illumenor, her eyes lingering as she crouched. She jumped and a solid snap of her wings propelled her upward and out of sight. Forest frowned as the thin plume of dust from her ascent settled about him and added to the fine layer already marring his coat. He wished again that he could get rid of it, but his telekinesis was not up to that task either.
"...prayers to heed, and watch over us in our time of need." finished Illumenor as Forest rejoined the rest of the ponies on the other side of the carts.
"Amen." Forest added his voice to the chorus that followed.
He shared a look with Illumenor when the other pony looked up, finding a lingering unease around his friend's eyes that was not in his voice. The Earth Pony was at least as worried as Forest was, yet he managed to stay reassuring - the other ponies only as calm as they were because of him. Forest was a bit jealous of his friend's ability with other ponies, but he was glad that somepony had been able to prevent a mindless panic.
The teal Unicorn with the cart, whose name he learned was Tinbits, thanked Illumenor for his words and for bringing Princess Luna's protection to the party. One of the Earth Ponies, a violet and lilac colored mare, did the same, as well as both of the Pegasi mares, one colored a carmine and gold, the other golden tan and dusty rose.
"Come, let us be away from here." Illumenor said after the last of the ponies had returned to the wagons, "I desire to be far from these parts."
"'Tis not a desire to be ungobbled that compels thee, Calming, but a dislike of this lovely wood?" Forest grinned at his companion.
Illumenor groaned before moving toward the lead cart. "Nay, 'tis my wish to escape the plague of thy humor!"
Forest's grin lasted until the last cart got underway. He remained where he was until that cart was at the edge of his range for a single teleport, a good fifteen or twenty ponylengths ahead, before following. He was close enough to pick up the murmurs of worried conversation over the sounds of wooden carts traversing the uneven roadway, yet not so close that it would prevent him from hearing the night sounds around him.
He gradually tuned out the party ahead of him, though at points he gave encouraging nods when he caught their quick rearward glances. He was not at ease, but it would not do to let the other ponies see his worry. The night had always been a comfort to him, so any other time he would have been able to relax. The threat of hungry, chaos-twisted predators nearby and possibly stalking them was more than enough to turn the serene evening in to a harrowing ordeal. No more was the breeze a gentle and playful companion; it was the quiet exhalations of something unseen searching for the scent of pony flesh. The trees no longer stretched gracefully overhead to form a comforting natural roof; their branches grasped and clawed at the sky in an attempt to cage everything beneath them. He struggled with the shadows at the edges of his vision to discern which phantoms were merely cruel tricks played on him by bushes and ferns, and which might be creatures slinking through the trees with vicious intent.
He tried to keep to a weak hysteria, telling himself, as the group gradually drew farther away from the bend where Wingover expected the Lupines to emerge, that everypony would be safe. In this state moments seemed to stretch, and what was probably minutes felt as though hours were passing. The road gradually made its way downward to a dip in the terrain formed by a tiny rivulet of water. Somepony had constructed a small wooden platform to bridge the gap in the road, and the party hurried over; the relentlessly loud hollow clopping of hooves on the aged boards motivating everypony to pass over as quickly as possible, though the two Pegasi hopped across with small flaps of their wings, and Forest opted to teleport. As the road curved gently up and away from the stream Forest allowed himself to relax. They were making decent time and little noise, and now they would be out of sight if the Lupines were to come out behind them.
Then he wondered where Wingover had gone to. It could not have taken her so long to fly out to and back from where she had first found the Lupines. Short of sprinting at their full speed, which would have made them very easy to track, they could not have wandered very far. They were around somewhere, he trusted Wingover in that, but why had she not returned to let them know what she had found?
He began searching for the silhouette of a Pegasus, paying more attention to the sky above than to the woods at either side. She was a Pegasus, and an excellent flier, so where was she? His ears swiveled wildly as he searched, straining to catch the faintest whisper of pony on the wing. Or of a distant pony in distress.
The horrified gasps that accompanied the sounds of wood skidding across dirt instantly brought his attention back to the Earth. He realized with a start that the group had come to a stop ahead of him, small clouds of dust continued beyond them. As he watched, one stallion took a hesitant step backward, drawing Forest's eyes to follow the trembling pony's line of sight.
Dozens of lengths beyond Illumenor, Forest was just in time to catch a dark shape dart across the road. Shortly after another sped across. Frozen where he stood, he saw a third shadow behind that one, but this one paused, standing on four legs, the front of it raising in to the air. He felt a horrible cold feeling wash over him from between his shoulders down to his hooves as the shadow waited.
A fourth shape appeared, joining the third.
"Ip! Ip! Ip!" The rapid, high-pitched barks suddenly raced down the roadway ahead of the figures as they burst in to motion. Forest recognized that sound. It was a hunting call; there was prey here.
The ponies about the carts began to huddle closer as the two shadows drew nearer, their canine forms showing clearly as they loped down the road. Those two would not be the only ones in motion either, and though he could not see them from where he was, Forest was sure that the ponies would soon find the creatures among the trees to both sides. The road to safety ahead was blocked; there was no place to run and no way to escape.
"Ip! Ip! Ip!" Again the call came down the road. It was shortly answered in kind from several different directions.
Forest had seen this before, although from a much safer distance. These were Lupines on the prowl and the ponies were about to be hunted - harried and chased until the weakest were identified, separated, and eventually... He could not allow it! Somehow, he had to stop them! Yet in that moment his own words came back to haunt him.
"Lupines fear but three things in this world."
He despaired. What could he hope to do against an entire pack of Lupines?
"Lupines fear but three things..."
His thoughts chased themselves around his head until he bludgeoned them into silence. He did not have time for indecision! Any action would be better than standing idle while the Lupines tore at the fleeting comfort holding the terrified ponies together as a herd.
"...three things..."
An insane idea came to him then. Without thinking he found his hooves in sudden motion, their hammering on the ground matching and then surpassing the thundering heartbeat in his ears. His charge sprayed dirt and pebbles ahead of him, the noise drawing the alarm of the ponies at the rear of the group. Fearful, glistening eyes turned his direction, and he found the sight spurring himself onward. Adrenaline and determination emboldened him, pushing the fear for himself momentarily beyond his grasp. As the Lupines ahead began to spread out, Forest came within range...
BLINK.
...and skidded to a halt several lengths ahead of Illumenor.
He ignored the gasp from his friend behind him as the momentary glow from his horn faded. There was no time left to think on what he was about to do. He hoped that Luna would smile on him this night.
"RHUARK!"
