Chapters Sisters of the Storm
By Volgrand
Pre-read and edited by JeffCvt
Chapter 1
The Storm
The blizzard erupted over Mountain Peak, bringing with it the wrath of winter. It had been a hard winter for the pony settlement, but it wasn't anything the inhabitants weren’t used to.
The night had not still arrived, but the dense clouds blocked almost all of the light. Everypony was taking shelter with their families in their homes, lighting fires to fight off the growing cold. Everypony, except one mare who defied the weather, galloping to the edge of the town. “Star!” she shouted, “Star Whistle!”.
The only response she received was the howling wind. The mother pony, who’s daughter had not come back to town, ran to the closest house and pounded on the door with all her force. “Open! Help me!”.
A stallion opened the door and looked to the hysterical mare. “Glittering Light! What's the matter?”
“My daughter!” she responded, shouting above the wind, “My daughter hasn’t come back yet!”
Star Whistle cowered under a berry bush, trying to stay warm in the freezing conditions. She was 6 years old, had a light gray coat and a blonde mane with some white tufts. She had went out to eat some wild berries -in these lands, they can grow even during winter- when the storm surprised her. She tried to find her way back to the town, but the wind and the snow disoriented her. She tried to follow her hoof-steps on the snow back, but the blizzard had erased them. She was lost.
She searched for a long time, calling desperately for her mother. But it was useless. Her mother had told her that, if she ever was lost, to hid under a bush and wait. So she did just that. Star Whistle grew colder and colder by the moment. And she was starting to get tired. She was starting to get very tired. The little filly didn't know why, but she did know that it was a very bad sign.
“Mom! Mommy!” she cried. The wind dragged the desperate call of the filly with it. She kept calling her mother, screaming, while she still had the energy to do so. The darkness was deep when lightning flashed in the black sky. The terrorized scream of Star was dimmed by the roar of the thunder. She called again to her mother, but no one answered.
Suddenly, she heard a howl. She didn't know where it came from, or how close it may have been. But she did know what it was. The winter wolves. Star backed up even more under the bush, letting the snow to fall over her, hiding her even more. She could not see any movement, apart from the storm. She felt more tired with each passing second as she tried to not fall asleep. Should she try to find her way back to the town? Was it better to stay still?
Crack .
Suddenly she heard a branch crack from a nearby bush. Someone was moving. Star Whistle immediately let a smile grace her lips. It was her, it has to be her mommy searching for her! Who else could it be, if not? She jumped out of the bush yelling “Mommy, mommy, mommy mom...”. But as soon as she saw what was there, she froze. Not from the cold, but out of terror.
Standing in front of her, she saw a thick, light gray, almost white, furred wolf. The backbone of the creature arose several feet over the ground, bypassing the size of any adult pony. The creature turned, slowly, and when it did, Star saw that the legs ended in several sharp claws. It moved with the stealth, fluency and speed of a born hunter.
It was then the filly saw its eyes: two big, refulgent amber eyes that glowed in the night. The winter wolf stared at the little pony and bared its teeth, growling.
Star Whistle screamed and started running with all her force away from the predator. The soft snow rose to her belly, making it difficult to move. She called her mom, screaming in terror, searching for any way to go back to the town. Suddenly she sank even more. Under the snow there was a hole in which the young filly got stuck. It was just a second, but enough to feel the breath of the wolf behind her. She turned back, terrorized, and looked at the fur-covered death that was coming for her.
“He's going to eat me.” She thought. It was the only thing that Star could think about. She stepped backwards and, by a matter of chance, she saw a bush behind her. She jumped under it, hoping in vain that the wolf would not reach her. But the predator got closer, walking, not wanting to waste any unnecessary energy on such easy prey. It bent under the bush, and when it was about to bite Star, a new growl was heard.
But this one had a higher pitch.
The wolf looked to where the growl had come from. Star Whistle followed his stare. There was another wolf. Or, more precisely, there was a wolverine, a wolf that was still considered a child. Although he looked like it was almost in its teenage years. Its coat was gray too, except for the belly which was completely white.
Both wolves stared each other for a long time. Star Whistle thought she heard them growling at each other, but she was not sure with the sound of the storm. Suddenly, the big wolf walked away, leaving the pony alone with the wolverine. The wolverine approached the bush where Star was hidden and laid down on the snow, staring at the pony.
Star looked at the wolverine, and could tell almost instantly that it was not going to hurt her. And, looking in detail, she discovered that it was a girl. Her left eye was amber, the right one, blue. The wolverine seemed to be studying Star at the same time. She stared at her in a very weird way, as if she was looking into her very soul. The wolverine crawled a few centimeters toward Star. But Star was still frightened and crawled back. The wolf stopped.
They stayed that way for a long time before Star managed to convince herself that the wolf was not going to attack her. Slowly, the wolverine approached the pony. Star felt very strange. She knew that the wolves were very dangerous, but she also could tell that this wolverine was not. When just a few centimeters separated them, the wolverine completely lied on the ground. Star understood that she was inviting her to lie at her side.
And so she did. Frightened at start, Star approached and laid next to the wolverine. When she felt the warmth the wolf radiated, Star realized just how cold she was. She trembled violently. The wolf put a leg over Star, trying to keep her as warm as possible.
It was a very strange situation: a pony sleeping with a predator that could easily eat her. But instead it had decided to save her. “Will you bring me home?” asked Star.
The wolf growled, very low, with a guttural sound. Star Whistle, although it scared her, quickly realized the wolverine was not trying to frighten her. The pony thought that it would be impossible to talk to her savior. Meanwhile, the wolf kept growling most of the time. Hours.
Star Whistle first thought that that they were just growls. But, with nothing else to do and unable to sleep, she listened to them. She noticed that not all of them were the same. Some seemed to come out of the wolverine’s throat . Others, from her chest. There were some growls that sounded like the adult wolf from earlier, but other were more like a cat's purr. And sometimes there were pauses between the sounds, some of them longer than others. Slowly she discovered repeating patterns. Many times the wolverine would repeat the exact same growls and sounds, with the same pauses.
Star turned her head to watch to the wolf. She was talking to her! But, what was she saying? The pony turned completely to face the wolverine. She stopped growling... talking . Star though on a way to communicate with the wolf. With a hoof she pointed herself. “Star Whistle”. Then she pointed the wolf. She didn't respond, as if she didn't understand. Star did the same a second time, and this time, the wolf responded with a growl. But, what did it meant? Was it her name? Wait, did wolves even use names?
Star looked to the bush and took 2 berries. She ate one and offered the second one to the wolverine. The wolverine sniffed the berry, before rejecting it with the same growl as before. That growl must have meant 'no'. Then that must also mean wolves do not use names. Star took a branch from the bush and, on the snow, she draw a little house. “Will you take me to the town?”.
The wolverine didn't respond. Star drew, as good as she could, a pony walking towards the house. She pointed it. “Me. Star Whistle”. Then she pointed the house. “Will you bring me to the town?”.
The wolverine made a different growl. Star understood it as a 'yes'. The blizzard started to ease, but it was still too strong to do out in. There were many hours ahead until the dawn. Neither Star or the wolverine slept that night, they were too busy learning about one another.
With dawn the storm came to an end. The ponies, who had been searching for Star in near the town, could now search further away. But they had no hope of finding her: not even the most resilient pony would have survived a storm like that, much less a filly.
Glittering Light searched for her daughter desperately, crying out her name, as many other were doing. She was about to give up when she heard somepony yell. “The wolves! The winter wolves!”
The ponies quickly grouped in circle, taking sticks, tools, and whatever else they could grab to defend themselves with. The pony that had been scouting ran back. “You're not going to believe... you're not going to believe it!”.
“What?” asked one of the other ponies.
As if to answer the question, the winter wolves made their presence known. The biggest was a wolf with a light gray, almost white, fur. It was bigger, stronger, and bulkier than any pony. At his side walked a wolverine, one who was almost a teenager, whose fur was gray and white.
And next to the wolves, a little filly scuffed through the snow. Star Whistle, in perfect, unharmed state.
“Star!” shouted Glittering.
“Mommy!” shouted Star. The filly started running to her mother. The wolves stopped walking. But Star, before reaching her mother, stopped and turned to them. Before the surprised ponies, the filly growled to the wolves with her high-pitch voice. The wolves looked at her and lowered their heads in reverence. Then they went away.
Finally, Star ran to her mother and hugged her. Glittering Light broke into tears upon contact her daughter. Some ponies caressed Star too, asking her if she was hurt and what happened. But the majority of them kept silent, trying to understand what they had just seen, and how did Star Whistle manage to survive.
After that they went back to the town. Glittering Light took Star back home, where she bathed her and gave her something to eat. Star explained how the wolverine kept her warm during the night, and that in the morning the wolves took her back to the town. Her mother was impressed and grateful. She did not expect that a wolf could show feelings in such a way.
“Honey,” asked Glittering “Why did you growl to the wolves?”
“I didn't growl to them, mommy” the filly responded. “I said 'I thank you for your help'. I think so.”
Glittering was almost unwilling to believe what her daughter had just said.
Author's Note
Welcome to Mountain Peak.
I wrote this fanfict, originally, in spanish, and I'm about to finish it. If you happen to read spanish, you can read the original version here .
All characters in this story are original, as they are the places in which it takes place.
I'd love to listen to your critics and comments. I'll continue translating the fict when I have time / energies for it. Of course, good criticism always gives me energies to keep on.
Chapter 2: The soul of your herd
Pre-read and edited by JeffCvt Aatxe360
Chapter 2
The soul of your herd
Everyone knows the great kingdom of Equestria. Once ruled by the Princesses Luna and Celestia, now ruled solely by Celestia. It is famous, no doubt; not many kingdoms counted the Bringer of the Sun and the Moon among their ruler cast. The ponies of Equestria live calm, tranquil lives with sporadic surprises. Many of its inhabitants think that Equestria covers the totality of the world, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Although the princesses are powerful, they couldn’t cover the whole world under their protective wings. It’s where their influence wanes that the frontiers of their kingdom rise. And, behind them, rise the wild territories that even Canterlot’s scholars knew little about.
It was not something most ponies talked about, nor was it something they would want to talk about anyway. And truth be told, they had good reasons for not talking. Beyond the frontiers of Equestria are creatures forgotten by the vast majority of ponies: Predators . Animals that ate other animals. It was the power of the princesses that kept them out of almost all of Equestria, with the exception being the Everfree Forest. No pony from Equestria would ever, in good judgement, venture abroad.
However, beyond the borders of Equestria, there do exist pony settlements and nomad tribes. These settlements and tribes had their own culture, traditions, and ways of surviving. Settlements and tribes traded with one another and managed to survive the hard conditions of these wild territories without being affected by events that took place place in Equestria. Even though they knew of Equestria, why should they leave and abandon their homeland and way of living?
If you head northeast from Canterlot, after several weeks of travel, you will reach the furthest frontier of the region. Behind it, the territory transforms in a chaotic mosaic of hills, rivers, mountains and lakes. The cool and dry summers let pass to savage, stormy winters. Farming is impossible in these lands. But, curiously, the trees seem to have adapted to these harsh conditions, blooming and giving fruit year round.
That is the real reason the ponies were able to settle in this land. What else can you wish for apart from food and water?
Continue heading northeast and you will eventually find a little town. Over the years scattered houses were built over two hills near a river that ran through them. Nopony had ever bothered to give the town a proper name, but to the locals it was known as River Hills . Beyond the hills rose an imposing mountain. At the mountain’s base there was a path that twisted all the way to a waterfall halfway up. The land here overflowed in an abundance of berries, mushrooms, and various fruits that ponies liked.
And it is there where Mountain Peak is located. A tiny, isolated town used to the most brutal winters, its inhabitants wished only to live in peace.
It was still about one generation until the birth of Shining Armor and The Mane 6. Even still more time until Nightmare Moon managed to escape from her prison on the Moon and tried to plunge the world in the eternal night.
A year had passed since Star Whistle got lost in the snowstorm and had to be saved by the wolves. She hadn’t told anypony else that she was able to communicate with the wolves. Her mother was afraid that everypony else would not understand if they found out, and that they may even try to hurt her, even if she was only seven. While Glittering Light was sure that there was little chance of that actually happening, she didn’t want to press her luck. She made her daughter swear not tell anyone.
Star stepped out of her house and walked to the edge of the village. She sat next to a bush and ate some berries as she waited for dawn to come. She liked to get up early and watch the sunrise. Someone once explained to her that there was a special pony, Princess Celestia, who moved the sun every day. Star often wondered how the princess could manage such a feat. Of course she had to be a unicorn. Star had seen an unicorn once, when she went with her mother to River Hills. There were no unicorns that lived in these lands. The few that happened to pass through River Hills didn’t usually stay long. Star also thought the princess might be a flying pony, a pegasus, who flew to move the sun. But she knew that couldn’t be true, because her feathers would burn and she would fall to the ground. She had to be an unicorn. Definitely.
Star wanted to see a pegasus. She’d never had the chance to see one. Her town was territory of earth ponies. The morning was cold, but it was bearable. Autumn was about to give way to winter. That’s why Star had gone out that morning: soon she would not be able to leave her house before the sunrise. She remembered for the millionth time the night she spent with the wolverine. Star had a very hard time trying to understand her saviour. The language of the wolves seemed very complicated.
Star was sure the wolf wanted to see her again. And that she was going to meet her again.
The sun rose over the valley, reflecting off the river that passed near River Hills and covered the little filly with its light. Star smiled, feeling the warmth on her tiny body. She heard sounds start to come from town. Her neighbors were waking up. She decided to go back to her house before the entire town was up. Today she had to go with other ponies to search for berries and mushrooms to fill the reserves for winter. Then she had to help her mother prepare canned jam and dry grass.
While it’s true that fruit on the mountain grew year round, there were times during winter that it was dangerous to even leave the house. That’s why they had to stock up on fruits and berries now, before it got to that point.
Star entered her home. Glittering Light had just woken up and was preparing breakfast. She heard her daughter enter. “Star!” she said. “Where were you? I thought you were still asleep!”
“I went out to see the sunrise, mommy,” she explained.
Her mother smiled. “Come on Star, eat your breakfast while I get ready to start working.”
Glittering Light was a sky-blue earth pony with a blonde mane. She was slightly taller than most of the mares in town. Her cutie mark was a wooden doll playing with a hoop. While her daughter was eating breakfast, she went to her workshop on the other side of the room. Glittering was an artisan: she fabricated everything that the village needed from canning jars to wicker baskets. And, of course, she made her own artistic works as any good artisan would: figurines, toys, drawings, paintings... From time to time, she would descend the mountain and go to River Hills to sell her works to the passing travellers.
Today was going to be a lot of work, for she knew everypony in the town was going to ask her to make canning jars or to repair ones from previous years. While she prepared her tools, she heard her daughter get up from the table.
“I’m finished, mommy!”
“Very well. Go and meet up with everypony now. You’re all going to harvest today.”
The little filly ran excitedly from the house after yelling, “Bye!”. Actually, she was going to play with the other foals and fillies of the town before going to harvest. The harvesters of the town were going to take some of the fillies with them to teach them the profession. Everypony needed to know how to harvest in Mountain Peak. It was a matter of survival.
“Look at all the fruits!”
“Be careful Mulberry,” Star said.
Mulberry was a yellow furred foal with a light green mane, slightly older than Star Whistle. He was hyperactive, incredibly curious, and a bit senseless. With them there was an adult stallion, an expert harvester, who showed them the best places to look and tricks of the trade while he watched over them.
Mulberry was trying to climb a tree and reach the fruit at the top. The adult stallion tried to tell him that it was dangerous and unnecessary. Mulberry, as usual, ignored the advice and kept on climbing. Star meanwhile, located a spiky bush filled with acid blackberries. She didn’t like them very much, but they could stay fresh during the entire winter, making them a perfect choice for the reserves.
“There are a lot of berries here,” she said. Mulberry, despite the harvester desperately telling him to get down, kept trying to climb up the tree. Star shrugged and started harvesting on her own. Carefully, she started collecting the berries using a curved knife that the harvester gave her. She had already filled almost half of the basket when she heard a scream.
“Mulberry!” The harvester yelled. Star heard a ‘thud ’ and then Mulberry crying. She ran to see what was going on. Star froze when she saw what had happened. Mulberry had fallen out of the tree. His back right leg was bent is an unnatural position, and seemed to be bleeding. However, Star couldn’t see how bad it was until the foal moved, revealing a small puddle of blood under his belly. She had no idea what to do. She had to help him, but she didn’t know how! She was becoming more panicked by the moment.
Taking the initiative, the harvester dropped his baskets and pulled Mulberry onto his back. “Star, let’s go!” With those words, they both galloped back to the town.
Star observed as the town’s healer mixed different herbs and pulverized them with his hooves. “Senseless foal.” He said. “What were you thinking trying to climb that tree? You are a pony, Mulberry, not a lynx.”
Plantain Hooves was an elderly pony, dark green coloured, with a graying mane. He was tall and thin, and had many wrinkles on his face. His cutie mark was a plantain leaf, a medicinal herb.
The elder put the mix he had just prepared on a piece of cloth. Without doubt or hesitation, he took a straight piece of wood and made a splint for the foal’s leg. Mulberry screamed in pain as the healer forced the bone back in place. Then Plantain put the poultice over the wound and finished wrapping the whole set together. Mulberry’s face relaxed when the poultice started to kill the pain.
“You’re going to have to stay at home for about two weeks. Right as we need everyones help preparing for winter. Who is going to do your share of the work, huh?” Plantain hooves scolded Mulberry. The foal looked away from Plantain’s harsh eyes.
After that he was taken home by his mother. The healer accompanied them to the exit and said goodbye, but not without scolding Mulberry one last time. When Plantain closed the door and turned around, he saw that Star Whistle was still there. “What’s wrong, little filly? Are you hurt too?”
“No..” she said, a little shy. “Well... I...”
“You can tell me anything, Star Whistle,” Plantain said. “If it’s something personal, I won’t tell anypony.”
“No! It’s not that. I... I wanted to ask you if I could learn,” Star Whistle said. She saw that Plantain Hooves didn’t understand her, so she explained. “To heal. To heal other ponies.”
Plantain looked at the little foal. Star Whistle, the same foal who had miraculously survived that storm last year. The one that two wolves, for some reason, took back to town.
He doubted. Not because of what happened last year, but because Star was young. Too young. It was not usual to teach a pony in the art of healing until they were a teenager. The things that a healer sees are not something a mere foal should be exposed to.
But even more important than that: a healer is born, not made. A pony discovers he or she is a healer the same moment they get their cutie mark. As it was his: a plantain leaf. But Plantain Hooves had already seen three generations born in Mountain Peak, and not a single natural born healer appeared.
“Why do you want to learn to be a healer, Star Whistle?” He asked, “It’s a very hard responsibility. You will see very unpleasant things.”
“Well... because...” The little filly looked around nervously, trying to put her feelings into words. “Because... when Mulberry was hurt I wanted to help him. I wanted to! But I didn’t know how.” While she spoke, she took a few steps towards Plantain, staring at him with the desperation of remembering what had happened that morning. “What if we couldn’t come back? I can’t carry Mulberry myself. I felt... very bad. I was very afraid.”
Plantain Hooves leaned closer to her, but the filly simply stood, staring at the ground, hiding her eyes. The elder pony heard a sob.
“I don’t want to see somepony like that again and not be able to do anything. I don’t want to...”
Plantain bent down and gently lifted her head. She was crying. The healer wondered if it was her heart that was speaking, or if it was simply the recent scare. He wasn’t positive, but Plantain was almost certain that she was speaking the truth from the deepest part of her soul. And, even if he was wrong, it wouldn’t hurt to teach her a little during the winter.
“These days are going to be busy, now that your friend is no longer able to help,” He said. “But tell your mother that, if she agrees, I will teach you the art of healing other ponies during the winter.”
Star’s face shined with a smile, her tears still rolling down her cheeks. “Yes! Thank you, thank you thank...”
“Come on, go already, you have a lot to do.” Plantain ushered her out with a smile.
The excited filly ran out the door and instead of going to ask her mother for permission, she started sharing the good news with everyone. Plantain smiled. Maybe he had made a good decision. And besides, he often got very lonely during winter. It would be good for him to have a pupil.
And it would be very good for the town to have a new and hopeful healer.
A few hours later, everyone was lying in their beds, sleeping. Everyone, except Star Whistle that is. It was strange, usually being the first in town to wake up, she was almost always the first to lie back down at night. But tonight she was unable to fall asleep. She didn’t know why. She was not worried about what happened to Mulberry, and she wasn’t nervous about training to be a healer. It was something... deeper.
She felt like there was somepony else with her.
She got up from her bed and opened the window. The temperature had dropped when the sun went down. It wasn’t too cold yet, but she still shivered a little. She looked at the valley that extended beyond the foot of the mountain. Through the darkness, she knew there was the river that lead to River Hills. Further out, a storm was forming and she could hear the thunder. A heavy storm was about to come through the valley.
She felt the presence grow stronger. It was strange, but she didn’t sense any hostility. On the contrary, she felt... protected? The clouds cumulated slowly, extending over the valley and Mountain Peak. The wind started to blow.
She heard, way out in the valley, a howl. After which a second one joined in. And another, and another... until they formed a chorus of wolves howls. Without warning, a powerful bolt of lightning erupted from the clouds, striking somewhere in the valley. Star observed the bolt strike, but was unafraid. It had happened quite a distance away. The thunder, after several seconds, reached the town. It continued to echo through the valley before finally dying out.
When the thunder finally died out, Star heard another howl. This howl sounded much closer and higher-pitched than the previous ones. Star recognized it right away. It was the wolverine that had saved her. She had kept her promise and came back. Star put her coat on and lit an oil lamp so she could follow the glow back to the town, then snuck out through her window. Her mother would never let her go out this late at night, especially after what happened the last year.
She walked at first, but was soon running down the mountain. Star stopped just before losing sight of the town. She looked around, but she didn’t see anything. Again, she heard the howl of the wolverine. She was calling to Star. Star somehow knew what she had to do: she raised her head to the sky and howled into the night. It was a very long and high pitched howl.
After that she stood still, waiting for any signs the wolverine was coming. The wolf slowly showed herself. The first thing Star saw were her eyes: one amber, the other blue.The wolverine had grown a lot more than Star had: she was already a teenager. Her muscles had developed proportionally to her height.
The wolf showed herself and bowed her head in a respectful greeting. Star did the same. The wolf growled, or better said; “I knew you would come, pony .”
Star, surprisingly, understood her. She cleared her throat, searching the needed wolf ‘words’. “Why did you call me?” she asked.
“To learn,” said the wolf.
“I don’t understand.”
The wolf observed Star. Seeing how Star didn’t say anything else, she decided to explain herself. “Your people and mine are separated. A prey that never wanted to learn about the hunter. I wish to learn about your soul. I wish to know how ponies see the mountain, the valley, the rivers and the lakes” .
“But... why me?” asked Star.
“Because you listen with your soul, not with your ears,” explained the wolf.
“How do you know it?”
“I see it” .
Star didn’t know what to say. A wolf wanted to learn about her people? What for? She didn’t know what to think. Her instinct was telling her that the wolf meant no harm, but everything she had been told about the wolves by town said the opposite.
“I don’t wish to hurt you or your people,” said the wolf.
Maybe that was the only think Star needed to hear. Just to be sure that the wolf would not use her to hurt or anypony else. Star sat on the ground. “What do you want to know?”
The wolf sat in front of the pony. She seemed to think about what she wanted to say. Maybe she had expected Star to say no. Or maybe there were so many things she wanted to know that she could not decide what to ask first. “Your words,” she said finally.
They spent many hours talking, Star teaching the wolf her language, and the wolf teaching Star her’s. Star learned to speak the wolves’ tongue very fast. It was very easy for her. They didn’t use names for the things, rather, they referred to them in a generic way: ‘the green plant’, ‘the big rock’... The wolf was unable to speak the pony language, but she began to grasp a basic understanding of the words.
Out of nowhere, the wolf asked Star a question. “What does your soul say?”
“I don’t understand,” Star responded.
“ The soul of your herd. Ours says: ‘The night is our reign. The snow is our sister. Our howls call for the storm”.
Star Whistle didn’t know how to respond. She had never heard of ‘the soul of a herd.’ “I don’t have an answe r ,” was all she could think to say.
Suddenly, a howl came from the foot of the mountain. The wolf righted herself. “I have to go with my p ack” .
Star Whistle stood up too. The wolf bowed until her head almost touched the ground. Star did the same. After that, the wolf ran toward the howls, disappearing in the darkness. Star went back to the town. The light she had left on served as a reference so she would not lose her way. She quietly climbed back through her window, closing it behind her. After that she turned off the lamp and went to sleep. No one, not even her mother, knew ever of her escape into the night.
The sensation of companionship slowly started to disappear.
Author's Note
Second chapter, finally. We're taking some time for it. As my english is far from good, my beta readers need a lot of time to go through the mess. On other good news, I have finished the spanish version! As I received very constructive criticism, I'm taking some time to not only translate it in english, but to improve the story and the characters.
I hope you enjoy it. Credits for beta read and edition to JeffCVT and Aatxe360. Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated.
The winter wolf pack remained in the vicinity of Mountain Peak and River Hills for several weeks. Star Whistle and the wolf saw each other every night they could. Rather, they saw each other while time allowed them to.
As soon as the first snows fell, Star could see how true her friend's prayer was. She had already noticed how well the wolf could see at night. But when the snow covered the mountain, the predator showed that it really was one with it. Its fur camouflaged it perfectly, until it was hidden on a plain without vegetation. It moved freely on the virgin snow, while Star's fine hooves sank hopelessly. Yes, the winter wolves were the brothers of night and winter.
One night, sitting in the snow, the she-wolf asked something. "Why do you ponies live here? Snow is not your element. "
"Because there is food and water, because we can live in peace". Star replied in the pony language.
"You could live in peace somewhere else with food and water. Less danger to your pack "
"Hey," the pony called.
The wolf looked at her, and before she could react ... splat! The snowball hit his forehead. She shook her head, brushing off the remains of the treacherous attack, while Star Whistle laughed out loud at the bewildered face of her friend.
"Why do you attack me? "
"I don't attack you!" Star replied in wolf language. "I'm playing!" "Playing? . The wolf rose and advanced threateningly toward Star Whistle, "We wolves play differently, pony."
Star looked at her friend with fear. What was he doing? She watched her as he got closer. The wolf crouched in the snow, and when the pony wanted to notice, it was already a blur in the dark. He heard her growl. She wasn't talking in the wolve's language: he was growling.
Star Whistle got up and ran towards the town. Her friend was going to attack her! She tried to follow a path of shallow snow, but it was of little use. Her hooves sank too far and she couldn't move forward. She heard the wolf beside her just a second before receiving an impact that sent her rolling across the ground. She opened her eyes to see the wolf pounce on her with her jaw open, direct to her neck. Star screamed, closed her eyes and tried to hit her. She felt the bite on his neck ... but the pain never came. And she kept breathing.
Finally, she dared to look. The wolf had bitten the pony's neck, but hadn't squeezed. She pulled off, releasing a trembling Star Whistle.
"I killed you, pony. Your turn."
Then he started running. Star watched her walk away. Of course, the ponies played in imitation of their elders: building houses, picking fruits, helping in the kitchen ... And the wolves did the same: they played hunting. It was a haunting idea, but now that he knew it was just a game ... Star wasn't going to let her friend win that easily!
She ran looking for areas with low snow and overhanging rocks, thus avoiding sinking. When her friend made a turn, the pony made a tighter turn to catch her. She jumped with all her might to fall on the wolf's back.
"Arrrr! Die, die, die ...!"
Star was pathetically leaning on her friend's back, holding on with her front hooves and making a bite. The wolf looked at her blankly. Star returned a ridiculous smile. Then the wolf pulled away from the pony and leaped on top of her, knocking her and pinning her down again.
"I killed you again, pony." "I can't beat you, you have claws and teeth," Star told him as she got up."You can never beat me with my weapons."
The wolf started running again. Star pondered her words. It was true, she couldn't beat her by jumping on her like a wolf. What weapons did a pony have? Wolves were fast and deadly. The ponies were slower, but they were strong and very resistant. She could never hunt, even playing, an adult wolf. But her wolf friend was very young, and just a little bit older than her.
She started chasing after her. Little by little she shortened distances - after all, the wolf was playing, not running away. When they both made a curve, Star closed in on the turn and charged with all her strength against her friend's side. Surely she would manage to knock her down! But the wolf saw her coming and stopped dead. Finding nothing to crash against, Star lost her balance and rolled onto the snow.
Once again, the wolf pinned her to the ground, biting her neck.
"You died three times tonight. If you want to hunt prey you must first camouflage your intentions. "You're very fast!" Star gasped. "I have a hard time catching you to even think so much!" "A bad hunter chases. A good hunter awaits."
Star was making a mental note of that lesson when a howl was heard from the foot of the mountain. The wolf raised her ears to listen to him. Star did too and understood the message.
"Your pack goes hunting ..."
They said goodbye with their heads and left in opposite directions. As always, Star returned home without waking anyone up. She fell asleep, still thinking of a way to beat her friend in the game of wolves.
The next morning, no pony understood why Star seemed so tired.
"The first thing you need to know, Star, is what a healer's job is all about. Many think that I dedicate myself only to healing wounds and illnesses, but ... Star Whistle! Are you listening to me?"
Plantain Hooves hit the ground with his hooves. Star woke up suddenly.
"Yes Yes! I'm listening!"
Star lowered her head. Plantain was absolutely right to scold her.
"As I was saying," continued the old stallion, "a healer's job is not just to heal wounds and illnesses. It's much more than that."
On a piece of paper Plantain drew a pony, which he draw a circle surrounded in shadows.
"The first thing healers do is keep the spirits of the disease from reaching the ponies we care for."
On the same paper, he drew a shadow breaking the circle and reaching the pony.
"The second is, when a pony becomes ill or is injured, it must be treated until it recovers."
Finally, he changed several lines to the pony so that he was lying down, and drew a bed underneath.
"Finally, when we cannot heal someone, we take care of them and prevent them from suffering until their time comes."
It took Star Whistle a few moments to understand what the old man meant. "They die??" Star asked incredulously. "But why? Healers are supposed to be there so the ponies don't die, right?"
"Little one, you have to accept a fact: You can't avoid death."
The filly looked at her teacher, with the expression of a child who had just known that sooner or later she was going to die.
"Everypony is going to die, Star, and not even the best healer can help it," Plantain said. "When you know that someone is going to die, and you can't prevent it, the only thing you can do for them is take care of them to prevent their suffering."
The little pony nodded, feeling that a small part of her childish world had broken. Plantain imagined how she felt, but it was better that way. That was the first lesson that every healer had to learn, probably the most difficult to accept of all.
"Let's start with the healing herbs. This plant is a belladonna flower, and serves to ..."
After a few minutes, Star had to make real efforts to keep her eyes open.
That same night, after a good nap, Star slipped quietly into the snow. Her wolf friend would be in the same place as always. And I wasn't going to see her arrive. It was a calm night, with a light and cold breeze coming down from the top of the mountain. The moon was full, illuminating the snow, so the filly could see very clearly that night. It was the perfect opportunity to catch her friend.
She was going to beat her in the game of wolves.
With a smirk on her face she crawled between rocks, bushes, and mounds of snow, always out of sight. When she was close enough, she peeked out from behind a hedge. In the same area as usual, her friend was lying on the ground, unaware. The wolf raised her head a little, but did not see Star Whistle.
Star calculated the way to the wolf's back before getting closer. She had everything in mind: she would jump on her back and lie on top of her so she couldn't get up. And then she would 'kill' her, and she would win the game. It was a perfect plan. It was going to work.
Finally she got to the right place. She glanced only once, to see her friend's back and calculate the jump. She got into position, raising her hindquarters to propel herself. She just couldn't help but smile one last time. This time she was going to win! Star calculated the jump once more, leaned back slightly ... and jumped with all her might ...!
... to land on the snow.
"What?"
Star looked around looking for her friend ... and saw her at the last moment. From one side, the wolf leaped onto the pony, throwing her off balance and knocking her to the ground, where she pinned her down… again.
"I killed you again, pony."
"But how did you see me?" Star asked incredulously.-I have not seen you. I have smelled you. Never follow a prey with the wind behind you. "
The wolf released her friend and lay on the ground. The pony sat across from her.
"It took me two years to hunt down my older brothers." "Yeah ... I guess."
After that, they spent a good long time talking and playing in equal parts. Star did not manage to knock the wolf down even once, but she was also becoming a very elusive prey. In one of the breaks the wolf asked her:
"Do you already know the answer to my question?"
Star remembered: She asked what the soul of his people said. The filly had thought a lot about it, and thought she knew how to respond.
"Yes. Ponies do not have a soul like yours."
The wolf looked at her, intrigued.
"Every pony is different, Have you seen the marks we have on the flank?" "Yes. I have also seen that you do not have it" , The wolf replied."That's! When a pony discovers what makes him special, the brand appears. There are ponies that build, ponies that collect food, that heal, that take care of their children, that fight ...
Star stopped to see if her friend was understanding her. The latter replied:
"Then your personal desires move you. That will make you weak. We wolves move with a single will ".
The pony, while not really expecting a very different response, was surprised by the wolf's appreciation.
"No no no! You're wrong! When a pony is especially good at something, why would we force him to do another task for the people? The ponies let everyone do what they are passionate about. This way you will do better than anyone! "
The wolf stared at her friend for a few moments, taking in what she had said and reflecting on it.
"The ponies are a strange herd." "Same thing, friend." "Some more than others, as only a fool would speak face to face with her hunter." "And only one pony would talk to another pony, right 'hunter'?" , Star replied sarcastically.
Both friends met her gaze. Star made a strange noise, followed by a giggle. Soon the pony started laughing heartily. The she-wolf stared into the snow, throwing the flaps back and showing her back teeth, and snorted against the ground, in a silent laugh.
They laughed for a long time. When they calmed down, Star laid on her back, gazing at the stars. She remembered a question she wanted to ask the wolf. This time she spoke in the language of the ponies, as the she-wolf was beginning to understand it.
"When you found me in the snow, why didn't your big brother eat me?""Because I told him so."
The wolf looked at her blankly. Star kept talking in wolf.
"You were just a wolf cub. Young ponies obey older ones, not the other way around. Why did he listen to you? "Because I have a blue eye."
Star looked at her. Now she really didn't understand anything. The wolf went on to explain:
"In my pack, each generation, a wolf is born. A wolf that is capable of seeing beyond the obvious. The only wolf who can see the soul of beings, who can speak to the storm like no other wolf can."
Star sat up, looking at her friend directly, lost in the story.
"That wolf," the wolf continued, "can sense the passing of the packs. They say that some can see the future. There are never two at the same time: when one dies, he is reborn in the next litter of cubs; a puppy that will be destined to become the leader of the pack. "And how do you recognize it?" "Because his right eye is always blue."
The pony's mouth, by now, was about to touch the snow beneath it.
“It's you!”
The wolf nodded.
"So I am. I am not the leader of the pack yet, I am very young. But they listen to me."
Star looked at her friend, realizing that she was before the future leader of the winter wolves. But…
"But why did you save me? So we weren't friends. Only hunter and prey."
The wolf seemed to ponder the answer for a few seconds. The breeze turned into a fairly cold wind.
"The elders in my pack tell stories of the ponies.They say that you were once our prey, but that you learned to defend yourself. Not with fangs and claws, but with your wits. That you can live anywhere, without having to migrate. And that some of you master magic. I could never know your way of seeing the world, because the ponies still remember the time when we hunted them. But when I saw you I knew you would know how to listen. That you would see beyond your instincts. And I also saw ..."
The wolf was silent. Star exclaimed.
"Then what? What did you see?"
The cold wind increased in intensity, ripping the heat from both friends, but especially from Star Whistle.
"The storm is coming, pony. We must return with ours, Said the wolf, getting up."But what did you see?" , Star asked, exasperated."I'm not going to answer."
Grumbling, Star got up too, and was surprised to see her friend approach her. She stopped right in front of the filly and lowered her head, bringing her to the side of Star's neck. The wolf stuck her head to her friend's neck. Star realized it was be like a hug for the wolves, and returned the gesture.
When they finally separated, the wolf said:
"If the storm becomes too strong, the dams will move away from the mountain. If that happens, we'll see each other the next time my pack returns." I will miss you, wolf. "Me too, pony. "Take care, friend, " said Star Whistle.
The wolf said nothing more and began to descend the mountain with a calm step. Star Whistle watched her as she walked away. She was going to miss her so much, as she was the only real friend she had ever made, and she could only see her a few weeks a year.
Star returned to her town slowly, but when she saw the storm clouds over the mountain, she started to run. As soon as she reached her house and closed the door behind her, the first clap of thunder was heard. It began to snow, and the rising wind blew the flakes in all directions. Star Whistle, terrified, slipped into the covers, fighting the drastic drop in temperature.
Author's Note
I know. It's been years. But well... translating a text is a chore. But today I chose to be simple about it: I used google translate, then corrected some typos and miss-translations and I think the result is pretty decent.
If any of you, kind readers, would like to assist me translating Sisters of the Storm, I'd be so much obliged :)
Secrets... well, not so secret
As the wolf predicted, the storm was very intense, punishing Mountain Peak for several weeks. The ponies, used to this type of winters, spent refugees in their homes. Occasionally they went out to visit a neighbor and exchange supplies, see the medicine man, or make some repairs. But no one was so unconscious as to leave town in that time.
Star learned a lot that winter. With nothing more interesting to do, and without a wolf to distract her every night, she punctually came to Platain Hooves' house. The first classes were really boring. The teacher did not memorize her dozens, but hundreds of plants. Mostly medicinal, some poisonous.
But after a few weeks, he was teaching her the most practical part of the profession: What plants were used to heal wounds, which ones to ease pain, to sleep, not to dream ... He even told her about a plant of love, although he never said which one was, exactly.
As was customary at that time of year, the healer's job was reduced to treating chest diseases such as colds, pneumonia, or fevers. Star was mechanically memorizing which plant they used for what, although it was still a long way to understand why they used it.
Winter ended, and after him came spring. Or what Mountain Peak meant by such: a time that softened while the snow was still present. It was at the end of the season, almost arrived the summer, when the sun managed to beat the cold. With the thaw the river ran again, overflowing with water. The waterfall was resurrected and Mountain Peak came to life.
When winter returned, the little pony eagerly awaited her friend's call. But that year was late. Wolves usually arrived shortly before the first snow. She didn't dare ask his mother about it, what if she found out that Star Whistle's best friend was the same wolf that saved her? It would be a huge mess!
Shortly before the really hard time of winter began, a howl echoed through the night. Star woke up immediately. It was her. It was her friend. Silently she put on her winter coat, opened the window, and left the house. As always, leaving a light behind her so she could return.
She walked as fast and quietly as he could to the area where they used to see each other. She didn't think about hiding to surprise her friend, didn't even remember that she wanted to beat her in the game of wolves. She only knew that her friend was there.
She came to the meeting place and saw nothing ... until the wolf rose, camouflaged in the snow. They had both grown a lot that year. The wolf was already beginning to have the bearing of an adult hunter. Star ran to her friend, who only waited to receive her, and they collided in a 'wolf hug', stroking the other's neck with their heads.
It was not that the wolf was not happy to see her friend. But, for a winter wolf, bearing was everything. There was a reason they were the lords of winter.
"I thought you wouldn't come, " Star Whistle said, speaking in wolf."I almost couldn't" , she said, "the herds have passed away from the mountain. Today is the only night that we will stay close to your town."
Star separated and looked at her with bright eyes.
"Will you only stay tonight?" "Yes. We have a lot to tell each other, friend."
The little pony looked at the ground ... and didn't look up. The wolf was surprised, what was wrong with her friend? He stepped closer, ducking his head, trying to see the pony's face ... when she looked up. The wolf realized her mistake too late: Star Whistle jumped on her, throwing her off balance, and both friends rolled on the snow, fighting to win the match.
"I killed you! I hunted a wolf!"
The wolf stood up and brushed the snow from her hair.
"You used the surprise well, pony, but it won't happen again."
Saying this, she jumped on the pony, which dodged the onslaught and ran.
They played, talked, and laughed for several hours. It was an intense, fun night, and too short for the young friends. But all good things have to end, and shortly before dawn, the she-wolf returned with her own.
They said goodbye with a long wolf hug, vowing that they would see each other again every year.
The years passed, endless and intense, just as children experience them. Mountain Peak did not change too much: There were some births and some deaths, and a family asked to settle in the town, to which the inhabitants of the town happily agreed. They were a couple of artisan ponies with a foal a year older than Star. The neighbors helped the young family build their house, an opportunity that all the young people took advantage of to learn how it was done.
The foal was called Silver Boulder. He had brown fur, brown eyes, and very short reddish hair. He was a very curious and outgoing pony. He loved to play scouts, and Mountain Peak was a little scout's paradise. Star, Silver Boulder, and Mulberry spent their days playing, looking for hidden passageways between the caves under the waterfall, or building makeshift wooden shelters, leaning against the rocks, to take refuge from their imaginary enemies. Star had, for the first times, made a very good pony friend at Mountain Peak. Although she did admit that, in the end, she got along way better with Mulberry, after all.
This did not prevent the little filly anxiously waiting for the arrival of winter to see her friend. Every year, as soon as the first howls were heard, Star waited for the night to leave the house and meet her friend, the Seer of the winter wolves. The winter that Star turned twelve something very dangerous happened to her: A snowstorm hit the mountain when she was with her wolf friend. She had to run back to town, and even accompanied by the she-wolf, she almost did not make it. She decided that she had to do something to avoid seeing himself in that situation again.
The following year, in the summer, Star secretly gathered materials and tools near her gathering area. She found an ideal place: between a large rock and a tree, far away from the path that led to the town. That would be the site where she would build her shelter. It took her all summer to complete it, since to keep it a secret she couldn't be away from town for long. But in the end she obtained a small wooden structure that, although it was not very beautiful, would serve as a shelter if a storm surprised them again.
But, not satisfied with this, she decided she would make a fireplace. She made a hole in a wall and put a circle of stones just outside the cabin where she could light a fire if she had to spend a night under an storm.
She was dying to show it to her friend! And she would be able to brew tea! Their next meetings would be very fun and warm in the heat of the bonfire.
One night the following winter, both friends sat in front of the flames. There was a slight snowstorm and it was quite cold, but they felt the heat of the fire on their faces. The wind carried fast flakes of snow that, like needles, hit the fur of the she-wolf and Star. The sky rose above them, but the clouds prevented seeing any star.
The flames, rising into the dark sky, covered what had been Star Whistle's little humble cabin. The only thing that survived was the stone circle where the uncontrolled bonfire began.
"I told you there would be too much fire, pony." "Shut it." Star replied with a nervous tic in her eye.
Star was angry. Very angry, but with herself. How comes she didn't think that the fire would would burn the wall of the cabin? All summer working ... for this! The wolf watched her grumble under her breath; the seer could understand why the pony was angry, for she had just lost her burrow. But to tell the truth, she never really understood the love of ponies for fire. Didn't they see that it was dangerous?
Suddenly the wind brought a distant sound to her. It was very similar to that of a frightened elk herd, but much more organized. The wolf looked up at the mountain and saw small flashes lighting up the pony town.
"You must return. Your herd have seen the fire."
Star looked where her friend was staring ... and also noticed the glow. It was true, she could see some torches moving between the houses.
"No! Oh no! Oh no!""What scares you so much?" The wolf asked."Mine will never understand that we are friends. They could attack you!" . Star was so nervous she didn't even think about using the wolves' language. "And ... and they'll be very mad at me, for sure."
The wolf mused, watching the pony spin, nervous. She would never understand ponies. Among the wolves, although it was strange, no one objected about her friendship with a pony. Although of course, no wolf expected a pony to attempt to devour another wolf.
But first things first: Star Whistle needed someone to point out the way forward.
"You will have to be a prey as elusive as in our games and return to yours without being seen."
Star nodded.
"You must go back to your pack, too," Star muttered wolfishly."I will do it. Be careful pony, we will see each other again, friend, but it will surely be next year."
They said goodbye with a hug of wolves, before the she-wolf began to run towards the darkness, down the mountain. The pony circled back to town. Her house was on a side of the buildings. With a bit of luck, she could enter her room without being noticed ... But what if her mother had already seen that she wasn't there? It would be a disaster. She would discover everything! And Star had never been good at making up lies.
When he was a short distance from the town, he could see several neighbors who, with torches on their hooves, looked towards the huge bonfire that Star had accidentally built.
"Come on, we have to see what happened. Perhaps somepony was injured! Somepony yelled.
Star calmed down: they weren't looking for her. Crouching in the snow, she moved little by little to her house, always keeping herself out of sight. The whole town was on its hooves, watching for somepony to help. In the end, the young pony reached the corner closest to her window which was still open. Her mother surely hadn't even entered the room, lucky for her!
She left her hiding spot and galloped the remaining meters to the window. But as she was about to reach it, she heard a voice.
"Star! Where were you? Haven't you seen the fire?"
The filly turned to meet brown eyes.
"Ah ... uh ... hi Silver Boulder. Yes, yes I have seen the fire." Star added with a chuckle.
Silver Boulder looked her up and down.
"But ... why is your coat covered in snow? It looks like an avalanche has fallen on you! And why are you not with the others?"
Star was out of ideas when someone yelled "Star Whistle!"
Glittering Light appeared from around a corner, watching the little girl sternly. Star cringed. It was over, she had been caught. Now she would have to tell that her best friend was a wolf, that they had seen each other for years every winter, and that she had caused the fire by secretly building a cabin. The ponies would chase the wolf off the mountain forever.
"Star Whistle, what are you doing here?" Glittering Light asked. Silver Boulder moved out of her way, looking very angry.
Star gaped at her mother. She had given her the perfect excuse! But had he ever said that to her? Who cared, anyway!?
"Yes Yes! I jumped out the window and fell. I'm sorry, Mom..."
Saying this, Glittering made Silver Boulder walk in front of him. But before turning her back on her daughter, he looked at her with a half smile and winked. It didn't take long for Star Whistle to figure out what that meant.
Her mother knew. She knew the whole time! And had just covered it up!
The neighbors took almost an hour to get to and from the scene of the fire. The only thing they found was the remains of a shelter between a tree and a rock. The circle of stones of the bonfire helped them to know that this was the one that had caused the fire. In addition, they also saw wolf and pony tracks. Luckily for Star, ponies aren't great trackers, and they couldn't figure out much more.
Theories ran about it. Some said they were travelers attacked by wolves. Others claimed that a mountain spirit had set the refuge on fire, but this story did not have many followers. But what kind of travelers carried lumber with them to build shelters at night? The town was going to have a topic of conversation for a long time.
When everything calmed down, Star returned home. Her mother looked serious, but not angry. She closed the door behind her, "Sit down Star. We have to talk", she said immediatly.
Star sat at the kitchen table, feeling butterflies in her stomach due to uncertainty. Her mother heated water to serve tea. "How long have you been seeing the wolves?"
Star realized that she had never been able to cheat on her mother. But why didn't she even try to stop her? The filly did not understand anything.
"So how long have you been visiting the wolves?" He asked again
Star nodded.
"When you learn to distinguish grunts it is easy."
The kettle rang. The mother got up and poured two cups of sweet herbal tea and served one to her daughter. He sat down on the other side of the table before speaking again.
"Star, I've never told you anything about all this for a very simple reason: if I had tried to stop you, you would have ended up escaping. Or worse yet, the people would have found out. And if you've been seeing the wolf for so many years, I'm sure she doesn't want to hurt you. Otherwise..."
Star did not need her mother to finish the sentence. She still remembered the first time the wolf 'killed' her while playing. If she was alive it is because her friend had never wanted to hunt her. Because they really were friends.
"You made the fire, right?" Glittering asked.
Glittering went back to drinking tea.
"You will have to find another place to meet, my little filly, a better hidden place where you can build a real cabin. I'll lend you a hoof with that, but it will have to be in the summer. I'm only going to ask you one thing Star."
Star promised not to, as she had already done for several years. She wasn't planning to, but not because of the promise itself: she didn't want to risk ponies trying to do something against her wolf friend. She could only guess what the whole Winter Wolves' pack would do if the seer was injured or killed by ponies.
Mother and daughter finished their teas and then went to sleep.
At the base of the mountain, the wolves welcomed their future leader. They were restless, for the storm had brought them the smell of fire. Although at no time did they feel that the seer was in danger, they relaxed when they were able to see her with their own eyes. The current pack leader approached.
"The herds drift away, we must leave." "I know."
Wolves are beings who speak the right and necessary words. The she-wolf looked up the mountain with her seer's eye and felt no death or pain in it, indicating that Star Whistle was fine. But suddenly she noticed that her sight darkened, until she could no longer see the mountain. Not even the snow nor her brothers..
Her seer eye was showing her something.
It was hungry. It felt a great emptiness. It felt that its death was near. . It was flying. It was cold, very windy, and snowing. It was lost, alone and weak. It would not survive.
The wolf noticed how someone was pushing her. He shook his head, regaining his own senses. A wolf had pushed her with his snout when he realized that the seer was in a trance.
"What have you seen?" He asked.
The seer did not respond, for she did not know it herself.
