Me and my best friend, Dawn, were collecting berries and nuts to eat for the holiday of Thanksgiving. We had our usual apples and a loaf of bread from Lily, but we didn't want to have Thanksgiving at her house... Since we were orphans her aunt always wanted to put us in the orphanage so we could have a 'real' home. We were talking as we put the berries in our baskets.
"What were your parents like?" I asked Dawn.
"Well... My mom was nice but my dad was always gone doing something... I don't remember much about them, I was just a little filly."
"And when you came back from your first summer at flight camp they were gone and the house was for sale?"
"Yeah that's all I really remember... What do you remember about your parents? ...I mean besides your dad beating you up in the dream..." Then Dawn busies herself with picking the berries.
"All I have is that box with the pictures of her when I she was holding the newborn me... And the things I got from the house.."
We lapsed into silence for a while. Then I wanted to know how full Dawn's basket was but when I looked up Dawn was no where in sight.
"Dawn? Where did yo go?" I called but I got no answer. I went over to where Dawn was picking berries but I still couldn't see her.
,~\*~,
"Weren't you scared? I would be scared if you just randomly disappeared when we went out into the forest..." Forest, my little filly asked.
"Well, maybe I should try that sometime when I start teaching you about tracking. But first I have to teach to fly."
"Will daddy help you teach us?" Asks Night Shade.
"Of course he will! Now hush while I finish the story." My foals snuggle back into the blankets looking expectantly at me.
,~\*~,
"Dawn! Where are you?" I yelled but the only answer I got was the echos of my voice. I hung my head and for the first time I noticed the ground was covered in hoof prints.
"That's it! The ground is still kind of wet and the tracks are easily seen, I'll just follow them and find Dawn." I immediately put my plan to action and I quickly found a set of tracks leading away from the muddle. The feeling was wonderful, trotting along following the tracks like that was so thrilling. But then her tracks came father apart, like she was running. I ran a few yards and looked at my tracks.
"Dawn was running here... Was she running from something?" I said to myself, as I hurried up but then my haste made me lose the tracks.
"Ok Shadow, slow down and retrace your tracks." I did as I instructed and soon found the tracks again. Now the tracks were scratches over them like... I smelled something vile, timberwolf breath! I had read a book about Everfree animals and Timberwolves have terrible breath.
,~\*~,
“But mommy, how did you know it was Timberwolf breath? You never told us a story about that...” Forests says questioningly. Night Shade nodded eagerly hoping to catch another story.
“Well for one I had smelled it before and for another I read a book about all the Everfree animals.”
“Tell us when you smelled it momma! And what does it smell like anyways?” Night Shade asks.
“Not tonight little Shade some other time, but if you keep interrupting me like that I won't finish tonight's story.”
“Ok momma we'll be quiet.” They say in unison.
“Good, and remember we're going to Canterlot with your father tomorrow night.”
“Will Aunt Raven Wing and Uncle Lightning Dash be there?”
“Yes, and your cousins and Dawn and Fireheart. Everypony in the group of our big adventure.”
“When are you going to tell us more about that?”
“Some other time, now let me finish telling the story.”
,~\*~,
I followed the tracks, resisting the urge to run. Then all of a sudden I heard a great big "ROOAR!" Followed by a shrill scream. I ran as fast as I could towards the screams, I soon emerged in a clearing. Dawn's basket had been squashed into the ground and all of the contents ad been spread all over the ground. A giant beast made of wood and leaves with glowing golden eyes had Dawn backed up against a tree. When she saw me she looked at me with her golden eyes wide in fear and despair.
"SHADOW!"
I was so scared and I wanted to run away, but I knew I couldn't let the timberwolf hurt Dawn so I grabbed a long stout stick and yelled, "Over here you big bully!" even though it sounded more like a squeak the timberwolf turned towards me and took long menacing steps towards me. "Dawn! Run back to our place, I'll be right behind you."
"But what if you get hurt?" Dawn yelled back but when I picked up my stick in my mouth and hit the timberwolf on the head. The wolf crumpled, but a second later all the pieces started forming up again, and this time it was taking leaves and sticks from all the trees around me. I turned tail and ran Dawn was right ahead of me, but she started panicking and ran haphazardly into the forest.
"Dawn! Not that way." I yelled and ran ahead of her. She nodded and followed me back to the burrow. When we got to the burrow I swept aside the curtain of leaves and sticks, then both me and Dawn tumbled in. Dawn landed on top of me and I landed on something sharp. We stayed in tense silence as the huge timberwolf stalked by outside, my heart was in my throat as it stopped for a second outside.
,~\*~,
The damn breaks, I saw them trying to hold in all their questions and exclamations but then it breaks... Why are they so talkative tonight? I sigh as they barrage me with questions.
“What happened?”
“Didn't you have your cutiemark yet?”
“What did you land on?”
“How did you know what to do?” They ask expectantly.
“I told you that you need to stop asking so many questions! Most of them will be answered in a few minutes anyways... Why are you so talkative tonight? I don't think you've been so talkative before.”
They seem to shrink under my reproach.
“I don't know... I think we're just excited.” Night Shade says for the both of them, while Forest nods in agreement.
“Just stay quiet until the end of the story ok? I'm tired tonight.”
They nod and I continue the tale.
,~\*~,
The few moments the timberwolf stopped outside our burrow felt like years, I wanted to move so badly, there was something sticking in my side and the weight of Dawn on top of me just added to the problem. Eventually the timberwolf left and I shifted. I had been laying on top of the stick that we had been digging another little cubby with.
“We did it Dawn! We escaped, and that stupid timberwolf can't find us!” I grinned but Dawn was staring at my flank.
“When did that appear?” Dawn asks pointing to my flank. I can't describe my joy when I looked and saw on my flank three hoof prints. It was so joyful looking at it this that first time, not just three horseshoes that don't look like a trail. But hoofprints in a trail formation. I was so happy.
“My cutiemark! I've finally got my cutiemark!”
“But... What does it mean?”
“It means that I'm good at tracking. When I looked up you were gone and then I saw your tracks. I followed them, you know that I've never taken an interest in tracking before. But I just felt so alive when I was tracking you. And then you screamed... That was so exciting!”
We didn't have our berries and nuts because neither of us wanted to go back out into the forest until tomorrow, but we did have what we had and we had a great night.
,~\*~,
“Now I'm done darlings. Any questions?” They shake their heads, really? Almost nonstop questions the whole story and when I finish they have none... My foals always surprise me.
“Ok, then. Go to bed. And sleep you can act out my story when you wake up.” Better revise that... “In the morning, I don't want you to get up when you are supposed to be sleeping.”
They nod, somewhat mischievously if you ask me, and pull the covers up around them. They look so innocent. Maybe they will go to sleep...
Cancel that last thought, it's only been an hour and I hear roaring. Ah the endless job of being a mother.
