The shaded guardian

As Fluttershy was tending to some of the younger deer, a darkness lurked in the forest just beside them, a darkness that couldn't be torn away from its pursuit. Fluttershy was smiling, giggling, and playing with the young fawns, not truly noticing anything other than the creatures before her.

She turned to Angel with a bright smile as she giggled and played "Angel? Could you go and make sure everything is alright with the other animals?" She asked sweetly of the white rabbit. Angel nodded his head and raised up into a small salute. The small bunny hopped off towards the house, Fluttershy returning to what she was doing with the fawns.

As she played along with the fawns, she felt the same breeze that she felt earlier, only this time it was slower and a lot heavier, as if it was pulling her to look at the forest. A chill went down her spine, her eyes widening as she felt the gust.

The air seemed to slow her time down, things happening in slow motion as she started to lose focus. The wind seemed to pull her glance towards the forest, her eyes still wide as she slowly looked into the grove.

As she glared into the seemingly infinite expanse that was the Everfree, she saw nothing, the still vines and leaves seemed to stop in time. Just as she was about to snap herself out of the trance, a dark figure crossed her vision, passing through the overgrowth of the  forest and moving rather quickly.

The figure was bulky and large, large gaps in its body. The figure was prowling it seemed, its path clearly around the pasture they were in. Soon the figure turned into two, three, four, all the same shape and pace through the forest.

Fluttershy was dazed and didn't know how to interpret the figures, she only knew they were beginning to circle her and the herd. In the middle of its pace, one of the figures heads turned towards the herd, its eyes a glowing green. Its eyes seemingly peered straight into Fluttershy, staring into her very being. Its glance paralyze Fluttershy, her breathing prolonging breaths and taking the air straight from her lungs.

She had never seen such creatures before, certainly wouldn't want to associate herself with such a creature from the dark recesses of the forest. The creatures then dispersed and came out of her view, sinking down into the overgrowth, like a mist that penetrated the ground.

Fluttershy's reality began to fade back in, things returning to normal speed as the gust ceased, the surrounding area growing silent. The fawns looked up to her, as if they were asking her "Are you alright?" They didn't know why she had grown so silent and stopped playing with them. Fluttershy looked to them, worried after seeing the terrifying creatures from within the forest.

Fluttershy didn't know what to do at that point, she was scared and afraid of what was only a few yards away from her, lurking in the shadows. Just as she was about to sprint back to her cottage, the alpha male of the herd's ears perked up, his head raising to observe the area around them.

A loud and thunderous roar came from the forest, the figures from before begging to pour out of the forest to surround the herd and Fluttershy. Their bodies were large and bulky, more so then when Fluttershy saw her in the forest. The bright sunlight revealed to Fluttershy what these creatures truly were... They were Timberwolves. Horrible creatures from deep in the Everfree.

They were made of the sticks and timber from the fallen trees in the forest, their bodies decrepit and vile, their long muzzles lined with razor edged pieces of wood. They were repulsive creatures, the most ferocious and intimating beasts in the forest.

They completely surround them all, Fluttershy absolutely paralyzed with fear.  She was so lost in terror, her mind going blank and her blood rushing cold. She felt the breeze again, sending another chill down her spine, her eyes opened wide.

The pack leader of the Timberwolves was much larger then the rest, towering over the deer and Fluttershy. He raised his head up and let out another loud roar, the roar echoing throughout the clearing and the surrounding area.

It sent the dear fleeing, all of them quickly retreating into the forest. Fluttershy remained their in the clearing, paralyzed with total fear, her muscles and joints locking up from the fear. Her body shook with the terror she felt at that one moment, it was almost like a dream to her, more like a nightmare.

The timberwolves began to prowl towards her, her eyes going from left to right, panning them pack, their glowing eyes staring right back at her. A rogue feeling was sent through her body, a sense of urgency and a sense of emergency. She shook her head quickly and jolted her body back. turning away from the pack and sprinting towards the treeline.

The pack leader then quickly holed once again, signaling the pack to charge right at her, all of them taking off towards her in unison. Fluttershy was too terrified to use her wings, the thought not crossing her mind at all, the only concern she had for that moment was to run, run as fast and as far away as she could.

She finally made it past the treeline, the timberwolves still on her tail as she trudged quickly through the overgrowth, her body getting littered with the dirt and grime of the leaves and plants around her. The timberwolves licked their lips, Fluttershy looking like the perfect meal for them, their bodies crashing through the forest and ripping up the overgrowth.

Fluttershy was panting heavily, practically and literally running for her life, her not caring about the small cuts and dirt on her body. She was running out of fear, running out of her shear desire to live and to survive, the thought of losing herself to the disgusting creatures only made her run faster.

It was many minutes later, Fluttershy's heart racing and her breathing quickly accelerated as she continued to tear her way through the thick under brush. The timberwolves still chased her, an almost seemingly endless pursuit to catch her. Fluttershy had the thought of her friends in the back of her mind, the only thing that was driving her forward at that point.

The light from the sun had all but disappeared, the thick canopy blocking all the sunlight from even remotely hitting the ground. Fluttershy could barely see a hoof in front of her face, her terrified grimace fixed upon her face. She felt only the muddy and soggy forest floor on her hooves, her body covered in dirt and mud, her mane completely ravaged by the trees and flora which was abundant.

She was now deep within the heart of the forest, the area around her eerily silent, the only sound she could hear was the pack trudging along behind her. She was all out of hope at that point, so far in the Everfree that even if she were to escape, she'd never be able to find her way out. She was about to fall over from the constant running, her strides becoming few and far between. The pack started to gain on her, Fluttershy's vision and  mind clouded and blank from the running.

She was about to collapse, her body about to go numb from exhaustion. The pack was still close behind, coming closer and closer, only a body length away from snatching her up. Their barks and howls were deep and drawn out, the sound notorious in the back of Fluttershy's head. Her thoughts were all but gone at this point, her only desire was to go home, back to where she belonged.

As the timberwolves grew closer, they were literally a horns length away from her haunches, Fluttershy absolutely exhausted and about to fall to her knees. She couldn't feel half her body, most of her feelings were numbed. She at that point closed her eyes and asked herself in her mind "Dear Celestia.... Please save me...." It was at that point that the ground beneath her started to crumble, her quickly looking down to see a shear cliff, lined with rocks and jagged edges.

She hadn't seen it from the lack of light and her vision almost gone at this point, one of the timberwolves launching itself forward. His leap was in vain, Fluttershy had begun her descent to wards the bottom of the cliff, her body going numb complete as she fell. Her vision went blurry and the world around her seemed to slow down once again. All she could make out was the forest canopy below her, the jagged rocks on the side of the cliff. She could hear her breathing only, the sound around her completely absent, her only thoughts her friends, her body soon coming down to the base of the cliff.

Her limp body landed on a small bush, getting trampolined back up into the air away from the cliff, her body then falling back down to the earth. She looked up at the top of the cliff with her blurry vision, seeing the figures of the wolves looking down at her, soon disappearing. She felt somewhat safe at that point, her eyes slowly closing, her numb body too limp to move. She soon passed out, her mind going completely blank and her eyes falling shut. Her body lay there in the dimness of the dark forest, alone and weakened from her endeavors....