Ponies of the Beyondby DADERPSTERChaptersThe RockslideRaising Filly-WolvesTo find a winter den...SeparationAloneSilver the SeekerWinter's RealizationThe RockslideThunderheart lay in the ivies next to Faolan. It was hard work learning how to train a wolf pup when all she knew were bears. Faolan had been with her at least 5 nights now, and Thunderheart was worried she wouldn't be a good enough mother to the poor pup. She looked again on the spiral on the pups' splayed paw and shuddered. what does it mean? she wondered. The female bear would never understand. she had had three cubs, bear cubs of her own, in the past; one had been stolen by an angry bear, another killed by a male bear with a yearning to mate, and her most recent was that of the day she found her gift from the river. that was exactly what Faolan's name meant; river's gift. The grizzly stood up and shook her chestnut brown pelt. Faolan looked up at her with deep green eyes and shook his own silver pelt, copying his Milk Mother's movements. "Come," Thunderheart grunted. "we need to dig up more wild onions. you need to bulk up a bit." Faolan made a face, and pretended he couldn't walk because of his splayed paw, rolling over and flailing it in the air with fake whining and whimpering. Thunderheart gave him a huff of intolerance and lumbered over to him, pushing him back to his paws. "Stop faking, Faolan. You cannot use that excuse anymore. Now come." the pup simply gave a small growl of anger and stomped toward the wild onion patch with his head angrily down. Thunderheart suppressed a chuff of amusement, her doubts forgotton for the moment. I'm a good mother to him. I bet every wolf mother deals with this sometime or another. But a wolf mother would've fed him meat by now, not just wild plants that were edible, or bugs that could be found under bushes. He needed real hunting training, not just these. Thunderhearts doubts returned in a millesecond, and the great grizzly thought as she dug up wild onions with her son. ***** It was night now at the summer den, and Thunderheart gazed up at the stars, telling Faolan the history of the great bear constallation, Ursa. "You see the claws on her front paws?" "Yes." "The owls of the Great Ga'Hoole tree call them the Golden Talons. If you go down to the sea, you can see them practicing on their island." "I will one day, Thunderheart. I'll go down to the sea and maybe even swim there! But why, mother, is it called Ga'Hoole?" Thunderheart thought a moment. "I think Ga' was a word meaning magical spirits, or good spirits, in Hoolian. Many suggest Hoole was a word made by the wolves. It means owl." "So its the Magical Owl Spirt Tree?" Thunderheart chuckled. "I suppose you could call it that." Faolan yawned. "I'm tired." "Let's go back in the den, then." She picked up her pup and carried him in the den, allowing him to nurse. Again, her doubts filled her head as she sat up for the pup to nurse.Did wolves nurse their pups laying down? She sighed. maybe I'm not cut out to be a mother, The bitter thought struck Thunderheart like lava from the volcanoes in the Beyond, burning into her painfully. Ursus, give me a sign. She pleaded, falling asleep herself. Thunderheart had heard a rumble last night from not-too-far-off. She wanted to check it out, for it was within the bounds of her recently marked territory. Making sure that Faolan was close behind, she walked toward where she had heard the noise. Where a small cliffside clearing had been the day before, there was a pile of rocks. Thunderheart notices a rockslide from the top of the hill just above the pile. Faolan walked a bit closer, sniffing eagerly. "Careful, Faolan." the grizzly warned. "I couldn't take it if i lost you in this." "I smell something! something weird!" the pup replied, sniffing close to the pile of rocks. The great grizzly looked at the pile curiously, listening. She heard the faintest snuffling and scraping, as if something were under the pile. Curiosity winning her over, she walked over to the pile. "I'll have a look." she carefully removed rocks, making sure that the path she was clearing wasn't knocking any rocks inside the small cave the rocks had formed. When she cleared away a hole big enough to reach her paws into, she peered inside. Faolan scrambled up next to her. "Urskadamus," Thunderheart murmured. Although it wasn't something bad that made her curse. It was something... how could she describe it? Two pairs of eyes looked at the duo with fear. One pair was hot pink, the other was the exact green of Faolan's eyes. Thunderheart heard them whimper in fear. "Shhh, its alright." she grunted softly, pulling the creatures out. They were as big as Faolan, who was still small at the moment. She noticed first that the creatures she had rescued weren't any that she had seen in the Beyond. The one with the pink eyes had a dark gray pelt, wings coming from her back and a horn from her head. she had white fur from her head and her tail was also white. The green-eyed one was a silver sheen and also had wings, though no horn. her head-fur was also white, as well as her tail. how curious,Thunderheart thought. Faolan sniffed them with a confused look. "What are these?" he asked. Considering these things related to the caribou, she replied; "Some type of hooved creature. I've never seen it." Faolan blinked at the pair of fillies. They blinked back. It was as if it was a little play they planned out, mimicking every movement Faolan did. Thunderheart chuckled. It must be a sign, the grizzly thought excitedly. Ursa didn't want her to give up on being a mother, so he had sent her these two creatures. "I will name you... Silverwolf. Because your pelt shines silver and your eyes are that of a wolf." she pointedto the lighter filly, who perked in delight to her name. "And you, I shall call..." she examined the darker one, although she didnt realize that her breed was alicorn. "I shall call you Raven Feather. Your pelt is as dark as a ravens' plumage, and you yourself have wings." The alicorn filly seemed satisfied. Thunderheart was simply excited beyond knowledge. Silverwolf stared at Faolan for a moment, marvelling how close they looked to each other. Raven eyed her wings, wondering if she could fly.Thunderheart merely watched them with content. Ursa did not want me to give up, [i/] she thought. I won't let her down! [i/] Author's Note And so, that was the first chapter. Wow. I didn't think it would end up that long! I just hope everyone enjoys it. please, comment and critique. I could use the extra hooves/paws/hands! Raising Filly-WolvesA few days after the rockslide was discovered, Thunderheart was sure she was destined to be a mother. She had lost three cubs, but from Ursa herself, she had gotten three more. a blessing, the bear thought. a blessing and a curse, she added humorously as she watched Silverwolf and Faolan playfighting. Raven, sitting nearby and watching a butterfly, started as the two bumped into her and she immedietly jumped into the air. Thunderheart chuffed with laughter. Maybe one day I could get a rouge smith to teach her flight, she pondered on this for a bit, then decided against it. Not only did the bear not know any rouge owl smiths, the bears and the owls didn't really have a close relationship, unlike with the wolves. Bears were loners in the Beyond, and so didn't usually seek out the night birds or the swift canines. she'll learn one day. The bear also looked at Silver's wings thoughtfully. The pup obviously didn't like to use them. Thunderheart paused. I called her a pup! She knew that, whatever creatures Raven and Silverwolf were, they weren't pups, cubs, or hatchlings. She had never seen animals such as this. They were four-legged, but they had hooves and obviously they were capable of flight. If they were taught. Thunderheart grunted as a cool breeze stirred the air, again bringing her attention back to an important fact; autumn was coming, and she had to get her young fatter if they were to rest all winter. But Thunderheart was curious; wolves didn't hibernate, did they? Being asleep all winter, she wouldn't know. And what about Silver and Raven? Did they go into longsleep as well? All Thunderheart knew was, she needed to teach them to hunt. There wouldn't be berries, grubs, or leaves in winter. That she knew. "Silverwolf, Faolan, Raven! Come here." All three came over to her, and, immedietly assuming they were going into the forest, started heading that way. Thunderheart gave a gentle growl and butted them in the side with her head. "This way," she said, directing them to the river. "What are we doing here?" Raven asked curiously as they sat on the bank. "Are we swimming?" questioned Silver. "No, little ones. You need to learn to hunt to survive. you must grow fat for the winter." The grizzly explained. "Now, catching fish can be easy during some seasons, such as this season and the springtime." The grizzly indicated the river, where salmon were jumping out of the water, heading downstream. All three nodded. "Food won't always be easy to catch, though. you must learn to catch them under the water." so Thunderheart indicated that they be silent, and stared at the river. The three waited awhile, and soon Thunderheart heard Raven and Faolan whispering. She knew that pups and cubs could get impatient. Faolan gave a whimper and glanced over at a bush longingly. Thunderheart gave a grunt of approval and the two bounded over to the bush to harvest berries and grubs, a favorite of the bears and also a favorite of Faolan and Raven. Silverwolf remained silent by the great grizzly, watching her carefully. In a few more minutes, the grizzly saw a trout and slapped her paw into the water, plunging her muzzle in and pulling out a writhing fish. she dropped it on the bank and bit it in the back of the neck, blood spilled. Faolan and Raven looked over at the smell of the blood, walking over slowly. Silver stared at the catch in amazement. Faolan, once coming over, crouched and laced his ears back, looking from the fish to Thunderheart. The other two did the same, although Thunderheart wasn't sure if they were mimicking or if that was what they did. what in the name of Ursus do they want me to do? I caught them the fish. They need to eat it. The three were looking from the fish to the grizzly. Thunderheart stumbled upon a realization suddenly; they want me to eat before them! She stared at the pups in amazement for a moment, then bit off the fishes head and ate the meat that was on the skull. Now the three surged forwards, gulping at the fish eagerly and enjoying the meat. How will they survive if they wait for the greater to eat first? they need to serve themselves! The grizzly fretted as her young gulped at the fish. The day had been rather eventful after the fishing lession, teaching her own how to do it. Faolan's splayed paw proved good at this, and Thunderheart came up with the idea for Silverwolf to use her wing like a net, catching the fish in it and furling the wing to hold the slippery body. Raven's horn was used to stab through the fish at the precise moment, and so all three now had their own way of hunting. After this, Thunderheart had taken them to her territory border and taught them to mark. Thunderheart realized that the two fillies couldn't do this, and decided that they could watch the other two do this. Raven quickly came up with the idea of using her horn again, scratch marks on the tree from it's sharp tip, and Silver scraped at the ground with a hoof. Thunderheart was proud of her daughter's clever ways of thinking. The winter came closer still as the leaves turned from green to orange, from orange to gold, from gold to brown, falling to the ground helplessly. Thunderheart knew that winter would be coming in a few days, and worried again about the protection of her pups. They hadn't fattened, and Thunderheart had taught them all ways of hunting; from hunting fish to caribou. Raven had amazingly taught herself to fly; when she jumped one day, she flapped her wings for extra boost to get to a high place, and amazingly found herself soaring effortlessly through the air. She knew what her little ones could do, and they could most likely survive the winter without her, but that didn't stop the grizzly from worrying. I'll just have to hope for the best, the grizzly thought. Author's Note And so, there is another chapter of Ponies of the Beyond. I'm trying to do as much as I can to keep it along the lines of the book. Yes, in the charachter thingie on the front it says it has the mane 6 and CMCs, these guys will come in later. I'm working on this twice a week, and my school is getting a holiday week soon, where there will be several days off, not all at once. That time I'll get as much done as I can. For now, please cope with two chapters per week. To find a winter den...Thunderheart looked at her cubs. That was what she had labelled them as; Cubs. It made it easier for her. Silverwolf (whom had taken to being called Silver for short), Raven Feather (who didn't mind being called Raven), and Faolan had grown much scince spring. She had to tell them of her coming change now, before she got to tired to tell them and fall asleep with them thinking she died. Oh, she couldn't handle that! "Cubs!" she had bellowed a few moments before. "Come here. I must tell you someting." Now, with her children assembled before her, she felt her heart ache. Ursa, let them survive the winter without me! "Cubs, we must find a winter den today. There is big change for me that is coming and..." Thunderheart's voice failed her for a moment before she could continue. "And you must use what I taught you to survive the winter. I do not know if your kinds sleep during the winter as I do, but..." again, Thunderheart swallowed in her dry throat. I've raised three cubs and this never happened! Oh, being a mother is hard! "We can handle the winter!" Raven said, hopping up on her hooves happily. "We can hunt food for you too!" Silver stood up, her smaller wings opening happily. "We can even try to sleep like you!" Faolan barked. Thunderheart shook her head, then beckoned her cubs after her to find a winter den. *** About an hour later, the zoo of a family had dug out a den made of an old lava bed, far from the river. Thunderheart turned to her cubs once they were done. She gave a small chuckle as she saw them covered in some soot, although it was less visible on Raven due to darker color. "Alright, now, you might get bored in the den, with me being asleep-" she broke of when there were barks and growls of protest, and raised her paw for silence- "You have my permission to go outside. There are hares around this area, I know it." Faolan's eyes flashed with indigance. "Are you expecting us to play with hares?! Are you taking us for rabbits?!" "FAOLAN!" Thunderheart roared. "Don't act stupid! I expect you to hunt the rabbits, not play with them!!" "Oh!" Faolan said meekly, and his sisters nearly fell over with laughter. Author's Note ... no, I didn't have a chance last weekend, and I am starting two other crossovers at the moment so I am deep in thought right now. Apoligies for the shortness of the chapter. Separation"That way! The elk is that way! Not left, for the love of Ursa!" Raven was calling down. Silverwolf looked up at the dark shape of Raven, hardly visible through the blowing snow. "In case you haven't noticed, it's rather hard to see!" Silver retorted, nearly tripping over Faolan. Silver squinted to protect her eyes from the rubble of snow that was blowing into their faces. The wolves who had been howling a while ago had kept to their promise and left after a moon. It was nearing the end of winter, but it still blew snow and sleet. Raven looked down. She had been gaining speed without noticing, and now was shocked to see neither sibling behind her. "Silver? Faolan?" she called, but nothing was heard but the bellows of the wind around her. Which way is the den? Raven began to worry. Had she lost everyone? She banked a turn and began to fly backwards, hoping to see her siblings. Faolan had been the only successful hunter, and held a rabbit in his jaws. He tried to see Silver in front of him in the snow, but it got thicker and soon they seemed to be separated by a wall of white. He put down his rabbit and began to bark and growl into the whiteness. "Silver! Silver, come back! I can't see you!" nothing answered him but the snow, which was beginning to cover his pelt. Thunderheart woke to a foggy mind. She could tell that spring wasn't here, but something was missing. She looked around the cave, panicking when she saw it empty of her children. She had forgotten that they had her permission to go out. She stumbled to the entrance, looking slightly drunken, and looked at the blizzard outside. It would be cold, but the only thing that mattered to her was finding her cubs. Thunderheart growled and left the den. All three of Thunderheart's offspring were scared now, each trying to find their way back to the den, when a rumbling sound was heard. All three held still, although each in different locations, they all knew, deep down, that something terrible had happened to their dear Thunderheart, AloneA whimpering sound could be heard within a five foot earshot of a nearby tree. If one carefully looked up into that tree, they would see a strange apparation with a horn and wings, and see a pink glow of eyes. Raven was laying in the tree limply, silence bothering her; not even in the time of the slow heart was she this unsettled by silence. She continued to call out her siblings names hoarsley, but she was unable to establish any contanct with them. She had sat in the tree for awhile, remembing what Thunderheart told her; If you ever get lost, stay where you are and call my name till I find you. But Raven wasn't sure if Thunderheart would find her; she already knew something terrible had happened to her when the earth shook. Tears began to stream from the eyes of the alicorn filly. No! You mustn't give in to pain! There has to be something you can do. Her own thoughts made her straighten up, and she turned her mind back on. Think, where can you go... Where? She looked at her hooves in thought before an idea formed in her mind. She remembered staying awake after Silver and Faolan had fallen asleep, and Thunderheart had told her about the owls on the island in the sea. "What were the owls of Ga'Hoole like, mum?" "Well, they are kind, strong, and brave. If you stand by the sea and look toward the island, you'll see the chaws practicing their navigation." "Ga'Hoole. Such a funny name. Why is it called that?" "Well, some say that Ga' is the owl word for strong spirit, and Hoole is the wolf word for owl." "Do I have Ga', mum?" Thunderheart had chuckled. "Yes, I beleive you do." That was it. She would go to the edge of the sea and fly to Ga'Hoole. Surely she would get some help from the kind Guardiens there! She stood on the branch, the thin wood wobbling under her sudden weight and creaking ominously. She looked at her wings, then up at the sky, now clear and starry. She pointed out the shape of the Great Bear and whispered "Please, guide my wings." And then she was gone. Silver the SeekerSilver whimpered, cowering in a rough snow-den she had made. She all alone, and her siblings could be anywhere in this storm. She wondered where her feathered sister and river-gifted brother were, but overall cried and wallowed in her own self-pity. The wind rage outside had gone, and now dawn light began to rise over the island of Ga'Hoole. She turned away from it, finding no hope in the new day, and stood. Her belly howled with hunger. Looking around, she sought out tracks of anything edible. When nothing was found, she resorted to searching under rocks for grubs and stripping withered berries off of bushes. She wined a bit out of loneliness, and sat down, wincing at the cold sting the snow left on her flank. She glanced towards the Outlands. Thunderheart has told her, Raven and Faolan to never go there. But what if her siblings had gone there by mistake? A surge of protectiveness washed over her towards her family. I will find you, then nothing will separate us again! With that, she lifted her wings and started travelling, going straight into press-paw speed as she headed to the Outlands to find her brother and sister. Author's Note Sorry for the short chapter! ;-; Winter's RealizationWinter had come soon afterwards. First it started out gentle, but soon short blizzards had covered the ground in snow. Thunderheart's three children were eager to learn the new season, but they only went out to hunt, bringing back their food for the grizzly to eat with them. But the later into winter, the less active Thunderheart was, until she didn't wake up for her pups anymore. Faolan had found it troubling that the great heart he had nursed near with his sisters months before was beating slower during the grizzly's sleep. Silverwolf seemed neutral about it. She tried to reassure her brother that it was most likely natural, as Thunderheart had told them, and she would wake in the spring when the trees were growing leaves again. She also felt put off, however, about how her milk mother's heart was slowing. It didn't seem natural. Thunderheart's thundering heart didn't slow when she had slept before, and Silver felt unease that the heart would slow so much that it would stop and never start again. Raven didn't mind at all. The heart was still beating, and to her, that was the only important thing besides survival. The group of three had developed their own strategy for hunting. Raven would fly overhead, using her forehooves to direct them to the closest prey, while Silver and Faolan would attack the prey from below. If the prey was too fast for her siblings, Raven would drop down on the prey, landing hard enough to break its spine. Although the two fillies were meant to eat vegetarien foods, they had grown to eating meat thanks to Thunderheart. Raven woke one night from her spot beside Thunderheart, hearing a beautiful howling from outside. From her experience of living with a wolf and a bear, she understood what the howls meant; I am here, with my brothers and sisters. We are all safe, and we will travel to a new den in a moon. she also heard another message tied into that one, however; This is our territory. Do not tresspass. She looked out and saw Faolan sitting there, prey at his paws, and she could see Silver laying by the entrance, eyes closed but ears perked. Much like those wolves, I am safe with my family, in the winter. Thunderheart will wake up, even in the bitter cold, and we will be together. We were found to survive together.
The RockslideThunderheart lay in the ivies next to Faolan. It was hard work learning how to train a wolf pup when all she knew were bears. Faolan had been with her at least 5 nights now, and Thunderheart was worried she wouldn't be a good enough mother to the poor pup. She looked again on the spiral on the pups' splayed paw and shuddered. what does it mean? she wondered. The female bear would never understand. she had had three cubs, bear cubs of her own, in the past; one had been stolen by an angry bear, another killed by a male bear with a yearning to mate, and her most recent was that of the day she found her gift from the river. that was exactly what Faolan's name meant; river's gift. The grizzly stood up and shook her chestnut brown pelt. Faolan looked up at her with deep green eyes and shook his own silver pelt, copying his Milk Mother's movements. "Come," Thunderheart grunted. "we need to dig up more wild onions. you need to bulk up a bit." Faolan made a face, and pretended he couldn't walk because of his splayed paw, rolling over and flailing it in the air with fake whining and whimpering. Thunderheart gave him a huff of intolerance and lumbered over to him, pushing him back to his paws. "Stop faking, Faolan. You cannot use that excuse anymore. Now come." the pup simply gave a small growl of anger and stomped toward the wild onion patch with his head angrily down. Thunderheart suppressed a chuff of amusement, her doubts forgotton for the moment. I'm a good mother to him. I bet every wolf mother deals with this sometime or another. But a wolf mother would've fed him meat by now, not just wild plants that were edible, or bugs that could be found under bushes. He needed real hunting training, not just these. Thunderhearts doubts returned in a millesecond, and the great grizzly thought as she dug up wild onions with her son. ***** It was night now at the summer den, and Thunderheart gazed up at the stars, telling Faolan the history of the great bear constallation, Ursa. "You see the claws on her front paws?" "Yes." "The owls of the Great Ga'Hoole tree call them the Golden Talons. If you go down to the sea, you can see them practicing on their island." "I will one day, Thunderheart. I'll go down to the sea and maybe even swim there! But why, mother, is it called Ga'Hoole?" Thunderheart thought a moment. "I think Ga' was a word meaning magical spirits, or good spirits, in Hoolian. Many suggest Hoole was a word made by the wolves. It means owl." "So its the Magical Owl Spirt Tree?" Thunderheart chuckled. "I suppose you could call it that." Faolan yawned. "I'm tired." "Let's go back in the den, then." She picked up her pup and carried him in the den, allowing him to nurse. Again, her doubts filled her head as she sat up for the pup to nurse.Did wolves nurse their pups laying down? She sighed. maybe I'm not cut out to be a mother, The bitter thought struck Thunderheart like lava from the volcanoes in the Beyond, burning into her painfully. Ursus, give me a sign. She pleaded, falling asleep herself. Thunderheart had heard a rumble last night from not-too-far-off. She wanted to check it out, for it was within the bounds of her recently marked territory. Making sure that Faolan was close behind, she walked toward where she had heard the noise. Where a small cliffside clearing had been the day before, there was a pile of rocks. Thunderheart notices a rockslide from the top of the hill just above the pile. Faolan walked a bit closer, sniffing eagerly. "Careful, Faolan." the grizzly warned. "I couldn't take it if i lost you in this." "I smell something! something weird!" the pup replied, sniffing close to the pile of rocks. The great grizzly looked at the pile curiously, listening. She heard the faintest snuffling and scraping, as if something were under the pile. Curiosity winning her over, she walked over to the pile. "I'll have a look." she carefully removed rocks, making sure that the path she was clearing wasn't knocking any rocks inside the small cave the rocks had formed. When she cleared away a hole big enough to reach her paws into, she peered inside. Faolan scrambled up next to her. "Urskadamus," Thunderheart murmured. Although it wasn't something bad that made her curse. It was something... how could she describe it? Two pairs of eyes looked at the duo with fear. One pair was hot pink, the other was the exact green of Faolan's eyes. Thunderheart heard them whimper in fear. "Shhh, its alright." she grunted softly, pulling the creatures out. They were as big as Faolan, who was still small at the moment. She noticed first that the creatures she had rescued weren't any that she had seen in the Beyond. The one with the pink eyes had a dark gray pelt, wings coming from her back and a horn from her head. she had white fur from her head and her tail was also white. The green-eyed one was a silver sheen and also had wings, though no horn. her head-fur was also white, as well as her tail. how curious,Thunderheart thought. Faolan sniffed them with a confused look. "What are these?" he asked. Considering these things related to the caribou, she replied; "Some type of hooved creature. I've never seen it." Faolan blinked at the pair of fillies. They blinked back. It was as if it was a little play they planned out, mimicking every movement Faolan did. Thunderheart chuckled. It must be a sign, the grizzly thought excitedly. Ursa didn't want her to give up on being a mother, so he had sent her these two creatures. "I will name you... Silverwolf. Because your pelt shines silver and your eyes are that of a wolf." she pointedto the lighter filly, who perked in delight to her name. "And you, I shall call..." she examined the darker one, although she didnt realize that her breed was alicorn. "I shall call you Raven Feather. Your pelt is as dark as a ravens' plumage, and you yourself have wings." The alicorn filly seemed satisfied. Thunderheart was simply excited beyond knowledge. Silverwolf stared at Faolan for a moment, marvelling how close they looked to each other. Raven eyed her wings, wondering if she could fly.Thunderheart merely watched them with content. Ursa did not want me to give up, [i/] she thought. I won't let her down! [i/] Author's Note And so, that was the first chapter. Wow. I didn't think it would end up that long! I just hope everyone enjoys it. please, comment and critique. I could use the extra hooves/paws/hands!
Raising Filly-WolvesA few days after the rockslide was discovered, Thunderheart was sure she was destined to be a mother. She had lost three cubs, but from Ursa herself, she had gotten three more. a blessing, the bear thought. a blessing and a curse, she added humorously as she watched Silverwolf and Faolan playfighting. Raven, sitting nearby and watching a butterfly, started as the two bumped into her and she immedietly jumped into the air. Thunderheart chuffed with laughter. Maybe one day I could get a rouge smith to teach her flight, she pondered on this for a bit, then decided against it. Not only did the bear not know any rouge owl smiths, the bears and the owls didn't really have a close relationship, unlike with the wolves. Bears were loners in the Beyond, and so didn't usually seek out the night birds or the swift canines. she'll learn one day. The bear also looked at Silver's wings thoughtfully. The pup obviously didn't like to use them. Thunderheart paused. I called her a pup! She knew that, whatever creatures Raven and Silverwolf were, they weren't pups, cubs, or hatchlings. She had never seen animals such as this. They were four-legged, but they had hooves and obviously they were capable of flight. If they were taught. Thunderheart grunted as a cool breeze stirred the air, again bringing her attention back to an important fact; autumn was coming, and she had to get her young fatter if they were to rest all winter. But Thunderheart was curious; wolves didn't hibernate, did they? Being asleep all winter, she wouldn't know. And what about Silver and Raven? Did they go into longsleep as well? All Thunderheart knew was, she needed to teach them to hunt. There wouldn't be berries, grubs, or leaves in winter. That she knew. "Silverwolf, Faolan, Raven! Come here." All three came over to her, and, immedietly assuming they were going into the forest, started heading that way. Thunderheart gave a gentle growl and butted them in the side with her head. "This way," she said, directing them to the river. "What are we doing here?" Raven asked curiously as they sat on the bank. "Are we swimming?" questioned Silver. "No, little ones. You need to learn to hunt to survive. you must grow fat for the winter." The grizzly explained. "Now, catching fish can be easy during some seasons, such as this season and the springtime." The grizzly indicated the river, where salmon were jumping out of the water, heading downstream. All three nodded. "Food won't always be easy to catch, though. you must learn to catch them under the water." so Thunderheart indicated that they be silent, and stared at the river. The three waited awhile, and soon Thunderheart heard Raven and Faolan whispering. She knew that pups and cubs could get impatient. Faolan gave a whimper and glanced over at a bush longingly. Thunderheart gave a grunt of approval and the two bounded over to the bush to harvest berries and grubs, a favorite of the bears and also a favorite of Faolan and Raven. Silverwolf remained silent by the great grizzly, watching her carefully. In a few more minutes, the grizzly saw a trout and slapped her paw into the water, plunging her muzzle in and pulling out a writhing fish. she dropped it on the bank and bit it in the back of the neck, blood spilled. Faolan and Raven looked over at the smell of the blood, walking over slowly. Silver stared at the catch in amazement. Faolan, once coming over, crouched and laced his ears back, looking from the fish to Thunderheart. The other two did the same, although Thunderheart wasn't sure if they were mimicking or if that was what they did. what in the name of Ursus do they want me to do? I caught them the fish. They need to eat it. The three were looking from the fish to the grizzly. Thunderheart stumbled upon a realization suddenly; they want me to eat before them! She stared at the pups in amazement for a moment, then bit off the fishes head and ate the meat that was on the skull. Now the three surged forwards, gulping at the fish eagerly and enjoying the meat. How will they survive if they wait for the greater to eat first? they need to serve themselves! The grizzly fretted as her young gulped at the fish. The day had been rather eventful after the fishing lession, teaching her own how to do it. Faolan's splayed paw proved good at this, and Thunderheart came up with the idea for Silverwolf to use her wing like a net, catching the fish in it and furling the wing to hold the slippery body. Raven's horn was used to stab through the fish at the precise moment, and so all three now had their own way of hunting. After this, Thunderheart had taken them to her territory border and taught them to mark. Thunderheart realized that the two fillies couldn't do this, and decided that they could watch the other two do this. Raven quickly came up with the idea of using her horn again, scratch marks on the tree from it's sharp tip, and Silver scraped at the ground with a hoof. Thunderheart was proud of her daughter's clever ways of thinking. The winter came closer still as the leaves turned from green to orange, from orange to gold, from gold to brown, falling to the ground helplessly. Thunderheart knew that winter would be coming in a few days, and worried again about the protection of her pups. They hadn't fattened, and Thunderheart had taught them all ways of hunting; from hunting fish to caribou. Raven had amazingly taught herself to fly; when she jumped one day, she flapped her wings for extra boost to get to a high place, and amazingly found herself soaring effortlessly through the air. She knew what her little ones could do, and they could most likely survive the winter without her, but that didn't stop the grizzly from worrying. I'll just have to hope for the best, the grizzly thought. Author's Note And so, there is another chapter of Ponies of the Beyond. I'm trying to do as much as I can to keep it along the lines of the book. Yes, in the charachter thingie on the front it says it has the mane 6 and CMCs, these guys will come in later. I'm working on this twice a week, and my school is getting a holiday week soon, where there will be several days off, not all at once. That time I'll get as much done as I can. For now, please cope with two chapters per week.
To find a winter den...Thunderheart looked at her cubs. That was what she had labelled them as; Cubs. It made it easier for her. Silverwolf (whom had taken to being called Silver for short), Raven Feather (who didn't mind being called Raven), and Faolan had grown much scince spring. She had to tell them of her coming change now, before she got to tired to tell them and fall asleep with them thinking she died. Oh, she couldn't handle that! "Cubs!" she had bellowed a few moments before. "Come here. I must tell you someting." Now, with her children assembled before her, she felt her heart ache. Ursa, let them survive the winter without me! "Cubs, we must find a winter den today. There is big change for me that is coming and..." Thunderheart's voice failed her for a moment before she could continue. "And you must use what I taught you to survive the winter. I do not know if your kinds sleep during the winter as I do, but..." again, Thunderheart swallowed in her dry throat. I've raised three cubs and this never happened! Oh, being a mother is hard! "We can handle the winter!" Raven said, hopping up on her hooves happily. "We can hunt food for you too!" Silver stood up, her smaller wings opening happily. "We can even try to sleep like you!" Faolan barked. Thunderheart shook her head, then beckoned her cubs after her to find a winter den. *** About an hour later, the zoo of a family had dug out a den made of an old lava bed, far from the river. Thunderheart turned to her cubs once they were done. She gave a small chuckle as she saw them covered in some soot, although it was less visible on Raven due to darker color. "Alright, now, you might get bored in the den, with me being asleep-" she broke of when there were barks and growls of protest, and raised her paw for silence- "You have my permission to go outside. There are hares around this area, I know it." Faolan's eyes flashed with indigance. "Are you expecting us to play with hares?! Are you taking us for rabbits?!" "FAOLAN!" Thunderheart roared. "Don't act stupid! I expect you to hunt the rabbits, not play with them!!" "Oh!" Faolan said meekly, and his sisters nearly fell over with laughter. Author's Note ... no, I didn't have a chance last weekend, and I am starting two other crossovers at the moment so I am deep in thought right now. Apoligies for the shortness of the chapter.
Separation"That way! The elk is that way! Not left, for the love of Ursa!" Raven was calling down. Silverwolf looked up at the dark shape of Raven, hardly visible through the blowing snow. "In case you haven't noticed, it's rather hard to see!" Silver retorted, nearly tripping over Faolan. Silver squinted to protect her eyes from the rubble of snow that was blowing into their faces. The wolves who had been howling a while ago had kept to their promise and left after a moon. It was nearing the end of winter, but it still blew snow and sleet. Raven looked down. She had been gaining speed without noticing, and now was shocked to see neither sibling behind her. "Silver? Faolan?" she called, but nothing was heard but the bellows of the wind around her. Which way is the den? Raven began to worry. Had she lost everyone? She banked a turn and began to fly backwards, hoping to see her siblings. Faolan had been the only successful hunter, and held a rabbit in his jaws. He tried to see Silver in front of him in the snow, but it got thicker and soon they seemed to be separated by a wall of white. He put down his rabbit and began to bark and growl into the whiteness. "Silver! Silver, come back! I can't see you!" nothing answered him but the snow, which was beginning to cover his pelt. Thunderheart woke to a foggy mind. She could tell that spring wasn't here, but something was missing. She looked around the cave, panicking when she saw it empty of her children. She had forgotten that they had her permission to go out. She stumbled to the entrance, looking slightly drunken, and looked at the blizzard outside. It would be cold, but the only thing that mattered to her was finding her cubs. Thunderheart growled and left the den. All three of Thunderheart's offspring were scared now, each trying to find their way back to the den, when a rumbling sound was heard. All three held still, although each in different locations, they all knew, deep down, that something terrible had happened to their dear Thunderheart,
AloneA whimpering sound could be heard within a five foot earshot of a nearby tree. If one carefully looked up into that tree, they would see a strange apparation with a horn and wings, and see a pink glow of eyes. Raven was laying in the tree limply, silence bothering her; not even in the time of the slow heart was she this unsettled by silence. She continued to call out her siblings names hoarsley, but she was unable to establish any contanct with them. She had sat in the tree for awhile, remembing what Thunderheart told her; If you ever get lost, stay where you are and call my name till I find you. But Raven wasn't sure if Thunderheart would find her; she already knew something terrible had happened to her when the earth shook. Tears began to stream from the eyes of the alicorn filly. No! You mustn't give in to pain! There has to be something you can do. Her own thoughts made her straighten up, and she turned her mind back on. Think, where can you go... Where? She looked at her hooves in thought before an idea formed in her mind. She remembered staying awake after Silver and Faolan had fallen asleep, and Thunderheart had told her about the owls on the island in the sea. "What were the owls of Ga'Hoole like, mum?" "Well, they are kind, strong, and brave. If you stand by the sea and look toward the island, you'll see the chaws practicing their navigation." "Ga'Hoole. Such a funny name. Why is it called that?" "Well, some say that Ga' is the owl word for strong spirit, and Hoole is the wolf word for owl." "Do I have Ga', mum?" Thunderheart had chuckled. "Yes, I beleive you do." That was it. She would go to the edge of the sea and fly to Ga'Hoole. Surely she would get some help from the kind Guardiens there! She stood on the branch, the thin wood wobbling under her sudden weight and creaking ominously. She looked at her wings, then up at the sky, now clear and starry. She pointed out the shape of the Great Bear and whispered "Please, guide my wings." And then she was gone.
Silver the SeekerSilver whimpered, cowering in a rough snow-den she had made. She all alone, and her siblings could be anywhere in this storm. She wondered where her feathered sister and river-gifted brother were, but overall cried and wallowed in her own self-pity. The wind rage outside had gone, and now dawn light began to rise over the island of Ga'Hoole. She turned away from it, finding no hope in the new day, and stood. Her belly howled with hunger. Looking around, she sought out tracks of anything edible. When nothing was found, she resorted to searching under rocks for grubs and stripping withered berries off of bushes. She wined a bit out of loneliness, and sat down, wincing at the cold sting the snow left on her flank. She glanced towards the Outlands. Thunderheart has told her, Raven and Faolan to never go there. But what if her siblings had gone there by mistake? A surge of protectiveness washed over her towards her family. I will find you, then nothing will separate us again! With that, she lifted her wings and started travelling, going straight into press-paw speed as she headed to the Outlands to find her brother and sister. Author's Note Sorry for the short chapter! ;-;
Winter's RealizationWinter had come soon afterwards. First it started out gentle, but soon short blizzards had covered the ground in snow. Thunderheart's three children were eager to learn the new season, but they only went out to hunt, bringing back their food for the grizzly to eat with them. But the later into winter, the less active Thunderheart was, until she didn't wake up for her pups anymore. Faolan had found it troubling that the great heart he had nursed near with his sisters months before was beating slower during the grizzly's sleep. Silverwolf seemed neutral about it. She tried to reassure her brother that it was most likely natural, as Thunderheart had told them, and she would wake in the spring when the trees were growing leaves again. She also felt put off, however, about how her milk mother's heart was slowing. It didn't seem natural. Thunderheart's thundering heart didn't slow when she had slept before, and Silver felt unease that the heart would slow so much that it would stop and never start again. Raven didn't mind at all. The heart was still beating, and to her, that was the only important thing besides survival. The group of three had developed their own strategy for hunting. Raven would fly overhead, using her forehooves to direct them to the closest prey, while Silver and Faolan would attack the prey from below. If the prey was too fast for her siblings, Raven would drop down on the prey, landing hard enough to break its spine. Although the two fillies were meant to eat vegetarien foods, they had grown to eating meat thanks to Thunderheart. Raven woke one night from her spot beside Thunderheart, hearing a beautiful howling from outside. From her experience of living with a wolf and a bear, she understood what the howls meant; I am here, with my brothers and sisters. We are all safe, and we will travel to a new den in a moon. she also heard another message tied into that one, however; This is our territory. Do not tresspass. She looked out and saw Faolan sitting there, prey at his paws, and she could see Silver laying by the entrance, eyes closed but ears perked. Much like those wolves, I am safe with my family, in the winter. Thunderheart will wake up, even in the bitter cold, and we will be together. We were found to survive together.
