Chapters Off the Beaten Path
By Sojourner and Piko
Chapter One:
____________________________
Dad was sick, so unfortunately, I had to do his portion of the work today. But that's okay with me. I really don't mind the heavy labor. It gives me time to focus, to think about things, to wonder at the strangeness of the Everfree. What was it about this place that made it so different from the rest of Equestria? Quite the conundrum, really.
I've finally managed to stack up three good piles of firewood, as well as enough planks to build a small house. Doing it by hoof was no easy feat, of course. Magic would have been much faster. But good old dad made sure I'd learned it the old fashioned Earth Pony way. And, honestly, it feels good.
Chop after chop could be heard from within the Everfree, the sound a monotonous, ordered rhythm against the chaotic chittering of the Everfree beasts. Sweat worked itself down Whisper Wood's brow as she took a small break from her work.
She sighed and sat, staring at the piles of branches and twigs strewn throughout the work yard. She blew an errant strand of orange mane out of her eyes while she rested, running a hoof over the grey fur of her arms as she soothed her aching muscles. Wood chopping was long and hard work, made longer and harder by her refusal to use her unicorn magic to speed up the process.
"Maybe, I can find a good piece this time...."
She began rooting through the wooden planks and beams, looking for just the right piece to build her next creation.
Ever since she was young, Whisper had found the art of archery her favorite pastime. She wanted to make that one perfect bow, one that would surpass all those shoddy ones she had made for practice. Those were tools, but this one would be art. She continued to look, growing more frustrated as she found nothing useful for her task.
"Mmmmmm.... There's gotta be a good one somewhere..."
Digging nearby trying to assist was the mare's Earth Pony sister, Tiny Tree. The filly's light brown coat was slightly dusty from the ground, and her dark brown mane was pulled back in a ponytail. She was working as hard as Whisper looking through the wood, though she had no idea what she was actually looking for. She had simply tagged along to watch the arrows fly. She had always enjoyed watching her sister practice her archery, especially when the arrows hit the targets dead center. She hoped she might be as good at it if she could ever get the chance.
Grumbling, Whisper looked up from the wood stack, trying her best to keep her orange mane out of her eyes again, puffing air at the locks that fell in front of her face.
"Find anything, sis'?" She huffed as she popped out of the wood, tossing a small twig she had in her hoof back into the pile.
Tiny Tree shook her head, giving a frown at the wood. She kicked a piece aside grumbling as well. Whisper sighed.
"Well, guess I might as well get back to work. Dad's got a big order to fill tomorrow, and the work's not even half done yet."
Whisper looked to the sky. The sun was still barely poking it's head over the horizon, beyond the heavy covering of clouds. Celestia must have been smiling on her that day; It meant there was still plenty of time to get things finished.
She wiped her face with a foreleg before moving back to the log she had left. It was about halfway split, and large enough to get a good three or four long, strong planks out of it. She looked to her younger sister, giving her the usual scowl she always did. "So what'cha up to then? Gonna go chase a Wood Wolf again or something? Maybe you'll find that changeling you were so certain was here yesterday. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a Kelpie." Whisper gave an impish smile. "I've heard they love little foals, especially the plumps ones. Kinda like you."
Tree went a bit pale.
"S-shut up..." Tree said, looking away trying to ignore her big sister. "A-and there was a changeling..." she said before sticking her tongue out. Whisper gave an evil laugh, slowly moving closer to her sister, hunched over and trying to appear menacing.
"Of course there was. Probably best friends with the Kelpie down by the Hydra Marsh. Bet’cha they're thinking about what to do with you right now. A stew, maybe? A pie? Or even cupcakes?"
Tree was a bit teary eyed.
"S-stop it!" She said, her imagination making her see all kinds of monsters in the trees around the two. She looked around nervously. Suddenly, a leaf blew up against her and she jumped, ducking under Whisper. She was shaking worse than a bush in the wind. Whisper laughed again, tussling her little sister's hair.
"Then again, maybe they won't. I don't know what they’re thinking, after all. Maybe they'll leave you alone, or maybe..." she leaned down to whisper into her sister's ear, "They'll come and get 'cha in the middle of the night, right out of your bed."
Tree bit her sisters leg in response, not biting down too hard but enough to get her message across.
"Maybe I’mma kelpie in disguise that wants to eat you," Tree said before pouncing her sister.
Whisper gave a small 'ow!' of surprise as her sister bit down, and before she could react, she found herself out of breath due to the small pony shaped missile that had been launched at her midriff.
Whisper growled. "You asked for it, baby sis'!"
Seeing as Tree was still under her, Whisper promptly plopped down, using her weight to hold the little filly in place. Tree let out a yelp as she was pinned beneath the bigger pony. She tried to squirm out from underneath, but instead found herself stuck. She grumbled a bit and gave a pout as she sat sideways under her sister.
"Big sis’ pins with big butt!" She said, sticking her tongue out again.
Whisper returned the tongue stick with one of her own. "And don'tcha forget it, shrimp!"
Tree continued to try and free herself from under the belly as a raindrop hit her nose. She looked up at the sky. It was starting to darken, a thick blanket of clouds blowing in from the forest. "S-sis..." She said, trying to get Whisper to notice.
"What? Giving up?" Whisper let a smile move across her face, not noticing the building clouds. It had been cloudy all day, but she had been certain she would get the work done in time. "That's a first."
Suddenly, there was a crack of thunder as the rain began falling. Hard. Tree tried to wriggle out again.
"I did not give up..." She said, managing to roll over under Whisper, sort of.
Whisper sighed and looked up, closing her eyes. "Of course." Her hair fell down around her ears, framing her face and forcing her to use a hoof to keep it out of her eyes. She stood quickly, finally letting Tree loose.
"Come on, Tree," Whisper says. "We gotta get home." She began looking for the path home.
Where was it again...
Left-right-left-right. She looked back and forth around the clearing, and still she couldn't seem to find the way out.
"Uhm," Whisper said hesitantly. "And, off we go," She said, false confidence in her voice as she moved to where she thought the path was. Tree jumped up and followed, shaking her mane out of her eyes every now and then. She stuck her tongue out one last time at having been plopped down on, but stopped when she gave a shiver at the cold water.
"Don't get too wet now," Whisper snickered as she kicked a puddle behind her at Tree. "Mom won't be happy if you need another bath." Tree did her best to dodge it, getting her left side covered in mud.
"Hey!" Tree said, running up and trying to jump onto Whisper’s back. She missed and landed in the puddle with a splash, getting herself filthy. "Whisper..." She whined, the sibling torment the two went through having reached it peak for the day.
Whisper looked around. Where was the blasted path going? She turned left before noticing her sister laying in the mud puddle on the edge of tears.
Maybe I pushed it too far.
Whisper went back to her sister and give a small smile. "I'll give yea that bath when we get home, okay? I won't let mom get mad at’cha." She gave her sister a little nuzzle and helped her back up.
Tree smiled and went to climb on her back.
"T-thanks," She said, leaning against Whisper for support, and ended up rubbing most of the mud off onto her sister. She looked around, wondering where exactly they had ended up. The area was very certainly not the right way home.
Whisper didn't mind the mess her fur was now in, ‘nor did she mind her sister crawling up on her back. She simply set her shoulders a little wider to carry the extra weight while she walked. The further she walked, the darker and rainier it was getting.
"Crap," Whisper whispered. "Where's the stinkin' path?"
Tree looked down.
"A-are we lost?" she asked, shaking from the cold rain. Whisper looked back to her sister, keeping her smile reassuring. " 'Course not. I'm just taking the long way. No worries." Though the rain began to thin slightly only due to the canopy, the light continued to die down.
Damn it, I wished I had my compass....
Tree gave a nod and a little yawn, "Mind if I nap a little...?" She asked doing her best to ignore the rain. There was some glowing moss that somewhat highlighted the trees and gave the raindrops an unearthly shine.
"Go ahead. We'll be home soon," Whisper responded, though that possibility was looking slim. Tree’s breathing became even and deep as she fell asleep.
Whisper saw a tree could ahead. There was a big hollow in it that they could duck into for the night. Making sure her sister was still asleep, Whisper quietly set her down in the hollow, making sure the rain wasn't pooling beneath before taking up residence at its opening. Luckily, the large hollow was deep and well hidden, camouflaged by the tree’s roots.
"Damn it," Whisper spoke darkly. This was going to be bad.
Tree shivered and rolled over, giving a little yawn. The tree was big enough for the two of them, and managed to be relatively dry. The rain continued to fall, and Whisper felt her eyes growing droopy. She had to maintain a vigilant watch, though, at least until Tiny Tree woke up. Even playing pretend with her sister, she knew the real dangers of these woods weren't changelings or even the mythical Kelpies. No, they were things much more physical, and dangerous.
"I won't be of any use, if I'm tired," Whisper said to herself, her words punctuated by a yawn. Tiny Tree grabbed a hold of her hoof and snuggled it.
Whisper smiled a little and let her eyes fall shut, and was soon snoring away as the rain continued to fall.
Off the Beaten Path By Sojourner and Piko
Chapter Two:
____________________________
The sound of chirping reached Whisper's ears, and she blinked blearily, looking around before realizing where she was.
"Tree...?" She looked back in a panic, only to find her sister snuggled up comfortably on her behind. Tree was holding onto Whisper like she was a giant teddy bear. She sighed, glad to see her sister was okay.
And that's when she heard the sniffing.
She froze, and her ears twitched, her snout scrunched. "Not. Cool," she spoke in a hush.
Tree slowly awoke with a yawn, looking around with sleepy eyes. She took a moment to remember they were in a tree and held onto Whisper tighter. "Whisper?"
"Tree. Don't make a sound," Whisper said, creeping up to the opening to look around. She couldn't hear the sniffing anymore.... or anything else, for that matter. It was completely silent.
Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit....
Tree gave a squeak. Whisper flinched at the noise, and was almost certain that everything around them froze. A small growl could be heard from behind the tree. "Shit..." Whisper said. "Stay in here Tree. Whatever happens, stay put." Whisper dashed out of the tree, making a loud racket. "YaaahhhoooOo! Over here, ya ugly sapplin'!" A massive timber wolf barreled out from behind the tree, saliva dripping from its jaw as it gave chase, following Whisper away from the tree. Whisper kept hollering, luring the creature closer. She dove into a roll across a small ravine, Quickly looking back and seeing the thing careen after her. She lined up her hind legs, ready to buck it into next week. It jumped and she struck. Its velocity was too great, however, and it slammed into her...
Tree ran out of the small hole they had called a home, screaming Whisper's name in a panic. She was starting to tear up, scared that she was about to see her sister ripped apart before her eyes. Whisper and the wolf rolled a few times. Each one Had a different goal: Whisper planned to get away, and the beast wanted its teeth on her throat. Though it landed on top once the roll was over, it wasn't expecting the swift buck to the stomach that sent it flying back toward the ravine, and Tiny Tree.
"Tree...Tree!" Whisper cried out. "Run Sis'!" Tiny Tree let out a yelp as the wolf barreled into her sending them both down the ravine. "Tree! Tree! Sis’!" Whisper quickly ran to the edge of the ravine, looking down, her eyes searching frantically. The wolf had fallen all the way down into the ravine, splinter's from it's body scattered around the dirt. Tree had landed on a small edge sticking into the ravine. She was quivering with fear, blood trailing down her lower body.
"Sis? Sis, you okay?" Whisper called down. Tree coughed in response and looked up weakly. Whisper did her best to calm down. "I-I'll be down in a second...." She levitated bits of wood with her magic and weaved them together into a makeshift ladder, which she then used to get down into the ravine.
Tree rolled a little. She had some nasty scrapes, and her left rear leg was bent backwards. Whisper slipped on the muddy cliff-side, tumbling the last few feet down onto the escarpment. She stood up and grimaced before looking to Little Tree. "How bad do you hurt, sis?" Whisper asked, looking down at the leg. She cringed inwardly at the odd angle it was sitting at. Tree gave a moan of pain and a small whimper, looking up at her sister.
"I-I'm ok," She said in an obvious lie, trying to hide her panic which escaped as another whimper. Whisper was worried; she had never dealt with any kind of medical emergency before. All she knew was that it was a good idea to splint the leg in place. The question was, with what?
"I'm going to try and find something for your leg," Whisper said, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. Tree gave a nod, not really able to argue as she was stuck there right now. The bend in her leg showed a bit of bone pressing against the skin in a few places. Whisper looked around to see what she could find. A few straights sticks and some twigs, as well as some supple vines that would work well as rope. She carefully carted them down to Tree, and sat back next to her. Tree looked up to her sister, waiting for the pain to go away. She gave a deep breath, waiting for Whisper to set the leg. Whisper bit her lip in worry. "Okay, so, this is probably going to hurt a little, so try not to cry, okay?" She slowly put her hoof on the leg.
Does it go like this? I don't know, I've never known where bones go.... .
Taking in a breath, she slowly began moving her sisters leg back into position.
After some trial and error, tears that could not be resisted, and a good touch of screaming, Tree was left biting her lip as she had her leg splinted. Whisper finally managed something she felt she was happy with. She looked into her sister eyes, watching the few tears left that Tree was fighting desperately to hold back.
"Hey," Whisper whispered to her distraught sister, "it's over now. Splints all set." The thing was definitely amateur, but hopefully it would hold her leg in place and keep it from flopping around while Whisper did her best to sort out this mess. Tree did her best to push herself up with her front hooves since they weren't hurt like the hind ones. She managed to balance on three keeping her weight off her rear leg.
"Nono," Whisper said, lowering herself to the ground. "You’re riding on my back, and no if's, and's, or but's about it."
Tree nodded weakly in response. "Y-yes sis," She said, climbing up. mud was clinging to her, hiding a few other scrapes and bruises she had.
"We'll find our way out, don't you worry," She put on the biggest smile she could manage. "Then we'll head into town to see nurse Redheart about that leg, mmkay?" Tree gave a nod and settled onto her sisters back, her hind legs hanging off her sisters flanks a bit loosely as she came along for the ride.
"So...." Whisper said, looking around, "Do you have any idea where we're at?" Tree shook her head, looking around. The trees were rather dark and the light was not getting through at all. "Can't even tell if the sun is out or not, and not where it's setting either...." Whisper harumphed and began climbing the ladder. "Hold tight."
Once they finished climbing the ladder, Whisper did the only thing she could think of; backtrack to where they were and hopefully figure out where they came from. She carefully lowered Tree to the ground inside the tree root hollow and began exploring the surrounding area. Though she was fairly certain of the direction they had come from, there was no discernible trail, whether of hoofprints, broken twigs and leaves, disturbed leaves, anything. It was almost as if they had never been through at all. When she turned, she found the same thing true of the direction toward the ravine. She would have expected to at least see claw marks from the beast on the trees and roots where it had past, but there weren't.
"Shit..."
The trees shook around her as a wind came through. They almost seemed alive, and a chill went down her spine as a feeling of being watched spread through her body, her fur pricking up and her breathing coming in short gasps. Whisper wasn't about to worry her sister. Sure, the two of them didn't get along sometimes, But they were sisters, and sisters watched out for each other, petty grievances be damned.
Whisper came back to the small hallow. "I think I found the way back,” she lied, trying her best to sound hopeful. "For now, you should get some rest. That way we'll be good to go in a few hours. What do you think?" Tree nodded, in agreement with her older sister.
"O-ok," She said, not really believing the words... Whisper had a tendency to show her teeth a bit too much when she lied. It was mostly in the smile... it seemed too forced. Whisper managed to get Tree relatively comfortably into the tree hollow without causing further damage to her leg.
"Get some rest, okay? We'll set out soon." Tree gave a nod and went to close her eyes, the sudden danger and her injury having tired her out. Whisper looked out with worry at the surrounding woods. She had not been particularly frightened by trees before now, but something about them now felt almost suffocating. They seemed to actively close in at her thought, though she was certain it was only an illusion of her fear-addle brain.
"What did that Pink pony from town say? Giggle at the Ghosties, or something like that?"
A haunting cry echoed out from the wood.
"Really, really wish I could," she said, popping her head out from behind the tree where she had hidden from the sound.
Off the Beaten Path By Sojourner and Piko
Chapter Three:
____________________________
Whisper gave a small 'eep' and quickly ducked down behind the tree when she thought she noticed a pair of eyes looking back at her from the trees, glowing yellow against the darkness.
Not another one, please not another one, please not another one....
Nervously, she looked out from behind the tree. The eyes were gone, and the sounds of the forest continued unabated. Whisper quietly crept back into the tree.
Whisper had been on lookout for the past few hours, and she was almost certain something was prowling around out in the trees beyond her vision. The eyes seemed to be gone, but her fur was standing on end all across her body. Something was there, even if every other sense she had told her otherwise. Whisper continued to listen, straining her ears to hear whatever it was that was sneaking around. But she still heard nothing. Nothing at all seemed out of place, no lack of sound from the other forest creatures, no growls of a successful predator. Soon, she felt her eyes grow heavy.
Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me...
Her breathing became steady and shallow, and she shut her eyes.
____________________________
There was a loud crack. Whisper jumped, standing up suddenly and looking around, wide eyed. Was the tree falling apart? The monster really was out there, wasn't it?
"Tree?" Whisper called frantically, staring around wide eyed for her sister. She relaxed when she saw the younger foal looking at her with concern.
"S-sis, I’m thirsty..." Tree said in a pained whimper. she reached a hoof out toward Whisper, her leg bleeding profusely, the back of the hollow invisible in the darkness. Whisper was frightened.
"O-o-of course! We'll get you some water! I'm sure there's a river or a lake or something nearby.... We need to get moving anyway..." It hadn't felt as though it had been long, but sleeping just left them vulnerable. Whisper moved to her sister. "Let's get you up, come on."
Tree tried to push herself up, making small noises of pain as her leg jostled. For some reason, Whisper paused as she was ready to pick up Tree. The darkness seemed to be playing tricks on Whisper. Tree' eyes seemed to be off, something subtle... was it the shape of her pupils? the way they reflected the light...? whatever the case, the dangers they faced staying there pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind.
"Come on Tree," Whisper said, "there's a good girl." Whisper tried to help Tree limb onto her back, with her.... Wait, why wasn't her leg splinted? Tree waved a hoof weakly, managing to get herself up. Even her weight seemed off. She was far too heavy. Was she growing weaker from a lack of food, perhaps?
Tree rested her head against the back of Whisper's.
"Tree?" Whisper asked, "where is the splint? Did it fall off, or...?"
Tree gave a weak breath, and in a pained whisper replied, "I don't know..."
Everything told Whisper something here wasn't right, but she shook it off as nothing. "Come on, we'll get you something." She finished helping Tiny Tree get onto her back as she spoke. "And, Sis? I want to apologize for being so mean to you at the work site. I'm just having fun being a big sister, ya know?" Tree gave a nod against her hide that came off as a soft nuzzle, yawning softly. Slowly, Whisper made her way out of the small hollow, sweeping her vision across the area before moving out of the shelter. The wood was still chattering with noise, but it had subsided somewhat. The light had died down somewhat as well, amplifying the contrast between the shadowed and lit areas of the woods.
"Where to go...." In the silence, a small babbling brook could be heard, as if something was amplifying the running waters noise to her. "Rain must have covered the sound..." Whisper moved in the direction of the water. "I think I hear some this way, Tree. Hold tight."
Tree Wasn't moving much, shifting here and there as they made their way along. She was acting strange too... normally, Tree would be rather jumpy, especially in the dark. "Tree, are you okay? You're being far too quiet..." Whisper asked in worried tones.
"J-just sleepy," Tree said as her injured leg twitched, the blood seeming fresh on her coat, despite the fact it should’ve clotted long ago.
"Here we are," Whisper stopped at the edge of a large, beautiful lake. A flowing river on the opposite edge fed its depths. In fact, it was so deep that she couldn't see the bottom.
All that rain must have really made this lake grow!
"There we are, then," Whisper said proudly. At least she managed to find something this time.
Tree went to climb down, bracing herself with her front legs. She stumbled muffling a cry of pain as she came down on her bad leg. She bit down on her lip tightly before limping over to the water for a drink. She paused, leaning over it and looking down, her reflection staring back at her.
"Sis, you shouldn't be trying to walk!" Whisper cried out. How... how was she managing to even stand? The leg had been broken so badly... "Tree?"
Tree started to look pale, her eyes drooping sullenly, and with a splash she fell forward into the water. A few bubbles rushed to surface around the ripples.
"Tree!" Whisper screamed.
I shouldn't ,I, have let , maybe, I need, she’s drowning, where is she I can't see her what do I..?
Whisper frantically dove in after her sister. She could not let her go.
Something grabbed a hold of Whisper. Whatever it was, it was not Tiny Tree. Tendrils grabbed a hold of her hooves as something swam past quickly, leaving a light red trail in the water behind it.
Whisper, startled, let out a surprised gasp: A horrible decision on her part, being underwater and all. The tentacles were grasping at her, pulling her down. She had no air. None...
What... What...... How. Where is.....?
She struggled, pushing at the vines with all her might, wriggling and slicing out with her magic. Anything, nothing mattered excepting getting away; her mind was full of nothing but the desire to flee.
But... What about Tree? I need to get her home, I can't leave her out here, out here to die... We need to get home...
She redoubled her efforts, eyes shining as she struggled harder against her bonds.
With a burst of magic, she managed to break one of the bonds pulling her down. A strange, echoing cry of pain reverberated through the water. She tried even harder, pushing and pushing to get away, but she could feel herself weakening. there wasn't any air in her lungs. she needed to breathe, just one gulp.....
Celestia help, please...
It was a gulp of water as she was out of air, her mind growing heavy as she continued to sink down.
She couldn't think straight....
Anything.... Help... I can't leave Tree all alone....
