Moonlight shined through the glass of my window as I lay on top of the covers of my mattress. It bathed my bedroom in its ethereal light, preventing any shadows from covering me in their pond of blackness. In the center, I lounged – a book lying in my forehooves – my mane sprawled around me from the wings down. My tail half sat and half hung with me, its tuff just barely touching the carpet of my floor.

A schliff of paper being moved temporarily broke the silence I was engrossed in as I turned to the next page of my book. Call Of The Wild was its name - telling the tale of one dog torn between the world of demi-humans and the world of wolves. Slowly answering the call beckoning him ever so closer to his brethren of the wilderness. It was a good book in all honesty. Tying in one of the two things I loved in the form of adventure and nature in a way that left me craving for more.

I almost felt like I was in the book instead of the main protagonist himself. Following the path laid before me bit by bit until I was completely on its trail. It reminded me of the things I went through on the one I’m on currently. And what I had gained – and lost – along the way.

Knocking from behind my door made my ears perk, and my eyes shifted over to watch it opening with a gentle creak. An indigo muzzle poked through the opening as a mare’s head followed suit, her ruby-red mane flowing down to her knees like a hotel curtain. An ebony nightgown hugged her figure save for her forelegs and bronze hooves as they carried her inside my room.

“Eve?”

My soft and almost inaudible voice echoed in the quiet as I said the cayuse’s nickname. It made her jump in surprise like she was expecting me to be out for the night. It would explain why she was being so quiet now. As opposed to how loud she would be during the day, which honestly wasn’t by much.

“Oh… I’m sorry Emerald Fang,” She said, surprised in her elegant and smooth voice. “I wasn't aware you were awake still. I thought you already went to sleep.”

“I think anyone would be from the birthday party you and Dad threw for me,” I commented, my head turning to face her. “Is there something you need?”

“No, I was just coming to see how you were fairing. I was going to join your father before I came,” Evelyne denied. “Are you having trouble sleeping?”

I shook my head as I said up, one hoof pressed against the page of the chapter I was reading as I pulled it towards me. “No, I was reading. I figured I would pass the time if I looked at one of my books before getting some shuteye.”

“Is it another nature novel?” My stepmother asked dryly as she walked over to me. It was a tone I heard many times before. Telling me of the humor she found in me indulging in what I was into from the age of six. It didn’t bother me. She never made fun of me or put me down for something I enjoyed. Choosing instead to give her support in something she did not understand herself – something I always loved her for.

“It is,” I said, flipping the book over to show its cover. “It’s two stories combined into one book. Call Of The Wild and White Fang. I haven’t read the second one yet, but I’m already halfway through the first. The other one looks like it will be longer though.”

“Ah, that book, hm?” Evelyne hummed, bronze eyes eyeing the titles – and wolf – embedded on the front. “Yes, you mentioned getting this one some time ago when you visited for the holidays last year. An early Hearth’s Warming present for yourself. Are you enjoying it?”

“More than I thought,” I stated honestly, the corners of my lips upturning to form a tiny smile. “I was on the fence about it at first, but something kept telling me to get it. I also kept hearing good things about it, and it helped me in my decision. This book is something if I’m being honest.”

“What is it you like most about it?” Evelyne’s head tilted to the side like a kitten figuring out how to play with a new toy. It was the same look she would get when she wanted to learn about new things she never heard of before. That was another thing I liked about my stepmother. She took a genuine interest in my life – interests and all. Never doing it out of some sort of obligation, but because she genuinely wanted to get to know me. Like she always did when I was just a colt.

“How I see myself inside the protagonist,” I answered as I looked off to the side. “I feel like we’re alike in a way. Going towards something we don’t know and keeping at it the more we figure out. It’s like I was in the story and going on the adventure instead of him. But what stuck to me most… was how he kept pushing through it all.”

“Are you referring to his resilience?”

“Something like that,” I nodded. “I didn’t notice at first since I was still in the story’s early stages. But the more I continued, the more it became clear… how Buck endured trial after trial and kept getting past it. Even when it seemed like he was at the end of his rope. And before he knew it, he found what it was he was searching for. Kind of like someone I know…”

I saw Evelyne pause from the corner of my eye like she wasn’t expecting me to say that. In a way, she knew what I was talking about even if I didn’t say it outright. My father would too if he were here instead of her. Even my younger brother – Silent Storm – could explain the deeper meaning behind my words if one were to ask him. It was something we and those close to us knew, and it was the reason I was where I am now. Where I could continue to be for as long as I drew breath.

“Is that so? Well, he must be quite the compelling character if you’re able to connect with him to that extent,” Evelyne chuckled. “I just hope that he won’t distract you from getting your required sleep. One does need a proper amount of function in the day. Or night if you’re like your brother.”

“I haven’t had a ‘proper sleep’ in the last four years. What’s the point in saying that now?”

“Just some generous advice from a stepmother out of love for her stepson,” Evelyne said, paying no attention to the bluntness in my statement. “It may not seem like much, but it is just my way of showing you how much you mean to me. I have Silentium of course, but I love you like you were my son too.”

I sighed as I closed my eyes. “…I know. And you mean as much to me as Dad and Silent Storm.”

“I figured as much,” Evelyne giggled before getting up from my bed. “Alright, I think I’d better get going now. If I keep Whitehawk waiting I think he might turn your house upside down looking for me. I’ll leave you here so you can finish your reading. Good night, and happy twentieth birthday.”

“Good night,” I say back as she kisses my forehead. With a final smile, Evelyne headed back to my door, her nightgown dragging slightly behind her in her walk. She was just about to go into the hallway before I stopped her. “And Evelyne?”

She stopped at hearing me say her full first name. “Yes?”

“If you decide to check up on me again sometime tonight and I’m not here, just know I decided to go there,” I said. “Tell Silent Storm the same thing if he comes looking for me and asks where I am. He’ll know.”

My stepmother’s eyes widened slightly, her forehoof twitching as it rested on the doorknob. She stood there for a moment as if processing my words despite understanding what I was saying. Another smile – more solemn than the last – replaced the gaping mouth she had before giving a response.

“I understand,” Her voice took on a matching tone as she spoke. “I’ll be sure to tell your father in advance if he does the same. If you do decide to… go there, please be careful. And tell Natura… I said hello.”

I gave no response to that request. I didn’t need to, for the nod I gave Evelyne said enough. With that parting gesture, the mare left, my viridescent gaze staring where she once was. I did that for a time before easing myself back onto my bed. Taking my hoof away from the page I bookmarked, I began to resume reading, planning on getting through another chapter. It was around this time when I suddenly felt… it.

It was a faint feeling. Just a light pang that anyone else would’ve passed off as a jab of pain that could only come from a headache. I knew better. It was something I had familiarity with. A sign I learned to pay attention to since I was only seven. One I never ignored since that night – and the nights leading up to now.

The sign of a Feral Feeder.

Forgetting the book in my grasp, I got up on my hooves, moving to the window next to me to stare out it. I looked at what was ahead of me, paying no attention to the city around me. Or the flora that decorated its exteriors to make it one with the wilderness that surrounded it. A tigerish growl rumbled in my throat as I pinpointed the source of the sinister magic slithering into my psyche.

It was time to go hunting.

It took longer than I would have liked, but I was able to get what I needed for my trip. My weapons were easy enough to get. Just a trip to the downstairs basement and a look in the smithing chest to see what tools were of use. It was a different story for the cloak I used for concealment. I eventually found it hanging outside in the backyard of my home instead of being taken in. Evelyne must have forgotten to bring it back to me while she was doing other housework. No matter – I had it and I was ready to use it.

No sooner was I armed was I exiting my front door and going down the street. I didn’t fly or break into a sprint while going on my way. I wanted to conserve the energy I had until the time I needed to use it against the ones I was going after. The ones I had been going after since the day I started on this path of slaughter. I didn’t know how many there were. If it was a loner. If it was weak or strong. Or if it was going to stay where it was. I knew none of this nor did I care. I only cared about getting to it before it went after anyone else.

Before I knew it, I was at the gully. A waterless trail that boarded between Nirvana and the Forest of Foxen. Chosen by the founder of my city - and island - to be where they would build the place I would call home. I stood on its bridge for a minute or two, staring at the trees that were parted for my entrance and departure. Part of me almost didn’t want to go in there. For in this forest not only contained some of my most treasured memories, but also my greatest regret.

The regret that ignited the fire in me to go on this mission.

The regret that will follow me for the rest of my days.

The regret I must fight to ensure never happens again.

Or die trying.

Inhaling a breath I let out shakily, I trudged into the Foxen Forest, allowing it to swallow me in its vegetative embrace. I then noticed how quiet it was and just how still the air felt. I knew that wasn’t a good sign. Quietness usually meant a predator was on the prowl and was looking for any available prey. What I was feeling was a different kind of quiet no one wanted to feel, and I was dead set on making sure it was gone. Even if it took me until the crack of dawn, I’d leave it on the ground bleeding and broken.

Through the close attention I was paying to the state of the forest, I saw a speck of light glinting from in front of me. I first I thought it was an animal, but I soon realized it was the same light I used to read the story now lying in my room. I didn’t feel like staying in the darkness anymore, so I moved towards it, wanting to be under the comfort of the moon. Pushing a branch out of my way, I took one look at the clearing I was in and felt myself go still at what I was seeing.

Underneath the glow of the sphere of white, a treehouse stood, towering over the field of grasses spanning over the treeless patch. Leaves and branches covered it like candy on a muffin house, a latter hanging from what could only be assumed as the way up. A pond flowed on the left side its liquid reflecting the nocturnal light onto its surface. From the water to the clearing’s edges, flowers sprouted – their petals blooming like butterflies from cocoons.

If I were anyone else, I would have been confused as to what a child’s treehouse was doing here. I was not such a person because I knew who it belonged to. That being me, who was looking at it like it was a second home he had long since forgotten. It was for good reason. In the form of the unicorn statue standing tall and proud in front of the treehouse.

My face betrayed no emotions as I started at the statue, looking back at me as if it was expecting me to be there. I didn’t look away from it for even a moment. Not when I ventured deeper into this hidden paradise I searched so intently for. Or as I crossed the field of flowers that seemed to part at my every step. Even as the stoniness on my face gave way, I never once looked away from the figure’s carved face. Only when I was in front of it did my gaze move to the platform it stood on and the words engraved in the limestone.

It was only several sentences of writing. A piece that could be read in under thirty seconds. Yet to me, it felt twice as long. Each word I read felt like a claw to the heart that kept slicing and ripping until nothing was left but tattered remains of meat and crimson. By the end I was shaking, teeth stabbing at my lower lib to where I could feel a trickle of my life fluids run down my chin. It wasn’t the first time I was driven to this state and it wouldn’t be the last. But it didn’t make it easier than the first time it happened.

Four years. Four years since the day my whole world changed. Since the day I lost the old me and became the new me. It was a day that haunted me even now at a time when I should have long since moved past it. But how can someone move on from what I went through? How could anyone even begin to walk away from it? People often commented to me how amazing I was. How strong I had to have been to keep moving forward from what I experienced. That somehow – someway – I was able to put it behind me and move on for my mother’s sake.

But they were wrong. I didn’t move on and I didn’t put it behind me either. And I doubt I will for a long time… if I ever decide to at this point.

Swallowing the lump inside my throat, I sucked in a mouthful of air as it filled my lungs like a gust of wind. I hung my head as my mane spilled over my eyes, filling my vision with pastoral and obsidian as I fought to tame my emotions. I wanted to cry. Gods above I wanted nothing more than to fall to this ground of grass and flowers and cry in front of the statue that stood before me. To beg for the forgiveness that – deep down – I knew I would not get for I committed no crimes. A truth that did nothing to erase the weeds of guilt in my soul.

It had to have been at least five minutes before I calmed down. I stayed how I was, making sure I was not going to break down before looking at the grave again. For the faintest moment, I could have sworn I saw a beautiful unicorn mare in front of me instead of the statue. Smiling and eyeing me with a look of warmth that only a parent could’ve been able to conjure up. Around the same time that I blinked, she was gone, letting the statue take her place.

“Wings of Epona, I am out of it,” I bitterly said to myself. “First I’m having flashbacks of me losing my parent and now I’m having hallucinations of her? Guess I was more tired from that birthday party than I thought. I suppose that’s what happens when you watch your mother get murdered right in front of you.”

I can still remember that day as if it just happened hours ago. It was near the end of my sixteenth birthday that my life took a turn. My mother and I were on a walk through the Foxen Forest as a way to conclude my completing another trip around the sun. I was so happy. So carefree and ignorant of what was going to happen. If I had any worries or fears, there were none, probably because I had Mom by my side. As long as I had her – had my family – everything would be fine.

It happened so fast that neither of us saw it coming. One minute, my Mom and I were relaxing inside the safety of the forest, and the next we were staring into the jaws of death. Everything from then onward I can recall as vividly as the saber-tooth cutie marks on my flanks.

Energy weighing down on me like a statue of ice.

Howls of creatures not of this realm.

Pooling blood burning my nasal cavities with its putrid scent.

Roars of grief ripping from my throat as I hugged my mother's lifeless form.

If anyone were to ask me what the most traumatic period of my life was, I would choose this. It’s one thing for someone to hear another going through such an event. To experience it yourself is something that cannot be described in words. It doesn’t just stay with you. It changes you. Into something you never thought you would be. This was how it was when my mother was taken from me. From Dad. From Evelyne. From Silent Storm.

It was for that reason that I did this. Why I chose to do what I came here to do. What I have done in the past and will continue to do. Until the day comes when none of those monsters ever drew breath again. If that day ever comes.

I was just clearing my mind of the macabre images when I felt the same unpleasant sting from earlier. It immediately put me on high alert, and I spun forward to face the source as it grew in intensity. With each passing second, it became heavier, pushing me down like an elephant’s foot. I felt I was going to be squashed by the time the source arrived, but that was soon replaced with rage upon seeing what it was.

I’ve seen many creatures throughout my lifetime that had distinctive features. Some were ugly. Others were beautiful, while others were somewhere in between. I didn’t mind them. They were all made in the image of nature as a way to show the beauty and ugliness it held. None of this is what the Feral Feeders represent, and their actions have proven so. Each time I look at them, I see only one thing behind those skeletal masks of white.

Destruction.

It’s not a word I usually associate with creatures. Not even with non-native species that invade a land not of their own. But I found it appropriate for ones that were the likes of them. Every time I so much as think about them, I see nothing but death in their wake. An omen that would no doubt follow them after having their way with the Sverre Islanders until there was nothing left.

Another reason why I couldn’t leave them be. If I didn’t slay them, who else would?

Widening my stance, I planted my hooves into the ground, my head lowering to the same level as the nine wolfish beings that appeared before me. Each growled at my presence as if displeased at seeing me there in the first place. A snarl left me as I bared my teeth, the tuft of my tail shaking like a rattler’s as my black stetson obscured my left eye. It must have been perceived as a warning because the pack paused and stared at me cautiously. Like they were weighing their options with me to see if I was prey or competition.

‘Not like that matters anyway,’ I thought uncaringly. ‘They’ll gonna find out soon enough that I’m not an easy target. One of us is going down tonight, but it isn’t going to be me.’

Without warning the lead Feral Feeder barked before leaping at me, its jaw open and fangs ready to rip out my throat. Such was the speed that it came at me that I had no time to get out a weapon. I was about to jump back, but I quickly remembered what was behind me, and instead went on the defensive.

Balancing myself on my forehooves, I lashed out with my left back hoof and let it collide with the Feral Feeder’s face. A satisfying crunch filled my ears as I heard its skull-like mask shatter between it before it went tumbling back. I then grabbed its tail with my elongated teeth and spun it around before letting it sail towards the pond. Whimpers left its maw as it hit the surface with a violent splash, indicating it was down for the count.

Seeing one of their own taken out of the fight, the other Feral Feeders decided to go about things a bit smarter than before. Two rushed at me instead of one, the first one zeroing in on me to take me down quickly. I leaped at him as he evaded my attack, trying to get at my side, but I was quicker. Reaching into my cloak with one hoof, I pulled out a dagger before plunging it into the back of its neck, using the other to pin him down.

Paws running on dirt signaled the second Feral Feeder behind me, and I leaped in the air just as its jaws snapped at my calcaneus. It reared up to meet my descent, giving me the opening to stab it in the chest as I bit into its neck. Red liquid flew from both sets of wounds as I flung it into the air, letting it fall to the ground as I faced the rest of its packmates. I immediately found myself being run at by four enraged-looking masked wolves, and I knew I needed to act fast.

Taking out two daggers this time, I waited until the exact moment their necks were exposed enough, and I made my move. Like a ballet dancer on a stage, I spun, letting the blades slice into the necks of the beasts who were in mid-leap. Their blood hit my cloak in splotches, adding scarlet markings to the layers of verdurous.

Letting the bodies meet the grass, I went to face the last three Feral Feeders, only to see none of them in sight. I, unfortunately, had no time to try and search for them as I felt a searing pain right in between my neck and shoulders. I just managed to keep my footing as the monster attempted to wrestle me down. While attempting to kick it off, the eighth Feral Feeder barreled into my left shoulder, and I was pinned before I knew it.

As I lay in a daze from the impact, I saw the three canines staring at me. Looks of hunger and triumph swam in their eyes, undoubtedly happy with their victory. It reminded me of a family of wolves after a successful quest for food. Excited to feed on the fruits of their labor after risking life and limb for the continuance of their pack. Only these were not wolves – but monsters in the clothing of wolves.

Despite the situation, I felt empathy for them. Not for the creatures they were now, but the ones they used to be before this. No doubt these wolves were like any other in the Foxen Forest, Elwood Grove, or the Pass of Wolfram. Traveling. Foraging. Fighting. Bonding. Rearing offspring. Living as animals do. A life they more than likely have no memories of because of the ones that consumed them.

A life they could not hold onto.

A life they would never get back.

A life I prayed they would find again.

Seeing I was no longer putting up a struggle, the Feral Feeder subduing me parted its jaws, ready to deliver the finishing bite. It stopped upon seeing my eyes begin to gleam as a soft aura of verdant emerged from my body. Its light grew in intensity along with the power, forcing the Feral Feeders to free me from their grasp. With my form no longer restrained, I stood up, my eyes never leaving the now terrified Feral Feeders. My cloak and mane billowed behind me as I flared my wings and let them lift me in the air with a single flap. With a quick burst of magic, I flew at my foes, watching as they came at me in return.

On that night, the Foxen Forest came alive.

When I returned home, I wasn’t surprised to see Evelyne waiting for me. Well, I wouldn’t say wait - more like she was getting a midnight drink and just so happened to be in my living room. What I wasn’t expecting was to see my father there too and he made no effort to hide his surprise. Just as quickly as it came, it melted away into one of understanding and he went back into the posture he was in before my arrival.

“Emerald Fang, hey! Didn’t expect you to be out this late,” His deep and warm voice ruffled the walls of my ears as he causally greeted me. “I thought you were in your room doin’ some reading.”

“I was. It was a nature novel in case you were wondering,” I confirmed, removing my stetson from my head and dusting it off. “What’re you doing up? Were you thirsty?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” He sighed, leaning back on my couch. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t cider or anything along those lines. I wanted something easy on the stomach and went for some milk instead. Evelyne over here offered me some tea, but I wasn’t in the mood for that.”

“My offer is still open in case you decide you do want to try it,” Evelyne commented. “What about you, Emerald Fang? Would you like me to brew you some tea?”

My lips parted to decline her offer, but I was suddenly hit the realization of just how tired I felt. It was to be expected since I spent the last hour or so scouting my mother’s resting place for any of the Feral Feeders I fought tonight. I had no other thoughts except going back to my house and letting my bed take me in its embrace once it ended. Regardless of how dirty and grimy my body was.

But a cup of tea did sound nice…

“You know what? I think I’ll take you up on that offer Eve.”

Evelyne blinked, looking like she wasn’t expecting me to say yes. It wasn’t a surprise. I didn’t have her tea for a long time. Not since I was sixteen. “Really?”

“Yes, I would like some,” I repeated, choosing a more polite choice of words. “I don’t need it right now, just whenever you get the chance. I need it after what I went through tonight.”

“Now that you mention it, where did you go anyway?” Dad inquired. “You look like you were in a fight with a pack of Foxen Wolves. You decide to go into the forest or something?”

“I… went to go see Mom,” I said, looking at the ground. “I felt like she needed some company and… well, I just wanted to go be with her tonight.”

It wasn’t the total truth, nor was it a total lie. I doubted I needed to explain it. Evidence stuck to my body like paint on a wall and they could see it clearly – especially Dad. Surprise clouded his eyes for the briefest of seconds before understanding whisked it away, and a gentle smile morphed on his cyanish grey lips.

“I see… did you two have a nice time?”

“Uh-huh. It was a bit marred since we have some… uninvited guests,” I said softly, disdain in my tone as I said the last two words. “But I managed to get it under control. And I made sure to tell her you said hello before I left Eve… and you too Dad.”

“Thank you, dear. I’m sure Natalie would’ve been happy you gave her our regards,” My stepmom expressed her gratitude with a grateful smile. She turned to Dad – who looked lost in thought – and nudged him on his shoulder. “What do you say Whitehawk?”

“Oh, right…! Thanks, son. Means a lot that you were thinking of your old stallion,” Dad said after a second, the faraway look in his eyes vanishing.

“Sure,” I nodded as I clenched my hat. “Anyway, I’m gonna go wash up now. Eve, if I’m not out of the shower, you can just leave the tea inside my room. I’ll put the silverware in the sink when I’m done so you can wash them.”

“Of course, dear,” Evelyne cooed, leaning into Dad and wrapping a foreleg around him. “Be sure to wash up nice and thoroughly. Dirt and grime are not things you want to go to sleep with.”

“Noted,” I murmured, making my way up the second floor. “And I’ll make sure it’s not left inside the bathtub for you to step in… again.”

“You’d better,” My Dad’s chuckle made me want to plant my face against my hoof. “And Emerald Fang?”

I stopped in my ascension to the next floor of my house to look back at the older stallion.

“Yes?”

His azure eyes stared warmly into mine. “Great job on coming back to us again.”

That was all I needed to hear to freeze. My heart thumped against my chest as my ears filled with its beats, blocking out every other sound around me. My eyes grew in size as they shook, staring into the eyes of the pegasus and cayuse who were looking back with gazes of parental love. I tore my gaze away from them and vanished down the upstairs hall, but not before giving my response.

“Always.”