Title:           Chapter 11: Leader of the Pack
Author:          CookieSfh
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/b2NCWc8z
First Edit:      Saturday 18th of June 2016 08:14:29 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Monday 4th of July 2016 01:36:57 PM CDT

>You walk up to Twilight, who is in the afterglow of motherhood and tap her on the hoof, getting her attention.
>"Huh? Oh, Anon! What is it?"
"We need to discuss the abilities of the timber-wolves."
>"The timber-wolves? Ah yes, the essence." Twilight uses her horn and takes out a small glass jar from out of her bag, floating it onto her hoof.
>"Zecora gave me this so that we could trap a part of the living essence inside." but that isn't what concerns you.
"What are these creatures capable of? Are they strong? How do they act?"
>Twilight thinks the questions over for a moment and answers. "The most a timber-wolf can do is reassemble itself back into its original form, and the only weaknesses I can think of is that they're weak against fire and rocks are able to disfigure their forms for a good period."
>So you were overthinking their abilities.
>Your hooves could mimic a flying rock and starting a fire in a forest sounds like good memories.
>You're just gonna have to remind yourself that this is a different world.
>Different from your own.
>You walk up to Chinka who looks to have recovered a bit and boop her on the nose.
"Let's get moving."
>"Me... uh... OK."
>And so all three of you leave the grotto, to start the hunt for the timber-wolves.
>As you walk through the forest, Twilight questions why Chinka needs the flower like you.
>But she either shy's away or looks the other direction.
>You wonder if you should get Twilight to stop.
>It doesn't matter.
>A howl echoes through the forest, catching everyone's attention.
>It came from behind the three of you, yet a little to the side as well.
>You turn around, which stops both Twilight and Chinka in there tracks and enhance your left eye.
>You focus intensely on your senses, causing your face to distort.
>Your canines grow back, your nose lowers and pinches itself.
>Your ears grow extra fur, becoming long and thin, making your hear the tiniest change on the ground.
>And then, you wait.
>Bushes rustle to the left.
>A branch breaks a good distance behind you.
>A bunny hops through the grass to the right.
>Twilight talks, but you don't register it.
>You must focus.
>The scent of leaves and bark fluids your nostrils as the midnight breeze whistles in your ears.
>And then growling?
>The sounds of crackling wood makes itself apparent as every side of you is surrounded with noise and vibration.
>And then... silence.
>A game of patience, as twigs are crunched, breathe is held, and both you and these creatures know exactly when to strike.
>And... it... starts... right... about...
>Wait... clucking?
>Just then, the chicken from before comes out from the bushes behind you.
>It must have been sleeping while all of this was going on.
>But it's too late to complain.
>A timber-wolf has already lunged itself onto your throat.
>Making you and the ferocious creature to tumble away from Twilight, who has raised a solid pink shield around herself and Chinka, who is panicking inside 'said' shield.
>You are separated from both of them as both you and the creature tumble into a bush and down a steep hill, hitting trees, broken logs, stones, and rocks in that order before finally landing in a clearing.
>You unfurl your nose and hit the the wooden mutt in the throat, disconnecting it from its body.
>With that done, you unlock its jaw and break it off its head before smashing both on the ground, creating a little pile of twigs and bark.
>But it appears that it won't end there, as the pile glows green, shaking profusely before floating back to the wolf's body.
>The pile rearranges itself back into the head that you just smashed, and attaches itself back onto its body.
>And with that, it growls at you and scratches its ear before the real fight begins.
>Tentacles constrict your neck, but they don't hinder your breathing.
>They only blocked the hit.
>But now, it is time to destroy.
>The tentacles uncoil themselves around your neck and grow in mass, forming multiple muscles inside of them.
>The glow of the moonlight reflects the many fluctuating muscles as they grow to the size of pythons.
>Their positions on your body change as two move to the rear and two others mover to the front, four limbs covering all sides.
>A crack is heard to the right, and a slight skip into the air allows you to avoid another lunge from another in the bushes.
>Your flesh physically hardens itself, creating insect-like plates, and holding the tentacles in place.
>Using the added weight on your back, you balance yourself on two legs, readying your hooves in a battle stance.
>You grit your teeth and empty your mind as you start your assault on the timber-wolves.
>You jump forward and slam the timber-wolf into the ground, breaking its body under the pressure of your tentacles.
>Looking around, eight have gathered around you, growling and pacing around the pile of scrap you made.
>You don't see the hive-mind among them, so you'll just have to destroy them all.
>That also means Twilight is dealing with the real deal right now.
>You rev up your tentacles and your hooves, taking a crouched pose before pushing yourself forward into the air.
>The first wolf is blown into dust in front of you, an after-image of a hole blown into nothing.
>You land on your hooves and turn to face the second wolf, which bears its fangs at you.
>You slam its face into the ground and tear its body into pieces, repeatedly slamming your tentacles into it, turning it into sawdust.
>After you finish, the third one bites one of your tentacles, causing you wince.
>You slam it into another one and proceed to beat the both of them to pulp.
>Two more lunge at you, but are spearheaded by the tentacles on your backside.
>You focus on the two creatures and grow your tentacles, causing spikes and razors to protrude from there bodies.
>Eventually they are both engulfed like a sandbox and shredded, the dust creating a light mist behind you as you approach the last three.
>The three of them growl in hostility, but begin to run away into the forest.
>That can only mean one thing.
>Propping yourself onto your tentacles, you launch yourself into the air, heading straight to Twilight and Chinka.
>Hopefully they didn't do anything rash.
>Unlike you.
>But your power is unrivaled.
>And your the only one that had no trouble dealing with them.
>You wonder how long Twilight held that barrier for.
>Looking down at the ground, you see what the hive-mind has done.
>But it won't stop you from saving them.
 
 
 
>You land perfectly on your hooves, creating cracks on the dry area below you.
>And in front of you stands a towering giant of a timber-wolf.
"So this is what you plan to do?"
>The behemoth snarls at you and scratches the ground below it, picking up a chunk of the earth in the process.
>Looking around, the area is covered in scorch marks and burnt wood.
>Charred corpses litter the area and...
>Chinka lays crying over a passed out Twilight.
>No visible wounds from your standpoint, but she was able to drive the hive-mind to such lengths.
>Either way, you?r p?i?s?se?d?.?
>Ma?d... ?an?g?r?y?.?..?? t????r????a?n?????s????c???e???n??d????i????n??g????? ???r???a????g?e?????.????
>Your tentacles dissipate and fluctuate with your surroundings, becoming something and then nothing.
>You open your mouth, but only black sludge comes out of it.
>And the black sludge begins to cover your entire body, consuming it, shaping it.
>You start to grow sharp limbs out of yourself, which pierce the ground and hoist you up into the air.
>Your hooves are transformed into razor sharp claws with mixtures of black and white auras surrounding your entire body.
>Though your form has grown gigantic compared to that of a little colt's, it barely rivals the wolf in terms of height.
>But it's only a tiny setback.
>With a catalyst, anger is always easy to summon.
>Physically and mentally.
>Auras irradiate from your body, some of white stripes, and others of corrupted magics.
>A familiar body, but it's quite small in comparison to when you last used it.
>But it will do.
>Though you lack a proper face, with only a gaping jaw and light shards for eyes.
>It will be a proper fight.
>The both of you roar, making the ground around you shake and the trees to quiver.
>And then, you both lunge at each other, claws intertwining and teeth ripping through skin and wood.
>It tries to force you into the obstacles behind you, but you take its claws and throw it to the side, making the leader lose its balance.
>And now that it's on its side, you begin your assault, ripping out multiple trees and bushes, causing it to screech and wretch.
>It doesn't give up though as it rotates its body to clamp its jaw onto your head, swinging you down the same cliff as before.
>But with your claws, your able to keep from falling too far.
>You climb back up and snatch its front paw, ripping it off its hinges and slapping it with its own limb.
>The appendage falls apart in your grasp and you stomp on the ground screeching an impossible note before lunging at its throat, ripping its head off.
>And then you rip off its other leg.
>You continue to rip through the creature one branch after another, tearing trees off of its body, peeling the multiple layers off as you would skin.
>Until finally, you find it.
>A single tiny cloud.
>Smaller than the leaves it uses for eyebrows, it lays inside in its dormant hole, motionless.
>You reach in for the cloud and pull it out, causing the entire structure to collapse onto the ground.
>This is the essence?
>A cloud?
>Your body evaporates into a dark smoke before revealing your regular body laying on the ground.
>Still observing the tiny cloud in your hooves.
>And now that you've changed in size, you can see tiny sparks of emerald green flash through the clouds base.
>You now have all four ingredients.
>You look around and see Chinka, who is still crying on Twilight's hoof.
>Walking up to her, you take out the jar from her satchel and put the cloud inside, closing it with a cap.
>"M-... Me couldn't..." Chinka sniffles and tries to hold it in for you, but you pat her on the head.
>Checking Twilight over, a few gashes are around her stomach and throat area.
>And it looks like they got a good bite in as well before she fainted.
>Feeling her over, her breathing hasn't stopped, but blood continues to flow from some of the wounds.
>Chinka must have been too frightened about the whole ordeal to have noticed.
"Chinka, do you still have the venom?"
>Chinka wipes away her tears and nods, taking a helping of it from the dirt.
>She pours it onto your hoof as you get to work, taking some supplies from Twilight's satchel and your own.
>You rub the venom into the white bandages and apply them to the wounds, stopping the bleeding and numbing the pain.
>You conjure tentacles through the ground to gently lift up her entire body to assess more of her.
>The jaw mark leads to the other side as expected and...
>A giant gash mark is revealed, going from her neck all the way down to her lower thigh.
>This must have been the leader's doing.
>You lay her down on her left side to tend to the giant wound.
>Multiple tentacles appear and disappear as some act as scalpels, removing any splinters that might be stuck inside the wound.
>Others act as adhesives, going inside the wound to rub the venom inside and stop the bleeding at its source, effectively stopping the bleeding and sealing the wounds.
>All the while you attempt to prepare a bandage large enough to cover the entire area.
>Chinka grabs more and more venom from the ground, helping you lather the entire strip.
>"I-Is Tunka OK?"
"She has lost most of her blood, but she will recover. It will just require a lot of sleep."
>You point at the venom on her hoof.
"The venom will help her rest, even if she doesn't want to."
>Chinka looks at her hoof, and then back to you, nodding confidently.
>And so, the two of you work together, patching up Twilight the best you could.
>Of course you weren't a doctor, but you could certainly save her life.
>As for Chinka, she made for a nice assistant.
>Though you never figured out where all the venom came from.
>As the final bandage was placed, the entire wound was covered, and the two of you sighed a job well done.
>Chinka had an uncontrollable smile on as Twilight breathed in and out, peacefully without moving an inch.
>And you...
>You were exhausted.
>In the first time in your life.
>You felt tired, as if a limit had been set on you.
>Your eyes felt droopy and your breathing was slowing down, but before you could lie down, Chinka grabs you by your mane and yanks you back up, making you snap back to reality.
"Ngh... what is it Chinka?"
>"No bed, need take Tunka to safe!"
>Hmmm... you didn't know how to return to Zecora's hut, but you did know where you could go to keep safe from the creatures here.
"Chinka, lets return to the grotto. It is acid water, no creature will stop to drink it or to bother traveling to it."
>But Chinka interjects. "No grotto, blue likes big meanies! Bait for meanies! Need find safe!"
>You wonder how she can be this energetic when she just went through a near death experience.
>Most of what you've seen is intense screaming before and after someone's death, but she's all smiles.
>You'll have to ask her later.
>For now, you'll have to make your way to Zecora's hut.
"Chinka, do you remember the way to striped ladies hut?"
>Chinka thinks for a second, and then claps her hooves together. "Yes! Yes! It go here!"
>She points to the direction past the rubble and charred corpses.
"Uhm... good job... Chinka. Let's go."
>The little filly jumps in excitement and gathers her stuff, which was scattered during the supposed fight.
>You go to Twilight, taking her hoof and hoisting it over your side, leaving her head resting on your right side.
>No tentacles to help?
>Must be asleep.
>You move under Twilight and hoist the rest of her up onto you, using your mane as a platform for her to rest.
>And with the both of you ready, you set off to Zecora's.
>Twilight yawns and smiles, hugging you passionately in her sleep.
>You blush, but keep moving forward.
>Past the charred corpses.
>Past the rubble.
>Ignoring the full moon above you.
>Making your way through the forest.
>With her.