My Little Pony: The Wolf-Birds
Chapter 1: Los Reyes y Las Reinas del Norte
Legend has it that over a thousand years ago there was a kingdom in a region to the far northwest of the Griffon Kingdom. It was a kingdom of rolling hills and lush green grass. To it's northern border is a vast mountain range named 'El Endriago' because it's peaks resembled the back of a dragon, and the kingdom folk built fortress walls into the granite.
An army of ponies, confident off their victory against the griffons, decided to venture further into the kingdom to quash anymore resistance. They kept on walking and flying until the aching in their hooves and wings became unbearable. Weighed down by their armor, they reached the walls of a city after days of marching along the winding mountain trails
A guard armed with a spear at the walls informed the leader that an army was at the gates. That leader was a king. When he came up to the walls to see the army, the ponies were sleeping and too tired to fight. When they saw the king at the walls, they surrendered without any resistance. That king was Armand I, and he and his kin are Wolf-Griffons
The Wolf-Griffons or 'Wolf-Birds' are exactly what they sound like. They are hybrids of raptor birds and wolves. This sub-species of griffon speak Spanish, and don't often follow the trend of names starting with the letter 'G'. Long has the time of King Armand I passed, but his royal bloodline lives on in the current ruler of the Wolf-Griffons: Maria-Elena I.
A young queen with a maturity unfitting of her age, she is known as 'Maria-Elena La Buena Reina'. She earned the nickname when she gave her speech from a castle balcony on the day she was crowned and said: "Aunque gobierno como tu reina, mi carne y mi alma son mortales. No soy diferente a ti," and with those words, she was beloved by her kin.
A white gyrfalcon mixed with a white wolf with grey wings, Queen Maria-Elena has a prominent double-chevron marking on her forehead. Her fur is soft and silky especially on her tail. She is majestic, strong-willed and big-hearted with soft, full-figured, mature flanks. Unlike Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, the humble queen hardly wears her crown.
Today was a special day in the Kingdom, it was Market Day. With a woven basket in her dark grey talons and under the escort of two soldiers in kettle helms, brigandine, plate and chainmail armor, and armed with a sword and halberd, the Queen went looking for ingredients by her royal cook. This included garlic, salchichas, and pork hocks for a stew.
"Otro fin de semana, y otra vez vamos al mercado," said one of the two halberd-armed guards, Jaime,
"Me pregunto si alguien piensa que este reino está al revés?" said the other guard on duty, Gustavo,
The guard had a point. Usually, the cook goes out to gather items for the queen. The queen giggled as she went to the butcher for the salchichas and pork hocks, "Si eso es lo que algunos pueden creer, entonces esa es su opinión," she replied, grinning as she looked back at the guard. The bald eagle-grey wolf guard blushed as the queen is very pretty
It makes her happy knowing her kin are happy as well under her rule. She returned to the castle with a basket full of the ingredients the cook requested, "Ah! Muchas gracias, su Majestad," said the cook, an equally buxom she-wolf named Carmelita. A peregrine falcon-black wolf with golden brown eyes, a birth defect caused her to become all black.
The guards went to their posts while Carmelita checked the firmness of the sausages with a talon for detail. This she-wolf loves to cook, and is also the queen's best friend, "Esto es perfecto, esto hará un buen guiso," she said with a firm extra nod, and went back to the kitchen to cook up the evening supper. She and the guards even dine with the Queen
There is very little to no crime in her kingdom, and she always makes sure that her folk are in good spirits so that she knows she is doing her job. The 'Golden Rule' is the law of her kingdom. If you work in the castle, the Queen will make sure you are comfortable and your quarters are to the best standards. There isn't a single maid in the entire castle.
The Queen cleans up and takes care of her castle just like her Wolf-Griffons take care of their own homes and families in town. When she is not doing royal business, she often enjoys a hot bath or a nice swim in her spare time. Maria-Elena is not like other princesses, kings, or queens in Equestria or the other surrounding kingdoms across the vast land
Outside the kingdom, the land of the Wolf-Griffons is known as 'Castillo'. For the first time, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were making their way to the charming kingdom in the northwest. Having been in contact with Queen Maria-Elena for weeks leading up to them planning the trip, the Queen reassured them that they will not need royal escorts.
Their wings ached as they made it to the gates. It seemed the legend about the army surrendering without a fight at the walls is true. Princess Celestia presented the guards at the gate with the letter sent to them from their queen. There is one thing they did not plan on when the guard gave the order to open the gate. No one in Castillo speaks English
(I hope you all you readers out there enjoy this take on a different kind of kingdom with a different kind of monarch. Please read and review kindly)