|[=-=]|

Each step was effortless for her. . . she cleared the woods and passed through the paddock next to this one, she stomped on the paddocks fence as she entered this one, knocking over a string of lanterns as she made her presence known to all here. . . She howled, with enough force the wind picked up.

'RRRRUUUUNNNNTTTTT!' she screamed, making the skin beneath my fur crawl.

Celestia, Twilight and Luna flew up and out to face her.

'You have no right to be here, Wolf Mother, LEAVE!' Luna's voice sounded powerful, in fact it rivalled Mothers.

'You know me? THEN HEAR ME!' she stomped her forelegs into the ground before her, 'HAND ME MY SON!'

'NEVER!' Luna's magic lashed out at her, followed by Twilight and Celestia.

Mother was unfazed as it faded before her. She took in a breath and howled again, this time it sent the Princesses crashing down, and the ponies in the area flying as well. When she finished, I bolted out to face her, but stopped as I approached Luna.

'I'll handle this, don't worry!' I assured her.

'Don't. . .' she tried to order me.

. . . I don't take orders. . .

'Mother!' I screamed.

'Runt. . .' she leaned down to me, 'Pathetic. . . time to heal and you seek the aid of weak. . . allies. . .'

'Not allies. . . friends.' I rebutted.

'Hrmm. . . they're all going to die the same. . .' I heard a few small screams and gasps from behind me.

'Why should they pay? Why?!' I asked.

'You don't understand. . . this is our future, we will consume, we will be ALPHA'S!' the last part almost knocked me back, 'I have power over them, they are just. . . flesh, trophies of the hunt.'

'You gave up the hunt, for slaughter!' I argued, 'Leave these ponies!'

'And why should I Runt?!' she asked, she raised her head and returned to her full stature, 'Why should I?'

'. . . I challenge you!' I announced.

'HAHAHAHAHA!' she laughed, the same way she did. . . when she cast me out, 'you are pathetic. . . you have no right-!'

'I am your son! I HAVE MY RIGHTS! SON OF A MURDERED ALPHA, A MURDERED CHIEF! I ENVOKE MY RIGHT TO FACE. . . HIS MURDERER!' I yelled back.

'. . . So be it. . . come get your Justice. . . Stone valley. . . dawn. . .' and she turned and left.

'R-Runt. . .' I turned to see Fluttershy, 'what are you going to do?'

|[=-=]|

I watched. Runt howled as he rolled, and contorted until he managed to rip off his gown. He asked Fluttershy to bow her head, he put her forehead to hers and something slipped off his head onto hers. He told her something and left, disappearing into the night. I tried, and after a while I got to my feet. I walked up to Fluttershy, around her neck was a stone necklace of some kind.

'What did he say?' I asked, she pulled off the necklace and held it out to me.

'He said. . . "take the ponies to the mountain, t-they have surrounded the town, s-stay safe. . ." and he also said. . . "all things die, and this outcast dies for his friends" that was all he s-said-d.' she was starting to cry.

'I. . . will help him-'

'H-he said if he. . . d-doesn't go alone. . . he'll get r-ripped apart!' she was crying, falling to the floor.

I sat beside her, and she stowed her tears. I looked up to the moon: it was full.

"beware the next moon full". . . I ensured this rotation was denied for so long, and I made it this way just for tonight. . . I am a fool. . .

I closed my eyes, but I could feel it: a shadow rising over the moon, blanketing the sky in a nearly perfect blacknight.

|[=-=]|

I was a fool. . . she, lead them around the sentries, she would strike where our eyes were turned away from. . .

'. . . Ever-Free. . . Damn her!' I howled.

'No, damn you runt!' Ike leapt out from the bushes, 'You challenge threw off the hunt, we would have had feast this night!'

'You will never feast on ponies so long as I live brother!' I rebutted, he was circling me for a while before he just sat down, '. . . what happened to us?'

'You changed.' He told me, I sat down before him.

'I changed? You became just as blood thirsty as ever-!' I began.

'And you gave up the hunt! You refused mother and she is willing to rip your head off because of it-!'

'And I would gladly give my life for honour!' I shouted back, '. . . You forsake all Father taught us. . .'

'. . . Greed and Malice, the cause of suffering. . .' He began, 'But now we walk in moonlight, giving into the thrill the hunt brings! We are feared, and we are strong!'

'. . . Is that what Father wanted? Or Mother?!' I asked, he turned his head, '. . . they gave me true sight, and. . . I can see we Grey Skull's. . . are meant to be red. . .'

'. . . So?' he asked.

'No longer grey. . . we can be more than Mother or Father ever were. . . don't you want valour?' I asked.

'. . . If you win. . . I will follow you Ru-. . . Brother. And I will seek Valour again. For our father, and his father, and even-' He began.

'Our weird great grandfather?' I asked, he and I started to laugh.

'. . . If you win. . . I will.' He promised, as honest as has ever been.

'. . . Win or loose. . . don't forget what Father said. . .' I said as I started walking away, towards the Stone Valley.

'I'm sorry Brother. . . I had to show strength. . .' he apologised.

'I know. . . and you are forgiven.' I told him.

The night was long and cold, yet I waited where my enemy would come. This place was called Ghastly Gorge for some reason, it was dangerous indeed. High on the cliffs I waited, and waited, till the sun finally rose.

'Your late!' I yelled out.

'And your early.' She responded, I turned to see the pack leaving the forests edge.

She exited the forest as well, but her hulking size was gone, her neckless hung loose from her neck, and she slipped it off to the ground.

'The old laws are clear, even though I don't care that much for them. . .' she began, 'but, you can still run to your friends before I tear out your throat son.'

I declined her offer, taking a stance and started growling.

'I'm not giving you that chance. . .' I growled at her.

'Your Father had no chance either!' she barked at me as she sank my teeth into the fur on her neck.

She thrashed around for a bit until she cast me off to the side. I ran up again, but she jumped into me as well. We rolled around for a few moments before we separated and started circling each other. This challenge for a long time, until the sun had fully risen. She was on top of me for a moment before I swung her off with enough force to break a few bones in her body, and it rung true. She limped for a while, struggling to move. I could see fear in her eyes, and anger. She charged-right past me, I turned to see her going for her neckless.

'No!' I howled at her.

She slipped the oversized piece over her head, and she began to grow. I leapt at her, but I only slammed into her body and fell to the floor, then I found myself tangled in the neckless myself. As she grew, I was pulled into her. I was being choked for some time until she dropped to the ground and started rolling.

'This is where the RUNT! DIES!' she howled.

Three times her weight was forced on me, each time getting heavier until she neared the edge of the Gorge. She was laughing before she realised what was happening, she was going over herself, but the Neckless was snagged on a rock. She was screaming as she was clawing to get up, but she was slipping, she lost her size and held onto the neckless for her life.

'Runt!' she screamed, 'Son!?'

She looked at me in fear, and in hope. I took the neckless in my mouth and began pulling her up, but. . . It tore.

'Nooooo!' she screamed as the neckless parted in two.

She vanished in the shadow of the Gorge in the morning, still hanging in my teeth was half of the neckless, two dark stones still hanging from it.

'Runt?' I looked, and saw Ike running up, 'Runt!'

He tackled me.

'You did it!' he started howling, and the rest of the pack behind us joined it.

I couldn't help it, I joined in the Howl, and as long as it lasted it was glorious. But. . . with all great victories, there is a bitterness.

Rest Father. . . I've avenged you. . . that's all I wanted. . .

'Ike.' I called.

'Yes, chief?!' he asked with a laugh.

I dropped the neckless at his paws.

'. . . Brother?'

'Wear it. Burn it. Just return home and do what you please, that is my first and last order.' I told him, and stood up to leave, 'Goodbye. . . Brother. . .'

I returned to the party that sadly died. The food tables were overturned for the animals to consume, the lantern lights were strung all over, and the only remaining structure was half of the stage. I cautiously climbed atop of the stage and took a seat, taking in the view. The night was beautiful, and the day seemed more so.

I sat for what felt like an hour, before I began to cry. Lamenting in the waste in honouring me. . . I wasn't worth the waste. . .

'. . . I can smell you.' I said aloud, I could tell she was near.

'Well. . . then you cheat at Hide and Seek.' Luna mused, she came up and sat beside me, 'I assume were all safe then.'

'Yes. . . It seems like a waste. . . the honour was wasted. . .' I told her.

'. . . But your alive. If that was to be the night you died, would you have had any less to remember?' she asked.

'. . . No. In fact I would like another night. . .' I leaned on her, 'I still owe you that dance.'

|[=-=]|

'If you offering.' I laughed a little, but I stopped when I heard the snoring, '. . . you have bad timing. . .'

I would have shifted, or thrown him off but. . . I did follow him a little, and I saw what he did.

'Rest. . . I. . . shall do the same. . .' and I leaned on him in return, and we slept under the morning sun.

|[=-=]|

I was taken off my feet, and pinned while she sat on top of me.

'Got you!' she jumped off to the ground and sat there, hovering, 'you should do better than that!'

'In that case. . .' I pounced on Dash, pinning her beneath me, she seemed a little red in the face, 'two out of three. On the ground!'

'Oh, your-!' she began, but the little one, Winona came up and started licking me, 'No. No. No!'

I rolled off of her and she continued the lick. It was disgusting, but it was like I had a little sister to call upon.

'Come on you three, stop makin' out!' Applejack called.

'I would never, she's not even my age!' I shouted back, Winona just took off towards the farm house.

'Last one gets the smallest piece of pie!' Rainbow Dash took off as well.

'Unfair, I don't have wings!' I shouted in pursuit.

I tackled Rainbow as we made it before the house, and we laid at the hoofs of Luna and Applejack.

'. . . Is the pie ready?' Rainbow asked.

'Yeah, as soon as you find Apple Bloom.' Applejack affirmed.

'Wait-!' I began, but Rainbow took off inside.

'Well, you were last. . .' Luna mused as she pranced inside as well.

Damn. . . flying. . . ponies. . .

I made my way back to Apple Tree fields, and passed through the gate.

'Apple Bloom!?' I called, to no response.

I went further in and there I found her, she was cowering in the roots of a tree.

'Apple Bloom?' I asked, but as I got close, I saw what was scaring her.

Sitting there, watching her was a Timber Wolf. It carefully observed her, I raced out between the two and took a stance.

'Leave!' I yelled at it, but it did not move.

It slowly stood up and walked towards me, it examined me for a moment before it came around and stared at me with familiar glowing eyes. . . It fled. Something else startled it, and all of a sudden the culprit came forward.

'Runt!' it was Ike.

I took my stance again and prepared for an attack.

'I told you to leave these lands, return over the mountains!' I shouted at him.

'Brother, I-!' I moved to cover Apple Bloom more as he approached.

'I won the challenge and made it clear, you would return to the mountains-!' I began my rant.

'Brother, they want you!' he interrupted, 'The pack have had it better over here. . . they are willing to give up the hunt. . . and they want you to lead them. . . I want you to lead us! They want to stay here. . .'

'That's not it. . . why won't they go back?' I asked, slightly concerned.

'. . . Kyre, he is bringing his pack here. He's following the path that we tread here. . . they come to hunt brother, and we need you to challenge him!' he explained.

I turned to Apple Bloom who sat there, watching us.

'Run home. Lunch is ready.' I told her, and she fled, '. . . why not challenge him yourself?'

He stopped, he lifted his head to show stains of blood in his fur.

'I did, but he refused calling me a liar and almost killed me, but he will get here. . . The pack needs you. . . we don't know where to go. . .' he was explaining the distressing situation, and I could tell there was more to come, '. . . so chief. . . what shall we do?'

'. . . Deliver a message. . . the leader of Red Skull. . . will challenge Kyre on the summit of the mountains. . . on a time of his choosing.' I assured him, 'and. . . I will lead us to our new home, meanwhile.'

'. . . New home?' he asked.

'I. . . will need to ask first, but. . . I think there is a place we can stay in Ponyville.' I assured him.

'. . . Yes brother.' And with that, he left. leaving me to plot our course.

'. . . I guess. . . Its not over. . .' I said as I walked back to the farm.

Over the coming moons, Runt has made, With the blessing of Princesses Celestia, Luna and Twilight, a new home for his Kind, in the ruins of The Castle of the Two Sisters.

Runt ensures a life of prosperity for his pack, should he die or live facing Kyre.

Before he would leave in the coming weeks, he decreed that the new traditions will stay alive should he perish, and RedSkull would uphold the promise of their chief.

They walk in moonlight, Repenting for the blood they wished be spilt, a path of moonlight, paved for retribution.

The path we tread will hold no longer dark it seems as we, Outcast wolves, proceed with heed.

Greed Malice beget suffering, we shall never forget what Mother tried to bring.

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