Punky Print's Log: Day 7

Jawbones howled all night last night. Are bone wolves nocturnal? I feel like they must be, or maybe they just don't sleep. I went to ask Brassheart today.

"I don't know, little one," he said. "Nopony outside the wall knows about the existence of bone wolves, and everypony here is too afraid to interact with them." He smiled, pride shining in his eyes. "Well, everypony but you and your sister." I smiled up at Brassheart. Nopony ever really seems impressed with me, but they've never had much of a reason to be. Even now, most ponies inside the walls don't believe Inky about what happened, and everypony on the walls just looks down on us. I know Brassheart does what he can, but one pony can only do so much.

Today, I went out to find out where Inky and I can find food. There's only one farm, the one owned by Lemon Grass' family, but most ponies have small gardens behind their houses. Inky spent all of today reading books on growing food in a garden, but we won't have anything to eat from it for months. Until then, I'll be taking odd jobs inside the walls. Hopefully most of them will be for Lemon Grass' family, because those will be the jobs that will get us the most food. I helped plant the corn seeds today, and I think I'm pretty good at these jobs. It makes me so happy to finally be useful.

Even though I'm useful, I still feel something gnawing away at my guts. Uselessness despite my jobs, and guilt. I feel guilty for not doing more with the knowledge stored inside that book. I know it was important to find out that the book was accurate before bringing it to public attention, but now it's back in the Manehattan Library, likely being taken by Celestia's guards and destroyed. Now nopony will know what happened to the Pony Council or Nightmare Moon, or anypony else who defied Celestia.

I hate that I always feel so useless. I was never a very clever pony, I'm not really proficient with my magic, and I'm too weak to stand up for myself. It felt so nice when Brassheart singled Inky Pie and me out as special. But my worry is that so have the other ponies. Rainy and Candy like us because they think we're like pony-tale heroes, Brassheart is just kind to everypony, Coco likes us because she thinks we're funny, and I don't really know why Lemon Grass likes us, but I know his family likes that I'll do a day's work for food for Inky and me. But everypony else, even other exiles, seem to avoid us, even actively abhor us.

I feel like if Lemon Grass' family ever turned us away, I couldn't get work anywhere else. Nopony else accepted my offer to do odd jobs, and looked at me like I was some kind of parasite. I didn't get it at first, not until I overheard two of the guards talking about us.

"Damn what the captain said," one hissed. "I'm sending a report to the Princess!"

"C'mon Dagger," said the other, "They're just a couple of foals, and since they only just arrived...well we both know we wouldn't wish their punishment, whatever it would be, on anypony else." The first guard, Dagger, paused. I pulled the hood of my cloak further over my muzzle and tried to make myself smal as I listened with baited breath.

"Fine, I won't send one. But if that wolf-whispering freak gets into any more trouble, I'm sending a report." As the two of them walked away on the wall, I ran back to my house.

Once inside, I searched the house for Cursive, who disappeared last night once Jawbones started howling. Eventually I found him underneath my bed, curled up in a nest of dust and hair. I placed a piece of paper just out from under my bed, along with ink.

"What's wrong, Cursive?" He tentatively slunk out from underneath my bed, and cautiously dipped his tail into the ink.

The wolves are predators. We are small and weak, us two. I smiled, touched by his concern for me as well as himself.

"Don't worry," I said, trying to be as comforting as possible, "the wolf who keeps howling doesn't want to hurt us."

But, how can you know this?

"Because I know which wolf is howling." Cursive cocked his head, confused. "The one howling outside the walls is the same one we encountered outside the wall on our way here."

WHAT? What do you mean, I never saw this! I chuckled as Cursive squeaked in alarm.

"I think you must have been asleep, but the wolf didn't hurt me."

Asleep? How could I have possibly been asleep?

"I'm not sure. But anyway, even if Jawbones wanted to hurt us, there's a wall keeping him out." Cursive squeaked again.

You named it?!

"Well, yes. It seemed appropriate." At this, Cursive began to squeak without stopping to write down his thoughts. Once he seemed to calm down, I brought up our dinner, a dandelion sandwich and a glass of milk for me, and the crusts of my sandwich for Cursive. We ate in silence in my room as Inky ate and read in hers. The sun went down and we each curled up in our beds.

I was just awoken by a howl accompanied by a faint whistle, just outside the walls. I turned to look out my window, the soft light of the moon tattooed with Nightmare Moon's face in the craters poured in and covered me like a second blanket. I sat up as Cursive cautiously crawled up onto my bed. I got out from under my covers and took a deep breath in during a pause in Jawbones' howling, and as the threatening noise picked up again, I threw back my head and howled along with him.

I don't know why, but I didn't stop. I pushed my lungs until they ached, and only then did I stop to breathe, only to start up again. Cursive scurried off my bed and stared, but I didn't stop. Eventually, he reluctantly moved back to his space beside me, wary, but aware that I was still safe. After the second howl, another voice inside the wall joined in as a light was lit inside Lemon Grass' farmhouse. Next, two more lights and two more voices joined in. Inky opened the door to my room and looked in. I patted an empty spot on my bed, which she sat down in. I turned on the light in my room, and Inky reared back her head and howled with me.

We must have sounded so strange, howling in the moonlight like that. Six ponies and a wolf whose jaw whistles when it breathes. But somehow, I didn't feel foolish at all.

AN: Was this terrible? I feel Like it was terrible. Let me know what you think was wrong with it, because I dunno. I just dunno.

On another note, I've only been getting one review every chapter. This would be okay, except it's from the same reader each time. I spent hours typing at least one thousand words for you guys to read, even two words would be greatly appreciated! I'll give you cake! Or a hug! Or an OC in the fic! Or something! (I'm lonely...)