FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Nature's Pact

Chapter Two

© Cederwyn Whitefurr

29th February, 2020

All Rights Reserved.

Lord Shadow hoof stood at the edge of the forest, proud and majestic, the gentle spring breeze ruffling his mane and tail as he heard the approaching drumbeats of iron shod hooves approaching. Soon, the smell of hard worked horses, human men and their accoutrements come to him and he stood patiently, expectantly, until they reigned in about a hundred yards away.

Nervously, the stallions stepped from hoof to hoof, snorting and twitching, their fanciful surcoat waving in the breeze as the armoured knights sat astride their back. At a gesture, the knights side-stepped their horses, and a more ornately man rode forward.

Lord Shadow hoof watched, one eyebrow raising, as the man he had known since infancy, rode forwards then stopped about a dozen paces away from the stallion, before he slid from the saddle and knelt on one knee before the Unicorn.

"Lord Shadow hoof, I bring greetings!" Spoke King Gregory.

With a gracious nod of his horned head, Lord Shadow hoof stretched a leg out, then courteously bowed, placing his bearded chin along the outstretched leg.

"My Lord Gregory, may the Gods find you well."

Angry murmurings amongst the human knights, too quiet for their King to hear, made Lord Shadow hoof's ears twitch.

Our king, bowing before a beast...

Lord Shadow hoof ignored them, they weren't worth the time, if anything, they were almost beneath his notice, as he lifted his head regally and nodded.

"Long have I dreamt of this moment - " King Gregory smiled, as he turned sideways and gestured towards one of his Knights, who rode forwards, then slipped off his horse with a clatter of armour, stepped forwards and knelt on one knee.

"Is this he?" Lord Shadow hoof inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"It is he, my lord," King Gregory nodded. "I wish to present my son, Prince Hecate, my son? This is Lord Shadow hoof"

Taking off his helm, the young human prince bowed his head. "My Lord, it is an honour to greet you in this, such an auspicious day."

"I remember you fondly," Smiled the Stallion, as he nodded. "Indeed, it is an auspicious day, for with the ceremony, shall our kind be forever as one."

Stepping forwards, a priest clad in grey robes, carried a scroll which he held out to the King. Raising both eyebrows, Lord Shadow hoof snorted.

"My lord, must we so stand on ceremony? Both of us know the promise that was made that fateful night between the Druids, yourself and I. Such a piece of parchment, means nothing to me. My word is my life, as such, I pledged my only offspring to your son, as you did to me."

"Forgive me Lord Shadow hoof, but things are – different amongst we short lived people. We thrive on pomp and ceremony and such bindings are to be inscribed and entered into our records."

With a disinterested snort, the Stallion sighed.

"Very well, if you will follow me, we shall prepare."

*

Willow was worried, her father had been more stand-offish than usual with her. When he ordered her to the great stone that early evening, Willow had obeyed, more out of curiosity than any real desire.

Over the past months, her intimacies with the stag had been kept quiet – yet she adored and cherished him, as he did with her. Their frequent mating's had built their irrefutable bond even tighter, little did Willow realise that tonight of all nights, her fate was to be changed forever...

*

Willow entered the clearing, carefully stepping past the assembled animals, who laid obediently at the outer edge of the clearing. Her father's voice filled the cool nights air, and Willow rolled her eyes, expecting another pointless discussion. Everyone from the birds to the animals that walked on the soil knew her father was the ultimate authority, ad would never damn challenge him or try to usurp his power.

As she passed through the last of the thicket and then the animals, her hooves skidded to a halt and her eyes widened. Arrayed around the central spire, was humans clad in grey cloaks, others in some strange metal and there on the rock, stood her father, his head held high and majestically. To one side stood an older human, a younger one to his left.

"Ah, dear Willow," Her father's loud voice called across the clearing. "This is a most interesting night, my dearest offspring!"

Willow blinked, feeling the great magicks that surrounded the glade ripple and run over her like a cool summer breeze. She had partaken of the woodland magicks many a time – led some of them herself – yet this, this was far surpassing anything in her existence.

"Father...?" Willow whispered, her ears flattening as she looked at the strangers.

"Come," His voice commanded, and against her will, Willow walked forwards, then obediently knelt before her father, folding all four legs beneath her. "Willow, tonight, on this night of nights, shall you fulfil your destiny that you were born for!"

A joyous cheer come from the humans, except the younger one, who looked as white as new fallen snow.

"My..destiny?" Willow blinked, then looked up through her eyelashes, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

With a regal nod to the human King, who unrolled a parchment scroll, he began to read.

"As of the twenty first year of my first born life, should he reach such an age - "

"Father?" Willow whimpered, fear rising through her like a colt mist.

"Shush." He spoke quietly, yet the inflection compelled her to silence.

Willow listened, both ears pricked forwards, as the man spoke at length, reading from the parchment.

"Such was the pact made, that my first born son should be pledged to the maiden Willow, on this, his twenty first..."

"What?" Willow squealed, ears snapping backwards as she lifted her head to stare at her father.

"You are my child, as such, I have authority over you until such time as you become bred to one of my choosing - " He intoned solemnly. "This night, was planned, now, you will obey!"

As his magicks washed over her, Willow shuddered and felt herself compelled to obey, yet tears slid down her muzzle before she squealed and felt warm hands touch her cheeks.

"Why do you cry so dear heart?" Spoke the younger human, as he cupped her chin in his hands, his eyes shining with pleasure and expectation. "This is a most joyous occasion, one i have spent my life preparing for and..."

Whimpering, Willow looked into his eyes. "You don't understand - "

Willow squealed and twitched, but her fathers will held her on her knees, as a grey robed human stepped behind her and placed his hands on her rump.

"Let the ceremony be commenced!" Intoned the High Priest.

Shedding his robes, the human Prince smiled, then leaned forwards and gently kissed Willow on the nose. "You'll like me, I'll be gentle, I know its your first time..."

Willow shuddered, those witness, thought it was fear of what was to happen – not realising her fear was not from this – but from what was about to be revealed. As the prince stood up, his nakedness and willingness to consummate all too obvious, he moved behind her.

"No, please..." Willow wept, as she rolled her eyes backwards, barely able to shake her head.

Gently, her tail was slid aside, then the prince knelt behind her and took himself in one hand, before he paused a moment.

"A filly, a Unicorn, of all things, to forever bond out great and noble realms – I hereby do consummate this moment for the good of...all!"

With that, he plunged forwards, sliding himself as deep inside her as he could, and Willow squealed as he shuddered.

"Father, no...stop this!" Willow cried out.

"Somethings...wrong - " Panted the prince, as he frowned and gripped Willow's flanks.

"She is no maiden!" Shrieked the Prince, as he dismounted and wrenched aside Willow's tail.

Expecting to see that he had claimed Willow's maidenhood, every human present was shocked and dismayed to find this was not true.

"What is the meaning of this?" Snapped Lord Shadow hoof, as he leapt from the rock and landed before his daughter, his eyes blazing with anger. "You slut of a foal, do you know what you have brought down upon us?"

"Father, please..." Willow wept, her guilt and shame washing over her.

"No!" He snarled, a cloven hoof crashing down right before her flaring nostrils. "You don't speak, nothing can persuade me of your innocence in this! You were born to fulfil a destiny that would have..."

Disgusted, the prince stood, then turned his back on both stallion and filly.

"I was promised a forest bride! If I can not have her – then nobody shall!" He shrieked as he snatched his sword from the scabbard that lay beside her, the steel singing as it seared from the sheath.

As he twisted, the gleaming sword aimed at her neck, there was a shattering crack of thunder and a blinding flash blinded everyone. When their vision cleared, the prince lay sprawled a dozen paces away, his chest blackened and burned, wisps of smoke curling from his now lifeless corpse.

Cries of fear and moans spread across the clearing, as Lord Shadow hoof's once white as snow pelt was now black and even his majestic ivory horn, glistened like ebony.

Eldritch lightning crackled along his mane as he lifted his head and screamed in hatred and rage.

"My son..." Gasped King Gregory, as he turned pale and fled to the lifeless body of the prince. "What did you do..."

"SILENCE!" Shrieked Lord Shadow hoof. “Who dared defile my daughter?"

Willow sobbed heart-brokenly, even she sensed her father was forever lost, as she staggered to her hooves and took a furtive step away from him.

His head snapped around and terrible, evil magicks seized her, making her drop to her knees and writhe as the magicks lashed at her, eldritch lightning flashing over and through her, making her scream until she couldn't even breathe.

He brought his left cloven hoof crashing down, before lifting his head to the sky and watching as inky black clouds began to boil and churn, forming out of what was once a beautiful, moonlit night. Lightning crackled from cloud to cloud, as the humans, shocked, stared upwards, not realising their fate was already sealed...

Those forest animals more attuned to the woods, scattered in all directions. They fled, sensing their Lord had been consumed by darkness – forever cursed.

Feeling the magicks twisting and corrupting under Lord Shadowhoof's unspeakable darkness that welled within him, Willow wept, knowing her beloved sire was forever lost. As she struggled to her feet, she took a tentative step away, before he shrieked as his black magicks flashed out and snared her in its grip.

“No!" Screamed the Stag, as he ran to Willow's side. “Willow is innocent! She is no not some plaything for your amusement! She should be allowed to choose her mate...and she chose...me! I'm the one who claimed her maidenhood, do you hear me?"

Turning his head, the Stallion glared at the insolent stag with derision and disgust. He was oblivious to Willow's anguished screams and pain, even immune to the tears that streaked down the stag's muzzle.

“You?" Roared Lord Shadowhoof. “You..."

“Kill him, kill him now!" Screamed the King, driven mad with grief and anger. “Kill him, his weight in gold for the man who brings me his head!"

A hiss of steel was heard, before the Unicorn Stallion snorted and twisted his head to look behind him. With a snort of his nostrils, his eyes narrowed to slits and the four knights screamed as their lives were snuffed out like a candle in a breeze – their bodies turned to bones and ashes from within by the magicks that consumed them.

Turning his baleful gaze back on the stag, he glared at him as the stag lowered his head, sharp antlers pointing at the stallion.

“Let Willow go!" Sobbed the terrified buck, staring at the enraged Unicorn. “We'll leave, we'll never trouble you again and..."

“Father...no!" Willow gasped.

Before the stag could realise it, the Stallion charged, easily bypassing the frantic swish of the stag's head. With a loud thump, the stag gasped, the air crushed from his lungs as he was knocked onto his back, the Unicorn's ebony horn buried to the stallions forehead, just behind his shoulder blade and into his chest. Blood flecked the stags muzzle, as he gurgled and drowned, the stallion stepping backwards and not even watching as the stag suffered his last.

Turning to the remaining knights, they dropped their swords and fled – their king standing defiantly, gripping his long sword.

“I'll have your heart on a silver platter for this..." Snarled the King.

With a dismissive snort, Lord Shadowhoof turned his baleful glare back on his daughter.

“Now...as for you..."

Willow screamed, as the magicks intensified. Her whole body writhed and burned, as she felt her magicks being torn from her very soul, before her horn exploded and crumbled to dust. Rippling, her white pelt began to glisten and shimmer, before turning a bright gold – her mane and tail blazing silver.

“You want to be a whore – like some common mare?" Snarled her father, as he stepped closer, watching her agonising transformation.

Willow couldn't scream – she was incapable, as her cloven hooves fused and her whole body twisted as she was changed from a unicorn into a common palomino mare. As she lost her ability to speak, she could only whinny and squeal as her fathers magicks mercilessly abused her.

As he smiled cruelly, his maliciousness knowing know bounds, he suddenly shrieked as he felt the savage thrust of the sword into his belly. Snapping a hoof out and back, he felt some satisfaction as he felt and heard the King's ribs shatter like a withered branch. With a crash, the human fell backwards. As Lord Shadowhoof wheezed and pulled forwards, the sword scraping along his rib cage, blood gushing from what he knew was a mortal wound.

“You..." Lord Shadowhoof gurgled, eyes widening, before a cruel, bloodied smile touched his lips. “You think that will..."

He coughed and shuddered, before he took a step closer.

“This won't finish me, foolish mortal...I can heal...can you?"

Summoning his strength, Lord Shadowhoof pushed through the pain, as he angled his head downwards and drive his ivory horn through the King's chest. He smiled, his hot breath washing over the dying humans belly as he lifted his eyes, savouring the look of certainty that filled his victims eyes.

Suddenly, he gasped as he felt a sharp pain thrust twice into his chest, then a third time – the dagger burying deep and piercing his black, corrupted heart....

*

Willow was eventually caught and broken as a plough horse, spending her remaining winters recalling everything she had loved...and lost. Her father's magicks had rendered her sterile – a last act of his malice and cruelty, so she would never know what it felt like to have a foal of her own, to love, cherish and devote herself too.

Late one night, Willow looked up at the full moon, her large tears sliding silently down her muzzle as she lamented everything that had led her to this...

Her beloved Stag lover, her near immortality and above all – she lamented her foolish, childish mistake – that had taken everything from her...

END