(Open Ask) Everfree Forest, Rhyme and Reason (Strong Copper)

[StrongCopper]

When Zecora offered a good idea, it was a good idea. More information was required in order to uncover this mystery and Strong Copper strongly suspected that the source of the noise wasn't going to prove to be Filthy Rich wearing a timber wolf mask, trying to scare ponies away from his bits... He had Spoiled Rich to do that for him after all.

 

Since climbing a tree was not in the cards for either of them (hooves did not aid the climbing process after all and neither of them had wings), he decided to follow her example by locating a better position to try and spy their target. More by chance then anything, the pair were upwind of the source of the noise. 

 

The noise itself proved to be coming from a makeshift lair of sorts... or at least one that was in the process of being made. Timber Wolves were akin to their flesh and blood counterparts in that they were nomads; They tended to claim large territories (or at least as large as they were allowed), but they rarely stayed in a singular area of it for more then a season, moving around their domain in response to where the food was going. Thus, they tended to have dens and sheltered locations scattered around their respective domains that could take many shapes and sizes, often taking advantage of local features but occasionally doing some altering in order to have a more comfortable stay. This one had selected a dead, fallen tree trunk to serve as shelter for the time being, but the creature itself was clawing at a still living tree nearby.

 

It was pretty easy to see what was wrong with the Timber Wolf in question from sight alone, through the actual logistics of it were rather insane and Copper didn't have the faintest idea off the top of his head where to start trying to fix it. Timber Wolves were... well, true to their name, magical creatures made out of wood. The one that was methodically clawing at the trunk of a tree to refresh a territorial marking into it seemed to be a fusion of wood and stone; It was not a happy fusion.

 

A slightly longer observation reveled the current state of affairs in all their horrifying, nightmarish glory; Across the timber wolf's otherwise wooden body were 'patches' of what had clearly once been wood that had been transmuted into stone, locking that section of the body into whatever position it had been when the transformation occurred and thus, whenever the rest of the body tried to move in such a why that would normally involve that section, caused wood and stone to grind against each other in what appeared to be a rather painful sounding way.

 

These stone sections seemed to run deep as well, proving to Copper why it was one its own: Whatever had caused the transmutation of parts of the timber wolf into stone had seriously hindered the wolf's ability to move freely or at speed, causing it to not be able to keep up with the pack and likely either being left behind or outright leaving in order to avoid slowing the pack down. The extra weight of having stone parts likely didn't help either.  Unable to hunt properly, it had resorted to leaving the Everfree to target Ponyville's chickens (and likely other owned animals in time) that tended to be penned or tied up and thus unable to run away or fight back as effectively.   

 

The front left leg of the wolf seemed to have suffered from this stone... whatever it was as well, having been transformed and locked into stone from the claw up until just under the joint halfway up... and that fact that seemed to answer why there seemed to be dead, hardened wood within the footprints and earlier markings they had come across. Certain types of wood could be mistaken for stone after it died and dried out completely... it seemed in this case they had gotten it the other way around. Of course, just because they now knew that this timber wolf seemed to have random parts of its very being turning to stone didn't exactly do anything to answer the question of 'Why' it was seemingly partially turned to stone. That was a mystery... and possibly a dangerous one at that. 

 

Abandoning his position in order to quietly make his way over to join Zecora and confirming that they could see the stricken timber wolf from her position as well, he couldn't help but state the obvious rather softly "Well... this is a new one for me. What about for you?"    

[TessQ85]

Having seen a wolf made of wood many times in her time in the Everfree Forest, she knew well the way it was supposed to look. Being in this forest for as many years as as she had, she knew also the few things that could cause this sort of damage. Remarking on the oddity of the chicken claw tracks they saw earlier and the following drag marks across those same foot prints, she had a very strange idea of what may have happened.

 

Assessing everything and thinking a moment, she knew that waiting even one more day would only bring trouble for more farm animals, such as Fluttershy's chickens and others' as well. On one such issue, such as what this creature is now enduring, she had recently offered aid. A pony with a few chickens had lost one as it wandered into the woods. Upon finding it standing still near the edge of the Everfree, they saw a large snake like creature about to take it for a midnight snack. They yelled and chased off the reptilian assailant only to find that their chicken was very stiff and cold.

 

The poor, worried pony rushed to Zecora and asked for her help. Offering it groggily, as the hour was late, she could recognize the effects very easily. The transfixing eyes of the creature this chicken faced do more than dazzle and charm. The chicken was more than simply stiff, it was partly turned to stone. She began by asking the chicken farmer to go collect very strong wine from town. They rushed off. She also bolted. A nearby cave had what she needed. The bats that lived there often made piles of their refuse, which she took out a bottle to fill with the strange material. 

 

After filling two large bottles, she rushed back and preparing the material by adding it to a wash tub lined with cloth. She then pushed it all to one side and covered it up, stomping on it to extract a strange liquid. She began to remove the squished guano from the basin and bright it to leave near the cave, in the soiled cloth. She then poured the ample supply of strange liquid into a bottle while she waited for the wine. When the pony returned, she asked them to dump all of the wine into the caldron as she lit the fire.

 

Once they were done, she brought her table over and propped it against the caldron, creating a slanted surface raised above the heated wine. As they watched, the water in the wine rose as steam and dripped down the table. After a while, she seemed satisfied with what they had left. Dumping the mystery liquid from earlier into the mix, she asked the pony to stir it gently as she cleaned the bottles from earlier. When she was done, she filled the bottles with the liquid and stored it for later. The rest she poured over the now solid stone chicken. After some time, the chicken shed its stoney outer shell like an egg and was very confused for a moment into the chicken's pony was seen. They left happy and she had a new remedy.

 

She offered the information she needed to in as concise a format as she felt she could. She spoke slow, quiet and deliberate, saying, "The wolf will soon sleep, stone to cover all. If you wish to save it, be brave, stand tall. I'll need you to aid, help keep it asleep. I've something at home, potion made to keep. You'll come help me give it reason to rest. I've no doubt it will work, we'll do our best." Nodding to the pony she had in tow, she began to trot off, at first quietly and somewhat slowly, then, as their distance to the injured creature grew, she picked up a little more speed and gusto, looking back to be sure her new friend followed as she rushed home.

Edited December 13, 2020 by TessQ85
Grammar, flow and such.

[StrongCopper]

It had to be said, Strong Copper wasn't used to dealing with someone who only spoke in rhyme. Yes he could understand her reasons for it being rooted in a desire to make sure that whenever she spoke, her words were carefully thought out but in matters of haste or danger, sometimes a quick and easy to understand word was needed instead of speaking in riddles. However, as he listened to her words he seemed to get the general gist of what she was trying to say. Her plan seemed to be, as he quietly followed after her in order to avoid detection, to subdue the timber wolf so that she could apply a remedy that she knew and had the supplies for back home.

 

A solid plan, but there were still a few gaps in it from his point of view as he started to pick up the pace once they were a safe enough distance away from the afflicted timber wolf as to not alert it to their presence. "Okay. If it's not a factor we have to worry about while we subdue and treat the timber wolf, we can hold off on discussing what caused its condition until later. I am definitely going to have to invite you around for lunch or an afternoon tea or something in the next few days because you've got a lot of first hoof knowledge of the Everfree that would be a huge benefit to have. But if time is a factor, wouldn't it make a bit more sense to subdue it now and then bring it back to your house for treatment? Yes, we have a general idea of where to find it due to knowing where its territory is and I doubt it can travel far in its current state, but you're making it sound like it only has a few hours to live."

[TessQ85]

It seems this stallion is right on one thing, at the very least they need to see if the creature can be treated or if it is too far decayed to survive. This is an important detail that can only be known after laying eyes on the poor beast. "One thing is certain, this creature, not far. We should set traps near the trees it did mar. I suggest a pit, contain our quarry. Once in, put it to sleep, the ways, vary." Now going over the various plants and concoctions that can help them put the likely scared wooden wolf to sleep. Reaching into her satchel, she finds a few things she brought with her... And realizes that the most important things are at home. Luckily they are very close to that ominous cave with an injured tenant. She leaves the descaling lotion gets dropped near the entrance. She nods in a way that might indicate to follow and begins to trot to her house deeper in the Everfree forest.

Edited May 4, 2021 by TessQ85
Grammar, flow and missing actions.

[StrongCopper]

With a small degree of grumbling, Strong Copper followed Zecora at a steady trot.

 

There was the brash, impatient and (He would quietly admit to himself) shamefully arrogant part of himself that was raised a Canterlot unicorn that wanted nothing more then to turn around, stalk his quarry and make use of one of easily a dozen or so stunning spells in order to render the timber wolf into a state where they could safely move it to a new location for treatment. However, experience and his professional passion for what he did for a living wisely shut that part of himself down for the sake of the animal he was trying to treat.

 

Magic... was the last resort in a situation like this. Under the best of circumstances, mixing different kinds of magic together was risky: It was why he had such a surprisingly large number of spells that, on the surface, all did the exact same thing in different ways. One had to factor in not just the target, but also the circumstances around said target because what might peacefully and safely render one creature to sleep in one situation might cause more harm then good in another.

 

Timber Wolves were, by nature, magical creatures and thus had a magic of their own that was infused with their bodies; Copper had spent time finding and designing some spells to safely mingle with this inherit magic for a reason, since Timber Wolves were one of the more common predators of the Everfree that ponies had encountered from it. The issue here was two fold due to the affliction that this timber wolf was suffering. While he personally wasn't sure what the exact source of the timber wolf's partial petrification actually was, it was likely magical in nature and not native to the timber wolf in question... therefore, there were already two different forms of magic currently within the same body. Throwing a third kind of magic into the mix blindly could easily cause an already unstable situation to deteriorate further, faster.

 

The second factor was the weakened condition of the timber wolf itself. Use a stunning spell to strong and instead of putting the target to sleep you... well, put the target to sleep.  To be fair, there were some situations where that was tragically the kindest outcome,  but it was generally better for all concerned if such is the intended outcome and not an accident.

 

So as the trot went on, the grumbling stopped... and instead Strong Copper asked "So... considering how confident you seem, I'm guessing you know what we're dealing with? Or at the very least, have a pretty good idea what happened to the timber wolf in question." No harm in expanding his knowledge base of the Everfree and it would help pass the time as they trotted to have a conversation.

[TessQ85]

Having seen this sort of malady before, Zecora felt fairly certain that she knew with what they may be dealing. Looking for the path she marked this direction, she slows her trot by half as she spots it. The broken green branch of the cherry tree directly south of her house. Turning her head she tries to relay to her traveling companion what she thinks indicates what the injury is. "The timber wolf has rock in its skin's place, there's a native that offers this replace. Cockatrice are known for steely eyed gaze, wolves are bad neighbors, hell was raised. The wound is the result of their meeting, the wolf survived, but took quite the beating." Offering an encouraging nod as her paths end coming into view.

Edited May 4, 2021 by TessQ85
I'm still not at 100% but I really wanted to come back.

[StrongCopper]

The moment Zecora mentioned the word 'Cockatrice', Strong Copper felt like a bit of an idiot. Of course it was a Cockatrice. He should have connected the dots when he saw the scuffed chicken marks; The scuffing was due to its serpent like tail trailing along the ground behind it! It's also one of the few creatures that hunts by turning its target to stone! Maybe it was the fact that the timber wolf in question was only partially turned to stone that messed him up? He had never encountered a cockatrice personally before, but what research he had done on them had never mentioned a situation in which a target was only partially turned to stone and otherwise survived the encounter. It's possible it just happened rather rarely... rarer still to be discovered before natural causes did in the unfortunate creature in question.

 

As Zecora started to slow, Copper did as well... and looking up the end of the path, he couldn't help but notice the literal tree house that was clearly waiting in the middle of a clearing. "Your house I take it? Unless there's an entire community living out here I wasn't aware of."