Acerbus slowly nodded in agreement to what the timberwolf in front of her said. She didn't want to agitate him in any way shape or form.

"Oh, and be sure not to walk on your leg." Neco said as he sat down.

He then pointed to Acerbus's busted leg.

"When I saw it a bit twisted, I knew something was wrong."

"Yeah..." Acerbus said, raising an eyebrow. "It IS broken."

"Sorry, it's just that my kind regenerates and we don't have a clue how ponies, changelings and other creatures heal."

"Changelings can regenerate too." Acerbus said. "But right now, I can't."

"Hmm... I think you'll have to rest a bit then." Neco suggested. "I'm not much of a healer, but I think that's for the best."

Acerbus couldn't believe what the timberwolf had just said. It was pure stupidity. But not wanting to talk back, Acerbus nodded in response.

"Hey, is there any more of you?" Acerbus asked as she looked around the cave. "You know... More timberwolves?"

Neco shook his head.

"Nope, only me." the timberwolf said.

He then gave a sad smile and looked towards the ground.

"It's probably nothing..." Acerbus thought to herself as she snuggled comfortable in her 'bed'.

The 'bed' was actually just leaves stack on top of each other.

But little did she know that the timberwolf had a story to tell.

"Dammit, Neco!" a more darker than Neco snarled. "You let them fucking get away!... AGAIN!"

Hunting in a group of six, the leader of the pack snarled towards Neco. Neco was gigantic compared to all the other timberwolves - even the leader.

"If we're all going to survive, you need to KILL!" the leader said, angerness in his voice.

"Leaf-foot, Rooty, and Pines here did what the had to do!" the leader said, looking towards three timberwolf that looked smaller in comparison to Neco.

To the left of Neco sat Leaf-foot, Rooty, and Pines. A simple nickname to tell them who they are. Leaf-foot got his name due to the leaves on his feet. Rooty on the other hoof was with 'roots' on his ears. Pines got his because of pine needles in his ears.

"Even Lil' Wood!" the leader snarled.

Lil' Wood was a small timberwolf that sat right of Neco.

Lil' Wood was actually a much larger timberwolf than the other three, but was smaller than Neco. Lil' Wood's nickname wasn't the way you thought. He was called Lil' Wood due to the size of his small penis.

All the other timberwolves; Leaf-foot, Rooty, and Pines started to snicker. Just the name, ' Lil' Wood ' just brought up the fact of his small penis.

Lil' Wood gritted his teeth towards the snickering wolves.

"Shut your fucking traps!" the leader barked towards the three timberwolves.

They immediately stopped, but small snicker continued to escape from their mouths.

"Look, Neco." the leader said. "You're perfect for a leader, but you need to show it!"

"How, sir?" Neco asked.

"By killing!" the leader snapped.

"So far, you haven't been able to kill anything!" the leader said. "There's just something that's stopping you from obtaining your bloodlust!"

Neco bowed his head as if he knew what was wrong. But the leader didn't notice.

"Alright, pack!" the leader said. "We're calling this a day! But next time, bring your monster with you!"

"That's what something Lil' Wood needs!" Rooty said, the other two timberwolves by his sides laughing as he said it.

"That's it!" Lil' Wood said, snarling.

"Dismissed." the leader said, giving no heed to what was going to happen.

Lil' Wood snarled and went low and bared his teeth.

"Run!" Pines said. "Run the fuck away before his monster gets us!"

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU GUYS!" Lil' Wood roared as he sprinted towards Leaf-foot, Rooty, and Pines.

The laughter of the trio was downed as Lil Wood's stomping shook the ground. As that was happening, Neco was staring at the ground, thinking to himself. Shaking his head, he got on his fours and began to walk towards the opposite direction where the action was.

"His monster's shaking!" Leaf-foot said. "It's coming!"

"I'M GOING TO GET YOU LITTLE CUNTS!"

Neco walked on as crashes were heard from the very rowdy group of timberwolves. Walking for about a minute, Neco looked around him to see if anything was watching him. Cautiously going on his hind legs, Neco brought his front legs up on a trunk of a tree and looked up the tree.

"Are you guys there?" Neco asked softly.

A soft chirp of a bird answered him. A blue jay bounced out from the tree and looked at Neco. A leaf bandage was around the blue jay's wing as it was broken. Other small chicks of the blue jay appeared, tweeting softly.

"Chow time!" Neco said as began to hack.

A huge glop from his stomach erupted to his mouth, his cheeks now full. Opening his mouth, the birds began to peck at what was inside his mouth. Inside his mouth was mushed up bugs Neco scavenged during the hunt and had ate them. The hunt gave enough time for the bugs to become mushy, mushy enough for the baby birds to eat.

As the last of the mushed up bugs was gone, the mother blue jay tweeted thanks and went further back into the depths of the tree, her chicks following her. Neco smiled to himself as he gently got back to the ground on his fours. But as he did, a pack of timberwolves was waiting.

"Well, well, well, Neco..." a very roughed up dark voice said.

A pair of green eyes and well as many others appeared by the side of the one that spoke.

"Dead-wood..." Neco said, beginning to snarl.

"Well, Neco... What are you doing feeding those birds?" Dead-wood asked, his green eyes in the darkness looking up to the tree the blue jays were at. "Are you fattening them up so you can eat them yourself?"

Neco didn't answer and got lower, baring his teeth.

"You are? Or are you not?" Dead-wood asked as he stepped forward.

Dead-wood was a black timberwolf and very mossy green eyes. His skin looked very dead and rotten, earning him the name, 'Dead-wood'.

"Why don't you let us have a meal?" Dead-wood asked as other timberwolves appeared by his side. "You step aside and we won't hurt you."

"What are you going to do with them?" Neco asked as he backed up slowly to the tree.

"The birds?... That's such a stupid question, Neco..." Dead-wood said, sighing. "We're going to eat them!"

"Well, you have to get past me if you're going to get them!" Neco barked.

In the tree that nested the blue jays, the birds trembled in fear as they looked down to see Neco outnumbered.

"You're protecting them?" Dead-wood asked, raising an eyebrow. "They aren't even your fellow comrades!"

"When was I your comrade, Dead-wood?" Neco asked, baring his teeth even more.

"Now, really... You can't even hurt a fly!" Dead-wood said, starting to laugh. "You scared to fight?"

"I'm ready to defend." Neco answered. "Now back off before you regret it!" he barked.

"Ooh, I'm scared." Dead-wood said. "Now at him, boys!"

The timberwolves around Dead-wood gave him a look.

"You... you want us to do what?" one asked.

"Mangle him! Kill him!" Dead-wood said, barking at the timberwolf.

"Now that's a bit too harsh, boss." another timberwolf said as others joined in agreement.

"Why don't we just push him around?" another timberwolf suggested. "I mean, he is one of us."

Many timberwolves nodded as Neco started to relax.

"No, KILL HIM!" Dead-wood barked.

"Look, even if we did, you'll basically hog the food to yourself." another timberwolf said. "Remember that one time at the feast when you tripped on Lil' Wood's-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Dead-wood screamed.

"Didn't he shit himself as he tripped?" a timberwolf asked, whispering towards to a timberwolf.

The second timberwolf nodded.

"Yeah, he did." the second timberwolf whispered. "He somehow got drunk on pony alcohol we found one day."

"Just shut up!" Dead-wood said, unable to believe that his own men weren't following his orders. "Now attack him before I get all of you executed!"

"That's just taking it WAY too far." a timberwolf said. "Just because you're the chief's son doesn't mean-"

"Shut it." Dead-wood said. "I'll take on him myself."

"I don't think you should do that, boss!" a timberwolf said. "Neco's been wrestling bears!"

"Ha, yeah right." Dead-wood said as he approached Neco.

"Wait, Neco actually wrestles bears?" a timberwolf asked.

"I dunno." the timberwolf that said that Neco wrestled bears said. "But look at Neco, he's PURE muscle!"

"You should listen to your friends." Neco said as he saw Dead-wood coming up to him. "Look, I don't want to do this..."

"A sign of weakness!" Dead-wood said. "C'mon Neco, stand up and be a true timberwolf!"

"You're a true timberwolf?" Neco asked, raising an eyebrow.

But a powerful paw from Dead-wood struck Neco across the face.

"Bring it, Neco." Dead-wood snarled.

Neco then attempted to swat Dead-wood from his face, but Dead-wood dodged the swipe and lunged his sharp teeth towards Neco's neck. A kill move. Neco took notice of this and dodged the attack.

"That all you got?" Dead-wood asked. "Dodging?"

"Look, I said that I don't want to do this, Dead-wood." Neco said. "But I can't allow you to hurt the birds!"

"The birds, huh?" Dead-wood said, smiling.

He then looked towards the tree where the blue jays were at.

"If I did... this?" Dead-wood said, quickly stepping back from and forth from the tree.

Neco jerked forwards, but stopped as he looked frantically between the tree and Dead-wood.

"Be a monster, Neco!" Dead-wood said. "Unleash the beast! Kill me!"

"H-he's crazy..." a timberwolf said as the rest of the timberwolves spectated on.

"Here I go, Neco!" Dead-wood said, leaping towards the tree.

"Hey." a voice said. "You there?"

Neco found himself staring into space and saw a changeling in his line of sight.

"Hey. Neco." Acerbus said, trying to wave her hoof in front of the large timberwolf.

"What happened?" Neco asked as his paw on his head.

"You blanked out." Acerbus said, trying to walk on threes. "I've been calling you for the past few minutes and you just stared out."

"Oh, sorry." Neco said.

"It... it's alright." Acerbus said, now walking away from Neco. "I just wanted to 'wake you up' because I'm going to leave right now."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Neco asked.

"Yep." Acerbus said, struggling to move on three hooves. "Thanks for saving me."

"Look, you can't go out, Acerbus." the giant timberwolf said, walking to the side of the Changeling. "It's suicide."

"Suicide?" Acerbus asked. "I'll be fine on my own."

"Acerbus, this forest is full of things that WILL kill you." Neco said. "Please just don't go yet."

That was a word that was almost never used to Acerbus. She looked up to the wolf and then sighed.

"Alright." the changeling said, making her way back towards her bed. "I won't yet."

Neco sighed in relief and smiled.

"Thank you."

Acerbus widened her eyes in surprise to feel the timberwolf's kindness. Never he had once used force or brutality to keep Acerbus in the cave.

Acerbus slowly made her way towards her bed, but struggled. With each hoof unsupported due to the unequal distribution of the weight, Acerbus tripped. Losing balance and about to crash onto the ground with her broken hoof, Neco was there for her.

His giant paw saved Acerbus from a painful crash and then helped her into the bed. The changeling then looked towards the wolf and then onto the other side of the bed to get comfortable.

"Hey, are you hungry, Acerbus?" Neco asked. "You look famished."

"No, I'm fine." Acerbus replied as she snuggled with the blanket.

But her stomach thought otherwise and growled monstrously.

Neco began to chuckle as Acerbus's cheek slowly turned to a little shade of red.

"I think you ARE hungry, Acerbus!" Neco said as Acerbus hid her face behind her blanket. "I'll go get you something to eat!"

He then began to walk away before Acerbus asked a question.

"Neco..." Acerbus said.

"Yes? What is it?" the timberwolf replied.

"Why are you helping me?" the changeling asked.

"Well..." Neco said, stopping in his tracks. "I can't see defenseless things just die without a hope of survival. If I see a bird with a broken wing, I know that I have to help the bird, because the bird wants to live."

"But what about me?" Acerbus asked.

"Because you are that bird, Acerbus." Neco said. "I had a feeling that you wanted to live."

The timberwolf then walked off into the forest, his hoofsteps slowly getting softer with each step.

Acerbus laid down and relaxed in her bed. She had to go and regroup with the Swarm even if she was injured. But a part of her wanted to stick with Neco and trusted him.

"Abandon the timberwolf." a dark voice said in Acerbus's mind. "Go. Now."

"What?" Acerbus asked herself.

"No, don't." the lighter voice answered. "Give Neco a chance, Acerbus."

"He wants to kill you, Acerbus." the dark voice said. "Go while you have the chance!"

"Please give him a chance, Acerbus!" the lighter voice said. "You know so."

From the bed which was in the cave, Acerbus decided her own personal decision. But she would have to wait until nightfall...

Author's Notes:

Sorry! Bad chapter is bad chapter!