"It is said you can hear the scream of the world. But is it the scream or your own heart?"

Day 5: Location unknown

My eye's calmly opened up. I was chained to the wall in some office. I stood up and tried to break free from the chains. Looking around it seemed empty. Looking towards the door. Seeing Shadow's of Griffins and ponies speaking. A voice calmly sounded.

"Wheel tread will be here soon. He is searching for new bodyguards. Should... we give him the black feather?"

Then a female voice speaks.

"Hmm, not just the black wing… Maybe that creature. We have chained to the wall in there. Let's see if this creature wishes to listen. But first might be best to let the creature wake first. I will speak to it when I get back. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

I watched them leave and head where ever. Being chained to the wall. I felt I was back home... Being trained in the great way of the warrior. My arms felt very tense. My head hurting from those strange needles that went through my body. With my training in situations like this. I pulled on the chains and they seemed strong.

Sighing softly to myself. I sat down in the little area they chained me in. I felt like I was in a cage. The wild side of me was crying to get out. I felt the rage growing inside me. My blood boiling. The call of a wolf to run free with a pack. But I'm now an outcast to my kind till I find the crystal...I have no idea if I will make it through this alone.

Closing my eyes and listen to my heart calmly. To allow myself to go into a meditation that I learned before I left. Then slowly drifting to sleep.

Opening my eyes open up… To see an armoured Griffin female staring at me. I stood up quickly but the chains not allowing me to move. Seeing the scar. Over her eye. She started to speak.

"Calm down creature... I don't wish to harm you... Besides you can be an asset to me. Now relax... Or I can get you to fall asleep again."

The Griffin stared at me. I stood up growling showing my teeth and relaxed after a while.

"What If I do this for you? I got nowhere to go anymore. I got nothing anymore all I got is my heart and soul."

The griffin laughed softly.

"I see... Now are you willing to help with this? You will get a family a home... Of course if you live through the trip. Now are you willing to do this? I could keep you here. Give you something to do and still, make you feel like you’re in a cage."

I closed my eyes softly and listened a family a home...maybe. Friends...I thought hard about this.

Opened my eyes and stood up.

"I will do it... But I got no gear, nothing."

The Griffin nodded and with one of her claw's called over one of her guards to unlock me. I stood up and followed the Griffin to a strange weapon stores.

"Take armour, guns and whatever you need. Even some potions. But don't get too greedy."

I nodded and picked up a strange zebra pistol. It was white with black stripes. A red dragon on it. It seemed to use magic ammo and normal bullets. I held it tightly and looked to the Griffin showing her the armour I want. It's heavy and seems to take a beating. But the issue was it wasn't used for one like me.

"Are you able to fix this to make it work for me? I don't stand on all fours like ponies do."

The griffin nodded and took the armour to get it worked on. I noticed a strange device It had a screen and looked like it attached to the arm. I picked it up and put it on my arm. Turning it on and it had no recording's or nothing. It seemed to have been cleaned out. It showed what I was holding.

I thought it was an odd creation. Being from a race that had no idea…What this tech was... I started understanding that I would need to use this. I looked through it finding the map and finding the spot I am at. I think it said R7? Not really sure.

I grabbed a few bags setting them aside with the ammo I was given. Then the griffin came back with the reworked armour outfit. Then I put it on and tied the bags to it. Putting the gun in the holster. Then grabbing a sword for the last thing. Turning back to the griffin all set up.

"You got a name?"

I asked while looking at the Griffin calmly.

"Most call me Gawd, how about you then?"

I sighed and shrugged.

"My name is Tiria... But my pack name is Shiverclaw"

Gawd nodded calmly looking towards the outside.

"I would love to know all of your race... But we sadly have a deadline. So I need you to find the blackwing and head with him to Manehatten. I doubt we will meet again anytime soon."

I nodded and looked up. Placing a large helm on my head. Using it to cover my face. Walking outside seeing the griffin I am meant to travel with. The Griffin turned as I remember him... The Griffin I was about to kill the rest of those ponies.

The Griffin looked up and sighed.

"So... You’re the one I am travelling with? I take it this is your first time in the waste then? You fought ponies with guns... like a mad creature."

I shrugged and sighed. Then something hit me I heard the word Wheel tread. "Wait I thought he was coming himself?" With my question Gawd gave me a shrug.

"He, sent a messenger to us. So It's best that you go find a mare named Patch. She will help you find him. If she can't then you're on your own."

I shook my head sighing. "Great..."

Day 5: Location road to Manehatten

"So it's just you and I then? Lead the way."

The Griffin turned to me. He had pure black feathers and an orange beak. He carried heavy guns and heavy armour.

"The trek there is going to take a few days. Are you sure about this miss?"

I looked at him and nodded.

"Tiria... I have no home to go back to. So lead the way, sir."

The Griffin turned to me again.

"My name is Shadow. Shadow Bloodwing. So please just call me that instead of sir... My father's name was sir. So yes come along come along."

Shadow had calm green eyes and scars along his neck. He seemed to have been through much shit. But I am sure I would learn more of it.

"So... What are we doing then? From what I was told this is very important?"

The Griffin looked over to me and nodded.

"We are going to be body guards of a slaver named Wheel tread. He runs an underground fighting ring. So yes we are meeting with a caravan to lead us there. It's hard to find and from what I have learned it goes through Radscorpian lands."

I blinked somewhat and had no idea what he was speaking of. But of course... I have had some of that from the hunters.

"Well, this is the first time... Out here in this wasteland... From what I have seen so far... It's a bit odder than the stories I have been told. The hunters say it's a lovely land... But I look around and see it's like a god shit on the ground... Then another god threw up."

Shadow blinked and looked to me and tried to keep a laugh to himself.

"Anyway, miss Tiria are you willing to work for a slaver? You do know what is a slaver is right?"

I looked up and sighed softly.

"My kind take slaves for many things. It's sadly normal to us. If you can't do anything for the pack. You're forced to be bought for any of the other's desire. So yes my species are used to the things that ponies do to each other. The fact is we are animal like beings… That live in a pack like world. So as for me… I'm one of their warriors that was banished. So now I am off finding something to do with my life... Until I find the crystal that made us."

Shadow blinked looking towards me.

"So this... Is the first time in this wasteland? Then... How did you take on those ponies?"

I looked over to Shadow and sighed.

"We are trained at birth to be deadly warriors. Of course, I have never fought anyone with guns. But it's pretty easy to make them think they have the upper hand...hoof? Whatever....I got paw hands...but I hear hoof everypony and so forth...Is this normal?"

Shadow nodded

"It's very normal it's how many of us learned to talk."

I sighed and nodded.

"Alright I guess...do you know what we are doing other than being bodyguards?"

Shadow looked over to me and gave a shake of his head.

"All I know is find the caravan in Manehatten but the path there is not going to be easy."

I sighed again and nodded.

"So heading to this city… whatever you said. Is going to be a hard trek. Oh, really no shit... Griffin boy. Of course, it will be a hard trek. Look at this place. It looks like something took a shit and smeared it all over the ground."

Shadow blinked and looked over to me with a chuckle.

"You're an odd creature miss Tiria...I got to say it's going to be an odd trek with you."

I sighed and shifted my armor as it was rubbing on my legs in a very strange way. Fur and strange rubbing on the legs is very strange to me. The armor is very nice and all. But I miss my older armor. I watched Shadow as the two of us followed the path along the road to Manehatten. But this would be a journey that either makes me feel strange. I look up as the heard the sky angry and starting to rain. I sighed softly.

"Great..."

Shadow looked over to me and chuckled.

"Sadly miss Tiria it's best to keep moving. A bad idea to stop. Because I doubt who we will meet will wait for us."

I nodded and pulled out my pistol from my holder and cocked it. I never fired a gun. But to me it felt like a crossbow just the same thing. Looking around the raining wasteland that used to be such a beautiful land in the past I am sure. But this land made my instincts take the better of me. I used my nose to gather the scents and smells. Most of it smelled like the dead.

I blinked and looked over to Shadow calmly and spoke.

"This world... It's like barley breathing. My nose… Only smells death. What happen here?"

Shadow looked over to me and sighed.

"War from what I learned. A war that has caused this hell that we now live in. The wasteland changes those that wish to do good. You do good in the wasteland. Then you become the evil of the wasteland. The wasteland crushes and will turn the will to dust."

I blinked and looked around as the rain hit my furry head. The smell of a wet wolf is harsh even to my own kind. I looked back to Shadow and sighed.

"So trying to be a hero in this wasteland causes those to lose their will?"

Shadow sadly nods.

"I have seen many fall just from helping those that wished it. Then they became what they hated the most. It's sadly how the path is. The path is how the journey shall take. What we are doing is too easy most of the time. We do our job and protect kill then give those...slaves and warriors for battle. Sex slave’s meat to eat so forth. Basically, the path we are taking is the easy way out."

My eyes fill with uncertainty. I wasn't sure on what to think. But the endless path is going to be hard to learn. I stayed silent. I was meant for greatness I thought in my mind. I was going to find the crystal. Go back home and be strong for my kind.

Then the two of us turned our heads to the smell of death. Our eyes noticed burnt bodies broken and shattered. Shadow wanted to keep moving. But I went towards the dead and the burning. On a large wooden blank that was lifted up to be a sign. In the words, I said to myself.

"Friendship never dies. The Silver Gunner walks."

I blinked looking at the dead. It seemed to be raiders like the one's I fought a while ago. Then I looked over to Shadow and walked on. Remembering that name. Looking down seeing deep hoof prints deep in the dead ground.

"Whatever did this... was big and powerful. It seems to be heading towards our way."

Shadow sighed.

"Let's hope we don't meet it."

I sighed softly as the rain was starting to come down even harder. I felt my fur getting soaked and sighed deeply. If we didn't have to get to Manehatten in an amount of time…I would already be drying off. I found these ponies strange. We saw more smoking bodies along the way. Looking towards the pip-buck and messing with it. Getting some strange music blinking.

Shadow looked over at me and chuckles.

"You act like you never heard this beautiful music."

I looked over to Shadow and sighed.

"Music like this was banned from our pack. Because the elder's felt it was hateful full of lies. This calm gentle music... It's like magic to my ears."

I sighed calmly and then the music ended a voice sounding.

"Ah, such beautiful music. HELLO wasteland... Such a lovely song that was. Now to the news. There have been burnt bodies found... Along the road to Manehatten from other areas of the wasteland. With the words around the dead. Friendship never dies. The Silver Gunner walks. Now I don't know who this Silver Gunner is. But good on them. We need somepony willing to take the fight to those that harm others."

I turned it off and looked over to Shadow.

"I have a bad feeling about this. How long till we get there?"

Shadow looked over to me with a smirk on his beak.

"Two day's walk. If we ran it would have been less... But running in this rain is not wise."

I sighed again. I guess I should get used to this. I am now one of this dead land. I should get used to it.

It was the middle of the night and we found a rock that shielded us from the rain and the nasty storm. Shadow opened his bag bringing out food that he was given before he left. Most of it seemed to be meat... He started a fire and put the meat on a spit. Looking towards me and smiled.

"Now Miss Tiria how did your species end up like you are. You seem like a mutation."

My eyes went wide and I was getting angry. How dare he insult the moon. How dare he insult our god?! I kept myself calm and smiled.

"My kind were blessed by The Crystals howling dance. It gave us life and made us it's guardian. All of us have been shown this for 1000's of year's for our species came along with the ponies."

Shadow gave me a look.

"I have never seen a species like you Tiria. Hmm or even heard of a species like you. I'm sorry but I don't buy it."

My anger was growing. I didn't even know why I was traveling with Shadow. I hated his guts. But something else filled me. I didn't feel alone anymore. I was alone back home. He felt like someone I could learn from. But my anger the fact... I am alone... He's the only one willing to travel with me. I thought back on this Silver Gunner. Would we have to kill him?

"You seem to be full of thinking miss Tiria."

I looked up at him and sighed and smiled.

"We have been told all our lives... That a god created us... Giving our warrior's to clean this wasteland with our blood... Will make our god happy. But I flatly feel it's a way to remove…"

I silence myself a moment and sighed

"To remove what the elders think as an issue. I refused to listen to the elder's teachings. Because they allowed my mother to be removed and die,"

I removed some meat from the spit and ate calmly looking towards the dark world of waste. That seemed to be a former magic world back in the day. A magic world how could this be so? I have much to learn about this world.

"I take it making friends is hard now with how the world is?"

Shadow looked up to me with a soft smile.

"Friendship sadly is dead in this world. You would see some... If the waste allows it to live. But we have a little more to walk. Then we can get to our meeting."

Slowly ate as we spoke and gave a smile.

"So Shadow... You seem to be alone in this world as well. Are you trying to find an easy death for what you're doing?"

Shadow looked up to me and he sighed calmly.

"I'm searching for my path that leads to a simple death. If I find my death, then I can live. But this life of empty hope is all I have for now."

I blinked sighing leaning back looking at the Pip-buck and seeing the map. It seems the spot that we are at. Is not even on the map. I gave a soft sigh and closed my eyes falling asleep. Allowing this day to pass me by.