Author's Notes:

Keen to the scent, the hunt is my muse
A means to an end, this path that I choose
Lost and aloof are the loves of my past
Wake The White Wolf
Rememberance at last

-Miracle of Sound

After a year of being seperated, the Apple Family was back together once again and were now joining the rebel army on their journey to the southern lands of Equestria. Applebloom watched from the bow of the ship as they sailed down river, past the dense forests and open hillsides while the vikings paddled in rhythm to the beat of their war drums.

"Applebloom!" Applejack called to her little sister as they neared Ghastly Gorge.

Never had a place been so perfectly named. The winds that passed through this eerie place always gave off a dreadful howl and the constant fear of falling rocks were enough to make even the bravest warrior flinch.

"Keep the sails down and row slowly." Wulfric shouted over the winds as they continued to move forward yet every step deeper into the gorge made both the soldiers and the civilians feel uneasy.

"I'm cold." Applebloom said as she began to shiver.

"Here. This'll keep you warm." Said Wulfric who wrapped the little filly in a cloak made from the skin of the bear he slew. Applejack was happy to see her family getting along with him so well and was relieved that she didn't need to hide her relationship from them.

"We'll be out of the gorge soon." The chieftain said aloud as they neared the end of the gorge.

"Good. The faster, the better. This place gives me the creeps." Said Marshall who had been keeping an eye on the cliffside for falling rocks and the ever elusive Quarray Eels that have been known to drag unwary travellers into their nests.

"Easy soldier, we passed the nests already." Shining Armor said to the uneasy warden as they finally exited the narrow canyon to come upon a strange sight.

"What the hay? Snow?" Applejack said in astonishment as they beheld snowflakes falling from the sky.

"I thought you said the south was warm." Wulfric said while catching a snowflake in his hand.

"It usually is...I don't get it."

"This is the work of Dainn Stonehoof." Sergeant Quartz answered as they pressed on.

"After his takeover, he demanded that all male workers to quit their jobs and let the mares handle it and this is the result."

"I remember that." Rainbow Dash said in a bitter tone while rubbing her wings and started to remember her days as a slave before seeing a small town in the distance.

Applejack instantly recognized it as the town of Appleoosa but noticed something was off. Most of the towns buildings were in shambles and the clock tower that had stood in the center seemed to have stopped working for some time but what was most shocking were the dozens of slaves freezing in the cold weather or huddled together by small campfires.

"It's a waystation for slaves. They must've been left here for the next ship to take them to the market." Twilight Said after noticing a slave ship that had docked on the towns port. When Shining Armor saw this, his eyes became filled with anger and he ordered his troops to prepare for an attack.

"Then it's too bad the next shipment won't make it."

As the ships drew closer to the town, the knights and warborn covered themselves in cloaks while Embers legion played the role of an armed escort as a slave merchant and his bodyguards approached the ships.

"Oh my!" Fluttershy whimpered as Pinkie and Twilight held her hands.

"Steady...steady..." Sergeant Quartz mumbled while gripping his poleax as the merchant drew closer.

"Welcome my friends to the Appleoosa outpost." The merchant greeted the strangers in a distinct middle eastern accent while checking out the mares who appeared to be in chains.

"What brings you to our humble home? Business? Pleasure?" He inquired to the lawbringer while a small band of knights moved into position.

"A bit of both. Our first and only order of business is to take this port." Quartz replied while stepping closer with his weapon at the ready.

"And it will be our pleasure to put you all out of your misery."

The second the merchant heard those words, Pommels flail came flying out towards the first guards skull while Marshalls blade impaled the second.

"What is the meaning of this?!?"

"This town is now under controll of the rebel army and you have just been evicted!"

"This is an outrage! G-GUARDS!!"

A small skirmish broke out the moment the rebels revealed themselves. The guards were easily overwhelmed and the merchants were quickly imprisoned or executed while the rebels began freeing slaves from their shackles and cages.

"Let's get them some proper clothes." Marshall shouted to a medic when a slave merchant shouting at him in rage.

"How dare you steal our property!"

"Property?....PROPERTY?!?"

The knight did not hesitate in kicking the merchant into the muddy streets and stuffing his face in the dirt with his boot.

"This is what the rest of your life will taste like! I hope you enjoyed your days of freedom cause they will be your last!"

"Marshall, that's enough!" Shining Armor shouted though feeling a little bit satisfied after seeing one of his best knights put a criminal in his place.

"Lock these scumbags in the prison."

"With pleasure sir."

"No wait! I'm sure we can come to an agreement!!" A second merchant begged while being dragged off.

"How about a thousand bits for my freedom? Two thousand? OKAY! TAKE EVERYTHING!! Just don't send me to jail!!"

"Grow a pair ya big wuss." Pommel groaned while listening to the prisoner sobbed as they continued to drag him through the streets of Appleoosa. The townsfolk laughed as their former masters were dragged through the mud and tossed in a cage with their bodyguards while the rebels began looting the town for valuables and provisions.

"Hey, check this out." Pinkie shouted while holding a loaded crossbow towards Ember.

"Cool."

"Pinkie be careful, that has a hair trigger." The dragoness warned as Pinkie gave a confused look.

"A what?"

With just a slight pull of the trigger, the weapon fired straight at Embers face leaving everyone a bit startled. Thankfully, Pommel and her shield were just in time to stop the bolt just inches from Embers face.

"Oops." Pinkie said sheepishly while gently putting down the crowssbow.

"I think that's enough searching for today." Said Twilight who had just finished taking inventory of their loot.

Meanwhile, In Canterlot

News of the fallen outpost had reached King Dainns ears and like always, he was furious since he knew this would devastate his increasing debt to the mercenary armies he had hired and inspire new uprisings across the kingdom as rebel activity grew with each passing day.

"My king." A servant called to the fuming tyrant after he turned over a table piled up with bills.

"What is it?" Dainn huffed while glaring at his servant.

"It is the seer my lord. He calls for you."

The seer was the kings most trusted advisor and the wisest among his clan. Though Dainn was king he still respected the old ways and heeded the words of the seer.

The seer was a blind old stag dressed in black robes and carried a walking stick wherever he went. He was kept in the castles laboratory in the highest tower and rarely had any visitors save for the king and those willing to pay for a vision of their future.

As Dainn stepped into the room, he became hesitant and wary for he did not trust the ways of sorcery even amongst his own kind.

"You called seer?" He spoke gently so as not to startle the old man who seemed to have already noticed his presence.

"Enter King Dainn." The seer replied in a low voice while fiddling with a set of bones in his hand.

"You honor me with your presence."

"Spare me the pleasantries old man. Why did you call me here?" The king spat as he seated himself in front of the seer. For a moment, things were quiet until the old stag scattered the bones on the floor while mumbling a strange incantation.

"What do you see?" Dainn whispered as the seers chanting came to an end.

"Your kingdom...in ruin." The seer replied while looking up to the heavens with his blind eyes.

"I see sails decorating the water and the skies...blades of silver, fire and chaos....and a white wolf bathed in the blood of kings..."

"Can this fate be changed?" The king asked as he felt a bit nervous.

"Only if the gods will it." The old stag replied just before giving the king a clear warning.

"Beware the White Wolf, King Dainn for it is you he hunts...and it is he that shall take your throne."

"....we shall see."

The king left the seers tower to continue his work and prepare his armies to march south. He would end this war and claim his rightful place as ruler of all Equestria once and for all.

Back In Appleoosa

The allied forces had finished freeing the last of the slaves and began building fortifications around the town until it became a fortress but the harsh weather conditions made it difficult for most of the workers while the vikings and dragons seemed to move about with ease.

While the fort was being rebuilt, Wulfric stumbled upon a trading post at the end of town where he found a cloak made from the skin of a dire wolf. The fur was as white as the snow itself and seemed to glisten in the dim light but that was only part of his discovery as he began to hear a feint whimpering coming from below.

"Puppies?" The chieftain said before stumbling upon a trap door leading to a basement. As he ventured down a bit further, he came across a surprising sight; A full grown female dire wolf with two pups. The she wolf noticed the intruder as she stood up and prepared to attack with a ferocious growl that easily startled Wulfric.

"Whoa easy girl." He spoke gently while tossing aside his weapons and knelt down before her to show he meant no harm. The she wolf then approached him slowly and began to sniff him. From what Wulfric could tell, the cloak he had found must've been the skin of her mate who had no doubt been killed for his fur coat and when the female noticed her mates skin on him she began to cry and nuzzle the cloak gently.

".....I'm sorry." Wulfric spoke gently as he placed his hand on the she wolf who responded with a friendly lick and tail wag before her pups began to cry. Wulfric saw she had not eaten in days and could give no milk for her cubs and they would die soon without nourishment.

"Wulfric?" Called the voice of Fluttershy who had also stumbled upon the trading post and hidden basement to find Wulfric and the pups.

"Oh my!" She gasped slightly after seeing the she wolf growl at her.

"It's alright, she's a friend." Wulfric spoke gently while petting her and letting her sniff Fluttershy's hand and finally allowing the mare to pet her.

"She needs to eat or her pups will die."

"I'm sure I can get some food from the supplies."

Fluttershy quickly left the trading post to grab food while Wulfric kept the mother and her cubs company.

When Fluttershy returned with the food, the mother wolf was able to fill her belly and give her pups the milk they desperately needed while the two friends watched and smiled, when the she wolf let out a few small barks as if she was speaking.

"What did she say?" Wulfric asked Fluttershy after remembering her ability to talk to animals.

"She was asking if she and her family could come with us. The rest of her pack was driven off by hunters." Fluttershy replied.

"Of course she can come. Her and the pups."

The she wolf let out a second set of small barks to the mare who only nodded in response.

"I see."

"What else did she say?"

"She said her name is Arya of the white wolf clan and she hopes that you'll take good care of her and her children"

In response, Wulfric knelt down before Arya once again and gently stroked her head while looking at her two pups who had fallen asleep after filling their bellies.

"I'll watch them as if they were my own." Wulfric said in a gentle voice when the she wolf gently held his hand in her jaws and placed it on one of the pups showing that she truly trusted him. The pup wriggled under his hand with a little growl before falling back asleep.

"Thank you. Arya." Wulfric whispered before letting the she wolf rest with her pups and returning to the camp to help finish fortifying the town.

End.