I slowly turn my head towards Bon-Bon. "Umm... Bon-Bon? Did, uh... did your stomach just growl?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "No..."

We both gulp, then slowly turn around.

A pair of green eyes would be glowing right back at us from the darkness. Then, a wooden paw steps forward, followed by another. Before I even realize it, we're now face-to-face with what looks to be a wolf made entirely out of wood!

"Timberwolf..." Bon-Bon murmurs, crouching into a defensive position.

I, however, am frozen in place, as a series of emotions surge through my mind... fear, anxiety... pain? Curiosity? In a sense, I begin to understand, now.

I'm looking it in the eyes. These aren't my emotions... they're the Timberwolf's... but why pain, though?

Then it suddenly occurs to me upon looking over at its left hind leg... a leg which is caught in what looks to be a Bear Trap.

I quickly raise a hand at Bon-Bon. "Wait." I tell her.

She looks up at me curiously, but eases up. "What are you doing?"

I tune her out, and move my hand towards the Timberwolf, instead. I take a tentative step forwards, eyes still locked on his.

Naturally, he starts to growl at me.

"Easy, buddy... I'm not gonna hurt you." I coo towards him.

At this point, Bon-Bon's giving me a stare that practically screams "are you out of your damn mind?!", but I keep my eyes peeled at the Timberwolf.

He growls again, and I pause my motions; a serious, stern face adorning my features.

"It's okay..." I reassure him again.

His growling soon halts, and he raises his head up a bit, now growing more curious at me. His grassy green eyebrows arch upward, and he tilts his head slightly to the side.

I then move my hand over to his snout very slowly, until I can feel his breathing.

"You're okay, boy... I'm gonna help you. But first, I need you to trust me." I tell him calmly.

He looks over at my hand and then back up at my face.

Then, he starts to whine and presses his forehead into my palm. I gently scratch the wooden surface behind his ears, before looking down at his snared leg.

"Bon-Bon? Do you have any tools for a Bear Trap?" I ask, keeping my eyes focused on the trap in question.

"Uhh... why?" she asks.

"We need to set him free from this thing."

"Nuh-uh! No way! OUT of the question!" she retorts, shaking her head profusely.

I then drift my eyes towards her. "Look at 'em! He's hurting, though!"

She points at him and glares. "Uh, yeah! And HE happens to be a freakin' TIMBERWOLF!"

I sigh. "Timberwolf or not, he's in serious pain! Just look at 'em! He's frightened, alone, and in danger!"

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah! And when he gets let loose, we will be the ones in danger! Look, I admire your drive to help others. I really do! But this... thing... is a monster!"

I turn my head and frown at her. "And if we leave it alone like this, then we will be the monsters."

"But-"

"Bon-Bon... please, just this once, okay?" I plea to her.

Her ears fold back, and she begins to look between the Timberwolf and I, as if having an inner debate.

The Timberwolf whines again, and lowers itself to the ground, as if begging her for something.

She then sighs, before shaking her head. "Can't believe I'm even considering this... alright, fine! Here, come and reach into my bag. There's a screwdriver inside it. Just jam it into the side of the trap and turn it clockwise, then it should loosen the springs within it enough to free the thing's leg."

I smile weakly at her and nod my head. "Thank you."

"But if the thing eats you... well... let's just hope it doesn't come to that!" she says as I reach into her bag. Pulling out the flat-headed screwdriver, I head back over to the Timberwolf and do as instructed.

Sure enough, as I turn the screwdriver, the trap begins to open up. The pressure immediately makes the Timberwolf start to whine in pain and jerk its leg up.

"Just hang in there, buddy! Only a little bit more!"

I grip onto the Timberwolf's leg to steady it, then give the trap one last twist, until-

The trap opens up and falls to the ground, before snapping at the wind. The Timberwolf and I pull our appendages away from it to avoid getting snared into it, and the Timberwolf charges forward, knocking me to the ground.

"Sean!" Bon-Bon calls out, as the Timberwolf pounces up to me. I close my eyes, bracing for what comes next.

*Lick* *Lick* *Lick*

The Timberwolf starts to lick my face, and strange, green saliva and bits of tree sap cover me up. I chuckle lightly, and pet the thankful creature, as I lean back up and get back to my feet.

Now the Timberwolf is looking up at me with his tongue out, and his breathing is now quick-paced panting. I don't even need to sense his appreciation to know how grateful he is... I can tell just from looking at him.

Now that I've got a better view of 'em, though, I take a mental note of the leaf growing at the center of his forehead, leaning back. Not sure why, but perhaps they each have different patterns of wood on them?

"Alright, buddy! Now that you're free, you can head back home, now! Just, uh... try not to get caught again, right?" I tell him.

I then walk back over to Bon-Bon, who says nothing but takes her screwdriver back and stuffs it back into her bag. Then, as we go to leave, we hear the sound of scurrying leaves behind us. Turning around, we see that the Timberwolf is now following us.

"Great... now he likes us! I told you we should've left him!" she complains.

The Timberwolf whinnies a bit at her statement, and she turns around to face him. "Oh, don't give me that! Look, you're free to go now, so go home!"

He only whines once more, but stops following us briefly.

I sigh. "Aww, c'mon, Bon-Bon. If we had a, uh... Timberwolf by our side, we most likely wouldn't be bothered by any other predators out here!"

She groans again. "Fine! Just... just keep 'em closer to you, please."

With a smile and a nod, I turn around and whistle. The Timberwolf barks happily and resumes following us.

"C'mon, Bon-Bon. You gotta admit it's kinda cute in a strange sorta way." I say.

She rolls her eyes and keeps moving forward. "It's a predator that's hunted down countless ponies over many generations, since the Foundations of Equestria."

I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe this one's a Vegetarian?"

"I doubt it."

We continue to chat for a bit, before eventually, we come across a clearing. Then the Timberwolf starts to whinny and crouches down, afraid of something.

"What's wrong, boy?" I ask.

The Timberwolf nods his head towards a particular area. I look towards it, and find a strange rock with a weird pattern etched onto it.

I look back over to the Timberwolf and nod my head. "I see... you're afraid of that rock, aren't you?"

Bon-Bon clears her throat. "That's a Warder's Rune. They're used to repel beasts... which means we're close, now. Perhaps just past this treeline."

"I see... then wait here, boy. We'll be right back, okay?"

The Timberwolf barks once before lying down on the ground where he once stood, circling around a couple times before doing so.

We then cross the treeline, Bon-Bon and I, and sure enough, therein lies a strange-looking Tree Hut. We approach it carefully, with my eyes peeled on the ground in case there's some kind of trap or two lying about. Thankfully, though, there isn't, and we make it to the door without an issue.

I raise my hand to knock on the door, but Bon-Bon takes no time and kicks it open.

"Alright, LISTEN UP, YOU!" she shouts, only to pause when she sees a zebra helping administer a green gauze to the unconscious form of Lyra Heartstrings.

She doesn't seem at all fazed by Bon-Bon's actions, and even smiles upon hearing her enter.

"Ah, I see you have returned. But there truly is no need to be concerned. Your friend is doing quite alright. So please, sit down. There's no need to fight." she says without skipping a beat. She then continues to wrap a leafy bandage over one of Lyra's many wounds.

"But again, I say, you can't bring her back. Not this soon since her unfortunate attack! Please, give rest to this poor mare. She wouldn't last long without proper care."

I look at Bon-Bon, and notice that, at once, the anger in her eyes are no more. No... now she's concerned. Worried deeply. And to be honest... so am I. Looking at the condition of Lyra, we both can see that she's been through a lot.

Red spots still cover her face and her horn, which also appears to have a slight notch in it. Her hooves are covered in grassy bandages, and her torso is covered in a thick straw-woven blanket... but we can also see the corners of bandages below it.

Her eyes are closed, and her once dopey smile is now a small frown. Her breathing chest rises and falls normally, but her breathing is weaker than usual. Furthermore, tear stains can be seen matted onto her cheek fur, where she was crying hours prior.

We can see Lyra clearly, now... and for the lack of a better word, she has gone through Hell.