"So you thought I was just a campfire myth?"

[AlphaMiraWolf]

I slowly make my way around the woods, my hooves crunching the dead leaves and twigs alike. I look over to the blue little wisp that follows me, its soft blue light comforting. The glow of red reminds me of the wings I have, but the sky reminds me of the dangers of flight. I tap a little small purple pendant around my neck, to which it glowed softly, before a purple mist formed. The mist, as energetic as a show horse, darted between trees, in which I carefully followed. I halt as soon as I see what it was leading me to; campers. Young, carefree animals. Who let their puppies out at night to go camping? My glowing wings dimmed as my bright red and yellow markings faded, making me almost an entirely pitch black horse. I had to temporarily halt the glowing of my markings and wings; a black horse is more believeable than a horse with blood moon markings.

I listen in to what they were saying; stories of some kind, around a campfire. One of them was finishing up their story, as the rotted banana looking pup said, "And t-they were never h-h-heard f-f-from a-again-gain." The others cheered for him in a happy manner. I suspect that little, tiny pup didn't have a good amount of courage. I heard another pup say something, saying, "Alright! My turn! This one's from my granny!" I only look over, for I don't want to blow my cover within the dark trees. I don't think anyone took notice of me. The pup himself looked a bit older, maybe in his tens. He was a light brown, almost milk chocolate color with dark brown markings. He had bright blue, almost icy wings, and his tail was exceptionally long. The small crowd seemed to nod and say, "Well go on, tell the story!"

The little winged wolf fluttered his wings in excitement, before calming down and saying, "It all began on the night of the Blood Moon, where the bloodiest battle took place-" "But aren't there multiple Blood Moons that we can experience within our lifetimes?" The rotted banana-looking pup asked, whimpering a bit.
"Not just any old Blood Moon, THE Blood Moon that a bloody battle was fought under. The one we learned in history!" The winged pup said, before adding, "Besides, it's just a campfire tale!"
"Ah, I'll let you continue, my bad." The smaller pup said, smiling before nodding.
"As I was saying, It all began on the night of the Blood Moon, where the bloodiest battle took place. A battle, in which nobody knows who truly won or lost. One side, the Valiants as they called themselves, was lead by a revolution-minded horse named Napoleon!" I raise my head up in pride, hearing my name for the first time in years. I continue listening, hearing the so-called 'campfire tale.'
"And on the other side was ruled over by none other than the evil fox tyrant Moskinla! Napoleon had had enough of being just a general in the tyrant's eyes, for being a general meant killing innocents. Soon, the battle broke out, causing the death of both Moskinla and Napoleon." The winged pup said, his eyes wide.
"But... that's just the tale we learned in history." A pup with an elegant vine pattern said, her tail twitching.
"I know, this is where the legend began, what my granny told me. Sometimes, Napoleon will manifest as the Napoleonic Bloodlust. He is said to have fins on the back of his knees, red glowing wings, a blue wisp, a purple pendant, and a cool tophat. Some residents say it has a feather, some say it doesn't. I like to think he does. And his patterns are no longer nonexistent, but rather, he has the marking of the Blood Moon itself on his flank!" The winged pup said, smiling.
"D-does h-h-he do any-anything bad?" The small pup whimpered, hiding under his blanket.
"No, rather, he helps lead lost travelers back to the village he grew up in! Sometimes, though, you can hear his final moments in the form of a SCREAM!" The winged pup said, jumping towards the cowaring pup, giving him and the crowd around him a slight fright. I decided it would be humourous, as I got into a rearing postition and let out a scream - a loud, frustrated agonized scream - that echoed across the forest, leaving all who heard it in shock. It didn't last long, but it was enough for even the winged pup to have bristled fur.
"M-m-maybe we should go home." The cowaring pup stuttered, shaking.
"That does sound smart-" Another pup said, before another pup mocked, "So what? It was probably just a sound illusion."
"HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?!" The winged pup yelled, as an argument took place in front of me.

My work here was done, as I slowly slinked back into the forest, heading to who knows where. Well, not far from the camp, as, in a few hours, I saw the little, tiny cowaring rotten banana pup again. I had long let my disguise down, and my markings and wings were glowing bright. I slowly approached the lost pup, confused on why he was in the woods alone. The little blue wisp seemed to have the same question.
"W-who are you? Don't eat me!" The pup cried, looking up at my face.
Before I got a word in, his eyes widened, as he said, "N-Napoleon? I thought you were-"
"I am. Or were you going to say something different?" I say, my tail flicking.
"I was gonna say, I thought you weren't r-real??"
I chuckle sightly, before saying, "So you thought I was just a campfire myth?"
The pup nodded, before confessing out of nowhere, "One of the bigger pups was really mean so they forced me to go into the woods. To be 'braver.' I just call that too much risk..."

I nod silently, a disapproving glare in my eye as I carefully picked up the pup by the scruff. I decided it would be best to bring the pup to the village. Sure, maybe his parents might be concerned by daylight, but then again, they didn't seem to care when the moon was at its highest. I stop and look at the old, run down buildings that I once called home. He will reside here, until they decide to come looking for him. I think to myself, nodding. There was enough to eat in the building I was going to place him in; I made sure of it. Fresh bread, to be precise. I enter a building carefully, walking towards an old crib slowly, a memory of a young daughter flooding my senses momentarily. Faith... I think to myself, a tear escaping my eye. "Is there something wrong?" I hear the young pup say, as I place him into the crib. "It was my home once. Before the whole battle happened. I used to have a daughter, though, I only knew her for a month before my untimely demise at the edge of a blade." I simply say, sighing. I look over at a wooden board and walked over to it, picking it up and looking over at the crib. I then slowly walk over to the crib, placing the wooden board like a ramp that lead down from the crib onto the floor. "You remind me so much of Faith..." I simply say in a strained voice, before lowering my head and walking out of the building, letting out a mournful cry. "Aren't you gonna stay?" I could hear the pup call out, though, I knew I couldn't. It would leave the chance of someone getting attacked randomly high. I simply shake my head and move on, looking in front of me, waiting for the next unfortunate soul to get lost within the forest...