Sins of the Mother

Trails exited the longhouse and lit a cigarette. He stood and thought as he watched the smoke float away on the morning air. Admittedly he was making a bit of rush out of this decision. He had just found out he was the closest thing to raider royalty there was.

Well were the Khans really raiders? The answer came to him as soon as he looked down at the town they'd made in the canyon: no. And as rushed as this was, he was secure in it. That community down their, that one big family feeling, that was what he wanted. That was what he always wanted, roots with somepony he could get along with. Not to say he was done being a nomad, by no means was that true. He would die on the road just like he lived on it, but he wanted something more now.

Trails ambled over to a large communal firepit and set his bags on the ground. One of the Khans gave him a smile and offered a sample from a jug next to him. Trails took the offer gladly and instantly felt his mouth go numb, it was early for Tequila but it still was nice. He offered the pony a cigarette in return, which the Khan took and lit off the fire.

"You making a run for a shipment?" the Khan asked after taking a drag.

"Eenope, my mom was Joules, I-"

"Wait, you mean Joules Joules." The Khan cut in, choking on the smoke. "Like first 9 Joules, queen chemist Joules, first pony to turn in their patch Joules?"

"Eeyup." Trails replied simply, royalty indeed.

"Celestia damn it, that's just...wow. You looking to get a patch?" Trails nodded. "You look like you can handle it, hell if Cherry can make it you can too. Well he hasn't but that's beside the point."

"What's initiation?"

"Oh hoh, it's fun. Well not really fun, but once it's done you can't stop smiling."

"Yeah, but what is it exactly?"

"We canonize you, by kicking the living shit out of you." the khan gave Trails a smirk as he took another puff on the smoke.

"Sounds like fun for the whole family." Trails replied sarcastically.

The khan laughed and clapped Trails on the shoulder, "That it is. You'll do fine, you passed Papa Khan's sizing up and that's the hardest part. Most ponies are hang arounds for years before earning their patch. Name's Kick Start."

The pony held out a hoof, Trails shook it firmly. "Happy Trails."

"You been looking to become a Khan long?"

"Can't say I have, didn't even know my mom was a Khan until last night."

"Following the family hoofsteps, then. You as good a chemist as your mom?"

Trails laughed and shook his head, "Tartarus no, I learned everything I use from my Uncle H, who I learned last night was a Desert Pegasi. Convoluted family tree."

"To say the least, Desert Pegasi damn. You'll definitely pass initiation then."

A sharp whistle came out from the ridge line. Trails and Kick turned to see a Khan with a scoped hunting rifle waving Kick over. Kick nodded curtly and grabbed his jug of tequila. He clapped Trails on the shoulder and wished him luck before running up to meet the sniper.

Trails fell back onto his haunches with a sigh and started looking through his saddlebags. He had scavved plenty to eat, but none that he felt like. After a few minutes he gave up and decided to simply lay back by the fire. He didn't figure much could help with initiation, so he prepared the best way, by doing nothing.

Kestrel was undecided on the Khan's at the moment. They were an efficient tight knit group that did what it could survive. But their attitude about some things reminded the gryphon to much of your average raider.

Cocky and too far Alpha to care.

Still Kestrel could see why it was the way it was, from what little he had learned of the group they had gotten a tough rap getting out here.

Kes had stuck around despite this though, mainly just to keep an eye on the one stallion that had any hope of ever being his friend. Trails had proven himself worthy in a few ways thus far, but he had a far piece to travel if he wanted to have Kestrel's loyalty.

Gryphons were well known for being slow to trust and Kes, due to his upbringing in Filly, was even slower on the draw.

Sky didn't know what to make about these ponies, The Great Khans they were called. They seemed to be a like well group of organized raiders, though they were different than most raiders. They didn't attack the group while they entered, that showed a sign these guys at least need a reason to kill ponies. They weren't raider like out east, these ponies were more of a tribe. As explained by the tents and buildings, these ponies knew how to be together as one tribe. Sky wouldn't even consider them raiders, just a bunch of normal ponies who want to get by. Nothing to do though now, just wait for trails, stick by the rest, and get a glare from khan every once in a while.

Lightning had followed Trails this far and now they had run into this group known as 'The Great Khans'. After hearing some tings about their history, he wasn't sure what he thought about them yet. It just seemed to be just like any other group. Ponies banding together for survival. But he wasn't going to say that out loud. They seemed to be a very proud group and they looked as they would defend that pride to the end. Lightning just did what was smart and wait with the others for Trails and keep his mouth shut.

Kira was not sure why she still stayed with the group even less so now then before but she still stuck around, even now when Trails had lead them to this group the Khans or Great Khans or whatever they like to call them selves.

The gryphoness had mixed feeling about then when they from one point of view seemed to be not much different from others that tried to survive in the wasteland, a group bonded together for protection in number. But from another point she would say they were not much different from the bandits they had meet in the desert not that long ago or the convicts from the prison, a group that where nothing ells but bullies and the only reason they didn't attack the group when they approached was because they did not feel like it.

She looked over the collection of huts and ponies that lived in the canyon and went about their daily businesses, they had to really show that they were more that a group of bullies to Kira before she could even think of trusting them. But still she could respect their pride and would not ever dream of looking down on them as something as simple bandits of raiders.

Zestari snorted as she trotted down the stairs of the small store, which was bathed in the thin dust that seemed to permeate everything out here in the Mohoofe. “He and his friends are not here.”

Herself and Safiya the griffin had travelled all the way from Stableton to seek the desert survival expertise of a buck called Happy Trails. Damned if he was an easy pony to find.

“Apparently he’s not here,” she repeated quietly, and she found a bench and unfolded a worn map, “According to that store owner mare, somepony that fit his description mentioned they were heading to the Khan’s lands.” She gave a look to Safiya that said ‘I have no idea, either’. “A place called Bitter Springs.” Her hoof traced a short path to its destination. “There.” She sighed.

“Honestly, I know I was told he’d be able to help me find the rare pepperberry bush, but does he have to be so hard to get into contact with?” She turned to the bored looking griffon, “Is there anything you’d like to get before we move on? I don’t intend to stop until I get to Bitter Springs.”

Safiya watched as the zebra laid out the map in front of her and silently moved closer to take a look. She watched as Zestari pointed out the places where this... Happy Trails, could be located. Her fiery gaze swept the map as she narrowed her eyes to the location. She was unfamiliar with Khans but she had heard a little bit about them and to her they sounded like a better organized raider group. She cast the thought aside as she made use of her keen memory by absorbing the surrounding areas on the map just in case they needed them for any reason, should they run into trouble. After all her task was to look after the Zebra and she would do exactly that. She had promised Winter to take good care of her and she owed the little mare allot more then this.

Safiya was... unusual compared to most gryponesses you would find around the wasteland. Although she was smaller then most female gryphons, her body had been well toned and conditioned for her use of speed and grace. She was staggeringly fast in her movements and her attitude was more serene, laid back and content to observe rather then get stuck straight in. She looked to Zestari as she asked if she wanted to get anything before they left and thought for a moment, "I don't think so. We better get moving though.. I would rather get us close before we loose too much sunlight" she said, her voice surprisingly calm but with a lethal edge that would frighten or unnerve lesser creatures.

Trails jumped up tired of sitting on his haunches and watching the fire. He decided a walk of the camp was in order and told the group they were welcome to join him should they so choose. It was a small canyon, and it felt cramped with all of the tents and ponies milling about. There were easily 100 Khans all staying there, Trails guessed there were more camps just like this one spread throughout the Mohoofe, all serving as a port in the storm for the Khans.

At the center of the camp was a large fence in the shape of a ring. Inside stood several posts wrapped in dried grasses. Khans stood hitting these posts, practicing their unarmed skills on the unfeeling wood. Trails guessed that this little arena was where his initiation would take place, if the Khans jumping him in were as enthusiastic about their hoof to hoof combat as those training, he wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

He finished his circuit of the camp with a stop at a nearby trailer park. The park seemed to house a dozen Khans who all sat behind boiling pots and stills as the brewed the chems that funded their little operation. This is mom's legacy. A dozen ponies making dash in a trailer in a desert. He casually walked up to one of the tables sitting outside and picked up one of the boxes.

"Looking to sample the wares before you buy?" piped up one of the brewers, his muzzle hidden by a tightly wrapped bandanna and his eyes covered with goggles.

"No, what is it tough?" Trails asked shaking the discreet box for a hint at its contents.

"PTMs, about a thousand tablets per box. Since our stuff is fresh and made in this environment it's a little stronger too. Street value of each box is about 12,000 caps."

Trails whistled. "No wonder you guys want to keep this going."

The brewer laughed as he added a few drops of some liquid to his still. "Yeah it's very profitable, the strip runs off us and we them, nice little partnership. NLR's looking to fuck it all up though."

"Well I hope it works out, see ya." Trails waved goodbye to the brewer and returned to the fire he had left his saddlebags at.

Zestari smiled at Safiya. Although it had taken some time to get used to the griffon's direct and firm tone, Zestari had learned to manage. The griffon had proven to be invaluable on the journey so far, if not for providing protection in the form of firearms and aggression, then in company and a good eye for camp sites.

“Moving sounds good. I’m wondering whether we might skip lunch and if we keep up a good pace we might reach Bitter Springs by this afternoon.” She looked up towards the sky to gauge the time and how much light might be left by the afternoon if they followed such a plan.

She folded the map back up and stuffed it back into her saddlebag, eliciting a plume of the ever present mohoofe dust. "Does that plan work for you?” she asked, shielding her eyes against the sun and tracing the road before them, before beginning to trot off.

Sky had followed trails close behind, but a bit away for her not to get noticed by trails. Or simply he didn't care, still she had followed him to a nearby trailer park. She didn't know what to think of the place when she followed him their, but she did notice the ponies here were all wearing and mixing something in boiling pots, She didn't know what they were doing. But they seemed to be making alot of the stuff, as if the group she was in weren't doing much. She decided to causally walk towards the group of ponies, only to hear Trails and the stallions last words of their conversation about PTMs? Party time mentals? these were drug making ponies, probably that's what they are. A giant gang of Drug Dealers, but it didn't bother Sky. She sold some too back in stableton, Anyways she probably could watch them work or something til the group called her back.

Safiya moved to the side of the small Zebra as she stuffed the map away, saying nothing at first when she asked if it were ok to skip lunch. She gave a small nod in reply before speaking, "It's fine with me" she said as she looked off into the direction they were going, wondering what lay between them in and their goal. She gave her gear a quick check over, making sure her 357 was nicely in place before she began to move beside Zestari, her razor sharp talons clacking against the sun cracked road as she walked.

Kestrel, after a long while of waiting, decided to get up and stretch his muscles a bit. Grabbing his rifle the gryphon began the short trek towards the edge of the canyon that the Khan's called home.

He had mapped out the valley by now, knowing its nooks and crannies like the back of his talon. It had not take long at all really, few hours at the maximum.

Mentally mapping out a route Kestrel began his little bout of exercise; running, jumping, flying, and weaving his way around the rocks and trails of the valley with surprising speed and grace for a being his size.

After a good forty-five minutes the gryphon came to a stop atop a rocky outcropping near the entrance of the canyon. His chest heaved, and a sheen of sweat has soaked its way into his fur.

From atop his perch Kestrel allowed himself a silent moment to overlook the desert below. The bird had to admit, it was a nice view. Nature had always impressed him. Its resilience, balance, and structure...all of it was just...beautiful to him.

Zestari and Safiya made good time for three reasons, firstly by skipping lunch, second, by the roads being devoid of other travellers from which to prompt vigilance and caution when approaching and passing. And finally, a desire to reach a resolution to the journey so far. The lack of other travellers also put them on edge for raiders or animal attack.

At a well-worn junction, Zestari rechecked the map and they had a short drink from canteens. “We’re close,” she remarked with a tired smile, “A short way down this way.” She nodded and the pair began travelling down the road. The expanse of desert slowly gave way to a gorge carved from the pastel stone.

“Well Safiya,” she said as they approached the canyon valley “I guess this is the place we’re looking for - Bitter Springs. I hope he’s here, or we’ve come a long way for nothing. Keep an eye out for somepony who might be able to guide us further.” She directed, not sure what sort of ponies would have set up a home out here.

Kira had been watching and walking around canyon trying to get a feeling of the Khans what was their real deal. She could only admit that from what she had see so far they were like a close family despite their great numbers, still she did not like them but she could respect their ways. But she was still not sure about them they could so easily turn bandit or even raider, if that would happen she would stop them no mater what.

Kira needed sometime alone for the others to think. She walked away from the Great Khans camp, she would not go far but she needed to get some air away from the camp. She did not go far still seeing the camp of the Khans behind her but it was far enough for her to be alone and gather the thought.

From his perch atop the rocky outcropping Kestrel could see to figures appear on the horizon, slowly making their way towards the camp.

Narrowing his eyes the gryphon slid down into a secure position and pulled out his Sniper Rifle, setting it atop the rock in front of him and training the glass on the two approaching people.

The scope lit up and revealed the identities of the newcomers. A zebra and a gryphoness, if Kestrel had to guess the zebra was female, not to young, not to old...wait...he knew that zebra.

Zestari, what the hell was she doing here? And who was the individual with her. Kes could not tell very much from this distance but what he could see of the gryphoness showed that she was not a simple traveling companion. She looked like a guard almost, stoic, silent, serious.

She was like him in that way. Suprising...most gryphons were cocky and proud. She looked cool and collected.

Kes reached up and adjusted a knob on his rifle, zooming in a bit. Then, using the mil-dots on his scope, he sized the female up. She was smaller than most gryphons, and much smaller than he was, few inches larger than Kira if he had to guess. Looking closely Kes would have to say that she was a predator built for speed and agility. She was sleek, toned in the correct areas for such feats.

"Interesting..." the sniper-gryphon thought to himself, as he continued to watch their approach. They were moving at a good pace, would not be long till they were knocking on the door so to speak.

Safiya said nothing but simply nodded to the Zebra as she asked her to look out for some pony to guide them to the one called Happy Trails. She had no problem taking orders from the Zebra as this was her trip after all, she was just here to ensure her safety. She glanced around as they walked, making sure to check for signs of hostiles or ambush positions. Her eyes swept areas, lingering on interesting points for merely a second before moving on.

And hour seemed to have passed before something of a glint caught her eye. Like a sharp knife poking out through the dull sand yellow of the Mahoofe. Her eyes flickered to it for merely a moment before she looked away. In her mind she had come upon a set of numbers, time frames and estimations that she was making upon realizing what the glint could have come from one thing only, a sniper. She looked ahead down the road and saw a building on the left side, 'perfect' she thought. She waited, giving nothing away that she had noticed the eyes upon them as they walked. It was only when she neared the building that she picked up pace and turned to face Zestari head on, rounding on her. "Do as I say and say nothing... we are being watched, follow me" was all she said. She had intentionally faced away from what she thought was a sniper in case the person behind it could lip read.

She walked right, behind the cover of the building and used her body to cover Zestari as they disappeared behind it. When they were clear she looked to the Zebra.. "Stay here a moment.. I need to check this out" she said before she looked around. Her eyes scanned the floor first before finally resting on a window that sat on the side of the building that they hid behind. She balled her fist and smashed it before plucking a medium sized piece of glass from it.

Slowly and carefully she moved to the corner of the wall before bringing the shard of glass up, using the reflection to peer back into the position of the sniper. She could only see the sun glare form the scope, but it was enough for her to get a real look and no for sure that it was indeed a sniper. She kept it there for a moment as she thought before deciding it was best to simply ask this 'sniper' if the intention was good.

She tilted the glass towards the sun and signaled an arrangement of flashes which would signal a single question, "Friend or Foe ?". When she was done she leveled the glass to peer back in the reflection... no reply was a clear indication that this was not a friend.. but should the sniper reply with something... that was usually a good sign.

Kestrel had not noticed that the gryphoness had noticed him until the two began to walk off the beaten path towards the destroyed remnants of some small building a few dozen feet from the main pathway into Bitter Springs.

Her actions were smooth, practiced. She knew what she was doing...whatever it was that is.

When she stuck the piece of glass around the corner and started flashing it towards him the gryphon would honestly admit that he was confused. At first. Attempting to decode what the hell she was doing brought up some old lessons from his father that he had nearly forgotten.

Morse Code, she was using Morse code.

Kestrel wracked his brain for the meaning of the flashes and glares and eventually he was able to get his mind working again. Reaching forward Kestrel blocked off the glare from his rifle with a single massive hand, thinking of a response before sending his message downrange. It was a tad sketchy, Kestrel had not used Morse code in years, yet still the message was clear.

"You're alive no?"

Safiya waited, her piece of glass trained on the position of the sniper as she paused to await her answer. When the flashes eventually came back they were a little... rough, but she could easily decode it simply through fluent experience wit Morse Code. Needless to say the response was not the one she had hoped for... although it could have been much much worse. She knocked her head back agasint the wall as she sighed, "Why do all snipers have to be wise cracks" she muttered before leveling her glass yet again. She thought for a moment as she wondered what to say before it came to her, "Not what I asked. Confirm your intention" she asked again before steadying the glass. She wasn't going to play games here... not when she was responsible for a life, and a friend of Winters.

Zesty frowned in confusion at Safiya as she quickly led the zebra behind the crumbling building, she only became more confused when the griffon explained she’d seen someone ‘watching’ them, and the zebra crouched down and watched as Safiya went to the corner of the building. She continued to sit there where Safiya had positioned her, her ears pressed back against her head in concern. It obviously had the griffon's feathers ruffled.

She shook her head with increased confusion as Safiya began waving a piece of glass around the corner of the building, and waited for a moment, before grumbling something quietly and flashing the glass again. “What do we do?” she hissed. “What are you doing?”

Kestrel watched and waited for a response, the one he was getting back confirming his thoughts about the female. She was serious about her job, not willing to fool around.

Good, about time someone else was like that.

Reaching back up Kestrel flashed out his reply. This time reverting to his usual cold, straightforward businesslike demeanor instead of trying to make a joke. Kestrel had never been good at humor anyway, it annoyed him more than anything really.

"Friendly. Welcome to Bitter Springs Zestari."

As she waited for the sniper to reply she heard Zestari whisper something to her from behind her. Though why she was whispering she had no idea what so ever. "I saw something in the mountains, thought it might be a sniper.. turns out it is" she said without turning to face the Zebra, "I'm using Morse Code to find out if our friend is in fact a friend" she finished before she received her reply which brought her some relief. If it were hostile it could have made quite a few problems for them as they would need to find a different route. "Turns out this sniper knows you, says welcome" she said as she chucked the glass to the ground, letting it shatter as she turned to Zestari, "Let's get going, don't want to keep your friend waiting" she said with a slight tinge of humor as she turned and left her cover to return to the road. She shifted her gaze to the glare for a moment before turning to wait for Zestari.

By the time that Safiya had looked up to see if the glare was still there it would be gone. Kestrel and his rifle were already packed up and moving down the rocks towards the road below. He took his time as he made his way down the cliff.

No need to rush, he would have enough time to get down the outcropping and hit solid land before the two made it into the canyon proper.

He would be waiting for them when they got there. His masked face just as cold and stoic as ever.

When Safiya mentioned the word ‘sniper’ almost casually, Zestari’s eyes went wide and she shuffled closer to the wall of the building. A tense moment passed as Safiya flashed her morse code message with a piece of glass. Zestari released a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding when Safiya told her that the sniper apparently knew the zebra and the situation was diffused.

“Someone who knows me? Out here?” She was unable to keep the scepticism from her voice. She trotted to the corner where Safiya was standing and scanned the opposing canyon side where Safiya had been flashing the mirror. Zestari couldn’t see any figure hiding amongst the rocks. “Who was it?” she asked quietly, and a little confused.

Dusting herself off quickly, she stretched. “Well unless they’re very small and scrambling down the cliff towards us, I imagine we should continue.” She smiled and with another nervous glance towards the suspected sniper’s area, joined Safiya on the road.

They continued down the path towards Bitter Springs for a few more minutes before Zestari’s glance was quickly drawn to a large black figure at the side of the crude road and she did a double take before realising she knew who the figure was.

“Kestrel?” she smiled and tilted her head slightly, “Kestrel it is you!” She chuckled slightly and approached the figure. “What are you doing here?” She asked slightly surprised, before shaking her head as she suddenly realised something. “Oh, Kestrel this is Safiya, she escorted me from Stableton.” She gestured towards the female griffon, “And Safiya,” she gestured back to the large black griffon. “This is Kestrel. We’ve known each other for a while.” She nodded with a smile at the good fortune of finding a familiar face out here.

“Again, what are you doing out here?!”

Safiya had simply shrugged when Zestari asked who it was that knew her. She hadn't asked the sniper, simply because it was not important. They would find out when they got there and not only this, she was only concerned with their safety. As for who it was she couldn't give a tail feather. When Zestari was next to her again they continued on their path towards the destination. After a few minutes of walking Safiya thought of something amusing, "I guess we found our tour guide ?" she said with a raised eyebrow. Zestari had asked her to look out for one after all.

They walked for a while longer before a dark figure came into sight. She had caught sight of the figure earlier with her perceptive gaze, given to her through the birth right of being a gryphon. But in all honesty she wasn't worried as the figure not only was stationary which meant they were waiting, but also the likeliness that this was the sniper now that the glare had disappeared.

When they were close enough to see detail Safiya had began scanning over the male, who turned out to be a gryphon also. Her eyes made notes of the sniper and the mask as two major defining characteristics of this gryphon. When Zestari introduced them she looked to the Zebra and gave a simple nod before tipping her head respectively to the male. Unlike herself she picked up on one other detail about the male, he had allot of scars. And in this world that could either mean two things, he's stupid and gets himself in trouble allot... or he's seen enough to know how to handle himself and has the wisdom to back it up.

When the introduction was over she looked to the male and raised an eyebrow, "Still alive huh ?" she said. The slightest ting of amusement beyond her wall of impassive serene nothingness.

'What are you doing here?'

Good question. What WAS he doing out here? The Khans while tolerable were still at their basic levels nothing more than raiders. Raiders with a code, with chem production facilities, and even a basic culture...but raiders none the less.

Trails. That's why he was here. Because for some reason, the stallion had been able to prove himself worthy of having around, and that had prompted Kestrel to resist the urge to put a bullet in every head in this canyon and move on.

As Zestari introduced him to her traveling companion Kestrel would shift his signature frigid, predatory gaze off of her and towards Safiya. She bowed her head respectfully towards him, a surprising gesture. Most tried speaking to him.

Kestrel returned the respectful nod and began to look over the female before him.

Kestrel would admit to himself that Safiya was a fine example of the gryphon species. Sleek, toned, sharp eyed. Yes she was a proper predator for sure. No doubt should things go south she would be able to hold her own against a few attacks.

The talons on her fingers reassured him that she could also deal some damage as well. Good, most gryphons that Kestrel ran into these days failed to respect their own claws in such a way, letting them grow dull. It was a shame really.

She lacked any major scars from what he could see. Either she was good enough not to earn them, or she was just a rookie and had not yet been given a chance to earn her own yet.

Her question seemed to have no effect on the male, he just blinked slowly before rumbling out a response. His deep, gravely tone matching his cold gaze perfectly. He lacked the females serenity, but he made up for it with impenetrable stoicism. He was more like a block of ice than a individual in that sense of things.

"You seem to be."