Sins of the Mother

Safiya held the gaze for a moment as he responded. She was sizing him up as her fiery gaze swept him over. He was probably one of the largest gryphons, if not the largest gryphon male she had met. He was built for strength, his arms and legs toned and built to break bones. 'That's interesting' she thought to herself. She was still a little thrown by the mask but she just assumed it was to cover either his identity or something of a mutation perhaps. Taint was a terrible thing.

She looked to her side, down at the Zebra before speaking, "We better find this... Happy Trails" she said before looking up to the large black gryphon that she learned was called Kestrel, "Know of him ?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"I do." Kestrel said, his mind lining up a dozen questions to ask next; it narrowed the choices down to only one however. It was a question that would knock out two raiders with one bullet so to say. Explaining why the two in front of him were here, and why he should not tell them to turn tail and walk home.

"What's your business with him?"

Zestari politely waited whilst the two griffons greeted each other. Or not; they seemed to stare at each other and not say much. She raised an eyebrow, griffons.

She raised a hoof to tap on her chin for a moment as she answered Kestrel’s question. “I was asking around Stableton after poines that were good at seeking and tracking down plants that are no longer in abundance around the wasteland and found out that a pony by the name of Happy Trails, whom had recently left the town was very good at finding rare and elusive herbs, and more importantly, might be willing to assist find them.”

“I since learned that somewhere out here in the mohoofe exists a very rare bush that bears fruit for one of my alchemical recipes. Things seemed to align well with Happy Trails being out this way already.” She shrugged, “I was originally planning on coming over with a caravan or as part of a group. For protection, you see. However, as you can see I found a suitable escort instead, thanks to Winter.” She smiled looking at Safiya.

“So we’ve spent the past few days wandering the wastes, trying to find this 'Happy Trails' and most recently a store owner recognised his description and pointed us towards this place. Finding a familiar face out here is even better.”

"So you know him, is he here?" Zestari asked, a slightly pleading tone entering her voice. "I'm sick of wandering the mohoofe."

Kestrel listened to Zestari's little tale, and offered a slight nod. It was a likely story, Trails did know that how things worked out here and was a master survivalist. It made sense that words of this expertise got around.

When Zestari started pleading to be taken to the buck Kes just flicked his head to the side and began to walk off. Trails was at the communal fire last he checked, probably still there soaking up his new found admirers attention.

Kid had a chip on his shoulder the size of a boulder.

When Kes gave a flick of his head and turned to walk off, Zestari frowned and quickly followed the griffon, hoping that the head movement meant ‘Yes he is here, I will lead him to you.’ And not ‘Yeah, you’re going to be wandering the mohoofe for a bit longer yet, but I don’t want to get your hopes down so I’ll say nothing.’

So Zestari said nothing, gave a shrug to Safiya, and quietly followed the griffon, Kestrel had to be going somewhere, right?

Luckily for Zestari Kestrel was indeed leading them somewhere. Specifically he was leading them right towards the last known location of the stallion known as Happy Trails.

Upon arriving at the fire, assuming Trails was still there, Kestrel would nod in his direction so that Zestari knew who he was and then find a place to sit away from the main group; pulling out his rifle and a cleaning rag before beginning the process of cleaning his primary weapon.

He may have trusted Trails on some level, but he did not like or trust any of the Khans in such a way.

Trails heard the steps of a few approaching ponies in the sand and perked up. Time for initiation already? When he sat bolt upright he found that it was not, in fact, a few ponies, but two gryphns and a zebra. The only member of the posse he recognized was Kes, the other two weren't ringing any bells. And he guess from their lack of cuts they weren't Khans either.

Trails got up to his hooves and went over to the Zebra first, seeing that she was clearly the one being guarded. He didn't bother trying to size the mare up, after all she was just a mare that Kes had brought to meet him, not some crazed assassin. Well he hoped she wasn't a crazed assassin. She doesn't look the type, but she does look something. Trails quieted those particular thoughts and got back to greeting the mare and her guard.

"Howdy," he said, extending a hoof. "name's Happy Trails."

Kira had noticed when Kestrel returned from wherever he had been but she did not care as the large gryphon walked where he pleased and she were not one to judge that he walk off. But it was the two how where with him that she found interesting, a zebra and a gryphoness. Kira left the rock she had been resting on after the trio had passed her and followed them back in the to the Great Khan camp going arriving at the fire and joined them at the fire.

Zestari noticed the extra griffon that had begun to follow the trio, slightly shorter than Safiya and with a spotted pelt. Another griffon? she thought, beginning to feel a little intimidated amongst the three predators. Remaining quiet, she let Kestrel lead them to a large fire, where a few ponies lingered, peering around the bulk of Kestrel. She wondered which of these was Happy Trails. A couple of the campfire ponies looked over at the griffons and zebra with curious glances, but only one of them sauntered over and introduced himself. She’d finally found Happy Trails.

He was taller than she’d imagined – no, not just taller, but larger – with a chocolate brown coat and black mane and tail. He was also younger than she’d imagined, probably around the same age as herself, she guessed; that, or the wasteland hadn’t worn him down as much as it had other ponies.

“Zestari.” She nodded, accepting the extended hoof before gesturing to her guard. “And this is Safiya.” She turned back to Happy. “I’ve heard you’re the stallion to come to for finding elusive plants,” she said, smiling.

Trails smirked at his reputation. "I know how to live off the land." he replied, nodding in hello to Safiya. "Far as finding plants, depends on what you're looking for."

Before Trails could continue his conversation with Zestari Kick Start came bounding up, his gate betraying him and showing just how far from sober he was. "Initiation time, Trails" He said, waving to signal that Trails should follow.

"Sorry, I'll be right back." He said to Zestari before turning to follow the Khan.

Kick Start led Trails through the camp and down to the arena Trails had checked out earlier. Only now the punching dummies had been uprooted and moved to outside the ring. In their stead stood 10 great Khans, all of them looking ready for a fight. Papa Khan stood waiting outside the gate with another Khan. The one next to Papa Khan had a SGT. At Arms patch on his vest and was covered in trail dust and mud.

"Welcome to the initiation." the sergeant said. "My name is Lock Stock, I'll be the one calling the fight. I trust Kick start here has at least filled you in enough to know that you're going to be fighting."

Trails nodded and turned to the ring. He could take them.

"Good, we do this in waves, you make it past five waves and you're in. If you cry mercy at any point you're out until you earn enough respect to have another try."

"And if I make it passed all the waves?" Trails asked, rolling his shoulders to loosen up.

"That's not gonna happen." Lock Stock said this in a dead pan voice that made it very clear.

Trails tossed his vest to the side along with the rest of his armor, "I'll have one wave, all of them."

Lock Stock laughed at Trails cockiness before nodding and waving to the Khans in the arena. Showtime! All at once the Khans rushed Trails, their hooves falling on him all at once. He braced himself and let the blows come. In all only half of them connected at all. but one Khan was patient. They took their time and landed a solid right hook into Trails' jaw that made him stagger.

Trails spat the blood in his mouth into the sand and refocused. That pony with the right hook was the first target. Trails set his hind legs and put his shoulder behind the punch. The windup paid off as the Khan fell flat on their back unconscious from the blow.

Trails grinned and turned, his heart thundering with the adrenaline rush. He turned to his next target, a smaller Khan with their mane in a wild mohawk. The pony stood up to the first punch, clenching as Trails hoof landed on their chest. Good thing Trails had his follow up on the way already. His left hook caught the Khan off guard, his right sent them into the dirt.

(Round 1 Khan Damage: 42 HP Left: 198 Trails Damage:132)

Incensed at Trails' assault two of the Khans teamed up, coordinating their punches into one devastating blow. Trails found his head pinned between two hooks and fell to the ground. The one on the left kicked him in the ribs for good measure. The Khans back off, thinking their job done. They were wrong.

Trails slowly rose to his hooves, panting with an eye swollen shut. "We're not done here."

Trails launched himself at the two ponies that had near ended it. A fire was lit in his belly and he was gonna make sure they paid for their teamwork. He knocked the first one out with a single devastating blow to the side of their head. Trails made sure the friend couldn't retaliate by jabbing them in the throat. As the Khan wheezed he ended them with another left hook.

Trails was tired, he was bloody, he was about to go down and he knew it. But he was too close to let that happen just yet. He needed just one more solid punch like with the first and third Khan. These guys could dish it, but thankfully they couldn't take much. Trails turned to his right and found a Khan just waiting for him. He raised both of his forehooves high into the air and brought them down onto the Khan's head, driving them into the sand an leaving them out cold.

(Round 2 Khan Damage: 79 Trails Damage: 208 HP Left: 119)

The Khans were done with this shit now. Tired of this newcomer pounding the living tartarus out of their brothers. Three of the remaining five nodded and turned to deal with the cocky brown earth pony. One punched Trails in the throat, leaving him gagging as the others charged. The first sent a left hook into Trails' muzzle that almost sent the pony to the ground. The second sent a viscous uppercut into his jaw.

(Khan Damage: 130 HP: 0)

It was over. Trails lie on his back out cold. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, his jaw fractured, his breath ragged and unsteady. Lock stock grabbed the cut that lie on the fence post next to him and walked to the brown earth pony. He laid the vest over Trails and motioned two Khans to come carry him to a place he could rest.

Kestrel had stopped working on his rifle when the Khans had said it was time to start the initiation. Tucking the rag away and holstering his rifle as he stood up and began to make his way to the ring where Trails would go through the initiation process.

As he watched the closest thing to a friend get beaten to a bloody pulp Kestrel said nothing. He did not waver or flinch at the brutality before him. That cold mask of indifference and stoicism never wavering for an instant.

His loyalty to the buck did urge him to help, but his self control beat the urge back into the pit it came from. This was not his fight. Trails had chosen to take on this, in Kestrels eyes, pointless trial. He had no right to interfere.

Kestrel would admit the buck was able to take a decent beating, but the instant he hit the ground and they tossed a vest over him he knew the fight was done. You don't get up right off the bat after a beating like that.

He said nothing as they drug Trails off to some undisclosed location to rest, he just waited a bit before he moved to follow them. Kestrel was not a healer, he had nothing that could honestly help the buck right now. He could set about gathering the ingredients for a healing poultice, but first he needed to know what kind of damage he had sustained.

Then he could try helping Trails out. Maybe.

Zestari followed Happy for the initiation. She was familiar with the concept and was intrigued to see what sort of rites of initiation the ponies here used. Although she wasn’t particularly pleased that the pony she’d come all the way from Stableton for was the intended initiation participant. She hoped it wasn’t an elaborate ceremony that would keep him occupied for several days. She looked around the camp at the jacket-wearing ponies and their tents. Could be worse, she thought.

She slowly followed behind Trails and his sudden entourage of enthusiastic Khans as he went into what could only be described as an arena. Zestari took up a position near the gate and settled in to watch.

She frowned as it became clear that this initiation was nothing more than an elaborate fight. She listened intently as the mediator outlined the multi-round procedure for the event.

Then Happy asked to fight all of the Khans in one round, and Zestari straightened up, beginning to watch with more interest. If he fancied his chances against all of them, then he must be a pretty skilled fighter. This train of thought lasted for only a few moments as they rushed towards him with flailing hooves.

Watching with concern as Happy and the Khans in the arena exchanged heavy blows, she could tell that Happy was beginning to suffer; after all, for each Khan he took down, there was another to take his place, whereas Happy had no such luxury.

Heck, at this rate they were going to kill him. She covered her eyes with her hooves as the sound of hooves hitting flesh continued. Peeking from between them, she watched him finally get knocked down, much to the enjoyment of the spectators. Zestari was silently glad it was over. Happy Trails was getting injured badly.

Instead he stood and continued the fight, managing to take down two more of his opponents before he was sent to the ground with some fierce blows to the face, well and truly unconscious. She watched with concern for the brown stallion as a pony laid a jacket upon him and a couple of ponies entered the arena to carry him out.

“He needs medical care!” she said, her words drowned out by the rowdy crowd. As the ponies carried out of the arena, she began to push past the spectators towards him, already running through a list in her mind of what care he would require.

Zestari followed the pair of Khans carrying Happy. They deposited him in a tent before leaving, laughing about the fight. Zestari was by his side in a moment, immediately going to work. She tilted his head, making sure he wouldn’t choke on his own tongue as she checked where and how much blood was coming from his mouth. Satisfied, she began pulling items out of her saddlebag to treat his wounds. “What were you thinking, you foal?” she grumbled as she tenderly manipulated his fractured jaw.

Sensing a shadow filling the doorway, she turned to see Kestrel standing there, silent as always. She looked back down at Happy and began examining his injuries. “I can attend to most of this myself, but unless he wants to be eating through a straw, we’re going to need a healing potion or bone-fixing tincture.” She looked up at Kestrel again. “And to my knowledge, the pony who knows the Mohoofe best is lying here in front of me.”

Kestrel looked over at Zestari as she seemed to panic a bit at Trails' wounds. Kestrel had seen worse, caused worse even. If Zestari thought this was bad she would have nearly died at the state of the fighters in Filly' Pit. That place made this little gangs initiation look like a cakewalk.

Upon hearing her required needs the gryphon gave a nod before speaking up. Already he knew what to get to heal the buck up a bit, old family recipe he knew. Healed bones and flesh alike, but hurt like a mother doing so. It was a simple fix, he had some of the ingredients on him...but he'd need to fetch some more from the wilds.

"I'll be back." the scarred up gryphon said calmly before turning and walking out of the tent, then out of the camp; into the wastes beyond. He needed some Xander root, a Broc Flower, and some Agave to make a poultice for Trails. Hopefully he would be able to find those things quickly.

(Survival 55, looking for the aforementioned plants)

Kestrel Finds the following:

x7 Broc Flower
x7 Xander Root
x7 Prickly Pear
x7 Banana Yucca
x7 Barrel Cactus
x7 Jalapeno
x7 Pinyon Nuts
x7 Buffalo Gourd Seed
x7 Coyote Tobacco
x7 Honey Mesquite
x7 Fresh Fruits
x7 White Horsenettle
x7 Agave
x7 Cave Fungus
x7 Datura root
x7 Canned Tomatoes
x7 Canned Beans
x7 Maze
x7 Carrots
x7 Potatoes
x7 Sugar
x7 Salt
x7 Flour
x7 Beer
x7 Purified Water
x7 Noodles
x7 Vodka
x7 Whiskey
x7 Cram
x7 BlamCo Mac & Cheese
x3 Crunchy Mutfruit
x7 Barrel Cactus
x7 Yeast
x7 Dirty Water
x7 Pitcher
x7 Surgical Tubing
x7 Vinegar
x7 Mutfruit
x7 Instamash
x7 Pork n' Beans
x7 Sugar bombs
x7 Coffee Cup
x7 Coffee Pot

Kestrels search had turned out far more profitable than he had initially expected. He had stumbled across an entire gathering of plants and herbs, and careful not to abuse Natures Gift, he carefully picked a healthy supply of each of plants.

Heh...lucky number 7.

With his boon in tow Kestrel then returned to the tent where Zestari was waiting, and upon pulling out the small mixing bowl he had for such things, Kestrel began to grind up the necessary plants for his healing poultice into a fine powder.

That done, he would do as he did before. Pouring the powder into a spare canteen he had, shaking it up and presenting it too Zestari. She was the one that had wanted to heal Trails, Kestrel knew the bucks pride would mean he was going to fight the care the whole time.

"Make him drink it all. I'll be back later." Kestrel said before he stood and walked away, disappearing once again out into the Khan Camp.

While everything had went on, Safiya had pulled out a metal file and began working her talons. It was an old habit but also one she was grateful for as it meant anything stupid enough to get close and personal was not getting away without some puncture marks, deep gashes and a missing throat. She sparked the file against the enamel, delicately angling it to make the tips and edges sharper then knives.

Kira had been watching Trails initiation from the side keeping quiet as the buck got beaten literary bloody and broken by the Khans. This initiation might have seen brutal with so many against one but the gryphoness could understand why they did this in the way the did they wanted the strongest to be part of the Khans as they wound not call them selves great otherwise, or maybe they just like to be the shit out of newcomers she was not sure of which it was.

As they dragged Trails away it was clear to her that Trails no matter how capable pony he was he was not really a hoof to hoof fighter. Kira sat calmly by the fire as Kes and the zebra went of after Trails probably to see if he was okay she could probably not help him now but once he got better she could maybe give him some help with his fighting.

“Alright,” Zestari said to Kestrel’s back as he left, and turned back towards Happy. In his absence, she busied herself with cleaning Happy’s wounds to help avoid infection, and then applied a healing salve to those wounds that required it. She clicked her tongue at a rather deep gash, unsure whether to simply bandage it or stitch it, she eventually decided on the former and wrapped it tightly in a bandage. As she waited for Kestrel to return, she rolled Happy into a slightly more comfortable position and then occupied herself with reorganising her saddlebags, clearing out a pile of fine Mohoofe dust in the process.

Kestrel finally returned and gave her a canteen with the instruction to get Happy to drink all of the contents before the griffon turned and left again. Uncapping the canteen she took a whiff of the contents and noted the vaguely familiar scent. This would work, she nodded. She recapped it and sat down close to Happy.

She was of two minds about waking him. While he was unconscious his body could do its best healing, on the other hoof, the sooner she could get this potion into him, the sooner his fractured jaw would be repaired.

There was a faint buzzing and a dim light in the distance. The buzz grew louder more insistent and the light fainter, Trails hated that buzz. It grew louder still until it was the only thing he could hear, it shook him with the shear volume of itself. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and he went to slam his forehooves to his ears, shut the buzz out. Only his hooves didn't move, instead the world came rushing in.

Trails couldn't see out of his left eye, it was swollen shut he guessed. But out of his right he saw somepony he didn't recognize with a canteen. He blinked away some of the water that had filled his eyes. Wait, that was a Zebra. How the tartarus did a Zebra get to the Mohoofe? Trails wracked his brain, certain for some reason he should recognize them. After a few seconds it finally came to him.

"Zestari?" He mumbled. As he did so he felt his body seize up with pain. He had fractured his jaw, that was nice. "Good morning." he said through the good side of his clenched jaw.

He felt around himself and found something lying partially on him. It was leather...his cut. He had done it, he was a Khan. Trails smiled broadly and laughed, ignoring the massive surge of pain that came with it. Suck on that, I'm a mother fucking Khan. He would try to lean up and put on his new cut, beaming with pride.

Outside the tent Kestrel let his gaze pan over the area in search of familiar faces. Off near the arena was that new gryphoness, Safiya, sitting silently and sharpening her talons. Kes watched her for a moment, subconsciously bringing up the memory of the last time he sharpened his talons.

Yesterday, early morning.

He nodded a silent greeting to the newcomer then began to walk away, towards the community fire. Once there he would sit down and again pull out his rifle and begin cleaning it, finishing up the job he had only finished halfway through.

Zestari smiled as Happy woke up, and after a moment of pain acknowledged her, and after seeing the jacket draped atop him, laughed. Zestari sighed; he seemed to be in good spirits.

She sighed even more heavily when he leant up and tried to put the jacket on. Watching him struggle with the pain she shuffled closer and helped him. At least he seemed pleased to receive the item despite the injuries they had given him. As he went to lie back, she caught him. “Actually, while you’re sort of up…” Still in a sitting position, she shuffled her waist and legs under his neck and let him rest his head in her lap keeping it elevated compared to the rest of his body. This freed up her hooves so that she could open the canteen. She carefully helped him with his tender jaw, and pressing the vessel to his lips, gave him the contents of the canteen. “I know it’s foul, you’ll thank me later though. It’ll fix your broken jaw.”

Waiting til the canteen was drained she moved and let him lay back down. “You’ll probably ignore me but I suggest you stay resting for the remainder of the day.” She stood and stretched, then turned to leave Happy to rest. The sooner he was better, the sooner she could get his help searching for what she needed and the sooner she could go home.

Trails chugged down the poultice without complaint. He'd drank more than a few of them in his day. The taste brought back memories of his first broken leg, he had gotten it by playing with H's revolver and dropping it. H said he was lucky it had just broken his bone, Trails was too busy crying to notice.

He looked up at Zestari and grinned. She already knew him well enough to know he'd be walking soon as she turned her back. That or his type well enough. He fumbled with his cut, for some reason expecting to find his pack of smokes and matches in it already.

"You said you needed my help for something?"

Pausing in the doorway, Zestari turned and looked back at Happy. “I do,” she turned and returned to his side, looking down at Happy. “I’m looking for a certain plant, it’s rare but I was told there might be some out here. It’s called a Pepperberry bush. From what I’ve learned, it’s about this high,” she raised a hoof of the ground to about head height, “and has small dark green leaves. The berries are small and dark.”

She sat down and smiled. “Think you can help?”

Safiya didn't respond to the nod as she simply looked back at her talons, giving them a simple blow to rid the shavings away. She gave them a critical glance over before she was finally satisfied with the results. The gryphoness had made notes of where Zesty had gone and made sure she knew where the zebra was at all times. But she seemed to be in good hooves for now and their didn't appear to be any threat as far as she could see.

She gave a look around before deciding she would do a quick sweep of the area to get... acquainted with where she was. She opened her wings, giving a single powerful flap along with a swift kick to the floor to push her into the air. In a blink of an eye she shot up into the sky at a staggering pace, finding the right altitude before coming into a steady glide above the camp. From here she would look over the area and look out for anything... threatening.

Sky felt bored to watch the Khans make, Chems. Although she will probably ask them for something later, but not now. She had her own stash of chems she had brought with her, she never took em but she could sell em to some lucky pony for the right caps. As Sky made her way back to the camp she noticed some thing weird a gryphon was flying in the air, Sky has never seen kes actually fly at all. And that Gryphon look more female, she has never seen her before.

Sky just sighed and went back to the others, if she could find them. Sky looked onto the arena and saw blood on the floor, there was a fight and Sky wasn't there to see it. Sky mentally kicked herself for not being there, She wondered who was the poor sap who got himself beat.