Falconers and the Ashes of Igneous

“Take your stance,” Alastoria commanded as Igneous approached the center of the tree clearing in the forest they now called the arena.

Dramier had found it while doing his surveys and told Alastoria it would be a great secluded place to go about weapon arts training along with the other three magics that he would eventually learn after said weapon arts training. The area was perfectly flat with tree and a few boulders lining the perimeter in what appeared to be a perfect circle.

It was a bright blue day as Dramier was perched on a tree keeping watch over the surrounding landscape with large mountains that stood far off to the north and equally big but much further away mountains that laid in the south that slowly disappeared behind the trees the further west they got. Raillay was laying on one of the boulders that lined the perimeter with her front hooves crossed as she watched the Alastoria and Igneous begin the lesson.

They would be doing other stuff like hunting if there were any monster sightings but there was none according to the village leader and as far as this area went that is. No doubt if they met another falconer team they would have some extravagant story to tell of some hunt they had but until then Igneous could only wait.

“So what are you going to teach me today,” Igneous asked excitedly. “Dark magic? Light? Oh, what about alchemy?” He lulled off into imagination of breathing fire like dragons did during the great rising, but he couldn’t say that from experience since he wasn’t thirty eight years old.

“We're continuing our weapon arts training,” she answered as she took a firm stance. “Last time was the basic were you learned how to properly attack. If we weren't moving that would have been considered static fighting. Now I'm going to teach you how to move about the battlefield. Be reminded that this isn’t directed towards fighting monsters, that will have to come later. Greater arts is much like weapon arts, but again, it instead relies on movement and swiftness.” Summoning the same quarterstaff Igneous had previously clashed with Alastoria continued, “I want you to show me how you, ‘think,’ you would approach an opponent.”

“Aren't you going to teach me,” he asked nervously. “I have a funny feeling you know I won't do it the correct way.”

“Well we're just going to have to see then,” she deceptively answered with her cheery youthful voice which only gave away that this was a supposed-to-fail-lesson.

Igneous nervously took a step forward then another toward the muscular mare. “Common Igneous,” Dramier cleared from the tree tops. “No fear for Falconers. Adrenalines’ our drug so embrace the adventures and dangers that come. Just please... don't... get... smug.”

“I think he is anything but,” Raillay said. “Go Igneous you can do it.”

Igneous still inching himself forward towards the intimidating mare said, “the encouragement is great and all but…”

“Common Igneous you're disappointing me,” Dramier chided, amused at his petty fear and timidness. “Show Alastoria the swift deadly hunter you hold within. Let it Burst!”

“Let him take his time Dramier,” Raillay rebuked giving the pegasus an unsavory glare.

Igneous was just outside of jumping distance. Slowly he pulled the sword from the slot in his shield and held it above his head with the shield outwards. With both in his magical grip he took another step forward coming closer to Alastoria who seemed just as relaxed as the weather they had.

Finally he took one last step forward and just as he was about to leap at her Alastoria suddenly spoke in a passive voice saying, “Congratulations Igneous. You successfully approached your target. Don’t know why you made such a big fuss about it,” she said as she walked around the dumbfounded colt.

Dramier cheered for Igneous having finished the easy task and Raillay politely stomped her hooves on the boulder in applause.

“What was that really it?” Igneous asked confused.

Alasotria shrugged and said, “What did you expect. I told you to approch my, the target. I never said engage.”

“First of all it was opponent, not target, and second of all I thought this was greater arts,” he complained. “How is walking up to an opponent greater arts?”

“Igneous in all honesty you were about to fail but when you held your sword and shield out at the ready ‘properly,’ you passed.” She snickered a little, “What were you expecting?”

“I uh, well… live combat to be exact?” he said. “Like we did the day we got here.”

“Like when we got here,” she repeated. She waved her hoof and said, “that was foal's play. If you want to hastily rush to live combat you're first going to have to know how to move around the battlefield.”

A few minutes later she had erected a post made of redwood in the center of the area that she had gotten it from one of the lumber traders just last night. After she finished she said, “this here post is your target Igneous. Silack trees produce some of the most densest pieces of wood there is insuring this thing will be standing for some time now.”

Confused Igneous asked, “What do you want me to do with it?”

“Attack it, but first allow me to demonstrate,” she said as she positioned herself just next to Igneous. She crouched down in a running stance then suddenly as Igneous watched Alastoria lunged forward much faster than Igneous had expected. He watched as she leaped side to side so fast that she was almost a blur and as she came up to the post she lunged forward and with a flash of light she came to a skidding stop on the other side of the post with her sword sticking up in the air. The top of the post popped into the air and fell to the ground with one precise cut across its bottom.

Regaining her professional posture she hilted the sword at her side, gave Igneous a glance and nodded, “like that.”

Igneous was dumb founded. How could anything move that fast especially when dodging left to right constantly? “I’m supposed to do that?”

Alastoria nodded and answered, “Precisely. Perform three bounds left to right then one final leap with a swift blow to the post. Get in starting position Igneous,” she ordered. “Now try you best to replicate what you just saw me do.”

“Common Igneous you can do it,” Raillay cheered this time.

“You want to strike at the apex of your leap with one precise cut,” Alastoria said. “Weaving left and right will confuse an enemy until it's too late, but if they do manage to defend against this attack you will immediately be behind your opponent to deliver one final stab. This is a terrific advantage in combat and will guarantee your success.”

“So,” Igneous said as he checked his footing. “I want to keep my sword sheathed till I strike.”

She nodded.

Igneous did one final check and then readied himself to act. After he finished he quickly leapt forward landed then pushed to the left, then to the right, but it wasn’t as fast or graceful as Alastoria had done. On third bound he stumbled a bit and in the final leap he drew his blade jumped and fell just short of the post with the sword bouncing off the wooden surface and landing in the dirt in front of Igneous’ face.

He looked up to Alasotria giving a judgmental stare and said, “So, how’d I do?”

Shaking her head she sighed and said, “This might take a while. Again!”

The rest of the day was nothing but training for Igneous. Alastoria had him do side jump exercises for most the whole day to work out his swiftness, along with long jumps to better his final engagement and quick sprint to work up his charging ability. He did each of these consecutively for as long as he could until he collapsed.

Then Alastoria “playfully” as she explained to Dramier and Raillay, began throwing fireballs at him which was more than enough to get an extra two hour of screaming, panicky practice out of Igneous which really just devolved into a game of tag were Alastoria was always it as she joyfully ran Igneous down as he sprinted through the forest leaping over logs and dodging between trees for his poor, poor hide.

The tired Igneous with shaking knees and drained energy came to a power trot as his heavy legs almost refused to work. Luckily Alastoria hadn’t burned him but he was probably going to need a new mane style if anything else.

He began to think that he finally lost her as he tiredly looked around. His legs felt like wood and his back rope and just when he thought he might rest the muscular mare jumped out from behind a tall bush with a hardy ‘haha’ and chucked a fire in his direction. Igneous did what he could to evade it but in his efforts to jump, he instead stiffly fell to the ground on his side which luckily was enough to dodge the ball of flame.

As he laid on the ground breathless Alastoria trotted up to him and continued to run in place and said, “What, done already?” Igneous couldn’t answer through the heaving of his breath.

She let the source flame at her side dissipate into nothing just as Dramier landed in a tree just above the two. “Well… you didn’t run him off,” he said rubbing his chin. “But you certainly did run him down. I think you may have killed him.”

“He is still breathing, still alive,” Alastoria assured, not taking his eyes of the tired colt. “He’ll live while he’s got his youth.”

“Bet he’s got a few years less thanks to you.”

She took another look at the still cautious colt lying on the ground. He was barely moving with nothing more than a few twitches of his legs. With the all day work out she gave him he probably won't be able to walk for the next day and a half. “Dramier,” she began. “Why don't you go do another survey to make sure there's nothing coming tonight. I would rather not have any surprises into the dusk.”

Dramier looked up at the sky. It was almost dark with the sun just going down over the mountains far to the east were the capital would be. “What about Igneous?” he asked glancing back to the two. “What's to be of him tonight?”

“I’ll get him back to the village eventually, just give him some time. Now go, and meet with Raillay when we're done.”

“Whatever you say Alastoria.” Before he took off he added, “please go easy on the poor colt. I would rather he not become a vegetable by dawn.” And with that he flew off leaving the two.

Alastoria took a deep breath to relax from the running she did earlier and looked down to Igneous and said, “How do you feel Igneous? Think you can stand to make it to the village by tonight?”

Through gasp he said, “I don't... even think... I can, stand.”

She sat down next to him and said, “That's a shame. Seems as if you're going to have to spend the night out here then.”

With shortness of breath and worry in his voice he said, “please don't leave me… alone... Please… Alastoria please don’t.”

“Calm down Igneous,” she said with a softer voice more assuring voice. “I wouldn’t leave you behind. You forget we're part of the same team.” She looked up to the sky and saw the sun hanging low in the sky. “It's going to be night soon if you're going to want to get back before then I suggest you get up.”

Helplessly Igneous raised a wobbly unstable hoof and placed it on the ground just in front of him. Even with the burning fiery sensation he tried to apply weight so he could pull himself up it completely collapses under him. “I can’t stand, I-I just can’t Alastoria.” With his head still laying on the ground he looked up to the mare and pleaded, “Please can you carry me. I’m begging you please.”

She appeared to think for a moment but then all too soon said, “No Igneous. I’m afraid I won’t.”

“Why Alastoria,” he wined. “I did what you asked me to do I can’t do anything more.” A tear strand ran down the side of his face as he felt utterly helpless in his current situation. He had never been pushed like this

“I know you did,” she reassured. “But me helping you now won't help you in the way I want. The way I see fit.” She reached over gently wiping the tear from his face and said, “Don't cry Igneous you just need to be strong. Rest for as long as you need but you need to make it back without my help.”

“Are you going to leave me?” he said as he weakly raised his head to look at her.

She smiled and said, “of course not Igneous. I said I would look after you and that was my word.” She laid herself down across from Igneous and rested herself as she waited for him to recuperate his strength. However after a vigorous day like that it wouldn’t take minutes. With Igneous having been worked all day it would take a full day of rest and if he had to sit there all night and all day tomorrow she would be there patiently waiting till he ran, walked or crawled back to the village they came from.

Igneous fell asleep quickly as the sun set leaving Alastoria to herself. She began to think about this new party member Igneous. What what she see in him? Not much to begin with really, the only thing she admired was his willingness to be a Falconer. Most ponies she met said they normally had some tragic thing happen to them and not wanting it to happen to others they would take up the blade to any threat of Noriphmy.

But what was Igneous' reasoning? He never said, and if she recalled correctly it could have been he just simply didn't want to talk about it, so maybe it was tragic. Then again this colt doesn't hold within his eye the experience of tragedy. Only innocents.

As she continued to ponder she took the small blade in her magical grip and refracted what little light there was that night back at her. Staring at herself through the small slit of reflection she began to wonder what this mare of unusual stature and self inflicted scars truly held within. Why was she here on this very night? Remembering what drives you on can easily be forgotten but what did she truly have to all upon when she felt weak?

She thought long and hard and she remembered. To call on her reasoning would only serve to be counterproductive. She had a team to look after and a new addition and becoming emotionally compromised would only serve to make herself less capable at effectively leading.

So she put off the thoughts, put off the emotions and focused on the now. Igneous was her objective. Having him one day become a leader of his own team is something too look forward to. Right now the best she could do was stay up stay strong and lead this colt on. And maybe, come this morning, he would make it back on his own four legs, and weather he decides this life is the one he leads? Only time will tell.

She sheathed her blade away and sat herself up strongly. The stars were bright this night and the moon absent and the air still with chilliness. She could manage but as time went on she noticed that the sleeping Igneous was beginning to shiver in the slowly declining temperature. She couldn't help but smile and she whispered to herself, “Igneous. Still a little colt. Needing to be tucked in at night.” Honestly it was more of an insult but on she hoped wouldn’t stand for long, at least in the days to come.

Using her alchemy she summoned a flame and she kept it burning near Igneous to give him warmth throughout the night.

“Hope you grow up. I only hope.”