The party idly sat by anxiously listening, only occasionally sipping from their drinks. However one didn’t seemed convinced, in fact he was more so doubtful then willing to listen to this tale Alastoria was telling.

“Cows?” Dorrorrian challenged. “Cows…”

“A stampede,” Alastoria assured.

“Lots of em,” Dramier added. “They nearly would have killed us and me especially if I hadn't hovered just high enough to avoid them.”

“Yes, but explain to me again how these, or why these cows were stampeding about again.”

“The herders,” Alastoria began. “They said the herd itself was under the control of Neil Drago, another bull or something.”

He processed those two words through his mind and soon came up with, “Furious… Dragon?” Dramier seemed to nod as well as Alastoria. “Not too subtle then.” He waved a hoof, “So what happened to Igneous? Dramier said he got carried off when you threw him-”

“I was aiming to toss him to the wayside of the stampede,” Alastoria defensively chimed. “The colt was flailing and all, he’s not the lightest buck either especially with all that old armor, sword and shield he used to dawn.”

“Obviously he’s in good health other wise we wouldn’t be talking about him in such a matter.” Dorrorrian looked to Dramier who sat laid back, leisurely and lazily. “So?”

Dramier only shrugged. “That little cow-dragon was dead when we got there.” He tilted his chin up and pointed with his hoof. “Had a cut going straight through the windpipe, dead obviously and nearly decapitated too if not for the bone.”

Alastoria then added, “the herd was docile too. Almost as if Furious Dragon did actually control the herd.”

“Yes,” Dorrorrian nodded. “And the way you told me the tale it was almost as if it were intelligent. You know… coordinating the attack in between your shields and… nothing more really.”

“Yes it was a short encounter,” she agreed. “But to say that a natural born cow, cow was able to coordinate an attack like that might as well be saying it’s beastly.” She looked between Dorrorrian and Dramier, Dramier of which looked uninterested as he eyed the view just beyond the window but knowing his nature Alastoria knew he was actually listening. “Monsters aren't born from natural animals they’re… they’re beasts. They come from the mountains.”

“So we find them halfway between the northern and southern parts of Noriphmy?” Dorrorrian asked as he leaned into the table as if to interrogate her.

“You think they come from the ground?” She retorted. “Between many villages lays miles of Carridian within Noriphmy. A monster sauntering in while accidently avoiding villages isn’t too far fetched.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “But monsters can’t just defy the laws of Nature. Something had to have birthed them, raise them even. They can’t just appear and disappear at whim. The wind follows the mountains, the water falls from the mountains, the winter comes from the mountains and beings are birthed from mothers.”

“Yes, fruits also fall to the ground and dogs eat their own shath,” Alastoria jested in a flat tone.

“When you say it like that it's almost as if you believe in spontaneous existence or at least something of the sort.”

“Well how do you explain the existence of ponies pre Carridian?” she asked. “History says ponies knew not of their origins. Only their existence and the intelligence they possessed within this finite vally we exist in today. They ventured east and discovered the end of the world marked by mountains. Same when they started only the sun now emerged from the mountains, not submerged by them.”

“Rediscovering what's lost seems fun,” Dramier suddenly and without much reason or relevance chipped in. “I personally would like to go see Freth for myself.”

“Dramier!” Alasotoria snapped just as head turned in Dramiers direction. Leaning in to a quiet his she said, “you don’t speak that name.”

Biting into his lip he drew out the first syllable before he spat out the word, “Freth!”

“Dramier-” she warned with a glare intense enough to melt hycrome.

He shook his head and conceded to her whim, leaned back and continued to glare out the window like a house cat. He knew how far he could tempt Alastoria and he wasn’t in any mood to actually compel her to do something he found unsavory to his health.

So as ponies returned to their own business and drinks disappeared one after the other Alastoria shook her head and turned back to Dorrorrian. She sighed having already lost track of what they were doing so Alastoria looked to Dorrorrian for an answer were as he just shook his head and suggested, “Let's just go back to Igneous and the cows.”

Alastoria tossed her mane and nodded her head before taking her third full drink. “Obviously I can’t tell you his tale and how it was taken down but I’ll tell you how I found him.”

“I’m listening.”

The herder and his entourage ran alongside the trio of Falconers as they followed the dust trail of the stamped that passed them by. Although none wanted to think about it Alastoria warned the herder that if Igneous had been seriously hurt or even killed then the keepers would be called upon and some compromise to closure.

“But remember,” Alastoria warned as she slowly advanced on the herder. “No compromise will ever be sufficient enough to repay the death of Igneous.” Her scabbard clicked as the blade was drawn just enough for him to catch the glimmer of her blade.

With a hard swallow he nodded and nervously muttered, “understood.” And together they made their way after the other herders who ran ahead catching up to Dramier who led them along before Alastoria and Raillay caught up and took the lead much greater than Dreamier with his broken wing or the tired, fatigued of running herders could at the moment.

However as Raillay and Alastoria pursued the fleeting dust cloud they soon found that it had come to a stand still and simply began settling to the ground. Even more odd was that when they neared closer they found the herd far off grazing peacefully. It was completely unlike their nature just moments ago but as they walked amongst the herd, Alastoria with one sword drawn and Raillay with crossbows deployed glancing earnestly about, did they find Igneous sitting next to a bull that laid in the grass with the blade of his sword lodged deep within its neck.

Igneous sat that with his shield pressed into the ground as his hoof rested atop it, the crescent side facing the bull. Upon hearing the steadily approaching hoofbeats did he turn his head to see both Alastoria and Raillay approaching with relived looks worn on their faces.

Taking the shield in his magical grip he stood up and hooked it to the back of his armor before saying, “uh, hey, Alastoria.” He glanced back to the bull that laid there with eyes dulled and clearly lifeless as its blood pooled about the grass.

As Alastoria came up to the colt she stuck out a hoof and tilted Igneous’ chin up and around as she tried to spy any injuries to his face. His armor wasn’t scratched and the blood painted to his face and hooves was without wound.

“What’s wrong?” Raillay asked Igneous after Alastoria finished examining him moving on to the bull.

Glancing to Raillay he motioned with a bloodied hoof. “I can’t pull the sword out,” he answered. He seemed a bit distraught but as to exactly why neither Alastoria or Raillay could say for sure.

Resting a hoof on the face of the bull Alastoria took Igneous’ bound blade in her magical grip and with one tug, ripped it from the neck of the beast with a clear audible slick of the sword. Examining the wounded neck and the cut that ran upwards from the midsection to the collar bone she asked, “how did you do this Igneous?”

She then examined the blade as he answered. “I did the technique you taught me Alastoria,” he said earnestly. Putting up a display with his hoofs he illustrated as he explained, “I did the jumps, left and right you know? -and when it was confused it raised its head just as I made the last leap.” His hoofs danced left and right until one overtook the other and it fell to the ground. He looked back to the bull then to Alastoria who seemed to be more interested in the blade. “I killed it,” he said mostly to himself more than any other. “I killed it.”

Raillay then became concerned for the colt having heard the sorrow tone in his voice. “Igneous? Are you alright.”

“I killed it,” he said again. Then slowly Raillay began to realize that Igneous wasn’t saddened, he was surprised. “I killed it!” His suprised then turned to excitement as smile took control of his face. “Raillay, I killed it! I did it Alastoria I killed it!”

Soon he was bucking around in happiness, this armored colt, exclaiming how he slayed the cow by himself, with his own blade at his own capability. Raillay even cheered him on and when Dramier caught up and heard his story even he applauded as the three of them celebrated over his victory amongst the grazing herd of cows.

“It's a good job you did there Igneous,” Dramier complimented as he rustled his main with his good wing. “Taffing yewl nearly killed us all.”

As Dramier and Raillay congratulated Igneous on his first successful kill, beast or not, Alastoria muttered, “dafted terrible job you did Frawl.”

“Whats wrong?” Igneous asked having heard her complaint.

“Blades bent,” She answered as she staked it into the ground with disappointment.

As the herders began to arrive whistling and hollering for their cattle Dramier asked Igneous, “How hard did you hit that thing Igneous?” He had only gotten a glance at the sword but if he remembered correctly the blade shouldn’t have been bent from the hilt on up to the tip. “Well at least our little endeavor getting those bars won't be in total vain.

“Say, how’d you pay for them again?” Raillay asked.

“Oh, we caught a thief,” he answered as his attention drew to Alastoria marching up to the herder who lead the rest of his entourage.

“Yea but how?” she questioned only for Dramier to beckon her to be silent as Alastoria began to speak rather curtly to the herder.

“That bull endangered Igneous but it was by him that this herd became docile once more.”

“Y-yes,” he stuttered as he looked up to the muscular mare. “I’m with gratitude but I can t-tell a mare like you, uh, require a bit more of a supplement for your services?”

“We’ll take the meat of the bull,” she stated flatly. “With that, it’ll be all.”

He nodded and waved a hoof, “Sure, take it. After all my fellow herders might fall to superstition after having seen its eyes and the control it had over the others. Some where even fearful to even pursue the beast. Take the meat,” he tursed. “at least I’ll know it will have been destroyed in one form or another.”

Turning away she nodded and said, “on your way then. Travel safely wilse in Carridian.”

As the herders took control with more whistles and command the large group of bovine moved on according to their will leaving nothing more than Niel Drago and the Falconers as Alastoria began to skewer the beast with her smaller blade.

Raillay perched herself atop a boulder and Dramier sat next to Alastoria as she mounted course cuts of quality meat atop his back. Dramier took a deep breath and exhaled saying, “aw, I’m gonna smell like blood for a good while.” He lapped up a drop that slipped down his hoof and seemed oddly pleased.

“Ew.” Igneous haddn’t quite thought drinking, or in Dramier’s case, licking blood was a thing that anypony would normally do.

“Quite down Igneous,” he said. “It's good protein and for a celestial like me with my poor old broken wing its great.”

“What you need it calcium,” Alastoria proclaimed.

“You could just white magic my injury away,” he suggested as another slice was mounted to his back.

She shook her head. “They got more reliable healers North of here. I wouldn’t want to mishandle my magic, especially while in Carridian.”

Igneous tilted her head. She had said it again. The first time he thought it was a simple mistake but a second time prompted some thought especially since neither Dramier or even Raillay seemed to notice or care. “Alastoria,” he began. She glanced at him while she continued to cut and gut away. “I thought we were still in Noriphmy. Did we wonder out or… or anything else?”

“No,” she said. “I meant to say Carridian Igneous.”

“So… did we wonder?”

“No,” she answered again. “Although Carridian originally was the name of the king Corridian Verex, over time, and especially after his death, Carridian became the term for the land between places as the Kingdom of Carridian became the land of Carridian, and the land of Carridian was the land between nations. While, yes, we are still in Noriphmy, we still are indeed within the lands of Carridian; land between places,” she reminded.

“Well… I mean it is rather untamed,” he said gesturing to the carcass.

“Precisely why I say Carridian because like Carridian that lays afar and the Carridian that lays within, both are dangerous in their own right but let's not concern ourselves any longer over terms and meanings.” With one final cut she sliced clean a small rough chunk of meat. “Here Dramier, since your so blood thirsty.”

Tossing it into the air Dramier casually reached out and took it between his teeth and began to suck the blood away.

“Ew,” Igneous came again. “You're not even going to cook it.”

“Pure muscle,” Alastoria commented as she tossed another to Raillay. “No need.” She took a chunk for herself and began to suckle on it as she held out another for Igneous in her magical grip. “Try it.”

Transferring it to his magical grasp Igneous eyed it suspiciously before asking, “What is it?”

“Bovine heart,” Dramier answered. Igneous made another disgusted face but before he could object Draimer assured him saying, “No, no trust us. Its very delicious, even while raw.” Raising the hoof to the chunk of heart Igneous held he tapped it closer to his mouth while Raillay and Alastoria watched with interest.

“Go on,” Alastoria assured. “It's good, and after all it was your kill.”

It didn’t particularly smell sweet or look sweat for that matter unless one compares its crimzon red coloring to that of a strawberry, but then again strawberries were vibrant red so that didn’t exactly ease Igneous’s mind much. Still he had to remind himself that he was a hunter and like a hunter who scores a kill it's only natural to indulge in the bounty that was so hard fought. Though eating the cow wasn’t the first thing on his mind when he killed it he thought it might as well have been if anything else.

With one final glance he moved the bit of heart into his mouth and bit down. This venture greeted him with a splash of flavor that surprisingly tasted sweet and juicy, almost like a fruit albite a bit more bloody and wet with an after smell that admittedly couldn’t quite match up to the taste.

He vocalized his delight as he continued to juice the chunk of heart between his teeth and with blood running down his chin he said, “aw, this, this is great.”

“Told you Igneous,” Dramier said with a smile.

“Here.” Alastoria nodded as she tossed Igneous another piece of beef-heart. “You deserve it after a hunt well done.”

He caught it in his mouth and wasted no time in happily biting into the new piece of meat and with both pieces stored in his cheeks he spurted, “Thanks Alastoria.”

“Comeon,” She said with one of those rare rewarding smile. “We got all whole day's travel and Igneous.” She held up the bent piece of metal of a sword she stored away on her back and said, “we need to get you a new sword.”

“That's why we got the iron after all.” Dramier said.

As they began to depart north of their location were the mountains grew taller with every step Raillay asked, “Say, Igneous how did you catch that thief?”

“Oh, um,” he went as he recalled the events that Dramier and he went through.

However before he could get a word off Alastoria exclaimed, “Igneous, up front. I would like to discuss with the next lesson I’ll soon be giving you.”

“Oh.” He looked to Raillay somewhat apologetically and answered, “Okay,” before running up to the muscular mare.

“Oh common,” Raillay complained before followed behind on their journey north.

“You know,” Dramier casually began as he easily laid back. “To this day I still think Raillay learned of how we caught that thief.”

Dorrorrian shook his head and began anew subject. “Did that worm thing not count as Igneous’s first kill?”

Alastoria shook her head, “None of us like to consider that particular event a hunt.”

“Too much running and screaming,” Dramier added.

“Yea but you said Igneous killed it though.”

Again Alastoria disagreed. “Only at my utility. Had he not had my summon that beast may have won. But this...”

“...Furious dragon...” Dramier filled for her.

“...Was his very own kill. Didn’t even need the assistance of our team. You may call it luck, I say it was my training that enabled him to pull though.”

“No Alastoria,” Dorrorrian said with a grin as he leaned it. “I see your game you can’t fool me. You said that move was supposed to be used against pony. Not a beast. Seems that endangered him more then it may have helped.”

“Cows are a lot like pony,” she argued. “Just taller and stronger.”

Rolling his eyes Dorrorrian waved a hoof and said, “Anyways, you traveled all day and made it to your little village.”

“Yes, where we reunited with Frawl.”

“Yea that nomadic weapons forger.”

“You’ve met him?”

“Occasionally.”

Alastoria shook her head in acknowledgment before continuing.

The day turned into an overcast but the sun hanging low on the horizon seemed to cast fire over the skies and clouds flaunting its beautiful array of colors. Igneous marveled at it for a good moment before reluctantly entering the village they had trekked so long just to reach.

Now Igneous haddn’t been told what sort of village this was supposed to be but having come from the trading village this must have been the final stop to any pony traveling North. The mountains were the first to give that away as they seemingly tore straight out of the landscape and towered upward at an impossible height. They seemed close but in all honesty they were really just miles away.

It really made this particular village seem small even though it seemed to have a healthy population that stood above one hundred. However Igneous was pleasantly surprised when he found it was actually his favorite type of village.

Farming!

Yes, it was apparent from a long ways away with vast fields of wheat that even stood taller than Alastoria. The roads were well kept, wide and lined with rocks and the village even had a wooden wall surrounding the whole perimeter but not the crops.

To Igneous this place was already perfect and he couldn’t wait to spend his time here with Raillay and Draimer helping around and meeting new ponies, all while Alastoria taught him more weapon techniques too. But then Igneous remembered that his sword was ruined.

Thinking back to when he struck the cow in the neck he distinctly felt the sword give at the base of the hilt once it buried itself. He was glad it withstood enough force to get the job done but there was always that, ‘what if,’ scenario that would give him something to think about every now and again. And come to think of it… Wasn’t this the place were those herders came from?

‘Whatever,’ he thought. Farming people were still nice. Heck they even gave them the spoils too. They didn’t have too as Falconers never asked for anything in return plus the herders were the masters so their word was final which proved all the more that they were nice so Igneous had nothing to loathe over.

Upon entering the wooden gates hung open as if to greet them. The streets weren’t full on account of it being nearly dusk, few carts were vacant and empty, ponies spoke to one another and a few colts and fillies played in the streets chasing each other around before they were told to come inside.

“Dramier,” Alastoria began by saying as they all gathered round. “Go store that meat at the Falconers place. Igneous you go with. Undress your armor and be ready for sleep when I get back.”

“I’ll make sure this colt does,” Dramier said with a mischievous grin.

Alastoria caught onto his little act thinking perhaps he and Igneous would get into some trouble with the locals. Although that was highly unlikely Alastoria felt she might as well clarify. “Don’t cause any trouble or I won't find a pony capable enough to heal that wing tomorrow, and Igneous,” she warned turning to him. “Same for you or we won't be getting you a brand new sword.” Seeing his eyes light up with wonder was all the reassurance she needed in knowing he would behave. Dramier too if not for his wing. “Raillay come with me and we’ll see if anything need our attention.”

And with that the teams of two parted ways; Igneous and Dramier wondering about until they found their modestly sized building made of stone that was well cared for and Alastoria and Raillay as they ventured to the tavern to collect names and gather information on anything that might have required their attention.

Turned out this town was rather fine with its affairs, nothing quite needed them at the moment which was great because starting tomorrow after Igneous got his new weapon, she would put him to the dirt and perfect his skill all day long.

Author's Note

Horses eat meat... They just get sick afterwards.