Splunsh
About 25yards out, the bobber hit the water and instantly started to be carried by the current of the river. It wasn’t fast but it’d still have to be reeled in eventually before it got too close to the bank further down and tangled up in any hidden trees or rocks, which was always a pain to unsnag.
Splunsh
Another bobber hit the water, about 7yards away from the first one. It also started to be carried away by the current.
“So Mansu Erba resigned.”
“...”
“...”
“W- What?”
“A few days ago she resigned and the Advisory Council was put in as a provisional government while candidates get decided.”
“But-- Resigned? I- What?! Last I knew she was perfectly fine. She was in good health, everything was-- It was all just running smoothly. I--” Keshet was shaking his head, thoughts running through his head on what he just heard, utterly confused. Keshet was looking at Wornesh as if he were some type of god who came down to answer whatever burning questions the zebra might have, “Why?” Keshet asked with a voice crack.
“She stepped down because of health problems. Said her body and mind were growing weaker and that she wasn’t fit enough for the current world.” Wornesh answered blakely. He went back to focusing on the bobber, which was about halfway towards the point he had set where he’d reel it back in.
“I can’t believe it…” Keshet leaded back as he also watched his own bobber, “Was she hiding her health from everyzebra? I can’t recall ever seeing any news about any health problems, or aging.” He paused for a second. The sound of the river flowing was faint but peaceful outside of the onset news. Keshet looked back at Wornesh and chuckled once, “You’re joking. No way I wouldn’t have heard about it before now if it was true.”
Wornesh shook his head, “Kes… I’m not. We live in the country. Miles away from Fyrport as well. Word doesn’t travel fast here. Radios aren’t common either so most people out here in West Fireshore don’t know.” He once again looked back at the river, but not his bobber, he just looked out at the scenery, “I’m sorry.”
Keshet just stared at Wornesh, dazed in thought for a good few seconds. He looked back out at the river, doing the same as Wornesh was doing, just staring at the scenery. They were both silent now, both to their own thoughts.
Keshet’s bobber was now parallel to the bank, only a few feet away from touching the side, as that was how far out his fishing rod was out. The tip of the rod slightly tugged in the direction of the bobber as it was fighting against the small current, just being held by a piece of line.
“Really?” Keshet dared ask again.
“Really.” Wornesh confirmed, unfortunately, again.
Keshet shook his head slowly as he reeled in the line. He watched the bobber slowly make its way towards him, leaving behind a small wake as it fought the river. Wornesh did as well now.
“So what’s going to happen now? Our leader just up and left. Like, just up and left. We’re going to just go into ruin without her, or anyone. Did she even think it through?” Keshet rambled. He was probably just thinking aloud but they were valid questions that Wornesh possibly might have.
“Kása isn’t going to collapse because of this Kes. I already said that they already have a provisional government up in the meantime. Even with that, they’re… Mansu, left us with her life's work. What she built up until today. It won’t collapse so easily.” Wornesh paused as he finished reeling in his bobber, tossing it out again. Keshet had his but he just left it dangling a few inches over the top of the water.
Splunsh
“Some zebras are popping up as they announce their candidacy for first commander. The first one I heard of was Altu Kexa. She’s the one who wrote the last chapter for the Remembrance of Soka. I haven’t heard of any other figureheads yet.”
“What about Lua Ramedi? He was practically being taught by Mansu herself. He hasn’t put in his candidacy to run?”
“I’m talking more about new runners. I think it’s obvious to everyzebra that he’ll be running. It’d be surprising if he didn’t. Plus I’m sure he already has.”
Keshet was silent for a moment. He also decided to toss his lure back out, only to try and stop it after he sent it flying, “Shit, shit, shit…”
His line went right over Wornesh’s line, it didn’t tangle with it, but if left alone they eventually would.
“I’ll reel mine in, you’re good.” Wornesh said as he started to reel his back in. His bobber eventually made its way safely back before he tossed it back out again. It was safe for him to toss it back since he was sitting upstream from Keshet, so his line wouldn’t be making it’s way in front of him.
The two sat fishing in silence for a good few minutes before Keshet asked, “You gunna vote when the election comes around?”
“No way would I miss it.” Wornesh said with a big smile appearing across his face.
“No way in damn hell would I either.” Keshet added, slowly smiling himself, “A major historical event like this is not something we might ever get again in our lives. Voting in a new First commander.”
“Damn right.”
“I hope whoever wins in the end, pushes Kása--”
Keshet was interrupted by Wornesh as he yelled out in fear, “KES!” That was all he said and Keshet quickly looked at Wornesh, trying to figure out what he was screaming about. Adrenaline wasn’t flowing through him, but it was just a second later when he saw a bugbear. It was on their side of the river, on the bank upstream a little, charging right for them.
Wornesh was throwing down his fishing pole and yelled “FUCK!” He was turning to run away, same as Keshet, but he didn’t get many steps into his gallop as he tried to get away before the bugbear quickly caught up to him and tackled him down.
Keshet looked back as he heard Wornesh yell at his sudden capture. He himself got quite a lot more distance than Wornesh got before stopping, staring at his captured friend in fear. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck…” He took a few brave steps forward as the bugbear started to maul at Wornesh, the bloody screams only getting more loud and painful sounding. He then stopped, he was too scared to do anything. He had no weapon and was just a single zebra. He wasn’t going to do anything to the beast.
“RUUN!” Wornesh screamed in agony.
Keshet continued to watch on though, in shock. It was only after Wornesh yelled out, “GOOOO!” That he finally realized what the situation truly was at. He was watching his friend fight against a bugbear that was going to kill him without fail, and he was going to watch it happen by not being able to do anything.
Was. He was turned around now, taking off, making sure he wouldn’t be next.
Fishing equipment and friend left behind, Keshet ran off. He kept running, even long after the distance screams of his friend had ended, long after he was tired and long after the initial adrenaline boost had faded.
Only once he got home would and inside would he finally relax.
May 27th, 1007.
Altu Kexa won the vote and is now Kása’s new First Commander as of earlier this week. She won by a landslide in votes and popularity. Though some in the government saw a problem with her speeches, saying what they thought she’d be doing would be too radical and not democratic. Though still, here she is. The poet leader of the free state.
For Keshet though, he didn’t know. He had been spending the last few weeks trying to find a bugbear. A specific one. The only one in the area in fact. The one that killed Wornesh.
He had a breech loaded rifle at the ready with him, a pack of basic supplies for hiking and the bobber Wornesh had been using months ago. It was tied around the front end of the gun, the wood stock part. It was tight so it didn’t swing around though.
Keshet was wandering around the forest, trying to track down the bugbear, not that he was a tracker, but he was just using raw, idioitic power, searching slowly.
Today was like the rest of the other days. No luck. None at all. He had searched around the river where the event had taken place, many times already, but he wasn’t able to come up with anything. He had bravely gone back to the river a few days after the bugbear had attacked, finding no bugbear or Wornesh, just their fishing supplies. He gathered the fishing equipment and took them home, well, he took Wornesh’s fishing equipment to his family, leaving them to do whatever they wanted with it, besides the bobber he had been using. He had taken it as a memento and he planned on carrying it until he killed the bugbear or died trying.
Today though he was searching the base of a mountain, which was in the country of Gryphus, but he should be fine as long as he doesn’t run into any Gryphus military. Ok, well maybe not fine since he is armed, but it’s not like he cared.
One thing for certain that Keshet learned while out searching the past two weeks was that it was difficult. Not that he was just powering through the whole thing and not attempting in any way to track it properly, but because he had to hike around to get anywhere. Nonstop.
It was different than walking to one spot to fish, then walking back to wherever you had come from, but being out and about all day, hiking, was difficult. To search around on the ground, at a walking pace, was slow. Painfully slow. And the only reason it was painfully slow was because he had to check everywhere and not just glance around at the terrain for the creature. It could be hiding in a cave, behind a hill, up a tree, or flying.
The day he remembered that they could fly, he almost gave up on the entire hunt. Being able to be attacked from any direction at any time was scary enough, add in the sky and it’s an entirely different thing. It definitely almost made Keshet call off his solo hunt for the beast when he realized that. Sure if you had more zebra power with you, you could be safer but Keshet, he wanted to be the sole person to avenge Wornesh though and kept telling himself that it was the only way to properly avenge him, so he pressed on.
Wornesh’s family had already planned to call for a community hunt for the best, but Keshet talked them out of it and said to keep his death, or at least his cause of death, silent and that he’d take care of it.
That was months ago, during the first week of his death. Since then he had slowly come up with plans on how he could do it, overthinking it. He came around to his first plan in the end though, which was to search for it on hoof and shoot it.
It took him a few weeks to save up for a rifle and ammo though, hoping to get his hoofs on a bolt action rifle, he had to settle for a breech loaded one.
With Kása’s current military situation, any bolt action rifles that were brought into the country were given to the military first and with the fact that all production of rifles was currently for breech loads, in civilian and military production, a breech load would be all anyzebra would find. It did its purpose just fine though.
With the day coming to a slow end though, Keshet decided he’d have to call it a day. He’d make his way back home, still avoiding any possible Grphus military or citizens, as it would be easy to tell he was out of place due to Grphus not having a zebra population at all.
He was successful, but sad. Another day failed at finding the bugbear.
When he got back to his house, he went to relax in a cushioned chair, laying the rifle on the ground, along with his hiking supplies, and thought.
Everything he was doing, well, was failing. He had yet to find the bugbear. A simple task that he could easily do if he got people in the local area to help, but no. He was stubborn. But despite being stubborn, he still wished he had an easier time. Being a pegasi pony or a griffon would help a great deal by allowing him to fly above the forest. He could search a lot faster, further and lighter, but nope. He couldn’t. He was just a simple ol’ zebra.
He thought for a long while that night, long enough that he eventually fell asleep on the chair from being exhausted from hiking the whole day. Not even eating dinner, which he would regret greatly in the morning when he awoke starving.
January 11th, 1008.
Keshet has failed so far. Given up almost completely on his hunt. Rarely does he ever go out to hunt the bugbear anymore, but today was special. It was the first snowfall since Wornesh’s death.
The entire landscape was covered in a blanket of snow. Undisturbed as far as anyone could see. Just white. It had started snowing last night, not stopping since, with there being a good four inches now. But even with that, Keshet planned on going out today.
The idea came to him last night when it started. It’d be a good way to get that first snowfall enjoyment out of the way by using that day to hike around the forest in search of the nonexistent bugbear. So when he awoke in the morning, he ate a good meal, grabbed warm clothing, packed basic hiking supplies for the day and grabbed his rifle and went to the door.
When he opened the door, right there, outside, was the silent landscape. Sound not traveling far from anything that decided to talk. Even though Keshet was going out to still revenge his friend, he looked down at the snow just outside the door and smiled. He always looked forward to snow. It was relaxing. He then took one step out, and as he put his hoof down into the snow,
Crunch
Shivers went up Keshet’s back as the snow made the crunching sound. The first one in a year. The first one was always special.
Crunch
He took another step into the snow, the same effect happening to him again, just half as effective.
Crunch
No more. The addictive feeling of the first crunch no longer had any affect on him, so with that he stepped fully outside, closed the door and then looked around the local area. Time to get to work then.
Keshet didn’t check the river spot today. He hasn’t for months now in fact. It just pained him every time he went there on top with the fact he never saw the bugbear there, or anywhere. Right now he was walking through the forest that was near the river, a bit down stream. He hasn’t been down here much compared to upstream or up north. Up north was a bit rougher terrain than normal hills, but he stopped going into Gryphus, a few months ago after realizing that an armed ‘intruder’ wouldn’t actually be all that appealing to anyone who saw him.
Besides that, his hunt went the same as it had always gone, just wandering around aimlessly while not getting lost
After nearly a year, he was the only one still to ever go out in search of the bugbear. Though he did throughout the months ask different zebras, ponies, whoever lived in the area, if they had seen one about. Only rarely would someone mention that they think they saw one and direct Keshet to the location, where he’d spend a few days searching extra carefully, always to come up with nothing though.
Though he did get good at tracking, from slowly learning a few things, but none of that information helped since anything that he did successfully track ended up being local wildlife that wasn’t a bugbear.
Unless you count seeing, because just then, Keshet saw a creature. He was in a somewhat open spot in the forest but he saw what he definitely knew was a large creature due to how far away it was. About 200meters away. If it wasn’t the bugbear, it was just a brown bear, local to the area due to being near Gryphus. Regardless, if it was either, it either was dangerous, or could be dangerous, so Keshet unslung the rifle and held it at the ready, crouching down.
Still being in the opening, he slowly made his way over to the closest tree so he could hide half behind it and use it to rest against if he decided to take aim. He watched the creature for a few minutes, while it was walking away, trying to determine if it truly was the bugbear (no guarantee it wasn’t a different one though). Even though he was at a distance, there was no way it wasn’t a normal bear. It obviously had extra features to it, but before he could think any more about it, the creature flew up onto a tree it was nearby.
When it landed on the tree trunk, it shook the whole tree due to the creatures weight being thrust at it, causing the snow that had still been stuck to it’s branches above, to fall. With how quiet everything was and Keshet silently watching, you could hear the feint sound of snow crashing into the ground. The surrounding snow was doing a good job at silencing noise.
But for Keshet, when he saw that, he knew instantly that this was 100%, without a doubt, what he had been searching for. And even though the bugbear was still 200+meters away, he raised the rifle and aimed it.
He didn’t fire right away, but he got his sight on the bear, following it slowly as it climbed the tree in search of whatever it had found interesting.
This went on for another minute before the bugbear jumped off the tree and glided down to the ground, before it started walking away again.
When that happened, Keshet had to re-aim his gun, taking a few seconds before he had it back in sight and, well, nothing. He didn’t shoot still. He continued to watch.
He had finally found a bugbear that could very much be the one he was personally looking for, had it in his sights, ready to shoot but wasn’t. What was he waiting for? By the second, the bugbear walked away, only getting further away, harder to hit, but he still only watched.
It had been 11 months since the death of his friend. Maybe it wasn’t worth it anymore? Maybe it wasn’t the bugbear from before and this one was innocent? Not that it mattered why he didn’t shoot right away. He could follow it now. He was the predator and could follow his prey until he was bored, but he wasn’t. He was mustering up the courage to avenge Wornesh.
It took a good few minutes for his courage to come and he was still aiming at the bear, though he wasn’t on target, just aiming near it. Now that he had the will to finally do it, he took aim.
This bugbear had moved further away now, being easily 300+meters away now. It’d be a hard shot, but Keshet was too focused now to back out, even though it’d get him an easier shot.
Throughout the months, he had practiced shooting. He had done close range shooting and medium range shooting, but something that was 300+meters away wasn’t something he had ever trained for. He knew how the gun worked though. He’d have to compensate a little for the bullet drop, but not by much, the real challenge was just the distance.
So when he was ready, he pressed himself into the tree to help stabilize the rifle the best he could, slowly lined up his shot, slightly ahead of where the bugbear would be and--
The bugbear stopped with no tree in line of sight.
He aimed directly at it.
BOOM
He had the recoil tightly controlled so he quickly aimed down to get the sight away from the target and drop. The bugbear dropped.
The gunshot didn’t ring out for long, quickly being absorbed by the fluffy snow and then silence.
Keshet kept aiming for ten seconds after he had shot, watching the bugbear to see if it’d do anything. It didn’t. He then let out his breath and quickly reloaded the rifle. Once it was reloaded, he aimed it once again at the creature and waited.
His entire focus was on the bugbear. He didn’t avert his gaze for five minutes, daring not to take his eyes off it for fear of it not being where he last saw it. It never moved.
He finally lowered his rifle and stood up and stared ahead at the body and decided to walk towards it with the gun at the ready.
The only noise that could be heard was the crunching sound of snow as Keshet slowly trotted his way over. It took him two minutes, but he finally got close to it. Enough to see detail on it. The bugbear was facing him, on it’s side with blood in the snow surrounding it’s head.
Keshet bravely, but slowly again, moved around the creature now, inspecting it, ready to shoot at it in case it moved, but it never did. And slowly, as he circled it, he got closer and closer and closer, until he was directly over the creature’s head.
It turned out he didn’t need to compensate much for the bullet drop. He had aimed at the bears head, and low and behold, there was a bullet entrance on the side of its face and it had obviously gone through.
He did it.
Keshet stared at the bugbear for a few moments before he said, “350 meters Wor. 350 fucking meters with one shot...” He then took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly sighed before a smile grew on him.
It was over.
Mail came today. Keshet never got mail but the griffon who was delivering it didn’t care or know that. He just handed Keshet his letter when he answered the door and after a quick greeting and farewell, then the griffon was off.
Keshet inspected the envelope as he went back inside. It was from the Kása military. What could they want with him?
He opened it and looked at the top print.
“You are hereby ordered for induction into the Kása Free State armed forces. You are to report to Fyrport’s Military Base on November 2, 1008 at 12:00pm KST. Failure to show will result in fine and imprisonment.”
“...”
Author's Note
This takes place in the Hearts of Iron 4 mod called Equestria at War. It's on the steam workshop page.
All lore/stuff mentioned is learned/in the mod mentioned.
this is the location of Kása in the world if you don't know about the mod:
(ignore the civil war in equestira or anywhere else, map is only for showing you where Kása is)
also this is the rough area of where this takes place in Kása:
