Fated Path was running, sweat dripping down her muzzle fogging up her glasses as they shook from the impact of her hooves on the rocky terrain, maneuvering around larger jagged rocks or fallen trees with black gouges spiderwebbed along the dried bark.
Her breathing was labored, she couldn't be captured, not again. Every heartbeat he grew closer, with every stride she took he took three. He was inescapable. But she would try, she was smaller, more agile.
That was her downfall.
Fated Path jumped up a ledge nicking a smaller rock, sending a wave of pebbles down the deep abyss that no Kirin Unicorn had dared traveling down. She could hear the eerie echo they made for a moment before her hooves on the jagged terrain filled her senses instead.
“Run, run lost mare.” The wind seemed to caress her ears gently before whispering that single phrase, her ears flattened against her head, the eleven silver studs in each ear felt like ice against the back of her mostly shaven head.
Fated Path couldn't hear him, but she knew he was close. He was a master of stealth, silent and fast, but he was large, he couldn't fit in the same places she could or turn as quickly. That would never help her in the end, but she would try.
She got closer to her target, she could see it now, cleverly hidden at the top of a jagged rock. Sliding tightly, sending a wave of small rocks flying she altered course, and heard the smallest sound. Like a hoof trying to disguise itself as a falling pebble, his first mistake.
Fated Path stopped suddenly, unexpectedly, a large almost white form flew past her, his long bare tail smacked a rock cracking it.
Heart pounding in her ears she ran towards the rock, using it as a launch pad she jumped off and sent herself going up. She would finally do it, she would finally win.
Then the largest force she has ever encountered rammed directly into her side, sending her not only to the ground at lighting speed but also into a dead tree, splintering it into thousands of pieces, with the air knocked out of her. All she could do was gasp for air and watch her attacker come closer.
Battle Plan started laughing heartily, white smoke poured off of his horn and the corners of his hazel brown eyes, casting a healing spell on Fated Path. “You're getting harder to keep at bay.” He said happily.
Fated Path rolled her eyes, “I hope you know you're a horrible colt.” She said to her brother, flicking her tail at his chest, making him sneeze unexplainably.
“You're the one who told me to go full force.” Battle Plan aid walking down the mountain, Fated Path following beside him.
“Yes, let's have the leading general in the Crystalline Dynasty challenge me to a game of cat and mouse.” Fated Path said, her legs shaking from the strain she put them under, for a few minutes back there she was afraid she'd have to switch to secondary organs, and that wasn't a pleasant experience.
“We both know it's not called Cat and Mouse you little brat.” Battle Plan said his ear flicking into the wind, picking up noises Fated Path couldn't. “Besides, you managed to elude me for three cycles, because you are the head tactician.” He said bumping into her.
Fated Path took a moment to remember what he meant by cycles, right, generals had different terms than they did. Like a speperate military time she'd suppose, cycles referred to an hour, or a cycle of the wind current that traveled the rocky land that the Kirirns lived in.
The Kirins lived at the base of an old volcanic mountain, long ago dormate. Leaving behind a rocky barren land, seldom used to grow weak pathetic crops and devoid of clean water. But that's what he Kirin were best at, cleaning up messes. While they left crop growth to the other tribes and traded materials for food, the streams were purified with precise magic.
The Kirins were adaptable and precise, some of the older mare tales suggested that all ponies were once Kirin unicorns and simply adapted to their environment. Fated Path found it doubtful, but it still was a fun theory to mess around with anyway.
“Get down,” Battle Plan said suddenly, usually Fated Path would've laughed at her overprotective brother seeing a squirrel, but this time it was different. He had pulled himself to his full height, his ears were foreword and his tail was as straight as a board. She knew that something much larger than a squirrel was out there.
Fated Path decided it was best not to ask and quickly got down, her grey coat making her harder to distinguish. Her tan mane and tail gave her a bit of a hard time but, with luck they would be more concentrated on the ghostly form of Battle Plan to notice her.
Her position was uncomfortable, jagged rocks dug into her stomach and neck as she laid motionless. As much as she wanted to shift and get more comfortable, she could hear hooves crackling on stones, Battle Plan was correct it appeared.
Even when observant Battle Plan likes to keep a seemingly relax posture, Fated Path had asked him about it once. After all, it didn't seem like a very good stance to take when one was going to war. Fated Path still hated her dork of a brother's laugh when she asked, he never failed to make her feel stupid in the kindest ways.
Battle Plan as much empty air as it seemed was floating around his head, he was an extremely clever colt. Because of such he was a brilliant General, the reason his stance was so casual in a sense was to lure the enemy into thinking he was cocky, that he thought victory was certain, that he thought he knew everything about them.
Fated Path hated to admit that it was actually a good strategy, one that could and has worked very well.
With all of that said, Fated Path only knew she was in actual danger when Battle Plan actually tensed up.
And it seemed that today was one of those times, Battle Plan was very stiff, as if he was a solid rock. The crunching of pebbles under another's hooves ceased, the silence was filled by Fated Paths own heartbeats, quick and heavy, laced with adrenaline.
“Mistress Ivory,” Battle Plan said, his voice sounding just as melodic and smooth as it always was. But that soft hitch in between words left a pit in Fated Paths stomach, she had to force herself to keep her muzzle closed, to keep the panicked breathing in.
There were more than one Ivory’s in the village, that was a conman occurrence, and usually depending on how you said their name you could often figure out which one ponies were talking about.
With that soft hitch of breath, Battle Plan basically told Fated Path who it was.
Her name was Ivory, she was the leader of the Kirins. More importantly, leader of the Crystalline Dynasty, her coat was a dark grey and her mane was black. Her eyes were a nasty scarlet color that gave Fated Path a chill down her spin, perhaps the worst part was that only one of her eyes were red, the other was a sickly green color.
“My, my, Battle Plan,” Ivory hummed in a voice like sickly sweet candy, twisted carefully to intimidate all that crossed her. “You've grown into quite the Colt, Woven Shield and Diamond Edge would've been very proud of you.” She said flicking her tail, she chuckled, “Well, i suppose if they could get around naming their daughter ‘Fated Path’ that is.”
Fated Path was already on edge before, but knowing Ivory was trying to get a rise out of Battle Plan, giving him a reason to waltz straight into death. Battle Plan wasn't stupid, but he could very well be impulsive and rash when it came to his family.
“Raising a foal at four was never really an ideal time to start I suppose.” Battle Plan said crisply, dryly even. “Enough about my family Mistress. What has brought you all the way up here?” He asked.
Ivory hummed for a moment, “I'm looking for that darling sister of yours,” she said, “She has been selected for a very, very special task. Hand selected by me and my dear beloved Lunos.” She said with the smell of flesh on the air, Fated Path wasn't able to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine.
She had forgotten how truly terrifying the mare was, especially when her and Lunos were together. Despite neither being related to Hunters, they still feasted on flesh like it was common. Prisoners of war, criminals of all degrees, it didn't matter if you accidentally knocked an elder over or committed attempted mass genocide, you were equally likely each way to end up the live feast for them.
Ivory laughed, “Did you get a bit of a chill there my brilliant tactician?” She asked walking over until she was in front of Fated Path, “I must say, I didn't see you there clever girl.” She said patting the top of Fated Paths head with her hoof, “Now then up up, you're coming with me girl.”
Fated Path swallowed as much fear as she could before standing up, she didn't have to look at Battle Plan to see the tension and worry in his dark colored eyes. “Yes Mistress Ivory.” Fated Path said in a soft voice, avoiding eye contact.
Ivory chuckled, “So polite,” she said the fur at the end of her tail brushing under Fated Paths chin, “Anyway, I'm distracting both of you. Battle Plan, why don't you scurry back to your house, Fate might not make it back home in time to make you an evening meal.”
Fated Path looked to her brother one last, time a sinking feeling swirled in her stomach as she realized what this was about.
They wanted her to try on the cursed Helm.