//------------------------------// // The Job // Story: The Prefect Shot. // by The Sumareian //------------------------------// Pathfinder chewed on the wheat stalk in his mouth in apprehension. He had been tracking this herd of Haidre for weeks now, and unlike their deer cousins these magnificent creatures had never been seen in a group this size ever before. He stealthily reached into his vest for his map trying not to disturb the branches in the tree he was hiding in, he looked at the creatures as he slowly opened his map, and began to mark the location. This close to Canterlot. Amazing all of the reports were usually from the Everfree, to think that a herd is this close to on of the major metropolitan areas. He thought as one of the creature paused and looked his way. He locked eyes with it, its snow white coat and its branching twisted horns, a beautiful shade of ivory. All so precious, so delicate, if only it could talk to communicate wit-. His thoughts paused as he saw a fawn delicately trot up to what now assumed was its mother.So both genders do indeed have antlers. he made a mental note, before he heard a unusual rustling in the distance. His ear perked as the two beautiful creatures darted away into the forest. Remember your training Path. it sounds predatory, small. he continued to listen in complete silence, before he heard a small bark. followed by the somewhat clumsy paw falls of a dog. "Ember, up here." He said aloud, knowing that only one dog could find him in the whole of the Shyleaf forest, and that was his faithful half wolf friend Ember. She deftly climbed up the tree to the branch that her master was perched on. before wagging her tail happily, and began to poke her side with her muzzle to the small pack. "Let's see what you got there girl." Pathfinder opened the pack and pulled out a wrinkled scroll and a treat, which he promptly gave to his canine companion. He unrolled the scroll and began to read it. Dear Pathfinder, I know you've probably been tracking that herd of Haidre or whatever they're called for the Canterlot zoo but we need you to come on back, there a mare here who might have a job for your set of skills. -Gloomshine. ****************************************************** "Your crazy right?" Pathfinder exclaimed as he looked at the light blue mare in front of him her sunglasses showing nothing but his reflection. "I Photo Finish prefer the term, creatively enlightened." The mare in question clapped her hooves together, and two mares galloped up to her one with a bottle of water and the other with a glass of ice, both placing it on the desk in front of her. "Now Ms. Finish, you have to understand the Equestria corps of natural exploration is not a government agency, and we would lack the funds to divert the resources you want for your little project." Gloomshine waved her hoof over the pitifully small number of dossiers of the available Explorers. "It's not a matter of your more then generous offer for our services but we cant afford to send more then one of our agents, that's why I'm offering you the best we have." She finished by pointing her hoof to Pathfinder. "Traipsing through the Everfree, with a group that size is impossible, I can get one or two through but her entire posse, that's a disaster waiting to happen." He blew a stray strand of his dark brown mane out of his eye. "With that many ponies, you might as well cover yourself in gravy and jump into a hydras mouth." "He is the only pony we can truly spare at the moment, Pastures is getting maternity leave as soon as she gets back from the Whitetail woods. Cyprus flew into a poison oak yesterday, We haven't heard from Longshot in three days. Other then Pathfinder here, he's the only one we could get on such short notice." "Cyprus flew into some poison oak, I swear he would fly into the ground if it was in front of him." Pathfinder mused under his breath. "That and as far as the description of your request." Gloom levitated the scroll as well as her red reading glasses into view. "The Blue sunrise is just an old mares tale." Pathfinder's ears perked slightly, "The Blue sunrise. Gloom we have gone on crazier expeditions, like that magical cave fungus." "So many mushrooms." The grey mare shivered at her past blunder. "Do I need to leave you to discuss this further?" The blue mare said impatiently tapping her hoof on the floor. "No, we will do it." Pathfinder smiled. "Excellent, now when do we depart?" The mare sprang to her hooves, as her attendants quickly galloped to her side and escorted her out. the door slamming shut to the small office. "We leave tomorrow, at ten o'clock." Pathfinder shouted at the closed door. A few seconds later Gloom slammed her head on the mahogany desk. "Agh..... She was a pain." she complained as she levitated the dossiers into a nearby filling cabinet. " You know you don't have to do it right?" she inclined her head to him. "Gloom when our fathers started this corps, they did it for the joy of exploring our shrinking natural world." He looked at the picture on the far wall, there stood four ponies; two stallions and two mares, smiles on their faces as they stood in front of Winsome Falls. Pathfinder stared at the two ponies on the left. The mares long chocolate brown mane and her kind blue eyes, and her light pink coat. her smile could turn even the gloomiest of days nice and bright. he focused on the stallion and his strong and determined violet eyes, unlike the mares lighter coat his was a dark mud brown and his mane a mossy green. He smiled and then looked at his light brown coat, and reached into his canvas vest pocket, and pulled out a old pocket watch. "Tell me straight up Path, is this one of those I have to find the perfect place and time to scatter my parents ashes deals?" The grey mare stood up and leaned on his side. "Because if it is I definitely won't object to that not after what your father did for my family." Pathfinder remembered, his fathers untimely death, as well as his mothers soon there after. He smiled, almost defiantly as to the tragic loss he went through at a early age. "It's the least I could do, is try and lay them to rest in the hopes that the Blue sunrise is indeed true.