One of a Kind

by JaHarre

Time To Go Hunting

Zimba had been shopping for a while now, moving from one cart to another. He was having trouble deciding what he wanted to buy as he had been waiting for a certain striped cat to get his furry butt over here. 'Where is he?'

He continued to make his way back to the cart that was operated by a light green pegasus with a sky blue mane and he had a wing wreathed in flames for his cutie mark. None of the other carts had any thing he could afford.

"See thing you like?" the green pegasus asked in semi broken Zebracan.

"Yes, I want to see your necklaces again."

"Oh? Young warrior have some special in mind? A mare pretty perhaps? Ahh! Here are!"

Fleetwing coughed. Speaking Zebracan always made his throat tickle, and he knew he was just butchering the language.

Zimba felt his cheeks flush red at what the merchant said. He wasn't about to admit this to anypony but the day after the fight with the Catoblepas he was out gathering fire wood as his punishment. When a very pretty, young zebra mare came up to him and told him she thought he was very brave to fight the monster on his own. She then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and left.

He remembered how his body felt lighter and his knees felt weak as he tried to take a step. He tripped and ended dropping all the wood. He could have sworn he heard giggling coming from behind a hut. Ever since then, when ever he saw her around the village, she would give him a small wave or even a wink sometimes. Just the thought of her was enough to make those feelings come back.

He was only glancing at the merchandise, too caught up in his day dream of a pair of pretty eyes, when he felt something hard hit the back of his head.

"Ow!"

He was looking around as he rubbed his head. He looked down and picked up the small rock, which was the cause of his discomfort. Just at that moment, another rock skipped across the ground in front of him.

"What the...?"

He looked in the direction the rock came from, and he saw a furry bulk disappear behind a hut.

Zimba just rolled his eyes.

"What is he doing back there?" He murmured.

He was just about to turn the corner when all of a sudden a big paw was clamped over his mouth as he was dragged behind the hut.

"Shhhhhhhhh..., follow me."

He finally pried the the paw off his mouth.

"What is-!"

"Shush!"

"What is going on?" Zimba finally whispers.

"Have you noticed anything strange about the traders?"

"Aside from them speaking poor Zebracan? No. Why?"

"I don't know. There is just something about them that... smells wrong."

"Smells? Could it be because they haven't bathed in who knows how long?"

"No. Would you just listen?"

I then commenced to explain all that I had heard in the hut, and how I came to look at the merchant's stuff.

"Well then, why don't you go and look at it?"

"Because I don't want them to see me. I-"

He was cut off by a loud voice saying,

"Thank you all for your business!"

It was Claptrap. He was carrying a sack on his back, and Haiba was standing next to him.

"We have concluded our bartering, so please finish any business you have because we will be leaving in five minutes!"

There was a mad dash for the carts as every zebra wanted to finish their purchases. After five minutes on the dot, the carts were loaded up and heading out back the way they came.

Tony wanted to breath a sigh of relief but for some reason he still couldn't relax. The whole ordeal just seemed to rub him the wrong way and he couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong.

'Maybe I will go talk to Haiba about it.'

As soon as they where out of hearing and sight of the village, Claptrap ordered them to pick up the pace. They pulled their carts quickly over the rough terrain for nearly another hour. Fleet wing was exhausted.

"Please boss. Can we stop and rest?" He gasped.

"Yeah, I'm not one to complain boss, but we can't keep going at this pace." Said the big earth pony with the punching bag cutie mark

"Why are we even running?" Fleetwing asked.

Claptrap ignored his question as he looked around at the other exhausted ponies as they all nodded in agreement.

"Fine I'll do you one better. Take off those carts and leave them here, and YOU!" he pointed at Feetwing, " Fly ahead and tell the rest of the caravan to get ready. We're bugging out as soon as the rest of us catch up."

Fleetwing was off like a shot! He pumped his wings as hard as he could to get the blood flowing through them.

'Ahhhhhh... This feels so good to fly again and give my legs a rest. I have no idea what boss is doing but I'll do anything to not have to pull that cart again'

He flew for as hard as he could for about twenty minutes before the caravan came into sight. When he touched down, his legs gave out from underneath him.

A young grey unicorn mare with a compass rose over a map for her cutie mark came and helped him up. He had always thought that she was kinda pretty but she never really spoke to anypony other than the boss, unless she was giving out orders. He wasn't quite sure what her position is.

"Are you all right? What happened?" she asked.

"Boss *pants* says to *pants* break camp." He continues after he catches his breath.

"If they keep traveling at the rate we were going at, then they should be here in about two hours."

"Why? Was anypony hurt?"

He just shook his head. She turned around and started barking orders at the others to break down camp. Fleetwing decided to rest a little bit before he had to get back to work.

"Haiba!"

"Haaaiiiiiibaaaaaaa!"

'Where is that mare? She wasn't in her hut and I haven't seen her around the village.' It had been about an hour and a half since the traders had left and I still felt uneasy. I decided to check all the huts since she wasn't in her's, but I had no idea where to start. Luckily I spotted Zimba walking around, but he seemed to be in sort of a daze.

"Hey Zimba! I shouted to wake him back up.

"Where would your mother be if she isn't in the hut?"

"ummm... I don't know. Normally, after a trade, she would be in the council hut distributing out the goods to the rest of the tribe."

"But that's the thing, No one has seen her."

"Well, maybe she is still there. What did you need to talk to her about?"

We started walking to the same hut that I followed Haiba, the elder, and Claptrap to.

"I still feel uneasy about those traders. About the way they bargained and especially the way they left so suddenly."

Zimba just rolls his eyes as we approach the entrance to the hut.

"You worry too much. You know-?"

*Thump*

We both stopped in the doorway.

"Did you hear that? I asked.

*Thump*

"Yeah and there it is again. Its coming from over there." He points a hoof to the far back corner of the dark hut.

We walked slowly into the dark council hut and made our way to the far back corner. What we saw shocked us. It was the tribe elder, gagged and tied up like a thanksgiving turkey.

"geff mef owuph of fif"

"Great Celestia above! What happened to you gramps?" Zimba asked as he tried to undo the knot.

"Here let me help"

I extend a claw and cut the gag away.

"Where is Haiba?" The elder asked in a thin raspy voice.

"No one has seen her. We came in here looking for her." I replied as I continued to cut his bonds.

"Oh no! They took her!" he croaked.

"Zimba, go get some water"

Zimba looked shaken to say the least but then dashed out of the hut in record speed. I helped the Zebra stand and start walking in order to get the circulation back in his legs.

"You guys reached an agreement after only a few minutes of negotiation. What happened after that?" I asked

He looked at me with a puzzled face and then a sudden understanding came to him.

"You where listening, weren't you?"

"I uh... didn't mean to be rude or anything but I uh..."

"Its alright. I'm kind of glad you did."

I was about to ask him about Haiba when Zimba came racing up with a cup of water.

"Here you go! Now! What did you mean by they took her?"

The elder filled us in on what happened in the council hut after negotiations where ended. The more I listened, the more I angry I got. It wasn't like the enraged anger like I had my melt down. No,this anger left me cold almost. Thoughts began to fly, claws came out and started kneading the ground and plans began to form.

"Zimba, Get your war staff and some supplies and meet me in your hut. We're going hunting!" I growled.

Zimba was just as angry as I was and the elder started to get a little nervous.

"Now hold on for just a minute. I'm not going to let you boys go off by yourselves as hotheaded as you are right know."

"Oh? And your going to stop me how?"

"I never said anything about stopping you. I just want to slow you down enough so we can send a runner out for Momboza and alert the other elders to our departure."

I nodded my head in response until everything he said sunk in.

"Uh wait... our departure?"

"Of course. You didn't think I was going to let you two young colts go running around the savanna having all the fun for yourselves do you? Besides," His voice became full of malice. "They took my daughter!"

I sat there slightly stunned at this new development. 'Come on! snap out of it! You can figure out the family tree later. Right know, focus on the task at hand.'

"Uh... Right! We'll get our stuff and meet at Zimba's hut in half an hour."

With that said we went our separate ways. I went back to the hut to gather my gear. I looked over my stuff and decided to leave all the electronics and keep the first aid kit, the blanket, the flares and the forty five with two full clips. I also packed my bed roll that I had been sleeping on for the past week.

I looked down at the gun and flares and realized that they would be nearly useless in a fight. I couldn't fire the gun. It was too small to fit in my paws. The flares only gave off light and heat. I needed to do some modifications. I looked around and found some small clay jars, some string, and some wax. 'Perfect'

After about thirty minutes, The elder showed up with a pair of what looked like saddle bags over his back and a war staff strapped to him. With out saying a word, he went over to the shelves where Haiba keeps her potions and ingredients grabs a couple bottles and wraps them in a cloth.

"Here, place them in your pack, and don't break them."

I looked at them cautiously and added them to my bag. Zimba finally showed up and handed me an extra war staff.

"What took you so long?"

"I had to say good bye to somepony. Here this one is for you. Try not to break it."

I just rolled my eyes and asked, "Can we leave know? They have a decent two almost three hour head start."

"It's time. Lets go." the elder announced.