When Darkness Falls (Pirata, Ironforge, Mercy & Others)

[JetAlmeara]

The Good




The Bad

 

[JetAlmeara]

Pirata was more then pleased with the way things were going - oh it was true one of the little beasts had managed to escape her initial round-up but that had proved little in the grand scheme of things. Crooning softly to her spiders as they skittered about by her legs Pirata cast a haughty gaze over her huddled prisoners. So foolish these little beasts, thinking they were safe here in this mountain meadow, believing that they could escape punishment after sending that pink hellion into the world.

No.

They deserved everything they got, if she didn't need them so badly why..she would have killed them all. Next time perhaps they would think twice before sending someone to be trained as a Knight, reconsider even thinking that they could make some sort of difference in the world. This was her world and in her world they were as insignificant as an ant upon the ground.


"You won't get away with this."

Came a voice to interrupt her thoughts and Pirata let her gaze drift down until she caught sight of the speaker. Ah yes...the 'leader' of this insignificant bunch. She had heard his name mentioned... Chev something..honestly it wasn't important enough to recall completely.

"Oh..but I already have my little hostage..I already have.." She cooed at him in a sickly sweet voice, even went so far as to nuzzle him in mock sympathy, her eyes all but laughing and her spiders hissing as the stallion cringed away. Coward..too fearful and too small to be a true leader, he had surrendered his herd with barely a fight after she had threatened the foals. Coward. Useless.


"My Queen."

Came a raspy voice from behind and sneering at the small stallion she turned away, leaving her spiders to keep the herd corralled in fear of their venom as she turned her attention to the Condor before her.

"Farsight..I trust that you bring good news?" She asked of the bird her voice tinged with impatience. Stinking foul creatures these birds..but useful in some ways.


"Of course my queen." The condor rasped. "The enemy are approaching the pathway, they have already learned of the other barriers, the shaggy one leads them."

"Yes of course he does, nosy beast he can't help but stuff his muzzle everywhere its not welcome. " She snarled. "But what of the other one, the winged witch? That is the one I am interested in." She demanded, voice ending in a slight hiss. Ironforge was a pain but he was of no real concern this time around. No..that shaggy brute would find himself in quite the dilemma...quite the delicious dilemma indeed!

"She come's" The bird promised with a slight ducking of his head as he tried to sooth the agitated mare before him.

"Good.." Pirata spoke in an almost dreamy voice, going from angry to pleased in mere moments. "Very good indeed...let us go and meet them shall we?." Turning from the condor she eyed those gathered in the meadow. "Syphax, Cassava..guard the herd." She ordered of her daughter and adopted 'son' before nickering sweetly to her spider's who scurried to join her, crawling up her body with waving legs as she moved off. "She-ra, Farsight..come with me."

It was a brief trip to the path's meadow entrance and an excellent position for her to hold. Behind her the cowering herd was visibly guarded and yet too far away to hear anything that was said, her own forces allowed to move freely upon the meadow's expanse but Ironforge and his lackeys? Those pathetic fools who even now she could see appearing through the sun dappled forest? They were trapped, hindered by the thick brush and narrow passage. They would have no choice but to comply, it was inevitable..it was...perfect.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

So far things had gone to plan. The herd of minis had been easy to round up and while the foals had caused a bit of a ruckus at one point, it didn't take long for them to learn to shut up or forfeit their lives. Really it was quite boring standing around watching the tiny horses stand in a bunch, but boring as it was She-Ra never dropped her guard, after all, there were those two winds to keep an eye on, even if they had no real chance of escape.

It was somewhat entertaining to watch the small so-called leader try to stand up to Pirata. Oh if only he knew what she could do. She only held herself back because there was a greater, more important prize to get.

When word finally came that the mare they were waiting for was on her way, with a few extras in tow, She-Ra was ready. "You two, watch them." She ordered some of the nearby guards. She could not risk the winds trying to escape now that she was moving on to the next phase of Pirata's plans. After giving the gathered group of hostages one final glance to ensure they were staying put, and of course they were, She-Ra moved off and followed Pirata as they headed out to meet their foes and Pirata's ultimate target.  

[JetAlmeara]

With each hoof he placed upon the path Ironforge knew that he walked into a trap and yet it was a trap that he was all but forced to spring. Pirata - curse her cruel but brilliant ways, had simply left him with no choice in the matter. The knowledge that his old friend and his herd were being held as hostages was almost to much for the shaggy stallion to deal with. It had quickly become clear as they scouted and approached that Pirata had planned and executed this little plot of her's to the smallest detail...a pity really, a stupid adversary was much easier to deal with, there was still hope of course..Camaria was still scouting the herds boarder, searching for a way in that Pirata had missed, a path..a stream...even a slightly less dense bit of thicket but Ironforge knew that they could not wait for the intelligence report before acting. Pirata was not known to be patient.

No, he could hardly leave them there at the foul mare's hooves and so, despite the trap, despite the fact that he was almost certainly walking into some fateful doom Ironforge had gathered those left to him and walked forward. He would do so on his terms however, he would not give the spider mare what she wanted..there would be no furious charge into the kill zone she had created for them.

As they drew closer Ironforge was able to make out the tiny herd and Pirata's minions in the meadow, she had been busy as of late the stallion saw and her numbers had grown - he didn't even have to do an entire headcount to see just how outnumbered they were. It did not seem as though Pirata was interested in a straight up fight however as only she and her armored puppet were headed towards them, a fight would have been terrible..but at least then Ironforge would have known what he was dealing with - whatever Pirata truly wanted....Ironforge had a feeling it would be much, much worse.

"Wait here, just in case" He told those with him - from here there would still be a chance for them to escape if Pirata suddenly changed her mind and started a fight. It seemed that the mare wanted something else..but with so many hostages at stake Ironforge was unwilling to risk everyone in his party in one fell swoop.

"Wait here?!?" Mercy demanded, her eyes sweeping between Ironforge and her family under guard. How could he expect her to wait here, just stand here when they were so close to saving her family...or ..trying to at least. Mercy wasn't stupid, she could plainly see the number of guards in the meadow and it didn't take a genius to compare them to their own paltry group and realize the numbers on their side were sorely lacking...and yet..they couldn't just do..nothing...

"Yes...wait here." Ironforge declared, turning his gaze from the waiting spider mare to his students..his family "I don't think she wants to fight, not yet...I think she wants to tell me something, perhaps she has demands otherwise she surely would have attacked by now and all of her warriors wouldn't be showcasing their strength in the meadow. No..she doesn't want to fight she wants to intimidate and since we are left with no choice then we will have to hear her out." The stallion assured Mercy before lowering his voice in case the spider mare had spies in the woods nearby "Beside it will buy us time for Camaria to find us a way in. Now. Stay. Here." He said again, his voice growing hard in demand. They would listen to him, just this one time please let her listen to him.

Turning from the group Ironforge moved forward, glancing back just once to make his him companions were not following. The forlorn look on Mercy's face hurt his heart. It was hard sometimes in war to do what needed to be done but she was listening..and so she had learned that lesson even if the pain still struck deeply. His attention however would be better served in front of him and so the stallion returned his gaze to the vicious mare ahead.

It made his hide crawl to be this close to her without attacking, without trying to rid the world of her malicious presence and yet the stallion drew himself tall and looked her in eye. He would not give her the satisfaction of begging for the little herds release, as much as he wanted too - it wouldn't do any good regardless and so he stood in silence. If she had demands to make then she could be the one to speak first.