Topic: Epona's latest patrol

Epona · Date: 2007-01-01 13:06 EST

armour worn by some of Rhy'din's finest war horses gleamed off her equine back, plate mail shining from her human portion too. Her Mane of black hair flowed behind her as she kept a pace of a medium trot. Sharp green eyes were alert as she made her rounds.

There had been some disturbing goings on as of late, she had heard rumours of people vanishing in the woods. Her C.O Brian had checked that out, with less then encouraging results. She knew. They were in the same militia, of course she knew. Motion brought her back, she'd seen something from the corner of her eyes just past the market. She squinted and was able to make out a figure scurrying down the path to the forest. It was robed and hooded, she decided to follow.

This wasn't the same wood Brian had had troubles with so she held no fear from it, or any denizens within. Her intrest lay with the person she was following now. Trot moved up to a canter, and she held her pace, not wanting the man, or woman she couldn't tell, to know she was following. Having the advantage of a horse's pace, she caught up just as the figure seemed to melt into the shadows of the trees. She slowed down, catiously.

Rustling told her the person was not far off to her left. No animal made such sounds. An animal would have more stealth. She turned her head to look to spy who or what it was and was taken by surprise while she was trying to peer into the under brush...

Epona · Date: 2007-01-01 13:16 EST

She reared as she felt one, two, tree humans leap onto her back from the trees above her. They had taken advantage of her being distracted and jumped her. To thier dismay she was no rider to bu unseated as they had so foolishly assumed. Turing her human portion almost completely around she glared at them. Get off of me!

Three pairs of shocked eyes blinked back at her, and one got enough courage worked up to shout "It's some horse freak! Quick lads, kill her take her armour weapons and gold and be done with it!" The other two quick to act, were soon groping for the buckles on her armour. "Oh no you don't" Epona gave a mighty heave and bucked violently. One man flew headfirst into a tree and fell, motionless to the ground, another merely fell off, while the third, the one who had the gall to speak clung to her back like some flea, refusing to be thrown.

The man who had only fallen got up and charged back at her, only to be caught as she whirled around and planted both hind hooves in his chest. She felt ribs cracking and the man fell. He wasn't dead, but he'd wish he was soon enough. Meanwhile the man on her back had grabbed her hair and was trying to jerk her head around, with very little effect. But it did distract her long enough .....

Epona · Date: 2007-01-01 13:28 EST

The robed and hooded figure burst from the bushes where yes, she, it was a woman she could now see, had been hiding. She was glaring at the two downed men. "Can't you louts do anything right?" With an angry huff the woman rolled up her sleeves and began to mutter some arcane spell Epona didn't understand. Not that it was likely she would have anyway, she was a brawler, not a magic user.

She drew her sword, thinking at least to rid herself of the man on her back. That yanking on her hair hurt! With a mighty thrust she jabbed her blade back under her own arm, one hand on the hilt, the other on the butt to add extra force, and she was rewarded with a gasp as the man was skewerd. Sword yanked forward, just as that woman finished her spell.

Epona was blinded as a flash of light flared in front of her eyes and she stumbled bac, trying to sheild her eyes with her forearms. The man whose ribs she'd cracked had managed to get up. It wasn't so much he was strong as it was he was just plain pissed off. Epona never saw him, or the broken branch he held as he cracked it into the side of her head. She was overtaken by a wave of dizziness

Epona · Date: 2007-01-01 13:44 EST

She heared muffled voices. "Good that'l teach that freak bitch..quick get her armour off, it'll be worth a pretty penny" Belatedly Epona realized she was on the ground, and her head was throbbing. But she was awake again, and the man and woman didn't seem to notice. Good. As the woman came close epona thrashed into an akward position, but managed to land a hoof right in the woman's face. She would never move again after that blow. She got to her hooves in time to see the last man fleeing, though it was at a poor pace, his cracked ribs hurt! She easily overcame him and unlooping the rope at her human waist, she Whipped it around a few times, and then cast the lasso to land right around his torso arms pinned to his side as she jerked back none too kindly.

With a scream of pain the man fell, to find himself being lifted to his feet, and having his hands bound. "All right all right, I give up!" First words out of his mouth as he tried to get a look at his captor. "Yeah, now you can't go anywhere, I'm sure you do." She wasn't feeling too forgiving right now. Her head still hurt from the clubbing she had received and she was also a bit peeved she had been forced to kill three people. It was interrogation time. "What the hell do you think youre doing here" Hmm' Luring people into the woods to rob them, is it?" The man refused to meet her gaze. "Well yeah, Catalina, she's the, well she WAS the leader, untill you killed her. We was jus gonna rob ya."

He was hoping she didn't remember the man ordering the rest to kill her. "I'm not stupid, You would have killed me when you were done. No witnessess, no mess. Too bad for you you got caught. I'm sure i'm not your first prey. where is your plunder hidden" It can't be far, greedy types liek you never stray far from thier precious plunder." Her eyes were hard as the man fidgeted in his bonds. "Right..well y'see...I dont rightly know." Epona's sword whipped around to level at his neck. "You sure about that?" The man's eyes went wide. "Well I reckon i might, jus dont stick me, eh' I'm sorry like an all." "Sorry you are, but either way, show me."

After about a thirty minute walk the man pointed with his toes to a pile of leaves. "S'under there." Epona kept an eye on him and using a hoov cleared the leaves away to expose a crude trapdoor. "Open it" "I can't rightly open it with my hands tied." "Fine" She untied one hand, leaving the other bound to his waist so only the one was free. "Now, open it" Without a word the man knelt to open the crude little door and inside were a few bags of random items stolen from travelers. Clothes, shores, money pouches, travel supplies and some small weapons. Epona made the man pack it all up, one handedly, into two sacks.

She then took the sack from him and dropped it in one of the carrying baskets she normally wore on patrol, just for this reason. She was her own pack horse. "Allright. You are under arrest by the athority vested in my by the Rhy'in special forces and local militia 27 WestEnd. Now marck back to town, or be dragged. Either way, it's jail for you." Without a word the man started walking, still tied, Epona behind him, sword in one hand, rope in the other. She might get honorable mention for this! Either way, one less band of theives was roming now, and that was the important thing.