Father of the Night 5: Secret Meeting.


                                            =Father of the Night 5=


                                            >The sun in your eyes and the sound of hoof meeting wood outside rouses you from your sleep.

                                            >You rub the sleep from your eyes as you rise up and swing your legs out over the floor.

                                            >Today was the day you got to work...

                                            >You hop off the bed and head out to the kitchen, trying to sneak past any windows Bruce might see yu out of as you went.

                                            >Stealth was paramount in this.

                                            >It had been a week since your...revelation about what to do with Bruce and you had been planning ever since.

                                            >Bruce was your responsibility and he needed a focus.

                                            >So you were going to GIVE him one.

                                            >You grilled your morning bacon as you ran through your plan for the day.

                                            >The best spot was to the Southwest of town...right by the mountain lake...

                                            >The door opening behind you makes you jump out of your skin and turn to see a pair of black pointy ears bobbing behind the counter as Bruce trots up to the table in his suit.

                                            "...Bruce."

                                            >"Keeper." he says tersely.

                                            >...Right.

                                            >You dish out yours and his food and begin to chow down.

                                            >Bruce's eyes are drawn to a pair of equally sized brown wrapped packages sitting on the kitchen counter.

                                            >"What are those?"

                                            "None of your concern."

                                            >Bruce shoots you a glare underneath the cowl, he didn't like not knowing stuff.

                                            "What? I have a life outside of you."

                                            >Barely.

                                            >You could see Bruce's eyes narrowing, you decide the best course of action is to bite this in the ass.

                                            "It's just a few deliveries to some people, Bruce. Derpy was swamped today and I said I'd give her a hand."

                                            >His eyes go back to their normal state as he believes you.

                                            >You look at your watch: 9:30.

                                            "Gotta make tracks, don't hurt yourself."

                                            >You get up from the table and grab the packages before stepping outside the house.


                                            >You walk through Ponyville with your packages tucked securely under your arm and make for the edge of town.

                                            >Once you were outside the town limits, it was a straight shot to your destination.

                                            >You see Twilight ahead of you as you walk, she catches sight out of the corner of her eye and stops to greet you.

                                            >"Hey there Anon." she says before spotting the packages you were carrying. "Special deliveries?"

                                            "Something like that." you say.

                                            >You and Twi walk down the road together when a thought crosses you mind.

                                            >About how Twilight was the smartest mare in Ponyville.

                                            "Hey Twilight...what do you know about The Diggers?"

                                            >Twilight arches an eyebrow. "That's a bit of an odd question."

                                            "Just curious."

                                            >"Well..." Twilight starts. "The Diggers are a gang of Diamond Dogs who live in the mines a bit south of here. They LOVE high quality gems and other metals, I believe they trade them with someone? But I'm unsure."

                                            >Interesting.

                                            "What else?"

                                            >"Their boss is someone named "The Dogfather", he pulled together some smaller packs a long time ago and collected them into what the Diggers are today."

                                            >Right...

                                            "Any other stuff?"

                                            >"The Dogfather apparently has a daughter he's breeding to take over the gang for him. From what Shining Armor has told me, it's not going too well."

                                            >The first half of that you knew.

                                            "How come?"

                                            >"Apparently the other Dog's don't respect her."

                                            >Hmmm...

                                            >You pick up the pace and walk ahead of Twilight.

                                            "Thanks Twi!" you call back.


                                            >As you make your way ever closer to the edge of town you come across your home away from home: The Apple Orchard.

                                            >And you spot the orchard's caretaker out by the edge fixing a fence.

                                            "Hey AJ...what happened?"

                                            >AJ hammers a nail into the fence with her mouth and drops the tool to the ground.

                                            >"Darn Razorclaws went and wrecked my fence on some dumb race last night, heard the ruckus and came out to find the fence wrecked and those troublemakers flyin' off back to their mountain."

                                            >Well that won't do.

                                            >You set your packages down and help AJ straighten the fence post she's hammering in.

                                            >"Thanks."

                                            "No problem. So you know it was the 'Claws?"

                                            >"Aint no other band a' Griffins I know of who hang 'round these parts." she says. "And I see 'em flying down the Everfree Forest every so often, too."

                                            "What do they do out there?"

                                            >AJ's face contorts. "Hunt. They hunt the animals in there and scrounge up any magical artifacts they can find in them old castles out there."

                                            "What in Equestria do the 'Claw's need with magical artifacts?"

                                            >AJ maneuvers another fence post into the ground. "Anon, if there's one thing I learned in my life, it's that there's ALWAYS a market."

                                            "Yeah...I guess so."

                                            >"I swear, it's that Thane's son up there."

                                            >You know of him...

                                            "He leads the raids, huh?"

                                            >"You got it, takes his raiders down into the Forest and hurts all the animals who aint done nothin' too him all so he can take the hides, then goes off and rob those old castles blind! Why, that stuff belongs in a museum, not some Griffin hoard."

                                            "Got that right."

                                            >You help AJ secure the last post and pick up your packages.

                                            "Later AJ." you say before making towards the edge of town.


                                            >You follow the long country trail down South until you're right at the edges of the Everfree.

                                            >You hike your way through the relatively less dense forest and make your way to the clearing ahead.

                                            >As the trees part, you catch sight of a beautiful waterfall spilling into a small lake at the foot of the nearby mountain.

                                            >Perfect for the plan.

                                            >To the South of you were the Digger's mines, where every Dog within a hundred miles gathered.

                                            >To the North on the mountaintop you could just make out the makeshift lair the Claw's set up.

                                            >Equidistant between the two...and the perfect spot for the son and daughter to meet.

                                            >They were the lynchpin in all this.

                                            >You find a nice spot near the edge of the water and set both packages down.

                                            >A quick mark on each, a Dog paw and a Griffin talon, help designate which is for which.

                                            >Not that it really mattered.

                                            >You run to the other side of the lake and take refuge in the bushes.

                                            "And now we wait..." you say.


                                            >You sit with your back against the rock wall for a few hours watching the sun move slowly across the sky.

                                            >There were many times when you just wanted to turn in and go home, you didn't even know if the two idiots were gonna get here.

                                            >But you stuck with it.

                                            >You had to, for the boy.

                                            >As the moon began to creep up into the sky, you hear the beating of wings from above.

                                            >You crouch down low and peer out of the bottom of the bush towards where you left the packages.

                                            >An armored hybrid of a lion and a bird with a wide wingspan touches down at the far end of the grove.

                                            >"Hello?" he called out. "Why was I told to come here?" he asks.

                                            >A rustling of bushes some thirty feet from you reveals a Diamond Dog in a suit top with a bow in her hair. "You tell me." she says.

                                            >The two of them take a few tentative steps towards one another.

                                            >The griffins feathers ruffle. "My name is Brokk and I lead the Razorclaw Raiders, I will not be spoken to like that."

                                            >The Diamond Dog chuckles low. "And I am Alexandria, next in line to lead the Southpaw Diggers."

                                            >The two of them close in on each other near your packages.

                                            >"And why are you here, Alexandria?"

                                            >"I was instructed by an anonymous letter to come here yesterday, you wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you Featherhead?"

                                            >Brokk scoffs. "I was given the same letter, I don't know what you're getting a-


                                            >Brokk's eyes drift down to the two packages separating them.

                                            >"Now what is this?" he asks as he picks up the talon one.

                                            >Alexandria grabs her matching package and they both tear it open.

                                            >The gifts they now hold in their hands are identical: A bottle of Concordia Red each.

                                            >Very expensive, here's hoping Bruce doesn't mind.

                                            >Alexandria scoffs. "Did you set this up, Feathers?"

                                            >"I have no idea what you're talking about." Brokk answers.

                                            >She waves the bottle of wine in his face. "Is that why I'm meeting you here alone with a handful of expensive wine~?"

                                            >"I could ask you the same thing." he says.

                                            >Alexandria chuckles and sits down on the ground, popping the cork off her bottle. "Well, sit and drink with me O' Brokk of the Razorclaw Raiders."

                                            >Brokk's eyes dart around a bit before he too sits on the ground and starts drinking his wine.

                                            >The two of them sit and drink for a couple hours, talking about various exploits from their criminal families.

                                            >Laughter is had and the two become fast friends.

                                            >"I better see you again, Brokk." Alexandria says after they've finished their wine and are preparing to leave.

                                            >"Oh you will, Miss Alexandria. A dog who knows the proper way to have a good time? Why it's unheard of."

                                            >Alexandria punches Brokk in the arm and turns to walk out of the grove.

                                            >Brokk spreads his great wings and takes to the skies, albeit a little shakily.

                                            >Once they're both gone, you push yourself out of the bushes and watch them leave.

                                            >They'd go home, see each other more, and bring the gangs closer together.

                                            "Just as planned..."