Corbon peered through his binoculars. Coco and him were perched on a very small stone ledge that was located on a towering, almost vertical cliff that had an excellent view across a narrow canyon at an old lodge about 600yds away and slightly below them. That was the current stronghold of their target. The crime boss Kraka Blackwing.

The old griffin glanced at the mare out of the corner of his eye. They’d been lying in wait for the last couple of hours for the op to begin and their target/prey to appear. The guide took a moment to assess his partner in this endeavor.

He’d been guiding clients up, around, over these mountains for more than 20 years and in that time he’d learned how to assess his client’s skills, temperament, and mindset by watching their body language.

In spite of her bright, multi-shade aqua mane and tail and pleasant disposition, Coco was a natural hunter. She exhibited neither fidgeting movements of boredom or the distracted, wandering mind of having to wait hours for game to appear that plagued many of his clients.

Her face projected an aura of calm and contentment, but Corbon noticed that the mare’s teal green eyes were slowly and constantly scanning the target area and the terrain around them. The earth pony’s movements were slow, precise, and methodical. When she did move she naturally avoided scraping or dragging herself or her gear in a way that would create a sound. When they’d been snaking their way through and down the hidden cave that ended at their current location the mare had been like a ghost.

She’s a natural at this. Thought the griffin. She’s the real deal. without taking his eyes off the lodge he spoke with a hushed voice.

“Can ask yu a questun?”

Coco lowered her own pair of binoculars. “You can ask. Whether I can answer it will depend on the question.”

Corbon raised his binoculars. “Where didya lurn tu do this?”

The mare kept scanning the lodge. “Well. I’ve been shooting since I was 8 years old, and I started competing in winter and summer biathlon when I was 12. Then a couple years later I started entering long rifle competitions. You know the out to 1000yd stuff.”

The griffin shook his head. “I wasn’t asking where lurned tu shoot. I wanna knuw where yu lurned tu kill.”

For several seconds Coco continued scanning with the binoculars then slowly lowered them and spoke. Although her eyes kept scanning the landscape.

“I was in Manehattan when the Shadow Lord unleashed his assault on this world. One of the initial portals was in Trotting Heights Park. The first few days were utter chaos. As the Crown scrambled to make sense of it and start set up an organized response to the attack. In Manehattan there were bands marauding monsters roaming the streets of the city killing anypony they could find.”

Coco took a sip from her water bottle. “I was riding on the subway when the attack happened, for the next week I just tried to stay alive and help out where I could. Initially responses to the attack were just hastily assembled groups made up of ponies from the police, emergency services, off-duty and retired military forces, and just ordinary ponies.”

“At one point I came across a wrecked police cruiser in a parking garage that I was taking shelter in. Apparently the vehicle had been part of the Manehattan Police Special Response Unit because I found in it a scoped, semi-auto, .308 rifle and several loaded magazines in its torn open trunk. Without thinking I took the rifle.”

The mare stowed the water bottle and took a bite from a protein bar. “I didn’t have any clear plan. I. Just wanted to help somehow. So I started hunting the invaders. Taking out lone stragglers and targets of opportunities. I had a couple of close calls but a combination of luck and familiarity with the city saved my hide.”

“Eventually I hooked up with one of the group defenders in the city. I stayed with them for a month plying my new profession until I came into contact with one of the units from the Royal Equestria Security Forces that had been sent to recon the city. It was then that I met my current commander Rarity and joined her unit. I knew of Rarity because of her work in the fashion industry and the deeds that she and her friends have done for the Crown. Because of their actions in the past all of them had been given field commissions and tasked by the Royal Sisters with helping defeat the invaders. After the war myself and Rarity along with her friends stayed on in the RESF. There’s still a need for our skills.”

Coco looked at the griffin. “Now can I ask you a couple of questions?”

Corbon shrugged. “Unly fair, Uf curse that’s assuming I can.”

Coco slowly looked back at the thin, almost slit-like opening they’d use crawl out on the ledge they were sitting on then back at the griffin. “How did you find this location?”

She glanced around at the various shrubbery, assorted rocks, and continuing cliff face that did a very good job hiding the location. “Even if you were flying this would be very difficult to spot. The cave entrance even more so.”

The griffin took a piece of dried, smoked, salmon and chewed on it. “I’m a fucking guide. I need tu the lands and where the game might be or hide. Ur else I wun’t be duing it fer lung! I stumbled acruss the cave and this place years agu.”

Coco chewed the corner of her mouth as she considered her next question. “If you’ve known of this place and how hidden it is. Why haven’t you put a bullet in Kraka from here?”

The old griffin was silent for almost a minute. Finally a very soft voice he spoke. “Have yu ever shuut the wrung target? Ever been shur and pulled the trigger unly find uut later it wasn’t.”

Corbon took a deep breath and then slowly let it out. “I use tu be a deputy guardian fer the nation years agu. I was wun uf best at the time. Then. Then wun day there was fight that bruke ut at wun uf the humesteads. Myself and my pardner were sent ut tu see wut was guing un.”

A pained expression danced across the griffin’s face. “The place we wur heading tu was a place we’d been tu many times. The husband had a mean streak a mile wide, and was prune tu take it ut un nut just his neighburs but alsu un his family. In fact he use tu run with that buzzard Kraka back in his yuth. Befer Kraka became the terrur uf these lands.”

“Weeelll. We shuwed up and this time it was ubvius the husband had gun tu far. Apparently he gut intu a fight with a neighbur and had put a bullet intu his brisket. His sun had tried tu stup him and had gutten a knife in his chest fur his effurts! We fund him lying face duwn utside their cabin.”

Corbon clenched his right paw/hand into a fist. “We heard the sunds of yelling and screaming coming frum the cabin and then a gunshut frum within. The cabin had a frunt and back duur. Me and my pardner decided we’d come in frum buth directions. He’d take the front and I’d take the back. He’d gu first and I’d fulluw a secund ur su after. I heard him gu thru and then yell.”

“He’s heading yur way!”

“I was entering the cabin myself. It wus dark and eyes my wur trying tu adjust when I saw a large, pitch black figger bearing duwn un me fast. I raised my shutgun and fired twice. Then they slowly crumpled tuward me. I duve ut uf the way and I watched the husband collapse ut uf the duurway intu the daylight.”

The griffin closed his eyes and lowered his head. “He. He apparently had grabbed his daughter as a hustage and had been trying tu flee with her. In, in the darkness I cuuldn’t see her in his arms.”

Corbon opened his eyes and looked at the sky. “The Elders cleared uf any wrung duin. They said it was an hunest mistake, but I quit the jub.”

He looked down at the lodge. “Since Kraka became the fucking terrur uf these lands I’ve come up her several times with the thught uf putting a bullet in his head. I’ve even had him in the scupe uf my rifle. But, but every time I’ve tried tu pull the trigger I suddenly see that daughter’s ruined, dead face staring up at me.”

Coco slowly nodded her head. “That hasn’t happened to me.”

The griffin looked over at her with a pained expression. “Fer yer sake I hup it never happens tu yu.”

For the next hour they continued the watch in relative silence. Suddenly Coco’s phone silently pulsed several times. The was planned signal announcing the start of the operation. A few minutes later several griffin came swooping in landed on the back deck of the lodge. They called out to someone in the lodge. Two figures stepped out to meet them. Corbon was peering through his binoculars.

“There he is.” He hissed. “He’s wearing the blue shirt and the black pants.”

“Blue shirt and black pants.” Coco repeated the description as she slowly aimed the rifle. After a second she spoke. “I have the target.”

Corbon continued to watch not just the target but the environment around them. He watched the heat mirage ripple slightly from the left to right. “Yu’ve gut a slight cruswind frum the left. Nut mure than 5kph. Range is 627yds.”

“5kph wind from the left.” Coco made a couple of clicks on the windage knob of the scope. She double checked the elevation on the rifle. “Range 627m.”

“Dun’t furget about the slope.” The griffin muttered.

“Roger that.” Said the mare.

For what seemed like an eternity they waited. Several times there were brief moments when there was an opening only to have someone would step in the way and block the shot. Kraka was yelling at the griffins gathered and several more who came out of the lodge and then went back in. Finally Kraka dismissed the griffins who’d arrived and started walking back into the lodge. Corbon looked at Coco.

“Take the shot.” He said.

“Wait a moment.” Said the mare. As she watched Kraka stopped and reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Angrily he tapped in a number and then raised his left arm and put the phone to his head. Exposing the left side of his torso to Coco.

That was what Coco was looking for. She pressed the trigger and sent the projectile on its way. The 185gr soft point arrived a fraction of a second before the sound of the shot echoed through the canyon. The bullet punched through his ribcage on the left side in a downward angle destroying the left lung and then tearing through his heart. The rapidly mushrooming bullet ricocheted of his spine, cracking it in the process. Now tumbling it exited out of the right side of this body shredding his right lung along the way.

Kraka shuddered and dropped his phone. Then he crumpled on the deck in a rapidly growing pool of his own blood.

It took a second for Coco reacquire Kraka in the scope, but it was apparent a second shot wouldn’t be necessary. “Job done.” She said. She pulled out her own phone and punched a prepared text signal. She waited until she had confirmed delivery. Then she looked at Corbon.

“We should pack up quickly and retreat into the cave. This place is well concealed but we shouldn’t dawdle. There will be air transports arriving in a few minutes. We’ll wait for their arrival before establishing further contact.”

As she slowly crawled back from the ledge Corbon could hear the distant but growing louder grumble of approaching transports.

To be continued.