Caryn's First Mission

As the raiders moved gradually closer to the anticipated rendezvous, the two ponygirls adapted to the pattern of their lives. Their masters did no scouting, relying instead upon the slower moving goblins afoot to search for opportunities and to ensure the group suffered no surprises. Instead, Sigurd and Tork trained Caryn and Bluebell hard everyday to make them become the best of war ponies. They learned to react to touch of knee or foot alone, liberating their masters from the need to rely on reins or to shout commands in the noise and confusion of battle, which was simulated by no end of gleefully shouting goblin volunteers seemingly spring up from nowhere as they attempted, with less and less success, to startle the ponies into mistakes. They learned how their riders thought, becoming able to anticipate the next command and react as quickly as thought. Finally one day, they learned the ultimate goal of their master's training. Their bodies, hardened by training and goblin potion, were now capable of wearing leather armour hardened with metal scales at speed and all day. Added to this, they had developed a mutual trust so extant that their masters unbound their arms, and they wore an off-hand buckler and carried a short sword and dagger, making them a lethal addition to offensive combat power and freeing their riders to use bow and arrow for ranged attacks while leaving their much larger mounts to provide the close quarters combat. It made for an incredibly lethal combination when compared to what either goblin or beast could accomplish alone.

The mares were enthusiastic about both the training and the trust, and were well rewarded for their efforts by loving masters who often gave the ultimate reward of joining them in lovemaking sessions. The goblins were adept, both at loving skills and in the proper application and level of use of their potions, to keep the ponygirls literally and figuratively eating out of their hands. Theirs was a foursome so happy with each other that there was likely no equal in all the land. They could have continued this same pattern right up until the rendezvous, had not opportunity chosen to knock at Caryn's door.

Late one evening, Sigurd came to Caryn for a conversation. Caryn was no longer allowed to speak, but between a growing understanding for the goblin tongue and Sigurd's own ability to speak some human and elfish, he had no trouble getting relatively complex information across to his mount in ways that allowed her to convey her understanding with nonverbal communication cues. In this case, the communication was complex indeed, as was Caryn's emotional response to the task she was being entrusted with. It was pure coincidence that the task was hers rather than Mora's. A group of three human women had been spotted earlier that evening, camping in a secluded area and apparently set as lookouts for some unknown purpose, but one that was quite likely to be related to the goblin activity and determining what and how great the threat of their presence constituted. If one of the elfen groups had been spotted, then the same task would have been Mora's to take on.

Caryn was going to escape. she would be strapped into her hoof-boots and wearing the simple shift that was used to protect her from the chaffing of her armour. When she "happened" to stumble into the human camp, they would instantly recognize her, though they would be surprised at how much the goblin potions had caused her to grow and strengthen. She now stood a full head taller than she used to be and was much broader of shoulder and slimmer of hip. Goblin alchemy caused far more than mental preparation for a new life. At any rate, once she had been broken in, she revealed to the goblins exactly who she used to be, and they were amazed at their luck. That this first contact was with a human group only added to their great good fortune.

Caryn would tell the human women what they already knew. That she and Mora had been taken as ponygirls to the goblin's main camp to show off the success the goblins had achieved. During this time she would also discreetly pump the women for information about the current state of affairs. Next she would attempt to lure these women into a quick rescue of Mora, since there would only be the two goblin riders and two more goblins on foot to deal with, and with her gone, that would leave only one mounted goblin to deal with, and he would be no threat. Mora wanted to escape as much as Caryn did, and would actively throw her weight into the fight for freedom, at least nullifying her rider's efforts, but more likely killing him in the process. Moreover, she was their true leader. After presenting them with an easy and well thought out plan to rescue the elf, they would be duty bound to accede to her authority. By the time the women realized that they had been deceived, their fate would have already been sealed.

Caryn was totally charged up by this plan. With overwhelming numbers and two war trained ponygirls on their side the goblins should quickly and cleanly subdue the three human women, growing the sisterhood of ponygirls and providing new companionship as the ponygirls taught these new mares the way of the goblin. She could hardly wait to get started, but there would be a day's delay. They would take one day to lay traps in a logical approach to the "small" goblin camp and Caryn would know the location of the ambush and the location and type of traps set, enabling her to have "her women" enter the trap in the best formation for a quick and easy capture without loss of life to either side.