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Iofiel was becoming something, and that was shocking for her. She went from being nothing, to being something. After spending a large amount of time with her brother, her body was already getting stronger and more fit, and she was losing a lot of the innocence that used to charm her and her family. She didn't want to become a completely new individual, no, that wouldn't be alright. She would have to take a mental break somehow, since remaining rugged and tough wasn't her forte anyways. "I can be both things." is what she always told herself, so at the moment, she found herself walking across the shoreline, since her morning run had brought her to the ocean's banks. She had never taken the time to view the ocean as she was, and she found the experience as completely relaxing.

Her conflict at the moment involved staying herself, and she didn't want to become a monster or someone aggressive or mean. She wanted to remain Iofiel, and make both her body and mind as strong as it could be. For now though, her body was dominating her mind, but she would soon change that for the better. She needed a stronger mental base, and she would work hard to make herself a stronger individual as well. Confidence.. where could she find it? Hopefully she would, and soon.

She felt a chill hit her spin, since a splash of water had rushed past and around her hooves. Her mind stopped worrying, and the cool feeling of the water took her to a new state of mind. Relaxation. That's what she would do for a few moments, and she closed her eyes slowly while hearing the ocean roar and laugh against the wind, and feeling small trickles of water hit her hooves now and then.

When the mare was content in her solitude, she opened her eyes and turned them away from the sight of the water. Her next vision would be highly surprising, and a slight gasp left her mouth as she took the stallion's appearance in. Something dark was also walking on the beach, and she was not sure of his intentions at this point. He was as black as the shadows, and his hair was colored like the deep of the water around her. He looked interesting, with wings as sharp as ice.

Was he coming to attack her? Iofiel wasn't intimidated if he was, she was well prepared for these kind of encounters. But what bothered her was the stallion's speed. It didn't seem like he noticed her at all, and she wondered if he was deep in thought or something. He was walking very slowly, so he wasn't trying to make his way into her sight. She was curious of course, and she was studying him from afar as best as she could. She knew how important it was to understand a future opponent, and she did so as quickly as she could.

When her defenses were up and ready, she started to approach the stallion, and her nostrils flared with exhilaration from each little step she took. When she was much closer to his presence, she finally decided to speak, and see what the stallion was really up to. "Enjoying the beach?" she kept her voice light, but her body firm. There was no telling what a Kalona would do, and she remembered her brother's teachings well in this situation. Kalonas were vicious creatures, but at least a Skinwalker wasn't upon them. Then they would really be screwed.

Iofiel blinked at this reaction, and a more fitted grin evolved onto her face. If he wanted to attack her, he would have minutes go. Instead, he was being, if anything, polite! As surprised as she was from this, she decided to remain cool and composed, and let her guard down a little bit as well. "I am enjoying them for the same reasons as you." she then said, while glancing her eyes onto the blue once again. "It might be nice to live in the ocean, and be free of many of the realities we have on the land. But then we wouldn't be able to fly..." her voice trailed, and she slowly brought her eyes back on the stallion.

"Forgive me for my at first reaction to you, I was expecting you to want to eat me. Or even if you do, I am probably not tasty." A chuckle then exited from her snout, since had no fat on her and where was the good in that? "But anywho, what is your name stallion?" She wanted to ask him all sorts of questions, but for now, she figured she ask him one's that were polite and comfortable. She had to stay on her toes just because he was a Kalona, but she wasn't going to ruin the chance at a pleasant meeting.

"I'm Iofiel by the way, and are you sure the ocean is actually thought provoking? Or is it you that is provoking your thoughts yourself?" A smile then met her face, and she shook her head lightly at her word-puzzle. It really didn't make perfect sense, but in her mind it did. "The ocean helps me space out, and come to terms to what I'm dealing with. Is that what you were doing then?" She wasn't always a mare, but she was completely amazed by the thought of talking to a Kalona. Maybe Kalonas were different then what her brother said? She really didn't know at this point.

My my... Cobalt carried something much deeper then Iofiel would have guessed. She gently moved a bit closer to the stallion and she let her dark eyes glance into his. She finally understood what made him so apparent on the beach just moments ago, and it had nothing to do with his wings or fangs. It was the sadness he carried that was leaking out, and she shook her head slightly while moving herself over and next to him. "Come, let's take a walk, shall we?"

She started moving slowly since the beach extended for miles and miles. Walking made things a bit more comfortable and at ease, and she hoped the stallion would enjoy that kind of thing. "Well, I'm sure you understand, right? Other Soquili must be wary of you at first, since we are constantly targeted by other Kalonas. If you had run over to me or shouted or something, I would have known all was well. I might have still questioned you at first, but that's only because of what all Soquili are taught to do. Its hard, especially for you.. but there are two sides to everything you know?" If a Soquili always trusted Cobalt firsthand, then that means they'd always trust any Kalona. And that was much too dangerous!

"I'm not as strong as you make me seem." she then admitted, while wiggling her wings a bit. "I may have solved one of my problems, but I'm sure the list goes on and on. I do other things to keep my mind preoccupied and my heart stable." she paused then, and turned to look back towards Cobalt. "What seems to be paining you so? That is, if you don't mind me asking of course. It may be that I can help you solve your problem or it may be that I am completely useless." she then paused, and grinned kindly towards him. "So, its your wild card to pick!" But hopefully, she could help somehow.

After listening to all of the stallion's words, Iofiel could only close her eyes and state one very important thing. "But you are you!" As silly as it sounded, Cobalt was nothing strange. He was doubting himself completely, and Iofiel had just been through that crisis herself. "I am no different then you, I used to hate myself, the way I looked. Other Ageni are absolutely beautiful, like my mother for example. She casts a light even on the darkest of nights. I was born looking like my brother, who is quite evil I'm afraid. So in my head, I used to think where would that leave me?" she paused again, and brought her dark eyes onto the stallion's. "But then I realized that one's destiny has nothing to do with what they look like, or who they are approved by. I have others who love me, and that's all I need to get me by. I hope to make friends one day, and I know that will keep my motivated as well. Who cares what random soquili think about you if they don't even know you!" And with that, she stomped her hoof on the ground, since she was feeling triumphant in her words.

"I think its nice that you aren't like other Kalona. I mean hey, I'm not like other Angeni, and I have survived you know?" Hmm.. if it was strength he sought, she could surely help him there. "Why do you want their respect so badly? If you don't want to be like them anyhow, why not just ignore them?" It was probably hard, having no where to truly fit in. "Well, I have been training since my brother taught me to fight. He saw a strange potential in me, so I'm sure I can show you that you also have potential. And the best part of all is, you'll get to remain yourself along the way." There was no reason for him to change, and Iofiel would show him that.

"Being vicious doesn't make one strong anyhow, and I never knew that until my brother taught me. I've always wondered how he remains so intimidating even when he is just standing there or what not, and its because he's smart. Smart and confident, and strong. I am working on all of those things, and if you want you can train with me too." But she'd have to show him how of course, and teach him everything she had learned. "Now, answer me this. What is it that YOU truly want? Because, I hear a few different angles of life so far, but I want to find out what it is you desire. What you want should be most important, and it is vital that you figure that out for yourself too." Be it others accepting him, or he accepting himself, Cobalt would have to choose the right path for him to follow.

Iofiel wanted to believe that she could grant Cobalt's wish, but it was a hard and long journey ahead. Everyone was always looking for somewhere to fit in, and how could Iofiel help him if she didn't even know herself?

"Well, we all strive to fit in somewhere." she then said, while playfully tip-toeing on her hooves a bit. "Its not unusual for you to feel that way, so don't let yourself get too stressed." Besides, she was lucky that her family was something set in stone, and she was thankful for that. They wouldn't abandon her for the precise reason that they were her family, and Cobalt didn't have that at all. He needed to see that there were other ways to form bonds and relationships and to keep them forever. "You should find somewhere that allows you to be accepted for who you are." she then said, with a happy nod. "Somewhere where you can always just be yourself and never change. You know, in a way we are all always looking for that. I'm still looking for that, and now you can too."

Rather then looking to change himself, at least he could take a step back and learn that others should accept him for who he was. That was a good start to his personal conquest.

At his response to training, Iofiel only changed her expression so that she could nod her head sternly. "Alright, but I'll have you know that even though I may be nice, I get very serious when I train. I will never belittle you in any way, but I will help you achieve, since I am always striving to myself. "

And lastly, she only changed her expression back to normal so she could giggle lightly at his comment. "Well I hope my appearance is just fine for you, since you'll be stuck with me for awhile!" Heh, and that would be another adventure for her it seemed. "Now, where should I start, with training.." she bobbed her head while in thought, and mused to herself for a few moments to get information together.

"Like I said, its not about finding others who will accept you just because of your breed or what you look like. There are others out there who will accept you for who you are inside, in your heart and soul." She wasn't much of a preacher herself, but she knew it as true! She sighed lightly before thinking on the subject, and felt pained that she didn't have a definite answer. "I promise, with time it will all make sense."

At Cobalt's next words Iofiel could only silence herself, since she was observing his idea of what fighting was. As she thought, he had the same idea she had just months ago, and she would quickly teach him the true lessons that come with fighting, just as Reaper had for her. "You just stated misconception number one of fighting- aggression and malice. Having aggression and malice is just a shield, and in reality it does nothing to your fight. There are many ways to over dominate without malice, and that brings us to the important lesson number one."

She paused then, and closed her eyes somewhat. "How is your control on your senses? Senses are the most important tool in battle. Your eyes, ears, hooves.. any feeling you could observe from an enemy is key to winning battle. By using your senses, you must pin point where an enemies weakness is. Even if your enemy is growling and shouting at you, you should be using that time to take in as much knowledge as you can about the enemy."

"It took me quite awhile to get used to how strong my own senses were, and I think that is the first thing you should train with. Physical training is easy compared to sensory, since a lot of senses come with mental lacking and doubt." She had her own problems in the beginning as well, and she learned to accept herself and her surroundings with great skill. "Does this all make sense to you?" she then asked, since she was hoping he wasn't lost in translation or something.

"This was the hardest part of my training." she then admitted, while hoping to reassure Cobalt a bit. "My senses sucked, and I couldn't do anything my brother was telling me. But then I went off and for the past month I have been in seclusion. I follow certain noises and sounds that many can not even hear or hone themselves. I also follow scents and try to pinpoint what is around me at all times. It takes a lot of discipline, since many don't realize how hard it is to train your ears, eyes, and nose." After stating such, she quieted herself to listen to some of his questions and doubts.

"That is correct, most don't know how to use their senses in battle. They are blinded with unnecessary rage and anger, and in the end it gets them no where. I can already tell that other Kalonas will probably try and belittle you into hating yourself. That will be their tactic, and their strategy. But in response, you cannot allow them to do that. If you stand firm against them and hide any doubt you have in your body, they will be the idiots in the end." She was constantly belittled for her gender and 'kind' breed, but that never led her to losing a battle. She always upstaged once the fight began!

"The training is up to you." she then said, with a kind grin. "For me, I found seclusion was the best method. I can teach you how to understand your senses a little but, but the training is the next step. Practice is what makes us perfect, as they say. Though, you goal should not be to reach perfection, but to be what it is you are trying to achieve. As long as you are happy in the end, then you have succeeded in both your battle and other physical battles."

Hm, she hoped things were making sense for Cobalt. She was happy to listen to his doubts and concerns, since the more knowledge he knew, the more confident he would get as well!