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Xaivary had once again found herself at the seaside. The rhythmic beat of the waves against the shore was hypnotic, the distant barrier of sea meeting sky defined only by the occasional passing of a cloud. Unintentionally the brown mare had slipped into a mild trance while musing which way would have brought her to see her pal Honey. Aside from her breathing and the odd unconscious twitch of tail or ear she was still, both outwardly and inwardly. Nothing else ever seemed to have quite the same effect on her...

As out of it as she was at the time even she could not ignore the crash of snapping twigs and a cracking branch. Formerly relaxed muscles tensed as she swiveled head and body around to face the noise, her eyes for the moment greeted only by a flash of bright red and sun bleached yellow. What on earth?...

When the other mare finally broke free of the trees the flashes of color finally made sense, but it actually took a moment for Xaivary to process what she was seeing. She had seen leathery wings before, though it was on a very different looking Soquili. The scales, the fangs, the crest of feathers, the serpentine tail... the entire package made a startling picture, and for just a moment the brown mare wasn't sure she was actually looking at another Soquili.

Her next thought, of course, was to wonder if this was an actual Kalona. One of those she'd never seen up close, and this would be an exotic looking novelty even among that race from what she'd heard.

Most would have greeted the other with hostility, if not outright fleeing in fear. But the method of her approach did not indicate ill intent, nor did the way she called her greeting. She wasn't sure what to make of the way her head-feathers moved around but it was interesting to watch, for sure.

Xaivary settled for remaining wary, but she would not judge the other until she was given something more to judge with than the fact that she looked like a cross between a dragon and a brightly colored bird. After all, Xaivary got judged on her appearance often enough, even if her looks were far more unassuming than the stranger she was presented with.

Peering at the leftover leaves clinging stubbornly to the mare's feathers Xaivary tilted her head. "Have a nice stroll?" She continued to watch as the other came closer, finally taking a slow step back once she was about two horse-lengths away. She offered a small, but friendly grin. "No offense, but I don't usually let things with teeth that long get any closer until I get to know them better."

Xaivary grinned again. "Yeah, they can be. Even without the wings. I found a game trail back over there," she jerked her head toward it, "that got me past them, though." She hadn't really thought about it before Zosime mentioned it, because that sort of path-seeking had become automatic for her over her time of wandering, but there it was.

"I didn't really get the feeling you did. Kalona have an unpleasant reputation around here, though I've also heard there's several around that break that assumed "rule" about them too. Most people would probably just run away, or try to run you off. You or anyone else that looked like a Kalona, whether they were or not." She shrugged. "'Course they like to run off loners like me in some circles, too, so I try to make my own opinions. I just like to exercise a little caution while I do it." Another grin, followed by a second shrug, and then she moved on.

"I'm Xaivary. As for living here? Nah. I have a buddy somewhere along the coast here, but I'm not real sure which direction it is from here. I don't usually tend to stick to one place for long, you know? I've been just about everywhere this side of the mountains. Parts of everywhere at least."

"Well the trail is hidden under the trees, so if you were up in the air I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't see it." She shrugged once more, tilting her head as Zosime asked about Kalonas. Did that mean she wasn't one? Or just one that didn't know about the others?... Xaivary supposed it didn't matter much in the end, since either way the darker mare seemed genuinely confused on the matter.

"Typically they have leathery wings, and long kind of snaky tails, and fangs, and usually horns. And they eat meat. I'm guessing you do that too?" She lifted her single white hoof from the ground and swung her foot in an idle pendulum motion. "People tend to assume if you've got even one of those features that you're at least part Kalona, though it's not always true. And I've heard that not all Kalonas are bad people either... just the ones that are, are bad enough to make most Soquili hostile and fearful of the entire group to a pretty high degree." She stopped swinging her leg, slowly putting her foot down. "Kind of sad, but since they've got a reputation for attacking other Soquili for hunts and games... it's bound to happen, I guess."

"I like to give people a chance though. More than most have given me." She offered another small grin, but it faded as another thought struck her. "Though I guess even I would have to draw the line at chatting with a Skinwalker."

She shrugged the unpleasant turn of conversation off and glanced up and down the shore. "I wasn't precisely looking for her, per say, I just sort of wound up here and realized she lives... well, around somewhere." The goggled mare genuinely smiled at the other then. "I like wandering... see something new every day. Keeps life interesting."

Xaivary gave Zosime a fairly long look after the dark mare gave an explanation of her dietary habits. Finally she walked over to stand near the other, shrugging lightly. "That's probably good to mention to others, if it actually comes up when you're around others." Had she been afraid? The goggled mare wasn't really sure afraid would have been the word. Cautious, sure, but if she'd really been afraid she wouldn't have stuck around to chat. Not that there was much point debating the detail with herself now, anyway. She'd decided to trust Zosime, so she was just going to have to run with that decision.

"Skinwalkers are... worse than Kalona. They're not even really Soquili anymore. Whether they were tricked or chose it, they're demons now, and they only live to kill and destroy. They could have used to be anyone, even someone like me... but I've heard tell after they change they don't even recognize friend and family anymore. All they're interested in is the blood, after it happens. They wear animal pelts down their backs, with the faces like masks. I've heard tell they transform into whatever animal they're wearing. But it's all been old stories I've heard... not sure if any of them are still around or not."

At Zosime's request to accompany her, Xaivary was actually startled enough for a moment to just stare at her blankly for a long and awkward moment. People chatted sometimes, occasionally swapped stories or asked for directions, but they had pretty much always gone their own way afterward, even if they invited her to come back. There were even a couple of people she'd more or less stuck to one place for, for a while. But no one had ever, even once, asked to travel with her on her wanderings.

"I... er... you really want to?" If she sounded confused and surprised like a startled foal... well she felt like one at the moment, that was for sure. There was certainly no concern about the other mare being able to take care of herself! But the idea that someone wanted to just travel with her, and on such a drop-of-a-hat sort of whim at that, was taking just a moment for her to actually wrap her mind around.

Xaivary canted her head at the comment on her lack of wings before peering upward. "Too bad? Eh." She scanned across the sky for a thoughtful moment before shrugging. "Faster to travel, maybe, but I rarely have anywhere particular in mind, so getting there fast is pretty much a non-issue." She looked back down to Zo. "Might be interesting to see what things look like from up there, but what I have down here isn't too shabby, I think." If she'd had wings she would have enjoyed them, probably. But if she really wanted to see things up high, she could go up in the mountains. If she wanted to go fast, she had strong legs, and enjoyed running to boot. No, lacking wings didn't bother her in the slightest. She was herself, and there was nothing wrong with that!

"...Yeah." A mild grimace and an uncomfortable shifting were Xaivary's only addendum to her monosyllabic agreement about the Skinwalkers. "But, I've only heard old stories, like I said. Better to keep an eye out, but I've never seen one, and it doesn't seem too likely." She shrugged again, not sure what else could be said on the matter.

"Well! I guess you'll have to put up with my slow little grounded self, huh?" Xaivary bounced on her front hooves in a playful return, thinking at least that she was picking that up properly from the other mare. "Not a problem with it, per say, just... nobody else ever wanted to go with me. Wasn't really expecting that." She looked up and down the beach, somewhere in the back of her mind trying to figure out, however hesitantly, where to go next. Not that she supposed they actually needed to set off right away, but the situation suddenly felt very different. "Anywhere you wanna go now?..." She glanced out at the water. "Not that this is a bad place to hang out for an afternoon."

"So..." Xaivary started, shifting to look down the beach contemplatively before beginning to move. "What purpose is it that has you looking all over, if I might ask?" She had no real response for Zo's opinion on flying other than a bit of a smile. After all, it wasn't something she really knew about. If Xaivary could find out what the other mare was looking for, though, perhaps it would help her figure out where to head next?

"I can understand wanting to get a good once over on something quick. I don't really have the option of flight though, so I guess I picked up on other cues for that sort of thing." She picked up the pace a bit, recognizing the area enough to know she was heading the right way; which at the moment was toward some tidal pools to grab some lunch. They usually had fish in them as well as stray seaweed, so maybe Zo could have something too if she wanted.