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 Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 6:04 pm
 These new lands that the herd had moved to where not all that different from their old home. Large meadows could be found all around, forests broke apart the grassy areas into smaller sections and provided places for predators to hide about, and lakes and rivers could be found in abundance. Mountain ranges cut off a large desert and several forest areas, as well as the area he once lived - though that was now not so cut off. There was also a large ocean that could be found if one traveled far enough south from his current location. However he had no desire to travel so far at this moment, but perhaps one day he would do so. Of course for all the similarities to his old home Dendro felt more lost than ever. It used to be that he knew every inch of the land, where every spot to drink and eat was, safe places to wait out storms. Now, however, he felt like a foal fresh out of it's basket and he hated that.
It wasn't that he disliked new lands, no certainly not Dendro had always enjoyed exploring different areas, learning the lay of the land and what secrets it held. But even since the accident he had lost a lot of his lust for life. What good was scout who could only hear out of one ear? Well apparently no good at all as he lost his position as scout. That had been a blow he almost didn't recover from. Of course with some help from a few of his herd members Dendro was able to accept that he was no longer as useful as he could be, but that didn't mean he was completely without a place. Those few he was glad to have.
Trotting along Dendro needed to find some water, he had been on land for far too long without replenishing the moisture of his skin and he could not stand being that way for much longer. Swiveling his head about Dendro listened for the tell tale sound of water. Curses, it was so annoying to to have to struggle like this. But then as his frustration was starting to grow Dendro faintly heard what he was hoping to hear.
It didn't take him too long to reach his destination and Dendro slipped into the water quickly. Diving underneath the surface Dendro was relieved to feel water upon his skin once more. Ah the simple joys in life never changed. Using his thick finned tail Dendro propelled himself down deeper into the water.
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 11:54 am
Cyprien swam slowly through the water. Though a landbound soquili might consider the water deep for Cyprien it was far more shallow than he was used to. He spent most of his time out in the open ocean. It was strange for him to be in this new place and he didn't like the slightly claustrophobic feeling the shallower waters gave him.
A few times a year he had a craving for a certain variety of kelp. This kelp only grew in one place that he had ever found and it was here in these waters. He preferred the open ocean so didn't want to linger in this place long, but he could tolerate short visits for some of his favorite food.
He swam to the sandy floor and immediately caught sight of the kelp. It floated in long strands that swayed gently in the current. Small fish darted between them and around him. They didn't fear him and had nothing to fear. He wasn't one of the vicious kelpis that would eat anything with fins. He preferred his leafy meals.
As he began to chew he noticed a flash of color. It seemed large for the fish that frequented the area and Cyprien squinted a little to make it out. Whatever type of fish it was, it was green and pink. How strange. He saw a mane swirling in the water and blinked. It wasn't a fish, it was a kelpi foal. It had somewhat odd proportions for a foal but Cyprien could think of nothing else it could be. For the moment he held still and watched.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 8:54 am
The stress of the day was beginning to melt away as Dendro swam about in the water, his tail propelling him wherever he wished to go. While he spent the majority of his time on land he did need to go swimming every now and then in order to keep his skin from drying out too much. In the water he felt free, he could swim as deep as he wished and it allowed him time to be alone with his thoughts. Often he would use lakes or deep running rivers to do the majority of his thinking. With water all around him Dendro could, somewhat, ignore his hearing impairment and feel alive once more.
As he moved about, using his legs and tail to steer around Dendro began to get that odd sensation that one often gets when being watched. He did not need his full hearing to recognize that creeping feeling in the back of his mind. Tail came to a stop and the green Nixie floated slowly as his head swiveled about looking for whoever or whatever was watching him. Fish swam about the water, beds of kelp could be seen here and there and then he saw it - or at least he was certain that was who had been looking at him. How odd. He had not seen one of these before and his ears flicked as he floated in place returning the others curious look with his own.
Well it looked like a Soquili but lacking back legs, sporting a thick tail similar to his own, or that of a Kelpie, instead. Pink eyes roamed over the other creatures body taking in the markings, color and overall appearance. Well it didn't seem threatening, but one could never be too careful, especially when in a new and strange area. Using his tail, Dendro moved forward a bit getting himself close to the other yet maintaining a safe distance just in case things turned bad and he would need to escape. "Hello." He called out, turning his one good ear towards the creature and awaited their response.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 1:06 pm
The closer it got the stranger it looked. It had fins like a kelpi but didn't look like any foal he had seen. The legs were too short and the body too solid. The voice didn't sound like a foal's voice, either. Not having ever heard of a nixie, the best description Cyprien could give the stranger was 'stunted kelpi' in his mind. He decided against asking the stranger what exactly he was. If he was an aberration then he probably wouldn't appreciate attention being called to it.
He undulated his tail gently to keep himself hanging in place in the water. His mane billowed around his face and occasionally masked his aqua eyes while he watched the stranger. "Hello," he replied in a mild and soft voice. "Do you lay claim to these waters?" This he asked to be polite. He didn't feel threatened by the stunted kelpi, but if a family of kelpis had moved into the area then he didn't want to stay around long.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 6:07 pm
Dendro wasn't really sure what to expect when the other spoke, but the question of whether he laid claim to these waters made him tip his head in thought. Did this other stallion think that he was invading upon Dendro's lands? Well that would be the only reason to ask such a question now wouldn't it. "Well...no." He said perhaps a bit too hesitantly. "These waters are not mine, are they yours?" Best to check and make sure that he wasn't invading either, especially since the other stallion, unlike himself, appeared to be completely water bound and would not be able to venture out onto land.
"I am new to this area." He went on to explain after a moments pause. "My herd has ventured to these lands from far away and I entered these waters to replenish the moisture of my skin." As his eyes roamed over the others body again, examining it once more Dendro was curious as to what exactly the other was. This was the first time he had seen such a creature. "Might I ask...what are you?" He attempted to ask without sounded outwardly rude or daft. He should know what this species was before him, yet being so new to the area there were still many strange things for him to learn about.
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Posted: Thu May 19, 2011 10:26 am
Cyprien let himself drift a little closer to the stranger to get a better look at him. Now that he could see him better, he wasn't quite certain that he was anything like a kelpi at all. His tail was too short and his fins were unusually ornate. The fins coming out of his sides were unlike anything Cyprien had seen on a kelpi too. The information about the stranger's herds coming from far away indicated that he could be a new breed of soquili as well. It would be very odd to meet a kelpi that didn't know what a mer was.
"I am a mer," he responded simply. "My name is Cyprien and while I visit these waters I do not claim any territory here." His curiosity overtook him and he asked the question that had been lingering since he saw the stallion. "Are you something like a kelpi?" He tilted his head slightly and added as an afterthought, "I have never seen any soquili of your shape in these waters or elsewhere."
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 6:13 pm
Turning his head to the side slightly as the other moved closer to keep his good ear pointed towards him Dendro nodded slightly. A Mer huh? Well he had never seen a Mer before this day. They were quite interesting and certainly not something he had seen in the lands the herd used to live in. Out there it had been Nixie's, Putti's and Imp's along with the two-leggers that hunted the herd for meat and hide. As the other introduced himself and stated that the waters were not his either Dendro blew a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't trespassing. "Cyprien." He repeated the name with a bob of his head in greeting. "I'm Dendro Auratus. Dendro for short." Really there was no real need to use his family name.
"A Kelpi?" He questioned with a tip of his head. "No, though I from what I know of that type they do somewhat resemble my kind. I am a Nixie. We are like an aquatic version of the Usdia." Now see Usdia he knew and understood, but the other species he was still getting a handle on." I doubt you would have seen my kind until only recently as we all used to live in a lands somewhat far off from here. Though through some events were have moved into these lands now."
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Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2011 8:17 am
Cyprien's eyes widened with frank surprise. He had never heard of an aquatic usdia before. He reviewed the nixie once more and realized that the description fit well. How strange. He wasn't some crossbreed or aberration at all, just a breed of soquili that he had never heard of. Dendro didn't seem terribly threatening for now but Cyprien still found himself wary. It could be that they were like the small swarming carnivorous fish he had seen from time to time.
"Are there many of you in this area?" he asked mildly. It wouldn't be diplomatic to ask the nixie directly what his breed ate. If they were a carnivorous pack species then showing that amount of worry or weakness could be a deadly mistake.
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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 8:05 pm
Had he said something wrong? Dendro had noticed the others eyes went wide. Perhaps it was just the idea of meeting a species that had not been in the area before. Either way he didn't care so much. Flicking his tail slightly to remain where he was but also so that his good ear faced the other Dendro waited for the other to speak again. Were there many? Just how big was the herd again? He had stopped doing headcounts each night after losing scout position. Certainly it was large however Dendro was also aware that several of the members had split off after reaching these new lands, willing to make lives for themselves and to be without the protection of the herd.
"There's quite a few, though exact numbers I'm not sure. The herd is pretty large." He told the other with a bob of his head but then explained a bit more. "But it's not just us Nixie's, there is also Imp and Putti." An involuntary shudder ran down his spine at mention of the Putti. He had dealt with a Putti mare for far too long now, and she annoyed him beyond anything. Really he could certainly live the rest of his life without having to see or talk to her, or any other Putti for that matter. "The other two are land bound." Dendro added with a shrug of his shoulders.
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Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 9:02 pm
A large herd full of many breeds of soquili that Cyprien knew nothing of. He was certain that he didn't know the full extent of what breeds of soquili traveled on the land but he hadn't realized how truly ignorant of them he was until now. What were imps and puttis? He hadn't the slightest clue.
"I see..." he said. There was a long pause after his words as he tried to gather his thoughts and decide what his next action to be. He didn't know whether he ought to flee the area back into the open ocean. The strangers could be dangerous, or they could be just as benign as the seathi.
"Will you be staying in the area long?" he asked finally.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2011 10:27 am
Dendro gave his shoulders a shrug, causing him for float upwards a bit. Using his tail he readjusted himself before focusing on the other stallion. "Don't know." He hadn't really been given all the details of their new situation, perhaps if he were still a scout for the herd then he would know these answers but alas ever since his injury Dendro had been out of the loop. Even trying to chat to some of the other scouts left him with no more answers than he had before asking. They looked at him just like the herd did, useless and not worth their time.
Giving his head a shake Dendro brought himself out of his thoughts and back to the present. "We were forced to leave our old home. I don't know how long we will be staying, could be a little while, could be permanent." He would have liked to go back to their true home, even if it meant struggling to survive and constantly worrying on whether they would fall to a two-legger attack or not. Ah those were the good days and perhaps if things didn't work out here he would leave the herd and go back home.
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Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:04 pm
"Hmmmm..." said Cyprien neutrally. He wasn't very fond of change and strangers worried him. He really had no idea what to do about this new development. It was likely that the strangers meant no harm but he didn't want to make the mistake of believing that and suffering should it not be the case.
"Are you..." He paused thoughtfully while he tried to form his question in his mind. "Are you a territorial breed? I don't mind leaving your kind well enough alone if you'd rather I didn't be somewhere. I simply must know first." Though his voice was still soft it was the most he had spoken in a long time. He generally wasn't this blunt but it was necessary to get a full idea of the situation.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 10:41 am
He had to turn his head slightly to hear the other speak. Damn his loss of hearing, it interrupted everything. Were they territorial? Dendro couldn't help but snort a laugh, a few bubbles drifted out from his nose. "Territorial? Ha far from it." Oh there were probably one or two amongst the herd that he would probably place in that category but as an overall description of the species his kind and the others were anything but. If anything, they just wanted to find someplace safe to live and that was it. If that certain place was already occupied by someone else then they would just move elsewhere. Really the herd wasn't at all confrontational. They all just wanted to live peaceful lives.
"Unless you have some fear of small types then you should be fine." He admitted with a shrug. Though considering the stallion had remained talking with him for this long Dendro was fairly certain the stallion had no such fear. But one could never know. "Most are land bound anyways so it's not like you will ever need to deal with them." And those Nixies that were part of the herd were still loyal scouts and would only seek out water to keep their skin dry, not to set up a new home and claim a territory for themselves.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 7:51 pm
Cyprien felt relieved. For the first time in their conversation, he smiled at the strange creature called a "nixie." His fears were at ease now. The nixies didn't mean any harm and weren't about to evict him from one of his favorite feeding areas. He let himself marvel at Dendro's form. It truly was strange to see an usdia swimming around like a fish but it was obvious that he was born for it.
"Welcome to the area, then," he said politely and with warmth. He so rarely met new soquili that he almost didn't remember the niceties that one was supposed to go through. Belatedly, he asked, "Is there anything you would like to know about the area?" He stopped to toss his floating mane back behind him again. "I understand that your kind mean no harm now."
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