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 Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:15 am
 It had been another quiet patrol. Some would have called it boring and tedious work spending all night wandering the borders only to find nothing, but to Hypnos it was a good sign. It meant that there had been no dangers lurking about in the shadows trying to snatch up an unsuspecting herd member. No, he would much rather have nothing happen on his patrols than all kinds of things. In the few months since they had come to this new land the herd had been extremely fortunate to not encounter much in the way of danger. They had managed to gather some information about breeds that could pose a threat, yet those breeds had not been seen in this area since they had settled in. Seemed like the leaders had made a good choice when they had picked this particular spot to call home. Stopping for a moment Hypnos surveyed the area. This spot too was quiet. Taking a moment to adjust the grip on his lantern Hypnos set off again.
The sun was starting to rise, the signal that his time on patrol was nearly over. Soon the herd would rise and set about their daily activities while he would find a nice dark place and try to get some sleep. It wasn't always easy sleeping during the day, the others occasionally made too much noise or the sun kept peeking through the trees waking him up, but it was his life and so he managed as best as possible. Turning down the path that would take him back to the herd Hypnos was greeted by the sight of a fell herd member, a Putticorn he knew quite well. "Delnar." He called out in a friendly tone as he came closer to the stallion. "You are returning late today."
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:24 am
 This decision had not been an easy one to make. Delnar had taken a long time thinking on this before coming to a solid conclusion, and even then part of him wasn't sure if it would be the best thing or not. But the fact was, he needed something to do. Even so, with his decision made Delnar was feeling a tinge of nervousness mixed in with the excitement. It had been months since the herd had come to these new lands, things had gone well during the journey here and very little had happened since. Some smaller groups had broken off from the main herd but for the most part everyone had stuck together. They had managed to gain some information regarding the different breeds that inhabited these new lands as well as knowledge of the land itself. Even he had gone out on a few occasions and met these larger Soquili. They had been pleasant to talk to, though their breeds had not been of the dangerous variety. Yet even knowing these facts Delnar felt that there was much more they could learn about this land. And so he had made the decision to leave, for a while, to gather more information.
The voice pulled him out of his thought and the light blue stallion smiled. "Good morning Hypnos. Patrol go well?" Hypnos' next words made him pause for a moment. He wasn't coming back, he was actually leaving. Giving his head a bit of a shake he spoke. "Actually, I'm leaving. Nothing permanent of course, but I don't think you will see me around for several weeks." The idea of leaving the only herd he had ever known was a bit frightening, but he could not sleep well at night knowing there was so much unknown out there. In their old home they knew of all the dangers, where they could go. But here, they were only beginning to learn things, this land was so much larger than their old home. They needed to know everything about it and Delnar was going to see to it that they did.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:35 am
Hypnos bobbed his head. "Yes the patrol went well. All is quiet out there at the moment." There herd could go about their daily activities knowing that all had been and still was safe. Perhaps all these quiet nights had been both a blessing and a curse. Many of the herd were extremely relaxed in their new home. Since they no longer had to worry about the constant threat of two-legger attacks they had dropped their guard. Hypnos wasn't entirely sure this was a smart thing. Predators were a determined bunch and they weren't opposed to waiting til their prey dropped it's guard and became a bit too relaxed in their surroundings before pouncing. This is why he continued his work of patrolling the lands at night, not just at the border but beyond as well since it was best to get as much notice as possible when danger was spotted. Of course these thoughts were interrupted when Delnar announced he was leaving. Seeing the light blue stallion out this way Hypnos had never imaged he would be leaving.
"You're not leaving over a mare are you?" Hypnos half tested the other, though Delnar was a bit too serious to abandon the herd for a mare. It had to be something else, some other reason the stallion would want to leave. And whatever it was Hypnos was certain it was important. "What will you be doing in the time that you are gone?" He would miss Delnar, he almost always saw the stallion at the end of his night patrol, they would chat for a a few, swapping details of what had happened over the prior day while the other was sleeping before parting ways again. He would need to find someone else to fill him in on those details while Delnar was gone, but that was something he could worry about later. For now he concentrated on his friend and the reason for his departure.
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:42 am
A small snort of a laugh escaped Delnar. "No, it's not for a mare." Delnar, while he would like a family one day, wasn't about to run off blindly into the world looking for a mare. Nor would he instantly go for the first one he met in these new lands. No, when he did find a mare, they would have a proper courting time, get to truly know each other before becoming mate, and then if they were ready they would have a family. But this was another thing he wasn't comfortable with doing until all the facts were known about their new home. He would hate to bring foals into the world just to have the land around them turn into something else and they would need to flee once more. There had been some foals with them on their journey here and the long distance and hours of travel each day had wore hard on them. He would not want foals of his own to go through anything like that. He would find out if this land was truly as safe as the locals said it was and then consider a family.
"You have to agree we have been extremely lucky since we have moved here. There have been no attacks, no disasters, no nothing. And while I am truly grateful for that I can't help but wonder what all is lurking out there. We know of some breeds that are less than pleasant, but are there others out there. Are there places that we should and shouldn't go to? There are too many unknowns out there Hypnos, and I intend to do what I can to find out more. I will travel as far as I need to in order to get this information and then I will return here with it." He knew Hypnos would understand, if the Putti stallion wasn't so dedicated to his night patrols then Delnar would have thought he too would have taken up this cause. "The herd will be better off if we know everything. I can't stay around here waiting for something bad to happen and only then try to seek answers. We should not be so blind to our surroundings."
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:41 am
Hypnos nodded his head. Ah yes, now see that was more like the reason he would expect Delnar to leave than over a mare. But hey even the most disciplined of stallions could fall from their duties for love. He himself had finally started to follow his heart and try to win a mares affections. It was slow going due to their opposite schedules, but Hypnos enjoyed the challenge, he would stay up late or wake up earlier just to talk to her for a short while before retiring to sleep. He was hopeful that his efforts would one day be rewarded, and if they weren't, well then he would continue on with his duties until a new opportunity had presented itself.
"If there was any reason for one of us to leave I believe that would be the best reason. I have thought about these things but my duties keep me on a pretty tight schedule. As much as I would like to learn more about the lands and what they hold my place in the herd keeps me here." Not that he minded, but he simply couldn't abandon his post just to satisfy his curiosity. No he would remain here unless ordered to explore by a leader. "You are doing us all a great service to do this. Just be certain to keep your guard up while you are out there alone." He knew Delnar would, but it couldn't help reminding him to watch his back.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:48 am
He knew Hypnos would understand, as would many others in the herd, but he was 'sneaking' away for a reason. Much as he loved his herd Delnar didn't want to be bogged down with goodbyes and well wishes from all his friends before he was able to actually leave. The sooner he would get past the border and away from the eyes of the scouts the faster he could start to serve his herd. "Your role in the herd is too important for you to go off chasing rumors, Hypnos." Unlike the Putti stallion Delnar had yet to find his exact niche in the herd. He wasn't a full blooded Minicorn so his healing skills were a bit lacking, so he was only useful when the other healers were busy. The herd had enough Putti running around acting as leaders that he didn't feel the need to fill that roll either. No, this would be the duty for him. Perhaps it would lead to more opportunities and a more stable role in the future.
"Don't worry my friend. I shall remain vigilant while away. In fact I think I may pick up a body guard while I'm out there." He said with a laugh. And he knew just the pair of stallions for the jobs, Ironforge and Kaleidoscope, he had met the pair on one of his outings and would certainly try to find them again to pick their brains for more knowledge on the land. Perhaps they could also escort him around a bit, as they would know the lands much better than he did, or at least give him some sort of direction.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 8:53 am
Again Hypnos nodded his head. Yes his role in the herd was of importance. No matter how many years he had been doing this it always seemed someone would get lost at night. Darkness had a funny way of sneaking up on individuals when they least expected it and in a new land it was certain easy to get turned around. So he went out every night and would continue to do so until he no longer could to guide the way back to his herd mates. "You may not have a role such as mine Delnar, but anything you do for the herd is important." He didn't want Delnar thinking he was useless,t he stallion was far from it.
"I shouldn't hold you up much longer." Very soon the rest of the herd would be up and about and Hypnos needed his rest. "Take care my friend. I shall look forward to when you return and the information you bring us." With a dip of his head Hypnos took a step back clearing the path for Delnar. He would miss his morning chats with the stallion but knew what he was doing would help the herd out greatly. And for that he was proud of Delnar for doing what others were either not willing to do or interested in doing. He would make sure to keep an eye out in the coming weeks for Delnar's return.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:24 am
A smile crossed his lips. It was actually really good to hear that. Delnar had sometimes felt like the odd one out because of his lack of specific role in the herd. But Hypnos had a point, what he did, even if it was minimal some days, was important to the herd. He may not be the best healer, or the best diplomat, he couldn't fight very well but he did whatever could whenever it was needed. This was one of those time, that in at least his mind, was going above and beyond. "This herd is my life, and I do what I can for it." He said with a nod of his head.
"Take care of yourself as well Hypnos. I look forward to returning with as much information as possible." Delnar bowed his head in farewell and begant o walk down the path. It was after he made it a ways down that he turned and glanced back towards the herd. He took a final glance towards the spot that was his home and those he knew before returning to his first steps of this journey. The land was before him, ripe with unknown, knowns and things to discover, individuals to meet and information to gather.
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