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 Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2015 10:05 am
 Her time in these new lands had been much less productive than she was hoping for. This search for new knowledge was now more of a search for literally anyone. All of the writings back home made this place sound as if you couldn't take two steps without coming across another Soquili. She remembered being astounded as a young foal, listening to an elder list off just the different breeds that resided in the Kawani lands. Of course there were other Flutters, like everyone in the herd. But Unicorns, Winds, Kirin, Cerynei, Kalona, Angeni. There were so many different breeds, and that didn't even include all the various crossbreeds and halfbreeds. There were even Soquili that lived in the water. The simple little herd had always seemed quite crowded when she was among them. It was difficult for her to fathom back then how so many different Soquili could live in one place together.
Now that she stood with all four hooves firmly planted on Kawani soil, a vast, open plains stretched out before her without a soul in sight, Novella understood. The world was much bigger than she'd initially thought. Words, spoken or written, couldn't accurately portray exactly how much world was actually out there beyond the grove she'd called home. It's a little daunting, to say the least, when you realize your vision of the world is rather flawed. While the quest for practical knowledge wasn't going so well, Novella was learning something very important every day. She was wrong. She was very wrong.
But hey, at least it was a nice day. Spring had sprung. The air was warm, flowers were in bloom and frequently visited by busy bees. There was the call of a catbird close by. Or, what she thought was a catbird's call...
No. It was definitely a catbird. The call was a distinctive "Weehh!" Their alarm sound for when pretty much anyone or anything was near the nest. Yes, and the large clusters of yellow flowers dispersed across the plains, those were daffodils. A flower consisting of a tube-like petal surrounded by six other triangular petals upon a tall, bluish-green stem. This was right. She knew this. Now was not the time to start doubting herself. Even if some things she thought she knew were wrong, these things were not. These were facts. It was only natural to make mistakes. Even the elders did from time to time. Some times you were wrong, and some times you were right. And really, she hadn't been wrong. She'd just underestimated some things a little bit. Or a lot...
Now, if she could just stop making miscalculations about where exactly to find another Soquili, that would be fantastic.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2015 2:54 pm
Celestial Requiem Ah She's so cute! <3 Here we go lemme know if you need me to change anything.  The breeze felt wonderful against his body, the heat from the sun was being rather merciless on this high outcropping. It didn’t help that his pelt was dark in color and thus retained heat more than a lighter color might. He stretched out his wings wincing slightly at the sore muscles that protested such movements. He huffed, whickering softly to himself as he craned his neck to preen his feathers down. He had overdone it, and then he hadn’t taken the proper care to make sure they didn’t grow stiff. Arland had managed to climb his way up into his nest, a rocky cliff face that held a small plateau and a heavy cave. It had been the perfect place, or so he felt. It wasn’t terribly far from the forest, it was up high enough to allow him easy gliding and it kept most with ill intent away. The climb up was not for the faint of heart and those with wings had an easier time. Though even that posed some problems, he had on more than one occasion clipped his wing against the cliff face as he tried to land. Those rocks were sharp, and quite jagged! He glanced around the area taking note of more than a few stray feathers that he had lost during his landings. The stallion snorted softly to himself as he shifted to preen the other wing. It had taken him most the night to climb up to his perch but his sleep had been restful. The thought of staying at home on such a beautiful day pained him, but he knew it would be better for him in the end if he did. His whole demeanor seemed to slump as he shifted back and forth from taloned foot to taloned foot before slowly lowering himself to a laying position, leaning his head out over the ledge. It was rather unbecoming to pout, but it wasn’t like there was anyone around to see him anyway. How many times had he been scolded about taking care of himself? He gave a sad little clicking noise before a gust of wind blew his mane out of his face and whipped around his head. Arland glanced around before making up his mind, he didn’t have to stay home, he could simply walk. A simple glide down to the ground would be a good start and after that he could walk about and perhaps find something sweet to eat. With his course in mind he stood up, extending his wings before leaping off the ledge to quite literally ride the air currents down into the clearing below. What he wasn’t expecting was to happen upon a lovely mare there, who seemed to be a touch distressed. He pulled his wings up fanning his tail to land some fifty yards in front of her. He tilted his head to the side before inclining it slightly. “Hail Princess, are you lost?” Arland called, his tone light and almost teasing. For she did look quite the part of a princess lost in the woods, a flutter no doubt, her statue and small frame made it obvious. He vaguely mused over the fact he really needed to stop meeting people like this, almost landing on them was becoming something of a trade mark.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2015 5:42 pm
As Novella watched the small, black dot grow larger and larger and, eventually, take on a distinctly equid shape hope grew in her heart. Ash she watched the now horse-shaped dot descending upon her, hope became panic. She had experienced this before. It was something she should have been prepared for. She should have known not to panic, not to have a moment of absolutely ungraceful bewilderment. And, in fact, she did know this. But knowing and acting upon that knowledge were, apparently, two very different things. She stumbled on a particularly thick clump of grasses in her attempt to get out of the stallion's way, though there was clearly enough space between them to avoid a collision. Her small wings fluttered, trying to rebalance herself and to hopefully save at least a small bit of dignity. Once steadily back on all four hooves, she gave a small nod of her head towards the black stallion.
"Ah, yes. Hello, good sir I-..." The words trailed off, breath held dangerously in lungs as her eyes fell upon his sharp, taloned feet. Once it finally registered in her mind, her gaze immediately shot to his back. There was no pelt. The mixture of relief and confusion was a bit dizzying. She had been told the only creatures seen with sharp claws like this were the skinwalkers that crawled out of the roots of some demonic tree. But they had always been described as bearing the pelt of some smaller creature that they chose to take the form of sometimes. That had always seemed like a rather important feature. Why call them skinwalkers if they did not have a skin? But this stallion clearly had flesh-tearing talons. So then, what was he? A skinwalker without a skin, or something less malicious with the claws of a walker? She would have to tread carefully here. Clearing her throat, she resumed her greeting.
"Hello, sir." It was important to be polite, even if he might be a deadly predator, "I am not lost, per say. Simply traveling." She was debating whether or not to mention that she actually had no clue where exactly it was she was traveling to. But perhaps it was best not to divulge everything to a potential murderer.
For now, she would settle on trying to learn as much about him as she could before possibly being devoured. Even in the face of death her curiosity was insatiable. She took in the rest of his features. A normal face, normal body, normal wings had he been a simply wind Soquili. Which he clearly was not. But his tail, now that was another oddity. A train of beautiful feathers flowing behind him. Surely a skinwalker would have no need for something so attractive. Right? Maybe it could be used as a distraction or confusion tactic? That seemed rather impractical though. They'd seemed much more the type for a brutal and bloody kill. Not flasy tricks. But, as today seemed so intent on proving to her, she very well could be wrong about that.
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 10:57 am
Arland fluttered his wings slightly in confused worry. The mare had seemed to halt and stumble over herself after noticing his… feet? He looked down at his taloned front feet, lifting one up slightly to clench and unclench his feet. They seemed fine, nothing wrong with them, he glanced back at her. Was she worried that he was going to hurt her? Her reaffirmation of sir seemed to indeed indicate that she thought he was going to harm her in some way. Perhaps she was worried he was territorial?
He shook his head slightly before taking a few steps closer so they weren’t having to yell at each other before he inclined his head, bowing low to the ground. He pulled his wings in tight and did his best to make himself seem small and unintimidating. “Princess, I’m not going to hurt you.” He called softly planting both his front feet firmly on the ground as if to show that his talons were sheathed.
“You seem mighty worried but you haven’t any reason to be, I assure you.” He laughed slightly before shaking his head slightly, looking her over. She didn’t look like much, not a fighter or anything so what was she really doing out here alone? Especially so far away from… well anyone that he really knew. It was mostly bird like soquili that lived up this way, the mountains proving to be a suitable home for most of them. A flutter was a different store of course, they were a bit more fragile and he just didn’t imagine harsh rocky terrain to be something they frequented.
She did say she was travelling though, so perhaps she was just passing through. Though where she was going was anyone’s guess. He canted his head to the side rather like a bird before he inclined his head again. “Very well my’lady is there anything I could assist with? Where is it you are traveling to?” He asked fanning out his tail slightly before glancing towards the trees. His wings were growing sore with being pressed to his sides so firmly and he gave the smallest grimace of pain as he shifted one slightly before glancing back towards her.
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Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 12:36 pm
Oh how the heat crept into Novella's face. The delicate shade of violet around her eyes grew a little bit more vibrant as her embarrassment grew with each passing moment. Naturally, she was ashamed that not only had she jumped to conclusions about this stallion's intentions, but that she had clearly made those conclusions so transparent. She had been raise better than this. And she would have immediately apologized, had she not caught the word 'Princess' this time. She'd been called many proper things back home: Miss, Ma'am, Lady. The herd was very fond of their etiquette. But Princess. Flattery only ended in a very flustered Novella. She had as much modesty as she did grace. Which, in spite of her previous stumbling, was quite a lot.
Novella cleared her throat, again, and hoped that the deepening color under her coat wouldn't show too badly, "I-ah. I apologize. One can never be too careful in strange lands, you know!" Hopefully he wouldn't be too offended by her initial reaction. Now that she knew -by hi word, anyways- that he meant no harm, she was very interested in his strange talons. After clearing the air, she would like to ask him about them. If he was some breed that was currently unknown to the herd then this would be incredibly useful information to take back to them. For now, it would be best to try and mend their already strained relationship.
Though she wasn't even aware he was doing it, Novella did actually feel more relaxed due to the stallion's attempts at making himself smaller. She was still nervous, of course. Mostly due to the initial adrenaline from her incorrect assumption. But there was a part of her that still said 'Don't let your guard down just yet.' It needed a little more proof that he had no intentions of hurting her. Even so, she managed a genuine smile that showed no signs of worry or concern as she responded to his question.
"Well, I don't actually know where it is I am going. You see, I am on a sort of quest, if you will. I am traveling the lands in search of new knowledge to take back to my herd. So I don't have an actual destination for my journey. I suppose you could say I'm more of a wanderer than a traveller." Had she not lived a sheltered life within her little herd, Novella might have realized how strange this all must have sounded to an outsider. Soquili wandering around the Kawani lands aimlessly, seeking out new information to then take back home. But this had been her whole life. Friends, family, everyone within the herd eventually went out on this same mission. It was completely normal to her.
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Posted: Sun May 24, 2015 9:32 am
Arland gave a warm smile as she seemed to noticeably calm. While the mare still seemed a bit flustered she didn’t seem terribly afraid anymore and that was fine. He had almost run into her after all, he imagined he would be a little frazzled after something like that as well. She seemed flustered by everything though, as if she was trying to find her footing with her words again. He quirked a questioning brow at her explanation. A quest for new knowledge, well that was an interesting sort of thing. He didn’t know of any herds around here that had such strange quests, well perhaps strange wasn’t the right word. It did seem odd but he supposed that it was at least a good way to make sure you were up to date on everything that was going on in the world. He wondered how much she knew about the lands she was traveling, they could be dangerous to someone that wasn’t well versed in the world. The stallion was sort of starting to wonder if she was far away from here, from a herd that wasn’t native to this area at all. He had seen wanderers before, those from very far off lands and herds, so perhaps she was something like that. Which was still worrisome, she didn’t much look like a fighter, a skinwalker would have a field day with her. He winced slightly as the thought crossed his mind, it was such an awful thing to think. “Well, that is an interesting quest princess.” He spoke softly before glancing around and then back to her. “What sort of knowledge are you looking for? Perhaps I can help you find some, but of course first I would need to know what it is you know.” He laughed slightly before shifting from foot to foot. “Where are your guards? If you don’t mind me asking? I beg your pardon but, you don’t seem to be much of a fighter and there are some that aren’t kind in these lands.” Arland lowered his head in apology, he knew the question was abrasive but he was slightly worried about the flutter. “I don’t wish to offend or upset, I’m just concerned is all.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 9:23 am
It was slightly easier this time to swallow that word this time. Princess, yet again. She couldn't help but wonder what made him think she was of such noble blood. There certainly weren't any kings or queens in her bloodline- at least, not that she was aware of. And, in fact, her herd didn't even have anything remotely akin to royalty. For as long as any of them could remember, it had always been run by the elders, the wisest and most knowledgable individuals. It only made sense that a herd so completely enveloped in knowledge would be run by those who knew the most. And things like strength or great healing skills weren't exactly the best indicators of a suitable leader when it came to a herd almost entirely composed of Flutters.
Regardless of his reasons for such a title, Novella would have to correct him. Eventually. There were more important matters to deal with at the moment. And she might have been enjoying it just a little bit. After all, what mare didn't want to be treated like royalty once in a while?
This stallion was so full of questions. It was rather exciting for her, really. She felt as though she might have found a kindred spirit, a knowledge-seeker like herself. And he seemed quite willing to tell her anything she might ask of him. The only issues was Novella had absolutely no clue where to start: what she wanted to know, or what she already knew. Either way they could be there all day. And then a thought struck her, "Ah! Well, I suppose the first piece of information you could impart upon me is your name, good sir?" She was actually rather embarrassed that she had forgotten about introductions. It had been quite a whirlwind of a meeting and that was the excuse she was using to excuse her forgetfulness.
"As for guards..." She had never seen a need for such a thing before leaving home. Even now she wasn't entirely sure she needed a protector. No one had ever had one when setting out on their pilgrimage in the past. Sure, some of them would leave in small groups, but it more often than not it was done on one's own. If you knew enough about the world outside of the herd- which most believed they did- you could survive quite well by yourself, "I don't have any. But I am well versed in many aspects of these lands. I know there are some who should be avoided." Her eyes lingered on his claws for a moment, "That is actually why I was unsettled by you at first. I know one of the tell-tale signs of a skinwalker is clawed feet. But...you don't have the pelt. It's still a bit confusing to me, actually..."
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 10:07 am
Celestial Requiem I SUCK A LIFE AND I APOLOGIZE FOR HOW LONG THIS TOOK! YOU CAN KILL ME LATER! Arland crinkled his nose as his name was asked. Had he really forgot to introduce himself? What was wrong with him? That was usually one of the first things he did, but he supposed that he had been a bit preoccupied. He would just have to make it up to her later, when he wasn’t kicking himself for forgetting such a simple detail as that. “Arland, my name is Arland princess. Would you be so kind as to tell me your own?” He asked gently smiling at her as he extended his wings a bit, keeping them so close to his sides was starting to make them cramp. Still he did his best to appear nonthreatening, though they had come to find themselves on a more even ground now. She didn’t seem all that afraid of him anymore, more just curious and that was fine with him. He’d happily tell her anything he knew, which in his case he didn’t feel was much but anything he could do to keep that smile on her face was fine with him. She seemed a good sort, sweet, if a bit naïve but that wasn’t all that bad. Arland was a little worried to find she was traveling around without guards, even if she was aware of what roamed these parts. To his absolutely surprise she didn’t seem to know what he was. She thought him a skinwalker at first because of his talons which clearly marked him a hippogryph. Pretty much everyone knew what he was, to come across someone that didn’t was extremely unusual which made him all the more worried about her. “To think the Princess thought me a skinwalker!” He balked fluttering his wings slightly and shaking his head. A bit of a flare for the dramatics shining through as he grinned at her; he lifted up a front foot and extended his talons letting her get a better look of them. “I’m a hippogryph actually. A brethren species to the soquili and the harpy. Our back hooves are just that hooves but our front feet are talons like this. Helps with landing and living up high and what have you. Also helps when your crossing sands, as your feet don’t tend to sink as bad.” He spoke carefully before glancing back towards her with a smile. “We’re actually pretty common around here, I’m a cross breed but there are some with talons on all four feet and feathers for a mane and tail.” He lowered his leg to the ground once more before tilting his head slightly. Where exactly did she come from that they didn’t know about hippogryphs? If she didn’t know about them was she aware of the harpies? The last thing she needed was to be whisked away by the likes of them. “Where exactly was it you said you came from?”
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Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 7:58 am
"Arland...What a good name for a good stallion." She returned his smile with one of her own and dipped her head slightly. "My name is Novella. It's nice to properly be acquainted now." as much as her upbringing was telling her to be completely ashamed for not introducing herself first and foremost, there were other things to be ashamed of. Such as claiming a perfectly innocent Soquili of being a skinwalker. Novella could think of few insults worse than that and Arland's initial display sent her into a moment of panic. The first interesting Soquili she'd met on her pilgrimage and she'd already offended him.
Thankfully, he had a decent sense of humor. And while he took the case of mistaken identity quite well, she still felt there was a need for an apology, "I am sorry for my assumption. While I am aware of the telltale signs of a skinwalker, I must admit I have never actually seen one in the flesh..." It seemed embarrassing to admit. All that knowledge passed down to her couldn't prepare the mare for everything, it would seem. But why be embarrassed when she could be excited about a completely new breed of Soquili."And, obviously I have never seen or heard of a hippogryph before either. Or harpies for that matter."
Her head was swimming with so many questions at this point. It was a shock to discover not just one, but two completely unknown breeds. She wanted to know everything about them. What was their place of origin? What were their traditions like? What were all of their distinguishing traits? Novella was stunned into silence for a moment. A combination of not knowing what question to ask first and not wanting to scare Arland with an onslaught of queries. Honestly, with this discovery Novella could ask a few very simple questions and be done with her pilgrimage. The whole point was to bring home new knowledge to share with the herd. Something a new breed of Soquili is what member of the herd could only dream of discovering. But why stop here when when there was still so much more of these lands to be explored?
She took a deep breath. It was time to put excitement aside and approach this professionally. First step: Get permission. Then she could begin the interrogation and question him about every aspect of the life and times of the hippogryph. At least until he eventually got tired of it all and ran off. Hopefully she could get some good information out of him before then. "This is terribly exciting. Please, would you mind if I asked you some questions about your breed and these harpies?" Of The Epidemic Wowie wow wah look who took even longer than you did to reply oops
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