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 Posted: Mon Aug 26, 2024 7:40 pm
This meant, unfortunately, that she'd wandered quite a ways from the herd territory. She was allowed to, of course; it wasn't forbidden, and she was doing her job in service of and for the herd, but all the same - she could count on one hoof the amount of times she'd been out of range of The Flock.
If she hadn't still been curious about this possible cross-breeding...or was it entirely a new strain...she would have turned around right then. But she was curious still...and was that music she heard faintly jingling through the trees? Her ears perked slightly and she felt a slight flutter in her chest. Perhaps she would discover more than one hitherto unknown beings today.
The plants...would be there. Unless they had some very unexpected properties that included invisibility or ultra-mobility or something, anyway. The music-maker...might not...and the music-maker might have some kind of benefit to The Flock.
Yes, it was definitely The Flock she was thinking of, as she followed the jingling curiously through the forest. Definitely not her own curiosity and excitement at the prospect of meeting someone who wasn't part of The Flock, for the first time ever.
...Yeah. Definitely just thinking of The Flock. Definitely.
((wc: 251 ))
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Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2024 5:28 pm
It was quite often, truly, how often his travels let him to locations wholly unfamiliar. Echo found he quite liked the surprise. Even when venturing through an area that he had passed through before, from another direction, there was surprise in the new views. It was soothing in a way.
Made more so by the lovely songs of nature that were ever-changing as he wandered. Birdsong and babbling brooks, wind gently rustling through leaves and limbs. True to his name, he found himself learning to echo these songs, little by little.
This day, the song of a lark had inspired him. And so, as he meandered through brush and branches, he whistled a tune to sing back to the birds, and let his little chime sway in the breeze as accompaniment. It wasn't any particular song, just an aimless melody that was pleasing to thee ears. Which, really, was more than enough. Not every song needed to have a purpose beyond being sung, or heard, after all.
[count: 167]
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Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2024 12:19 pm
Pyxis' ears perked up as she got closer to the source of the noise. It didn't sound like the whistle of any of her sisters; she knew all their songs, and anyway, why would one of them be whistling for a stallion all the way out here...?
As it turned out, it was not someone whistling for a stallion, but instead, a stallion himself. A very handsome stallion, but that was less important than the fact of his presence in general, this close to Flock lands. Pyxis was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that she was alone, without any sisters or stallions to protect her, but... well, she was of The Flock.
She had never feared a stallion before, and she wasn't about to start now. She studied him for a moment longer, then cleared her throat as she emerged from the cover of the trees.
"Greetings, stranger stallion," Pyxis said, eying his wings and his feathers and his bell appreciatively. He definitely was not from the Flock, and she was fairly certain that if any of her sisters had even ever interacted with this stallion, she would have heard about it. "What brings you to this area?"
She had to ask - some strangers were meant to be chased away, not welcomed in, after all, and if he had it in his mind to hurt the Flock, she was honor-bound to defend it with all her might.
..But she hoped that it wouldn't come to that. Even if he was just passing near, or passing through, he might gift her with some stories, or some knowledge, or something from beyond the Flock lands - something just for her, that she wouldn't have to share.
((wc: 285))
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Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2024 11:25 am
He had certainly not expected to be interrupted- not by someone, at any rate. Echo halted his tune and spun to face the newcomer directly, taking her in. Not a familiar face at all- he met very few who bore claws and feathers both, and he remembered each one of them clearly.
"Ah. Was I trespassing by mistake? I hadn't seen any markings to signal this land was occupied.. Forgive me, if I have missed them." He kept his voice even, tone polite and calm even though he had been quite startled by a sudden voice.
He offered a polite smile then, and bowed his head just a touch- his chime ringing with the movement. "I am called Echo.. and, well. I was merely passing through as I wander, really. The same scenery grows dull after a while, and the world is wide, and vast, and full of many more songs yet to hear. I aim to hear and learn as many as I can. And so, I wander, seeking them out."
A brief pause and he idly scraped the ground with a foreclaw. "Might I inquire your name? And.. perhaps, which lands they are that I have crossed into??" He had a few suspicions, the longer he looked at the young mare, but it would be rude to just assume or worse, accuse.
[Count: 226]
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2024 1:16 pm
Fortunately, this stranger stallion did not appear to be an aggressor. It was fortunate not only because Pyxis did not especially wish to fight anyone at that particular moment, but because he was, she finally had to admit, quite handsome. It would be a shame if a dubious person came in such a delightful package.
"You have found yourself in the territory of The Flock," Pyxis said, straightening herself up as she spoke the name of her herd. "But The Flock has many songs we could sing to you, if you wished to dally in our lands," she added, intrigued by the concept of bringing a male - peacefully - back to the leaders of her clan. She had never done that before, and some ancient, deeply- buried part of her thrilled at the idea, like her body knew that in some way, this was maybe something she was meant to do, coded into the fiber of her being.
"My name is Pyxis Gloriosa," she continued, taking a cautious step toward him, but still keeping a safe and respectful distance. "The songs of this herd are somewhat private, though, as I'm sure you know, if you are a world wanderer. We don't sing them for just anyone, as I'm sure you know." Pyxis smirked slightly, wondering how the male would reply to the light challenge, and if he would understand that there was an implicit invitation there. She understood that he was not the type to stay in one place, perhaps, but... minds could change.
And even if his mind did not change, having a temporary trophy to show off wouldn't be so bad, either.
((WC: 273 ))
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Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2025 8:13 pm
Oh, well then. the Flock's lands, truly? Yes, he had suspected it might be a similar case- but he hadn't really thought that would be the answer spoken. he'd not interacted with any of that famed herd personally, but certainly had heard plenty of tales. Rumors, mostly- hearsay passed along and likely grown wild from time and distance.
Still, there was clearly some truth to those tales, indeed. He heard the 'challenge', as it was, that temptation to linger more than his wandering heart insisted. "Ah.. so I see." His polite smile remained, and he bowed his head lightly. "Tempting as the thought of learning such music is.. I cannot deny that my calling is to wander and hear the world."
"Though, kind Lady, if a traveler is permitted to visit a while before moving on, and perhaps listen to what music your herd does ]not hold private.. I would be quite curious to see how your herd lives and makes music." he did hope that he wasn't making a mistake there. But, surely, if the herd was a trap- a danger to any who were not already in the fold, such a casual invitation would not be how they grew their numbers? The rumors he'd heard were filled with wild stories of fancy- daring escapes, great battles of will and cunning. Most likely nothing more than a way to scare more wild-hearted young stallions to take care in their lives.
[Count: 243]
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Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2025 7:43 pm
Pyxis' smirk widened slightly at the unfazed, carefully-constructed mask he wore; he hadn't given much away, but she could tell that The Flock still meant something to him. Though her family had...perhaps, somewhat mellowed with time, she was pleased to know that it still held weight in the outside world. She stood herself up a little straighter.
She'd never had reason to ask, but somehow, she very much doubted that her sisters would take kindly on an interloper. Their own males, the ones born there, didn't even have that kind of freedom, not really.
The Flock was not big on gray areas. You either were, or you were not, of them. Pyxis had always found this comforting, but for the first time, it gave her pause. She knew that there were rules - protections - in place for a reason, but she didn't see how this male could cause her family harm.
...Then again, perhaps that kind of thinking was exactly what led to all kinds of trouble. That kind of thinking was probably why they had rules.
For a brief moment, Pyxis considered lying to this male - telling him that yes, he could visit and leave as he pleased - so that then she could lock the gate behind him and have a beautiful male, all her own and all to herself.
But...in truth, Pyxis wasn't built for that. She didn't care enough to make this stallion miserable, and then break him and remake him in such a way as he fit The Flock's mold. She was a scientist, not a sadist.
"If you truly value your ability to wander, I would advise against it," Pyxis finally said with a faint chuckle. "I may not have a problem with it personally, but my sisters, aunts and leaders may feel differently, and as sharp as your claws are, I believe they would have you outnumbered."
((WC: 312))
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2025 1:20 pm
That was, alas, an answer he had suspected. But it was nice to have it confirmed- better, even, that the mare did not seem of the mood to offer trickery. Echo gave a lower bow of his head then, and raised up with a calm smile. "I assure you, my claws shall not be raised against you or your kin, even as I bypass your herd's lands. Violence is such a.. harsh sort of music."
It was amusing, sometimes, to relate everything in the world to music and song- but so much of the world was a song, wasn't it? Though, now knowing as he did whose lands he was so near to. "I am afraid, however, that I do not know the borders of your land. Are there clear markers to watch for, so that I do not intrude by mistake? Or.. perhaps, would you be willing to walk with me as I go, until I am gone, so that you may keep an eye out and be sure that I would not wander where I am not wanted?" It was a friendly request, for the most part. Though, he would admit- as short as their conversation had been so far, he did not mind the young mare's company.
"Ah.. of course, that is if you do not have another task that my music had distracted you away from. In which case I do have to apologize for pulling you away-a s it was not intended." Also- if she simply did not want to keep an eye on him as he made his way further from her herd lands. Did the suggestion sound like he was trying to lure her away? He hoped not- because that was also absolutely not his intended meaning. Ah, this was perhaps why he spent most of his wandering without the company of another. Choosing the correct words was much more tricky than the correct melody.
[Count: 325]
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2025 6:17 pm
Pyxis smiled faintly - violence could be a type of song. Plenty of her sisters believed that was the ideal song to sing; Pyxis could understand their logic, see the grotesque sort of beauty in the chaos and the carnage, but...
It was not her preferred method of performance, that was to be sure. She was pleased that the other stallion felt the same way - she knew some males who believed that the blood they spilled had some sort of direct equivalence to their manliness, their ability, their attractiveness to their intended mates. Pyxis, personally, thought it was disgusting, but...well, perhaps that was why she was unmated herself.
So it was a nice reminder that there were other sorts of males out there. Not that it was only males that drew Pyxis' eye, but she found that males had a special kind of wrongheadedness about this sort of thing.
"I would be happy to escort you," Pyxis said easily, confident that she could defend herself if the stallion tried anything untoward, big though he was.
Big, and handsome, and...musical. There were plenty of musical males in her herd, of course, some even trained in that art among many others, but...
There was something appealing about the newness of this male. Something exciting.
"Tell me," Pyxis said as they began to walk back toward the open territory. "Where have you learned your songs? What are your favorites?" Pyxis asked, a smile on her face. "Teach me something, for the trouble of taking me out of my way," she said, a playful sort of disapproval coloring her voice. "That melody I heard a moment ago was beautiful."
((WC: 274))
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