The concept of family ties, of relying on others, was foreign to the petite pegasus mare. Even on days when her duties were few and far between she avoided contact with her herd members. She understood loyalty to a certain extent, friendliness as well, but she had trouble grasping the idea that the same rules applied to her as they did to others. She was different, wasn't she? Normal conventions had failed to apply to her for years, she saw no need for them to start now.

But loneliness was unavoidable, as much as she wished it weren't. On occasion she would find herself seeking out her old 'family' out of necessity for a reminder of her past. It kept her sober and grounded- forced her to remember that she would never be bound. But while she missed the freedom, she reluctantly supposed that there was something comforting about being a part of something, even if that something was dull and a little too focused on staying out of trouble for her liking.

Today was one such day that she felt the loneliness and yet sought company outside of the borders of her home. She had flown as far as the edge of the threshold, but decided better than to attempt to fly through it. Trees were an obstacle that even she could not avoid. And so she stalked silently upon the earth, overtaken by the chameleon magic that forced her into invisibility, while Kye flew overhead and in advance, informing her company of absolutely everything that she saw.

Tree! Tree! More tree! The bird chirped happily into Xira's mind and effectively giving her a headache. Yes, tree, Kye, Xira had grumbled back with frustration aimed at the bird that took such pleasure in driving her mad. The green roan proceeded to drown out the bird's incessant speech to the point where when Kye said something new it was too late before Xira registered it. The pegasus mare had been walking with her head down and her attentions elsewhere while her mind drifted in the clouds and pictured flight when she had understood Kye's word. Stranger!

Xira stopped short only a few footfalls away from the massive fjord. The shock of the sight was enough to cause her grip on her still-new magic to slip. In an instant the shroud of invisibility disappeared, and she stood before the equine with a look of surprise and instantly flared wings. She appeared defensive in her stance and found herself wanting the comfort of Kye perched upon her shoulder. The falcon remained in the trees above.

"Uh, hello!" the mare said quickly, fumbling for the first time in quite some time as she tried to regain her composure. In mere instants she had a hold over her outer emotions, but still the surprise burned her breast. How had she let him sneak up on her like that? She was the one who was supposed to have been doing the sneaking. Still, she shook it off, doing her best to ignore the fact that she had seemed to appear out of thin air, that she had stumbled and lost her grip on her confidence. "Are you seeking shelter, stranger?" Xira asked while the mental notes of what to do and what not to do when greeting a prospective herd member ran through her mind. On her own she would never have convinced anyone to join the Tuuli- she was thankful for her memory and ability to lie.

He calls her little, and instantly she feels fire burning in her breast. She understood that he was older, she definitely understood that he was taller, but he had no right to speak to her like that. She found herself biting her tongue to keep from biting off his head, found herself shouting mentally instead to Kye, who fluttered with displeasure at the noise and dove from above when it grew to be too much. Kye's aim was perfect- it always way- and when she swept down from the canopy and stretched out open claws towards the mare, they found purchase on Xira's neck flawlessly. The falcon perched there and gave the stallino the look that her company couldn't- a look that showed how much hate Xira felt.

The worst part was that, because of fucking diplomacy, she couldn't do anything about it. If she wanted to stay in the herd she'd have to even out her habits somehow and make herself useful in a positive way. Stealing from other herds was all well and good for her, but she couldn't keep it up as she had been doing without consequence, and after the commotion caused because of Jackal, she worried that the next capture could be the straw that broke the pissy pegasus leader's creaky old back. And so she found herself brushing aside the comment with a forced smile, replying with a pleasantry that felt foolish on the tongue.

"Height means nothing, Goliath- surely you know that just as well as I," she said civilly, a slight smile twitching at the side of her lips. She couldn't help but assign him a name to match. He introduced himself soon after, but she paid it no mind. Yes, Baldurr was quite a nice name- perhaps someday she'd even call him by it. "I am Xira of the Tuuli, a herd that presides close by in the land known as the Dragon's Throat. We welcome those from all walks of life, should you desire a home." She said in a straightforward manner, trying to hide the fact that her words were little more than a recitation. Her eyes, dark peacock blue, flickered to meet his pale green gaze even after she spoke. From her perch, Kye pecked at her company and whistled softly, doing her best to gain Xira's attention.

Not now, Kye, she chided the falcon, brushing her aside with a quick toss of her mane as she straightened up. She supposed if she cooled herself down, she didn't really mind the comment about her height. It was nothing she was ashamed of- in fact, it proved to be quite useful. No, she did not mind that, she simply minded being treated like a filly.

As if on cue, a black yearling that matched her in height wandered into the clearing and quickly, effortlessly, began rattling things off. Perhaps this whole being nice deal was easier for others than it was for Xira. Kye twisted her gaze to face the dragon that fluttered around the unicorn and clacked her beak with annoyance, but a quick shudder of Xira's neck warned her away from any signs of hostility. That was not why they were there. She nodded politely to the yearling and met her gaze, but only briefly- Baldurr was the object of their attentions now. Here came the competition.

Baldur spoke of a land that the mare had never heard of, and so when she came to realize that perhaps his mystique came from more than just his intimidating height, she found herself somewhat relieved. The more she knew about him, the more real he became, and thus the less irksome. He was no longer a simple shadowcaster, he was a figure from a foreign land, and she was intrigued. Kye seemed less thrilled with the prospect of learning something new, but she was not surprised. Her falcon was surprisingly jaded for one young. Perhaps Kye knew of the land; before the two had met, Kye had seemed worn from a journey. Xira had never asked much of her companion, and now that the opportunity to receive an answer had arisen, she had still allowed the subject to fall by the wayside. What a strange aspect of their companionship ot was.

"I have heard of neither your land or herd-" Xira began with a step to the side to allow for more space and a comfortable environment. Upon her back, Kye seemed to relax in the face of the dragon and turned away from it with a raised tail and an appearance of aloof apathy. She wondered what spurs the change in attitude- she wondered what Kye was thinking. But the bird remained reticent, and it was clear that she hoped to maintain privacy for the moment.

"-which suggests it is not close by. I was a bit of a wanderer myself, once," Xira continued after the split second interrupted by the thoughts of her bird. Kye seemed ruffled by something, and it pained Xira to realize that she didn't know what. She reached out with an eager mind, feeling for the little bird's troubles, but she was swiftly denied. In a moment Kye took flight, and left the crowd in silence. The roan felt slightly hurt, but could say nothing of it. She had been denied by the falcon before, but there was something different here. Did Kye resent her for settling down? Surely the bird understood that she had no intention of truly staying- that she wasn't going to rest in the herd forever. Then again.... what had she done as of late solely for herself? Was she not here simply for the good of the herd, ingratiating a stranger to build the Tuuli's numbers?

Xira shook her head as if ruffling the mane, but in reality the thought of her reasoning for staying by as of late haunted her. Still, like a blind old mare, she continued on. "The Tuuli took me in once and provided me with a home," Xira went on as the lump in her throat and the feeling of sickness rose until the taste of bile coated her senses. This was all true, wasn't it? She really had lost her fire.

"Should you desire a place to call your own, the herd would welcome a traveller such as yourself in a manner of moments, I am sure." The mare spoke once more, but this time seeming somewhat saddened. Xira let her wingtips flare out, and looked up to try and find Kye. The falcon had flown off too far, however, leaving no trace save for a single feather upon the earth.

The foolish stallion had made her choice, and it was clear that he was going to follow the wrong path. She couldn't make herself care- she was perhaps insulted that he'd chose this other, younger mare to guide him home, but felt no regret for the herd's loss of a potential member. What was the point of this recruiting process anyway, to grab strangers and force them to fit into a mold where they did not belong?

Had that not been her so many seasons ago? She regretted every stumbling into that herdland, ever asking to join just to have a place to stay, and then being forced into her place. Andash had soothed her fire, somehow tricked her into going to the gods for him- yes, certainly it was his fault. He had tried to control her, he had made her feel... god, something, she didn't know what. But it was his fault, him and that damn desert where everything counteracted the wide open air and caged you in.

She cast the stallion and the yearling a brief glance and felt she had little more to say. Still, manners forced her into words at the very least, even if she spit out each one like a coal. "Very well- I'm sure you two will make a wonderful pair in your magical forest," The green roan hissed, flaring and extending wings as she prepared for flight. "Enjoy your stay, Goliath," she said at last, feeling freed by the truth of her words. They were her own words now, not anyone else's.

At a swift canter she parted ways with the pair and dashed through the trees, whistling for her falcon to follow, hoping she might. Wind hit her and open air brought her to the safety of the skies. It was with hate in her eyes and thermals under her wings that she flew back to the Dragon's Throat, but not back home.

[[Guys I'm sorry, I kept forgetting about this one and being busy. Please if I ever hold you up like this again just skip me.]]