Felicius had been exploring the world since his departure from the dream herd. It was exciting and he was trying to see as much as possible. Most of his explortation had been in the sky but today he deicded to let his wings some much needed rest and explore things from the ground below. He'd found himself in a large forest; oak trees towering above him. The ground was lush and the flora plentiful. He heard the sound of creatures scattering around him as he stepped. It was beautiful. It was here he found the clearing. It seemed unnatural - the trees forming a perfect circular wall around it, the only entry an arch of branches. Perhaps it was sacred in the past and he almost dared not enter. He took a deep breath and stepped through the arch - this was what adventure was all about!
The clearing was still lush and a small stream trickled through the middle of it. However, there were also items that didn't belong. Lush fabrics and silks, trinkets and gems. A chorus of birds called out upon his arrival - though it seemed to be a call of greeting rather than one of alarm. He moved further into the clearing - it did seem someone was living here and he wondered if perhaps it was rude of him to be snooping. Taking a closer look at the birds he noticed their wings were not of feathers - instead gossimer and segmented like a butterfly's might be.
"Fascinating.." he muttered under his breath, reaching his nose forward to get a closer look. The bird didn't move - instead seemed to flutter its wings to give him a closer look.
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Levana was awoken from a serene dream by the sound of quiet footsteps and leaves crackling softly. Lifting her head slightly, she laid eyes on a being as ethereally blue as her sister - perhaps even more so, with the delicate wings that fanned from his side. Curled in the ferns on the far side of the clearing as she was, Levana realized that he might be unable to see her from his vantage point. However, peering through the ferns, she was able to study him as he eyed a petalwing. The little bird danced closer to give him a better look, and Levana couldn't help but grin at their indulgent, cheerful natures.
With a flick of her hair to move her curled bangs from her eyes, Levana rose silently from her patch of ferns. Her tails flicked bits of foliage from her pelt, their soft fur warm from sleep, just as the rest of her was. The aftenoon nap had been a welcome change to her little routine. "Welcome, stranger," she murmured, her voice almost a whisper - but the windless day carried it across the clearing. For now, the ferns hid her paws, which was what most balked at; perhaps this would be the one who didn't bat an eye? What would his story be, if he wasn't fazed by such an uncommon sight?
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Felicius jumped at the sound of the voice rolling through the clearing. He stammered, backing away from the birds whose chirps seemed to be laughing at him. In his haste, he knocked over a bowl on a stand and it clattered to the ground. "Ah --" he started, scrambling to stand it right way up. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I didn't know anyone lived here." He mentally slapped himself. Of course someone was lived here - the area was well maintaned. He had simply been too curious. His wings folded at his sides. "Forgive me," he said with a bow in the mare's direction. "I did not mean to snoop."
He took this as an opportunity to look at her and she was a beauty, for sure. He wondered why she hid herself away. "Your birds," he called out softly. "Are they native to these parts?" He had not seen such things before - but he had not seen much of the world. They seemed unusual to him but perhaps to her they were not.
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A rueful smile found Levana's lips as she watched him jump. "My apologies, good sir, for startling you," she said, then mulled his question. "They are native, yes, and fairly concentrated here. This is where they seem to have begun." Her eyes flicked upward as one of the delicate creatures lit upon one of her horns. Its shimmery beak preened feathers and cleaned its butterfly-like wing, then rested under one of its wings for a short nap. "They've become friends over the years. What of you? Are you from this area?" If he was, it was almost odd that she'd not yet run across him - or rather, that he'd not run across Levana or one of her sisters. They rarely left their home, comfortable as they were. Levana was content to daydream all day, if she was afforded the opportunity. She had been doing just that when this stallion had appeared.
Taking a step toward him, Levana gestured with a wing for another of the petalwings to come closer. Instead of nesting in her hair or on her back, it plopped down beside its flockmate on her horn, and the two began chirping agitatedly about what could only be personal space intrusions.
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