He had started this thing, so now he was back to leading the way. Rather than keep his thoughts to himself, he decided it best to share with Aleria and Kanakwella the trouble they would face after the docks. "We'll need to get the others in a boat so they won't have to blaze a trail through the brush. Our trouble is going to... No sooner had they gotten within about 150 ft of each other Mermydon and Raka sensed one another through the magnetic fields in their lateral lines. At this range they could only tell that they were both kelparie, though neither could pinpoint the other exactly yet. The mares couldn't help but sense it either, but Mermydon paused, then began searching in 60 degree arc to help discover the source. There was still much daylight so little fear of water sprites for the moment.

"Hail from the falls!" He called out in the old Shaledon greeting expecting the other to know it. "Are you friend, ally or a servant of the merfolk?" He demanded. Back on shore, Geb and Little Red, along with Meir, scuttled away leaving Mermydon's armor token aglow in the grass plain as day for Grim Rose. It looked very similar to her life orbs.

In that instant a most peculiar thing happened, a strange sensation played along his lateral spines. He had never sensed a presence like this before. Curiously, cautiously he moved closer to the water.

"Hail from the falls!" A voice sounded from under the water. "Are you friend, ally or a servant of the merfolk?"

Raka halted his advance at once, suddenly feeling very fearful and alert.

(Due to my absence and such I'm just going to have my animals go off and make more for them to meet.)

With a long whiff she breathed in taking in the smell of the earth. Nothing save for the stench of Kelpairi and such. If all smelled fishy, pun intended. Dhuka grunted shaking her head from side to side. "Nasty." She grumbled under her breath. Wait no she smelt more, a nixi and a Bulbori? Glancing side to side she spotted a red and black rabbit and a small multi colored nixi. "Hey!" She called causing them to turn to face her. Red pushed Meir behind her as if to protect him. "What are you two doing on my territory?!" The Morrko growled.
"Your territory?" Meir said perking up though Red pushed him back again.
"We were just passing through." The Bulbori answered chest puffed out. She wasn't afraid of the Morrok. Dhuka looked at them her expression softening some.
"I see...carry on then." She said walking back towards the water leaving the two be. She was too hungry to think about talking. Wading out in the water she swam out into the deep end looking for fish. Sucking in a breath she dove. Maybe that kelpair would be here like last time.

A form rose out of the water with a soft splash causing Raka to freeze where he stood. As the figure rose gracefully from the water Raka's whole world seemed to slow.

The figure's appearance reflected his own in most respects but it was more graceful, more elegant. As it shook its head its watery golden mane caught the light, as did the shimmering scales which covered its whole body. These were traits he knew well for, before the hardships of the land had transformed him, back when he was just a colt he too had possessed them.

The absolute shock of finally seeing another of his kind was short lived however. He was exposed, the unfamiliar male (for something told him it was male) would not take kindly to an intruder. This he knew from experience running into other predators. But there would be no use in running, he would be seen in moments, he had to do something.

His body moved without him thinking. His spines rose and his wings flared out, ears pinned back against his neck. As he drew himself up to his full height, he gained some small solace from the fact that he seemed to be quite a bit larger than the stranger.
Undoubtedly drawn by Raka's sudden instinctive movement, the stranger whipped his head around to face Raka...

Mermydon was equally surprised to see another male kelparie. The seas were still calm, the sun warm and the air brisk so the environment wasn't playing tricks upon him. There were some genetic anomolies but it was definitely another stallion. From the look of him, he was ready to defend himself, and the sense of fear and anxiety was radiating from him. He had little to worry about, but the appearence of the two Sea Unicorn mares surfacing right after him would surely give him concern. "Unless you're looking to fight me for the dead kingom laying in ruin at the bottom of the waterfall, we have nought to quarrel about. There are fish and food aplenty in the lake and the mares are still many moons from mating season, and I've certainly no interest in chasing you off of a beach. Though I'd rather you'd steer clear of my bait allies over yonder." He nudged his head over where a couple ryori and some other land dwellers were conversing with a morkko mare. "Why don't you wade into the shallows, and we shall venture a little closer that we may converse." He said. Though it was clear by communication he intended for them to exchange information via lines. "What are you called and where do you hail from stranger?"

Raka was more than a little hesitant to enter the waters with this stranger and, no matter how he claimed to mean him no harm all the other stallions words had done was to cause more concern with the knowledge that even more allies were about.
But the stallion who spoke in a strange but not entirely unfamiliar accent, had mentioned the ruins in the lake. This was what he had been hoping for, someone who might know of his history, even if only just a little.

"I... I am Raka of the quitari who live upon the plains over yonder." He motioned with his tail to the far side of the lakeshore, not wishing to remove his gaze from the stranger.
"You speak of the ruins within the lake. I might think to ask what you know of them, but I would much prefer to remain here upon the shore if you don't mind"

Strong as Raka was, he had little confidence in the water. It mattered not how strong his tail was from its years of use as a third leg, for the fins upon its laterals were torn and ragged. With only his gliding fins relatively un damaged (save for the ends which he used to balance himself upon the ground) it was quite clear that any advantage he might hold against the other water dwellers remained with him, on land.

"Forgive me if I am being rude, I am merely being cautious for I have never met another finned quitari before, let alone a female..."

He lingered a little on those last few words as he finally dared to remove his gaze from the azure stallion to the two mares behind him. Did all females of his species have horns?

kanakwella seen the other male kelpari she blushed and looked away but noticed the strange way he was on land but not in the water and for some reason he also seemed familiar heroine flew over the trees and spotted the bird she jumped on it tumbling to the ground near kanakwella raka and mermydon almost falling into the water she stealthily sneaked back into the woods and took off flying up above the kelpari where she wasn't seen

The younger of the two mares caught his gaze and looked away bashfuly. Before he had time to react to her curious actions a fiery ball of fur and feathers fell from the sky very near to him, startling him out of his defensive stance.
And as quickly as it came, so it went. His fellow water dwellers momentarily forgotten Raka watched the creature fly away.

"What in the world was that?"