he had not been within the plateau long enough to hear of what had transpired between peregrine and his mate, or that the devil had ever been possessed of a woman. he had heeded the leader's words and gone into the lands to practice a skill with which he was familiar, but not expert. the day had lent itself to good hunting, but taltos had bypassed a herd of deer, seeing that the stag was quite healthy and alert. it would not do well for him to be fall injured so soon after entering peregrine's lands.

he stalked and killed a woodfowl, who led him on a quick chase through the tree-boles, but taltos had emerged from the wood victorious, and trotted toward the concentration of scents in the loam. this was where peregrine's children resided, and while he entertained no thoughts that he, as a new member of the pack, would be allowed near them, he would bring his kill as close as he dared, nevertheless.

stirring the earth at the foot of a nearby tree, lasher deposited his catch and covered it shallowly enough that a wolf nosing about for prey would be able to see it. murkwater eyes cast about to spot the shadowed form of peregrine moving through the trees. a soft chuff escaped him and he lengthened his stride, intending to greet the sable leader if his advances were welcome.

lasher heeded peregrine's gesture, and walked somewhat behind the male, away from the place where the children slumbered. eventually gliding to the devil's side, he pursed his lips in contemplation of what was revealed. cutting ties with one's mate was something foreign to him, which was not to say that he had surrounded himself with vastly conservative creatures, but that the witches he followed either did not have mates, preferring instead a swath of consorts, or remained celibate. therefore, he had nothing to say directly toward the knowledge that peregrine had separated from the female who was, presumably, also the mother of his children. or perhaps not so presumably.

i will be pleased to meet them, whenever you decide, he said softly, body loosening from hierarchy-enforced tension; peregrine was friendly enough, though their first meeting had left lasher with little doubt that the jet male would make a savage foe indeed. i am well. i have not yet found a den; i am more used to sleeping in the open, or in caves, he admitted, recalling the mazework of rocky dens upon tartok's mountain. i am sure i will find one before long.

his eyes met those of his leader briefly, perhaps holding them a heartbeat longer than was courteous, smitten as he was by the gems peregrine had turned upon him. and how do you fare? taltos inquired gently, returning his gaze to their path. he doubted that the other would share with him the intricacies of what had happened, and he awaited no sordid details, simply a drop of a tone or a word that would allow him to know what it was peregrine felt in this moment.

as peregrine spoke, lasher recalled the brief, hot passion he had experienced with eismitte. he had felt the same lust toward siku, but he had worshipped her body, never touched it. the properties and rules that seemed to govern a formal mateship evaded him, and while he felt a sting of sadness for that which had given his leader hardship, he did not think he would pair himself with another. these thoughts, of course, were left unvoiced; he drank in peregrine's words with a little nod.

i do not like sleeping outside in the snow, but the rain can be cleansing, he mused, longing suddenly for a summer thunderstorm to rack the land. but i also do not wish to be crowded, the man murmured, eyes flashing with amusement. it occurred to him to sidestep caution and press his muzzle against the side of peregrine's proud ruff, veiling the gesture in a show of solidarity rather than one of intimacy, but again, such brazen thoughts were locked away quite swiftly. this was not tartok, and peregrine was neither siku nor eismitte.

no one yet, save for yourself and your daughter. i have been resting and hunting. i am not a social beast, not immediately, though i do look forward to greeting the rest of your wolves. he took several paces in silence, murky eyes pensive. and daringly enough, words slipped from him unbidden, brash, perhaps unwarranted, and holding an obvious undercurrent of suggestion: have you?

he was not expecting a return of the affectionate gesture, but his ears folded back and eyelids fell to half-mast below peregrine's gentle ministrations. having been alone for such a span of time, taltos had quite forgotten how much he had craved physical affection; his was a spirit not content with being held at arm's length. he gave a low, noncommittal sound at the devil's statement, but another relationship was not what peregrine needed at the moment.

i have loved one man and one woman in the past. she was my leader, a savage sort. i would have loved to consort with her, and yet i was content to merely worship her, my witch. and he was my packmate, a lover of both my soul and my body. i grieve them, but i will love again. whether or not it is reciprocated is of little consequence to me. he loved instantly the dance of his second name upon peregrine's tongue, and his eyes glowed with pleasure as he beheld those of his leader.

i loved them in my time of grief, he said simply, and their bodies, their affections, helped me to mend. i did not need the formality of their love, or their pledges, merely what they offered. he paused, taking a thoughtful breath. perhaps they used me, or i them, but in the end, it mattered little, peregrine, for we were all whole at the end of it.

this time, he did not pull his eyes away immediately; he allowed them to meet those of his companion boldly, though his stance was deferential as not to give peregrine the impression of challenge.

he listened, appreciating the explanation of peregrine's words and the honesty therein. for a traditional man, the ebon leader was careful with his words, and curious, not rejecting out of hand a pairing that would have never resulted in children. he was silent for some time after his leader had finished speaking, ending with an inquiry that led lasher into contemplation.

children were never the end desire of my couplings, he said simply. i am fond of them, but had i found myself the sire of offspring, i would have been obligated out of duty to remain with their mother. this i would have done without hesitation, and loved whatever children came from that love, as you did, but ... perhaps you are a better creature than i. less selfish. he glanced to peregrine as he spoke, knowing fully that if the devil allowed him into such sanctums as mind and heart, the issue of his body, the children he had sired, would be equally set upon a pedestal in taltos' mind.

i did, he answered softly. our was a passionate lovemaking. it is different than lying with a woman, lasher explained, his gaze returning to the glow in peregrine's eyes.a female body is softness and curves, and gentle cries, a submission to a male's passion. to be with a man is to embrace a body much like your own, hardness, steel, and you meet one another with the same violence, instead of one yielding to the other. there is no yielding between men, only a fight for dominance, even in the dimmest of chambers.

a gentle sigh broke from him then, a rueful thought of eismitte. but in the basest of senses, it is much the same. one will take, and one will give. between men, however, there is the opportunity to share the roles of he who gives and he who takes, as there is not with a woman. ears flicked in the male's direction, and he fell silent, wondering what peregrine was to make of all this.

whilst he had spoken vaguely, as not to unnerve peregrine, the other was blunted. laughter! lasher exclaimed, a wry expression tugging at his eyes, the edges of his lips. he was bemused by his leader, and the naked way that such a pairing was described. indeed, you are correct. and as for how it feels, how do you believe the women you have held beneath you felt during your coupling? brazen though this may sound, i doubt you have ever held an unwilling lover, or one who was unimpressed.

his eyes glimmered with amusement, and a genteel hint of desire. it is the same for the man who receives. the sense of penetration is the same, i believe, the same pleasure, the same clasp and shudder at the moment of climax. i have been the one there — that is what i prefer — and i tell you, it is no more painful or unpleasant than it would be were i a woman. it is none of those things, in fact. it is a blinding pleasure, and one more addictive than i care to admit.

he kept his eyes trained upon peregrine; he could not envision the jetfurred protector of the plateau as taking the same position he had beneath eismitte, and that was a vision that inspired lasher to new heights of mental bliss, being taken by one who knew not the true power and pleasure of such a pairing.

at peregrine's vulgar outburst, lasher laughed. his was not a mocking sound, merely admiring of his leader's salacious language. when the mirth had passed, he wiped tears from his eyes with a crooked knee. ah, i had never thought of such things before, but you do raise valid points. while the orifice of a woman is made for congress, and subsequent childbirth, it is also made for pleasure, and therein they are similar, men and women.

you do not strike me as one who would immediately enjoy a ... dick being rammed up your ass, as you put it, lasher murmured. that is not an experience every man who enjoys men will undergo. it is clear to me that, in such a situation, you would be the one who gives.

as for the excrement, i can say that is an issue that has never in my experience arisen. i imagine it would be much the same if the female of your choosing did not cleanse herself beforehand, but those with many lovers are usually wont to attend to their hygiene assiduously. his eyes sparkled with mirth, and it was on the tip of his tongue to offer peregrine a learning experience of sorts, but he did not, instead settling for the lewd suggestion of, of course penetration is not the only thing that can be shared. there are other pleasures, and a woman may perform them also, but who better to know the body of a male than another male?

he hummed in answer, though a sly expression crossed his face at the thought of changing peregrine's mind. however, it passed, and he turned his attention toward the dark male's inquiry. yes, lasher trilled, and the licking of members, as well. a man would be more skilled in that than a woman, do you not agree? have you ever had it done? he asked, maintaining a straight face of his own as he posed a question of his own.

there was a part of him that doubted that peregrine had experienced such, for his view of lovemaking was quite limited, but the leader's constant inquiries formed a hopeful flicker in lasher's mind.

the green-eyed male exuded a confident sensuality that was not lost upon taltos, and despite his obvious misgivings over a masculine pairing, lasher was drawn to him all the same.

i do not think so. i do not find myself under such a title, despite the fact that i have engaged in activities with men. i find that i still prefer each of the sexes, for different reasons. he was enjoying the conversation, meeting each question that peregrine posed with calm, though the next inquiry caught him off guard.

there was a second of hesitation, while taltos considered what his answer might mean for the budding companionship betwixt himself and peregrine. eyes traveled to the leader's own, and he held them for a long moment before he rejoined. that would depend upon your receptiveness toward an offer, the spirit answered softly, his words suffused with amiability.

he dipped his muzzle to peregrine, accepting the statement. he had not thought the other would hearken to his invitation, though it remained between them all the same. still, there was a small sting of regret that peregrine had not taken his offer, for the very thought indeed was titillating to lasher.

my first witch, deborah, gave me the name lasher. she said i stirred the wind around her into a lashing fury. truly, i have many memories but i do not know from whence they come. it was told to me that i am a spirit, borne into many bodies, and doomed to seek another once this mortal vessel dissipates. whether or not that is true is anyone's guess.

he paused. taltos. taltos is an epithet given by those who do not understand me. i bear it with no shame, however. perhaps it means, in another tongue, what i am; body-snatcher, body-thief. but even if i am not these things, and only mortal, and possessed of no immortal spirit, i will still retain the name. i have come to like it.

lasher offered a gentle smile to the jet male alongside him. peregrine, osprey. you favor the predators of the air, yes?

he listened gently, giving a soft nod at peregrine's explanation. he wondered where the devil's sister was, for he had not heard talk of her in the plateau, though he knew the man was possessed of a brother who frequented the borders. the devil invited his words, and taltos gave them willingly enough. you say children. there are others besides osprey jr? he asked, knowing well enough the difference betwixt plurality and singularity — it was a means for peregrine to tell him how many others, instead of allowing himself to guess at such things.

my family, those i deem such, have names in a tongue called french, but i do not know it by heart. julien was one such. an interesting man. i daresay you would have liked him. he was much like you. save for his male lover, lasher added silently to himself, as they had left that part of the conversation rather behind.

the arrangement for peregrine's biological children, and the ones he was raising with his former mate was not one that lasher felt qualified to comment upon, and so he merely nodded. they are blessed children to have a trio so dedicated to them, he said softly.

falling silent, he thought of how he would answer the dark wolf — there was not a correct way to describe julien. heady, passionate, crazed, loyal — these were all attributes that could be pinned upon the frenchman, depending on who was speaking of him in that moment. and yet he had been free with his tongue, watchful and loving toward his children, a quintessential patriarch till the very end.

he was a father of many, and not just to those who shared his blood. julien mayfair was artistic in his very being, in his words, which could lull and soothe as well as cut. he was at once both gentle and savage, and beautiful. too beautiful for a man, it was said. taltos gave a soft laugh. you remind me of him because you are strong, and because you are proud of what you have created without simpering over its creation. you are existent in your power and your status, as was he, and you define these things. you are not defined by them.