Valley of Gold bring back the mares of diomedes

ingram's first thought upon immediately stepping foot into the swaying golden grasses is that he's entered the field of reeds.

this places brings to the forefront of his mind the deathlord, osiris.

it is not a place that he could recall having ever being to, and he's been here and there in the wilds since he was old enough to travel.

he'd been lured by the call of the unexplored, hoping he might find a new trinket or bone to add to his threadbones, tucked away safely in their hiding place back in kvarsheim.

but as he closes his eyes amid the tall, golden grasses; focusing on the trail of the sun along his spine, he can feel the essence of osiris in this place and immediately, foolishly, ingram is enraptured.

This was a place S'ari had not yet explored in the desert, this waving field of amber, with some patches being even taller than her (small as she was). This, she thought, would be a great place to lay in wait for prey. As long as the wind remained favorable, they would never see her coming here.

Today, however, all she smelled was Wolf. Feeling mischievous, she decided she would not simply pop out and say hello. She would lie in wait, and watch. Creeping low, more like a cat than a canid, she snuck through the fields of wheat, following her nose, and trying to be as quiet as possible, though her entire body rustled the grain as she went. Probably not very quiet after all.

the rustling of the grain draws ingram's attention. his ears cup forth, alert, atop his skull and he begins to sniff the air. loudly. not bothering to be quiet. and why would he? he stands out among the golden waves like a hellhound. starkly out of place.

his hackles bristle softly, unable to make out the eyes he feels upon him. a soft flutter of a phantom hand against the nape of his neck.

and maybe it was his imagination. but the rustling is not a culprit of the wind.

he ghosts forward a few steps; a low rumble lingering in his throat. who's there? demands ingram.

The wolf could sense her there, she knew, for he stopped and looked around, and demanded to know who was there. She was tempted to stay hidden, to watch him longer, perhaps to move in wide circles around him, rustling the wheat some more and bothering him. But sometimes it was better not to bother big, scary wolves.

Oh, just your friendly neighborhood desert Djinn, she replied, stepping lightly out of her hiding place in the wheat. Sometimes this one comes in the form of a Coyote, yes? Now, what are your three wishes? She threw her head back and laughed, then, and looked at the wolf again, her dark brown beetle eyes twinkling with mirth.

djinn.

though the word is unfamiliar to ingram, it holds a connotation that sounds more like a thing as opposed to an actual name; an assumption he draws from the way she phrases it.

followed up by the 'three wishes' bit.

a believer and speaker of many different religions and mystical beings, ingram isn't naturally inclined to challenge her.

but, he isn't sure he knows what a djinn is.

forgive my ignorance, begins the oracle of kvarshiem. but i am not sure that i know what a djinn is ... aside from a wearer of coyote skin.

sorry for the wait, I've had health issues that have been sapping my muse.

S'ari grinned widely at the wolf at his question. It seemed that her laughter had not clued him in to the fact that she'd been joking. She decided to continue the charade. This one should be grateful that S'ari is not offended by your ignorance. Djinn are fickle beings, known to harm those who annoy them. But fear not. S'ari is not like the others. She hummed, thinking. Djinn are... fae-like beings. Magical creatures who watch others. We can be invisible, yes? Or come in the form of snakes or scorpions... or coyotes. We can tell the future, work curses or blessings, or offer ourselves for... affairs. Here she gave Ingram a look so that he would know exactly what kind of affair she meant.

She dropped her voice low now, leaning forward. We can kill, possess, and harm others. Or be kind and generous. All depends on you and how you treat us. Worship us and we will bless you. Anger us and, well... it will not be so good for your health, no. She eyed him mischievously. And so, what will it be, wolf? Would you dare interact with a Djinn, now that you know?