Blacktail Deer Plateau lyrebird

He and Nita had stayed here for some time, but not so long that Xerxes could name each rock and spire the sprawling lands boasted. He contented himself instead with the few miles the pair traversed each day, and the lush curves and ripe lust of his consort in the eveningtime. Theirs was a charmed life, and he tasted its voluptuousness in every whisper of winterwind across the flat expanse of greenery in which they had first arrived. But he had become curious about the obvious packland that bordered his tiny encampment, and upon this morning, with the sun barely risen above the teeth of the distant mountains, he bid Nita stay where she was, so that he would seek out their neighbors firstly. As he traveled toward the scented pillars that marked the end of the no-wolf's-land and the beginning of the pack's own, Xerxes drank in the loveliness of his surroundings, noting with particular interest that the leader had claimed for their wolves a pointedly lush portion of earth, filled with curves and peaks, holding, no doubt, all manner of sweetnesses and promise in its verdant embrace. His paws gripping the rich loam, the Persian tipped back his ruddy crown and called for the leader of this place, before interested lobes swiveled atop his head and he regained his silence and his poise, perfected through long years of practice.

Thanks for starting! :)

Something about the autumn air invigorated Koontz. After drawing in a breath of it—so crisp, cool and fragrant—she broke into a gallop around the pack's borders. She passed Ray as she went and barked at him, though she didn't stop until she finished a full circuit. She wound up at the southern head of the plateau overlooking the hot springs down below and the mountain across the way.

Which is claimed, evidently, she thought to herself even as a chilly breeze swept over the plateau, carrying with it the scents of the new pack across the way. Koontz knew it wasn't the only one that had sprung up recently; she had heard of one or two others as well. The young Alpha female wasn't concerned about territories or resources, as the park had plenty to offer. However, she did wonder if she should approach the new packs and establish a relationship of some sort. She recollected the various alliances in the Seahawk Valley and decided it would be in the Dragonwatchers' best interests to initiate neutral, friendly contact with the valley's other residents.

Even as she considered whether she should make these contacts herself or send ahead one of her Windwalkers, an unfamiliar voice rose into a howl that split the bracing fall air. Koontz's ears pricked immediately. Having sunk to her haunches a moment before, she now sprang back onto her feet, still full of energy and vigor. Smilingly, she pranced down the plateau's face toward the low borders. En route, her head lifted and her tail arched as her pale eyes combed the outlands.

She spotted him—a strange male—and moved toward him with a self-possessed smile on her grayscale face. "Hello there," she said amenably, her tail twitching. The Redleaf-DiSarinno came to a stop a few feet from him, standing with relaxed poise. "I'm Koontz and this is Dragonwatchers. Do you have business here?"

not a prob! <3

She was smoke and ice, and her step was rife with confidence. Openly, Xerxes swept her form for the minute details that he so relished in a woman before meeting her eyes, a small smile pulling at the edges of his mouth. "The gods of this place must have a grave humour to them if they allow dragons to fly about," Xerxes answered, though it was not immediately clear from the modulation of his tone whether he was merely teasing the woman or if he truly believed that the hideous fire-lizards roamed free here. "But, ah! I have forgotten myself. I am Xerxes, Great Shah of Samarkand, son of Dariush, Protector of Susa, and I have no business here. For the present," the Persian added, drinking in her scent with a subtle extension of his proud neck. Her scent was painted carefully onto the borders, in a strong mingling of self and the last summer flowers, but it lacked the heavy masculine tang of a ruling male, which Xerxes found intriguing. Titillating. He had long since learned not to comment upon a woman's solitude in this land; the females here were quite particular about their ideas regarding independence, which the handsome Persian merely saw as a weakness. "I thought that I would come to solidify peace with the leaders in this place, for the duration of my stay."

She couldn't quite gauge whether he meant it as a joke or not, yet after a slight hesitation, Koontz decided to treat it as one. Her jaws split into a grin and she laughed lightly at the jest. "Don't worry, the dragons here are disguised as wolves and mind their own business. Just don't mess with their treasure," she quipped back, winking a pale eye. It wasn't like her to be so open with perfect strangers, yet she simply chalked it up to the high spirits brought on by the autumn air.

"Glad to know you, Xerxes. That's a very long title," the young Alpha female replied. Something about the name stuck her as familiar and it niggled at the back of her mind, yet she dismissed it. She paused to let him finish, then lifted her brows inquisitively and asked, "Do you plan to start a pack here?" Why bother establishing connections with the resident packs if he was only passing through, she wondered, even as she marveled at the irony of his impeccable timing.

"We of Susa are not known for our brevity," Xerxes murmured ruefully, though his verdant eyes sparkled with the joke. Dragons here are certainly blessed with said treasure, he humoured himself, before his attention returned to Koontz and her inquiry. "I have come on a whim," Xerxes answered carefully. "One of my sons will take the reins of Susa from me, but there is a longing in me to begin again, in a new place." He did not think that she would know who he was, for the valley of the hawks and Samarkand's brief, ill-fated reign there had been all but forgotten by the Persian male, pushed to the back of his mind through necessity.

Koontz wasn't quite sure what to make of Xerxes's answer. Did he mean that he would remain with his son's pack when he stepped down or did he hope to retire elsewhere? Perhaps he had no particular plan or destination in mind and he'd truly wandered here by happenstance and just stopped for an idle chat. Whatever the case, Koontz didn't really mind; she was just curious.

"If you're interested in trying something new and different," she said, "I can tell you a little more about Dragonwatchers." Koontz didn't like being aggressive about recruiting pack mates, nor did she enjoy pushing hard to sell it to strangers, especially ones who might not be interested whatsoever. She left it out there, letting him take her up if he wanted. If not, they could always talk about something else.

But before he could even answer, she added, "We even have a co-rank that might suit a windy retiree perfectly." She grinned to indicate that it was a joke. Of course, no offense was meant and, belatedly, Koontz worried that he might not find the well-intended quip palatable. She tensed a little and held her breath for his reaction.

As a Shah, he heard the hidden connotation of Koontz's invitation, but demurred to comment upon it. "It would be my pleasure to hear of it," the Persian murmured softly, teeth flashing in a delighted grin at the gunmetal woman. While he was attuned to their equality as leaders, Xerxes could not help but indulge his myriad mental fantasies; this one involved Koontz surrounded with summerflowers while her handmaidens trilled arias in her favour. Windy retiree? "Oh! surely you jest, but you have wounded me gravely," Xerxes rejoined, though his eyes glimmered with the knowledge that Koontz had done no such thing. "Old I may be, but not so old that I am retired from various...arts." Be it to her to take his would-be bait; Xerxes moved on from his little suggestion, congratulating himself for his daring. "How many packs are there in the land?" the ruddy man inquired after a heartbeat. "It seems lovely, and very large. Perhaps larger than the Valley of Seahawks." With a polite little bow toward her, he fell silent, awaiting her words, perhaps the invitation for a tour. At the back of his mind, he wondered what it was that Nita was getting up to in his absence, and he allowed himself a small private inner smile at the idea of his headstrong, snowy bride setting out for reconnaissance of her own.

Koontz was a rather inexperienced creature in some ways, yet that wasn't to say she was naïve. She thought she understood what Xerxes meant, yet she made no reply, as the implication made her feel rather uncertain. Besides, she didn't know what to say to that. She was fully-grown, though still young, and she had yet to reach sexual maturity in more than just the physical sense of the word.

In any case, Xerxes continued. He'd made it clear that he would like to hear about Dragonwatchers and now he inquired about the park overall. When he mentioned the Seahawk Valley, Koontz's head tilted but she did not immediately comment. By now, she was used to wolves from her birthplace finding their way here and it no longer surprised her very much.

"I'm not sure of the exact number but there's evidence of at least a few others," she said. "I'm working on finding out," she added competently, flashing him a smile. "I'm pretty sure we were one of the very first to formally settle in the area. It is a lovely park and there's plenty of room. As for what Dragonwatchers in particular has to offer..." She began to turn on her wiry gray legs. "Allow me to show you?"

Her hindquarters were now angled toward him and, for a beat, Koontz didn't think anything of it. Then she grew very conscious of this fact. She froze, deliberating. Part of her, the young and innocent half, wanted to position herself more modestly. Another part of her, the grown woman, sort of enjoyed this unintentional flirtation. This latter part sort of surprised Koontz. She hadn't know there was a side of her that could feel this way. A small grin wound onto her muzzle and she did not swing away as was her first instinct, yet nor did she sway her hips, as her suddenly virile instincts suggested. She simply stood, waiting for Xerxes to fall into step behind her.

ooh la la~

She pivoted on slim silvery pillars, and Xerxes found himself suddenly, briefly faced with the budding curves of her hindquarters. Diplomatic though he was, the Persian felt a knife of lust cut through him; he had left his wives and concubines behind, and while Nita was a match in passions both traditional and deviate, he would never cease his unending desires for new experiences with new women. A small smile flickered briefly to life upon his lips, and he moved to Koontz's side, dipping his head respectfully to her. Alpha or not, she was still female, and Xerxes could not conceive of walking behind her, though he wisely kept these anarchic thoughts to himself, instead training his eyes on the sights before the pair. "Park?" he politely inquired, ears cupping toward Koontz; the word was unfamiliar, and Xerxes thirsted for new knowledge almost as much as he desire feminine company. "I do not think I have heard that before. Is it a name for land?" the ruddyfurred man continued, attempting to at least understand its context.

I'm sorry... can we fade this to black with your next post? :c

Xerxes seemed to be unfamiliar with the term park, which didn't surprise Koontz. It was a term she had picked up from a random passerby. "Yes, it's sort of an all-encompassing term for the region," she explained, "since calling it simply a valley might seem to exclude the mountains and whatnot."

As she led him into her territory, she did not forget her slightly flirtatious feelings. She enjoyed inserting subtle glances and postures into the tour she gave him, while letting the land speak mostly for itself. She kept it brief—she had learned this skill from her mother, who loathed tours—and when she led Xerxes back to the borders, she found she regretted having to seem him off so soon.

"So, what do you think?" she wondered before they prepared to part ways. On the surface, she was asking about Dragonwatchers and its lovely territory. But perhaps Xerxes would sense there was a deeper meaning to the question.