Xaphan leans over the sleeping form of the black and gold lioness. In a smoke tainted voice he whispers that he wonders if Sonellion would spend some time sharing breaths with him, alone, without anyone knowing. As quietly as the moon rises he ventures away from the sleeping forms of the other lions and sits just outside the den opening.

Sonellion stirred towards the voice in the darkness but she didn't take over the vessel she occupied. She'd heard him come closer to her but feared he'd feel her closer to the surface; but when she felt a different energy... The eyes opened and the body that she now controlled rolled to its side; as if possessed; and got up onto all four paws. Safe to make sure she didn't disturb the cubs and possibly wake up the damnable owner of this body she padded her way quietly out to the pale body sitting in the moonlight. "I was wondering when you were going to want my presence." a much deeper voice whispered to him; still cautious not to awaken the cubs.

The pale demon shown in the darkness and padded further away from the opening and up the side of the cave face to sprawl on his back, rolling and stretching, the body breathing deep and soft, the scent of sulfur and smoke expelled with each breath, he hoped the she demon would follow. 'What is want', he wondered at her, 'why would I want you at all.'

"Why request my presence if you do not wish to speak with me?" She countered; easily following him; more agile than her non-demon counterpart. She sat a bit away from him; breathing in deeply the smell that he gave off. She wondered if Yaretzi would question the smell that was certain to cling to her fur tomorrow. "If you don't want me; than I might as well go back into that den they call a home and stare at the little bodies that pass for my children."

"Peace pretty princess," he purred soft and short, a single burst, and curled a little in his comfortable sprawl to look at her, the roll in the shadowed dirt darkened his fur in streaks of ash and midnight and illusion. He spoke in less than whispers again, it was better for getting his thoughts across swiftly. 'Not so little soon, the babies, the bodies. They'll have another litter soon, or at least, they'll be able to try, half the fun's in trying, or maybe more than half.'

She looked away from him and out towards the moon. "I wouldn't know." She said in an unamused tone. "I've only been around for it once. And it was more for revenge really." She said in a wicked tone now; the edges of the mouth pulling up into a twisted grin; exposing her canines. "They're hardly little now." She said a softer tone touching her voice. "Burilda is already wandering out to the edges of these lands." Her eyes softened softly but She pushed it back down turning her attention to him once more. The dirt was a poor substitute for a true dark pelt.

'They're still little,' he sneered a bit, 'what use are little ones that cry and wander.' Xaphan rolled a little more wanting her attention but not begging for nor demanding it. 'More than half, to be sure, in the making.' He smiled then, his lips pulled back and teeth parted, the scent drifting around, the same smell the lands here knew well, volcanic scents. If a new vent opened near the den the scent in the air would be the same, not uncommon at all.

She took in a deep breath and shook her head, "All little ones cry and wander. she cried and wandered quite a bit." She added nonchalantly. Sonellion really did consider Yare's children to be her children; and she was just as defensive of them as Yare was. "I'll take you're word for that." She replied looking down at him. She had to admit; it was interesting and impressive to see him do that. She wondered once more why he'd called her out here; wanting an answer soon. She wasn't known for being patient after all.

"If I snapped their necks," his teeth snapped shut loudly in the midnight quiet, 'they would do neither, and her body would accept another litter sooner, much sooner, and you could help me plant it there. We could try, and you could have the feeling that you missed out on.' He rolled to his feet and sauntered over to her, stepping around her, and then, rubbing the length of his body a hair's breadth past hers.

She sat up straight as an arrow and snarled a deep hateful snarl at him. "If you touch them; I will kill you. I'll break your legs so you can't get away and tear you apart piece by piece." She moved away from him and walked a few feet distance from him before turning to look at him and sitting down again; as if she were undisturbed. "She wouldn't have cubs anytime soon." She told him matter of factually. It would take her years; the stress would abort any child before it had time to grow." She told him; completely ignoring his offer; too focused on his suggestion that he might kill Yaret- her cubs.

Xaphan laughed at her reaction, an audible sound, but soft still, his voice coming from far away. 'Such a reaction, and I had the impression that you hated the lot of them, wanting this lovely form all to your own and always being in control? That's changed~' He dare to walk around her again, calm as the night. 'It's been a while since we brushed minds~ I want a look, a closer look, at what makes you tick, Sone~'

"My wants have never concerned you before." She said in a somewhat monotone voice. "This body has nothing to do with their lives. We both carried them. The demon inside Burilda reflects myself; as for the other; I'm not sure yet." She stated plainly. She didn't move this time as he walked around her again; keeping an unaffected facial expression. She pulled back one side of her upper lip to expose one fang. "Funny when I wanted a taste it didn't seem to matter to you at all."

This time he did rub against her as his form made a tighter circuit, he rubbed his head up under her chin as Xiang would do to Yare, trailing the full length of his body, nose to tail tip and trot off, but Xaphan turned again and stayed near, not caring to go anywhere else at the moment. "I am not concerned," he coughed, 'I wish no ill upon the tiny ones, I just wanted to see your blood riled,' he smiled again, wide, teeth showing. 'It was you that chose those two, though all four were dark, to keep, so I know you sense something usable inside them. You claim them as your own. Next time I want one.'

Sonellion resisted the urge to lean her head into the touch and stiffened slightly her fur rising a bit at the sensation and then settling. But any good feelings that it might have illicited were soon vanished as soon as he began to speak again. She didn't appreciate being played like that. Nor did she like the way he smiled. "Why." She stated simply. "Why do you want one? You won't be able to have any part in raising it. In teaching it. She'll think it's one of hers again and make sure to keep away any bad influences."

He sent the image of pure dark night with golden fire and red orange curls, "Tastes change," he whispered aloud. 'She is coming with the rest, she is mine, she could be ours, or she could be mine alone. She will know us better than the others, we would be her sire and dam.' He nuzzled her gently and with actions picked up from the leonine pair, tender and well known affection, mirrored.

Sonellion's whole body softened at the image of a child of her own in her head. She was beautiful to say the least. She knew at this point she was being used; but to be able to do something like that; to have one of them be hers and not Yaretzi's; one that she'd created but that Yaretzi would think was all her own... She liked the idea; the mind ******** it would be when and if she ever found out. And it was getting slightly harder to resist the affection; even if it was being faked. She had; after all; attempted to have this moment more than once. "How do you plan on hiding this from Xiang..."

'I hide a lot of things from Xiang,' he nuzzled her and a soft burst of purr rumbled out, 'it isn't hard. What about yours?' As he curled and nuzzled her gently, he meant it, for this moment he meant it, and maybe again, he would again.

"We're of two separate minds." she told him; relaxing into him; slowly. Grudgingly. Just because she'd always been so quick to try and sleep with him; didn't mean that as soon as he was ready and willing that she would be. "Just as Yaretzi can not read your mind; she can't read mine." She closed her eyes for a moment; listening to the purring and wondering why it sounded so enticing.

"Wonderful~" He breathed, 'Has anyone, from here to hell, ever told you, that you can be, very sweet, Sone?' He curled to laying around her, shutting his eyes for a bit as well. 'Until then, if it would please you, to repay your gift of sweetness, you may also call upon me, if you wish to speak, or be heard.' He raised his head and touched his muzzle against hers, breathing her breath, for a moment.

She laid down with him; taking a moment to experience the touch of another with out it being vicious and with the intent of causing a maiming. "You and I both know I'm know to be a hateful thing." She told him a more friendlier tone to her voice now. "I doubt I will. There are only so many times that I can fully block her out. I think I'll save up my energy for when I need it." She informed him a sly smile on her face. "I expect you to make this worth my while Xaphan."

"I expect the same of you," '-as does she.' He began to groom her then, because he felt she'd let him, and for some reason he felt he'd like to, very much. He couldn't smile while doing it, but inside he smiled widely, and shared that with her and with the other one.

"Tell me something Xaphan." She started; letting him groom her for a moment or two before pulling her body away to lay on her side; facing him; her limbs laying lazily beneath her. "What do you plan on doing with this daughter of ours once you have her?"

'Isn't that for her to decide? She has ideas, this little one, but she isn't letting much out. Besides that, there is still time to decided whatever else should be done, or is there something you'd like to add?'

"No." She replied nonchalantly her tail absentmindedly sweeping back and forth. "Just curious as to what you and I plan to bring into this world." She groaned standing up and shaking out her fur of the loose dust and debris. "Now if you'll excuse me; I can feel Yaretzi tossing and turning in her psyche; I have a feeling she'll soon awaken and I'd hate for her to find herself out here."

Xiang's tail twitched with hers brushing over familiar fur, Xaphan stood when she did, to follow her back down into the den, after all, he should also be there when day arrived for their lions. 'She called to me, and I agreed, and you agree, whatever else, we'll see~' He also shook himself before entering the den, the shadows fell away as if they were never there at all.

"I suppose we shall." She replied making her way down the side of the cave agilely and with a sure foot. She didn't stop to wait for him rather she trotted right into the den; past the two cubs curled around one another. She smiled happily at the thought that soon she'd have one that she'd had a hand in creating. But the smile soon faded from her muzzle as she laid herself down and closed her eyes; receding back into Yaretzi's consciousness less she should wake up and realize that she couldn't do anything.

Xaphan let Sone go and become Yaretzi again, he stood at the den opening and looked at the females all curled and sleeping there for a short moment, before carefully going to join them once again, and slid himself away.