He would be a great big liar if he said he didn’t spend a majority of the day preparing for this moment. He had spent the morning hunting about for a sufficient offering, finally having the luck to catch a plump rabbit some while later. He had gone to the streams in the willow grove and fretted over each curl in his fur, checked his teeth in his shivering reflection and then practiced his strut. He decided he looked good enough when he found himself smirking into the water a little longer than he ought to. A “hm” of satisfaction put an end at last to his primping and sent him on his way to Imperium with his gift and handsome self.

He wondered what Valentine would think. What was the worst that could happen? He didn’t think the other male would react violently… but then again, he supposed he hadn’t gotten to know him well enough to say for sure. He guessed that realistically, the worst that could happen would be that Valentine would be upset, and wouldn’t let him back again. What a tragedy that would be. He worried over the fact. He felt nervous, even – which was a strange feeling for the creature who so prided himself on being free of negative emotions. ”Ah, there are others,” he told himself, scolding nearly and smiling faintly in spite of his worry.

When Nagendra arrived outside of Imperium territory [Buffalo Knolls], the familiar sight of the gentle hills broadened his smile. He inhaled deeply, realizing then that he should have had an entirely different worry all along. What if Valentine wasn’t even there anymore?! The worry came only seconds before it was dispelled by the male’s remembered scent, although it was more of the fact that he hadn’t thought about the possibility that distressed him, rather than the actual thought. He inhaled once more – this time for the calming effect – and then set his rabbit on the ground and lifted his head to give a few modest but loud barks. Then he’d shift his weight and legs into a perfected, even stance and wait with the slightest of smiles on his face.

Valentine's breath caught. His ears pricked forward and his head rose as the familiar voice called out to him. Nagendra? Was that really his Nagendra? Several emotions warred for control as he stared in the direction the barks had come from. His first reaction was to be glad, to be pleased and relieved that his man had returned. But his second... Valentine's second reaction was to be wary. The question of spies was on his mind now more than ever and while he'd shared himself with this particular prodigal, would that not just deepen the betrayal? And there he was. Precious as ever, Nagendra was unchanged and just as desirable as the day they'd met. The mere sight of him was enough to awaken a longing in the King, but he held himself in check. He needed to know more about why the man had gone and what had brought him back before any kind of reunion could be savored. Slowing to a halt before the slender man, Valentine hungrily studied his person but made no move to touch him, to show just how pleased he was to see him again. Nonetheless he couldn't contain the delight enough to keep it from his features so his eyes glittered with affection and the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly in a smile. "Nagendra," he chastised teasingly in a soft voice. Adopting an intentionally see through pout, he rumbled accusingly, "You left me."

How foolish, that he would let the mere glimpse of a bluish shape spring both excitement and anxiety into his breast, make the breath seize up in his lungs and his heart skip a beat. The man would’ve laughed, if he weren’t feeling so nervous. He remained poised as Valentine approached – not rod-straight, but standing delicately, with grace somehow still thriving in his perfectly static position. He was silent as the hulking creature slowed to a stop before him, equally quiet and soon equally still. There was a brief moment when Nagendra felt a flash of not simple anxiety, but real fear, stealing like an inky serpent into his chest with the uncertainty of the moment.

And then it vanished, cleansed by the divine light that was the faintest of smiles and the warmth that radiated from ice-blue eyes. Nagendra beamed. This time he could not carve that usual sultry, confident edge into his grin. It was just happy. He swallowed when Valentine said his name, and tried to calm his grin – tried to look more composed and less silly. It was easier to do when Valentine’s next statement followed, for although it might’ve been intended to be softened by his play-pout, it still rang true. Nagendra felt guilty.

He glanced to the side briefly, his smile fading as he tried to make the glint of regret in his eyes less apparent. It survived for only a second before he was able to cleanse and restore his expression. There was the slightest of smirks – only even visible to one side of his mouth – as he replied, ”I warned you. At least, I think I did. I’m not terribly good at staying in one place.” He had said something about poor commitment skills, hadn’t he? He thought so. ”Of course, that had little to do with it. I was going to get you breakfast one morning, and well, this little devil just kept running and running. Led me all over the place – I might’ve crossed an ocean or two… But I finally got him,” he said, lifting a single brow as he tipped his head indicatively towards the rabbit, humor in his tale where his voice had evaded it. He’d lean down to nose it towards Valentine before standing up straight, his slender face painted in a flattering seriousness once more. ”I am sorry though. I’ve missed here… I’ve missed you.” It wasn’t as if he’d known Valentine for years and been desperately attached, but there was certainly something he felt – a wisp of something potentially strong between the two of them, and he had missed that and the interesting wolf he’d begun to know.

An exaggerated sigh left his lips as Nagendra voiced his first statement. He had, hadn't he? Then Valentine couldn't really blame him, now could he? They'd entered into their relationship - whatever the hell it was exactly - with that out in the open. That didn't lessen the restlessness and loss he'd felt upon realizing that Nagendra probably wasn't coming back. Now, faced with his return, Valentine over the moon. Hearing Nagendra's voice was enough to banish the doubts and fears, leaving behind nothing but pleasure in seeing the man again. Thinking he was in for a serious tale, Valentine cocked his head to the side as Nagendra began to explain what had pulled him away. Quickly the humor in it was revealed and the corners of Valentine's mouth rose further. And Nagendra bent to nose the rabbit to him, Valentine stepped closer in the hopes of shortening the distance between them to a more intimate one. With an apology on his tongue Nagendra straightened and Valentine was quick to try to silence him with a kiss aimed at his dark lips. Carefully he took a step over the rabbit. "Apology accepted," the King murmured. A heads up, should there be a next time, would be greatly appreciated though. "I've missed you too," he admitted. Valentine's grin grew lopsided. "In a few different ways."

Valentine shredded the distance between them with a few swift strides, and planted a kiss upon Nagendra’s lips. He was pleasantly surprised, a small “mm” caught behind sealed lips. The blue male’s voice gave him confirmation then of the forgiveness bestowed to him, and he exhaled softly with sustained relief. He chuckled at Valentine’s last comment before giving a sly smirk. ”I can imagine, each one as vivid as when it visited me in my dreams,” he crooned softly, his voice deep and rich and dripping with the sensuality of the picture it painted. His let his gaze linger on the ground for a second, seemingly captivated in the idea.

Then quickly, his muzzle would tip back up to aim to trace along Valentine’s jaw with his nose. ”So, I’m back in then?” he questioned perkily. ”Hunting or scouting or whatever you’ll have me do?” He inhaled, sifting through Valentine's smell and enjoying it. He had not realized how much he had begun to like that smell. ”Oh!” he exclaimed, pulling back with new excitability, ”and tell me! What has happened while I’ve been gone? Is Rhythm still here? And Lysis and Kyarst?” It had been quite a while. In fact, he was somewhat surprised Valentine was still ruling here – not out of doubt of power, but out of thinking that maybe the other would get bored with stable life, and wander like he had.

Nagendra's nose brushing against Valentine's jaw had the King wondering if their reunion was going to take a more intimate turn. That is, until he voiced his first question. Ah, so he was buttering him up, huh? Well, that was definitely, completely, totally...going to work. Pretending to consider the man's request (the answer was already yes), Valentine hummed to himself thoughtfully and took his sweet time in answering, his expression one of pained contemplation. "Hmmmm," he rumbled, his tone laced with exaggerated indecisiveness, "Well, you did leave without so much as a word. Let me worry for weeks on end..." He trailed off into silence, drawing out what he hoped was an agonizing wait. A tiny taste of revenge? Yes, indeed. Dropping the act suddenly, Valentine regarded Nagendra with a sly expression. "Of course you're back in, as my consocia and whichever rank of those two, hunter or scout, that you prefer." The smaller man asked about what all had happened while he was gone and Valentine smiled, his thoughts fixing on Rhythm. "They are all still here and," he said warmly, "Rhythm is pregnant."

He had been fairly certain of his pardon for the most part, and only asked for the final, absolute confirmation. Valentine’s enduring teasing gave him a worry once again, but only for the first sentence’s worth of time. Nagendra’s brows pressed down over jade eyes, the corners of his lips twitching up with pointed amusement. His smiled softened when the alpha reassured him of his place. ”I think I shall continue with the hunting. Although, I am always up for… secret missions, if you have any,” he grinned. Recon! He liked exciting things, and that was something that sounded exciting.

His smile remained when Valentine told him that Lysis and Kyarst and Rhythm were still around. How nice! It would be good to still know some members of the pack, with his return. When he mentioned Rhythm being pregnant, the brown wolf’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Pregnant by Valentine? He remembered Rhythm had told him something about her relations with the alpha. ”Congratulations,” he said, hints of surprise in his voice, the formation of the word somewhat slowed as he tried to decide what to think of it. Did that mean that they were mates now? Was Rhythm a queen? ”Does this mean that… you're both… unavailable now?” he glanced to the ground and back up as he searched for the right word.  He was worried that it meant Valentine had made a kind of commitment – the sort that would lock him away from Nagendra, although his reaction to his return promised otherwise. As for Rhythm, he was a bit disappointed, if only for the fact that this probably meant she was a forbidden fruit now. But he could respect that, for Valentine.  

”I think I shall continue with the hunting. Although, I am always up for… secret missions, if you have any.” At this Valentine chuckled. He found Nagendra to be very disarming and didn't for one second think he was the only one who found him so charming. The man would do well in such a role and Valentine was sure he would be able to, if necessary, charm his way out of any situation. "You'll be the first I consider." At first Nagendra's reaction to the news of Rhythm's pregnancy pleased the King, his surprised expression flooding Valentine with pride. He would have continue to ride that high had not Nagendra voiced his next question. Both? The word immediately grabbed his attention and the brute's pride shifted to jealousy. As loving and attentive as he was with Rhythm, Valentine was twice as possessive and jealous. He'd told her she was different and she was. "She is," he said in a low voice. Hopefully that was enough of a hint for Nagendra. As much as the King liked him, that affection wouldn't stop him from completely emasculating the man if he so much as looked at Rhythm in a way the King didn't like.

He grinned at Valentine’s promise, for although it may have sounded as playful as his suggestion of the duty, Nagendra very much did hope that he would genuinely be considered for something so exciting, so special. In his romanticizing of such tasks, he had cut out much of the harm that could come from espionage and sneaking about. Not his own bodily harm, but the kind that really mattered – whatever lives he might harm in secret-stealing and the infiltration of lifestyles. He didn’t think much about the darker characters that were more often than not associated with it – only of the thrill and risk.

Nagendra’s question was a hammer, and so as it was brought down did it strike upon Valentine’s pretty mask. The porcelain of all the nice things Nagendra had come to know him by – the allure and the kind attention that the brown wolf craved – was fractured. Not shattered, but fractured. And so did a delicate sliver of the mask fall free, allowing Nagendra to see and feel something he did not like. He did not like the way Valentine spoke to him. He did not like his tone. He did not like the hypocrisy that he tasted on that two word response. He did not like the underlying threat he felt prickling beneath his skin. His smile vanished. His tongue ever so slightly traced the insides of his lips. He did not want to argue with Valentine (especially since he suddenly felt very unsafe), but there was too much about that scant reply that upset him. ”By her own choice, I should hope,” he said softly. Perhaps Rhythm loved the blue-eyed beast, and had promised herself to him while knowing that he would continue his games with others, but to him, it sounded like Valentine had made that decision for her. How arrogant, to claim someone all for your own – hoard them – while you yourself continued to swim in the luxury of freedom and pleasure.

He himself liked to swim in the luxury of freedom - of boundless sex - but he never expected anything more of his partners. It was only fair, that they might do the same as he. ”I should also hope that my being consocia to you does not give you any false ideas of ownership,” he said, lifting his eyes to meet Valentine’s, his face empty. His heart beat fast. He knew how unpredictable anyone could be, and he knew that Valentine did not seem to be someone who took opposition well. But beyond the feeling of threat, his heart also beat quickly because he did not want to argue. He did not want the words that he had needed to say to spark anything bigger. He did not want to create a rift between them.

”By her own choice, I should hope.” This simple statement was almost enough to send Valentine lunging into the face of the speaker. Who did he think he was? Some knight in shining armor with grandiose thoughts of protecting a princess? Fuck him and the horse he rode in on. He knew nothing and his assumptions were going to cost him if he didn't choose his words with a little more care. "Rest assured," he said coldly, "that Rhythm and I are on the same page. I've been honest with her since we met and by implying that I have been deceitful or that she is here against her will you have put yourself on very thin ice." So know your role and shut your hole. Ownership was a funny word to choose considering the freedom with which Nagendra had used to gamble about like a bunny up until this very moment. "When has your freedom ever been called into question? Did I hunt you down and drag you back when you left? Attack and claim you on sight when I saw you on the border? No, I welcomed you here, Nagendra and you are free to slut it up wherever you like." Well, almost anywhere. "That being said, if you choose to remain here in Imperium myself and those in the tiers above you will have authority over you and if you can't accept that, now is your chance to leave." He paused to study the man, still firmly grasping the anger that Nagendra had called to life. "I do keep slaves, Nagendra, and that is something else you should take into consideration if you wish to remain here. If you find any of this unacceptable, this is your chance to walk away." This would be his only chance to do so without threat of punishment. If he stayed now he would be accepting everything that had been explained to him and if he decided at a later date that pack life wasn't for him there was no guarantee that he'd be able to leave peacefully.

Valentine’s voice was icy. It bit into his flesh and poisoned the already uncomfortable scrapes the past second had made upon his mood. ”I am sorry to have offended you. Know that I will respect your relationship with her – I was just off put by how you presented the information,” he explained himself, his spine tingling and his throat tightening. His heart was beating quicker and quicker. He did not want to fight with Valentine, but this was happening. Should he have kept quiet, that moment ago? … No. It had bothered him and he had wanted clarification. He had gotten it, at a steep price.

Valentine, his anger still burning blue and cold as his eyes, continued to explain. Nagendra listened in silence, like a reprimanded child. His head hung down slightly, his stare glued to the ground. The larger wolf’s last sentence on authority echoed thoroughly within his brain. He tried to think about it as quickly as he could – tried to weight in from each corner of his own ideals whether or not he should accept it. The gears in his head spun rapidly, but to little avail. If he did stay, was it even possible for him to repair the rift that had suddenly split between them? He licked his lips nervously, still eying the ground, still silent. He thought that, for the first time in years, he might cry. Then Valentine told him something he had not known.

Slaves? He glanced up, his jade eyes sparkling with moisture (not from the notion of slaves, but from the accumulating stress of the situation) as they searched Valentine’s face. He looked back down again. He didn’t know how he felt about it. While he was very kindhearted and never wished harm upon others, he was still plenty lacking in any righteous creed. He had no shapely morals – only his own odds and ends tailored to his own situations and needs. He had never encountered any slaves before, or any slave owners, and thus found himself very unable to judge what he thought of it. It put him in a very frustrating place. Some gears spun in his head furiously, but none meshed to turn the rest and so he got nowhere. His “chance” to walk away sounded like a singular opportunity. It sounded like, by staying, he would be delving into the very commitment that was the antithesis of his being.

But somehow, he was still considering it.

Somehow, being here had made him yearn for a place to belong. He wanted the best of so many worlds – to greedily take what pleased him and to give only what he wanted to. In these ways he was wrong and corrupt and he knew it but did not mind it. But it seemed here he would find a block in the way of these pursuits. A choice that he needed to make. It was excruciatingly difficult, and no matter how hard he tried to plug each choice into each equation of his beliefs in his mind, he could gain no particular leverage on either side. He breathed softly, his pupils widening and dripping an unfocused stare upon the grass at his feet.

He had sparked Valentine’s anger – broken whatever had been building between them and unveiled a side of him that he did not like. And although he wasn’t certain he could, he badly wanted to mend the fissure that he had created. He did not want to leave this one part of Alacritia he had begun to know. He did not want to sever himself from this person he had found, even if he was finding that he was not who he thought he was. There was something alluring about it.

”If I leave, will I ever see you again?” he asked simply.

In response to all Valentine had to say, Nagendra asked one single question. Those nine simple words were enough to give the King pause and to cast a chill over his anger. He'd been so caught up in being pissed at Nagendra that he hadn't fully considered the consequences of their spat. That little question brought the ramifications crashing down at once. With that question it boiled down to what he, Valentine, wanted. He didn't take opposition well. Raised in an environment where those with opposing views were snuffed out or cowed into silence, the King struggled to stomach the idea that not everyone needed to agree with him. It went against everything he'd been taught. "I think," he said slowly, "if you left it would be better if you did not." Valentine was a proud creature. He knew himself well enough to know that, if Nagendra chose to leave, it would be in his best interest to never be seen by the King again.

His question lifted like a bird taking flight, then stuck in the air between his and Valentine’s faces, the delicate and plain syllables trickling back to the earth in decay.  As it hung there, his cocked ears devoured the quiet, momentarily grateful. He changed his mind, he thought. He did wish he could go back in time, just a few minutes, and have never asked that question that had started this whole fight. How stupid! That just a question had crushed the sprout of knowing and bonding that could’ve been! He could have found out from Rhythm first, and she could have babbled to him her love for Valentine (if that was how it was) and he could have felt bad but in the end he would have gotten over it. And then Valentine would have still been alright with him and giving him his freedoms. Now he’d reduced that down to do or don’t. Fuck.

Valentine’s answer came slow and steady. The sentence came with cushion, and after processing it, Nagendra began to wonder why. He thought? Of course he didn’t “think.” This was it. Nagendra had upset him once, and now it was stay or get lost. The brown wolf was silent still as he began to think more. Initially, the response had immediately swayed his decision towards staying – given him a desperate sense of clinging. He didn’t really know anyone else in Alacritia, and subconsciously felt pigeonholed into Imperium. It felt like an island of familiarity in a sea of unknown that once would have so thoroughly attracted him, but now frightened him.

Yet… he didn’t feel so safe trusting his first feelings now… He wondered, if Valentine had gotten so upset over one thing, was he really someone he wanted to stay around? Was he just an asshole? Would he, if further disagreements should arise, sink to lower, more hateful levels and enslave the carefree wanderer? He chewed at the inside of his cheek, still looking down, thinking. He tried to weigh the pros and cons. He tried to think what he would do right now if he turned and left. Where would he go? It was… growing boring flitting here and there, hoping to find someone interesting. It did happen, but not that often. If he had a place to go back to… well, there would always be something to go back to… Maybe… maybe if he stayed here for a long time and was forgiven, then perhaps if he found he really did not like it after all – after he had paid for his violation – maybe Valentine would understand.

He ran back and forth in his head like a frightened rabbit. Which one was right? Which one would spare him the most pain? He wanted the safe choice, the right choice in the most whole of ways. Which one would keep him healthier and happier – would keep his spirit intact? The logical part of him had already frazzled trying to figure it out. In the end, it left his heart exposed to control. In the end, his subconscious feelings towed him one way like a small flood. Reason was absent and any attempt at reaching for it was like trying to grab fog. Whatever was it that caused his brain to drift towards a choice? Because it wasn’t something so random – there was an organization to it. But its identity, its form, was completely undefinable. It was merely a presence in his mind, untouchable and invisible to his keen thinking. He just felt it.

He inhaled, glancing up at Valentine’s face. His gaze hovered about the blue wolf’s briefly, but did not stay. ”Please forgive my transgression then. I would like to stay.” He did not think about what would happen after – did not think of the awkwardness he would feel or of his plans to seek forgiveness. There was only the present moment and his mind emptied of torturous debate.

Several tense moments drug by as Nagendra labored over the decision that had to be made. Valentine was willing to give him time to think. He didn't grow impatient while he waited, didn't fidget, although it would be a lie to say his mood improved. The King was tense, wound tight from the spat and tighter still by the question that had to be answered. He was caught in between, his emotions in limbo as he awaited the verdict. "I would like to stay." Unaware that he'd been holding his breath, Valentine suddenly found it necessary to let it out in a soft gust. His gaze sought out the distance and he was quiet for a second. "I can appreciate," he said slowly, "your desire to know that Rhythm is alright." With some effort he smoothed his ruffled feathers. "You are welcome to stay. Although," he admitted, "I have no idea where this puts us."

He held his breath. Diminishing oxygen fluttered in his veins with dread. He found it easier to look at Valentine’s face when the taller male looked away, staring at something far off. His chilled voice started slowly, bringing a reserved salvation to Nagendra’s nerves. Oh yes, he wanted to assure – that was all it was! But he kept silent, for the less he said the less he risked upsetting Valentine again. And besides, truthfully, wanting to know that Rhythm was okay was only half of it.

The Imperium Rex would then confirm that he could indeed stay, followed by a somewhat more relaxed sounding comment. Nagendra was relieved. He ran his tongue over the inside of pursued lips, his gaze more able to rest on Valentine’s face now. His own expression was serious, his eyes unblinking. ”I want to stay because of you,” he said. Then, glancing back towards the ground, ”Perhaps some time though…” He did not feel just yet like jumping right back to fawning over Valentine, nor was he sure that Valentine would be accepting of that so soon. He could spend a few days exploring Imperium lands again, getting himself resituated. He didn’t think that he saw everything the first time he was here. There were hills here he had yet to stand atop and valleys he had yet to stroll through.

The brief rise in fiery anger and the subsequent rapid cooling had depleted the brute of energy. He was oddly exhausted and was ready to go off somewhere by himself and brood. Maybe kill some coyotes. Enough time had passed since his and Cascade's coyote cull and the hateful scavengers were beginning to make a comeback. He needed to nip that in the bud anyway, so why not vent a little? Nagendra's gaze, so serious compared to his usual cheer, sought Valentine's. "I want to stay because of you." At these words Valentine's gaze also darted away, only they chose to seek out the distance again. In a way this little spat was probably good for them. Up until this point they'd only been seeing what they wanted to see in each other and now they both knew that each was a bit more complex. His gaze came back almost immediately. "I want you to stay too," he said firmly, his tone sincere. "I also think a little time would be good too. So ah," he took a few slow steps backwards, "I'll leave you to it." -exit unless stopped-

Valentine glanced back and forth again. He looked… uncomfortable. When his gaze clutched Nagendra once more, he spoke, the words so neatly formed and earnest. The feelings that simple statement engendered in the brown wolf could not simply be described as relief. Relief was there, swimming about the soft clenching of his heart, but intertwined with that, delicate yearning danced like the sweet smell of summer on a breeze and like the graceful fall of leaves in the autumn. There was plenty more beyond that – a gentle yet thorough wave of emotion seeping thinly throughout his entire being – however he could grasp no particular aspect of it, no other specific feeling or impression. He ran his tongue over the inside of his pursed lips, his gaze falling to the ground. And then he realized…

It felt right.

He felt reassured, felt certain now. He had made the right decision. And for that he was grateful and glad. He glanced up again, ears tilted forward to listen attentively. Valentine agreed with him on giving time apart to one another, and then turned to leave. The jade-eyed wolf would stand in perfect stillness for a moment as he watched the other leave. Then he would inhale deeply, letting his gaze follow the hills in the distance back to the ground in front of his feet. Valentine had left the rabbit – he hoped out of mere forgetfulness. With a soft exhale, the wolf would bend to pick up the carcass and head into Imperium. Back again.

-exit Nagendra-