Disappointment brooded over his brow, deep and heavy and threatening of thunder. Like broiling clouds the King's mood spread, black and grim, over Salsola. It was irritation, rather than loss, that soured his disposition so - Whilst their raid had been undeniably successful, with the acquisition of those prize beasts and more, it had also been flawed. His disciples had been undisciplined in their actions, and as such, failure had been allowed to take place. It was well known that the wicked monarch of the Thistle Kingdom had a viciously low tolerance for failure; his arbiter, Salvia, had felt the worst of his sting. She had been the leader of the mission, assigned to such an important place due to the rare bestow of trust that Sirius had placed within her. However unfair it may have seemed to an outsider, to the Revlis man, losing Magnolia had been a betrayal of that trust. Salvia had been put in her place - Discipline was necessary with such things, always. Failure such as this would not be allowed to happen again.

And so it was with such bitter distaste that the King, glorified by his own grand pedestal, roamed from the land of thistle and thorn towards the neutral territory, where he would correct the mistakes made by his subjects. This entire ordeal had been messy; Were it not for Magnolia's inherent value, and the wicked plotting of his mind in securing such a reasonable trade-off, the girl might have been left forever to the mercy of the hippie-pack. And mercy, he though with a black smile, was surely what she had been receiving. They were such a pretty people, full of misplaced morals and justice. Had the Salsolans captured an infiltrator on their turf, no negotiations would have been made - Negotiations were not necessary when dealing with the dead.

He was certain his note had been received. Little though he knew of her, X'yrin was said to be an intelligent woman. Sirius had little doubt that she would meet his terms, if she wished to preserve the integrity and the heart of her precious pack. It was grim dealings that brought these two leaders together, but after arriving at the outskirts of the dead city near to the crashing shores, he awaited her approach with a reptilian curiosity. It would be the first time that he met the ruler of the Ichikans, and her presence now would determine how weak he considered the entirety of her pack to be. The wicked king sat in his fourlegged form, a dark angular shadow cut from the bleary light around him. An ocean breeze ruffled his dark pelt, tossing the male's scent into the air. His escorts would remain hidden until he gave the signal for them to show themselves - This meeting was not about aggression, merely negotiation.

It was the shriek of a bird that first announced her presence - Tall coyote ears flattened to his skull as the avian cry rent the half-silence; The world seemed to wait with baited breath, wary of the tension that sizzled in the air. Sirius remained unmoved by the calls of the feathered creature, his narrowed pupils relentlessly scanning until the found the organic, moving shape of another four-legged form.

Her scent came, next, tossed to him along with the battering salty smell of the nearby ocean. It was unmistakably Ichikan, but laced too with authority, as his own was. The peculiar mixture of scents and pheromones marked her as an Alphess, leaving Sirius with little doubt as to the identity of his approacher. The wicked monarch's form remained perfectly still as the wolf approached - Lifeless, but for the flicker of his luminous, acidic eyes as they followed her movement, and the soft tumble of his dark plush pelt as it was buffeted by the cool breeze.

If the female was afraid, she hid it well; He could detect no scent of her fear lingering in the air. Her voice was clear, clean and sharp, and the male committed it along with her scent to memory. Narrowed pupils drank in her appearance, surprised by her beauty, curious of whatever power she held. So this is she, X'yrin, leader of the Ichikans? The wolf's greeting was formal, each title pronounced with the grace of one who knew her position, knew her standing. In spite of himself, the Revlis man was impressed by her facade - He knew himself to be a terrifying creature, both in rumor and in physical presence. The scents of others tickled his black nose, and the King knew that X'yrin had brought along backup, as he had. Black lips twitched up in the corners, in the ghost of a mirthless, grim smile - At least she wasn't a fool.

Her question was what, at last, seemed to pull the serpent from his statue-esque stillness. With a great rippling of movement, Sirius seemed to come to life; His muzzle dipped, parted by a sharp grin that showed the rows of deadly yellowed fangs within his maw. "Such a pretty thing you are, to wear the mantle of a queen," His voice oozed out into the stillness, a poisonous, charming thing. The serpent was said to have a silver tongue. Cold amusement glittered in his gaze as he soaked her in, wicked mind measuring her carefully, thoughtfully. "Lady X'yrin, it is a pleasure to meet you, at last. I am Sirius Revlis, King and Lord of the northern land of thistle, Master of my people, and loved or loathed by all who know me," His words were twisted with mockery, for he found her introduction much too smooth to act in such a serious way himself.

The half-light glinted off of his teeth as the Cheshire grin grew, before disappearing entirely. Suddenly, his countenance was darker, solemn and brooding. "But, enough pleasantries," The thistle King's eyes roved over her form, predatorily, hungrily, but he made no move to rise from his seated position. "Shall we get straight to business?" Courageous, lucky woman - She had come to the devil, and it seemed he was indeed willing to barter.

It was just as well that she did not simper, nor fail before the keen blades within his eyes. Always, those needle-sharp pupils were searching her for weakness - It was a deadly line the woman walked, between the docilities of negotiation, and the brutalities of their primal, predatorial aggression. Had he sensed any such weakness in her, it was highly likely that the male's instinctual darkness might have labeled her as little more than 'prey'. He was, above all else, a Hunter; A creature fashioned from the shadows and from the tainted blood of his wicked ancestors.

But, she was strong, and held a calm facade in spite of the leer of the Thistle King. Perhaps, in hindsight, he would feel some sort of approval for how the woman conducted herself in this meeting, and with that, a sliver of rarely-won respect. For now, though, she was an object to be constantly tested, a creature to be harried by his own dark amusement.

Her voice was soft, but pleasant enough, and his large coyote ears lifted forward atop a wolfish crown to catch the gentle tones. So far, their actions were peaceful enough. Her question was barely barbed, but he could sense within the stillness of her posture the underlying emotion. A deep chuckle oozed from the chest of the king, spilling out between his yellowed fangs, casting a glitter within eyes of acid green. "You wish to know the motives of a madman, dear Queen?" Salmon-pink tongue swept over his chops, and the hungry expression lingered, as the man surveyed his seated acquaintance like one would a meal. "I'll not be interrogated, nor voice my reasons for your ears. That is not the purpose of this... Meeting," The curved claws of his forepaws kneaded at the soft earth, the rumbling swell of his serpentine voice breaking the silence between them.

Itachi's modified scent wafted over his black nose, and the brute paused a moment, allowing the ocean breeze to toss it away before he continued to speak. "You've one of mine, and I wish to have her back. But, I am not an unfair man... I've something you might like in return, of course," His narrowed pupils feasted on her expression, eager to see how this barter might be accepted, or challenged.

The she-wolf seemed to be a thoughtful creature, and by her words, she was truly pacifist, as the nature of her pack would suggest. As she spoke, his black lips peeled up in abhorrence. Peace was a weak and frail concept to the wicked king, who, but for his own flaws, could truly have been a tyrant. "Simple, indeed," The beast sneered, his yellow teeth glinting at her unfavorably. It was within his nature to be sly and cunning, charming when necessary - And yet this woman did not need his charm, for she would already know him for what he truly was; A poisonous serpent, dangerous and distasteful to the views of her pretty little pack. "Would you ask me, too, why we hunt deer? It is in the nature of the predator, my dearest Queen, to consume whatever prey it catches - To hunt whatever weakness is within range of its bite," His volatile eyes flickered at her in warning. There was no desire for physical violence within him, but she was a tasty morsel regardless, and Sirius' unpredictability made him a wild-card in these kinds of negotiations.

But, with the cunning skill of a businessman, he continued to play the strange game that had developed between them. The dark beast's sneer became a sharp, Cheshire-cat smile, sumptuous and starved as hungry eyes continued to gaze sharply at her. He had captured X'yrin's interest with the mention of his barter, and it was now time to deliver. "Yes, indeed. We've something that might be very precious to you and yours, sweet Lady," His expression changed again, becoming harder, sharper, as needle-thin pupils gazed coldly back at the seated Alphess. Eris had told him well enough of the value of their hostage. "I've a child, X'yrin," Black lips were grim as he spoke, the words a thick purr that oozed from the man like a growl, "A child of royal blood, one that would be precious to your people. I have the son of Nayru and Razekiel, previous lords of your land," His yellowed teeth glittered, gaze watching her carefully for a reaction.