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"I didn't actually kick you," she retorted tartly and shoved her nose high into the air, "quit being such a baby. There are worse things in this world than infertility."

It was true, particularly to a cheetah such as she- who had no desire to start a family of her own in this life or the next. Cubs were troublesome, annoying creatures that Siya could never possibly bring herself to enjoy. It would be amusing, she supposed, to whisper lies in their little ears and watch as they turned against each other. But that was where the fun of family life would surely end for her.

"You're right. Eternal youth would be so much better," Siya purred at him, even though she was peeved by the way he'd corrected her. He had a point, of course, but the pale blue cheetah had never liked opposition. If they were not her equals, she preferred her companions to be obedient and compliant. So far, Xana had proved to be nothing but a trickster.

Still, a nagging little feeling at the back of her head reminded her that it might be a good idea to show him kindness. With all his talk of treasure and infertility, it certainly seemed liked she'd found her soul mate. Or, at least, somebody that she could use freely, whenever the mood suited her, and then toss to the side without so much as a blink.

"You poor thing," she cooed softly and took a bold step forwards, seeking to comfort him in order to fulfill her own selfish desires- or was it simply curiosity?

"Babies whine, Xana," Siya had to mentally remind herself to keep her tone of voice pleasant, "You are whining, therefore you're acting like a baby. It's very strange that you would admit all of your flaws to me so readily. I was under the impression that you thought yourself to be big and... strong."

She was inexperienced when it came to the art of seduction, but she was clever enough to realize that it probably involved a large amount of softly spoken words, compliments and a little bit of eye contact. He could give her something that she thought she might want, and Siya was desperately trying to keep a certain mood going. So far, being this kind to somebody who liked to complain as much as he did was proving to be difficult. Fortunately, she was who she was. And she could manage anything.

"To tell you the truth, I'd rather be infertile," the words were like sugar on her tongue as she took another step closer, and gauged his reaction through half-lidded eyes. She was trying to look coy and sweet at the same time, but was unsure if the expression would work on him or not.

"It doesn't take wisdom to hide your faults," this time, Siya simply could not resist the urge to scoff at him, "all it takes is a sense of insecurity. Insecurity is not a strength."

She could have cared less about his obvious attempts to change the subject. It had always been difficult for her to avoid confrontation and now, even though she wanted something else from him, the golden-eyed cheetah wasn't about to make any exceptions.

"The reason for what?" she murmured softly and batted her eye-lashes in his direction, in what was one of the most innocent gestures she could muster, "I thought that somebody as handsome as you are would be able to tell when a lady was... interested."

"Perhaps you are not as clever as you think you are," Siya countered breezily and flicked her tail from side to side in a precise and hypnotic rhythm, like the pendulum of an old grandfather clock, "Perhaps, you misread the signs. I am not a simple, easy little girl. I know what I want, and I take it, when I want to take it. It's never the other way around."

He was confused. She could see it in his eyes and the way the he responded to her advances. Then, something in her eyes flashed darkly when he mentioned not wanting to get her any more presents. Was this what he'd been after all along?

"Whether or not you bring me presents is completely up to you, darling," she said sweetly, "if you're willing to deal with the consequences, or lack of body heat and companionship, then it is of no real loss to me. I could live without your gifts."

A sigh whispered passed her lips as she took a step back and shook her head at him.

"We should sleep, I think, and you can take whatever time you need to think about my so-called strange behavior."

He was painfully sure of himself. Ah, well, his misconstrued confidence was of no real concern to her. Xana had just issued a challenge that she intended to win, when the time called for it. If she wanted to leave, there would be no stopping her. And, no matter how far or how long he searched, his quest would never sway in his favor. She was too clever.

The other cheetah couldn't possibly know it, but his obvious possessiveness had already turned her slightly sour. She longed to use him and then sneak away, with the knowledge that she may have broken his heart, because there would never be another person that she could belong to. Siya prided herself on her independence, and that was something she'd vowed never to lose.

"Suit yourself," she shrugged simply, as though all his talk about gifts and consequences didn't really matter, "Lead the way to where? I see no reason why we can't sleep here."

His manners didn't catch her off guard. In fact, with the exception of the occasional retort, Xana had been nothing but very kind to her. Before, she'd distrusted his almost sweet and generous nature. Now, she assumed that it was the only way he knew how to compensate for his lack of fertility. Most girls would find a man who couldn't provide them with children unattractive and even loathsome. Siya found every single one of them, if there had been as many as he eluded to, to be painfully stupid.

Xana could be so useful. For a second, she felt sorry for him.

"You'd better," she chuckled in a good natured fashion as she turned and started to find them a decent place to rest, "or, I'll just take my reward when I see fit."