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The air had been humid and hot for a majority of the day and Siya, an elegant pale blue cheetah, had let it all go to waste while she snoozed peacefully in the shelter and shade provided by a particularly large and very speckled boulder. It had been some time since her little meeting with Etana, and while they had agreed to become partners, Siya was having a difficult time accepting the fact that she and other girl would probably be constant companions for a long while- or, at least, until their little contract used it's self up.

As it was, she'd spent most of the day alone, and gratefully so. There was nothing Siya appreciated more than time to herself.

A cool wind whistled passed her ears and ruffled the fur on her back as the golden sun slowly began to settled behind the horizon. The sky was painted hundreds of stunning colors, ranging from blue and orange and even (in some places) pink. The not-so-sudden approach of the night, coupled with the sudden temperature shift in the surrounding air were enough to rouse the female cheetah.

She blinked her eyes, yawned so wide a baseball could have fit in her mouth, and then glanced all around her.

A pair of beautiful golden eyes raked across the savanna as the dying sun finally slipped completely behind the line that marked the end of one day, and the begining of a new one. There wasn't anything particular that she was looking for. Really, all she wanted was to find something interesting to keep her occupied before boredom (which, was essentially nothing) could take over. Being alone was nice, but only so much time could pass before she was overwhelmed by the very dullness of it all.

A male cheetah, decorated with a feather, caught her eye and a ghost of a smile flickered across her face. It had been some time since she'd had any real playtime. Even if he proved to be a witless blade of grass, she'd (hopefully) get a bit of fun out of him.

Still, she was at a bit of a loss as to how to get his attention. He seemed incredibly intent on his task, whatever it was. He may have been headed straight in her direction, but she suspected that his concentration might prevent him from noticing her.

What a crime that would be.

"It's rather late out," she called out to him from her position beside the boulder, voice as loud and as friendly as she could manage, "shouldn't you be asleep?"

Siya knew next to nothing about her own heritage and didn't care either way. She was who she was; petite and elegant and incredibly clever. That had always been good enough for. Trivial things like her past and fer family were of very little consequence. She usually had far more important things on her mind- owning things, for instance.

The little gem that he let slip from his mouth and covered with his paw went unnoticed, but she could not ignore the way he sort of limped towards her. That was very odd. She wondered if he was injured and inquired about it;

"Are you hurt?" there was a fair amount of concern in her voice, but she really felt no pity.

His statement about the twilight caused a low, delighted chuckle to slip between her lips.

"I do not tire easily. What makes you think I'll still be around later to ask you about your sleeping habits?"

She probably would be, but that didn't matter right now. He didn't need to know that this was one of her favorite resting spots.

"What's the hurry?" she asked him curiously, and her golden eyes sparkled with something just a bit more dangerous then that. This male appeared to be falling into his role as her next victim as easily as she'd hoped he would. Siya couldn't blame him- she was a beautiful girl, after all, and practically impossible to resist. Her intentions were only to play and, while she might be willing to promise him things, there was almost no gaurantee that she would follow through with her supposed commitments. She liked to tease, so tease she would.

"You're very bold," Siya murmured breezily and remained where she sat, "and that feather is very nice, but I can not be bought so easily and my trust is a whole 'nother matter. It is priceless. Why would I let you sleep beside me, when I do not even know your name?"

His story about the feather and the king's daughter was of little concern to her. She did not care if it was true. It was his eager disposition and the way that he so readily offered up the beautiful item that set her on edge. Siya knew nothing of generosity, and suspected that his kindness might have been inspired by other less-innocent motives.

Her golden eyes widened in delight at the site of the gem, but she did her best to maintain an air of indifference. It was an incredibly pretty stone but, she reasoned, it would be even more beautiful if it belonged to her. Siya suspected that he intended to hypnotize her with it and entice her into liking him. This other, larger male cheetah was a clever trickster and it struck her suddenly that she would not be able to play with him the way she'd originally wanted. To play such games with the likes of him could be more than foolish- it might be dangerous.

"Oh," Siya scoffed icily and took a step back from him, while the beginnings of a scheme found their way into her head, "I'm afraid you've hit one of my many guilty nerves. Stay with me, then, if you wish."

She held little concern for him or the way he'd attempted to guilt-trip her (with all that talk about kinder females) into letting him stay. Let him think he'd succeeded. It didn't matter. Siya was rarely kind without good reason and this time, as she suspected that she might be able to steal his little stone and that stunning feather away while he was sleeping, there was plenty of reason for her to be nice to him.

"Where are you journeying to? The side of some silly little lover, perhaps?"

It was a stab in the dark- one that she hoped might ruffle his feathers.

"I suppose it might be," a low chuckle slipped between her lips, "I do love to tease. That, most probably would say, is a guilty pleasure."

It was more honest than she would have been with anybody else, but that was all a part of her little scheme. He had tried to bribe her off with his feather and now, as he waved that little stone all over the place, she was incensed by the way he taunted her. This male was up to something, though she couldn't be certain what, and therefore he was untrustworthy.

It was best to let him know that he wouldn't be getting anywhere with her.

"Somebody as handsome as you without a mate?" she clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in a manner that clearly suggested she did not believe him, "I find that hard to believe. You must be a very good brother- to do such nice things for your sister."

"I have a sister of my own," she lied easily, "our father is insanely protective. I simply can't stand it."

She couldn't help but wonder how this boy, if he really was as innocent and as good as he claimed to be, had possibly fallen into this little moment of her life. It would pass, she was quite sure, without consequence, but Siya was still curious as to why the gods had chosen to place the likes of him in her eager paws.

What had she done to deserve this wonderful little toy?

It was quite clear to her, due to the way he kept tossing around that beuaitful gem and the way he'd so promptly requested her presence beside him as he slept, that Xana was not as naive as he pretended to be. Siya's background had made her naturally suspicious, and she wasn't about to ditch that habit just because this male knew how to flatter a girl. What did he want?

"That is it, though, isn't it?" she sat up straighter, "I do not trust you. It is hard for me to believe that somebody who is as good at complimenting fine girls as you are has never had a mate. Besides, I have little use for virgins."

Nevermind the fact that she was one herself. It wasn't about that. Siya was attempting to catch him in his lie and the only way to do that, would be to play with his mind. She had always been good at that.

"Actually, I dislike my sister. She was always very good at getting me in trouble with our father. He never liked my idea of fun."

She let his little comment about her supposed father's absence slide. For all he knew, that could be a personal issue. There was no real need for her to divulge that particular information.

"I like to be called Siya."

The delicately blue female's own scheme appeared to be dwindling into a bit of a stalemate. Xana swore that he was mate-less and a virgin and, aside from the various trinkets he promised to bring her, Siya was having a bit of difficulty imagining that she might enjoy sleeping beside him whenever he chose. She did believe that he would hold true to his word and bring her the things that he said he would, but her company could only be bought for so long. Over time, Siya suspected that she might grow weary of their little arrangements.

"I do not have a den," she answered him simply, "I usually like to sleep wherever I choose, whenever I choose. You're welcome to sleep beside me, because I would enjoy the gifts that you promise me, but I can not gaurantee that I will always be around. Contrary to what you might have assumed, I do have places to go and people to see."

While Siya did prefer certain areas of the savanna, there was no keeping her in one place for any long period of time. It was impossible, due to the very nature of her lies and the tales she liked to spin, for her to remain stationary. There was no way she was going to make an exception for just any old male.

"I would like to make our deal a bit more fun, if you're alright with that?"