A vibrant glade of lush grasses and trees that bloom during all but the coldest of seasons. The sweet fragrance of spring flowers hangs in the air and delicate petals float on the wind and a gentle creek flows through the green meadow.
He knew that she knew, and the smile which curled across his muzzle was all too smug for her liking. He wanted her as a bodyguard, a subordinate, and Ida almost laughed in disbelief. She could have denied him then and there, if only to see his expression crumple and twist as it had with the countless others she'd defied, but she held her tongue. His words were honey sweet, but Ida knew that beneath those delicate petals and feline structure, he had the heart of a shrewd, greedy wolf.
He was offering her many things, many more than he could afford to give as he stood now. He was trying to sweeten the pot--ore, a roof, whatever meat she wanted. He offered everything but independence. He needs me, she realized, and she rasped her tongue around blunted fangs again. He needed her, but he was trying to twist it towards the opposite-- to make her indebted, and reliant.
"Never am ah gunna rely on anyone else fer stone," she rumbled. "Ain't ever gunna trust a need 'tuh someone else's paws," 'less ah'm willin' fer them 'tuh take it away. Her beady gaze flicked between the two cats as her thoughts churned, and an idea came to her then.
"Ah'll follow yuh 'fer as long as ah want, likely 'till yuh settle. Guard yuh n' teach yuh," a flicker of amusement passed through her then; he had no idea how new she was to the land as well. "In exchange ah'll take yer offer fer meat n' medicine. Perks. Call it uh test run. See how it works out 'n where yuh settle. If it's somewhere with uh cool wind n' plenty o' stone, ah'll...consider it."
Ida snapped her mandibles together with a sharp crack, and a chuckle rumbled through her barrel chest. "Yuh ever build with stone, Sol?"Her offer was simple--she would help him, he would humor her. He was no king now, but perhaps...
Her thoughts turned the idea of eventually. If she could survive, thrive, with a king that needed her and believed the opposite. Not as a nameless subordinate who relied on him for survival.
Sol listened and waited for the acceptance. And he was quite patient you know, despite the rather annoying accent which wasn't very fitting for a King to have to listen to. But he'd have to deal with it, especially because she said yes. Basically. A trial run counts as a yes for him.
It took a bit more patience when his name was spoken in that crude accent, not even fully sounded out and with no title to accompany it. It's absurd, the lack of manners around here! He had to get his title back pronto. Or find a way off this god forsaken world.
Right. What was she saying again? Oh yes, stone. After a deep breath, exhaling his frustrations away, he says, “It is Solrentorro. And yes, I have,” he says in a of course I have kind of tone, “Among just being a natural born King, you also happen to be standing in front of one of the best architects in his lifetime. And with the magic gifted to me by this world, I make more things that were previously not possible with primitive paws,” it is then he rises to his feet, walking forward a step to test the earth below him and see what it's made of. Focusing on the earth, he conjures the dirt and stones forward, whisking them into the air, combining pieces here and elevating other pieces there. Aguipua stands alongside him, watching with curiosity. When the artwork is done, he stands back to allow the beast a good site of it.
What's shown is a two story castle; the bottom level had plenty of wholes reminiscent of windows, with the top level void of a roof. The castle was built quite traditionally, and he tried to use the differing colors in the earth-stuff to make the accents and concaves stand out better, “This is a castle. Something like this would take months to build, and though we have dextrous paws, keeping something like in such smooth shape would be very difficult. But now? If I can get the materials, I have no doubt I can do it in just a few days,” he kept looking at the new artwork, making some minor changes here and there to help it better express the idea he was having in his head. As he did so, Aguipua turned to the stranger turned acquaintance and said, in his simple voice, “Excuse me, but I don't recall you ever giving us a name for yourself?”
Ida couldn't help the shit-eating little smirk that curled her jowls at Solrentorro's obvious frustration, not bothering to acknowledge his correction as she leaned back and sat heavily against the snow. Her brow quirked at his bragging, not yet believing his claims of grand magic and architectural prowess as she forced her body to remain relaxed even as he strode closer to demonstrate. Building wasn't a thing many wolves did back home, and those that did focused their efforts on the structures made by those that had come before them. No one really knew who'd first built things such as castles or barns, only that sharp minds and strong bodies were needed in multitudes to maintain upkeep.
It was surprising then that the lion's magic returned in the form of a structure of his own. A tiny one, but intricate in design--more decorative than any Ida had known of in her previous lands. To her, castles were supposed to be protection, not artwork. Although she was undoubtably impressed, she eyed the display with a furrowed brow and rasped her tongue around bloodied chops. She pricked her ears at his words and snorted, raising a paw and carefully sticking a claw between one of the model's many holes. Windows, she recalled. Either to be filled with glass or left barren--either way, an easy point of weakness.
"Ah know what 'uh castle is," she rumbled. She wrinkled her muzzle, contemplating whether or not to compliment the lion on his admittedly impressive work. He has a big enough head already, she thought with some amusement."It's...interestin'. Too open."
Ida thought of the castles that had been described to her; she'd never caught a glimpse with her own eyes, but she'd met wolves that had. A few of which were lucky enough to know the earth like the backs of their paws, and could drag their claws through the soil to draw their haunting outlines.
"Unless yer wantin' tuh die, raise th' windows higher than 'uh vertical jump, or make 'em narrower than yer shoulders. Wall'll be uh plus 'round th' perimeter--possibly raise th' base n' mash any clay with blood. Keeps it from crumblin," As she spoke, she dragged harsh lines through the soil around the castle, boxing it in and clawing crude circles into the earth where each corner formed for towers.
"Needs uh solid point uh defense n' reinforcements--tunnels maybe. Yuh got n' eye for delicacy. Yer magic is impressive, ah'll admit. But there's always somethin' stronger--n' here ain't no place fer art if yer dead," her muzzle crinkled with with a low, rueful chuckle. Still, despite her critiques of it, the great dog eyed the model with obvious interest. She didn't think it couldn't work, after all. It just needed adjustments--something she would be around to provide. Her attention turned back to Aguipua as he questioned her, and she huffed.
"Ah did," she answered, and briefly considered not repeating it just to know his response. She stayed quiet for a moment, but decided then that she liked the spikey feline enough to not shut down his politeness entirely. "It's Ida. Yuh got any input on th' building? Been told yer th' advisor after all."
