Creatures Of Sonaria: Sands Of Time

Part 18: Arrangements.

       "Arche, look," Dune started. "I thought I loved you, okay? I really did. But I've known Aire longer than you, and I had to choose between some stranger I met in a cave or the one that saved my life."

        Dune looked to see Aire looking between the two knalrikies, feeling like she ruined something, so she rested a talon on Aire's paw and smiled. 

        "Hey, I'm totally cool with that," Arche said, shrugging. 

       That actually shocked Dune. "For real?" She said, looking at Aire, who also shrugged and smiled. "I thought you would have gone on a rampage or something," Dune admitted, her tail tapping the ground. 

       He laughed a bit before shaking his head. "Oh no, I can totally see how you chose her over me. She looks absolutely stunning," Arche gushed, standing up to bow down at Aire's paws. "My apologies, ma'am. I know you know my name already, but I am Arche. Humble inhabitant of the plains." 

       "Alright, time to stop acting stupid," Dune said, kicking sand at Arche's head. He shook his head and jerked back, standing straight up again. "I don't even know how a scrawny prey-fighter knows how to act chivalrous."

       Aire laughed and nudged Dune. "Don't do that! I quite like 'em. He's funny," Aire said, putting one paw forward and looking at Arche, who looked at her and then at her paw. "But you really don't need to treat me like a queen. I don't quite enjoy labels." Arche smiled and took her paw, shaking it.

       "Oh come now," Dune said, smiling and wrapping her arms around Aire from behind. "You are a queen. My queen." Aire laughed at her and tapped her snout with the finger of her wing.

        "I wish you were my queen as well," Arche said. Dune gave him a glare and hissed at him, making him shrink a bit and flatten his spines. 

         Getting in between the two, Aire intervened. "Dune, don't get mad at 'em. He's just teasing," she said, getting her to calm down. Dune just bared her teeth at him, curling her tail forwards and pointing her barb at him.

         Arche let out a nervous hiss and stiffened, digging his claws into the sand. "Weeeeell, not really. I may or may not have been trying to squeeze into your guys's relationship at that moment?" Now Dune stood up and aggro'd at him, making Arche step back. "BUT! But I wasn't trying to get you two to split! I just wanted to be a third party!"

         "Dune, calm down," Aire said, covering her with a wing and getting her to sit down. Dune felt slightly calmer, but she still wanted to pull a few teeth out of him... "Besides, there's no way that would be able to work."

        "Yeah it would!" Arche said, standing up and craning his neck. He tried very hard not to look at Dune, who would have been able to give a death glare if she had eyes. Arche, however, ignored that. "Haven't you guys ever heard of polyamorous relations?"

        Aire and Dune looked at each other, as if to telepathically say, is he mental?

       He must've read both their looks and coughed to get their attention. "A-A polyamorous relationship is- is like, when there's more than two lovers," He explained, trying to make it sound normal. Dune started to question if he was lying to try and steal Aire or if he was telling an insane truth. "My mother was in a polyamorous relationship with three males, if you can believe it," Arche said with a chuckle. "I was the fifth oldest out of seven. We were always arguing about food and territory."

       "That's... confusing," Dune said, looking at Arche as if he was crazy. She decided to try and get answers. "How would that even work too? In an intimate sense?" She asked, furrowing her brows and shuddering. "Would your mom have to-"